Reader Comments and Deals

 Jane said...

I still have several bottles of olive oil from the last time No Frills had it on sale! Same price - what a bargain!
Giant Tiger has Kellog's cereals on for 1/2 price!

April 30, 2011 8:07 AM

 Anonymous said...

How will you be able to use it all before it goes rancid? I have read that EVOO should be used within 6 months.

May 1, 2011 11:31 AM

 Amie Ceron said...

It is a great deal, however be careful with large amounts of EVOO because it doesn't have a long shelf life. It oxidize in about 6 weeks so be sure to use it up by then. Also storing in a dark place or buying a brand that has darker packaging can preserve it.

Liz says:

I have done some research on olive oil as well, and I check for expiration dates. Olive oil doesn't last long here because I bake my bread with it. But it is important to check dates and store it properly. Ours is kept in a cool dark place and hasn't gone rancid yet. For some more information about storing olive oil, please check out this link and this one. There is also a lot of debate over whether it's better to store it in the fridge or not. I think that comes down to a personal decision as there is a lot for and against it. Thanks for all the responses!

Helpful Reader Tips

Good morning all, 


Wonderful reader Nicole sent me a fantistic tip filled email awhile back and I am finally getting around to sharing it with all of you. Check out her tips and check out her blog! Leave a comment for her telling her that you came from here. 


And, hey, if any of you other readers out there have some tips you would like to share, email me at smile_zil at yahoo dot ca and I'll get them up here with a link to your blog as well! 


Enjoy your day!



Hi ! It's Nicole from the blog Life's Simple Pleasure's!

I would love to share some tips with you as I am currently a cashier at Superstore - lots  of inside goodies! And now that I've found you, I can send them along as I think of them!

Here's a few:

1) Some Superstore's have implemented a "Coupon Zone" in which they offer coupons for products in the store, mostly on no name products, but some other ones (last week they had $5 off of Aveno!). They have one at our store, and I've seen it in Calgary so it is something that shoppers can look out for- it's located in the foyer by where you get your cart!

2) When buying shampoo/conditioner, it pays off to not just take the front bottle because often companies will send a few boxes with "Bonuses" in them- I've seen this with Dove actually where it is the exact same price for more product- so have a look around- hard find, but a good one nonetheless!

3) If a product comes up the wrong price and you catch the mistake you are supposed to receive the product for free (if it's under $10) and if it's over $10, you receive $10 off of your purchase. I would double check this with each store but that is the policy!

4) Superstore is also offering a 1 cent rebate on reusable bags now- it's a small amount but if you frequently use reuseable bags- its worth it to get your penny back!

5) If you need moving boxes the produce department gives away banana boxes for free (you just have to catch them at the right time before they get recycled!)

6) Some Superstores offer a cooking class inwhich you receive at 3 to 4 course meal for only $18. As well, in our store and I'm sure in others, they offer a What's for Dinner Lunch which costs $10, and when you attend you get a $10 gift card. (again you would have to check locally, but it is something that we do!)


Those are just some ideas off of the top of my head! I will gladly share any ideas that come up that I think you might find useful!


Nicole


I just remembered two more things!:

- On each barcode/price tag in front of products there are two important (yet tiny font) items

1. It will tell you the price per 100 g on some items, so for people who are unsure about which brand is cheaper or hate doing math, you can actually compare it there.

2. it will say how long the product is on sale for (supesrtore implemented a new "Just Lower Prices" which means there are flyer prodcuts but also price roll backs. this way, you can see how long particular item is on sale for. It is great for budgeting or for people who walk, helps you decide if you can wait until the next trip to buy things and carry them home!

3. also important, some places offer a 2 for $5 sale(for example) and you have to purchase both items to get the price. But at Superstore and other stores, you can actually get the 1 at 2 for $5 price- you don't have to purchase both! I hope that makes sense I think I was confusing! But basically it is that people don't have to buy 2, they can buy one and still get the sale :)

that's all for now :)
nicole

Readers' Comments

From the post on Entertainment Environmental Frugalness

Carla

February 21, 2010 3:34 PM

We manage to keep our electricity bills pretty low, about $50 a month or less if we're careful. We hang everything to dry, use all energy efficient bulbs, turn off or unplug things not in use, use the crockpot and bread machine instead of oven, ect... We currently have two freezers for food storage and I'm working on only having one in use to further cut energy costs.

