Couponing requires a great deal of organizational skills! They aren't kidding when they tell you to get a binder and get sorted out. I have so man coupons right now, they are just in piles and to tell you the truth, I started avoiding them!!
Actually I am trying to start a coupon train in order to share the wealth - now I have so many coupons I can't possibly use them all and I most definitely need to pass them on because something in my head has clicked and says "NO you can't throw that out, it's MONEY". Here's the big thing about saving money that a lot of people don't GET: You are not 'saving' money by purchasing something on sale if you aren't going to use it. That my friends is pretty much as good as burning your money or tossing it in the garbage. So with all these coupons I now have, I really won't be able to use most of them but that doesn't mean that somebody else couldn't use them and in turn send some that I could use back to me! That's how the train works so I'm excited to get started - if only we could find more people who are interested - two people doesn't make much of a train.
Back to organization. I need to get organized. I don't like the idea of having a big huge binder so I'm thinking small scale. Perhaps a business card holder from the dollar store? Or maybe one of those cute little photo albums where you slide the pictures in. I think something small like that would work just as well and not take up quite so much space. (I do still have to haul around a diaper bag and purse after all) I'm also going to pick up some paper clips and one of those erasable note boards from the dollar store. I have a pushpin board and some sticky tabs already so I'll put those to good use. I want to use the erasable board so I can keep track of great prices on specific items so I know a great deal when I see it.
I also think that making some lists may come in handy. A list of which items my household uses all the time that don't expire so I have something I can look out for. If I get really smart I may actually start to schedule purchases like these so that I'm only needing to restock one thing at a time.
I also want to draw your attention to a couple amazing deals I've come across!
This week Walmart has Gillette shave gel on sale (20% bonus cans) for $2.46 each. I had a coupon from the most recent P&G Brandsaver where if you buy 3 Gillette products you get $5 off making it $2.38 for three or 80c each. I went to pick them up and had to double check the flyer because on the shelf they were marked regular price. I grabbed three and went to check out. They rang up at $1.88 each!! We paid 64 cents for ALL THREE! That's 21 cents a piece!
Also, Zellers has Charmin toilet paper on sale this week. It's a pretty good price for Charmin which is usually a little on the pricey side. I believe it was $8.99 and I used a coupon to increase my savings but the kicker is that the package comes with $20 in coupons!! This is also a big thing to watch for when choosing the items you are purchasing. Watch for on product coupons! Like I told you before once you open your eyes they are everywhere!
That's it for this week - hopefully I'll have some awesome deals to tell you about next week too. If you happen to be interested in being part of the coupon train let me know! Happy Shopping!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Update: Identity Theft? I'm always so careful.
I received a phone call from a wonderful man at Telus today. He was extremely pleasant to deal with and sounded genuinely concerned about my issue.
Basically, all is well in the world. My identity is safe and the man I had dealings with before was in fact calling on behalf of Telus. I got the impression that he is contracted out (and probably has a quota to fill) so not a direct employee but legitimate all the same. I was able to voice my frustrations with being 'pushed' into something that wasn't what I had wanted and he did confirm that what I was told I was signing up for was not in fact what I was getting so I was right to look into it further. Had I not done so I would've ended up with several hundreds of dollars in charges that were not covered in the plan I was put on.
I want to say thank you very much - you made my day Mr G. from Telus.
So now what should I have done to begin with? I should've just hung up on the guy!! Seriously nobody was forcing me to stay on the phone - I know it's rude but in these cases its really just better all around to hang up! It doesn't matter that this particular situation wasn't a scam. It was still a huge headache that could've been avoided had I had the balls to just hang up the phone when the guy started being persistent.
Basically, all is well in the world. My identity is safe and the man I had dealings with before was in fact calling on behalf of Telus. I got the impression that he is contracted out (and probably has a quota to fill) so not a direct employee but legitimate all the same. I was able to voice my frustrations with being 'pushed' into something that wasn't what I had wanted and he did confirm that what I was told I was signing up for was not in fact what I was getting so I was right to look into it further. Had I not done so I would've ended up with several hundreds of dollars in charges that were not covered in the plan I was put on.
