Not really a deal but I know many of you have been looking for gluten free products.
Some of these have been available in select Loblaws banner stores for a while but they are rolling them out to more stores. Check your local Loblaws store (Loblaws, Superstore, RCSS, Fortinos etc) to find a wider selection of PC Brand gluten free products including white sliced bread, cookies, muffins, brownies and cake loafs.
The pricing shown above is for my local Fortinos store.
Shop online at The Body Shop to save $11 on select body Butter, only $8 for a limited time. They also have many items on clearance and shipping is free when you spend $50 or more (saving of $5, usually you need to spend $75 to get free shipping)
Click here to shop online at The Body Shop
As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I used to go to the same grocery store weekly, with roughly the same list yet my bill really varied. We bought the same brands because we were used to them, we picked up whatever looked interesting. Typical shoppers. Now I cringe when I am behind someone with a cart full of items knowing they can save so much more.
Everyone knows the usual rules for not overspending when shopping; shop alone, with a list and never on an empty stomach, but there is so much more to saving on groceries.
Look at the price per unit and per weight. Two similar items can be priced similarly, say a box of granola bars for $1.99 but one may have 6 while the other has 8 in the box. The bars in the box of 8 may be slightly smaller, but you will likely only eat one anyway. Save the calories and the money.
Buy in bulk (when not using coupons). Things like lentils, rice, pasta and spices are often cheaper when bought in bulk if you do not have a coupon. Bulk Barn often offers coupons for $3 off when you spend $10 or more. Buy some containers to store them and save on these items.
Spend now to save later. If you have been trying to save on your groceries for a while, you know that some weeks, the deals are just awful. Stock up on pantry items or foods that can be frozen when they are cheap. For example, Metro recently sold extra lean ground chicken for $2.49/lb (reg $3.99/lb on sale). We went several times and grabbed 4 and stocked our freezer with 12 packs of roughly 1lb each). Just before Christmas, FreshCo offered pricematching of Grade A turkeys for utility turkeys. I pricematched Food Basics at $0.77/lb for a 12lb turkey, it was under $10 and will make many meals to come.
Buy in season or frozen. Fruit and vegetables are obviously much cheaper (and fresher) when bought in season. If you still want those summer berries, buy frozen. Meats can be high in sodium when frozen, opt for fresh if you are watching the sodium intake.
Do your own food prep. A stir-fry vegetable kit may seem cheaper when you compare it to buying each of the items separately, but you often only need less than half of those items so can use them for multiple meals. Boneless/skinless meats are much pricier than their boned counterparts, a whole chicken can be much cheaper than buying breasts and legs.
Don’t be brand loyal. Whether it is because you have a coupon or because a certain brand is on sale – you can save a lot by buying different brands. I have tried many brands because of a discount that I likely would not have bought before joining SmartCanucks but I now love and buy regularly. Don’t be afraid to try store brands for those items that do not have coupons, they are often made by the major manufactures anyway.
Meatless Mondays (or any day). Swap out meat for a cheaper protein such as lentils or beans – you will save money and your body will thank you for it.
Check the discount racks. Get to know your store staff and find out when they mark down produce and meat. In some stores (especially the more expensive chains) they mark down meat that is much fresher than other stores so you need to do some investigating to find the best stores. Just by shopping at the right time, you can save 30% on meats and produce. Either cook or freeze them when you get home. This really does depend on the store, comparing my local stores one marks down produce that looks fresher than the full priced produce in another, one very rarely has any mark downs other than breads and another the meat needs to be slimy and green before they would consider marking it down.
Meal Planning. Plan your meals based on sales. I will cover this more in-depth later but you can save a lot of money by planning what you are going to eat so you are not buying last minute items at a convenience store or using items meant for another meal.
Couponing. As I mentioned earlier, couponing is not for everyone but if someone gave you $20 gift card to a grocery store, you would use it, no? Why not let the manufacturers pay for your products. Some couponers will even trade gift cards for coupons, so you can get free produce for giving away those coupons you don’t need. You may think that there are no coupons for healthy items, but there are. Last year I got free fruit and yogurt from cheap cereal, produce from $1 ziplocs etc I will cover this more in-depth too.
Loyalty Programs. Is your store offering bonus points on an item you buy often? Do they have a bonus event when you spend a certain amount. Usually you can use coupons to reduce this amount. Do you have a high value coupon that they are offering bonus points on? Use those bonus points to buy the produce and meat.
Each week, we do the work for you – check here for the best lists of deals on meat, produce & grocery staples, coupon matchups and baby deals.
This blog is part of our New to SmartCanucks series, click here to read more blog posts in the series
Almond Fresh posted that they will be holding a giveaway on facebook tomorrow at 11 a.m (Eastern). Like them now to save time when the giveaway starts.
Click here to like Almond Fresh on Facebook
This weekend January 5th & 6th, get 8000 bonus Optimum points when you spend $50 or more at Shoppers Drug Mart in Atlantic provinces. The rest of Canada gets two movie tickets when you spend $75
Monday to Friday, you get a $10 Shoppers Drug Mart gift card when you spend $50 or more
Hopefully there are some good deals in the flyer.
Sign up to get your free sample of VPlenish Vitamin Boost, the world’s first taste free daily vitamin. It dissolves clear in any hot or cold food or beverage. Click here to order yours while quantities last.