MPP: WOW! That's awesome Carla! May I ask how much your energy is per kwh? Here on the Island is around 14 cents/kwh. 

From the post  My Fantastic Deal Last Week!

Gillian

February 15, 2010 2:52 PM

I went to a service auction at my church and came home with two days of babysitting, homemade bread, supper, and beautiful artwork... all for doing things I would have anyways. Now THAT'S a deal!!

MPP: Gillian, auctions and trades are a great way to share the wealth! Glad to hear of the great deal you received!

Carla

February 21, 2010 3:33 PM

I got two games before Christmas with that coupon for $5! Operation and Monopoly (Monopoly was $10, making it free and Operation was $15, so $5 for that). Great gifts for practically nothing. I also had coupons for the Rice Crispies so I only paid $1 a box for those :)

Lately I haven't been spending much money. The Catelli whole grain pasta is often on sale for $1.33-$1.49 and there are coupons for 75 cents off. The kids eat a lot of whole grain spaghetti so I stock up at this price! On sale this week so I'll be getting more.

Last month I bought about $200 worth of groceries for about $35 at Superstore and boy was I excited! I used a lot of coupons, a lot of half off items and it took a long time but boy was it worth it! I wish I kept the receipt!

Oh and I scored pinatas there for $2.22. Bought two for birthdays this year!

MPP: Carla, you were totally rocking with the deals! Thanks for sharing. Can you share with us where you get your coupons? 

From the post Trading, bartering, the old switcheroo!

Gillian

February 16, 2010 2:46 AM

I'm gifted with organizational skills. I've had people offer me babysitting and free esthetics to get this service.

MPP: Isn't it great to be able to switch services for services?

I look forward to hearing from all of you with your tips, questions and comments. Keep them coming!!

Enjoy your day!

What makes you frugal?

I was just checking out the window to see if flyerman was here yet and got to thinking what makes readers come to visit my blog? Why are they being frugal? So I thought I would ask.

We are frugal because we decided before we even got married that one person would stay at home with our children. That means one income. We decided that I would stay at home because I had the lower income earning job. I was studying to be a teacher and someday, when my children are grown and gone, I will be one to other people's children. Being on one income sure makes you re-access everything you spend and watch for ways to save your money so it meets everything.

If I had continued to teach, we figured that after childcare for our four children that need it, a second car and everything that comes with a second vehicle, plus different clothes for work, meals for lunch, quicker suppers that may have to happen, don't forget deductions and all that other lovely stuff, that I would bring in a whole 6400 a month!

That's a lot of work for $600 a month. Especially when I can make that at home. So instead of the stress of all of that, we stretch our dollars a little further.

It means that we don't go out to eat as often as others, or have a lot of extras, we have to plan a little more ahead and watch for sales and what not, but hey, that's not too bad. Anyway, this is my reason for being frugal. Care to share yours?

Enjoy your day!

Is anyone still out there?

Hello all,

My apologies in my tardiness, I have been rather ill for the past little bit. However, today I am feeling 100%. I am curious though, if anyone still finds this blog beneficial? I see that people come on here, but I would just love to hear from you so that I know if this is helpful for you or not. I would love to hear what you want to know about. I love being frugal and love sharing tips gaining insight from you guys and researching new topics. I would love to bring topics of interest to everyone, but I don't know what you are looking for without comments. I can tell that people do venture on here from the feedjit and all so I hope to hear from you, just a note, doesn't have to be anything earthshattering, just a hello so I know. Thanks so much and thanks for dealing with this side of me as well.

That said, there will be another post following this one for some deals in just a bit.

Enjoy your day!

Frugal Reader Report

Hello All,

A reader friend send this email to me with their experience of savings at Sobeys. I found it rather intriguing, so I asked permission to be able to share it with all of you:

Hey Liz,

I don't know if you have noticed that Sobey's sometimes gives away crazy amounts of airmiles when you purchase $x.xx amount of certain products.

