The holidays are over!!!

It sounds kind of funny, but to me the Holidays are Over. Finally. I look forward to it every year...that time right before New Year's and right after Christmas where I can take down my decorations (yeah, I do it that early), and get my house to look as normal as possible with the additional amount of toy's and other things....

I've never been a big fan of the Holidays. I've experienced a lot of let downs in my life that I've never fully got over (when you've been lied to and let down as a kid, the hurt stays for a very very long time), so the Holidays are just another time where I remember the hurts that I had to go through to get me here. Of course, that doesn't stop me from plastering on an almost fake happiness and putting on an act for my family!

Obviously I love seeing the happiness on my kids when they're opening up presents from Santa, and I love spending time with my family....the whole thing is just really exhausting though.

I need pajama days until New Years. I don't want to go out anywhere. I want to get everything done that I hadn't got a chance to do for the week of Christmas. The Holidays are the main reason why I haven't been posting, or scouring for coupons, etc. It's not an excuse....I know that. I explained to at least 10 people about what I do online, and my blog, and the influencer programs that I'm a part of...I don't know if they get it or not, I just answer the questions as they are! I hope that they do get it though....different generations I guess.


"How many minutes until you're done?"

That was my oldest, Bean, asking about when I was going to be done "working"...you can tell I booted him off of the computer for this post (insert giggle here.).

It's really doubtful anyone can fully understand the amount of hard work that I actually put into this entire blog thing. I wasn't really expecting it to grow to as many people as it did....same with the Facebook group. I'm really kicking myself for my past choices that COULD have bettered the blog or got it out there more, and I chose not to participate because I wasn't completely confident in what I was doing (I was confident in what I was doing, but I wasn't fully confident about giving other people the confidence that THEY could do it....your fails are my fails!).

So today, I've decided to overhaul this blog. Make some changes for sure. In the New Year I'm going to be trying to give you guys the best and most effective advice I can possibly give, and if you guys don't understand you can ALWAYS e-mail me (I check my e-mails all the time!!)! That's my personal new year's resolution. 

Coupon Binder Organization! Guest post by Justine Wright!

Coupon Organiztaion Binder Method.

I use to just throw whatever coupons I had in the back zipper pocket of my purse, causing me to dig through all these random coupons trying to find that one I needed, knowing that I had it but I just didnt no where it went, It just got to the point where I needed a new and better system than that, so I sat down and started thinking, and well I had a random binder from the dollar store, and my boyfriend had all these baseball card holders for his hockey cards, so I put 2 and 2 together and thought of a binder for my coupons!!
So now I'm sharing with all of you how I made my binder!
1. BINDER- I have a three ring binder from the dollar store, depending how many coupons you have and how big of a binder you need, going to walmart or staples for one that zippers is also a great idea! I dont no how many times my 1 yr old has tiped mine upside down and droped all of my coupons on the floor!! (my fault for leaving it in her reach!)
2.DIVIDERS, I also found these at the dollar store for a buck!! you will need these so you can divide each section to make things alot easier to find, right now mine are dived as :
Food
Baby
Bathroom
Cleaning
Smells
Randoms
Target coupons
Trades (the coupons i wont use and i trade them for ones I will use)
Now when I get more of a coupon collection I will divied them differently, for an example
Baking items
Canned goods
Beverages
Fozen foods
Meats
Shaving needs
Shampoos/soaps
But you can organize them however you feel is best for you.

3. PENICAL CASE- A 3 holed penical case! Now I dont have this in my binder yet but I am going to get one!! I am always looking for scissors, penicals/pens, calculator! having a penical case snaped into your binder with all the things you need in it to do your couponing is a great idea!

4. BASEBALL/HOCKEY CARD HOLDERS!- Again found at the dollar store for a buck! you can also find them at places like target, or walmart. It is an amazing way to keep your coupns organized, you can see the coupons clearly, some you may have to fold them to fit, you can stuff them pretty good as well! I always put whatever coupon expires first in the front to make sure I dont use any that expires last.

5. I also like to put a list at the front of my binder of all the sites you can print/mail coupons from, as I tend to forget atleast one website and that can cause me to miss out on a very good coupon!

This method may not be for everyone, but I love how easy it is to find my coupons, how easy it is to carry around with me (because well you never no what you will find on sale that was not in the flyers!) and I can just look at the divider find what section I need, and pull out the coupon! Also love the space you have in a binder for all the coupons you can possibly have!

Justine Wright

New Years Resolution.

It’s almost that time of year again, the time to make up new fun resolutions that may or may not get done in the New Year.  Why not resolve to save money? There are so many resources you can use to save money, and they can all be a bit confusing.  You might be thinking that because you’re on a set income, the Social Assistance program or are a single parent, you can’t afford to do things like stock up. You might think you don’t have time to spend hours slumping over a table clipping out coupons, and while coupons might help save hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars a year, they’re hard to manage and quite time consuming. There are other ways that you can save money!

When you lower your grocery bill, you can use that extra money to put towards other things that are in need of attention. Things like cash-back apps, and price matching can save you a ton of money on your grocery bill. Apps like Checkout 51, Zweet, Snap , Cartsmart and now Save.ca offer cash back rebates that you can get if you buy items on their offer’s list. After you have at least $20, you can request for them to send you a cheque and then you can cash the cheque and then BAM! Extra money in your pockets!

If you do shopping online, websites like Swagbucks, Viewpoints, InstaGC, and Gifthulk will offer you points that you earn by doing surveys, tasks, polls, and even inviting your friends to join.  After a certain amount of points, you can “cash out” and receive e-gift certificates that you can use on a variety of websites like Amazon, the Gap, Old Navy, and sometimes even Babies R Us.

Price matching varies from store to store, but Target has the best price matching policy that I can find. You can price match Canada-wide, meaning if that can of soup is cheaper in B.C. you can show the cashier your flyer (online of course), and they’ll honor it.  If you find the Burt’s Bees lip balm cheaper to buy on Amazon.ca, just show them and they’ll price match. Yes, they even price match from Amazon.

Before you turn down couponing completely, just remember that couponing has changed a lot through the years. Most coupons you can pick and choose to print from places like save.ca, smartsource, websaver.ca, and gocoupons. This ensures that you can get a variety of coupons to choose from and you’re not wasting ink on coupons that you’ll never use. Print Smartsource coupons by scrolling to the bottom and printing them out from the Thrify NBer's coupon portal now!

This year make a resolution we can all make the resolution to save money! 

Target Tidbits: how you can save money at Target.

Everyone knows the Target coupon policy of their coupons plus an Internet coupon can get you maximum savings. But if you're not a Couponer, saving money at Target can seem impossible unless you're buying everything on sale. Here's a couple price matching facts about Target that anyone can use without using coupons to save a ton of money at target.

Price match. Not only does Target price match, but they will allow you to use your smart device to price match CANADA WIDE. This means that if you find a lower price for that can of juice at a grocery store in British Columbia, you can show them the advertised price in the grocery stores flyer, and they'll honor it and adjust the price accordingly. Even though this might take a little bit of extra time, it'll save you so much money!