I want to say thank you very much - you made my day Mr G. from Telus.
So now what should I have done to begin with? I should've just hung up on the guy!! Seriously nobody was forcing me to stay on the phone - I know it's rude but in these cases its really just better all around to hang up! It doesn't matter that this particular situation wasn't a scam. It was still a huge headache that could've been avoided had I had the balls to just hang up the phone when the guy started being persistent.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Identity Theft? I'm always so careful...
Below is a copy of what I have forwarded to Telus in hopes of resolving this issue and alleviating my fears that I have just been a victim of identity theft.
I appreciate the help and service I received at my local store in Prince George BC (ABC Communications) they were very helpful and the lady even gave my son a toy to play with while I dealt with everything.
I'm VERY concerned about the information this man has about me though. I was told it wasn't Telus that was making these calls. If that is the case then how on EARTH does this man have my account information? He obviously has access to your systems somehow. I am seriously concerned about my identity at this point and am considering closing out my account and both cell phones on it in order to prevent this happening in the future. I'd like to know if there is anything that you can do to alleviate my fears. Who was this man that called me? Does he even WORK for your company? If not then how is it that he has access to your customer information?
Thank you so much for looking into this for me. I greatly appreciate the service I have had from Telus in the past and today.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm currently on a prepaid plan. I was contacted by a gentleman at 1-866-360-1448 telling me he could put me on a monthly plan that would be a better deal than what I'm currently paying. I receive mail from Telus requesting this all the time so I listened to what he had to say. He wouldn't take no for an answer and pushed to verify my information. He essentially HAD all my info to which I answered yes to verify everything. Then he requested my pin in order to prove it was me. Then he requested my DL# and SIN # I gave the DL without thinking first (I have an infant that was babbling in my other ear at the time) and then refused to give my SIN to which he suddenly changed his tune and didn't need it. I felt weird after getting off the phone and went to my Telus dealer to verify that everything he'd said was true. It wasn't. He had somehow changed my plan but it didn't have the special deals he'd told me I would have. I requested that they change me back to Prepaid immediately and they have done that. I am to wait 3 business days to receive my previous balance back on my account. (nearly $100 because I had just purchase a new card)I appreciate the help and service I received at my local store in Prince George BC (ABC Communications) they were very helpful and the lady even gave my son a toy to play with while I dealt with everything.
I'm VERY concerned about the information this man has about me though. I was told it wasn't Telus that was making these calls. If that is the case then how on EARTH does this man have my account information? He obviously has access to your systems somehow. I am seriously concerned about my identity at this point and am considering closing out my account and both cell phones on it in order to prevent this happening in the future. I'd like to know if there is anything that you can do to alleviate my fears. Who was this man that called me? Does he even WORK for your company? If not then how is it that he has access to your customer information?
Thank you so much for looking into this for me. I greatly appreciate the service I have had from Telus in the past and today.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PLEASE be careful everybody - LISTEN to your gut! Even if you are distracted, it's not worth the headache when you don't.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Canadian Couponing
OK I admit it, I'm fascinated by this Extreme Couponing show on TLC. They go in with coupons and come out with 4 carts of groceries for less than $50 bucks every time! It's insane!! But guess what fellow Canadians, that just doesn't work here.
Why? Well we have rules on our coupons, and our stores don't have slack policies like the ones of our Southern neighbors. Our coupons have limits per items purchased, and limits of how many coupons you can use (not 50 of the same in one visit like you see on the show). Their stores do double and triple coupon savings where ours definitely do NOT. A lot of their stores allow overages which are basically $ back if the coupon is more than the sale price of the item. Only one store that I've found has a policy that will allow this in Canada and that's Walmart (American company, go figure). Some of their stores offer coupons to be used at the next visit that are issued on the purchase receipt (they call these Catalinas) but there is only one store that I know of that does this here too and that's Safeway.
So how do we Canadians even begin to save that kind of money? Well, I'm learning as I go, and I've only just started but here's some of the awesome things I have found so far.
