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. 

Frugal Fridays!

As another week passes,  it comes apparent that today is once again Friday. So here are my Frugal Friday picks this week, including some awesome "cash-back" deals on some of our favourite websites.

1. General Mills cereal at Walmart is 2.94 a box (select varieties). 
2. Herbal essences shampoo at Walmart is 2.46/300ml, brand saver coupon gives you 2$ off when you buy 2 making both bottles 2.92$.
3. Venus razors at rolled back at Walmart for 6.98 and there's a brand saver coupon to save 2$ making them 4.98$
4. Target has their scrubbing bubbles on sale for 2.99 and save.ca has a BOGO mail coupon giving you a free bottle with the purchase of one. 
5. Target- Quaker granola bars (take Walmart flyer to target for deal), 1.88 a box and you can print a coupon on targets website to save 1$ making each box 88cents. 
6. Source yogurt at Walmart is 2$, save.ca mailed coupon saves you 1$ making the yogurt 1$ each.
7. Dove deodorant is 2.84 at Walmart, the dove Facebook page still has their 2$ off coupon making each stick you buy 84cents. 
8. Aveeno lotion at Walmart is rolled back to 5.94, and there's a healthy essentials printable coupon for 1$ off making it 4.94
9. Crayola pick your pack crayons are 99cents at target, and there's a target printable coupon to save 25% making each pack 75 cents. 
10. PediaSure at Walmart is 7.97 and there a mailed save.ca coupon for 2$ off making it 5.97 

Cash back deals:

Checkout 51

Dove clinical protection anti-perspirant -2.00

Tide detergent- 1.00

Dawn dish soap- 50 cents

Mr. Clean (when you buy 2)- 1.00 

Cascade- 1.00

Ziplock baggies -1.00

Vector-1.00

Advil-3.00

International delight iced coffee-1.00

Dove beauty bar or body wash-1.00

Snapsaves

Skinnygrape wine-1.00

Potatoes-25cents

Honeydew melon-25cents

Huggies little movers-2.00 cash back

Huggies diapers (see above) plus Huggies wipes-4.00 cash back

Zweet

Bears paw cookies -50cents

Mazola cooking oil-50cents

Toblerone-1.00

Cavendish farms frence fries-50cents (also a smart source coupon for 75cents)

Frenchs mustard-50cents

Oranges-25cents

Avocados-25cents

Cash back winners:

Bananas: 50cents (checkout 51) + 25cents (zweet)= 75cent savings

Carrots: 25cents (snapsaves) + 25cents (zweet) = 50 cent savings

There are some more, but they're things like swifter wet jet starter kits, or refills. 

Join me at checkout51, and new members get a 5$ bonus for uploading their first reciept! Follow this link to get started: http://c51.co/Q2O4qg

Declutter Your Life

As summer unfortunately draws to a close, and the school year starts up again, we all look at our houses and go "wow...what piggies live in this house?" And so it starts again...spring cleaning? More like quarterly house cleansing. While everyone tends to clean their houses daily, deck uttering your life is probably a rarer occurrence (like it is with my house, we declutter about 4 times a year) for most people.

I suppose the key to life really is to clean out your clutter (hi, yeah, do you need that grungy old t-shirt that's 2 sizes too small and about 10 years old? Yeah...probably not.). Less stuff=less mess=happier and easier life! Right? But how do you really know what's junk and what's really worth keeping?

There's tons of online articles that tell you to do things like turning your coat hangers around in your closet and throw out whatever you don't want, or place two boxes and put whatever you've worn in it, and what's left in the second box should be thrown out...All of those articles are great, but a little impractical for families...unless you like boxes everywhere...if you're into that, that's awesome...I personally can't stand it.

It's super difficult to only do it once a year...I mean, who wants to dig through EVERYTHING in their house? Right, no one. Do it seasonally! At the end of summer, decide what's not going to fit your family next year, and have an end of year yard sale or donate it!

When it comes to jewelry, and stuff like that, you're better off keeping it. Why? Things as simple as old costume jewelry has been appraised to be a lot more expensive than what it looks to be worth...seriously! The price of gold doesn't fluctuate that much, and in a tight pinch where you're left with absolutely no other options (like....you'll lose your family if you don't get rid of it to support your family), it's handy to get cash for it on pawn (until better situation...) or to sell (by weight). However, there are some exceptions to that. The old promise ring an ex boyfriend gave you, but you broke up years and years go? Get rid of it...you no longer have serious feelings for each other, and your future/current spouse probably either doesn't realize you have it, or won't appreciate that you still have it (after all of this time.).