Amazon.ca. Did you know that Target price matches from sources like Amazon.ca? Neither did I until I called and questioned them. I scoured the Target store policy, and couldn't find anything about price matching using Amazon.ca, but as long as the source is Canadian, target seems to honour it! As we all know, Amazon.ca can have some of THE cheapest sales around. So if you're looking to make a purchase on something ex. Burts bees lip balm, check Amazon.ca first for the lowest price, and then show the cashier the page it's on. If you bring up the Amazon.com page, it will not be honoured, so make sure you're on the canadian Amazon.

That frozen doll that your daughter wanted for Christmas? Chances are somewhere in Canada those dolls are on sale, including Amazon.ca. If you spend the extra 10-15 minutes checking around, you're going to save money and get the best possible deal. 

Day 6 of 30!!

I honestly can't believe it's day 6 already!!!

My grandmother taught me how to knit, crochet, sew, cook, etc. from a very young age. She learned how to do those things young, so she taught me over the course of winters and rainy days. She always believed that just because you have little or no money, you shouldn't have to go without. If you learn to knit or crochet, your kids can lose all the mittens they want and you have the ability to whip them up a pair the night before. If you learn to cook with cookbooks made from the 30's era recession, your meal cost will be lower. If you stock up on groceries (buy more than you have to for the MONTH.), if you run into a financial problem say....around Christmas....you won't be going without food.

The same woman taught me how to properly store and freeze breastmilk, how to make a proper pie crust, and helped me raise my child for the first 2 years of his life. I'm very thankful for my grandmother.

My dad moved us a couple provinces away when I was going into grade 3, and over the course of 10 years, I somehow managed to lose all of the skills that my grandmother had taught me...and by the time I got back, being a preteen, I wasn't too interested in learning this "crap that I'll never use." When I got pregnant with my first child 5 year's later (18 ya'll.), it was pretty aparent that I had to learn those skills again. So I learned to knit (not crochet), re-learned to sew, and figured out how I standed in the kitchen (pretty good...no complaints from my kiddos.).


When it came time for me to figure out how to crochet a couple years ago, I was TOOOOOTALLLY lost. So I went out and did what anyone else in my situation would do....I bought a book! Not just any book though....I bought the Complete Idiots Guide to Knitting and Crocheting!! I love this book!!! Everything is SUPER easy to understand, there are tons of diagrams, great for beginners and I learned tons about how to make my knitting better (like the proper use of cables.).

There are people out there that will tell you that knitting and crocheting is an expensive hobby, because (if you're selling it...), you factor in the cost of yarn and the amount of time you spent on say....an afghan, you'll be losing money because you'll be selling it for a lower price. They're right, if you buy the super expensive yarn from Michaels, not on sale with no coupons, your project can get pretty expensive. But it's all about when and where to shop. If you go to Michaels, they'll often have sale coupons in their flyer's that can give you anywhere from 40-50% off, they always have the coupon that let's you save on X item that's not on sale, etc. So if you shop smart, you'll have no problem!

Today's Fun Freebie is a 3 BOOK DEALLLL!!! 3 FREE knitting books! One for stitches (learning), one for learning how to make socks, and one for learning how to make scarves!!! 

Day 5: 30 Days of Books

I hope everyone had a great weekend!! We took our kids to see Santa this weekend, there was a bit of a line up...but not as much of a lineup to see Elsa and Anna (Frozen guys...let it go.).

The thing when it comes to Frozen (the movie), with me is probably the fact that I think they really rushed through the whole movie, I feel like there`s a lot of stuff that they missed...maybe I would just prefer things to be more complex...I don`t know. My kids watch a lot of movies and sometimes I just wish Disney would make things incredibly difficult to understand  (everything always straightens itself out at the end of the day right?).

So here it is.....another books for kids post. This time, because of the weather (it's -15C out there guys...dress warm!!), I decided to make both books Frozen.

For today's fun freebie, it's a cookbook for adult and child fans of Harry Potter! It's the Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook: A Magical Christmas Menu!!!









Just a sidenote, right now (if you're with swagbucks, if you're not find my Influencer badge on the sidebar and sign up now!!!), you can earn 1sb for every dollar you spend on Amazon through Swagbucks!

Dayyyyyyy 4 out of 30!!!

Today's day 4, is a children's book. You guys know I have kids, and as a parent I know it's difficult to pick out children's books.

My children are 5 and 3, so finding age appropriate books for both is....rediculous. My Bean reads at an advanced grade, and my 3 year old isn't quite ready for "long" books that take more than 5 minutes to read...she much prefer's a short book being read to her while cuddling in our big (broken) comfy chair (also known as...my knitting chair.).

I also know a lot of kids don't like/refuse to eat their fruits and vegetables. I've never encountered this problem, but I know a lot of parents DO have this problem. So, today's book is.....


I Love To Eat Fruits and Vegetables.

It's pretty rare that my amazon book of the day is free, but today it is. Which means it must be..........FRIDAY'S DOUBLE FREEBIE!!!

So today's Fun Freebie #2 of the day (another children's book!!) is.......Terry Treetop and the Lost Egg.

This is a rhyming book that teaches kids about values and animal habitats. It IS book 3, the other three (book 1,2,4) aren't free (sorry!!). If you want to purchase the other three of the Terry Treetop series, they're both less than 2$.

Children Books :Terry Treetop Finds New Friends: (Animal Habitats)values ebook(Goodnight & Sleep Book)(Adventure & Education for kids)Beginner Reader Early ... Books for Early/Beginner Readers 1)

Children Books: WHERE IS MY HOME ?: (Animal Habitats) (Values book) (Preschool) (Beginner reader Early learning) (Explore the World kids book collection) ... Books for Early/Beginner Readers 2)

Children Books: Terry Treetop Saves The Dolphin: (Animal habitats) Marine Life (Preschool) Early Learning (Values book) (Bedtime Stories Children's Books for Early & Beginner Readers fiction Book 4)


I also know that some people are going to message me after seeing this with a big "woah girl...I found book 6." I know there are a lot more books out there, but these books are just then ones I find are better value. I'd spend 1.15 on a book that has 42 pages. I will not spend 1.12 on a book with 28 pages. Sorry, it's basically highway robbery in my opinion, if you want book number 6: Abigail and the Sahara Adventure, you can  find it on amazon.  

Day 3 Of 30 Days of Books

Today's featured book (I feel just like Oprah!!), really got me in the mood to cook and start baking all sorts of yummy treats for Christmas! That's right, cookbooks.

This is THE best cookbook (I have 2 copies of this book, I was given it twice on the same Christmas...no joke, I love this cookbook.), I have found. Really. If you've got time to sit and watch a TV movie, you've got time to prepare a week's worth of food in some Mason Jars.

These reciepes are going to save you time (during those hectic days when you come home from work and have less than 2 hours before a sport's practice, or dance class or whatever, these reciepes are going to be your life saver.), and if you collect the ingredients from certain places when they're on sale, they'll save you money. Not to mention the fact that they're healthier than say....grabbing a hamburger at McDonalds.



Meals in a Jar is extremely easy to understand, the recipes are really yummy, and people will definely think that you spend hours slaving away in the kitchen when you come up to the table (or party!) toting these delicious dishes. The best part? It's not expensive to buy! I definately reccommend that you buy this book, not the Kindle version, but the actual HARD copy version.

Kindle Version:Meals in a Jar: Quick and Easy, Just-Add-Water, Homemade Recipes

Indigo Hard Copy: Meals In A Jar: Quick and Easy, Just-Add-Water, Homemade Recipes




Fun Freebie of the Day (no longer free):4 Ingredient Cookbook: 150 Quick & Easy Timesaving Recipes

Just glance at some of the recipes in this book and you'll feel inspired to cook up a storm. Try something new, or go for a new spin on an old favorite. 

Day 2 of 30 Days of Books

Today marks the second day of the 30 Days of Books. I hope that everyone got a chance to download yesterday's fun freebie as it's no longer available. Today, I have another special book for you guys!

I got asked yesterday why I didn't include the Kobo link in the advert box where I'm putting the books, it's not because I don't like Kobo (I've got literally nothing against Kobo), it's just it's so easy to click the Kobo version on the Indigo product website. I think it's just easier to put the Kindle version, and then the hard copy version. Sorry!!

Today's book of the day, I'm choosing a money management book. If you don't know already, I love the "For Dummies" books. They're super easy to read and understand...literally for dummies. Everything is very very comprehendable, so you're not really going to get stuck with the language or anything crazy like that.

Managing Debt for Dummies is a very easy to use resource to help get your debt under control, and begin your journey towards financial freedom. I've heard a lot of other people talk about other books that cost WAY more (like....50-100$ more depending on the author.), and while that might work for them, their kids or teenagers aren't going to pay attention to the books.

This is a GREAT book for teenagers to read, because as we all know, when you're 19 you don't know much about things like credit cards and we've all been young and stupid, not realizing that what you do with it now might effect you for the rest of your life! Ha ha....

If you want to download the Kindle version for $11.35, you can get it here: Managing Debt For Dummies


If you want to purchase the hard copy from Indigo for $16.71, you can get it here: Managing Debt For Dummies


Fun Freebie of the Day: 925 Ideas to Help You Save Money, Get Out of Debt and Retire A Millionaire So You Can Leave Your Mark on the World

30 Days of Books You'll Actually Use

I love books as much as the next person, the only thing I love more than books, is my Ipad (with my Kindle app.). I try to download as many practical books as possible, books I can learn something from, and books that I can (and do) use the information and resources from. So I'm starting my 30 days of Kindle book club starting with a great book that you'll use every growing season. Read now, use later.

Mini Farming: Farming In A Quarter Of An Acre.

This is a GREAT beginner's guide on how to get started on your own mini-produce garden.

It's basically THE perfect micro-farming guide that's both practical and realistic. Short and sweet at about 250 pages, this is a great guide for beginner's, and seasoned gardening vets alike. Yes, you will work hard, but when you work hard, strawberries taste sweeter, veggies taste better. Not to even mention the fact that you'll be saving money by growing your own food.

Get the Kindle Version by clicking Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre


Get the hard copy from Indigo by clicking Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre


Yesterday's Fun Freebie (no longer free):  Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre

Grocery Shopping Tips and Tricks

Everyone grocery shops, a lot. If you have a family, you probably find yourself getting groceries or "picking up a few things" every week or two. Here's some tips and tricks to save money, and get you through the checkout as quick as possible (because no one likes a 4 hour grocery shop trip.).

1. Plan your meals. Sit down, and do an actual meal plan. If it's for a month or two weeks, plan your meals out so you know EXACTLY what you need to buy for the meals.
   
   
2. Make sure you take a list. Yes...I know, we have all forgotten our list at least once or twice (or every single time we go grocery shopping...), but try your very hardest to take your list!!
   
   
3. Don't stray from the list. Your kids will understand if you say no to the candy bar they want, or that little novelty grocery store thing they always get. You might get a tantrum, but they can be easily distracted by other things. Instead, let them hold your coupon envelope, or let them give coupons to the cashier. If they are just starting to read let them help you read the grocery list.
   
   
4. Use Coupons. Even if you aren't a big fan of coupons, try to use as many as you can tolerate. Saving 50 cents is better than nothing. It'll also easy you into couponing so hopefully, you'll start using them more and more. Once you see how much you can save using coupons, you'll use more next time.
   
   
5. Buy cheap, price match. Scour through the flyers to find out what's on sale. Compare that to coupons, Cash-back sites/apps, and other stores to get THE best possible deal you can find.
   
   
6. Grocery shop alone as much as possible. If your significant other likes to add things to your cart, leave him/her home with the kids so you can go out and do your grocery shopping. This will not only be easier for you to stick to a budget and a list, but you won't feel as pressured to hurry up and rush through so you can go home.
   
   
7. Use all of your resources. The internet is an amazing black hole, but you can also find really good deals, coupons, new apps, etc. Find them, learn to use them, enjoy them.
   
   
8. Plan your shopping trip the day before you go out. Always keep a list of things that you run out of, but plan your shopping trip the day before. The flyer's here in Saint John don't come out until Wednesday night, but I've seen them come in other places on Fridays. In the cases that you always get your flyer's late, use the store's online flyer. Yes, it'll take longer. Yes, you'll probably rip out a good clump of hair trying to price match and use coupons.
   
   
9. Call ahead and see when X item is going to be on sale, or use the internet to find out. I know this sounds foolish, but most grocery stores put certain things on sale depending on the season. They'll also jack up the price of seasonable items. While buying shortening for 3.77 might seem like a good deal since we need it for Christmas baking, it's 2.12 the remainder of the year.
   
   
10. Learn how to shop even with distractions. You know how you're in the gocery store, and you only need one thing, but you end up getting to the checkout with 51 items and none of them are the thing you needed to pick up in the first place? Well, that's because grocery stores are made, designed, and set up for that to happen. That's why the dairy and meats are all the way in the back, you have to go through aisles to get to them. You end up seeing something in one of the aisles and putting it into your cart...one thing leads to another, and you end up getting a 200$ grocery order.
    
    
    

Holidazed and Overwhelmed

It's the Holidays...whether we like it or not. Celebrate it or not, it's still the Holidays for the majority of the world.

I gotta say, the holidays (no matter what religion you celebrate that requires you to make a huge supper and buy gifts for everyone), is EXPENSIVE. It doesn't have to be, but they are.

I'm going to give you guys some tips and tricks to keep the cost down for the holidays, by preparing you for next year.

Tip Number 1: Find a way to make an income specifically for buying Holiday gifts.
  Ok, I know it seems silly, but if you can find a way to make an additional 30 or 40 bucks a month, dedicate that money to buying a gift or two instead of spending it on....I don't know...a new purse.

Tip Number 2: Start your Holiday shopping right after the big Holiday. ex. Christmas shopping should start on December 26th. That's when most Christmas related things go on sale (usually 50% off!!).

Tip Number 3: Put away a savings, or buy a savings bond to be taken out the month of the Holiday. In my family, we celebrate Christmas, so in January we'll buy a Canada Savings Bond that automatically withdraws from my hubby's account. We cash out the bond in December, and that gives us the extra money to buy Christmas gifts.

Tip Number 4: Let your kids pick out one big gift (something that ends up costing a little more), and save up to get it. This year my 5 year old wanted an XBox game thing, I told him no (we already have a playstation box, and we don't need another game box in the house.). He changed his mind to Minecraft things.

Tip Number 5: Coupon through the year, create a stockpile big enough that if you don't buy groceries for the month of December in order to buy presents, you won't be worried out of your mind because you have no food in the house.

Tip Number 6: Buy within your means. If you're having a really hard time through the rest of the year and stress out this time of year because you can't afford to buy gifts for anyone, DON'T stress out. There are a ton of things you can make from things around your house that look like you bought them. There's also lots of places that'll sponser families around Christmas, Empty Stocking Fund, etc. that'll really help you during this year.

Tip Number 7: If you usually get little travel soaps and whatnot at Walmart (this really hurts to say...), shop around. 2$ for one travel soap at Walmart, is cheaper at Target. Which leads me to my number 8 point....


Tip Number 8: SHOP AROUND. Walmart, Target, they both price check. If you're looking through the Toy's R Us flyer, and the toy that your kid wants is on for super cheap, but they don't have any more left in stock (most places won't hold toy's, it's limited quantities, and call ahead to see if they have any more of X thing in stock.), go to walmart or target with the flyer in hand and buy the toy. You'll save money by getting the toy at a discounted rate at another place that price checks, and your kid get's the toy they want. Win. Win.

Tip Number 9: If you're like me and have children with birthdays both before and after Christmas, don't have a big party every year. I have a harsh opinion about people who give their kids birthday parties every year anyway (my opinion is don't....it's silly.), but having a big birthday party right before Christmas is costly. Celebrate the "big" years (1,5,10,16,18), but unless you NEED to give them a birthday party every year (I don't know, maybe you're rich, but I doubt it.), start celebrating in your own way. Having a few family member's over is enough for a child, and you could do things that you couldn't do in a big group (like stay at home, watch a movie, in your pj's, and eat mass amounts of popcorn.).


Finally, Tip Number 10: Remember that the most import part of the Holiday's is spending time with Family and Friends. If you buy them (or make them), a scarf, they'll love it all the same (even if they don't wear it.). Instead of stressing out, look forward to spending time together. 

Egg Shelling Out The Love

Egg shells may just be the key to getting amazing veggies every year. I swear, it's a secret I keep in my back pocket all year around, because it literally takes me the off growing season (or dead season as I like to call it...), to collect enough egg shells for one garden (our garden is a little less than 1/4 acre).

This process works for ANY garden though, so if you're an apartment dwelling balcony tomatoe grower, or plant any type of veggies (or as I recently found out...Fruit!) inside in planters, this is a great tip for you too!

I'll start with why this is so great for gardens. Egg shells pack a powerful punch of Calcium, which as we all know helps us strengthen bones. Aside from the obvious health benefits (later on that.), Calcium in the garden can help moderate the acidity of the soil (you can even add it in your fertilizer if it's homemade!). The Calcium in the eggshells is going to help with things like blossom end rot on tomatoe plants, or tip burn in cabbage.

Bascially all you do is rinse the egg shells, dry them out, and crush them up into a fine powder or meal.

If you're feeling especially lazy that week, you can always make an egg shell water for your plants, simply get a bucket of water, some rinced eggshells, throw them in and let them steep for a good few days (I like to wait at least 4 so I know I'm getting as much of the nutrient out as possible.), then you can just pour onto your plants. You'll notice them perk up after getting a big drink of eggshell water.



BONUS Health Benefits:

Sterilize your eggshells in a 200 degree oven for half an hour, crush them up into a fine powder and add a teaspoon into a glass of water and drink it! The Calcium in the shells help with things like cartilage and bone, a great benefit for people with osteoporosis or arthritus! The same process can also be applied to dogs!


Store everything in airtight containers or a large ziplock bag. They should preserve forever, but I doubt they'll last that long! 

Newest Coupons to Hit the Web

There's some great coupons going around the web these days! Here's some of the best that I've found:


Spend 10+ Dollars or more on Glade products, get 3.00$ off!

Target.ca Coupons :

• Save 0.75 on any International Delight Product (Perfect for classing up a boring old hot chocolate!)
• 1.00 off Maple Leaf Bacon 
• 1.00 off Milupa baby cereals
• LOTS of coupons that save 2.00$ on Olay products
• 3.00 off of Energizer Max batteries. 
• 1.00 off of Duracel batteries
• BOGOF Saran Cling Plus (not glad brand)
• save 50 cents on Cascade or Dawn product (better use for Dawn Products)
  
  

Kraft Coupons:

• Save 50 cents on Kraft Shake and Bake
• Save 1.00 on select character Kraft Dinner
  
  
  

Of course there's always LOTS of amazing coupons on Smartsource.ca as well. So when it doubt, head there!!

Websaver Coupons:

• Save 2.00 on Garnier Clean+ facial cleanser
• Save 3.00 on one Garnier Renew product
• Save 1.00 on Hershey's Drops
• Save 1.50 on 2 Tenderflake products
• Save 1.00 on Rice Krispies
• Save 1.00 on Jergens Moisturizing product
  
  

GoCoupons.ca

• Save 1.00 off of any Del Monte or Oasis Juice
• Save 0.75 on Oasis Organic Juice 
• Save 3.00 off of any Almay product (8.00 or more.)
• 1.00 off of any Nair cream

I hope you all enjoy these coupons, and if you find another great deal and would like to share it, leave it in the comments section!!

Homesteading for Beginners

Homesteading is something that everyone should start doing. Not just because it'll save you money, but it's full of fun family oriented activities. Seriously, 3 year old's can help a lot.


What is homesteading? I guess I would personally define homesteading as preparing and being self sufficient. It's widely accessable to everyone, even if you don't have a large amount of land (or any land), which means even apartment dwellers can get on the homesteading train (WOOOOOO WOOOO!).

There's something so satisfying in eating something that you've grown (or raised), knowing that it's organic and GMO free, and all that crappy stuff that we've come to hate. After all, these aren't just tomatoes, they're your babies. You grew these from seeds and watered them, sheltered them from the bugs and such...and they don't just taste like tomatoes, they taste like hardwork and determination.

Now that it's fall, and you can't grow a whole lot outside (thanks Canadian winters....I couldn't have been born in Florida?), I put together a list of homesteading activities you can do inside during the cold winter (school breaks) with the entire family!

1. Plan your garden for next spring.
   
   It seems silly to plan something that's a season away, but you'll be thankful when the time comes and you have a clear decisive plan and you can just jump right in. If you buy soil and fertilizer, now is the time to start putting a little bit of money away from each payday to pay for your supply of soil.
   
2. Prepare.
   
   Preparation is key to literally everything. Now is the time of year to start stockpiling things like rice and dry beans (you can get both at places like the Bulk Barn), toilet paper (you can never have enough toilet paper), and non parishable food items (water is something you can never have enough of!!). Not only is this great for an emergency situation where your power goes out, which we all know is pretty common in the Maritime region, but it's also really great if you run into financial problems.
   
   You can also prepare things for your garden next spring by doing things like starting a compost pile, or drying out your eggshells and crushing them up for an amazing vitamin powder. Your veggies will be more flavourful, and brighter than ever! As gross as it sounds, a worm compost system will work best for apartment dweller's with balconies.
   
3. Refine a skill.
   
   Do you knit or crochet? Now is the time to refine that skill, or start to learn how! People underestimate the power of being able to knit or crochet. Instead of buying that baby shower gift (estimated at about 20$), you can make a baby blanket, a tiny sweater, or teeny weeny baby booties (cost of yarn could be as little as 2$ if you find some at the dollar stores!). You can also make and sell things, giving you a little extra cash for things like Christmas gifts, prepping, starting your emergency fund, savings, etc.
   
   My favorite book for beginners: The Complete Idiots Guide to Knitting and Crocheting
   
   My favorite website for FREE knitting and crocheting patterns: Ravelry.com
   
4. Make something delicious!
   
   These are the days where you're inside more than you're outside....turn your family into guinea pigs and test out some new recipes! I have a bunch of cookbooks that were handed down from generation to generation (to generation to generation....), that are seriously from like, the thirties, that are literally full of depression eta recipes that are both frugal and tastey. Refine them and make them your own!
   
5. Grow some food indoors!
   
   There's a lot of veggies and fruits you can still grow inside even when the temperature reaches -30C. You can always buy seeds online (heirlooms!!!), and start your own little garden. I've pinned some great space saving gardens (vertical ones too!), that you can do inside your house or apartment all year round.
   
6. Declutter and Simplify.
   
   That box of socks you can never find mates to? The 70+ bottles of nail polish you barely use? The 17 bags of cans and bottles that you've just neglected to bring in to the redemption depot? The books that you've read (or haven't), that are laying around?
   
   Now's the time to get rid of the crap in your life that you don't need. Sell your junk online and make a few bucks, or better yet, get a few friends involved to share the cost of a hall and have a big indoor yard sale! Just because there's snow on the ground, doesn't mean you can't enjoy summer activities!
   
7. Work on making your home's interior efficient and thrifty.
   
   Sometimes the simplest update can make a world of difference. A new coat of paint, a homemade couch cover, finally getting around to putting up all of those pictures that you put in frames and then got busy doing something else......
   
   You can make your home less....costly, by putting a water saving head on your shower, or making some new curtains that retain heat so you can turn your thermostat or baseboards down a little. Replace the old energy sucking appliances in your home to more energy efficient ones. There's so many things you can do, Pinterest is a great place to find energy saving projects.
   
8. Try using a new product that you've never used before.
   
   Soap nuts. I've always wanted to try doing my laundry with soap nuts. They more cost efficient than a box of regular old Tide, and you get more use out of them than 1 box.
   
   This is a great time of year to try that product that you've been itching to try for a while now.
   
9. Find a way to make your spare time profitable.
   
   Once again, I find myself talking about Swagbucks. It makes all of the spare time I'd usually use watching TV, profitable. I can make money and not miss General Hospital, New Girl, or Forever. Sign up here and use referral code thriftygalnb for an additional 70sbs just for joining.
   
10. Start a hobby, and get family in on it. 
    If you're awesome at couponing, or just starting out, get some family and friends involved with couponing. Start a knitting support group, or a Mommy group. If you're passionate about something, share it with the world. It doesn't have to cost a lot. and it'll keep you from getting cabin fever!

If you have any questions or concerns about the content on this, contact me by e-mailing me here.

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Introducing....

INTRODUCING.....the ThriftyGal NB Pinterest board!!!

I'm going to fill this Pinterest board with all sorts of fun thrifty things that ANYONE can do! Whether you're 8 or 80, there will be something for everyone!

Now you can follow me on Pinterest! Click here and Follow me!

Most of you don't know that I get a lot of my inspiration of what to write about from various Pinterest boards, along with other thrifty or homesteading websites. I'm very very excited to see this board grow and develop. I really do hope everyone get's a chance to check it out!

If there's something YOU'D like to see here, e-mail me by clicking this link:

E-MAIL ME!

I'm open to all ideas, questions, concerns, input. It's really important to me so I can give you what you'd like to see! 

Swagbuck Mondays

How to Earn Even More With Swagbucks

So right now, for all of my swagbuck referrals out there (and I know there's a few), Swagbucks is giving YOU the chance at a veritable feast of bonus SB! If you've ever signed up for Swagbucks through me, THIS is for you! 

From Oct 6th - Oct 13th anyone who has signed up for Swagbucks through me & earns 500 SB will get a 250 SB bonus automatically! Even if you've signed up via my link before, you can get your SB bonus if you earn the 500 SB during this weeklong promotion. 

Once you have earned 500 SB, your bonus of 250 SB will be credited to your account by Oct 31st. With all those SB, it'll come in handy to get more gift cards for the holiday season! So what are you waiting for? Sign up here if you haven't already and get your 250 SB bonus!! 


I've had a lot of people tell me that they're having trouble earning Swagbucks, either they don't really know how or they're just having a hard time making their goals....So I've put together kind of a daily list of things that I do to complete my first and second goal in UNDER 2 hours. I do this in my spare time, usually after the kids go to bed and I'm sitting on the couch relaxing watching TV with my hubby, or when my youngest goes down for her nap and my oldest is playing on the playstation. It doesn't take a lot of time, and if you usually don't have a lot of time, you can really break it down and spend a few minutes here and there on it. 

Toolbar: Your guarenteed 1SB every day for just having it in. Why is it great? Well, not only is it going to show you the balance of your swagbucks motivating you to move and earn, but it's also going to tell you when and where a swagcode is actively available. When the code is available, there'll be a little orange dot at the toolbar's icon, all you have to do is pull it open and press "Check Now" under the little lock. It'll tell you where to find it, and you can enter it using the toolbar application. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Look! You can see that I'm on facebook and blogging :P

Daily Poll: You can do the daily poll every day for a guarenteed 1SB, plus earn an additonal 1SB just for watching a short video (when it's available.). All you need to really do is click a bubble, and then click vote. Done. So far you've been on this website and you've earned 2-3 swagbucks in under 2 minutes. 

NOSO Visit: Scroll through the NOSO's, and type in the capcha thing, and get the easiest 2SB's of your life. For literally....doing nothing. 

Search: So here, we get into the hits and misses. Use Swagbucks search instead of your regular search engine (like google or bing), and you COULD get more than 20sbs per day. Just for searching. If you find yourself using Google instead of swagbucks search, you can always put Swagbucks as your homepage to remind you!!
Surveys: I know a lot of people have a really hard time doing the surveys, and I really don't know why....Even if you don't qualify for the survey after you've passed the "Fit" test (where you click a couple bubbles on swagbucks and it says "this survey is a good fit" before it says that you're not), you'll get a guarenteed 1SB for attempting to participate. The amount of bucks you earn is totally dependant on how much time and effort you put into your surveys, since some are worth more than others. Beware the Survey Roulettes though, you could literally be there for hours.

Shop and Earn:  If you're a heavy online shopper, and specifically go to certain places like Walmart.ca, or the Gap, or Banana Republic, even Amazon, chances are you could probably use the Swagbucks Shop and Earn on it. These are specifically for people who shop online. Activate your shop and Earn and earn swagbucks while spending the gift cards that you earn! Offers depend on the stores, but they do have a pretty good selection available!!

Coupons: If you love saving money with coupons, I've got news for you!! Smartsource.ca has their own coupon portal on Swagbucks.com. Earn 1SB for every coupon that you print! Combine your love of couponing with your love of Swagbucks and earn tons!! They take a little while to credit, so it's not always applied to your goal right away, but when it does apply you'll have less to work on that day!

Read: This is new to swagbucks. You can now read exerpts from books, or watch videos about that book and earn swagbucks for doing it. If you're really interested in the book and it's available through shop and earn, then why not earn even more for buying the book! The shop and earn will be displayed underneath the available book so it's makes it super easy to buy.

Newsletter: Sign up for the newsletter. You'll get awesome offers about how you can earn even more. I saw a 500sb offer in my inbox a couple days ago for Android users.


Finally, make your 1st and 2nd goals every day. Every day both your first and second goal have a daily bonus. If you make your goals, you'll recieve the bonus SBs. There's also some other bonus's for making your goal (even if it's just your first goal!!) every day:

7 Day: 25 Additonal Sbs

14 day: 100sbs

21 day: 200

Monthly Master: 300sbs.

The ONLY preserves recipe you'll ever need!

If you're interested in making preserves, you've came to the right place! This is like a beginner's crash course in making preserves! I'm going to keep it short, but jump right in about what you need to know BEFORE you start making preserves, and then I'll follow up by putting my tried and true reciepes at the bottom :)

What you should know:

Don't think you're going to accomplish everything in ONE day. It literally took my husband, grandmother and I an entire day to make 3 jars of jam, and then all of our peaches and pears (which is in the sugar syrup). 3 jars of jam doesn't seem like a lot, but I didn't buy enough strawberries, and the recipe I'm putting below is for 7 cups of jam (which is about 3 mason jars). You can double, triple, or quadrupil the recipe if you want, but I prefer working with small amounts. I find they're easier to handle and they're not as heavy to move.

When buying your fruit, buy fresh (or hand picked), and buy what's in season. Don't expect to make blueberry jam at the beginning of summer when it comes in season towards the end!!

Go slow. Don't rush...when you rush, you make mistakes, and one small mistake can and will spoil an entire batch. Learned the hard way a few years ago when we first started doing this...and it ended with fermented preserved peach....disgustingness.

Prepare your jars WHILE you're cooking. Whether you're boiling your jars, or using the dishwasher, do this WHILE you're cooking and preparing your preserves. If your jar cools down before you're ready to use them, don't worry! Put a metal butter knife IN your jar before your pour in your jams, jellies, or syrups! The knife will apparently absorb all of the heat ensuring that your jar doesn't crack or bust!

The lids from the mason jars should ALWAYS be boiled. The rings can go into the dishwasher, but the middle circle should be boiled in a small pot of water. This year, after the lids were boiling in the pot, I kept the burner on low to keep it warm.

When you're done your canning and have all of your lids and caps on, if you decided not to use Paraffin wax, DON'T WORRY!! Turn your jars onto their lids and let them cool completely that way. Sounds weird, but while the sugar is cooling, it's going to make it's own sugar seal around the jar keeping air out and your fruit and jams from spoiling!

Use Liquid Pectin. I've used powdered pectin SOOO many times in the past, and it's not BAD or anything like that, I just like the result better when I use the liquid pouches of pectin. I feel like my jams...jellify a lot better than with the powder packages. My opinion, but I'm nit picky when it comes to jams I suppose!

HAVE FUN!!! If you can get 2 or 3 friends together to do this, or make it a family event, Go for it!! Life is nothing if you can't have fun, and the more fun you have, the more you're going to want to do it next year!


Here's my SUPER SIMPLE recipes for homemade jam, and canned peaches and pears :)

Strawberry Jam (for about 7 cups)
3 and 3/4 cups strawberries (hulled and crushed...hulled is just taking off the stems, and use a potato smasher to crush them!!)

1/4 cup lemon juice

7 cups granulated sugar

1 pouch Liquid Pectin


In a large saucepan, combine fruit, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil on high heat and let boil hard (rolling boil) for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in pectin. Stir and skim (taking off all of the pink foam from the top) for about 5 minutes to enture that jam is fully combined and no peices of fruit is floating at the top.

Pour into warm mason jars, fill it until it's about 1/4 inch from the top. Let cool down until it's cool enough to handle the jar (without burning yourself), and turn over the jar to make sugar seal.


Peaches and Pears in Syrup 
3 and 1/4 cups white sugar

5 cups of water

Bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to low, and keep warm until ready to use. DO NOT boil the syrup down too much. If your syrup get's too thick, it'll be hard to work with and won't taste the same as just a light simple syrup.

Cut the fruit (peaches and pears), and place in jars BEFORE you put the syrup in, leaving about an inch of space from the top. Ladle syrup into the fruit filled jars until fruit is completely covered. Put on tops, and turn over immediately to ensure a good sugar seal.




 

First day of school

It's the first day of school for my Bean, and I'm pretty sure I'm the only mother that didn't cry. It's not that I'm not an emotional person (yesterday I cried over the fact that he wouldn't clean his room...), but I was more excited FOR him to experience new things than for me to send off my first born offspring to school.

The journey begins...

Every adventure film I've ever seen as a child had those 3 exciting words. You somehow just new that when those words were either said or shown on the screen of our televisions, it was going to be an amazing movie that you'd talk about for weeks to come. I never knew those words could mean so much... In true movie buff/corny mother form, I looked at my 5 year old while we were sitting in the car waiting to go in,and told him the simple three words that got me excited when I was his age...and then I watched. I watched as my little bird puffed his chest out proud. I watched as the excitement glossed over in his eyes, and a smile plastered on his face...then it was time.

The walk to the classroom felt like it took one second, and I watched the hustle and bustle of other students hanging their stuff, parents helping them, parents taking pictures of their kindergarteners, proud yet teary eyed....I helped my not so baby boy take off his sweater, revealing his new Star Wars t-shirt that he picked out himself. I helped him take off his outdoor shoes and out on indoor shoes. I helped him to put his lunch box, and bottle of juice in the appropriate location and then I watched....

I watched him find his name tag, and find his assigned seat. I watched him colour the page already set on the tables, and I watched him get right to work filling the page with colours.

And just as it began to feel ok....he looked at me with big round smiling brown eyes and said 5 words....

"You can go now Mom..."

Shocked at how my 5 year old turned into a mini-teenager, I told him I'd be there to pick him up at 1:30 and I left. I left feeling happy, sad, proud. I left and my mind flooded with memories of his first word, and his first steps. Memories of the years before, and how we far we've come. I left confidently knowing that there wasn't anything in school that I haven't already taught him. I left knowing he was probably going to pick out the words he already knew during story time, and how he would drive the teacher insane with his interrupting, and comments.

I got into my car and thought for two seconds "what if he needs me?" I smiled at the thought of him sitting there, and the troublesome thought of him needing me quickly left my mind. I debated on getting coffee, picking up something for supper, how my grandmother was doing, how my grandfather was making out waiting for her. I debated, but I ultimately went home empty handed.

I came in to an even bigger shock,  my youngest child, 2 years of age, hadn't made a mess. I wondered if she was sick, but cleaned what wasn't already clean, started the dishwasher, and put a ham in a pot to boil for supper. As I finished up, and sat down on the couch with some tea my mind began to wander once again... "Is this what it feels like to only have one kid?" "What do people with only one child do?" "Will it be raining all day?" Silly thoughts trying to pass the time...trying to make time fly by so it's finally time to pick up my oldest so I get the familiar feeling of having two kids again. It's amazing how slow time goes when you want it to fly by.

I never actually thought about how independent my daughter was until today. I feel unneeded. Almost   Unnatural. It just doesn't feel right, I feel like someone had taken me to the centre of the earth and forgotten. As I calm my tired, worriness that doesn't make sense even to me I can only think one thing...

"This is the NEW normal."

I set my son off on an incredible journey, and cannot wait to hear all about his adventures. Adventures of every subject, math, music, reading. Adventures of lunch, and about who are what and what hilarious joke that other kid told. So many adventures....waiting to be experienced...and I'm so excited for him to experience everything. I didn't cry, I barely teared up. I'm excited for him to experience life as an adventure, something I've forgotten how to do...and try to remember how old I was when I stopped treating my life like an adventure. I wish I could turn back time and figure out when....but instead, I'd much rather watch him.

I hope he never looses his excitement. Excitement for life and for adventure. 

Teaching Children Financial Responsibility

At the current moment, the problem here where we live is lack of jobs. I suppose you could up and move around to find the work, but it's not exactly possible for a 16 year old to move half way across the country. Even though my son is 5, and my daughter is almost 3, I'm worried about their future. Will they be able to find a job when they're 16? Will they be able to save in order to pay for university or college to eleminate the need of a large amount of student debt? I can honestly say I don't know.

What I do know is that I can prepare them, teach them tools, and give them the resources to make wise financial decisions. These are my own personal tools, resources, and advice. I'm not a professional in any way, I've had no training, I'm merely trying to help you teach your children about the imporance of budgeting and money.

First thing's first. Let your child open up a bank account, and let them have their own bank card. They don't have to have a wallet, and you don't have to let them have their bank card all of the time, but let them have an account. If you think your children are too young for a savings account, you can always start out with a piggy bank or a savings jar.

Why not both? If you're like me, you probably don't go to the bank every single week. Why not let your child have a piggy bank and an account? Let them fill the piggy, and then when you go into the bank, let them put their piggy bank savings into their account!

Why is this important? Well, not only will your child have their account for probably the rest of their lives, but they'll be able to track their own savings with a little bank book. When they see how much they're saving, they'll be motivated to save more. Teach your children the importance of saving for their futures.

Give them a goal. A goal is something that your child can work to achieve. Start small, and let them set their own goal, or help them create their own goal. You'll be surprised how hard your children will work when they're given a goal to complete. There are lots of things your child can do around the house, 5 cents for each pair of socks they put together? 25cents for putting away their clothing in the correct drawers? It doesn't have to be huge, but it's engaging.

Make sure you follow through with rewarding them. Trust plays a huge importance in teaching your children about finances.

Why is this important? Just like an adult, children need motivation. If you give them a goal, they'll work hard to complete it for the reward afterwards. As adults, we work hard in our jobs for things like promotions or bonus', teaching our children to work hard for their own money will eliminate surprises later on in life (if you're lazy, you'll miss out on that extra bit of money...).

Give them an allowance. An allowance, just like a payday, is money your children have earned throughout the week/2 weeks for completing their daily tasks. Give your children a chore chart (there's tons of great children's chores throughout the ages on things like Pinterest or Google. Find out what's best for your children's age.), and explain to them that as long as all of the chores are done, they'll get an allowance.

Why is this important? Everyone has a job. Everyone get's a paycheque. Let your children recieve their own paycheque while also helping you clean your house. You get a clean house (well...you get some things done, and when you have kids, you'll take anything cleaner), and they'll get rewarded with their own little paycheque. The amount should be child appropriate. Children as young as mine are shouldn't be walking around with 20$ in their pockets or anything like that. We try to go by the ages in my house, as well as how much work was done.

Minimum for my 5 year old? 5$. Minimum for my 2 year old? 2$. Maximum is 10$ for my older one, 5$ for my younger one.

Teach them to budget. Children should learn how to budget their money using the easiest form of budgeting. A chart. Let them sit around you and watch you make out your own budget, but don't ever worry them with your family's finances.

Teach them that they should split their allowance into savings and spending. Half of my children's allowance goes to savings, and they're allowed to spend the other half on whatever they'd like to. They might not be able to buy an entire lego set, or that doll they really love right now, but that's OK. Use it as a learning oppertunity and tell them that if they save their spending money, they'll be able to afford that specific thing.

Why is this important? Just like everything else in this world, life isn't always fair. When you spoil your children by getting them every single thing they want, not only will you result in more tantrums when you say "no," but they'll grow up thinking that whenever they want something, all they have to do is TELL you they want it because they know you'll get it for them. Let your children have responsibility, and let them work hard and save for what they want. They'll be about 50X more satisfied when they get that toy with their own money, than if you buy it for them.

Let them be the owner of their own Small Business. Remember the days when we use to have lemonade stands on the front lawn? Your children can do it too! Let them be entrepreneurs! Here's some fun things your children can do:

• Let them have a table all to themselves at your next yard sale.
• Let them clean up family member's lawns. Help your children by telling family member's that your child is trying to earn some extra money, and will clean up their yards for X$'s.
• Let your child shovel snow from people's driveways! As long as you're supervising or even helping out, you can both have fun exercising by doing this family activity.
• Help your child have a bake sale. 
• Help your child sell water, soda, treats, etc. at a local event. A lot of places will let you rent out a "lot" to set up a table to sell just about anything. Let your child set up their own table and take control of it.
• Walk with them and let them collect redeemable bottles and cans. Often times, a short walk can yeild 50 cents. Give them a wagon and let them pick up the bottles and cans they find, save them all up, and bring them in once a month to get redeemed. You'll get exercise, and your child can budget the money they've earned.

Why is this important? Not only are we teaching our children independance, but we're also teaching them ways that they can earn their own money with/without your help. I can guarentee you that your children's confidence will skyrocket when they're counting their money at the end of the day and you can honestly tell them that THEY did that.

Turn grocery shopping into a teaching experience. In our family, we coupon. I let my children help me coupon as well. Sometimes, they even have their own coupons to use on their own purchases. If you're a beginner couponer, or your children are beginner coupons (meaning, you only occasionally use coupons to save small amounts. 20% savings is better than 0%), you can turn something like couponing into a great family activity. Teach your kids to clip, and match coupons from your local flyers.

Why is this important? When your children see you save money in every day things like groceries, they'll learn to save money in the same type of ways. They'll use coupons when they're older and teach their kids the same tricks to save.


All of these activities are engaging for kids, and they're good family activities as well. These activities will teach your kids financial responsibility, and the importance of good financial decisions. Always remember to invest in your children, and help them save and achieve their goals. Be there for your children, and support them every step of the way. Stay engaged in your children's activities no matter how small, and encourage your children.

Even if you're uncertain about your children's futures, whether or not your children will have a job, or whether or not they'll invest in their education one thing is for sure, you'll have given your children the tools and resorces they'll need to make wise financial decisions. Children are impressionable, they learn what they're taught (and sometimes, they'll learn the wrong things.), and it's up to us as parents to teach them the right, responsible things; Socially, emotionally, physically, and financially.

Realistic Frugal Living

If you haven't guessed so far...I like "top 10" lists. I don't know why, maybe it's because it's a short list packed with information, or maybe I just like that it's a quick read...I try to keep all of my lists no longer than 10 points, I guess I'm a little OCD about it.

This is another top 10 list, but it's going to be my Top 10 Realistic Frugal Living Tips, so here we go!

1. Do your research.
   Are you in the market for a car, large appliance like a fridge, or even something as small as a blender? If you are, have you done your research to find the best possible deal you can get? If the answer is no, then you're missing out on saving hundreds. ALWAYS do your research, when it comes to cars google a comparison list or take the extra hour to call all of the dealerships to find the best deal! Viewpoints is a  great place to compare hundreds of appliances, and it's written by the people who have bought them.
   
   What's the best deal? Well, if two dealerships offer the same price for the car but one is willing to include the extended warantee, it's probably a better deal to go for the one that offers more warantee.
   
   A chest freezer the right size of your house or apartment will be a great investment to keep and store food, and it'll also curb your habit of eating out.
   
2. Get yourself on a budget.
   
   I don't even think I can possibly stress how important a budget is for frugal family living.
   
   A budget is a tool to get both you and your significant other on the exact same page when it comes to your finances. No matter what you're trying to accomplish (savings, paying off debt, etc.), a budget is going to have a huge part in your success or your failure. Start short and sweet, which I would say, every 2 weeks and try to stay on budget every 2 weeks BEFORE you attempt to budget for the month.
   
   Also, never feel bad if you go over your budget, or fail at staying on budget, you can always try again next week/month! Learn from your mistakes, and keep on truckin'.
   
   
3. Sign up for Cash-Back websites, and other reward programs to earn money while you shop.
   
   Cash Back websites are great, things like snapsaves, zweet, checkout51, and cartsmart can make a huge difference hwen it comes to your rewards. If you DON'T sign up for these great websites/apps, download them fast! Let your account accumulate and grow, and cash out right before Christmas or any other holiday for extra gifts, or groceries.
   
   Reward programs are great, as long as it's worth it. If you shop at Sobeys, and go to Irving a lot to fuel up, Air Miles would be awesome for you. If you shop at No Frills, or Superstore a lot, the new PC rewards card will be amazing for you. If you shop at Shopper's Drug Mart for all of your prescriptions, or other things you need, the Optimum card is goign to be your best friend. If you're like me and shop litereally anywhere you can find a deal, all of the cards might be even better. Keep them organized though, mess cards and grocery lists, as well as having to dig around for coupons is going to slow you down at the register and annoy many more people than the cashier.
   
   
4. Invest in a clothesline.
   
   Not only will your powerbill go down, but your clothes will smell outside fresh!
   
   If you live in an apartment with a balcony, you can make a clothesline. It seems a little silly, stringing a clothes line from one end of the balcony to another, but if you do small loads of laundry or wash a lot of clothes by hand (reusable baby diapers...), a clothes line would be a great investment.
   
   
5. Invest in quality items that will keep for a long time.
   
   Clothing, shoes, and appliances are really made in 2 different pricepoints: the cheaper one that falls apart/breaks after 6 months of use.....or the more expensive one that even after 2 years of use, is still going strong/still fits. Depending on the extra steps you take to ensure you're taking care of whatever quality item you've bought, whatever you buy should last you a year or longer.
   
   
6. Grow, find, hunt, fish your own food.
   
   The price of a licence and tags will be MUCH MUCH less than the price of buying the same items from the grocery store. If you make your own veggie garden with even the basics (green beans, peas, squash, tomatoes), should yield you enough veggies for 2-3 months. You can freeze your veggies and save them for the winter and buy whatever is in season as well to cut costs for the winter months when the prices for fresh fruit and veggies are more expensive. An entire deer, processed and packaged, should also yield you 2-3 months or longer if you get a variety of meats.
   
   Hunting is SO easy, and it's a great chance to get out without the kids for adult time. Snaring is also incredibly easy and a great activity for older kids (my son's 5 and he's excited to go snaring for hare this fall.).
   
   If you have an apartment with a balcony, have you ever considered an Aquagrow system for fresh veggies? If you've never considered that, then maybe you should. Pinterest has a wide variety of super easy, cheap, Aquagrow system using things you can easily buy at any hardware store or even places like Walmart.
   
   
7. Get a passport.
   
   The price of 4L of milk in the US, is about 4$ as opposed to the 7-8$ we're paying in Canada. Also, if you've ever shopped at IGA, you'll know that they have frozen bread dough/dinner roll dough. This is an amazing way to have lots and lots of bread in your freezer without having a ton of full size, already baked loaves taking up all of your freezer space. Chances are, your grocery savings will pay for the passport in one season.
   
   If you don't have a passport, but know someone who goes to the states fairly regularly, get them to pick the stuff up for you, and just give them the money!! I gave my grandmother 10$ to pick up the dinner roll dough, and she brought me back 4 bags of 12 rolls each (it doesn't seem like a lot, but for my family of four, we only really use 6 rolls for whatever dinner we make.).
   
   
8. Don't Waste.
   
   Use as much as you possibly can from one item. The women in my family are notorious for re-using Ziplock freezer bags. We just rinse them out and re-use them.
   
   OK, well maybe you can't re-use the ones from things like frozen chicken....so why not invest in a grocery saver? You know those silly contraptions that suck the air out and seal the meat in them that your grandmother had forever ago because she bought it from an infomercial? You can get those at walmart, and they really will save you money since you won't be throwing out freezer-burnt meat.
   
   Instead of using plastic baggies in your children's lunch, why not use plastic containers? This will not only save you from buying a million baggies, but you'll be going green by not having the waste.
   
   Your left over's that you won't eat?? Why not COMPOST them?! Make your own compost bin with a plastic barrel!
   
   Water waste? Put a large plastic barrel under your eaves system, and reuse the water that falls in the barrel in your gardens.
   
   
9. Be A Proactive DIYer.
   
   This seems silly, but before you buy something, ask yourself if you can make it yourself.
   
   "Can I not find a pattern for this dress and make it myself?" "My kids constantly lose their mittens/scarves/hats...maybe I could learn how to crochet or knit to easily whip up a mass amount?"
   
   Anything you can buy, you can usually make. Blankets, quilts, mittens, socks, etc.
   
   
10. Make Work.
    
    If you don't have a job, are a single income family, and can't get a job or can't find a job....MAKE yourself a job. There are so many ways to make money these days it's crazy.
    
    Take surveys on great websites like swagbucks, viewpoints, etc.
    
    Sell your homemade goods online, kijiji, craigslist, etc. There's a lot of people out there that will pay for your homemade goods.
    
    Sell your picture of that flower as a stock photo online, you'll get commission for whatever company buys that picture.
    
    
    
    

If YOU have money saving tips, Frugal living tips, or anything else you'd like to add, contact me and let me know what you think.