You have to get coupons first and foremost. You can't use them if you don't have them! So where do you get them? Newspapers, magazines, stores, online, they are EVERYWHERE when you open your eyes and start looking!
Newspapers usually have a weekly flyer bundle that comes out before the weekend (ours is Thursday) which is good to have, you want to know where the sales are. I've noticed that once a month (approx) there will be a coupon flyer in one of these papers. They are EASY to miss so keep your eyes open. If the deals are good, I would consider purchasing a couple more papers. I'm serious if the coupons are great, the couple dollars you spend on the papers won't even matter!
Magazines are a good place to look for beauty coupons and things. Sometimes you can get them free by asking people in your office to bring them in when they are done but remember there's expiration dates so make sure you check them before you get too excited. I've also recently heard about a magazine distributed by Walmart called All You. This magazine has coupons in it and is only a couple dollars to purchase (again worth buying more than one if the deals inside are ones you'd use). I've not had the chance to confirm All You's availability in Canadian stores, but you can order the subscription from their website from Canada so my hopes are high.
Stores are a great place to find coupons. When I was young, money was tight and my mom used coupons a lot especially for baby items when my little brother came along. I remember when we'd go grocery shopping I would take the stroller and keep him busy wandering the aisles looking for coupons. They are still there but they're harder to find! You really have to keep your eyes open and 'scout' for them. They quite often will be in a machine that dispenses them but this machine might be hard to see. Just scan the shelves and anything sticking out from it could be a coupon. I just picked up 9 in one store for a total of more than $23!
Online is a wondrous new world for people looking for coupons. There are forums where you can share your deals and look for others people have found. There's even instruction videos from some of the long time couponers that you can watch! I have found four websites so far that offer the ability to register, then choose the coupons you want and have them mailed to you at absolutely no cost! I'm sure there's others out there but I haven't found them yet, if you know of some let me know so I can check them out. Here's a list of the ones I've used so far.
https://www.websaver.ca/en_ca/
http://www.gocoupons.ca/home.html
http://save.ca/
http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.com/pgeds/pg-brandsaver-samples-coupons.jsp
I just found that last one this morning actually and I should mention they do have free samples available from time to time and are also the same as the coupon flyer I mentioned above. It actually tells you on the website that the next one will be issues June 5, 2011! How's that for a good tip!
I'm going to stop there but I'll be back with more info on HOW to use coupons for the best benefit and other tips I've found to save $ so start collecting those coupons and if you have any tips for me please leave a comment and let me know!
Why? Well we have rules on our coupons, and our stores don't have slack policies like the ones of our Southern neighbors. Our coupons have limits per items purchased, and limits of how many coupons you can use (not 50 of the same in one visit like you see on the show). Their stores do double and triple coupon savings where ours definitely do NOT. A lot of their stores allow overages which are basically $ back if the coupon is more than the sale price of the item. Only one store that I've found has a policy that will allow this in Canada and that's Walmart (American company, go figure). Some of their stores offer coupons to be used at the next visit that are issued on the purchase receipt (they call these Catalinas) but there is only one store that I know of that does this here too and that's Safeway.
So how do we Canadians even begin to save that kind of money? Well, I'm learning as I go, and I've only just started but here's some of the awesome things I have found so far.
You have to get coupons first and foremost. You can't use them if you don't have them! So where do you get them? Newspapers, magazines, stores, online, they are EVERYWHERE when you open your eyes and start looking!
Newspapers usually have a weekly flyer bundle that comes out before the weekend (ours is Thursday) which is good to have, you want to know where the sales are. I've noticed that once a month (approx) there will be a coupon flyer in one of these papers. They are EASY to miss so keep your eyes open. If the deals are good, I would consider purchasing a couple more papers. I'm serious if the coupons are great, the couple dollars you spend on the papers won't even matter!
