Toonie Tuesdays

I am posting a day early for "Toonie Tuesdays" - just in case I don't get around to it tomorrow. I used to feel self conscious about taking any time to focus on frugal savings, but this day and age it seems to be a common topic in personal discussion and all forms of media. The fact of the matter is that the economy is struggling and times are tough for many people. Even for those who are still doing okay, being cautious of money and budget seem to be top of mind.

Having said all of that, I am jumping back on the band wagon with "TOONIE TUESDAYS"! My way of communicating any great deals that I come across in my daily life. I love a great deal and I hope you do too!

This week:

Two of my great deals this week come from the Canadian Tire flyer.
#1: Doing any travelling in the near future? Canadian Tire has two different sets of Cambridge luggage on sale. One is their 4 piece set with a 5 year warrant for only $39.74 from $109.99. The other is a 3 piece set with 2 year warranty ($39.99). I saw both at the store and liked that the 3 piece set comes in interesting colours such as blue or "burnt orange".

#2: A special deal and coupon from the flyer. Good on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week ONLY. Spend $40.00 in store by paying for merchandise with your debit card, CT MasterCard or cash and receive $10.00 in Canadian Tire money! What a deal! Who can't find something to buy at CT for $40.00? With $10.00 back, who can resist? I'll be there! (Great time to buy the luggage mentioned above!)

Just Add Veggies

As parents of young children, I think most of us at some point (and for some, quite frequently) wonder if our children are getting enough vitamins in their diets because they don't seem to want to eat veggies. At this stage in the game, we are still pretty lucky and our toddler is willing to eat a good selection of veggies. Having said that, I would still like to share the idea of adding veggies to various lunch and supper options to "boost" the vitamin intake that your children are getting.

Yesterday I gave our son some Dora alphagetti for the first time. It was probably only the second time he has had a lunch noodle in tomato paste from a can - but I bought it because sometimes it feels like we are running out of options (or I'm just not feeling creative enough on the spot!). Anyway, I also bought a couple bags of my FAVORITE mixed frozen veggies and added some to the mix when I was cooking. I just think that this is a simple but great way to add nutrition (and colour and flavour - even I ate some!) to the meal. Served with brown bread and voila...

Might not look like much (I'll admit) and is a FAR CRY from gourmet -- but it did the trick and at least I knew that our son was getting broccoli, peas, peppers and even spinach into his system as he ate up Dora, Swipper, Boots and the Stars! Us parents, pulling out all the stops and tricks. Well, you know what they say, "whatever works", and this meal got gobbled right up!

Note: Europe's Best veggies are on sale at Zehrs this week $2.50 a bag. Frozen veggies are selected, picked and packaged at their prime so they are always tasty. I think they retain all or most of their nutritional value as well.

TOONIE TUESDAYS: Deals This Week

Okay, due to time constraints I will have to keep it really simple for Toonie Tuesdays this week. I thought that I would give you a run down of my favorite sales that are happening NOW --
perhaps something will jump out at you and you will pick up something special or yummy at a good price.

Zehrs: Natural Instincts Hair Colour - $5.99 ...and they have special 2 for 1 packages available
Zehrs: Chocolate Chip Cookies - $0.99 ... this is dangerous :)
Zehrs: Club Pack Diapers (big box) - $27.99 (I think) ...good deal and not bad diapers
McDonald's: Kid's Night, Tuesdays 4-8 - $2.00 Happy Meals & Free Coffees for Mom & Dad

If you know of any great deals on groceries, health & beauty products, toys or anything else, please feel free to post your comments and share with others who might benefit from your tips!

TOONIE TUESDAYS: Back To School

I have missed out on posting a few times for Toonie Tuesdays, so I am doing some catch-up, even though it is Thurday! Please feel free to submit your own comments or suggestions for Toonie Tuesdays by clicking on "comments" or by sending me an email. I would be glad to share your experiences, thoughts and ideas with other interested readers

BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING: CLOTHES

Back to school in our household is really only "back to playschool"- but I thought that I would post about it anyway since all of us with children are constantly buying clothes in the next size up, especially when it comes time to think about "back to school".

I suppose that things get more complicated as children get older, but with little ones, it is pretty straight forward: they need clothing and we still get to pick it out (and purchase it), for the most part, anyway. For this article I have some thoughts on buying affordable clothing.

1) Buy off season. Check out Sears, Zellers or any clothing store near the end of the season and you will undoubtedly find an abundance of clothing reduced to clear. This is really the only time that I buy new clothes unless we see something that we really like or come across other sales throughout the year. Off season purchases are often sale prices with an extra percentage off of the lowest ticketed price. This usually means substantial savings for clothes that are still current and trendy because the styles are less than a year old. Check out the stores RIGHT NOW and you MIGHT find a few summer items left at good clearance prices. Sears is great for this (Canada). I find this to be especially true for bigger ticket items such as snowsuits. If you can guess what size your child will be wearing, the end of season the winter prior is definitely the time to buy.

