How to get 52 loads of Tide Laundry Detergent for $8.18! (taxes included)

If you can find a better price than this, please let me know!

Tide laundry detergent is great but tends to be on the expensive side as we all know. That is, unless you watch your local Pharmasave flyer!

Every so often, Pharmasave offers 26 load bottles of Tide for $4.99 plus tax. It's pretty much the best price in town, at least from what I can recall.

What makes this deal even better: having a Brandsaver coupon for $3.00 off any two Tide liquid detergents (26 loads or higher).

The math:

$4.99 + $4.99= $6.98

Add taxes ($1.20) and your total is....

$8.18 for 52 loads of laundry!

I should mention there is a two bottle limit per customer.

Don't have a Pharmasave where you live? Check out your local Shoppers Drug Mart. 26 load bottles of Tide are on sale for $5.99 at some locations. A little more expensive, but still a good deal.

Tweet and get $5 at Amazon Instant Video

For friends south-of-the-border in the USA, here is a deal especially for you:

Tweet and get $5 at Amazon Instant Video

You can use your credit to rent movies, watch individual episodes as well as seasons of your favourite TV shows. Over 100,000 movies and TV shows are available.

All you need is an Amazon.com account and a Twitter account! To receive the credit, you need to visit the above website and click buttons to follow Amazon Instant Video and Amazon Movies & TV on Twitter as well as Tweet the message "I just got a $5 credit for instant movies and TV shows @amazonvideo. Click http://amzn.to/oXQePf to get yours. #get5" (this will be automatically tweeted from your account).

You must complete these steps by July 19, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST to receive the $5 credit.

Please see the Amazon Instant Video website for full details and restrictions.

Enjoy!

City Passes- a great way to save while you travel!

Above video was embedded via YouTube. Great video by City PASS

Over the course of my travels, I've been noticing more and more that cities are offering City Passes aka. discount cards to popular attractions in the area. If you are planning on sight-seeing, a great idea to check into the availability of a city pass program for your destination. Here are some links to one company's offerings (CityPASS) that may help:

Atlanta CityPASS: Visit the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca Cola, Inside CNN Studio Tour, High Museum of Art OR Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Zoo Atlanta OR Atlanta History Center. And save 51% in the process!

Boston CityPASS: See the New England Aquarium, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Science, Skywalk Observatory, Harvard Museum of Natural History OR John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. All while saving 49%!

Chicago CityPASS: Visit the Shedd Aquarium, The Field Museum, Skydeck Chicago, Adler Planetarium OR Art Institute of Chicago, John Hancock Observatory OR Museum of Science and Industry. All for 52% less.

Hollywood CityPASS: Save 46% with admission to Red Line Tours Hollywood- Behind the Scenes, Starline Tours of Hollywood, Madame Tussauds Hollywood, Kodak THEATRE guided tour OR The Hollywood Museum.

Houston CityPASS: Save 41% with visits to Space Center Houston, Downtown Aquarium, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston Zoo OR The Health Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts OR The Children's Museum of Houston.

Philadelphia CityPASS: Save 47% on admission to The Franklin Institute, Adventure Aquarium, Phila Trolley Works Tour and The Big Bus Company, Philadelphia Zoo, The Academy of Natural Sciences OR National Constitution Center, Please Touch Museum OR Eastern State Penitentiary.

New York CityPASS: Save 49% with this pass, which provides admission to the Empire State Building, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Museum of Natural History, The Museum of Modern Art, Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island OR Circle Line Cruise, Top of the Rock OR Guggenheim Museum.

San Francisco CityPASS: Unlimited cable car rides + 48% savings on admission to California Academy of Sciences, Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise, Aquarium of the Bay, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, de Young Museum OR Exploratorum.

Seattle CityPASS: Save 51% on admission to the Space Needle, the Pacific Science Center, Seattle Aquarium, Argosy Cruises Seattle Harbor Tour, Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum, Woodland Park Zoo OR Museum of Flight.

Toronto CityPASS: Save 45% with this pass, which provides admission to the CN Tower, Casa Loma, Ontario Science Museum, Royal Ontario Museum and the Toronto Zoo.

They also offer a special bundle package for attractions in Southern California which includes Disneyland, California Adventure, Universal Studios Hollywood, SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo OR San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

Please note that the above details are subject to change. For full, up-to-date information, please see the CityPASS website.

Personally, I like the NYC CityPASS: it's very good value, considering the price of admission to each of the participating venues. If you're planning on seeing all or most of these attractions, a good idea to investigate whether the pass will provide you with savings.

So where will you go next?

25% off Sale + 5x Air Miles event at Banana Republic.ca!

Just a quick note to pass along that BananaRepublic is having a 25%-off sale in-store and online until July 17th, 2011. To receive the discount online, use the promo code BRSAVE25 upon checkout.

Please note that the sale does not include shoes, bags, items from the Monogram and Heritage collections as well as items from the Factory stores. See the website for full details.

And the deal is even sweeter: Airmilesshops.ca is having a "5x the Air Miles" event for Banana Republic.ca until July 18th, 2011. This means that you will earn 5 Air Miles for every $20 spent. See Airmilesshops.ca for further details and conditions.

