End of Season Shopping Calendar

Buying a pool in February, installing windows in December, or buying a snow blower in July are perfect examples of smart end of season shopping and it is a buying technique we all need to implement more often for our pocketbooks well-being.  However, I will be the first to admit while swimming in my pool I am not thinking I need to pick up a couple shovels but ultimately I should be if I want the biggest bang for my buck. 

Savings Calendar

January – Best time to stock on next year’s holiday lights, gift wrap and decorations.  It is not uncommon to find 80% off sales this time of year.  The end of January many winter clothes and outerwear go on sale so this is a great time to buy your kids school clothes, winter coats and boots for the following school year just upsize them (that's what I do each year).

February – Chocolate lovers rejoice and stock up as Valentine day chocolate is on major clearance! Remember you can freeze chocolate for future enjoyment.  We do it all the time and often thaw and melt chocolate to use for fondues months after Valentine’s (or Easter).  Household items such as bedding sheets, blankets, pillows, curtains and sometimes even carpeting can all usually be found for great bargain prices during the month of February.

March - Winter sports equipment such as skiing accessories and sports coats are great buys in early March.

July-August – Start stalking garden centres for end of season plants, flowers and garden tool.  Come end of August they are almost giving stuff away. Camping equipment, tents, and accessories are traditionally great bargain buys during August. Clearance markdowns of over 50% off the retail price can often be found. If you are looking for a whole new golf set August is the month to do it.

September - October – Good time to buy many outdoor items such as patio sets, gardening tools, pools, interlock bricks and barbeques to name a few.  Summer décor items are another great find this time of year.

November - Since the colder months are a slow period for home improvements, items like carpeting, paint, bathtubs, sinks, doors and other hardware items are usually good bargain buys in November. So this would be the best time to buy for that spring project you have planned.

So with a bit of foresight and patience to purchase, the pay-off to offseason shopping can be huge - so make it happen smart shoppers!

 Happy Savings,

Top 10 Tips for Building a Stockpile

In my opinion every house needs a stockpile…without question and it is easy to accomplish a little at a time.  Not only does it greatly impact your budget but let’s face it, in case of an emergency it is in your best interest to have a backup supply of foods and other essentials. Also having a stockpile eliminates the need to rush out and purchase an item for full price, and also using your time and gas to do that too!

I have a stockpile that is a work in progress but I have set aside an area in my home to store my items and I try to add a little to it every week. Remember building a stockpile will take you time! You can’t have this surplus overnight and purchasing it all at once would probably mean you went over your grocery budget to achieve that, which is against the premise of stockpiling to begin with. Remember also you don’t need to be a “couponer” to have a stockpile – coupons are not easily available in my area and I still have a stockpile!

Top 10 Stockpiling Tips

1.  Eagle eye the flyers each week.  Watch for the sales! You will get to know prices and the value of an item and if it is worth buying multiples.

2.  Have a designated stockpile area set up so you can stay organized and also know how much you can comfortably store.

3.  Set aside a designated amount for multiple purchases each week.

4.  Check beyond the kitchen for toiletries such as shampoo, toothpaste and toilet paper are great money saving stockpile items.

5.  Write a list of your 10-20 most used non-perishable items.  You can build beyond the list but it gives you a guided start on what to look for.

6.  Don’t fill your pantry with items that aren’t on sale; wait for markdowns or apply a coupon.

7.  Buy in bulk: If you have six coupons for Cheerios and they’re on sale, making the cereal 50 cents per box, buy all six boxes. The initial cash outlay will be higher, but you won’t have to buy cereal again for six weeks or longer.

8.  Take-it easy and make sure not to overbuy a particular item beyond your need.

9.  Watch expiry dates.  Gage how much you use per year and judge how many to purchase based on use over time and the items expiry date.

10.  Enjoy the process and be proud of yourself for being a savvy shopper.

 
 Happy Stockpiling!

Homemade Laundry Detergent = Big $ Savings!

How would you like to do your laundry for .03 cents a load as opposed to over .21 cents a load of Tide? How would you like to save a huge amount of money each year in detergent? How would you like to remove the worry of running out of detergent for a year at a time?  How would you like to be environmentally friendly by eliminating 8-10 plastic laundry bottles from your yearly carbon footprint?  How about I show you how to do this and it will only take about 30 minutes 1 time a year. 

I am talking about making your own laundry detergent.   A concept when I first heard of it seemed so odd, strange, bizarre – something that never even crossed my mind as a possibility.  Not only is it easy peesy many say that the cleaning performance is equal to or better than Tide and some of the leading detergents.  Once you do this one I am telling you will never go back to store bought brands for a plethora of reasons.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax – this can be found in your local grocer or Wal-Mart in the laundry detergent isle.

1 cup of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda – again found in the laundry isle.   Don’t get this confused with Baking Soda as it’s not the same.

