youngandthrifty.ca » saving money on stuff

Save Money on Christmas Gifts This Year

young — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:01:18 +0000

As much as I LOOOOOVE Christmas (I love the Christmas tree lights, I love the smell of Christmas, I love Christmas music, and I even love the Christmas burning fireplace channel). But to be honest, I usually dread the potential massive credit card bills of this holiday season and usually begin ruminating about how much this tradition is going to cost me. I usually think about how much I need to spend for each person. I usually make a list and check it twice.

I have a few girl friends who I travel with and who I love hanging out with, but there are about 5-6 of them. If I spent $25 to $30 each on a present (which is pretty much what I’ve done in the past), that could easily add up to $200 spent on Christmas presents. And this DOES NOT include presents for my family and BF’s family!

So I suggested to my friends that we start a tradition of homemade gifts for each other (but absolutely refuse to call it: Recession or starving student budget presents haha). There are a few good reasons for making your own gifts:

PROS of Homemade Gifts:

Cheap! Buy a bunch of supplies or ingredients and make a batch of presents
You can show off your creative side
Unique and unforgettable- isn’t it the thought that counts?
Everyone gets the same thing so friends don’t feel alienated or left out if their present isn’t as good as others’

CONS of Homemade Gifts:

It takes time
It is easy to go overboard and want to make/create the best homemade gift
It might not be useful
Sometimes the supplies and cost of purchasing new ingredients can add up too

Some ideas that are practical and useful and people may look forward to receiving them. I think I would much rather receive something practical that I can use rather than something that would just sit there to collect dust.

Some Practical Homemade Gift Ideas (the “How To” can easily be Googled)

Homemade Baileys (this is what I’m doing- and no, it’s not an excuse to buy a 750mL bottle of Irish Whiskey for myself haha). I’m planning to buy cute mason jars and decorate them with a candy cane.
Homemade spice rubs (for example, taco seasoning, meat rub etc.)
A Hollow Book (I personally LOVE this idea but I’m worried my friends might think its tacky- you carve a hole in an old book so you can hide your expensive stuff in it in case of a break and enter!)
Homemade magnets
Homemade bath salts
Homemade soap
Chocolate Syrup or any cookies, baking, etc. etc.

Initiate a Secret Santa Gift Exchange

Another way to save money (which thankfully BF’s family suggested and not me) is to do a Secret Santa gift exchange. So instead of buying presents for my BF’s brother in law, and two sisters, I just need to buy a gift for one person now. You can make your own rules with the gift exchange (e.g. spend no more than $50, the amount of presents doesn’t matter as long as it is under $50 in cost).

BF found this website called Boogspace, which claims to be the ultimate Secret Santa Gift Exchange website. It’s free to sign up and you input the people in the gift exchange, and it randomly generates your secret santa for you. You can even post up your wishlist (which I personally find tacky, because then what’s the point of secret santa?) and you can then invite your family and friends to view the name of the person they need to buy a gift for.

Other Secret Santa Generators are:

Most Importantly…

Try and stick to your budget. Make your list and add the costs of each gift up.

It can be really easy to get carried away, especially since, according to Statscan and the Canadian census, the average Canadian spent $800+ on Christmas gifts in 2005 (can you imagine what is is in 2011??) Apparently Albertans are even more generous, and spent over $1000+ on Christmas gifts in the same year.

Readers, how much are you budgeting to spend this year for your Christmas gifts? Do you usually stick to your budget or do you find you go under or go over?

Save $750+ on Shaw Cable by Being a (Starving) Student

young — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:56:02 +0000

Okay so maybe I’m not really starving, but I do like the alliteration.

As our Shaw Plan Personalizer deal that was in place for six months came to an end (it was $62 including tax for some HD channels, selected channels, and extreme internet), I started practicing my negotiation skills in front of the mirror (no, not really) to see if I could get the discounted rate extended or see if I could get some other promotion. If I didn’t figure something out, we would be paying $120 a month for cable and internet.

I called Shaw (after waiting for 20 minutes, no doubt) and asked to speak to one of their customer service representatives. Because I practiced negotiating for my cell phone contract last year, I thought I had the upper hand.

I even tried to see if I could downgrade the extreme internet to “just” high speed internet and see if that would take the sting away. It took the sting away by a measly $10. The cable and internet bill would still come to $120 or so a month.

I asked the representative if there were any promotions available.

Negative.

“Miss, we often have free television channel promos that we give to our customers for free, right now, you can watch MTV Canada for free”

(my inside voice: I DON’T CARE ABOUT MTV CANADA! It sucks anyways and the last time I’ve watched that was 2 years ago when “The City” was on! I just want to pay less!)

I even threatened to leave Shaw and go to Telus.

This didn’t phase the customer service rep. I guess it doesn’t help that I wasn’t on a contract, ha!

I then politely hung up and started brainstorming.

I thought that students must get some sort of a break on cable, seeing as students have no income and yet need some sort of distraction from studying. Students also need internet. They must give students a break.

I then called back and asked if there were any student discounts.

Jackpot.