L and I took advantage of such a deal this week. In partnership with Quaker, Frito-Lay, Pepsi, Tropicana, and Gatorade, Sobey's was giving away 350 air miles with the purchase of $100 of their products.

Now, we are not one's to drink pop often, or gatorade, we rarely get chips, and juice is kinda out of our budget right now. However, while we were in the cereal aisle I did some quick calculations in my head and realized that 350 airmiles was about $50 in Sobey's giftcards - when I got home I found out that I was correct.

We also noticed that a number of the items were on sale, or available in family size boxes. So, what we found on sale was granola bars, life cereal, crispy minis, rice cakes, and oatmeal. We also found oatmeal to go bars in bulk, as well as a few more granola bars in the bulk family size as well. We then realized that it was Tuesday and because of the 10% off discount I get for being a student on that day, we had to add a couple extras to get us over the $100 after the discount. We found some pretzels, baked cheetos, and some diet ginger ale from frito-lay and pepsi.

I don't know the exact figures, but I would estimate that with all the sales and discounts, we bought over $150 - probably much more than $150 - of food for $100, and we will have enough airmiles to cash in for $50 worth of giftcard money from sobey's, plus we also received the coupon for a discount on our next fill-up on gas from Irving.

So, over $150 worth of food for $50, more variety, and a huge increase to our food storage, plus the discount on gas, it is one of those things I hadn't really thought about much, but it is a great deal for us, and we really don't have to worry about groceries other than some perishables for the next 5 months.

~J

 Keep your comments and stories coming. I love it when we learn from each other. 

Enjoy your day!

Readers' Comments

As I mentioned, this will become a weekly column, should there be comments in the past week. For this first week, I am going back, way back, and searching through everything that I have responded to thus far. I am a fantastic procrastinator.  So here we go:


Anonymous said...

I am loving your blog! I am a horrible price comparison shopper but want to get better. May I selfishly suggest you post the best prices when the flyers come out every week!

Hello Anonymous,

The only problem with posting the best prices, is that I may miss one as I have a tendency to only look for what I am looking for, or what I know is a deal that's too good to pass up. If you think that this will still help, I can include it in some of the new features that will be coming into play over the next few weeks. Please let me know.

Thanks for reading, I sure hope you come back more often.

 Sue said...

I love the look of this blog!!!!! Can I link to it from my blogs, please? I am on the look out for Nova Scotia content. Now, back to reading your post :-)

Hello All,

If you would like to link to my blog, feel free. For the nosey side of me, I would love it if you emailed me and let me know so that I could check it out.

 Kristine & Davis said...

I was recently looking through a cook-book that had a home-made gifts section. There were things like bath bombs, milk bath mix, etc etc etc. They looked really easy and fun, I can get the book name if you want.
Oh also if you go on Kijiji or to local farmers or craft markets you can find some great home-made things!! I am doing alot of home-made stuff this Christmas!!

Hello Kristine & Amp: Davis

I would love to have the name of the book. I think it may help with the how to section. Have you made some of these? Maybe we can talk about a guest post here.

 Sara said...

I have a recipe for homemade laundry detergent but I haven't used it yet. What sized pot did you use to heat up your mixture? Should you only use it for making soap making purposes or would you be able to cook in it afterwards? My biggest set back is finding a pot big enough and one that I would be willing to use strictly for detergent making. I might try your recipe instead, it seems to make a smaller amount.

Hello Sara,

Personally, I would only use it for making soap. I am a bit anal about things like that though, just the thought of cleaning products being made in the same pot as what cooks my supper in makes me say no, don't do it. You could probably either get a new one on sale at Canadian Tire or Walmart or check out Value Village or another thrift store.

I would love it if you shared your recipe with us as well. Please send it in!

Visible Voice said...

Well I haven't made laundry soap but I have just made and am trying home made facial cleanser so I'll let you know how that works out.

Kristi

Hey,

Send in your recipe and tell us how well it worked for you. I know those cleansers can be so expensive. It would be a great way to cut down on the cost.

Well everyone, that's all for this week for the readers' comments. Keep them coming. If I can't answer it, I will either find the answer or post it on here for all the readers to help you out. 

Enjoy your day!