A great idea to check out the sale before time runs out. Especially if you are an Air Miles collector. Happy shopping!

Why should I register my Starbucks Card?

So I am currently stuck in the middle of a thunderstorm... crept up out of nowhere in the middle of a walk to the grocery store. Since I have taken cover in a local Starbucks, I thought I would take some time to discuss the benefits of registering your Starbucks card.

Originally, it was necessary to register a Starbucks Card in order to access free wireless in stores. Because this is no longer necessary, you might wonder what the benefits are for registering your card. From my perspective, there are several key benefits

1. The ability to transfer the balance of one card to another. A great way to consolidate available funds! Not to mention a great project for a rainy day. I recently did this and found that I had more than $40 in store credit lying around the house! Try this- you might be pleasantly surprised.

2. Free drinks! Your spending is tracked and periodically, you will receive free drinks! How it works:

• Once you've registered your card, you will receive a "star" aka credit point for each drink you purchase with it
• Once you've reached 15 "stars", you can have
• "select" free syrups and milk with your beverage
• free refills on teas and brewed coffee
• free beverage when you buy a package of coffee beans
• When you've reached 30 "stars", you'll get a free drink every 15 stars, a "personalized gold card" and additional coupons and promotions
• For full details, please see the Starbucks website. There are a few restrictions around accumulating "stars" within a calendar year, etc.
• The only downside of the rewards program is that by the math, you need to purchase 45 beverages before getting free drinks without an additional purchase. If you frequent Starbucks, however, this promotion could prove useful.

3. Finally, should you ever lose your card, you can protect the remaining balance by reporting the loss.

So while it is just as easy to pay with cash or credit card, my preference is to use a Starbucks card. For more information, check out Starbucks.ca.

Why should I fill out survey opportunities on receipts?

Today's savings tip: Always check the bottom of your receipts for opportunities to enter draws and earn discounts on subsequent purchases.

Many stores offer opportunities to complete feedback surveys and gain entry into monthly draws for prizes and gift certificates. Examples: Loblaws/Superstore, Walmart, Future Shop, Home Depot...

Clothing stores often offer a discount on subsequent purchases via completion of a feedback survey. Examples: Gap, Banana Republic, Town Shoes...

Have you ever won a prize/gift card by filling out a feedback survey? I haven't yet. But I often make use of discounts obtained towards clothing. For example, I usually use a survey code to receive a 20% discount off regular priced items at the Gap and Banana Republic. Today I received $10 credit towards a pair of shoes at Town Shoes.

So before tearing up that receipt, why not take a look and see if a survey opportunity has been presented. It usually only takes a few minutes and in addition to incentives, your favourite retailers have the benefit of your feedback.

Good luck! Here's hoping that someday I will win one of those prizes... and that you will too!

The best deal on Kellogg's Cereals and Strawberries!

I was recently at my local Superstore when I came across a great deal on Kellogg's Cereals:

Special K (475 g) for $3.48 (plus tax) when you buy 2 (includes a coupon for strawberries valued at $2.99)

Corn Flakes (750g) for $2.97 (plus tax) (also includes a coupon for strawberries valued at $2.99)

In Store Coupon: Save $3.00 when you buy three Kellogg's cereals

Because Special K is one of my favourite cereals and because I purchase a basket of strawberries every week, this was an excellent deal! Watch the math (I purchased two boxes of Special K and one box of Corn Flakes)

Special K x 2= $6.96 plus tax= $7.80

Corn Flakes= $2.97 plus tax= $3.33

Minus 3.00 Coupon Credit

Minus Credit for strawberries (2.99x3)= -$8.97

Plus tax which will eventually paid on strawberries= $1.08

Net cost of cereal after leveraging= $0.24

In the end, by leveraging the money I already pay for strawberries, I was able to purchase three boxes of cereal for $0.24. Without coupons and leveraging, the same products would cost me an additional $10.89 (including taxes).

Moral of the story: it pays to keep an eye out when you are walking down the grocery aisle. If you go through cereal quickly like me, sometimes there are some great coupons to be had! 

In sharing this example, I should articulate that it is important to be careful when making decisions around leveraging. My recommendation is to only leverage in those instances when you know you will use the additional coupons or promotions being offered.

What is in this weekend's Smart Source Flyer?

Thanks to our friends at smartcanucks.ca for sharing the list of what is available in this week's Smart Source Flyer:

Save $2 on any Finish quantum
Save $1 any Finish detergent 

Save $1 any Finish Jetdry product
Save $1 any Finish dishwasher cleaning product

Mail in Rebate on Lysol "No-Touch" Hand Soap system
Save $2.50 on any size/variety of Purina One
Save $1 on any bag of Purina Busy Brand dog treats (all varieties)

Save 0.50 cents any Campbell's Condensed Soup, Goldfish crackers or V8 product
Save $3 on any Glade Plugins scented oil holder
Save $1.50 any Glade Plugins scented oil re-fill
Save $2 on any Glade Premium aerosol room spray (275 g)
Save .50 cents when you buy 2 Glade Solids
Save $2 on any 2 packages of Kotex Pads
Save $2 on any 2 packages of Kotex liners
Save $1 on any Rubbermaid Refill Reuse or Filterfresh bottle
Save $1.50 on any Package of Huggies
Save $3 on any package Huggies (60 count+)
Save $1 on any package of Huggies Wipes (64 count+)
Save $1.50 on any package of "Pull-Ups" training pants (jumbo pack or larger)

Even if none of the above coupons floats your boat, the diaper coupons would make a great "just because I care" gift for a new mom in your life. Keep an eye on this weekend's papers for your flyer! For a list of where you can find Smart Source Flyers, please see Mrs. January's blog.