So for classic cable (which includes more channels than we were getting on our Shaw Plan Personalizer) and extreme internet, the bill would total $63 or so just because I was a post secondary student. Regular price would be $130 a month.

And how long does this goodness last? I thought it would be for another six months or something, but noooooo…

It lasts as long as I am a student! So for two more years, I will get cheap cable and internet.

That alone makes my miserable part time work and full time student life worthwhile! Oh, and it’s not me who is addicted to cable, it’s my boyfriend. Him and his Walking Dead episodes *sigh*.

Here’s what you have to do to get in on this deal:

First of all, Shaw said you can’t be a full time student (I believe it was only full time students who are eligible) and live in your parents home or even in their basement… because that would mean your parents are getting cheap cable.
Print out a copy of your tuition statement to prove to them you’re legit and in school
Print out a copy of your enrollment or acceptance letter or other proof to say that you are in post-secondary school (My program is online and it was still fine!)
Bring your student ID
Find the Shaw customer service centre (for me it is in the lovely Shaw tower in Coal Harbor- pretty fancy!)
Bring your student ID and your copies of tuition and enrollment to the Shaw Customer Service Centre
Speedwalk/race to the customer service line up alongside a mid-forties male who sees you in his peripheral vision and obviously doesn’t care that you are female and wanting to get in the line up too (hey, what about ladies first? Maybe I didn’t look like a lady that day?? lol)
Wait in line for 20-30 minutes with other people who look disgruntled
Show them the goods and they will look at you and make sure your ID is real and then give you the discount!

Et Voila! $750+ annually saved on cable.

This alone makes me want to be a perpetual student. Perhaps Million Dollar Journey should go to MBA school so he can get this deal too?

Readers, are there any other “WOW” discounts you know of that gives students an advantage?

Looking to Save Money This Christmas? Here are 4 steps to follow!

young — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:54:03 +0000

This time of year it’s easy to get caught up in the gift giving, and the stores put their marketing & sales efforts into high gear too. Saving and investing go together, it takes money to invest and you can’t have the money if you spend it all. Here are some ways to save you money this Christmas.

Do You Really Need The Latest & Greatest?

Step 1, do you (or your recipient) really need the latest, flashiest, greatest product? Do you really need a 64GB iPhone when a 16GB version will do? Do you really need a 70” TV when a 50” or 46” will do just fine. Leading edge products are always more expensive than the trailing edge ones. Does your spouse really need a $2000 laptop just to check emails when a basic brand new laptop can be had for $399?

When it comes to technology products keep in mind that what you buy today will be half price in about a year from now. So pause, and think about what product you really need.

Check Online for the Lowest Prices First

Now that you know what you need you can move on to step 2. There are a number of websites that allow you to comparison shop from the comfort of your own home. Simply type in the name of an item you are looking for, and these websites will give you a list of all the stores that sell that item and its price. You can then sort the list from lowest price to highest.

Comparison Shopping Websites (Canada):
www.shopbot.ca
www.canadapost.ca/shopper

Comparison Shopping Websites (USA):
www.pricegrabber.com
www.nextag.com

A quick search for “Panasonic TC-P50S30” reveals prices ranging from $733.99 to $1199.00 for the exact
same product! This step alone could save you $465.01!

Always Price Match

Most large retailers will match competitor’s prices and give you an additional 10 % off of the difference.
Here’s a quick test for (this is a true story but I’ve changed the store names):

Both stores ABC, and XYZ offer price matching with 10% of the difference.

Store ABC is selling the laptop you are looking to buy for Christmas for $1200

Store XYC is selling the same laptop for $788

Which store do you purchase the laptop from? If you said store XYZ you would be wrong!

Purchase the laptop from store ABC and you’ll actually get it for less than $788, here’s how:

Store ABC will match the $788 price plus give you 10% off the difference ($1200 – $788 = $412).

The price you pay is going to be: $788 – $41.20 = $746.80

Not bad, you saved an additional $41.20 just comparison shopping and price matching.

Price matching is very simple to do, just bring in the ad (or print-out) of a competitor’s ad to the store,
and they will make the price adjustment for you.

Always Get Free Shipping

Most places will ship for free if your order is above a certain amount (Amazon.ca $25, Bestbuy.ca $20).
What if your order is less than the minimum amount, can you still get free shipping? Yes, combine your
order with someone else. Just ask around at home, or work and see if someone else is also looking to
place an order. I’ve done this so many times, and it benefits both parties, you both get free shipping!

Follow these 4 simple steps and you can easily save lots of money, enjoy your Christmas, and have more
money left over to invest!

Kanwal Sarai, is the founder of Simply Investing and on a quest to bring financial freedom to all. He
created the Simply Investing Online Course on the belief that the world can be a better place if people
didn’t have to worry or stress out about money. Simply Investing’s goal is to change the world one
investor at a time, by helping people like you to invest easily and successfully.

How to Save Money on Text Books

young — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:50:40 +0000

It’s been probably about six years since I bought a text book and things have definitely changed in the ‘saving money on text books’ sphere. Before, the way to save money was to line up at the used text book store on campus and fight with other people to get the nicest looking used text book. Things have seemed to change this time around. There are many more options for us starving students. Which is a good thing, because text books can seriously add up (and break the bank!).