Magazines are a good place to look for beauty coupons and things. Sometimes you can get them free by asking people in your office to bring them in when they are done but remember there's expiration dates so make sure you check them before you get too excited. I've also recently heard about a magazine distributed by Walmart called All You. This magazine has coupons in it and is only a couple dollars to purchase (again worth buying more than one if the deals inside are ones you'd use). I've not had the chance to confirm All You's availability in Canadian stores, but you can order the subscription from their website from Canada so my hopes are high.
Stores are a great place to find coupons. When I was young, money was tight and my mom used coupons a lot especially for baby items when my little brother came along. I remember when we'd go grocery shopping I would take the stroller and keep him busy wandering the aisles looking for coupons. They are still there but they're harder to find! You really have to keep your eyes open and 'scout' for them. They quite often will be in a machine that dispenses them but this machine might be hard to see. Just scan the shelves and anything sticking out from it could be a coupon. I just picked up 9 in one store for a total of more than $23!
Online is a wondrous new world for people looking for coupons. There are forums where you can share your deals and look for others people have found. There's even instruction videos from some of the long time couponers that you can watch! I have found four websites so far that offer the ability to register, then choose the coupons you want and have them mailed to you at absolutely no cost! I'm sure there's others out there but I haven't found them yet, if you know of some let me know so I can check them out. Here's a list of the ones I've used so far.
https://www.websaver.ca/en_ca/
http://www.gocoupons.ca/home.html
http://save.ca/
http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.com/pgeds/pg-brandsaver-samples-coupons.jsp
I just found that last one this morning actually and I should mention they do have free samples available from time to time and are also the same as the coupon flyer I mentioned above. It actually tells you on the website that the next one will be issues June 5, 2011! How's that for a good tip!
I'm going to stop there but I'll be back with more info on HOW to use coupons for the best benefit and other tips I've found to save $ so start collecting those coupons and if you have any tips for me please leave a comment and let me know!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Breastfeeding is a process not a plan (My BF Journey)
In the beginning of my baby journey I decided I was going to breastfeed my child. I know it is absolutely the best option nutritionally I could give my unborn baby. I had no plan for duration, only that I would try my very best to make it to 6 months and that if I was ever bitten I was done. I was naive.
Breastfeeding is a process not a plan. You can't map it out before hand. You can't listen to your friend's and family's experiences as a "How To" manual. There are no two mothers or two babies that are alike and therefore nobody can tell you what it will be like to nurse your baby.
I started off on a mission but quickly wanted to give up and run away after a couple weeks. We actually were lucky, my boy latched well and he fed easily. I had pain and discomfort very quickly on though and no idea why. Breastfeeding isn't supposed to hurt. I pressed on, trying everything I could think of until at 2 months old we finally learned he had thrush. No wonder it was so awful! We treated the thrush and the pain ceased.
At about 4 months I went through another "I'm not gonna make it" phase and wanted to quit. I wasn't in pain anymore and everything was essentially going well but I was just tired of it. I was exhausted from lack of sleep and the energy it takes to feed a baby several times a day and night. I had little birdies telling me I wasn't making enough milk to fill him up and that's why he wasn't sleeping. I felt like I was broken again and sought support in making a decision to quit. Instead I found support to continue, and that's what we did.
At 6 months I was excited and ready to be done. I had drawn the line in the sand two months before, telling myself that was it, I only had so long to go and then I'd be DONE. I could move on. I could be ME again. Then all hell broke loose when we tried to offer formula. I never imagined he would refuse it. It wasn't in the plan for him to go on hunger strikes and scream for hours on end because he hated what I was trying to give him. I tried every idea in the book to get him to take a bottle again, or a sippy cup or anything other than my boob.
He wanted nothing to do with any of it. My husband never wanted to use formula anyways so he was no help although he did try, his attitude was clear to our son. So again, I gave in and continued on.
I feel like I went through the stages of grief at each phase of this journey. I was angry and resentful that nothing was going my way especially at the 6 month mark. I had told myself for so long that was the end of the line and I had looked at it like a light at the end of the tunnel. I started to fall into depression a few times but thankfully was able to see it and deal with it before it got too severe.
