Rent to own stores, we’ve all heard of them, some of us have items from them, but are they a smart choice?  Recently I found an end table set that I liked on a site called Easy Home. I had never looked into one of these sites, and figured I could get a cash in hand price.  Boy was I wrong!  Easy Home deals in “weekly payments”  there are no base prices. Only how much the item will cost you weekly.  I had figured the pair of end tables should retail around $149.99 considering they were just press board and pretty simple.  With Easy Homes base (which they don’t disclose) and the 29.99% interest the pair would cost me $6 per week for 156 weeks costing me just under $940!  With a bit of searching I found a CBC Marketplace investigation where they calculated the base price triple or more of the normal price plus the 29.99% interest.  If you took the regular retail and recalculated the excessive base amount they were charging in the compound interest some items were over 500% interest.  The real kicker?  Some of these items are used! You end paying insane prices on used items.  The only good thing I found was you can return the items at any time with no penalty… but i’m sure theres a lot of fine print to that.

While I do understand some people have no credit or means of purchasing these items outright why not go second hand until you can afford a new couch, tv etc?  Theres no shame in saving up for a new couch.  Or maybe people don’t mind paying insane prices to have something new?   Have you purchased items from a rent to own store? What was your experience?

Marketplace video on CBC

@ALDO_Shoes

Bigger discounts on women’s boots at Aldo.  They have a section of clearance priced boots that they have now further reduced by another 50%.  There are a bunch of styles to choose from and the prices are pretty great.   This deals is an online exclusive. They also have reduced all other women’s sale footwear and men’s boots by an additional 30%.  This is the sale I’ve been waiting for, I so want a new pair of tall boots.  Oh yeah, and shipping is free on orders of $50 or more.

Click here to shop Aldo online.

Here’s a great opportunity to use all those new P&G coupons you just got.  Spend $40 or more in P&G products at a Loblaws store and get a $10 PC gift card back in the mail.  All purchases need to be made in one transaction and must have been made between January 13 and 31, 2012.  The participating P&G products are: Tide, Downy, Febreze, Bounce, Cascade, Dawn, Mr. Clean, Charmin, Bounty, Puffs and Iams.  For full details and the mail in form, please check out your in store coupon board.

Thanks to CouponDude and couponlady for finding this great offer.

Spring shoes has a new coupon code to save you an extra 15% off your entire online order.  To get your discount enter coupon code 15VIP2008 at checkout.  To make this coupon code even better, they have boots on sale for at least 30% off.  Oh and you can have your order shipped for free with purchases of $49 or more.  Lots of ways to save a Spring Shoes right now!

Click here to shop at Spring Shoes.

While news broke out all over the place today about Hostess filing for bankruptcy this does not effect the Canadian Hostess.  They are separate entities.  This is great news for us Canadians as Hostess (ie Wonderbread) employs a lot of  people here.  Hopefully the US chapter will be able to restructure and get back on its feet. 

Speaking of Hostess, does anyone actually eat Twinkies anymore?

@eddiebauer

Eddie Bauer is having an outerwear sale.  They have jackets and vests for men and women on sale for up to 60% off.  I would assume that this sale is going on in store as well as online, but I couldn’t find anything that told me for sure.  Also, if you sign up for their emails you will get a code for another 15% your purchase.  Not too shabby.

Click here to shop Eddie Bauer online.

Thanks to couponlady for posting this sale.

@Abercrombie

Winter is still here and we’re actually suppose to get some winter like temperatures next week (in my next of the woods anyways).  So what’s better than a new warm sweater?  A nice warm sweater that’s 70% off!  Abercrombie is having a sweater sale both in store and online for a limited time.

Click here to check out the sale online.

Thanks to couponlady for posting this sale for us.

@GapCanadaPR
The Gap is holding an afternoon pick-me-up, offering 30% off regular priced items. The sale is today only, from 12pm to 6pm but I’m not sure what time zone that applies to (I’m in EDT, so assume that?). This sale is online only and you need to enter code GAPCFLASH at checkout.

L’occcitane is offering a free small $6 jar of  handcream! Pick up is in-store only.  BUT if they reach 6,000 sign ups they will upgrade the hand cream to a larger size valued at $12.

You must be a Canadian resident to partake in this offer.

Click here to fill out the form for this freebie on Facebook.

Thanks Jing, for using the suggest a deal form.

When you make a purchase from American Apparel’s online store, from January 10th – 12th, use the promo code CAFF30GOL7109LY to save 30%! Free shipping applies to orders of $75+.

Happy Shopping! 🙂

Swiss Chalet has a promotion going on right now where you can get a cup of soup and your choice of dessert for $3.99 with the purchase of an entrée $7.99+. Dessert is either pie or cake, lemon meringue and Chalet chicken noodle (not sure what the other flavours of soups are) were pictured. Order yours online here.

I love Swiss Chalet, although I haven’t been since my kids were born as it is hard taking two kids under 2 to a sit down restaurant.

Price Matters has some great deals on Cameras right now.  If your in the market for a new camera click here to check out Price Matters. Shipping is a flat rate of $15 so take a browse around.

Click here to shop at Price Matters.

@AmazonDealsCa

Amazon has some new weekly deals that might just be up your alley.  They have 50% off an Electrohome 19-inch HDTV (now only $99), 62% off a KitchenAid 14-piece knife set (now only $50) as well as deals on Swiss Army Knives and Fire Safe boxes.  I’ve been thinking about getting new knives and I was going to wait til my birthday to ask for them, however, with this sale I just might have to get them now!  Oh and free shipping on orders of at least $25.

Click here to check out all the deals at Amazon Canada.

Please Mum has a new web exclusive offer running January 10 & 11.  You can save an additional 15% on all orders of $60 or more.  Also, with purchases of $50 you’ll get free shipping.  And they still have a bunch of clearance stuff available.  To get the additional 15% off use coupon code JAN6015 at checkout.

Click here to shop at Please Mum.

@ShopprsDrugMart

Here’s an advanced heads up on the next gift card promotion at Shoppers Drug Mart.  This coming weekend (Jan 14 & 15) when you spend $50 or more you will get  a $10 Tim Hortons gift card.  I love getting free stuff for purchases I would have made anyways.

Thanks to both Saving Moola and carriez14 for posting this promotion and the up coming Shoppers flyer for us.