Skinny Cow Canada is giving away something through Facebook , but it is a surprise! Click here to enter your details so they can send you your “Skinny Surprise” if you are chosen as a winner. You have until January 4th 2013 at 11:59:59pm EST to enter the contest. Good luck all!
You can now order your choice of three sample kits from Poise. Choose from the following kits:
Make sure you click on the blue link and view in Canadian English in order to submit your info. Click here to order.
Some of these have been available before but are on websaver.ca again
Click here to check websaver to see what coupons came available for you today
ThriftyRebecca has been busy and uploaded many of the Ontario grocery flyers for the coming week. Click on the store name to view the flyer
Just a reminder that Canada Post are increase the cost of postage on January 14. The cost of a regular P (permanent rate) stamp will increase to $0.63 (and they approved $0.65 for 2014) so if you are running low, buy some before January 14th to save $0.02 per stamp. If your stamps have a P on them instead of a price, you can use them without additional postage.
Other increases:
The new rates for lettermail are as follows:
iTunes are giving away two Ke$ha songs today in their 12 Days of Christmas giveaway. Get Only Wanna Dance With You and Past Lives free.
The best way to meet your long term goals is to set short term ones. If you have been overspending, the shock of a frugal lifestyle can be a bit much but cutting down bit by bit can set you in the right path for the future.
Start with the easy stuff
Bills: are you paying too much?
TV: Not all of us are ready to “cut the cord” but you can go down to a basic package for TV. For my local cable company, Digital Basic is $32 but their recommended 3 theme pack package is $68, most of us have a few add-on channels plus the savings in taxes. Just by changing, you save $500/year.
Home Phone: Do you really need one? Many people keep their phone for ‘security’ purposes but if it uses electricity, it is useless. If you use it, great but for me, it is just another way for telemarketers to call me. You can save $20+ a month getting rid of the line, more with all the extra fees they charge.
Cell Phones: Do you need the plan you are on? Many people are not on the right plan for them. They either have a cheaper plan and pay overage or an expensive plan that they don’t use. Even a savings of $10 a month adds up over the year. Call and ask if they have a plan that matches your usage better.
Internet: Do you need that high speed connection? Does your bandwidth match your usage? Many websites do not work at the super high speeds cable companies offer. Unless you have a lot of devices using the connection or another reason for needing the speed, 6-8mbps (or even less) packages are just fine – even for streaming! Check what monthly bandwidth they offer on the smaller packages or you could end up paying more for usage.
Decide if these services are a must for you and where you can cut. Giving up even channels on your cable package may seem like a big move but in a month or so, you won’t even remember having them. Call the companies, explain that you need to cut expenses and ask what they can offer you. Often their customer retention department will have much better offers than they show online but be careful they are not trying to upsell you!
Banking: Are you paying too much in fees? Get a fee free account (like the one available from PC Financial) or check to see if your bank have a cheaper package that suits your usage. Can you use your debit card less to save $5-10 a month? That $60-120 a year pays another bill.
Mortgage: Are you paying monthly? Can you change it to bi-weekly, you will get more payments in and pay down your mortgage more quickly. Can you remortgage to a better rate?
Utilities: Most utility companies offer a better rate for off-peak usage. Do that laundry in cooler water and at an off-peak time to save.
Groceries: You Gotta Eat
I used to buy roughly the same thing every week, if chicken was on sale I would buy that instead of beef, more broccoli instead of cauliflower etc but yet my grocery bill for just two of us could range from $100-130 a week, plus the bits we picked up during the week and eating out. Now I pay $50-70 a week and often much less.
If you are really trying to cut expenses – stop eating out now! Keep it as a treat and something you save for in other areas of your finances. It is easy to spend even $10 per person at a fast food place now and a restaurant – easily $50 for a couple. Do that even once a month and it adds up over the year. If you don’t brown bag lunches for work or school – start now. Coffee stop every morning? Make it at home!
SmartCanucks has a large couponing community, and it is a great way to save but not for everyone, it takes organizing, time, and can actually cost a little more in the short term as you build a stockpile. However, you can save a lot just by paying attention to sales, flyers and buying what is cheapest. Stores like No Frills, RCSS, Walmart and Freshco offer price matching on your groceries. You do not need to go store to store to get the deals. Spend an hour planning your meals, shopping and you can easily save $20 on every shopping trip.
There is also a lot to be said for the cash method recommended by Gail Vaz-Oxlade but you need to spend January working out a reasonable budget or you will give up (trust me, I have been there). Start with the saving tips all over SmartCanucks and take another 10% off for February as you will save more as you learn. For automatic withdrawals I just put an IOU in that jar so I “see” the money.
We will cover these more in coming blogs, but you have a lot to get you started.
This blog is part of our New to SmartCanucks series, click here to read more blog posts in the series
Each Wednesday during the month of January, get any size hot beverage for $1. Offer includes Coffee, Cappuccino, Hot Tea, Hot Chocolate & Lattes. Iced Coffee is not included. Click here to visit the 7-Eleven Canada Facebook page.
Save $2 on Swiss Naturals Joint Care products with this mail to home coupon from save.ca. If you are thinking of getting into couponing this year, sign up to save.ca for lots of different coupons throughout the year.
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