If you don't have potty training children, or really young babies you probably don't NEED those 30 fitted sheets cluttering up your closet...really, you should only need two sets of bedding for each bed you have. One on the bed, and one spare. Other than that, you're cluttering your closet.

Do you have a set of 16 dishes, and you're not a family of four? Do you ever host anything that would warrant the use of 16 plates, salad plates, bowls, and mugs? Probably not...you could probably get rid of half of your dishes...consider donating them to a family member just starting out on their own apartment! You could even make them a "first apartment" basket and include things like that extra veggie peeler you never use, that second potato masher, and even your old "steak knives that I bought right after university but barely ever used because I got a brand new set for Christmas from my grandparents who thought I didn't have a set," can make their grand appearance in the box!

When it comes to bathing, we do it every night. We might not wash our hair every time we take a bath (it's actually unhealthy to wash your hair every day...thanks Internet), but we go through a lot of towels....we don't do laundry every day, but every other day we end up doing laundry. Why we keep a hundred towels (May be an exaggeration), I'll never know...give them up! Realistically, 5 maybe 6 towels should do a family of 4.

There's still a lot more to declutter, but I'm sure you guys can take it from here...

I would love to hear some of your own decluttering solutions! Leave a comment below or comment on Facebook! 

Budget Successfully to Pay Off Debt

Like a lot of other households in...well...the world. We accumulated debt. I suppose I classify debt as anything you get that you have to make payments on. Credit cards, student loans, mortgages, car financing,it can be overwhelming. I know all about that....next thing you know, you're stuck and it feels like you're drowning and there's no saving your credit.

On the plus side, there's ways to get out of debt without declaring bankruptcy. With a little hard work and patience, everyone can get out of debt. No more sleepless nights, no more stress induced eating/crying!!


Plan. A little planning goes a long long way.

Are you so stuck in debt that you can barely afford to make your monthly rent or mortgage payment every month? If the answer is yes, maybe you should consider downsizing.

"That seems silly though, an average family of 4 in a little tiny apartment? That would never work."

Yes...I can see how that would be crazy...but consider this, there's a family of 4 appropriately called the "Tiny House Family" who built their 320sq. ft. house for only 1,200$. No mortgage. No rent. You can build tiny homes for LESS than that.

Maybe tiny homes aren't your thing (if you're the type of people that don't like adorable sized homes...you monster.), so why not consider living with a family member? Or have a family member temporarily reside with you? It'll help out with costs as you'll have a tenant (just remember to follow all of the laws and guidelines....), and they'll have a place to live. Win Win for everyone.

Whatever the case may be, make a plan.

Create. Create a successful budget.

Have you ever tried budgeting and failed so hard that it was basically a traumatizing experience that made you cry and rock back and forth in the fetal position in a corner?

Probably not, but chances are you've probably failed at a budget at least once.

In order to create a successfull budget, you need to be honest and real about it. Don't change your spending habits for 3 months. Use a weekly spending tracker (you find only find a billion on the internet.), and write down everything you've spent that week. Do that for a month. Then two months. Then three months WITHOUT changing your spending habits. At the end of each month go back and look at what you've spent, what you've saved, what you've borrowed or loaned out, how much money you spent on bills, EVERYTHING.

Don't forget to track your savings!!!


Cut. Cut your spending.

At the end of 3 months, change your spending habits. Ask yourself "do I really need to buy X thing every month?" Maybe it's something as simple as not getting manicures every month, or maybe you could stop going to the salon every month. If you can't afford it, don't do it.

The first 6 months of cutting is ALWAYS the hardest, they're the months that are going to really try your patience, but after the 6 months is up, it'll become natural and you'll look back and wonder how you could be so silly.

Cut your spending by 1% each month. First month, cut 1% of your spending, put that money into a saivngs account (that you cannot get into. If you need to tell the bank to lock that account so you cannot withdraw any money from it, then do that.). Second month, 2% into savings. Third month, 3% into savings, etc. At the end of the 6 months, you'll have a nice savings built up to start paying off your debt.

