I think it’s awesome that Mac’s stores have jumped on the coupon bandwagon.  This one is only good in Ontario though.  From January 16-22, bring in this printable coupon and enjoy a Mega Snack slice of Banana Bread for Free!  Can’t beat a free snack.  Now we need to find somewhere to get a free coffee to go with our banana bread, lol.

I love getting free stuff for eating cereal!  This time you can order a free Karbon Quick Dry shirt from Vector cereal once you have collected 2 pin codes.  This promotion is running until June 15, 2012.  The shirt is valued at $40.  These shirts are great, my husband has a couple and he loves them.  And to make it even better, shipping is free for this one!  Between this promotion and the Astro yogurt one for a yoga jacket and pants, starting that “get fit” New Years resolution should be a breeze!

Click here for complete details and to get a form for this offer.

@AdditionElle

More end of season sales are cropping up.  This one is at both Addition Elle and Penningtons.  Addition Elle has a clearance section that has been discounted by up to 60% and Penningtons’ has been discounted by up to 70%.  The nice thing, is that you can shop both of these sales online and only do one checkout and pay one shipping fee.  You can also get this sale in store.

Click here to shop at Addition Elle and Penningtons.

Thanks to couponlady for posting this sale.

Recently, I’ve become bffs with my mechanic and Autotrader. Although he’s a nice (and honest guy), the former isn’t really a good thing on my bank account!

I’m driving a ’98 Honda Civic and within the past 2 months, I’ve easily put down $800 on maintenance things that go along with owning an older vehicle. And now, it may be time to move on, but to what?

I wish selecting a car was like ordering off the McDonald’s menu – with no surprises and you’re familiar with every item. However, one of the main problems when looking for a new car is that there are just too many options out there: new/used, if so what year, which make/model, has this car been in a wreck, etc. etc.

So after doing some research, here are some tips that I’ve compiled if you’re looking for a new (used) car:

1. Know your budget. When buying a car, new or used, there are lots of hidden fees involved, including taxes, registration, licensing fees, perhaps a dealership fee, etc. So consider all these additional cost when looking at the sticker price. If you’re planning to trade in your current vehicle, consider the value of your car;

2. Figure out the size of the vehicle that will fit your needs. I recently rode in my friend’s new Toyota Yaris and we were rubbing elbows! And personally, this is something that I know would bother me, i.e. rubbing elbows with my passenger, especially on longer trips, so I immediately ruled out sub-compact cars!;

3. What do you like? While driving ’round, keep your eyes peeled on the type of cars that you like and research whether or not these cars are in your price range. I quickly ruled out the Mini when I found out that they’re owned by BMW = expensive on repairs/maintenance!

4. Keep on open-mind when shopping. Perhaps consider a make/model car that you’ve heard good things about, through trusted friends/family members. It’s also a good idea to contact car enthusiast friends/family members to ask them for ideas…as if you need anymore options! 😉

5. Consider things like fuel economy and future repair/maintenance costs. (This is sort of related to Tip #1.) The car that I’m eyeing is European which translates into EXPENSIVE. So even though the sticker price is within my budget, I may have to toss my fantasy aside for something more practical.

6. Look beyond the dealerships. Cast your net wide. I don’t know about you, but personally, I *hate* visiting dealerships mainly because I’m a woman and I can literally feel the car salesman sizing me up! So I wouldn’t recommend the dealership route UNLESS you’ve narrowed down the field a bit. Instead, do some online research via sites like Craigslist, Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, Autotrader, etc.

7. Bring in the muscle/numbers person. Once you’ve narrowed down the choices and are serious to buy, bring along someone who KNOWS how to assess what’s going on under the hood &/or how to sift through all the fine print, financing crap to determine if you’re actually getting a deal. Remember, there is always room for negotiation, especially at this time of year or come September when the new models roll out!

8. Be prepared to walk away. If the car just doesn’t feel right, is beyond your means, be honest with yourself and walk away. There are tons of other options out there that will meet your needs! So be patient and don’t make any rash decisions.

Are there any cars that you’d advise against? Do you have any car shopping tips to share?

I don’t know about you but all I want to do in winter is to hibernate, eat hot comfort food and curl up with a good book. And although most of us make the New Year’s resolution to lose weight, it is kind of hard to achieve our goals when the cold, bleak winter practically demands us to eat those comfort foods. But, making small healthy changes to those foods will allow you to enjoy them and still keep your resolutions intact.

On that note, but certainly not to be mistaken with health food (all those potatoes!), here is a Spiced Potato and Ground Beef with Peas (“Aloo Keema” which literally means Potato Ground Beef) with warm and earthy Indian spices.

You’ll need onion, tomato, ginger and garlic.

And don’t forget the potatoes!

The Spices a.k.a the most important part.

