Save $1000 This Year: DAY TEN: Additional Money Saving Tips

I hope that your wallet is feeling a little fuller as we near the end of my "Save $1000 This Year" series. If you missed any of my previous post your can catch up here.  As always I will continue to post great deals, coupons, money saving tips and ways to earn extra pocket change both here and on my Facebook page so I hope you will continue to follow along. Today is a fun recap of some additional ways to save a little bit of extra cash, all of which add up to savings over the course of the year. Have any tips of your own? I'd love to hear them!

• Get your gas at Canadian Tire (if you have a gas bar in your town) using the bonus Canadian Tire money coupon on the back of your weekly flyer
• Do you know your hydro peek periods? Do you try to refrain from doing laundry, running the dishwasher, etc during these times?
• Do a clothing/book and/or toy swap with friends (both for you and the kids)
• Enter codes at Pampers Gifts To Grow
• Call your credit card company and ask them to lower your interest rate 
• Switch to a no-fee bank account
• Hang your clothes to dry
• Use newspaper instead of paper towels to clean mirrors and windows (I've tried this it really works!)
• Get a raincheck (Places like Shoppers Drugmart and often Canadian Tire will issue rainchecks on items that on sale and out of stock. Rainchecks are usually good for 30 days after they are issued.)
• Price Match (Many stores including Walmart and Zellers will match the price of a sale item in a competitors flyer so bring your flyers along just in case!)

Estimated Savings by doing the above (minimum)= easily $200/yr

 Total Savings Day 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10=  $2270/year

Save $1000 This Year: DAY NINE: Sell Some Stuff

I hope you have enjoyed your quest so far to save $1000 this year! If you missed any of my previous posts you can catch up here.

Today's topic is more of a budget booster as opposed to a money saver but certainly worth mentioning! We all have those items that get tucked away at the back of drawers and closets...clothes that don't fit anymore, toys that the kids have outgrown, household knick knacks and furniture that no longer fit with your decor. Perfectly good, wonderful items that would be a shame to throw away...they could be someone else's treasure so why not sell them?

Hold a Garage Sale
Depending on where you live a garage sale might be a great option for you. Pick a beautiful Saturday morning and be sure to set up early...shoppers like to hunt for their treasures as soon as the sun comes up! I like to have all of my items priced (you can get stickers at the dollar store) to give people a starting point but be prepared for those who want to bargain. It's okay to say no if there is something that you just aren't willing to budge on (perhaps put a sign that says FIRM on it). Have lots of small change on hand. Consider putting up posters or taking out an ad in the local classified section. Likewise if you are having a yard/garage sale feel free to send me an email and I'm happy to post it on Kawartha Bargains! Depending on how much you have for sale you can certainly pull in a pretty penny on a Saturday morning.


Sell it Online
There are also lots of places to destash online (since the weather in our neck of the woods isn't ideal for garage sales all year round!) Sites like Kijiji act as a collection of area classifieds where you can post items you have for sale (for Free, with options for upgrading your ad at a price). There are also lots of local Facebook buy and sell groups if you are more comfortable going that route. This is the route that I prefer (simply because of the age of my kids). I can take pictures and post items when they are in bed and I pick a neutral location for meeting those interested in purchasing. I don't look to make a ton of cash but these are items I'm looking to get rid of anyways. I find, like anything, that sales seem to go in waves and if I have a lot of items listed I can make several sales a week. On average I aim for $10 a month worth of destashed clothing and toys.

$10x12= $120

Total Savings Day 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9=  $2070/year

 ***Today's Assignment: Take a couple of minutes to dig to the back of that closet or the bottom of those drawers. Are there any items that you could consider selling? Set them aside for when you have a bit of time and decide what route is best for you to destash!

Save $1000 This Year: DAY EIGHT: Rewards Programs

There are many different rewards programs to choose from these days and they can be a great way to give your budget an extra boost. Rather than holding each and every rewards program card that there is out there I suggest choosing a few and learning how to earn points quickly and wisely.

I used to think the Shoppers Drugmart was just for old ladies but they have plenty of great deals on everything from bath and beauty to pain relievers to grocery staples. When I have a couple of extra dollars I go in and buy a gift card (say $10 one week $10 the next, etc.) so that when a special event comes up (such as earn 20x the points when you spend $50 or more) I don't feel strapped to meet the minimum dollar amount. PLUS you get points on Shoppers Drugmart gift cards when you buy them AND when you redeem! BONUS! If you don't already have one get your Optimum card,  best part is...it's FREE to signup!

