Confessions of a Frugal Shopper
 

Well, sort of............

This thread is for people who are looking for ways to save money. Not everyone is a Hyde or renn.sport and have money coming out of their ying/yang. It's more for struggling students, single parents, cheap Asians, Scotts, you name it. Not a freebies thread, because there's an awesome one for that.

This will be for the announcement of deals and sharing hidden secrets for saving money. Saving money on everyday shit.

I'll start off with something I took advantage of today.

Superstore is having a TV Sale. May not be screaming deals, but deals nonetheless. Starting yesterday and going on for three days, when you buy a television, you get 20 times the PC points. I bought a cheap 32 inch Samsung that was already reduced by 100 bucks and got 20 bucks or so in PC points. On top of that, because it totaled more than $250.00, I got a 25 dollar gift card, which is this week's bonus. The TV is for the kitchen, so a 720p 32 inch was perfect. I have two 52 inch TV's elsewhere in the house for watching the Canucks win the Stanley Cup this year :fullofwin:

Then off I went to Canadian Tire to use my $5.00 off coupon that was in their flyer. It's a scratch and save card with a minimum of $5.00 for free. I talked to the gal at the Coquitlam branch and she already had two customers who won $100.00 each!!

The Grandview Hwy location had three such winners according to just one cashier. The place was buzzing. I should have posted this earlier, but there's about three hours left for this one day promo.

and if you know good deals on food post here http://www.revscene.net/forums/662675-food-sales.html

:alonehappy:

Samples of other deals recently......


Safeway had a coupon for $1.50 0ff 4L milk of any kind. It ended yesterday, but deals like this come every so often.

Superstore had Uncle Bens Entrée Instant Rice packages on sale for $2.00 each (reg 2.79). It was a price match. On top of that, they had 75¢ off coupons, making each one only $1.25 each. This is the stuff that takes 2 minutes in the microwave. Not the lower priced ones where you have to actually cook it. My favourite flabours are the Risotto ones and Curry Chicken. There was a limit of 3 packages, but the coupons didn't. So, I went to a few different cashiers to make it worth my time. The packages had an expiry date of 12/12. Sadly, the price match ended on Friday. Coupons are still good for another week, though. So while the price match was on, the stuff sold for less than half the price.

If you're looking for pop (Coke products). No Frills has them for $1.00 each. If you don't live near a No Frills, use ther flyers and get price match at Superstore.

Damn, I'm sorry, man............ I don't go into any other part of RS. Well, except for *ahem* car audio thread.


........as for meat, No Frills has tenderloin pork for less than 3 bucks a pound (less than half the regular price).

for awhile (about a year) i barely paid anything for my old spice body wash/deodorant + random things like toothpaste and floss..

at london drugs yoy can coupon stack as long as the coupon is for the same product and has a different barcode..

so for example if you had a coupon for $3 off if you buy 2 bodywashes.. and you have a coupon that says $1 off one bodywash.. you can use one of the $3 coupons and 2 of the $1 coupons

and sometimes online sources of coupons will give you the exact same coupon as the printed flyer source.. (but different barcode!) so that's 6 coupons for 2 items.. you still have to pay tax, and some coupons state you cannot stack.. so read the rules to avoid embarrassment :)

happy couponing :D

i stopped though.. cuz its a pain in the pass to collect them

^we do what we can to make ends meet........ a dollar saved is a dollar earned.

a tip: don't join bargain-hunting communities like redflagdeals

you spend money on useless shit you don't need...and try to justify the purchase with silly rationales

agree........ I don't even read their stuff anymore. Kind of like a feeding frenzy, hype type of site.

I get more useful info right here on RS.

Hot deals!!!

RFD is useful if you have self control. I usually have a few things I'm on the lookout for, so when I see them come up on RFD, it can be advantageous.

The people who hoard or buy something just to save money... those are the :facepalm: worthy ones.

Thanks for starting the thread, MG1!

Yeah, there's a fine line between hoarding and saving. You need lots of freezer space and keep an eye on rotating stock and keeping track of when things go on sale. With no Frills, I'm starting to get a feel of when and how often shit goes on sale. For example, I love Pom Wonderful Pomegranate Juice. I drink the stuff regularly, but not much. It has a limited shelf life once opened. Ths is why the small bottles suit me. The large 1.7 litre bottle they sell at Costco will spoil, as you have to drink the stuff within 14 days of opening. The small bottles were on sale last week at No Frills for 2 bucks each. Cheaper than Costco. The bottles have best before date of June 10th.

With No Frills and Superstore, their websites give a preview of next week's sale at midnight Wednesday. That gives you Thursday to shop for sale items that will end that day, as new prices start on Friday. Buy the stuff at last possible moment to get it as fresh as possible.