2) The above suggestions for off-season buying are also handy when shopping at children's consignments stores. Consignment stores often have agreement with their clients to clear out items at reduced prices at the end of the season. I have seen nice infant bunting bags and children's snowsuits at rock bottom prices at the end of the winter. I suggest looking in the yellow pages or checking online for your local consignment shops. Who knows, maybe you have some things that you want to take in to sell while you are at it?
Note: Consignment stores vary in the percentage of sale dollars that they will give you when your items sell. You may also want to look into other fine print regarding unsold items. In Canada, Once Upon A Child is a favorite for some parents because you can get cash at the door when you bring in your items (they will choose what they want and tell you what they are willing to pay). You may want to try your local free online classifieds because you may get a better dollar than consignment. It all depends on how much work you want to do and what you are willing to take for your items.

3) Thrift shops, thrift shops, thrift shops! I can't stress enough how well you can do with picking up good quality used children's clothing at thrift shops. Locally, we have Value Village, St.Vincent de Paul, Goodwill and the Salvation Army. All have their ups and downs - so you will have to ask around or better yet, check out your local stores for yourself.

Watch for specials such as Value Village's 50% off days!!! Go early to get the lowest prices on a large selection of items including winter gear, all clothing, shoes, hats, crib bumpers, bedding and much more. One thing I want to mention is my own skepticism regarding Value Village and the overall perception that many of us may have that they are a non-profit organization. Value Village is not a non-profit organization and I decided to email them to find out more about their contributions to the community organizations that they do work with. I received this email from them:

["We have contracts with over 125 non profit organizations. In those contracts, we agree on a bulk payment rate. The non profit solicits the merchandise, picks it up and delivers it to the store. Donors also bring merchandise into the store as a donation. The non profit is paid for donations whether they are delivered by the non profit or dropped off at our store. When the rates are negotiated, we work with the non profit to assure their costs associated with obtaining the merchandise are covered and that enough residual is figured into the price for funding of their very important community programs."
Customer Care for Savers, Value Village ( Washington , Oregon , Alaska and Canada ) and Village des Valeurs in Quebec]

I have to admit that having this further bit of understanding does make me feel a little better about dropping off donations to them - though I probably won't do it. I prefer to donate to non-profits and especially places that give away the goods to people in need (for free). There are a couple of places in my town that do this and it makes me feel good to know that donations go directly to the people who need them. Having said that, I know of some of the organizations that do get money for goods from Value Village, and it is their major funding source and therefore, very important. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind being the consumer at these places, I just think others should be aware that for example, your shopping dollars are not going to community organizations when you buy at Value Village - Having said that, many thrift stores such as Bibles for Missions, Salvation Army, Goodwill and St.Vincent de Paul PROBABLY give a great deal of your money to community organizations and people in need. I can not be sure of their bottom line because I have not asked them individually or done any research.

I could go on and on but I won't. My suggestion is to do your own investigation (or simply ask a few questions) before assuming that your money or donations are going where you think you are. You should always feel free to ask how your contributions will be used, what the overhead or administrative costs of the organization are or any other questions that come to mind.

Back to thrift shopping - you can also watch for "fill a bag" days...this is major value for the buck! St.Vincent de Paul is a store that does this occasional (in some communities). I have also frequently seen this concept on Diva for a Dime. See, it is OKAY to shop this way - you might even find a diamond in the rough and get a great deal on some great fashion items. Personally, it is usually just practical items or even Halloween costume articles that I am searching for when I go poking around in thrift shops or consignment stores.

Toonie Tuesdays: Wanted Ads

Just popping on there quickly to post a suggestion for this weeks entry of "Toonie Tuesdays". My suggestion is the use of free on-line classifieds and "Wanted" ads. I have had great luck with wanted ads on free classified sites. I think they work so well for a couple of reasons:

(1) Some people may have the items you are looking for but may not have realized that they would be of any interest to anyone else

(2) The potential seller may not have the time or the computer confidence to bother with posting "For Sale" ads.

(3) The potential seller may have forgotten that they even had the item until they see your "wanted ad" (basements, attics and garages can be places of great mystery!)

If you want to find good on line classified sites in your area - just go to Google and enter "free classifieds + your town name). Example: "free classifieds + Windsor"

TIPS for posting FREE WANTED ADS:

1. Post a picture. This always helps to draw attention to your ad and to give readers a clear view of what you are after. If you know the exact name and brand, go to Google Search, enter the information and choose "images" search, instead of "web" search. If you don't have a specific brand in mind, just do the same but with the type of item such as "futon couch". You will have many photos to choose from and can pick something that is close to what you might be hoping to buy. SAVE the photo to a new folder on your computer called "Wanted Items". This will make them readily available for future use.
2. Do not post the price you are willing to pay for an item. The seller may have a cheaper price in mind. Once they tell you what they are hoping to get, the ball is in your court.You are probably best to let them tell you what they are asking and then you can either go ahead with their price or offer less. A general rule of thumb for any used item seems to be that people can ask for 40-60% of the retail price. 40 is probably more reasonable. Items that are new and in the original packaging may bring in a higher price.
3. Ask questions. Buyer beware. If you have standards up front, list them in your ad. (Example: must come from smoke free home).