Here's how Shoppers Optimum works: For every $1 you spend you receive 10 Shoppers Optimum points.  When you reach a certain reward level you can redeem your points for money off of your purchase. Here are the basic redemption levels:

• 8,000 = $10 off your purchase
• 22,000 = $30 off your purchase
• 38,000 = $60 off your purchase
• 50,000 = $85 off your purchase
• 95,000 = $170 off your purchase

 A couple of times throughout the year there are  Bonus Redemption days where you get even more bang for your buck. Typically the redemption levels are like this:

• 50,000 points = $100 off your purchase (an extra $15!)
• 95,000 points = $200 off your purchase (an extra $30!)

In December I took part in the MEGA REDEMPTION. This has happend in December for the past two years but since I just started using Optimum this past fall I only had enough to redeem for the lowest level (30,000 points earned me $60 of goodies). You can read more about that shop here. Now that I have a better handle on the program and shop there more frequently I can't wait to redeem a few times throughout the year!

How to earn Optimum points faster:

• Buy a Shoppers Drugmart giftcard to pay for your purchases
• Shop on bonus points days (such as a 20x event. Usually it is something like earn 20x the Shoppers Optimum points when you spend $50 or more) or like next week when you get 8,000 Optimum points when you spend $50 or more. 
• Look for bonus point coupons/products. Certain coupons and/or products can give you bonus points on them. While many are listed on the website there are often in store specials that you only find by keeping a keen eye out while you shop!

This year alone I have redeemed for $40 worth of merchandise. If you figure I do this a couple of more time along with a bonus or mega redemption my savings could easily equal at least $180 (this is the amount I'm using in the total savings below). In conjunction with some of my other favourite reward programs (Airmiles, PC points, HBC points, etc) I am hoping to save $250+. What are your favourite rewards programs?

Total Savings Day 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8=  $1952/year

***Today's assignment: Take some time today to learn about your favourite rewards program and think about how you can maximize your rewards points. Perhaps its as easy as switching to that store for some of your grocery staples (when they are on sale of course!)

Save $1000 This Year: DAY SEVEN: Shop Clearance

I hope that you are well on your way in your quest to save $1000 (or more) this year! If you are looking to catch up on any of my previous post's just click here.

Hopefully at this point you are realizing that being an aware and organized shopper can lead to big savings.  Today I wanted to talk about shopping seasonal and clearance to help you optimize your savings.

I keep a container in my closet for keeping items that I pick up at their absolute rock bottom prices. For example, my oldest will be going to school in the fall so when I saw children's Valentine's on clearance for 25cents a box I was sure to grab some. Same with winter hats, also 25cents, gloves, other holiday cards and decorations, and oodles of curling ribbon (which I use a ton of for my business) at just 14cents a roll! I try to purchase clothing at the end of season/on clearance as well. This year I stocked up on the most adorable cords for my boys at just $2 a pair! Other items like home decor, jewellery, and even FOOD have their own seasons where you can get the best deals and keep a small budget for these items so you have the money when you find them. Here are some of the things to keep an eye out for at this time of the year:

• Winter clothing
• Jewellery (now that Mother's Day is over)
• Cleaning supplies
• Bottled Water
• Salad Dressing and other condiments
• LAST SEASONS patio furniture and outdoor decor

By shopping both in season for certain items (like produce) and end of season and clearance for others I estimate that I save, on average $10 or more a month.

$10/month=$120/year

Total Savings Day 1+2+3+4+5+6+7=  $1772/year

 

Save $1000 This Year: DAY SIX: Batch Cooking

I hope that everyone had an amazing weekend, the weather sure was beautiful! Welcome to Day Six in the quest to save $1000 this year! If you were following along last week you may notice that you potentially could already be on your way to saving $1000, but since not every point will work for every family/budget and the results will vary I have another whole week of posts for you! If you save more than $1000....even better!

Day Six's topic is Batch/Freezer Cooking, a relatively new concept to me, however it has certainly had a big impact on both my pocketbook and my health! I don't know if I was just lazy, uneducated in the concept, or lacking confidence in the kitchen (probably a combo of all three) but I never realized the impact that a little effort with my leftovers could have such a big impact.

In January I attended a Parent's Night on the subject of Batch Cooking and it gave me the extra boost I needed. I started small...previously when I made a pot of chili or pasta we would stick the leftovers in the fridge, maybe get a lunch out of them and the rest would inevitably go bad and get thrown in the garbage. I made a point to start freezing the leftovers (yes I know I should have been all along) and that gave us a quick and easy lunch or dinner- making us less likely to grab takeout when we didn't feel like cooking- a plus for both our budget and our waistlines! I have since began to double my batches so I have some to freeze (with help from Amy...THANK YOU!) as well as create meal plans that offer rollover options. Rollover options are things like having a roast chicken on night 1, using the leftovers for sandwiches for lunch on day 2, and then if you are super ambitious making chicken stock from the remainder for soup,etc. This month we even used up our yogurt that was not yet at expiry but we just weren't "feeling it" for breakfast anymore to make a batch of smoothies that we froze for a yummy treat! The kids LOVED IT! As I'm still trying to grow my knowledge on this subject you may also find this article helpful: Freezable Foods- yup, you can freeze that.