When I got my text book list (yes, I checked the first day it was out, August 1), I was astounded by the number of texts I needed to get. I added up how much it would cost if I got the books new ($900). I added up how much it would cost if I got them used ($650). I would have to order them for delivery from the university as I am doing distance education. I was going to try to get all my text books used, until I saw the tiny tiny print at the bottom of the page:

“If used texts are not available, we will send you a new textbook automatically”

Then I thought, ugh! How would I know if there were used books or not? That’s a gamble, and I didn’t want to do that with my precious starving student budget.

So I went to Amazon.ca and Amazon.com and compared the prices of the text books I needed to get.

Even though the Canadian dollar has been doing very well, there is still a huge discrepancy in prices of the text books. Like a 15-25% difference.

Cost of new text books through Amazon.ca:

$750

Cost of new text books through Amazon.com:

$550

I knew that I would have to pay for shipping (since it’s international shipping to Canada) if I used Amazon.com and I would have to pay for customs charges. This added up to $100.

So my total bill came up to $650. I’m happy with that, but in hindsight, I should have had it sent to a PO box across the border and then pick it up there and declare it. I would have had a CHANCE where I might not needed to have to pay the $100 (especially if the officer was nice LOL). I plan to do this next time.

Here are some other options:

Rent a Text Book

This option was unfathomable when I went to university (or maybe I was just hiding under a rock? I graduated in ’05). There more and more text book rental options in Canada now. Though I would caution that you make sure you find a textbook that is the correct edition (because there may be older, outdated editions being circulated). Other than that, if you don’t plan on keeping it, rent it! (I had wanted to keep my text books when I was in university the first go, and now I regret that decision- just stuff! I never read my ENG 112 text book ever again!).

Some text book rental sites (I admit it, I Googled “text book rental canada”) are: Textbookrental.ca (the largest one in Canada. You can become an “ambassador” and for everyone you refer, you get 8% back. Almost like referring others to use Groupon… a tier/ commissions system) and Big Mama(often there is a back to school promotion where you get 5% off your purchase, and they plan a tree every time you rent from them).

The good thing about renting text books is that you can save trees (it’s recycling!). The bad thing is, often you pay about 50% of the purchase price to rent the text book for a semester. If you bought the book and sold it, you usually get about 50% of the resale value anyway (especially if you sold it directly to another student). However, sometimes the editions get updated so quickly that your textbook might not be new anymore. To me, it seems like the only one profiting from these text book rental sites is the people who are renting you your text book

Buy the Online/ downloadable version

On Amazon, for a number of text books, there was the option of buying the online version (e.g. so you can read it on your Kindle, or your iPad!). This is usually about 50% of the regular price the store would normally sell it for as well. However, if you’re the type of person who can’t read ‘online’ and needs to print everything out, or touch the pages, or high light the pages… a huge online version of a text book will be a pain. That being said, it may be easy to find what you want if it was an online version instead of flipping through hundreds of pages. Also, “selling” the downloadable version of your textbook might be awkward.

Go to the local used text book store (and go early)

Had I gone to the campus bookstore, I would have found some used text books. However, I would have had to take transportation to get there (campus is in a different city), which would obviously negate the benefits of buying cheaper text books.

In summary, I’m happy with my Amazon.com purchase, but I think that next time, I’ll be having it shipped across the border and pick them up and bring’em home It’s about an hour drive to the border from where I’m at and it would be a nice day trip. I know it’s best not to destroy so many trees, but with my program being delivered online, I’d like to get away from my computer once in a while.

Readers- which method of saving money on text books did you use in school? Did you keep your text books for nostalgia/reference sake or did you sell them right away?

How a Storage Unit Can Save you Money

young — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:08:06 +0000

Here’s a guest post by Taylor Laurents, a freelance writer who wanted to share how he thinks a storage unit can save people money. When he is not out saving money, he spends his time explaining to people that he is Taylor Laurents and not Taylor Lautner. I have yet to ask him whether he has watched Storage Wars yet.

Everyone is looking for convenient ways to save money these days. Carpooling, keeping lights off, and turning down the air conditioning are just a few of the tricks people are using to keep extra money in their pockets at the end of each month. However, when thinking of ways to save money, very few consider renting a Toronto self storage unit. Wait, paying money to rent a storage unit can actually save you money? That’s right. It may sound counter-intuitive, but there are actually a number of circumstances in which renting a storage unit can save you money.

A few of those circumstances include:

Downsizing

Many families have chosen to move in to smaller homes and apartments to combat the rising costs of living. However, many of those families still have important or prized family possessions that they may no longer have space for in their new home. Instead of compromising on a larger home or deciding to sell treasured items, rent a storage unit instead. A storage unit can safely store important possessions, and many units are even climate controlled to prevent mold and mildew from growing on furniture. The monthly cost of a storage unit is also inexpensive which allows you to still benefit from the money saved on your mortgage and utility bills.

Business Storage

Does your business have a great location, but lack adequate storage space for additional inventory? Instead of upping your overhead costs to move to a larger, yet still prime location, consider renting a storage unit to house your additional inventory instead. The price of renting a storage unit is minimal compared to the extra square footage of a rental property providing you with a great way to optimize your cash flow while still getting the extra space you need.

