Went shopping for a friend tonight.

Got great customer service at the two stores I went to.

She had seen an ad for little tykes digital cameras for $30 - and wanted two but there weren't any in the store in her town - and they only get in one shipment of toys each xmas.

First store I went to didn't have them but got a raincheck in case I found them later. she went online and got me directs to a store that had them.

Drove there in the snow (still early enough in the year no one seems to remember what snow is and how to drive in it).

Got them! Woo Woo

Best part of the shopping? I'm getting all my money back from her!

The local store is cleaning out their 250ml Fructus shampoo and conditers for $1.49. I went up there this morning and bought 14 of them. After the buy 2 get $3.00 off coupons I had I got them all for about $3.00 (taxes).

That's what I call nice shopping.

I'm going to keep 2 or 3 "sets" - the rest will go towards an Xmas hamper the local drop in centre.

I have more coupons. I may go up in the morning or later tonight to see if they have more and buy more so I can give it. I know homeless shelters want mostly foodstuffs - but people need to be clean to and this is just a bit I can add to what I give.

I cleaned up my coupon stash today. So many expired ones.

I am so tired of having coupons that I don't get to good homes before they expire. So I'm making up a bunch of envelopes for people of coupons on their wishlists.

Strangely I've found since I've been less worried about getting and more about giving I'm happier and strangely good things seem to come my way too...

http://www.webworksllc.com/i_like_you.swf

My apologies if you have seen it before. I just "refound" it in my email and it cheered me up!

Sent out a couple of coupon RAOK's to a couple of people in one of my trading groups. I used to do more trades but can't be bothered. I seem to end up with RAOK's from others now I do more RAOK's. Weird how that works.

Got another credit card offer from Citibank. Did what i always do. Wrote "take me off your list" and sent all the crap back to them. Did you know it costs the company about twice the regular postage when you use one of those business reply envelopes. They send me crap - I'll mail their crap back (yes I need to get out more as this gives me a wee bit of enjoyment).

I've joined up for quite a few coupon trains lately and still have a couple to move out. That was yesterday's job but it didn't seem to happen *blush*.

On so many trading boards I hear people having long discussions about "I don't want to get ripped of if I trade this coupon". What is that coupon really worth?

I gave up on all of that. I now send people coupons they need with no expectations. I do this in one of my smaller groups where I have gotten do know the people. And since I've been sending with no expection of getting I seem to be getting more coupons - both from other people in that group doing the same thing and from other sources.

It is strange but I like that while I'm saving money I'm also fostering that part of me that likes to give. Coupons cost me little (or nothing) and I can send them to others they can help. I have little stress after I put the stamped envolope in the mail. I have smiles when I think of them opening the good mail. This makes me happy.

Life isn't for me only about savings. It is also about being the person I want to be and being able to do things for others!

Random Acts of Kindness Rock!

A girl in a our building shelters cat's and fosters them. I had a coupon for a free bag of IAMs cat food. Even ought she is on vacation this week I brought it down to her before I forgot and had it put in her mail to deal with when she's back!

Always nice to get good mail amongst the rushes - and this way I don't forget.

On Monday, after a few weeks of carrying around in the car trunk the donations I had for the local drop-in centre and food-bank I was able to get there at a time that was open.

They were very appreciative and treated me very nicely with a couple of people coming and and helping me get the items out of the car.

I'm definitely going to see what I can give them again in a few months. I love saving but I never want to become miserly. There is something about giving that is good for the soul; and I felt that goodness on Monday.

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.

Quite often when there are contests that involve food products there is a option for an entry that doesn't involve purchasing the product. Taking advantage of this method of entry can sometimes result in getting a Free Product Coupon - allowing you to purchase the item for the cost of the postage and sometimes a self addressed stamped envelope. This particular offer didn't require the SASE.

So this past weekend I got organized and wrote out 20 entries (the rules allow one request per day via mail) and got them into envelopes, addressed and stamps, that way I can drop one in the mail every couple of days.