Tim Hortons Gift Card Promo at Shoppers Drug Mart

Photo credit: TimHortons.ca

On the road this weekend? Nothing says "road trip" like a little Timmies. Even better: free Timmies! On Saturday, July 9th, pop into a Shoppers Drug Mart and spend $50 to receive a $10 TimCard!

The website says this offer is not valid in MB or SK. Anyone know why?

At the same time, if you have Optimum Points to spare, consider cashing them in to receive extra store credit:

• Spend 50,000 points and get up to $100 off (extra $15)
• Spend 95,000 points and get up to $200 off (extra $30)

Aeroplan Event at Costco

This one is pretty basic, however, not to be missed if you collect Aeroplan Points and are a member of Costco.

Register here to earn 1 Aeroplan Point for every $1 spent at Costco.ca between 07/01/11 and 08/31/11. You can also earn up to 1500 Aeroplan Points for signing up online for a new Costco membership (1000 for the Gold Star or Business Membership; 1500 for the Executive Membership).

Please see the website for full details and restrictions.

Air Miles Mailout

This afternoon, I received a mail out from Air Miles that contained some fun coupons for bonus Air Miles. If you are a collector, keep an eye on your mailbox for a similar package. Here are some examples of the coupons I received:

Safeway (Expires August 13, 2011):

Earn 20 Bonus Air Miles when you buy 2 General Mills Cheerios Assorted Varieties (345g-500g)

Save 50 % when you buy 1 Minute Maid 100% juices. Assorted Varieties, 10x200 mL

Earn 20 Bonus Air Miles when you buy 1 Minute Rice. Assorted Varieties, 600g-700g

Save 50% when you buy 1 Danone Activia Multipack Yogurt. Assorted Varieties. 8x100g

Earn 20 Bonus Air Miles when you buy 2 Strawberries, Product of USA. #1 Grade. 1 lb

Earn 10 Bonus Air Miles when you by 1 O Organics Romaine Hearts 3s

Earn 40 Bonus Air Miles when you buy 2 Safeway Select Lasagna Assorted Varieties. 1.14 KG

Earn 5x the reward mile with a minimum $100 grocery spend

Earn 2x the Air Miles rewards miles when you redeem two or more coupons included in the booklet and spend $80 or more using any American Express Air Miles Credit Card during this purchase

Shell (Expires August 28, 2011):

10 Bonus Air Miles with a minimum purchase of $40 in fuel on all Shell gasolines or diesel. 

4 coupons in total to be used on four different transactions; if you use all four prior to August 28th, 2011, you will receive an extra 10 Bonus Air Miles.

Visions Electronics (Expires August 9, 2011):

2x Air Miles Rewards Miles when you purchase $40 or more

6x Air Miles Reward Miles when you purchase $300 or more

Toys R Us (Expires July 29, 2011):

Earn 20 Bonus Air Miles Reward Miles when you spend $39.99 or more on "Barbie I Can Be"

Earn 15 Bonus Air Miles Reward Miles when you spend $29.99 or more on "Hot Wheels Colour Shifters"

I'm not sure about Toys R Us, but the other coupons will come in handy!

Red Plum Flyer in this weekend's papers

Photo credit: RedPlum.com

Hi there!

For all of the couponers out there, Red Plum has distributed their flyer in this weekend's papers. Coupons include:

• Buy 1 Starter, Get 1 Refill Free (Glade Sense and Spray)
• Buy 1 Refill, Get 1 Free (Glade Automatic Room Spray Refill or Sense & Spray Refill)
• Save $0.25 on any Glade Aerosol
• Save $1 on Arm and Hammer Plus OxiClean Detergent
• Save $1 on Arm and Hammer Laundry Detergent
• Save $1 when you buy any Sensodyne Product
• Save $3 when you buy 2 Sensodyne Products
• Save $0.75 on your next purchase of Luigi's Real Italian Ice
• Save $0.75 on your next purchase of Minute Maid Frozen Novelties
• Save $1.00 on any Newman's Own All Natural Pasta Sauce or Dressing
• Several Eukanuba and Iams pet food coupons in conjunction with offers from PetSmart (see flyer)
• Save $2.00 on a $10.00 VOX Long Distance Card
• Save $3.00 on any one bag of Nutro Natural Choice dry cat food

Please see coupons for specific requirements and restrictions.

As to where to find these flyers, please see Mrs.January's blog for a comprehensive list.

Keep an eye out as they should appear in your paper at some point this weekend. Happy saving!