Where to cut spending:

Anything can be negotiated including your debt (settling.)...try negotiating your phone/internet/cable package down...even if it's down 20$, it's better than absolutely nothing.

You don't NEED name brand food. The generic brand is just as good (if the box bother's you, just use the bag and throw out the box!).

Plant your food. Make a food garden...veggies and fruit can get expensive. Rather than buy all of your fruit and veggies, grow them! If you don't have the space to grow them, think about setting up an Aquap-grow system for your veggies....use fish that you can eat (uh...NOT goldfish, but catfish or trout, even salmon.). You'll not only be able to harvest veggies, but you'll be able to harvest fish too.

Traveling. If you can carpool, or grab a ride with a co-worker that lives nearby....or even walk to work, do it! You'll save money on gas, your car won't rake in a bunch of unneccessary km (better for resale!!), the environment will thank you, and your body will thank you for the exercise (yeah...I know, we're in Canada and the winter's are freeeeezing....but your body WILL thank you I promise.). Invest in a bicycle! Be a green traveler (but not the jerky kind who like to rub it in everyone's faces...don't be that guy.).

Increase your income starting the in the first month.

Now you're really wondering "how in the world am I going to do that."

Have a yard sale, bake sale, car wash, whatever. Maybe you're great at knitting and crocheting. Maybe you're great at making doll's clothes. Maybe you're amazing at drawing and painting. Or maybe photography is really your thing. In any case, find a way to turn your hobby into cash.

How? Open up an online store to sell your handcrafted items online. There's lots of places where you can sell that photo of a leaf you took 6 months ago online to be used as a stock photo. There's a market for everything!!

If you're incredibly at making doll's clothes, there are actual people out there who will buy a life sized doll outfit.

If you're incredible at making baby clothes, there's actual people out there who will buy adult-baby clothes for £55.00....which is 100.34 Canadian dollars, you buy 40$ worth of material, and that's still a 60$ profit. That's a nice chunk of change.

Put all of the money that you've made by increasing your income into a savings account for debt repayment.


Now what? At the end of your 6 month period...look into your savings....You probably have a nice chunk of change from all of your hard work...use that money to start paying off your debt. 
Start with the big bills. I'm not saying pay off your entire mortgage with the money you saved....I'm saying, if you owe 1000$ on a credit card bill that's now in collections, go out and get yourself a prepaid card, put the money on the prepaid card, and then pay the bill over the phone so it's out of your hair. You can even try negotiating with them..."I'll give you 600$ for that right here right now, if you're willing to settle with it." if they say no, ask to speak to a supervisor and chances are they'll do it to get the company's money...ANYTHING can be negotiated.

For the smaller bills, call up where they're with, and negotiate a price and a payment plan. "I know I owe 200$ for the cell phone that I refused to pay....but I'm willing to give you 100$ next month on X date if you're willing to settle with me."

Perfect. Done.

Not really....You might not be able to pay off ALL  of your debt in 6 months time....but if you keep saving, budgeting, tracking, negotiating, etc. you should be able to pay off a bill or two at the end of the 6 months, and you'll have the tools and know-how to keep going.

Coupon Newspaper Inserts

Here's the coupon newspaper inserts for the remainder of the 2014 year!!! I'm not going to post the expired inserts, so I'll begin with this month's inserts.

Smartsource

August 23
September 13
October 4
November 1
December 6

RedPlum

August 9
September 6
October 4
November 15


The Newspapers that will be carrying these coupons in NB are:

• Saint John Telegraph Journal
• Fredericton Gleaner
• Woodstock Bugle- Observer
• Moncton Times Transcript
• Restigouche La Voix
• Bathurst Northern Light
• Campbellton's Tribune

I know the list is short, but since the technology changed, most coupons are available through the internet. The best places to find Mail to home coupons are:

Save.ca
walmart.ca
websaver.ca
gocoupons.ca


If you're finding it really hard to get the coupons that you need, you can always call a friend or a parent and ask to borrow their computer and printer to print off the coupons you need, the public library allows you to print off coupons for a price per page (usually 3 coupons fit on one page), or you can find a place that will allow you to scan your coupons straight from your mobile device. If you call ahead to the store, and ask, they'll inform you whether they allow it.

It's also a bit frustrating to get the mailed coupons, as a lot of the places will quickly run out...There's really no way of getting around it other than going on either extremely early in the morning (unless you go to bed at 3 or 4 am daily...) to order your coupons.

Remember, you can always write a review of the product on the website and complain that you never recieve any coupons or deals from them...I e-mailed the company regarding the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers (I bought 1 on sale for 1$), and they gave me a coupon to get a free eraser in any size. I was able to get the biggest size of Magic Erasers (If I'm not mistaken, it was a 16$ value box of 12 assorted magic erasers...) for absolutely NOTHING. All because I took about 5 minutes out of my day to give feedback!!!

If you have any more questions, feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment below and I'll get back to you with the information you need!!

Everything You Need To Know About Hidden Coupon Portals

It comes as absolutely no surprise that the funnest thing about couponing in my opinion, is finding all of the little nooks and cracks that coupons can be hiding...it's the thrill of the find I suppose, or my addictive personality. So hidden coupon portals are great and surprising to me!!

What are Hidden Coupon Portals and Why are they Hidden?

  Hidden coupon portals are basically unexpected places where hosts put coupons. I suppose they put them there to keep people guessing, and see if they're really reading their entire website and not just part of it. A hidden coupon is usually just a manufacturer's coupon put somewhere unseen on the regular coupon page.

When do Hidden Coupons come out?

  Hidden coupons are just like every other type of coupon...there's no set date as to when they come out, and it takes a bit of digging to find them. It's so easy to use a website specifically for their coupon database, but there's always more coupons somewhere on their blog or deals. It's a hit and miss!

Where to find Hidden Coupons...

  Obviously, you can google pretty much anything...if you want to take the easy way and google all of the hidden coupon portals, be my guest! Save.ca, and Smartsource definately have them, so you can google "save.ca hidden coupon portal" or "smartsource.ca hidden coupons." Chances are, you'll get a nice list of some that are hidden, and then some that are right there on the website that you may have missed.

  You can also subscribe to their website's blogs and newsletters to recieve updates, special offers, and the locations where you'll find hidden coupons! I don't like putting hidden coupons directly on my blog as it takes away the fun of the hidden coupons for me...but I do subscribe to various blogs, coupon websites, and even manufacturer's websites to recieve updates about products, special offers and coupons.



Remember, couponing is supposed to be fun! If you treat it like a chore, it'll be less fun and you wont' succeed as much as you would if you're having fun with it! 

Frugal Friday Deals of the Week!!!

This week brings a semi-special edition of deals of the week because it's....

BACK TO SCHOOL TIME!!

That's right....it's the month where parents prepare their babies to go back to school. I found a ton of great deals for back to school, plus some other deals that I thought were great to share!!

Please remember that if you see it cheaper in another flyer, comment at the bottom so I can make changes!!

1. Crayola 8-16pk crayons 25% off at Target
2. HP Deskjet 2542 Wireless all in one printer at Walmart, rolled back to 35$
3. Bic Roundstic pens at Walmart 1$
4. Masterlock combination lock is 4$ at Walmart
5. Mom's Ultimate Calendar is 10$ at Walmart
6. NYC long wearing nail polish is on for 94 cents at Walmart
7. Norton Internet Security 2014 (for up to 3 PC's) is rolled back to 35$ at Walmart
8. Duracell batteries are 9.97 at walmart, save 1$ with the PG brandsaver coupon making the batteries 8.87
9. Dunkaroos at Walmart are 1.67 each, save 1.00 with the mailed coupon on walmart.ca making each (it looked like boxes in the flyer) box 67 cents
10. Catelli Gluten Free Pasta (for all of you gluten haters/people with intolerances...) is on for 1.97 at Walmart, there's a mailed websaver.ca coupon to save 1.00 bringing your total to 97 cents.

I think we can all agree that the Dunkaroos are the real winner here...As a kid, dunkaroos were like the ULTIMATE snack, you weren't cool if you didn't have them!!

Swagbucks Back to School Shop and Earn

If you haven't signed up for Swagbucks yet, now's your chance. Among the many ways to get gift cards by earning Swag Bucks, you can also earn Swag Bucks for every dollar you spend shopping online via Swagbucks Shop & Earn -- which comes in especially handy during this back to school time when you're buying supplies and clothes for the new year. Shopping online via Swagbucks gives you access to all the major online retailers and big box stores, including Target, Walmart, Staples, Amazon, and more (stores vary for members in Canada & UK)! 