Moving

If you are moving for an internship, a temporary position, or simply change the scenery around you but know you will be coming back, there is no reason to move all your belongings. Moving all of your belongings, especially across a couple of provinces, can be expensive, however, so is continuing to pay rent at a place you aren’t inhabiting. Instead of covering moving costs or an additional rent, put everything in a storage unit and just move yourself and the belongings that you simply can’t live without. Renting a storage unit can be as cheap as $35 a month, and can greatly reduce your overall moving costs, not to mention save you the huge hassle of moving boxes upon boxes of items.

Youngandthrifty’s Take: I can see how a storage unit can save you money, especially if you don’t have storage in your apartment or your 60 year old house has no storage closets, has an attic, but you’re afraid to go up there because you might see a dead rat, rat pellets, or other heebie-jeebies. I am not speaking from experience, of course Well maybe a little. For our home, I made sure we had a small storage closet and shrunk the square footage of the basement suite to accommodate for this. I am sure glad I did, because otherwise, I don’t know where we would put our camping gear or snowboards. Storage is so important- without it, our surroundings become super cluttered and unappealing. I don’t do well with clutter myself.

However, one must not forget about the storage unit, otherwise, people like those on Storage Wars on A&E may take advantage of the storage unit you have neglected. On that show, people bid on neglected storage units and sell the items in the said storage units. On the most recent episode (yes, I admit I watched the first episode of the newest season!), Dave Hester found a bunch of new, unopened vending machines. For $1350, he turned a profit of $29,000. Watching it made me want to scour my past for some good finds.. but alas, I found nothing useful. It would sure be a fun career though, in my opinion.

Readers, do you own a storage unit? Do you find them helpful? Of those who watch Storage Wars, do you find Dave Hester annoying like I do?

youngandthrifty’s Mildly Extreme Couponing

young — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:13:53 +0000

Inspired by Sandy from Yes I am Cheap sharing her Non Extreme Couponing Experience, I thought I would share with you my somewhat mild extreme couponing experience. As you know, I have been a bit of a coupon fiend lately, watching the show Extreme Couponing gets me riled up and excited (though I definitely don’t agree with buying 90 tubes of toothpaste, or 123 deodorants “just ’cause”). I am more of the variety of buying items that I need with coupons to save money, and not buying 15 of them. Two to five of the same items, maybe. But not fifteen.

As you also know, I have been reading Mrs January’s blog (looove it!) because she matches up the coupons in the mail to the sales in store. I have been saving up my free product coupons (like the Glade coupon) for those days where you need to purchase $50 worth of goods to get 20x the points at Shoppers Drug Mart (one of my favourite stores not only because I’m a shareholder, but I find that Shoppers shows growth, flexibility, and not to mention, it has a great rewards program).

So, last Saturday, there was a 20x the points event. Usually each dollar you spend is only worth 10 points. But on these special days, if you spend $50, you can get 20x the points. 50,000 points gives you a $80 redemption, so you can see that if you spend $50 on these days five times, you can get $80! If you couple that with the more bang for your points days (that’s what I call them anyway), you will get to $100 for 50,000 points.

So here’s a recap of the mission:

GOAL: To accumulate $50 worth of groceries/ necessary items and obtain 20x the points (about 10,000 points) using the least of amount of money possible.

STRATEGY:

Buy items that are on sale with coupons associated with them, therefore reducing total cost
Utilize the “free product” coupons to make the total more than $50 pretax
Accumulate coupons beforehand as most websites like save.ca and websaver.ca mail you your coupons.
Obtain coupons ahead of time to avoid Canada Post mail delivery service strike
Remember to bring Shoppers Optimum Card
Remember to bring coupons- set out coupons necessary for shopping mission
Utilize points credit card to do a double whammy in terms of stacking points (namely Visa RBC Avion Travel Reward card)
Write down the exact shopping list and amount saved, amount added up to ensure it does not go largely over $50
Do not stray from aforementioned shopping list

PLAN OF ACTION:

Bread on sale for $2.29
Chips on sale for $1.99 each
Lunch containers on sale for $2.99
Cereal on sale for $2.99
Campbells soup on sale for $0.59 each
Oh Henry bars not on sale, but BF is addicted to them, so bought them for $3.59
BBQ sauce on sale for $1
vitamin D on sale for $4.99
Yogurt on sale for 2 for $6
Scott Paper towel on sale for $4.99. $2 coupon used, total is $2.99
Royale bathroom tissue on sale for $5.99. $1 coupon used. Total $4.99
Catelli Smart Pasta is $2.29. $0.75 coupon used total $1.54
Oasis Health Break juice $3.29 on sale. $0.75 coupon used. $2.54
Vitamin Water. On sale for $1.50 each. Two coupons for free product used.
Glade Air Freshener (automatic). $11.59 not on sale. Free product coupon used.
Multivitamin. On sale for $11.99. $10 coupon, total cost $1.99.

Total coupon savings, about $30. Total bill without coupon savings, $77 + tax.