Then something changed. I started watching my boy as he grows and learns and I realized that I did that. I gave him the nourishment he needed to thrive. By some miracle of nature it's my body and only my body that can make the milk that is exactly right for him and because of that his body continues to grow. The miracle that is the human brain is developing and learning and turning him into the little man that I love SO much. I became proud of my accomplishment. And that pride somehow turned into acceptance.
Everybody always says it gets better, and if you are struggling with it when you hear those words you probably want to slap the person saying them. I know I did. But it's TRUE. If you can push on and persevere through the hard times it really does get better.
Early on I wouldn't spend much time watching my son nurse, but now when I see his eyes looking up at me, my heart melts just a little.
Breastfeeding is a process, it doesn't just 'work' so if it isn't working for you, seek out support. Friends, LLL groups, websites, or blogs. Even Twitter has been an enormous help to me. If you feel so inclined look me up @Cbearsmamma or leave me a comment. :o)
Breastfeeding is a process not a plan. You can't map it out before hand. You can't listen to your friend's and family's experiences as a "How To" manual. There are no two mothers or two babies that are alike and therefore nobody can tell you what it will be like to nurse your baby.
I started off on a mission but quickly wanted to give up and run away after a couple weeks. We actually were lucky, my boy latched well and he fed easily. I had pain and discomfort very quickly on though and no idea why. Breastfeeding isn't supposed to hurt. I pressed on, trying everything I could think of until at 2 months old we finally learned he had thrush. No wonder it was so awful! We treated the thrush and the pain ceased.
At about 4 months I went through another "I'm not gonna make it" phase and wanted to quit. I wasn't in pain anymore and everything was essentially going well but I was just tired of it. I was exhausted from lack of sleep and the energy it takes to feed a baby several times a day and night. I had little birdies telling me I wasn't making enough milk to fill him up and that's why he wasn't sleeping. I felt like I was broken again and sought support in making a decision to quit. Instead I found support to continue, and that's what we did.
At 6 months I was excited and ready to be done. I had drawn the line in the sand two months before, telling myself that was it, I only had so long to go and then I'd be DONE. I could move on. I could be ME again. Then all hell broke loose when we tried to offer formula. I never imagined he would refuse it. It wasn't in the plan for him to go on hunger strikes and scream for hours on end because he hated what I was trying to give him. I tried every idea in the book to get him to take a bottle again, or a sippy cup or anything other than my boob.
He wanted nothing to do with any of it. My husband never wanted to use formula anyways so he was no help although he did try, his attitude was clear to our son. So again, I gave in and continued on.
I feel like I went through the stages of grief at each phase of this journey. I was angry and resentful that nothing was going my way especially at the 6 month mark. I had told myself for so long that was the end of the line and I had looked at it like a light at the end of the tunnel. I started to fall into depression a few times but thankfully was able to see it and deal with it before it got too severe.
Then something changed. I started watching my boy as he grows and learns and I realized that I did that. I gave him the nourishment he needed to thrive. By some miracle of nature it's my body and only my body that can make the milk that is exactly right for him and because of that his body continues to grow. The miracle that is the human brain is developing and learning and turning him into the little man that I love SO much. I became proud of my accomplishment. And that pride somehow turned into acceptance.
Everybody always says it gets better, and if you are struggling with it when you hear those words you probably want to slap the person saying them. I know I did. But it's TRUE. If you can push on and persevere through the hard times it really does get better.
Early on I wouldn't spend much time watching my son nurse, but now when I see his eyes looking up at me, my heart melts just a little.
Breastfeeding is a process, it doesn't just 'work' so if it isn't working for you, seek out support. Friends, LLL groups, websites, or blogs. Even Twitter has been an enormous help to me. If you feel so inclined look me up @Cbearsmamma or leave me a comment. :o)
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Full Stream Ahead
Boys. We all know to be careful when dealing with boys and diapers right? Well my boy is sneaky and devious in that he hasn't so much as dribbled without a diaper on in months! So I let me guard down.