The good news doesn't stop there because here's an even bigger reason to earn Swag Bucks while shopping online: a bonus 500 SB (a $5 value in addition to your earnings)! Here's how to get your $5 bonus: If you sign up for Swagbucks through my link here anytime between August 6th - September 6th, and make a purchase of $25 or more via Swagbucks Shop & Earn, you will get a 500 SB Bonus! That's enough for a $5 gift card, in addition to all the Swag Bucks you earn from your online shopping purchase.

Please note that you bonus will be credited only after your Shop & Earn Swag Bucks are credited, which can be up to 35 days after the date of purchase. Also please note that this special bonus is only available for new SB members who sign up through my link.

To get started, all you have to do is sign up through me here, and start shopping with Swagbucks Shop & Earn. Not only will your summer or back to school shopping be hassle-free (think: no long lines at checkout, no tired feet from shuffling from store to store, the perks go on & on), but you'll also earn SB for every dollar PLUS a $5 bonus to go towards gift cards.


Here's some of the places you can earn Swagbucks Shop and Earn in Canada:

Amazon.ca - Earn 1SB for every dollar you spend on back to school things
Old Navy Canada - Earn 4SB for every dollar you spend
Gap Canada - Earn 2SB for every dollar you spend
Banana Republic - Earn 2SB per dollar
Starbucks - Earn 8SB per dollar
Walmart - Earn 4SB per dollar
Indigo - 6sb per dollar
the Bay - 6SB per dollar
Sears - 2SB per dollar
Forever 21 - 6SB per dollar
Kobo- 6SB per dollar.


Also when you sign up, use this special sign up bonus code for 70 bonus sign up SB's thriftygalnb

I want you guys to know that this is a great oppertunity to make money while spending money, you can use coupon codes that are available for all of the stores above for savings, and as long as you spend 25$, you'll get the bonus of 500 sb's. Here's what you'll get when you spend a MINIMUM of 25$ at each store, PLUS a bonus of 500sbs:

Amazon.ca: 25+500bonus.
Old Navy: 100+500bonus
Gap: 50+500 bonus
Banana Republic: 50+500 bonus
Starbucks: 200+500 bonus
Walmart: 100+500 bonus
Indigo:150+500 bonus
the bay: 150+500 bonus
Sears: 50+500 bonus
Forever 21: 150+500 bonus
Kobo: 150+500 bonus

Shop and earn is a great way to get the things you regularly get online while also getting points for free items...so what are we REALLY waiting for??

If you flip around the website, you'll find a billion (well, maybe not a billion...but a lot) different ways to earn swagbucks for free things. If you don't believe me, just e-mail me!! I'll give you a great list of how you can earn swagbucks!! In less than 30 minutes TODAY, I've earned 200 swagbucks. That doesn't seem like a lot, but I'm that much closer to my free items. 

First World Problems Wednesday...ItWorks Wraps.

As a stay at home mom, I'm always looking for new fun ways to bring in my own bit of income...Avon, Tupperware, Scentsy...and my latest encounter, ItWorks Wraps.

I had wanted to become an independant distributor...but because of us being a one income family, I didn't want to pay the fees upfront, so I went to work preselling some body wraps that would in turn pay for the kit to get started. Everything was great, it took some hard work and perseverance, but I presold the 4 wraps needed to "get started."

Just so everyone's on the same page....the website says it's $99, totaling with tax or delievery to 120$ for your independant distributor kit, you get 1 box of Ultimate Body Applicators (which is 4 wraps), "Marketing Tools" which I can only assume to be flyer's and business cards, a month free of itwork's e-suite, and your own "website" free for the month, and it also makes you qualified for commission for the month that you join.

Like I said, I presold, which meant I got prepaid for the product. Trying to join the website was REDICULOUS.

Problem no. 1: They have a bunch of little boxes you have to fill out regarding your "Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding."  I had absolutely no idea was that was....the woman who was helping me, was telling me exactly what to put in the boxes, but not WHY I was putting this into the boxes. 
Problem no. 2: I was getting an error message saying that my card was declined. It's a prepaid card, I figured that was the problem so rather than going to the lady who was helping me on facebook, I called the company's customer service line.....10 minutes later, I found the problem was the currency change (not just on a pre-paid card, a lot of other credit cards have a charge for currency changes...so my hubby says...). The website APPARENTLY is all in US dollars, though it is not stated anywhere on the website....what they actually said shocked the crap out of me. 