MISSION POSSIBLE:

Accomplished but some straying from shopping list occurred- though straying entailed purchasing products on sale
Unfortunately, ran into some road blocks. Wanted to use a “Buy one Get one Free” coupon for all purpose cleaner advertised in flyer, except only one cleaner was available on the shelf. Wanted to buy another Oasis juice (different type) and use different coupon, except store did not have this product.
Actually felt nervous and sweaty as products were being rung up. Just like in the show (and don’t even know why because it’s not like I was purchasing 201 of one product or anything)
Subtotal of total goods purchased after coupons savings $47. After HST, $53 total cost.
>10,000 points obtained. Now at 105,000 points, enough for $200 worth of goods at Shoppers Drug Mart. Will proceed to use points on special points days, which rumor says is to occur on the first weekend of June.

I hope you enjoyed my mission of mildly extreme coupon savings! I think if I didn’t purchase all those non-coupon items, it might have been more impressive. Anyhow, I’m happy that I’m at the top of the points pyramid! I’m also glad that Shoppers Drug Mart seems to be diversifying, you can buy electronics and a Wii or Sony Playstation at the drug store now (not that I want or need one. Just sayin’).

Readers, have you forayed into the world of couponing (or at least using high value couponing) ever since the show aired on TLC? (I know that my sister definitely has been inspired!) What is your favourite coupon savings of all time? Please share!

The Ultimate Guide to Canadian Deals Websites

young — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:54:47 +0000

There are a plethora of websites that can help you scour the great deals and make sure you never pay full price (or sometimes even pay anything at all!) for goods. These websites are the “must read” websites for any person who identifies themselves as frugal in Canada who refuse to pay full price. The fine line here with these websites, is to make sure one doesn’t go overboard and buy something for the sake of it being on sale (which I tend to struggle with myself).

The following websites are updated on a daily basis (if not multiple times a day), so you can be rest assured that you are getting the latest deal. Some of these deals, once posted, may last only a matter of hours, due to their popularity. Also, some of the websites have some overlap (e.g. You may see the same ‘deal’ on multiple websites). Just click on the title to head over to their sites to take a gander (sorry my hyperlink is a bit screwed up. Apologize in advance for my lack of HTML skills )

Red Flag Deals

The granddaddy of them all (now bought out and owned by Yellow Pages group -YLO) is Red Flag Deals. Red Flag Deals has been so kind to me and such a great tool and resource. For example, I found out about my beloved late Starwood Preferred Guest MBNA Mastercard there, my free Gucci glasses courtesy of Clearly Contacts, and I find out about the latest freebies and great deals. The site is so well-known that oftentimes they have what’s called the “Red Flag Deal” effect- once a great deal is posted, a few hours later, because of all the Red Flag Deal readers getting in on the action, the deal is done and it is sold out, or the freebie is all distributed. They have a great “Latest Deals” page and have “Most Popular Deals” (whereby members can vote for good deals that are shared amongt members) page, as well as a very active forum on contests, good deals in electronics, home and garden, beauty, and even a section on personal finance. I used to check Red Flag Deals religiously (like every day) and now I check it at least a few times a week.

Smart Canucks

Smart Canucks claims to be the big kahuna, the largest coupon and shopping deals community. They are indeed large, the website has coupons, freebies, contests, reviews etc. Like Red Flag Deals. They are a great resource for coupons. They have over 100,000 members and have launched in 2006.

Bargain Moose

Run by Anna, a 29 year old super girl and self-confessed shopaholic, this website has been around since 2008 and is really funky and good looking- very Canuckesque with the snowshoes and a Trans-Canada highway sign on her header. She posts the latest deals and freebies that readers find or she finds. For example, I found out about free shipping from La Senza (aka the Canadian Victoria Secret) the other day on her website and took advantage of the free shipping deal on some clearance merchandise you could get online (I hate paying for shipping).

She had a guest post, 10 tips for avoiding travel trauma and saving money on my site a while back, and I also did a guest post on her page on 5 tips for eco-travel on a budget. Guess we’re both into traveling

Mrs January

I recently got started with Mrs January- I think I started following her on twitter, and then checked out her page and fell in love! I now check this one quite often too, at least a few times a week…and perhaps compulsively every day, but I won’t admit to it. She shares some great deals, some of my favourites being her posts on what she buys and how much she pays and how much she saves (almost an Extreme Couponer, by Canadian standards, anyway!). She also shares the weekly flyers (for stores such as Zellers, Superstore, No Frills, Walmart, Shoppers Drug Mart etc.) and matches them up with coupons that are circulating or that you can sign up for easily.
For example, recently Ziplock bags were on sale at No Frills for $2 a box. There was a coupon you can print out (and she shares a link to where you can get the coupon) for $4 off any two ziplock bag purchases. This renders the Ziplock bag purchase FREE! She recently added a “printable coupons” button on her page so you can get in on the couponing action instantaneously.

She also has tattoos (which makes her instantly cool, of course) and even shares some tips via video like how to make your own glass/mirror cleaner with vinegar and water.

Grocery Alerts

This website is run by my fellow British Columbian, Steve Zussino. They upload the weekly flyers so you don’t have to waste newspaper and also share the latest deals and freebies for groceries on his website. Steve and Lina have saved $1700 so far in the past nine months using smart shopping techniques, coupons, and understanding sale cycles. Steve also posts some great contests regularly on his website. Check out their recent video on how to do extreme couponing in Canada. They recently started a coupon trader service from their website, so you can get rid of the coupons you don’t want for the coupons you do want.

He also interviewed me about my grocery shopping habits a while back- you can take a sneak peak in my fridge at the end of his post (warning you! It’s messy).

Canadian Daily Deals

Run by Justine is another site that posts multiple times a day of the latests freebies, promotions, coupons, and deals. She often updates on twitter and has a nice sidebar where you can find the latest deal from the store you want (e.g. You can check out from Ikea, for example).

Frugalis

Frugalis is very active on twitter (I think they tweet about every hour on average). It lets you check out savings in your city (though there aren’t that many listed as a link). This is a good website to check out if you are wanting a specific deal for a specific store. It doesn’t post in a “blog style” like the other websites.

Fabulous Savings

Fabulous Savings.ca has online coupons for Canadians and a lot of their coupons are exclusive to them. Their website is very clean looking and looks like they have a lot of “pull” with the merchants out there (taking a closer look, it looks as though they have a Fabulous Savings based out of the United Kingdom AND the United States– talk about being big and international!).

Canadian Free Stuff

A website including not only great deals, but also free stuff (like freebies, contests, free samples, you name it!). Theresa is also quite active on Twitter and has a following of 5000 on twitter. You can also win some giveaways on her site too! She also has some product reviews along with these giveaways. Another great Canadian Deals website!

Readers: Have I missed any great Canadian deals, coupons, and freebies websites that you like? Which of the ones I have mentioned do you tend to frequent the most?

Buying My First Car

young — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:29:15 +0000

Please welcome the following guest post from My University Money, a fellow Canadian blog talking about what its like being a recent graduate, and working in the real world. Please note- the photocredit is from photobucket and I chose the picture… If you find it distasteful, blame me!

Hello fellow young personal finance readers. I go by the pen name is “Teacher Man” due to the fact I recently graduated university and am in my first year of teaching high school. My partner and I have recently started up a website aimed at helping young people in high school, as well as those in various post-secondary avenues, and finally, students that have recently graduated and are facing ‘the real world’ for the first time. The inspiration for our website came about when we were reminiscing about our time in university and how if we knew then what we know now, we would have been a lot better off. Thus, My University Money was born. Our goal is to help young people in their quest to learn how to succeed in their educational, financial, and career pursuits.

My first car

I have survived my first year of commuting in the car that my dad and I had picked out together when I started university. I had saved up some money and he said that for my birthday present every year he would pay the insurance if I bought the car. I still think I got a pretty good deal on that one. I went with my dad to buy the car, but I didn’t really do much talking. He said I needed a good, solid, “bigger” (re: North American) car. I ended up with a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix. It has served me faithfully over the past few years, but due to a long commute and my girlfriend moving in, it I time to look at a slightly more reliable option. My little brother has decided he can make use of the old car and I have decided to sell it to him a charitable price that still leaves me way further ahead than if I traded it in.

So I have recently embarked on this quest to find the perfect car for someone in my position. I have read roughly 199 personal finance articles on how to decide on and buy a car and I think I have a pretty good handle on things; however, I decided the only way to be sure of this was to share my thought process with some well educated readers and ask for their input. A big thanks to Young and Thrifty for allowing me the opportunity!

My financial situation

I guess before we start talking about mileage rates and finance offers, you should be aware of my rough financial situation. I graduated without student debt, and have recently taken on a mortgage. As a first year teacher I make about 50K a year before taxes. I find that I currently have about 1K a month in disposable income after all my paycheque deductions and expenses are taken out. My girlfriend is still in university and basically earns enough to pay her student expenses. I have saved up approximately 10K
either for a down payment on a car, or to buy a used one outright.

The options

This has been my thinking up until this point. I am looking for an ‘econo-box’ type of vehicle. Luxury isn’t a big deal to me at this point in my life, and I am just looking for something with low maintenance costs and good gas mileage. I still need a little room for transporting things and I am a pretty big guy, so I just don’t feel comfortable with the sub-compact class of cars. I believe my personal sweet spot is in the compact category, so I started looking at Civics, Corollas, Elantras, Sentras, Mazda 3s, VW Jettas, VW Golfs, Focuses, and the Chevy Cruze/Cobalt combination. I would be looking at the mid- level of features on pretty much every car because I want the A/C and cruise control. I definitely have no need for sun roofs and leather seats.

The Civic and the Corolla had the best and most consistent reputations, with the others following close behind (save for the Chevy Cobalt which everyone appears to agree is a definite money pit). Beyond initial quality, the idea of value is what I was looking for. I decided that a 2008-2009 used vehicle would probably be my best bet. It is commonly known that after the first few years most cars hit their ‘sweet spot’ in terms of valuation since depreciation has cut deeply into the initial price, but there are several good years left in the vehicle.