Even in my early stages of implementing this point the impact has been significant. I estimate that it saves me

 AT LEAST $20/month=$240/year

and I see this as one of the points that can continue to grow with some more education and practice to save me significantly more, and provide my family with less processed, healthier options that we can enjoy!

Total Savings Day 1+2+3+4+5+6=  $1652/year

 

 ***Today's assignment: Are there leftovers in your fridge that you can freeze? Don't forget about them! **

Save $1000 This Year: DAY FIVE: Take A Lunch

Welcome to the last post for this week (don't worry there's more to come next week!) in the quest to "Save $1000 This Year!) If you missed any of the previous posts you can catch up here.

Today's post is probably the simplest, most straightforward point in the series. Most of us know the impact that taking a lunch can have on ours budgets. So why don't we do it? Perhaps going for lunch is a group activity and you don't want to feel left out? Perhaps you don't feel like you have the time to prepare a lunch? Or maybe, if you are like me, you work from home so it is your significant other who has the big "latte factor". Bringing your partner on board with "the plan" can be met with some resistance. Take it gradually and make small changes, then build on those. Pre "the plan" my hubby's "latte factor" looked something like this:

• Breakfast- $5x5= $25/wk
• Lunch= 4x$5 and Fridays was group outing for lunch- approx. $20= $40/wk
• Coffee/afternoon snack= $2x3/wk= $6/wk

 Total weekly "latte factor"= $71 (conservatively)

We started slowly by cutting out a couple of breakfasts and I began packing him a lunch once a week (he now comes home since we live closer to his office). I also send along boxes of granola bars, jars of peanuts and other snacks for his desk drawer. I don't wait until he says he wants a snack for the afternoon, I just send them along at the beginning of the week that way if the impulse strikes he's less likely to head for the drivethru! If you hubby spends a lot of time on the road try doing the same for him, its an easy (and healthier) alternative that can have a big impact. If you work in an office try having a group "bring your lunch" day and go to a nearby park to enjoy lunch together. Now my hubby's weekly "latte factor" looks more like this:

• Breakfast- 1x$5=$5
• Lunch (on Fridays)= $20

Total weekly "latte factor"= $25 (a savings of $46/wk or $2392/yr!)

Of course we could cut this back to zero but the goal is to develop a plan that you are able to live with. Complete denial just results in falling off the wagon (kind of like a diet) so it is worth finding ways to feel that you are still indulging, making it easier to stick to the rest of the plan. If you were to take just 1 breakfast and  1 lunch to work a week instead of purchasing them (or send them with your significant other) you can easily save $10/wk or $520/yr!

Total Savings Day 1+2+3+4+5=  $1412/year

( Looks like we've already reached our goal and there's still more to come next week!)

 ***Today's assignment: Plan ONE breakfast and ONE lunch for next week. Add the items that you will need for those to your grocery list. Have a great shop and a great weekend! See you next week for more money saving tips!***

Want to Save $1000 This Year? DAY FOUR: Stockpiling

Welcome to Day Four in your quest to save $1000 this year! If you have missed any of the previous posts you can catch up here. Today we are going to discuss Stockpiling.

Stockpiling does not have to mean overflowing cupboards, secret basement stashes and 1000 solid air fresheners that your family doesn't even use. Stockpiling to me means having extras of items that I know my family will use on hand in case we run out and there isn't a sale. Nothing makes me crazier than running out of toilet paper on a non-sale week or having to pay $1.99 or more for bbq sauce!!!! Toilet paper is something we are going to use (along with apple juice, bbq sauce, ketchup, pasta, tomato sauce, cereal, toothpaste and shampoo) so I don't mind buying extra when there is a good sale and/or coupon.

I allot an extra $5/week to buy a stock up item (more if my budget allows it). If there are no items that I feel are stockpile worthy that week then I carry the $5 over to the next week. In case you are wondering my stockpile items for this week (May 4-10) was apple juice on sale for 89cents a can at Canadian Tire. Next week if apple juice is a reasonable price somewhere I will still buy a can (as it is part of my usual weekly list) but when the weeks arrive when NO WHERE has a sale I won't have to pick it up, I will pull from my stockpile instead. If toilet paper was on sale and I would normally buy it then if that is my stockpile items for the week then I would buy an additional package (or two). Yes I spend $5 a week but I figure that the savings are at least that per week vs. not stockpiling those items. With a little practice and paying attention you will soon come to learn how many of an item your family typically uses per month (another great reason to save those receipts) and start to factor that into your weekly grocery/stockpile budget.