I'm planning to pick up a couple of the sauces for myself and likely will give away some of the FPC's as RAOKs.

I start leaving the store and hear the lady who was behind me in the line and who I did say a few words to while I checked out say to the cashier about her item "oh the sign says $4.99 but says that price ended yesterday so will I get it at that price". The cashier runs it through and says "no its 6.99 now". I have no idea what "it" was.

That store participates in the Scanning Code of Practise (SCOP). SCOP says that when an item that isn't price stickered rings up at the wrong price (not the price on the shelf) you get it free (if under $10).

http://www.frugalshopper.ca/links/article.php?n=5

Im partway to the door but I hear the exchange clearly and realise they aren't following the SCOP rules and are in effect going to rip this lady off. I turn around and say in a loud voice (I'm not screaming or rude, just enunciating well...) " shouldn't she get it for free under scanning code of practise". The customer in question gives me a huge smile and thumbs up and the cashier suddenly is saying "yes, that's right" and paging a stock boy for a price check.

After the comment and a quick grin to the customer I left, with a great big grin on my face. No idea if she got it or not but feel good that I didn't let them snow her.

Its not a store I shop at regularly so not worried what the cashier thinks of me. I know I made the customer happy. I really hate when store clerks decide that following rules that their store abides by isn't what they are going to do. I don't care if they think that we are getting a deal we shouldn't. The store is part of the program so abide by the rules please.

You'd think that people would actually think to check they had their credit/debit card with them when they shopped right?

Cause once you check out and go to pay and find you don't have said car do you inconvenience EVERYONE - you have to gop do the wild dash back to the car and hope your card is easy to find in whatever safe place you put it.

Only saving grace moment of the entire incident is that it isn't a store where I often shop.

I am in a small group with a bunch of ladies who coupon. It is a small group and from what I can tell the people are all good people.

I've been sending out a ton of RAOK envelopes (Random Act of Kindness)to people in that group with coupons in them that are on their wishlists. This has made me feel wonderful. Mostly they are coupons I'll never use or ones that greedy me found a lot more of than I'll ever use *oink oink*.

Honestly the warm fuzzy when I get thanked is great (I don't put my name in it but usually they'll figure it out as I do put my return addy on the envelope), and is worth way more than the cost of the postage in "warm fuzzies"

I got a note from one of the girls with $3-$4 in stamps (I never did count them) with the note .. "gotcha - this is to help you with your raok wh*&ring. I have not laughed so hard in a while. She made me feel so good about what I am doing and is only encouraging me to do more of it. Which might have been her idea. Seeing I found a few coupons tonight that I know a couple of folks are looking for - it won't be a problem to use up those stamps, LOL

One of the other girls on the list sent me an envie today with a free product coupon in it for a product I use all the time. My is it ever nice to get mail like that!

Oh and on a related note, I've found Staples in their clearance section often has fancy envelopes marked down to good prices - I've found some pretty ones for a good price. They aren't shiny-shiny but they are pretty-pretty.

So far we've raised $496. A practical problem stopped us raising more. A real basic one - we ran out of raffle tickets. I don't expect we will sell many more but i did go to Staples and pick up more yesterday . If we don't use them this year they'll work for next year!

I had hoped we would raise a couple of hundred dollars. I never dreamed we would raise this much!

In prior years I've organized a cookie exchange. Over the last few years less and less people have taken part. As part of the exchange we always asked for an extra dozen, made up a basket and raffled it off for charity.

This year I just organized the cookie basket raffle. People were great and baked and brought me a dozen cookies, a half dozen or a couple of dozen. Enough to make two very impressive baskets. I kicked in some personal contributions - a couple of nice trays (wicker serving trays), some cookie tins (not everyone packaged then so I took care of that (and another coworker helped out).