After looking through some consumer reports and comparisons the one vehicle that really stood out for me was the Hyundai Elantra. Basically, the car has been doing its best to become the more modern, cheaper, fuel efficient Toyota Corolla. Not a bad idea. Every report I read talked about how far Hyundai vehicles have come in the last decade and how their product now far outdoes their reputation. When I read that, I think there is value to be had (similar to how Y&T talks about her stock evaluations). The 2009 Hyundai Elantra won several in class awards and appears to be a solid pick. It may, or may not be better than the Civic, Corolla, or Mazda 3, but I guarantee is has depreciated the fastest! This is good news for a young guy looking for a bargain.

Just as I was coming to terms with my decision I had to look at the new Hyundai Elantra. I recently read that it was the best selling car so far in Canada this year and I believe there are some pretty solid reasons why.

Here were my considerations when I made my comparison of buying a new car or a used car (2009).

1) Resale Value – Not concerned, I intend to drive it into the ground, so I don’t care
about being brand name reputation etc.

2) Prior Mileage – In my mind 40,000 km driven problem free (need to see a report)
means that the vehicle isn’t a lemon, while on the flip side that’s 40,000km less I’ll have
the car for.

3) Looks – I know I said I’m not a looks guy, but man the new Elantra looks sweet.

4) Warranty – New versus already half used up (I’m not mechanic so this is a big deal for me).

5) My Options – New means I get it exactly how I want.

6) Financing – Currently great deals on financing options. Could I just take out a long term 0.9% or 1.9% payment plan and be better off putting the money somewhere else?

7) Taxes – The lower price tag on a used vehicle means I pay a lot less tax than on a new one. Plus, if I buy used from another person I cut off the 5% GST.

Fuel Efficiency – With my girlfriend and I looking to put about 40,000km a year on the car for the next couple years and then probably 25,000km or so after that (when she finishes school) fuel efficiency is a big deal. I thought that maybe I could justify buying the new Elantra based on its great mileage numbers, so here is the comparison (almost all the miles will be highway, so that’s the only mileage I care about), bear with my rudimentary math skills:

2009 Elantra – 33 Highway or 7.13 per 100 km
2011 Elantra – 40 MPG or 5.89 per 100 km

Plan about 40,000 km per year next 2 years, 25,000km per year after that

2009 = 2852 L of gas per year for first two years
2011 = 2356 L of gas per year for first two years

I’m going to guess that the average price of gas over the next few yeas will be $1.35 a
litre and that is probably a little low.

Difference of 496 L x 1.35 per litre = $669.60 per year
310 L x 1.35 per litre = 418.50

4 year difference in gas mileage = $2176.20 (could be higher if gas is higher)

9) Price – The most important consideration. I am relatively certain I will be able to find a 2009 Elantra mid-trim for about $10,000. The new Elantra mid-level automatic comes in at 20,852 before any negotiating or deals. Just for comparison, the Chevy Cruze will set you back $20,445 under the same features.

My Conclusion

Without huge incentives I just cannot justify buying the new Elantra. I am a ‘recent graduate’ so I might get some leeway there, but I figure it would have to get down to about the $17,000 level before it would make sense to buy a new one. I just don’t see it getting there, so hello used car market. Buying the car straight up will drain my savings, but eliminate any interest on future car payments. This will keep my financial life simple, and I’m pretty sure it will be beneficial in the long run. As a final thought, I am interested to see what the next 3-4 years will bring in the evolution of cars. If we want to look at adding an additional vehicle to the household then there might be some really great options out there relative to right now (with electric cars going more mainstream etc).

Readers: What does everyone think? Have I taken the majority of factors into consideration or am I missing something?

6 Tips for Buying Organic On the Cheap

Gassing Up Patterns

young — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:00:53 +0000

Everyone has likely been noticing the recent spike in gas prices, what with the current global situation. It got me thinking, have people been changing their patterns when they gas up?

The gas prices here in Vancouver fluctuate, I find that they are most expensive during the day, and the least expensive during the late evenings. I find that during the middle of the week, it’s more expensive. During the weekend evenings, it’s least expensive. When I talk about fluctuation in prices, the fluctuation is usually about a $0.03 to $0.10 difference (I’m talking per litre here, not per gallon!). For a 35 litre tank, this would be a $1.05 to $3.50 difference in price. I know it doesn’t seem like much to even bother, but if you fill up often, that can add up.

My gas up patterns

I fill my tank up when it’s at a 1/4 tank or less (which I really shouldn’t do because that’s bad for the car, according to my mechanic). When I gas up my car, I usually fill it up. I’m not sure why I have a habit of waiting until it’s at 1/4 tank or less, though I think it could be because I have the perverse desire to see how many kilometres I can go on my car with the one tank of gas. My car averages 300km per tank of gas. Under extreme circumstances, I sometimes put just a little bit of gas in the tank and hope that the gas prices will decrease in the next few days. It’s almost like.. gambling.

I know that my family and friends having been shifting their gassing up patterns recently because of the gasoline price spike, they get a little bit of gas, and tell themselves they will get more gas later at a lower price.