1 Sunlight Soap Bar – another item I never knew about (apparently amazing as a stain remover). Soaps used in other recipes Fels-Naptha (harder to find in Canada), Zote and traditional Ivory bar soap (the basic one with no additional scents or moisturizers).  I wanted a laundry bar for extra cleaning kick and I found them at Ace Hardware and Wal-Mart Superstore for $1.00 a bar.

HOW-TO

Using my food processer I first used the shredding blade to shred up the Sunlight soap bar. 

Pour out the shredded soap in a side bowl then attach your dicing blade to processer.  Pour back in your shredded bar soap and add 1 cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda and 1 cup of Borax.

Blend and chop it all together.  At this point the bar soap breaks down very small blending right in with the other ingredients. Store in any container you wish (keep out of reach of children).

Remember to wash all your utensils very thoroughly after use.  Many folks who don’t own a processer simply use their cheese grater on the ‘fine side’.

AMOUNTS

You only need 1 tbs of this mixture per load (2 tbs for heavy soiled loads) and this will make 64 loads of laundry (based on 1 tbs per load).  I repeated this process 3 times to make myself 192 loads but you can do it as many times as you feel fit.  Remember 1 tbs is all it takes.  This is a low-suds super concentrated soap and because it is low suds it is fine to use on HE washers (which all their soaps are low suds).

Per Load Cost Breakdown

(based on 1tbs per load and 64 loads)

1 cup Borax = .40 cents/cup

1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda = .30 cents/cup

1 Bar Sunlight Soap = $1.00

64 Loads = $1.70

1 Load = .03 cents

Yearly Cost Breakdown

In Canada an average of 392 loads of laundry are washed per year, per family (Source Gov.Canda).

Tide with Bleach = .21 cents (ave.)per load/$82.32 year

Home Recipe= .03 cents per load/$11.76 year

Savings: $74.56

There you have it so easy, so quick, so environmental – try it!

Happy Washing,

Buy or Sell Gift Cards - Make Money...Save Money

Did you know that just last year alone Canadians spent a whopping $6 billion-dollars on gift cards?

As a professed shopaholic I can’t fathom the idea of having a gift card and not wanting to spend it almost immediately but according to CardSwap.ca $1-billion dollars in gift cards went  unspent in Canada last year alone (yes you read that right)!   It’s hard to image that much hard earned money given to retailers without product or service redeemed in return.  Seems so utterly wasteful but luckily there is now a fix to this problem!

In the past these abandoned gift cards landed in a drawer or tucked in a wallet collecting dust but now thanks to Canadian based CardSwap in a matter of a couple simple steps you can sell that gift card to someone who will appreciate it and you are left with money in your pocket.

Benefits to buyers are that these cards are often listed at a discount as low as 10 to 40 per cent off the value of the card.  Buying these cards at a reduced rate can really add a significant savings over time. Often you can find cards to retailers that you probably frequent often from Wal-Mart to your local grocery store.  It really is a wonderful means of reducing your monthly expenses.

The seller makes money; the buyer saves money and CardSwap takes a 6 per cent fee for the transactions (minimum of $4.50). What a fab concept! The whole process is a win-win for everyone. 

Happy Swapping!

Haggling 101

For some haggling down a price is gut wrenching concept and it seriously doesn’t have to be. As a professional fundraiser the statement “if you don’t ask you don’t receive" is a term I use everyday in my work but I also always apply it to my home life. Remember whether dealing with a store manager or a private seller of a used item as much as you want to buy at the best price the seller wants to sell so compromise is often attainable with the right approach to haggling.

THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK
Before starting set in your mind a goal price you are working toward.

MORE BEES WITH HONEY

Haggling with a store or a private seller is not an aggressive or competitive act and at the end of the day almost all people respond positively to friendly and polite behaviour. So smile and be kind.

WHAT'S THAT?

Point out any imperfections in the item. Albeit subtle it will help with your bargaining.

EDUCATE YOURSELF

If you are aware of other retailers or private buyers selling that same item or a very close equivalent at a better price speak up about it! Some stores have a price match guarantee so educate yourself.

CALM & COLLECTIVE

Never show excess excitement or eagerness to buy when interacting with the seller. Being calm and collective puts more power in your hands. Act like you are pondering whether you want to buy that item or not – like you just may walk.

TIME IT RIGHT

Don’t slam the seller right away with your request for a lower price. Pick your moment wisely.

WANNA WALK?

If you feel a lower price is the fairer price be prepared to walk should the seller not bend.

The bottom line is that you have everything to gain and nothing to lose by asking for a better price. Don’t be shy – shyness gets you nowhere. So smile and ask “is that the lowest you will go?” because you just may be surprised how often it will work to your benefit.

Happy Haggling!