Boston Pizza - "Kids Eat Free All Summer Long"

We were at Boston Pizza the other night - they have a promotion on at the moment where kids eat free all summer.

We examined the bill at the end of the meal to see what this covered: sure enough, their meals cost $0.00, but FYI we were still charged for their drinks and desserts.

Still, it's a bit of a savings if Boston Pizza (which can be a bit pricey) is a place that you enjoy going :)

Just to note - I'm not sure if this promo is running franchise-wide or if it was only at the restaurant we went to, so you might want to call your location first before heading out there.

Return to Fine Grind

Saving Money In Small Ways - My Latest Attempt

At one point I subscribed to our local papers, the Vancouver Sun and the Province, six days a week for both papers (it started with one of those free trial offers, and then I just started paying because I'm kind of a in-print reading junkie ;)

But hey, that's a whole lotta reading when you have two kids constantly climbing on you, so I cut back to the Sun six days, and the Province on one day, so that I'd at least get a paper every day.

That was fine for awhile, but I've noticed lately that the papers have been piling up. I have a problem tossing papers I've PAID for until I've read them, but it was to the point where I had to do just that (cringe).

So now I've cut back even further (drum roll): I'll be getting the Sun on Fridays and Saturdays only, with the Province being Sundays only. Less $$$ spent, and hopefully now I'll be able to actually read them, too!

Return to Fine Grind

Grocery Lists And Nostalgia

I used to use a master list for Costco: I would print copies on my computer, and have one on the fridge, checking off items as we needed them. The list contained things that we had discovered were cheaper at Costco (because not everything is).

I'm not sure why I stopped using it - I think I may have been out of printer ink and got out of the habit of printing my list. In any case, I haven't used it in awhile, until today.

I found the list in my PC, and printed some new copies (using the "fast draft" low ink setting on my printer, of course ;) When I scanned the list to see how current it was, I found an item safe to delete: Pull Ups!!

(Awwww, my babies are growing up!!)

Return to Fine Grind

Petcetera Liquidation

It's sad but true - Petcetera will be closing its stores and laying off employees.

The upside is that they will try and liquidate as much of their remaining inventory as possible before they close their doors. At the moment the stores remain open, so watch for the sales to begin soon...

Return to Fine Grind

Adding A Blogroll

I love blog rolls - they're pretty handy. I am trying to refocus on all things financial, so I have added one to this blog: "More Money Blogs" on the right hand column. As I write this post I have only one blog listed, Boston Gal's Open Wallet, but I'm going to add as many as I can find that I feel inspired or enlightened by :) One of the reasons I started with Boston Gal's is because she has a pretty big blog roll on her blog, so it's a place for me to start reading.

Happy saving, everyone!

Return to Fine Grind

I'm Back!

Wow... it's been almost three months since my last post - yikes. Sorry 'bout that.

At the moment I'm listening to the "Can I Afford It" segment of the Suze Orman show. She's pretty tough, I must say! I don't think I'd call her ;) lol

Any day now, my husband's hours could be cut back at work, so I'm returning my focus once again to money matters and trying to be frugal. These days one never knows what lies around the corner.

Hopefully that will mean more regular posts :)

Return to Fine Grind

Petcetera Savings

Because of a company restructure, Petcetera is offering discounts of up to 70% on its inventory. Here's a link with more info.

The sale is for 60 days, and is nation wide. Apparently they are trying to generate cash flow while filing for creditor protection. Hopefully this will work for them, because it would be a shame if they went completely under. Still, I suppose this is a reflection of the current economy - expensive pet extras are not in the average family budget these days!

Return to Fine Grind

SoBe World Giveaway (U.S.)

Today SoBe World is having a promotion - they're giving away free 0 Cal Lifewater.

Here's the link to find out how to get yours: http://www.sobeworld.com/

Return to Fine Grind

Nickel And Dime Tip - Hot Water

Here's a point I read awhile back that I thought I'd share:

Have you ever rinsed something, or washed your hands so quickly that even though your tap was set for warm or hot water, the hot water didn't have a chance to travel through the pipes before you turned the water off?

Essentially you ended up using cold anyway - no big deal. But unless you had the tap set for cold (in our case, pushed all the way to the right), there was still water taken from the hot water tank and drawn into the pipes. This means that more water will have to be heated to replace it.

It's such a small amount (not even pennies?) each time, until you consider adding up every single time the tap is turned on and off (on and off, on and off).

If the still cold water that comes out of the tap is fine for what you need, why take it from the hot water tank?


Return to Fine Grind

Dr. Phil Episode "Saving Money, Tips And Tricks"

At the moment I'm watching a recorded episode of Dr. Phil, about money saving tips and tricks, featuring the Economides family. I'm busy typing a list of pointers that they offer for saving money, and as I'm doing so, can't help but keep score on our family (yikes ;)

Here goes:

Stock up during sales - I do this sometimes, but need to be more consistent.

Buy food in bulk and freeze (vacuum seal meat to prevent freezer burn) - we do this! We have a Food Saver vacuum sealer, which we use all the time (btw it works extremely well).

Buy at thrift stores - I do this sometimes. There are certain things I won't buy used (such as undergarments or shoes), but 80% of my kids' clothes are used, and as I sit here typing this, I'm wearing thrift store jeans.

Don't buy big - DING! Guilty. Have to work on this with DH, although he's not entirely to blame ;)

Avoid debt - we're trying hard on this one, but until we budget and learn to not spend more than we make, this will continue to be a challenge.

Live below your means - this one is tricky. I think DH and I are both a bit in denial about how things add up.

Use creativity instead of credit - hmmmm.... sounds interesting!

Embrace a thrifty lifestyle - I confess I do enjoy cutting coupons, comparing prices and looking for deals. Not all aspects of being thrifty are painful.

Shop with a list - we're good at this one :)

Plan menus ahead of time - I've done this in the past, but honestly I haven't noticed that it really made a difference. I guess it would depend on the type of meals that each family eats.

Use coupons - I'm good about this one! I even combine coupons with sales for even greater savings (patting myself on the back ;)

Buy bread from bakery outlets - we have a McGavin's bread basket close by, and it's amazing how much cheaper their bread is.

Shop in more than one store - we do this too - we have several stores that we choose from, and create custom lists for each.

Eat leftovers - DH takes leftovers for lunch to work :)

Don't buy what you don't need - this is one we have trouble with :(

Put a jacket on water heater to insulate - I think I'm going to look into this one, although our water heater is new and more energy efficient already.

Close heat vents in rooms not being used - LOL our house really isn't big enough for this to apply...

Bring in competitor flyers and many stores will match prices - I've never had the nerve to try this one - I think I just might.

As I type this, I'm thinking hmmm, instead of blogging, I should be clipping some coupons ;)

'Bye for now!




Return to Fine Grind