As for me, I usually get gas in the late evenings, around 9pm or so. The time I most dislike getting gas is in the mornings before work- that’s when I find the gas prices are the highest, as well, getting gas usually makes me late for work!

When I visited Melbourne, Australia a few years ago, the gas patterns are very predictable, apparently- it always goes up on a certain day of the week, and goes down on a certain day of the week (I think my uncle, who lives in Melbourne, told me that it always drops on a Thursday).

When I was younger, I recall that my frugal mom would always intentionally drive to the other side of town to take advantage of the lower gas prices at the pump. I think it was about a $0.03 difference. She says she doesn’t do that anymore, thankfully. It doesn’t make sense to me, to waste gas to save money on gas. That’s somewhat analogous to spending $500 on a wallet, when you don’t have money to put in a wallet.

Some tips to save on gas:

Lump up your errands- when I head out for errands, I have a strategy- I don’t like going all across town for stuff (not just because of the fuel cost, but more so because I am inherently lazy). For example, I like to do my grocery shopping after work on my way home… I’m not much of a weekend grocery store shopper- I find the crowds a bit much on the weekends anyway.
Don’t drive- I know that this might not be possible for many people, but if you live in a public transit or bike friendly location, then try to incorporate that just once a week into your commute. One of my goals this year is to cycle to work (it’s about a 30 minute ride). I’ll start off with once a month, and then increase it to twice a month, and try once a week. I’ll make sure to let you know how that goes (hopefully it won’t be an epic FAIL).
Stop driving like a maniac- Speeding your way in and out of traffic and being so aggressive isn’t going to help anyone (not even yourself). Not only are you adding to the karmic imbalance in the world with road rage and aggressive driving, you are wasting gasoline. This matters to most, unless of course, you drive a Hummer and like driving aggressive.
Get rid of the junk in your truck- That roof rack may make you look sporty and cool, but if you’re not using it, it’s just costing you more in the end. The same goes for heavy stuff in your trunk that you have been meaning to clean out. Sandy from yes I am cheap even goes so far as to want to take out the spare tire in her car (her boyfriend understandably wouldn’t let her )! You should definitely check out her list of gasoline saving tips.
Maintain maintain maintain- Change your air filter, add some fuel stabilizer from time to time, remember to do your oil changes, check your tire pressure. I confess that am a culprit of not checking my tire pressure regularly.
Switch your tires- If you’re running on winter tires and it’s spring or summer already, you’re losing 10% fuel economy on your car.
Air Conditioning or Windows Down?- I posted an article on whether air conditioning vs rolling your windows down is better for fuel economy.
Check the gas prices- There’s an app on the iPhone (I’m sure it’s on Android and Blackberries too) that lets you know what the most recent gasoline price is and where there is cheap gas (around you).

Your turn!

Readers, I’m curious to hear about what your gas up patterns are like? Are you a “wait til the last minute” or “keep it full” kind of guy or girl? Do you try and wait until the cheapest time of the day or week to get gas?

How are the gas prices over in your neck of the woods? Here in Vancouver, it’s at $1.25/L right now (we have a lot of taxes on our gas).

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Top 4 Things to Buy After Christmas and New Years

young — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 16:10:37 +0000

I hope everyone had a good New Years! (And aren’t too hungover the day after!)

I know this list may seem quite obvious, but I thought I would keep it light today and post about the top four things to buy after Christmas and New Years.

Top Four Things to Buy after Christmas and New Years:

Christmas Cards and Holiday decorations

All Christmas cards and holiday decorations are guaranteed at least 50% off. Great time to stock up for next year. You won’t be stressed out trying to find cards and save money finding cards, it’s a win-win situation (just don’t misplace them, otherwise it will negate this attempt at saving money). If you don’t save your decorations (you should though) it’s a great time to stock up on decorations for next year.

Calenders

This is my all-time favourite thing to buy after New Year’s. Although it is very very tempting to buy your calender before January 1 so you can organize the rest of your 2011… before 2011 actually rolls around, you will save at least 50-70% off calenders if you just wait a few more days. A lot of the seasonal calender shops pack it up and leave after their inventory clears out, so act fast for the discount or else your favourite calender- “Hawaiian tropic babes of 2011″ or “Hot Hot Hot Firemen of 2011″ might be gone.

Boxed Chocolates and Baked Goods

Oftentimes, there are seasonally packaged boxed chocolates that are just begging to be swept of the shelves and shoved and melted into your mouth. The retailers don’t want these green and red packaged boxes sticking around so they’ll be slashing the prices- good for us! Also, no one wants to sell stale gingerbread cookies, right?

Electronics

This one is specifically for After Christmas (aka Boxing Day) but often the good sales happen in January. There can be a lot of good deals to be found, but you may have to start lining up at 0430 am to get them. BF is banking on getting a ginormous flat screen LED television, because he seems to believe that bigger is better. Don’t forget that if you own your own business, you can claim 100% of CCA for computers and hardware/ software until February 2011 (check out my 16 year end tax tips post here)… which means that $1200 MacBook Pro may actually only cost you $900 or so after your tax return.
These are the things I thought of off the bat.

Readers, anything else you think is a good buy after Christmas or New Years?