Yummy Saves

I'm very proud of myself - I'm on a weekend away.

One of my coworkers came and thanked me today. I often share freebees with them, as well as coupons and other deals. And I talk about the deals and things I am able to find. But this was one of the first times one of them "got it"

Seems she got an odd charge on her phone/internet bill. She called and and eventually without much trouble she had them remove that charge. Then she called the satellite service affiliated with them. Swapped some channels she wanted for others she didn't watch. Then a casual question or to about a price increase and some service issues. Voila they were able offer her a one time credit of $20ish.

She thanked me cause without my talking about some of the stuff I've done she'd have never thought to do this.

Oh and she also has some coupons for me! I'm so proud of her!

Are you working on leading someone new into the land of frugality? Idea? Problems? What works?

I managed to get upgraded to having phone with call display - this is a big deal in a large company. Puts me now up to date with technology 10 years behind the times.

So, in response to that somehow I got removed from the employee directory. My boss knows nothing of it. I told him (it was a incredibly busy stressful day) that if I was being fired I'd be very happy to leave my work undone on my desk and leave. He wasn't going for that...

Dang, it was one of those days where it didn't look like too bad of an idea...

Went to see we will rock you tonight that the Canon theatre. This was part of full evening that included a buffet style dinner and cocktail hour at the Savoy Restaurant, We had row B ticket centre stage in the orchestra (about 10 rows back). The show was AMAZING. I liked the chemistry and the interactions. Tons of laughing and tons of good music!

After we went back over to the Savoy for an after show drink and more mingling. This was a work related event so had to behave but was great meeting some old coworkers and connecting with some people I'd talked to but never met!

If you can get to see this show it is so worth it

Oh as this is a frugal blog I should mention the entire night was free! Free everything including a CD as a souvenir!

Wrote to pinesol today to tell them I can't use their product anymore. And I can't. the product which I had used for years gives me a major migraine when I use it now.

I'll be interested to see if they have any suggestions. This time I made sure to take a copy of what I wrote.

I'm not doing this to try to get free stuff or even coupons. I'm trying to understand more about the products I use, give feedback and see if the companies really do walk the customer service walk or if the stop at the talk..

Stopped at a store I quite often shop for clothes at. Well tried to - it had changed names but was basically the same store (same owner, different brand, but mostly the same clothes). Found the top I wanted from the non existent store at this store (same brand and size as one I have but a different colour). Tried on a bunch of stuff and ended up getting another top I should end up getting a lot of wear from too.

Got to the cash and found that they had a buy 1 item get the second 40% off sale - so while i spent more than I planned it wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be!

I week or so I wrote to Unilever about one of their products. I summarized my note here

I'm sitting here drinking vast amounts of coffee and hoping to come fully awake soon.

Had a nice quiet easter weekend. Lots of recharging done and moved ahead on the "make a real room out of the storage bin that my second bedroom has become". Got quite a lot accomplished on that. This involves cleaning up my quilt fabric stash. Any quilters will know that a fabric stash quickly moves out of control. I have stuff today to go to goodwill as well as some things for the foodback that I forgot I put in there.

Have a card to send out today towards a memorial brick. Someone I have met a few times died after a battle with cancer. I wasn't that close to him but I'd like to contribute. I have card ready to go in the mail with a small contribution. Other than that yesterday was a no spend day which was nice.

Didn't cook ahead this weekend. Likely not a smart idea but I have a small stash of leftovers that should take me a ways into this week.

Despite my late start I managed to spend a good load of money today.

First stop the bank to get some cash and deposit some cheques. That done I did a Timmies stop (Tim Horton donuts) for steeped tea and a treat!

Then off for some maintenance. Had a blast at the hair place. Helped a kid decide on a style, tons of joking around with the staff and other patrons. My hair looks great - though once again I had to get the brush out as soon as I left to get rid of the dorky way she styled it. For some reason they always style it very strangely - or maybe that is normal and what I do is really strange.

Then a stop for some aesthetic services so I now have nice smooth bits was well as pretty fingers and toes.

Picked up a couple things at staples and then it was off to the Liquor store for some Beer. Easier to get to from where I was going and I get air miles there that I don't get at the Beer Store. Well they didn't have the brand of beer I wanted (they were out) so it was off to the Beer Store.

Then a quick trip to Canadian Tire to get some housewares stuff...

I'm shopped out!

Every year when I pay the bill for my roadside assistance I curse it. Then I have a day like today when I need it.

After I picked up my parking pass I headed to the car in visitors parking - to find the overhead light on very very weakly, the keyless remote didn't work and the engine didn't even pretend to turn over.

After time on hold waiting for an agent (and being asked way more questions about my car than I could have dreamt of) I got told its up to 90 minutes to get someone here. So I'm sitting here waiting for them to call me to go downstairs to meet the tow truck guy.

The good news? Whenever he shows up I don't have to pay the booster dude.

Oh yeah and a $20 stupid tax for me to pay.

On Wed on the way to work I stopped and bought a coffee. After getting the coffee I tossed out an old cup. I'm 99% sure when I tossed out that cup I tossed out my parking pass. Duh.

Went into the management office on Thursday night. Old them what happened. They said I'd likely be out of luck for about a week because only Georgie (the building manager) can get a new card and it will involve "Fred" (not sure who the mysterious Fred is). They told me to put in a written request this weekend and some time next week I'd have my card. I was pretty cheerful (told them I knew I had pulled a bonehead move) and thanked them.
I haven't got around to writing the note yet as they said Georgie wasn't in until Tuesday so I figured I would do it at some point this weekend.

Fast forward to a few minutes ago. I just got a call from the office. The building secretary just called me. She pulled some strings for me and my card is ready for me. Just have a $20 non refundable "stupid tax" to pay for it.

Well at least that is how this demo-girl was acting.

I have a sip of the minute maid OJ. It is OJ. Pretty good - but OJ gives me heartburn so I don't buy it.

But I'm learning to be better finding deals and coupons for
friends/trading buddies so I ask for a coupon. Demo-girl makes me promise to buy the OJ so I say okay (while thinking not likely). With much fuss I get a 75 cent off coupon that she carefully puts on the bottle (it is a hangtag coupon thingy). I ask if I can have a second coupon. I get told well okay but only I promise to buy a second bottle. I wander down the aisle to see if they have Acid Free. They don't. Demo girl follows me down the aisle and tells me she didn't think they had it, and that I only can get the second coupon if I buy two because there aren't many of these coupons.

I go shopping. The OJ gets ditched in the cheese cooler. The coupon goes in my purse.

I stand in line to pay praying demo-girl (at the back of the store) doesn't come up to check on me.

I have heartburn all evening.

Who says finding coupons is easy?

This video is absolutely riveting and has made me think about how adverting affects (or is that effects, I'm such a bad grammarian) society's values.

The video is about 1/2 an hour long. I was suprrised at how quickly the half hour went by and how interesting it was. Definitely worth the watch IMHO.

If you watch it I'd be very interested in what you thought of it.

I'm enjoying meeting people on facebook! (Ya, know cause I really need another place to spend time online ....)

Now here's the rub. I don't as you know have a cellphone. To verify your account you need cellphone. The perils of being online and a luddite.

I'm tired. I'm happy tomorrow is a holiday here (Good Friday). Any friday one doesn't have to work is a very good day indeed.

My plan right now is to make tomorrow a no spend day. There are some things I want to do here but most of all I want to unwind and take it easy.

I keep thinking I should step up into the modern age and get a cell phone.

A few things so far have stopped me

1. Liking not having to be accessible to everyone all the time

2. The cost

3. The angst involed in choosing a plan (and then immediately finding a deal that would have been better)

4. Twenty years ago people who talked to themselves animatedly in public were thought to be crazy. Now they are hip and using a blue tooth. I'm too old to pass myself off as hip and I'm too young to be want to be seen as a crazy old lady.

So, so far I've stayed a luddite.

I bought lunch and a few things at Whole Foods today! Even with a free product coupon for Soy Milk ($4.39 for 1.89L of Silk which was totally outrageous)the bill came to nearly $30 - OUCH. I see how it has the name Whole Paycheck! LMA0!

Here is a picture of the bouquet of flowers I bought myself this weekend. They have pride of place on the middle of the dining room table!

Less than 10 at the grocery store and they are supposed to last 10 days. $1 a day. Not to bad. A few bent so I have a few that are in a tiny vase on the shelf in the bathroom cheering up that room too!



(Oh and as I live in an apt I don't have the option of cutting flowers from my garden)

Got an answer about the vitamins. Glad I didn't throw them out thinking they expired in 05. Got an email from NOW (the makers of them) and they confirmed that the expiry date is 2010. They got back to me in about 24 hours - great customer service on their part!

A nice surprise and saved me some money as I didn't have to replace them.

Now I just have to start remembering to take them. Honestly, I'm better at buying them than actually remembering to take them.

No need to pack lunch today because it is potluck day. Our potlucks are a big event quite often as our entire floor gets in on it - with about 80 people I'd say! This one is an easter bonnet theme but I'm not feeling festive enough to go and buy an easter bonnet. I don't suppose a baseball cap or a beret would be a substitute?

I do have to remember to bring the stew though! It looks like it came out pretty good! We'll see how people like it!

That was my question to the butcher. My signiture dish for our work potlucks is a Pot Roast. I get rave reviews and frequent requests that I make it. So I make it.

I usually get the meat on the way home from work the night before - quite often scooping a last day of sale package with some good
coupons on it to sweeten the deal.

Well there was no pot roast. None, nada, zip, zero, zilch. I had them call for an "associate" from the meat department and he assisted me. Seems there is a special on prime rib and that is all they have in right now.

Pffffft, that's not good for a pot roast, and I don't want to get workmates hooked on prime rib.

So instead I bought stewing beef and am making a meat stew just as I would as if it was a potroast ( but with smaller pieces of meat...)

One of the things I did this weekend was clean out medicines. After I tossed a couple of items that had been expired way longer than is likely good to take them I found some vitamins (Magnesium and Calcium) that have an expiry of 05/10.

I'm not sure if they expired in 05 or will expire in 2010, so I've written to ask. I really wish that until 2013 companies would use 4 digits for the year on expiry dates.

I bought some All laundry detergent a few weeks ago. Ultra concentrated and does a pretty good job on clothes. I like the small bottle because I use a laundromat and appreciate not having to lug a big bottle with me. I had some feedback to give the company about the product that was mostly positive. However I found the marking for the right amount of detergent very hard to see and wanted to comment on that and how much I liked the small bottle and how little of it you needed to wash clothes.

Looked on the bottle. All is a Unilever product. So went to the Unilever site. All is not listed there on the contact us or in the list of brands.

Went to the All site. The "contact us" page is under construction.

It took a bit of looking but I finally found a contact form that would work.

Unilever is a multi-billion dollar company and they have unfinished websites? They don't list all their brands on their contact us page? It really boggles my mind.

A while ago I got annoyed my tupperware collection and tossed everything but the containers from one set (all from Superstore/Loblaws/NoFrills - no name brand that they sell 30 pieces for $10 or 6-8 of one size for $2.99).

At last I have them contained in a small area and no longer take ages to find them! As I use them for lunch everyday it makes it so much easier to do dishes - now I have an easy place to put them away after they are clean.

Little things but makes it easier to take lunch everyday and cook ahead. Also means I have more room in the cupboards as the tupperware fits in a small spot

Went and used more of my coupons for beans. Bought 18 cans. Effectively was paid $3.18 to take them home with me!

Did I ever mention how much I love coupons and sales?

Oh and a friend bought my lunch today. Free lunch and free stuff. Life is good!

Bought:

9 cans of Heinz Beans
dozen eggs
2 2pks onion soup mix
Splenda (200 pkg)
Milk (2L)
Oatmeal Packages
Shampoo and Conditioner (Herbal Essence)
Gel and Hairspray (Herbal Essences)

Used about $24 in coupons, spent $8.98

Couponing can really pay off some shopping trips!

Cleaning out my cupboard I found an old container of Tetly herbal tea. I don't drink much herbal tea and had no idea of how long I had had this.

They send me back an email the next morning that was very useful

The shelf life of an unopened box of tea is approximately 2 years. The production code number indicates when the box/canister of tea was produced. If you have a canister, this number may be found on the bottom of the canister, and if it is a box, it is on the side panel of the box. For example, for the production code number that you have quoted, "3362", the "3" indicates the year, so the tea was produced in 2003. The "362" indicates that it was packaged on the 362nd day of the year (approximately December 28th). Therefore, the canister that you have
has passed its shelf life. Due to the sensitive nature of tea, once the box is opened (cellophane removed) the teabags themselves are very susceptible to picking up other odors or flavours. Therefore, in order to prevent the tea from becoming "tainted" by absorbing a foreign odour,
or from becoming "stale", we strongly recommend to our consumers that tea be stored in an air-tight canister mmediately upon opening, and placed in a cool, dry area.

This information allowed me to go through my tea stash and ditch most of it. I'm not in a phase where I'm drinking flavoured tea so there isn't much point keeping it around. When I buy it in the future I'll likely buy 2 or 3 individual bags from the bulk food store rather than box that I'm not likely to finish.

I didn't ask for a coupon or expect to get one - and I didn't.

I've been giving more feedback to companies lately! Seeing what their response is.

Nestle - feedback on their Tollhouse Cookie dough with brownie bits ice cream. While up to nestle quality it was not what I thought I was buying. i wanted cookie dough ice cream and this was more like chocolate with bits of indistinguishable chocolate in it. So I wasn't very happy about it and send them a note. They sent me a coupon for $1 off my next purchase and a standard letter about sending stuff to quality control and thanking me for my feedback.

I will likely give the coworker the $1 coupon as she has kids and unless I want a "wide load" sign on my butt I don't need to be buying more ice cream.

I went to a website yesterday that had wee window pop up to say that they would send you a free product coupon in exchange for completing a short survey.

I filled it out. Then for some reason clicked back and realised that the offer ended in February.

I then tried to complete a form to send a comment to the company to tell them about their outdated web page. I tried to send it twice but have no idea if it went or not.

Had this been some small mom and pop company I wouldn't be so annoyed. But this was Alberto Culver (hair stuff). I really think that multinationals with mega staff and budgets should be able to keep their websites up to date and have response forms that work.

Got my interest cheque in respect of my last month's rent payment - $61 - Yeah it is rent on my money but still nice when the landlord sends me a cheque rather than me sending him one.

That will happen again soon enough - the first is not that far away!