"Well, the dollar sign is in the front."

me: "wait...you don't think we put the dollar sign in the front of the number?"

"that's not what I said."

me: "no...but that's what you implied. You implied that Canadian's put their dollar sign somewhere other than the beginning of the number."

Wait...WHY wouldn't I put the dollar sign in the front? Why wouldn't they just put US in the front of the dollar sign ( US$0.00), or put underneath that all prices are in US dollars? Why wouldn't they automatically calculate the currency exchange on their website upon checkout like MOST websites do?

I don't know.

Problem no. 3: The Independant Distributor that I went to gave me the link to her personal ItWorks website....which clearly said Canada on it....and the prices were still in US Dollars....I don't know what's up with that. That's an actual screen shot of the website, with all of my personal information covered up, and the distributor's name cut off....I could be crazy, or that could be a Canadian distributor's website....Just noticed, there's NO dollar sign at all.

Problem no. 4: I confronted the Independant distributor about this issue and I'm pretty sure she thought I was crazy....she kept saying "we were only charged 120 for it, and we never had this problem. That was no help....she didn't really help with that problem at all actually. The customer service line was no help, the supervisor's weren't any help....the entire thing was an actual waste of my time.

I thought the entire thing was a horrible experience, and I really don't want to ever encounter a problem like that ever again....I almost made the decision to become an independant distrubtor for a product where lying and false advertising is considered to be ok, and perfectly acceptable,

Friday Deals of the Week!

Hey guys!

I spent about 2 hours last night looking through the flyers and matching up my favorite deals, to the coupons that are currently available online through smartsource, save, groceryalerts, and of course my favorite, swagbucks coupons! Always remember that you can use multiple coupons in one grocery shop, but only one coupon per product (minus target and the Divide and Conquer method, click on the link and give it a read if you don't know what this method is!)

Here's a list of my top 10 deals of the week that I've personally chosen:

1. Milupa baby cereal at Walmart is rolledback to 2.97. There's a printable coupon for 1$ off making the box of baby cereal 1.97 per box.
2. Dawn Dish Soap is on a 2 day sale at Shoppers for 1.88. There's a coupon available online for 0.50 off making it 1.33 per bottle.
3. Bic Soleil Razors at Walmart are also rolled back for 4.98. There's a save 2$ coupon printable coupon online making each package of razors 2.98.
4. Crest Pro-Health toothpaste at Shoppers is on right now for 3.99 each. There's a printable coupon where if you buy 2, you can save 2.00$. It roughly adds up to about 6$ for 2 tubes of toothpaste.
5. Almay colour + care liquid lip balm, one coat mascara, or intense i-colour eye products at Shoppers is on for 5.99. There's still a save 3.00 printable coupon available making your making total 2.99 before taxes.
6. Royale Tiger Paper Towels at walmart 4.97 (for a package of 6 rolls), there's a 2$ printable coupon making your total 2.97 before taxes.
7. Superstore has their Coppertone sunscreen on 50% off, there's also a 5$ off coupon online (you can google search it!), making whatever they have their sunscreen on for, probably next to nothing!
8. There's a BOGO mailed coupon from Save.ca for Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner, which is on sale at Walmart for 2$ a bottle!
9. Men's Bic Flex 3 disposable razors are on for 4.98 at Walmart. There's a printable coupon for 2$ off, making the price of the razors 2.98.
   
   Double deal of the week: 
10. Tide Laundry Detergent is on at Walmart (1.09L) for 4.94, there's a coupon available online to save 1.50 when you buy Tide and a Bounce product, but there's also a Bounce dryer sheet coupon from the PG Brandsaver for 0.50 cents, making your total savings 2$
    

So those are my person favorite deals of the week, I'll probably go out sometime this weekend to pick up most, if not all of these deals!
Always remember that Walmart and Target have their price match guarentee, but they will NOT match % deals. So the Coppertone wouldn't qualify for any ad matches.

If you've found another deal that you'd like to add to this article, leave a note in the comments box with the deal+coupon amount!!