Everyone loves a good deal. But even more: “that friend” who always seems to have the latest scoop on sales, deals and coupons.
We all know at least one friend who fits the bill. Though I’ve encountered many savings-minded friends, my first true “savvy yuppie” friend is a former colleague of mine who we will name Zac. Always in the know about the latest clothing sales and travel deals, Zac could (and still can) be relied upon to rally the troops for lunchtime visits to the mall or arm the team with booklets of printed coupons for outlet malls adjacent to conference locations. Although he is an incredible shopper, Zac’s best talent is finding amazing vacations for incredibly low prices. New York, Orlando, Caribbean cruises… so many of us wondered just how he pulled it off, time after time.
Fortunately, when it comes to sharing information on the best deals in town/around the world, Zac always has an “open-door policy”. If only I had known how helpful his tips and mindset would be in the years to come.
Recently, I made the move from Ontario to British Columbia. This was my second move from Ontario to British Columbia in the last ten years; the last occasion was for post-secondary education. As a university student, maintaining a budget was always on most people’s minds. That said, living a “no frills” lifestyle was somewhat easy in that everyone was doing it! As a result, I didn’t fully encounter the financial impact of living in BC, which my aunt affectionately refers to as “Bring Cash” (Yes: she’s from Alberta).
The last few months have provided me with some additional perspective of the cost of living in this beautiful (but admittedly expensive) province. Groceries, gas, and especially housing… it seems that most of my monthly expenses would rival those of someone living in downtown Toronto. And I assure you, I am not living in downtown Vancouver… in fact, five hours away in the Okanagan (a region located in south-central BC).
I quickly realized that the more I was able to take advantage of sales and special offers, the more I would be able to take advantage of the many amazing activities available in my new surroundings. It would also support me towards continuing to save for important life purchases that typical 20-somethings have on their radar.
It seems I’ve now become the “Zac” of my workplace. By sharing my “shopping savvy” with others, I notice an increased awareness of:
- the quickest ways to rack up airmiles and aeroplan points
- the wonders of beyondtherack.com
- how to get a free coupon book when you visit an outlet mall in the USA
- how to find and use promo codes
- “average person” couponing strategies (not to be confused with “extreme couponing”)
- What the term “Blue Tag Thursdays” means
It’s fun to see the look on a friend’s face when you’ve helped them to save a few dollars. They usually return the favour. That is what I am hoping this blog will provide: a forum for like-minded individuals to help one another towards their goals.
So come back often. I will be posting articles on tips of the trade that I’ve stumbled upon. If there’s a particular topic you’re interested in seeing, by all means please e-mail me at somyfriendtellsme@gmail.com
Also, if you follow me on twitter (@myfriendtellsme), I will be posting interesting deals as I come across them. Feel free to send me tweets of examples you’ve noticed and I will do my best to share them with others who are following the feed.
I hope that each of you will find something helpful in this blog as it unfolds. It would especially mean a lot to provide helpful insights for fellow “up-and-coming twenty-somethings” who are working so very hard to get their financial feet underneath them.
Until my next entry, keep your eye out for any great deals. I look forward to hearing about them!
Until next time, save-on my friends,
Little Miss Savings
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