Yes, that's right, I let my guard down. How could I? We all know the routine:
1. Open the diaper and throw a cloth over him so the fountain has nowhere to go.
2. Wipe the area clean and have an already waiting diaper available for quick install and wrap up.
3. Ensure everything is in correct position and complete the seal on the package.
4. NOW you can create the well known diaper burrito and toss into the genie.
Well, he's been so good lately so I've relaxed a little from the newborn stage where diaper changes took me a total of 1.3 minutes including fumble time for the untrained hands. I'm convinced he's been planning his attack for months now knowing that eventually he could take me down without my suspicions getting in the way! The last time he did it he peed on his own face so I think he was aiming for a little payback this time. Teach me for laughing right?
I left out the last bit of step 2. I didn't have the fresh diaper waiting, I reached for it and as I was opening it the fountain started. Not a dribble or a splash, full stream ahead past the end of the change pad and onto the carpet! Lucky I was preoccupied and the babe has yet to learn to aim or he would have had his revenge and I'd have pee up my nose. And when I looked at him in shock, unsure of how to react, what did he do? He started giggling like his master plan had just worked exactly as he'd envisioned and victory was his. Seriously I've never heard a baby master the art of the evil laugh until this morning!
So a word to the wise. Never let your guard down, just when you think the uncontrolled pee accidents have ended, you have a whole new issue at hand and they begin doing it because they think it's funny.
It's a good thing he's cute!
Yes, that's right, I let my guard down. How could I? We all know the routine:
1. Open the diaper and throw a cloth over him so the fountain has nowhere to go.
2. Wipe the area clean and have an already waiting diaper available for quick install and wrap up.
3. Ensure everything is in correct position and complete the seal on the package.
4. NOW you can create the well known diaper burrito and toss into the genie.
Well, he's been so good lately so I've relaxed a little from the newborn stage where diaper changes took me a total of 1.3 minutes including fumble time for the untrained hands. I'm convinced he's been planning his attack for months now knowing that eventually he could take me down without my suspicions getting in the way! The last time he did it he peed on his own face so I think he was aiming for a little payback this time. Teach me for laughing right?
I left out the last bit of step 2. I didn't have the fresh diaper waiting, I reached for it and as I was opening it the fountain started. Not a dribble or a splash, full stream ahead past the end of the change pad and onto the carpet! Lucky I was preoccupied and the babe has yet to learn to aim or he would have had his revenge and I'd have pee up my nose. And when I looked at him in shock, unsure of how to react, what did he do? He started giggling like his master plan had just worked exactly as he'd envisioned and victory was his. Seriously I've never heard a baby master the art of the evil laugh until this morning!
So a word to the wise. Never let your guard down, just when you think the uncontrolled pee accidents have ended, you have a whole new issue at hand and they begin doing it because they think it's funny.
It's a good thing he's cute!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
We're BACK
Taking a 4 month hiatus is maybe not the best way to feel more comfortable with my writing. SO I'm back! I don't know what I'm going to write about but hopefully between my crazy cats and my 8 month old son we'll all come up with something interesting. And if not, well there's always books!
Spring is on it's way and I'm tired of telling myself that I don't have time for all the things I love to do; Writing especially.
As I type now, I can hear my son playing in the living room with my wonderful husband. Daddy is teaching him colours. Good Daddy. He's biting Daddy's nose. Good boy.
I would love to ramble on about some fun thing we did like jamming cheerios where they don't belong or picking my nose in the grocery store but for now I'll leave on a high note, happy that I accomplished this little note at the very least today so I don't start off on the wrong foot again and go for another 4 months before coming back here.
Carter: Not quite sure what he did with his cheerio this time. Boy do I LOVE this kid.
Spring is on it's way and I'm tired of telling myself that I don't have time for all the things I love to do; Writing especially.
As I type now, I can hear my son playing in the living room with my wonderful husband. Daddy is teaching him colours. Good Daddy. He's biting Daddy's nose. Good boy.
I would love to ramble on about some fun thing we did like jamming cheerios where they don't belong or picking my nose in the grocery store but for now I'll leave on a high note, happy that I accomplished this little note at the very least today so I don't start off on the wrong foot again and go for another 4 months before coming back here.
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