$5/week x 52= $260 in savings a year

Don't forget to rotate your stockpiled items (cans included) putting most recent purchases at the back and pulling older ones forward to be used first. There's no sense in having extras on hand if they are just going to go past expiry and have to be thrown out. Stay tuned later today for my weekly Top 10 Deals Around Town and I'll let you know what my stockpile item(s) is this week.

Total Savings Day 1+2+3+4=  $892/year

 ***Todays Assignment: Finish off your grocery list adding a stockpile item if your budget allows***

Want to Save $1000 This Year? DAY THREE: Menu Planning

Welcome to Day Three in your quest to save $1000 this year! If you missed any of the previous days you can catch up here. Today we are going to introduce you to menu planning.

We've all been there....wandering around the grocery store thinking "What the heck am I going to make for dinner?" Not just dinner for that night, but the next and the next. Menu planning is still something that is a challenge for me, however the benefits to my pocket book keep me motivated. Often I'm not sure what we might feel like eating, or worse yet, I've created a menu plan and then my hubby says "I don't feel like that!"

The first thing I recommend is to keep track of meals that your family eats frequently (such as tacos on Wednesdays or pizza on Fridays) and to keep the supplies for those fav's on hand (and to buy extra of those items when they are on sale) in case whatever is on the list for that evening gets vetoed. If you currently don't do ANY menu planning start by pre-planning what meals/recipes you are going to have for a couple of days a week and build from there eventually creating a menu for every night of the week, lunches, breakfasts and even snacks. You may also want to sit with the flyers to find out what is on sale for the upcoming week and use this as a guide to get your menu started. This will give you a base list to work with when going to the grocery store and SHOPPING WITH A LIST WILL SAVE YOU A BUNDLE! It helps you from mindlessly putting things in the cart that you don't actually need, impulse purchasing, and having to make return trips to the store because you forgot certain items.

I estimate that menu planning saves me AT LEAST $10/week compared to not menu planning (probably FAR MORE).

$10/week x 52= $520 in saving a year

Here's an EXAMPLE menu plan for you:

Monday: Roasted chicken (on sale), potatoes and green beans
Tuesday: BBQ chicken pasta (made from the leftover roasted chicken
Wednesday: Tacos
Thursday: BBQ Pork chops (on sale), baked potatos, grilled peppers (because we never use a whole pepper when we make tacos)
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Homemade Burgers and Pasta Salad
Sunday: Beef Kabobs and Rice

Total Savings Day 1+2+3=  $632/year

 

***Today's assignment: Start to think about what meals your family eats a lot and what you need to have on hand to make them, take a glance in your pantry and see what you already have on hand. Start a LIST for your next shopping trip (we will continue to complete the list over the remainder of the week) Feel free to comment below with some of your own favourite meals, perhaps it will give others some ideas!

Would you like to save $1000 this year? DAY TWO: Swagbucks

Welcome to Day Two in the quest to save $1000 this year! If you missed Day One you can catch up here. Today I wanted to talk about various ways to earn money/gift cards online. You may be asking how will this help you attain your goal of saving $1000 a year? Despite even the tightest of budgets and most frugal of mindsets there are certain times of the year where you may want to buy someone a gift (birthdays, weddings, Christmas) OR there may be some household items that you are in need of such as bakeware, utensils, etc.

My all time favourite site for earning gift cards is Swagbucks, where you earn points (or Swagbucks) for simply searching the web with their toolbar, doing surveys, watching Swagbucks TV and more! The best bang for you buck is to redeem for a $5 Amazon.ca gift card when you have 450 Swagbucks. You can accumulate gift cards in your Amazon.ca account and whenever you need a gift then you have an available balance to shop with. I find it also keeps me from overspending because I know exactly how much I have to spend for that gift/occasion.

Earning just ONE $5 gift card a month= a savings of $60/year

If you would like to learn how to optimize your Swagbucks earnings I have written a previous post here.  If all you did was the Daily Poll, NOSO and one got one search win a day you can easily have a gift card a month (I usually earn 5 or more).  You can also learn about other ways I earn money/gift cards online via my Extra Pocket Change Page.

Total Savings Day 1+Day 2=  $112/year

Today's assignment- Feel free to start earning your gift cards today by signing up with Swagbucks (or another site that you feel suits you). Starting today I will also resume posting on my Facebook Page how I earn my Swagbucks daily. Feel free to comment on that post with how you are earning your own Swagbucks...or better yet what you are saving up your gift cards for!