HR got wind of it this year (the first year for that) and gave me a table downstairs at the xmas party to "pimp" the basket. We go around and do serious collecting tomorrow!

So far we've raised over $150. Can't wait to see what the total is by friday.

Had cat food left from the days when my kitty was an "eats anything" cat. Now he's Mr "I can only eat my special (prescription) food Cat"

One of the girls at work knows another girl at work who fosters stray cats and has more than a few cats of her own. I broght her the leftover food today. Its nice to be able to find small ways to help others without incurring any costs.

A local store had KD on 2 for $1. I found a coupon for buy 2 Kraft products save $1. That makes the KD free. Why we call it Kraft Dinner up here and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in the states - I dunno - it is exactly the same stuff. Macaroni with this strange orange powder that you mix with milk and butter/margarine.



I eat the stuff rarely. It doesn't quite fit the nutritional profile of food I want to be eating (even when made with skim milk).

I'm going to buy as much of it as I have coupons for (I used 4 coupons today and have 14 more) and donate it all the the food bank. I love finding deals where I can help others at no or little cost to me.

I got asked if I was sending a message by one of my team members at work. I shared my toothpaste samples with my coworkers. They were all very appreciate although one did ask me if I was trying to subtly tell them they all have stained teeth.

I also left coupons for this product in the two grocery stores I was at last night. Hopefully someone gets to use the and store employees don't throw them out. I tucked them under the product such that you could see them but they weren't in the way.

A rainy day, a pile of coupons from you know where.. a perfect marriage. I spent much of the day cleaning up the disaster my coupons had gotten into.

Didn't find any interesting ones. Found lots of expired ones and they are now tossed. The good ones are filed or, in one of the 6 envies for trains I put together. Also put together a few RAOK's for some lucky people.

Now I'm all couponed out - at least untili I go to the store next and SAVE! Woo hoo!

Though I do note now I eat less processed food that there are less coupons that I use. The crappier the food nutrionally the more likely you can get a coupon for it. Sad but true.

Today was a frustrating enough day at work that I went and bought a coke at the convenience store. People in the couponing group I'm in are collecting coke points. For what I'm not really sure but I know I don't drink enough coke to collect them myself - hence my not bothering to check

There are frequent posts for people wanting to trade for coke PIN's. I just picked one person who has traded with me in the past and emailed her the code. I hope I helped make her evening. I know doing so perked me up.

I did another RAOK today.

In the last few days three coupon trains returned home after journeying across the country. Of course there were some great baby coupons in them - as well as some coupons that I actually can use. Baby coupons aren't something high on my need list.

I pulled out all the baby coupons ncluding some B1G1 coupons and a $5 off diapers one expiring at the end of June). Went into the wishlists on my coupon groups and found someone who had baby stuff listed as a want. I popped the coupons in an envelope, put in a post-it and said "have fun savings" The envelope actually did get mailed out today!. No name, no return address, just the coupons. I wish I could see her face when she gets some unexpected good mail!

The what goes around part of this post is that two people contacte me today - one telling me she's sending me coupons on my wishlist and other saying she has the a coupon insert I don't get and asking me if I want any coupons from them (I have to find out what was in that insert before I can answer her).

I'm just feeling blessed all around. Its nice having people think of you and its nice doing things for other people.

I found some great coupon booklets and picked up a healthy stash (is it possible to not be greedy when you find good coupons?). I picked up enough for my own use and to add to trains etc.

But today I brought in a bunch of the books for 2 of my coworkers. There is a coupon in them to save $5 off one of those pricey vitamin products. It feels nice to pass the savings along to people

I also sent out to RAOK envelopes to two people on the coupon groups I'm on. One was expected - I had corresponded with her about what she was looking for. The other one was based on a posted wishlist.

It feels good passing on RAOK's that people have sent to me. I have to love getting the warm fuzzies. I think too, that by doing I help make my own luck. What comes around goes around.

So did you RAOk anyone today? Do you make a practise of RAOK'ing