Another place to look if you are interested in posting "Wanted ads" is in Yahoo Groups. Go to Yahoo.com, select "Groups" and search the name of your town. If there are too many groups to sort through, you may have to narrow down your search criteria. Look for groups that focus on buying and selling, trading or swapping or free stuff. Freecycle is a popular group in many areas. You can sign up for "daily digest" so that you receive a reduced number of emails that are summaries of all the postings (instead of individual postings).

Hope you have enjoyed this. If you would like to view my other Toonie Tuesday ideas for saving money - click on the link in the side panel.

TOONIE TUESDAYS: Teddy's Choice Diapers

Well, I was all set to post a great review on Teddy's Choice diapers as my topic for Toonie Tuesdays -- I guess I still will, but I did read some reviews that said that the product has possibly changed for the worse lately. Take it or leave it, here is my experience with this brand:

We have used Teddy's Choice diapers with Ja1 from sizes 3-5. We have found them to be really good and much more economical than Huggies or Pampers. I am not saying that we have not spent a great deal on those brands also, but for the most part we have settled on Teddy's Choice. We buy them at Zehrs or No Frills. The usual price for a box is $29.99. Right now, they are on for $25.99. I think the #4 diapers are 136 in a box. This means the sale price is $0.18 per diaper. Go ahead and figure out what you are spending on other brands. If you are someone who swears by Pampers or Huggies, you can go on their websites and join their mail or email list to receive coupons on a regular basis.

Does anyone know what the average family spends on diapers for one child? I found a site that estimates that Total estimated average cost $2694.54 for 7,349 disposable, single use diapers. I think this is probably conservative. I feel like we have spent a small fortune on diapers, for SURE! If I had it to do over, especially having more than one child, I would definitely look into cloth diapers. This would be even easier to consider with our youngest child, who doesn't even poop every day!

This is what the same site says about cloth:

Single use diapers range in price from $0.22 to $0.45 each. Cloth diapers pay for themselves within a six month period. After six months you diaper for almost free. A quick estimation of cost; Consumer Report estimates that the most inefficient washer and dryer system costs approximately $0.78 per load to launder whereas more efficient models will cost approximately $0.44 per load to launder. So wash your own, twice a week for between 44-78 cents including water, hydro and detergent or spend $16.94 to $22.05 for single use disposable diapers. Please keep in mind your child is in the large size single use disposable diaper for the longest stage of diapering and yes, they are the most expensive @ approximately $0.45 each.

I guess my Toonie Tuesday tip of using Teddy's Choice diapers is going off track - but perhaps you have a suggestions for a cheaper brand of diapers and/or baby wipes? We would love to hear from you. We will probably stick with these because they are easy for us to get and seem to be the cheapest option. As mentioned, they have also worked out okay for our family. I think it was on the Canadian Parent website that I read some negative reviews about them. Just a further note, if you buy this product and are not satisfied, you can return the remainder of the package or box for an exchange or possibly even a refund with your receipt. They have a satisfaction guarantee. I like products that have this. This is the benefit to buying the store brand of anything at Zehrs, Food Basics, Independent or whatever. Buy it and if you aren't completely satisfied, take it back!!!

Another good tip from a website I found called:

Ten Ways to Think Money-Smart

Frugality

You may define "frugal" as being "cheap." The dictionary defines "frugal" as "reflecting economy in the expenditure of resources."
Our notion of frugality has been shaped very much by Ebenezer Scrooge of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Scrooge only allowed his assistant one piece of coal to warm himself while working. Scrooge was cheap. He wasn't frugal.
Frugality doesn't mean being cheap. It means becoming a more conscious shopper and consumer and looking for ways to save money. For example, you can be frugal by buying generic brands (where the quality is no different) or by shopping at sales whenever possible.

SAVINGS: Toonie Tuesdays - Deals

Here is an idea, if Marriage Mondays doesn't take off -- TOONIE TUESDAYS...a day to share ideas on saving money, thrifty shopping and deals, deals, deals!!! At least I feel somewhat qualified to write on this topic, since I do happen to be an extremely thrifty (conscientious) shopper! I guess it could way beyond shopping to facts about saving money on household bills, deals on insurance, savings plans and SO MUCH MORE! I think there are probably lots of families that could benefit from sharing knowledge about SAVING MONEY!

So, what's my TOONIE TUESDAY TIP OF THE DAY? Well, I just found out that where we live, McDonald's has Hamburger Happy Meals for $1.99 on Tuesdays! I never saw myself as being a "McDonald's parent", and we really don't eat a lot of fast food, but check it out...

For $1.99 you get a hamburger, toy, fries OR apple slices and a drink. For a drink you can choose from a small white milk, small chocolate milk, juice or child-sized pop. ALSO, parents get a free coffee! That is a cheap trip to McDonald's and kind-of a fun outing, especially if your McDonald's has a Play Land, which ours does not. You can even feel good about promoting healthier choices by getting the milk and apples. We got one fries and one apples and split :) The coffee wasn't bad either!

Please submit your thoughts, ideas and thrifty secrets HERE or email me HERE and I will post them for you.