Aloo Keema: Spiced Potato and Ground Beef with Peas

1-2tbsp olive oil

1kg or ½ kg lean ground beef

5-6 medium potatoes, cubed

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small tomato, chopped

3-4 minced or grated garlic cloves

1tsp minced or grated ginger

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp red chili powder

½ tsp cumin seeds

½ cup frozen peas

Handful of cilantro, chopped

2-3 green chilies, julienned, seeds removed (optional)

3 scallions, chopped (optional)

• In a large saucepan on medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add chopped onions and sauté them. As soon as the onions start to turn golden brown, add the tomato and minced ginger and garlic. Let it cook for a minute.

• Add in the ground beef, breaking any chunks, and cook it through. When the ground beef is brown, add in salt, pepper, ground cumin, turmeric, red chili powder and cumin seeds (if using). You should also taste it at this point to see if it requires more heat or salt and adjust the seasoning according to your preference. Add in the cubed potatoes and mix everything together.

• Lower the heat to medium-low. Add in about half a cup of water, cover the pan with a lid and allow it to cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in the frozen peas.

• Once the potatoes are cooked, turn the heat off and stir in the cilantro, green chilies (if using) or scallions (if using). Serve with chapati/roti or naan, green chutney, and salad or just enjoy it as is.

@Forever21

Right now, at Forever 21’s online store, they’re having a 50% off sale on select jackets. And until January 8th, they are also having a Buy 1 Get 1 Free sale on select merchandise, so perhaps you can take advantage of that promo as well!

Free shipping applies to orders of $60+.

Click here to check out their selection of jackets!

Pampers has released another 5 point bonus code on their Twitter.

• TWITTKD0106YCHH

I’m less than 1000 points away from getting my son the big wheel and every little bit helps. What are you saving for?

I love a nice pen and this one looks really good, and did I mention it’s FREE!  They have pens for the first 5000 people that sign up.  I got a pop up saying Good Luck when I ordered mine, but if I recall correctly, this is what happened with their last giveaway and I got my 3 free pens that time.  Really, what do you have to loose?

Click here to order your pen.

Thanks to manzervite for finding this freebie!

This is a pretty awesome giveaway from Astro Zero yogurt.  Collect 6 pins and pay just $4 shipping and handling and you can get either a yoga jacket or yoga pants!  They have styles for both men and women.  They’re pretty nice (see picture below).  You can get something for every 6 pins you enter and you have up to March 30, 2012 to order.

Click here to register for this offer.

Thanks to manzervite for posting this cool offer!

This is pretty exciting.  You can now order up to 5 copies of an individual coupon on GoCoupons.ca.  When you put the coupon in your cart, there will be a friendly green plus side beside it that you can click to order more copies of that coupon.  So awesome!

Click here to check out the available coupons at GoCoupons.ca.

Thanks to sslaunwhite for sharing this information with us!

Urban Planet is having their end of season sale.  They have a bunch of stuff for guys and girls on sale.  Some for Buy One Get One 50% Off, some for 2/$30  Nothing really caught my eye for myself.  I find their stuff a younger style than I currently wear, but there maybe something perfect for the teen in your life.  This sale is going on online and in store.

Click here to shop at Urban Planet.

Once again, a big thank you to couponlady for always keeping us well informed as to all the sales out there!

@Abercrombie

I am loving all these new sales starting up just in time for the weekend!  Abercrombie & Fitch has discounted all their redline items by an additional 30%.  This sale is just in time for me to start shopping for some of the birthdays I have coming up in the next couple months.  It’s nice to get some after Christmas sales for the next round of gift giving.  This sale is happening online and in store for a limited time.

Click here to shop A&F online.

Thanks to couponlady for posting this sale.

@GUESS

Guess has now further reduced their clearance section by 40%.  I am personally most interested in the shoes and handbags, but there are items for ladies and gents available.  There are a couple really cute pairs of shoes on sale, now to convince my husband that I really do need another pair of shoes.  The sale is going on in store and online.

Click here to shop the sale section at Guess.

I love additional discounts!  So Smart Set is taking an additional 25% off all their Pink Sticker Items.  These items have already been reduced by up to 50%.  The additional discount will be taken off at the checkout.  This sale is going on both online and in store.  I would say shopping early for the best selection is a safe bet with this sale.  I check out the Pink Sticker section online and they have a lot of great stuff, including some really cute jewelry.

Click here to shop the Pink Sticker section at Smart Set.

Thanks to couponlady for posting this sale for us!

@HollisterCo

Right now and running through January 8, Hollister has a selection of hoodies on for only $18.  There are hoodies for the dudes and the bettys.  I don’t know about you, but I love hoodies!  I can never seem to have enough of them.  I use them all year round so this is a sale I’m going to have to check out!

Click here to shop at Hollister.

Thanks to couponlady for posting this deal for us!