Most of the time, No Frills have two week sales, so knowing the change in prices makes good sense.

Canned goods. You need to know shelf life of items. Like canned salmon, for example. It is edible for a long ass time, but taste and quality deteriorates after a certain number of years. I bought a few cases of Sockeye Salmon for an incredible price (just over $1.40 for 1/2 lb can). I'm a little worried right now, because the kids used to like the stuff, but not so much these days. I have about 16 months before it starts to lose flavour and texture. Must be more creative with salmon recipe's. LOL

Salmon Pouf. Salmon, peas, corn, green onion wrapped in phyllo then oven baked. Throw some Franks in a can of mushroom soup for sauce = magic. I use leftover salmon for this recipe normally as my freezer is usually stocked with salmon but I'm sure canned would be fine.

We should start a leftovers thread in Food and Fine Dining if there isnt one already...

exactly. i was on the lookout for a small 32" for my sister and i saw them have a deal at best buy for a panasonic for $229. it was good timing.

now i'm on the lookout for a cheap 32" LED for myself in a similar price range :P

where did you get the coupons from and do they still have them?

Scratched a $50 for Canadian Tire on Sat, bf got a Sherwood hockey stick, we got a 32cm TFAL frying back for $19 (reg price $65), 24 double roll Charmin, and a bag of Miss Vickies minus $50 = $8.77 hella good deals, I think most people would've just scratched a $5 or $10

One of the biggest things you can do to save money is to limit your driving. Although I love driving, I take public transit most of the time and only drive for pleasure. This alone has saves me tones of money every year which I plow back into my investments-which makes me even more money.

Another thing is to think long term and not short term with your purchases. For example, most people think saving a few bucks up front is smart but in most instances, it's probably not the best move. I try to think of everything in terms of ROI (return on investment) and not just sticker price. For example, I am very happy to pay a few hundred bucks extra for a nice Gore-Tex Pro jacket that will protect me from the elements and keep me comfortable for 10+ years over a cheaper jacket that will offer less protection/comfort and will only last me 2-3 years. With this strategy, I also save untold amounts of time/money by not having to commute/shop so much.

Lastly, by far the best strategy to saving money is to not spend at all. As the author of "The Ultimate Cheapskate" says, always think of your return-on-non-invesmtent. Think of not just the money, but the amount of work you will have to do to earn the bucks to buy that jacket or whatever that you don't need anyway. Do you value the jacket/purse more, or your time more (which, as Emerson says, "is the stuff life is made of"). :D

Save money = Craigslist for certain items like Canucks tickets, car parts, other toys that would otherwise be retail prices. Also, Ebates is another good place to save money for most online shopping.

Other than that, try to eat out less. It adds up a lot.
Posted via RS Mobile

I save by not going out.......
Also if you play computer games form time to time steam will offer like free weekends for certain games for you to try. I usually play those.

Maybe I'll get flamed, but:

Being a frugal cheapskate is great, but there has to be a balance between spending and saving money. If you stay at home on the weekend and do nothing but play video games to save money instead of possibly spending some to experience new things or connect with people, or most importantly, spending time and energy that could earn you new income, I think that's an issue.
Posted via RS Mobile

Agreed. Balance in life is also important besides saving money.

In regards to RFD, I don't know if you guys know of their alert feature?
You pretty much just put in a key word and any time someone posts a deal with your key word you get an email.

RedFlagDeals Topic Alerts
(You have to be logged in for it to work)

This has saved me time looking through the forums.
I needed a cheap monochrome laser printer and I just put in "laser printer" and I would get alerts for them.

Ended up buying one for $30 because of the alert as I don't check RFD daily any more.
And this way, you won't get suckered into buying something you see as a good deal.

I get my gas in the states. I cross the border with 3 25l Jerry cans. It works out to a 7 dollar savings each and 20 dollar savings in my pathfinders gas tank. I save about 40 bucks a trip.
Posted via RS Mobile

I also buy groceries while I Blaine if it's cheaper.

excellent tip..didnt realize RFD has this function as another site i follow has it.

openboxco is a great place to find some cheaper electronics. Usually returned stuff or showcase products that never sold. I got a 42" sony bravia for 300$ a couple years back.


Eh, i've been doing just that for the past 6 months because im forced to not because I choose to.

Mailout Coupons - Extreme Couponing Canada

Printable Coupons - Extreme Couponing Canada

i mainly did the P&G mail-in coupons and flyer coupons but this site looks like they go ape shit for coupons.

There are lots of things you can do for free.

Like......... Kits Beach i nthe summer..........:fullofwin: j/k

community centres, libraries, events at shopping malls, and.......... RS car meets, LOL. As long as they aren't troll meets. :okay: