New Brandsaver Coupons (July 28, 2012)

Brandsaver Coupons have returned! You can order coupons online (one of each type of coupon per household) at Brandsaver.ca. You can also find coupon booklets in your local newspaper this weekend. The coupon booklets tend to be identical to what is posted on their website.

To find out which local paper will have the Brandsaver booklet, see Mrs. January's blog for a great article.

July 28 Brandsaver Coupons:

Save 0.50 when you buy any Always Ultra Thin or Maxi Always Pantiliners or Tampax Cardboard Applicator tampon

Save 1.00 when you buy any AlwaysInfinity, Radiant Infinity, Tampax Pearl, or Radiant Tampons

Save 0.50 when you buy any Aussie product

Save 0.50 when you buy any ONE Bounty paper towels or napkins (excluding single roll)

Save 1.50 when you buy any Cascade ActionPacs

Save 1.00 when you buy any Cascade Rinse Aid 

Save 0.50 when you buy any ONE Charmin toilet paper (6 double rolls or more) 

Save 3.00 when you buy any TWO COVERGIRL products

Save 0.75 when you purchase Crest 3D White Multi-Care Whitening rinse 

Save 8.00 when you buy any Crest 3D White Whitestrips - Professional Effects or 2 Hours Express

Save 0.75 when you buy any Crest 3D White paste

Save 0.75 when you buy any Crest Pro-Health paste

Save 1.00 when you buy any TWO Dawn products

Save 2.00 when you buy any ONE Downy UNSTOPABLES

Save 1.00 when you buy any ONE Downy product (48-load or higher)

Save 1.00 when you buy any Duracell Coppertop or Ultra Power batteries (8 count or higher)

Save 2.00 when you buy any Duracell NiMH Rechargeable or Hearing Aid batteries

Save 4.00 when you buy any Duracell NiMH charger

Save 1.25 when you buy any TWO different brands: Bounty, Charmin or Puffs

Save 2.00 when you buy any TWO Gain products

Save 0.50 when you buy any ONE Gain product

Save 5.00 on a ProGlide razor when you buy any Gillette ProGlide cartridge

Save 2.00 when you buy any Gillette ProGlide Styler

Save 1.00 when you buy any Gillette 3-bladed razor

Save 2.00 on a Gillette Series shave prep when you buy any Gillette Mach 3 cartridge

Save 1.00 when you buy any Gillette anti-perspirant/deodorant or bodywash

Save 1.00 when you buy any Gillette Fusion shave gel or ProSeries skin care product

Buy THREE of any Cascade, Dawn, Mr.Clean, Febreze or Swiffer and get a Febreze Set & Refresh starter kit

Save 3.00 when you buy any TWO Febreze products

Buy any Febreze® Fabric Refresher (800 mL) and get ONE Febreze® CAR vent clip (1 ct)

Save 1.00 when you buy any ONE Febreze Fabric Refresher

Save 1.00 when you buy ONE Febreze Set & Refresh or Febreze CAR vent clip (1 ct)

Save 1.50 when you buy ANY Head & Shoulders product

Save 0.50 when you buy any Herbal Essences product 

Save 3.00 when you buy any size Iams dry dog food (3.5 lbs or larger)

Save 0.50 when you buy any Iams wet dog or cat food

Save 3.00 when you buy any size Iams dry cat food (1.5 lbs or larger)

Save 2.50 when you buy any TWO 709 mL Ivory Body Wash or Ivory 10 Bar pack

Save 1.50 when you buy any TWO 354 mL Ivory Body Wash or Ivory 6 Bar pack

Save 1.50 when you buy any TWO Mr.Clean Liquid, Spray or Magic Eraser

Save 0.50 when you buy any Mr.Clean Liquid, Spray or Magic Eraser (excluding 1ct)

Save 2.00 when you buy any TWO Mr.Clean or Swiffer products

Save 1.50 when you buy any Natural Instincts hair colour product 

Save 4.50 when you buy any TWO Natural Instincts hair colour products 

Save 2.50 when you buy any Nice 'n Easy Foam hair colour product 

Save 6.00 when you buy any TWO Nice 'n Easy Foam hair colour products

Save 2.00 when you buy any Olay Base facial cleanser, Classic, Complete or Age Defying lotions

(Excludes all bar soaps and body wash)

Save 4.00 when you buy Olay® Total Effects, Olay Regenerist, Pro-X or facial hair removal product

Save 3.00 when you buy any TWO Olay body wash or body lotion products

Save 3.00 when you purchase any Oral-B battery brush

Save 1.00 when you buy any Oral-B Pro-Health CrossAction or Pro-Health Clinical brush

Save 4.00 on Pampers Cruisers when you buy any ONE Pampers Swaddlers, Swaddlers Sensitive or Baby-Dry

Save 2.50 when you buy any Pampers diapers or pants AND wipes

Save 2.00 when you buy any ONE Pampers diapers or pants

Save 1.50 when you buy ANY Pantene shampoo, conditioner or 2 in 1 product 

Save 0.50 when you buy any ONE Puffs facial tissue (50 sheets or more)

Save 1.00 when you buy any ONE Secret Clinical antiperperant/deodorant

Save 5.00 on a Swiffer WetJet Solution, WetJetpad, Sweeper Wet OR Sweeper Dry refill when you buy a Swiffer SweeperVac 

Save 5.00 when you buy any Swiffer WetJet starter kit 

Save 2.00 when you buy any Swiffer Sweeper statrer kit OR Swiffer Sweeper refills

Save 1.50 when you buy any Swiffer Dusters starter kit (excluding 1 ct), Swiffer Dusters refills OR Swiffer Dust & Shine

Save 1.00 when you buy any ONE Tide liquid or powder laundry detergent (excluding 6-load trial size and Tide PODS)

Save 0.50 when you buy any ONE Tide Stain Release or Tide Washing Machine Cleaner 

Save 5.00 when you buy any ONE Venus razor AND Venus cartridge together

Save 2.00 when you buy any Venus razor OR Venus disposable razor

These were the coupons online when I visited; I am sure that they are subject to change. Please consult the Brandsaver.ca website for full, up-to-date information.

Take the Diapers Savings Challenge

Several of my friends recently welcomed babies into their homes. Alongside the joys of parenthood, I also heard about the costs of baby supplies. Naturally, I welcomed the challenge of attempting to find these products at the lowest prices possible.

Which brings me to the topic of diapers. For those families that choose disposable diapers over cloth ones, the total costs might be surprising:

• The average baby uses 10 diapers per day (more or less depending on the age of the child)
• Depending on pricing, individual diapers tend to cost within a range of 0.30 to 0.60 cents
• As your baby grows, so does the cost per unit (fewer diapers per package)
• As a result, parents can easily spend $1500+ per year on diapers alone!

Cloth diapering is a sure way to cut down the costs, however, it’s not for everyone. If you’re purchasing disposable diapers, here are some helpful tips:

Step #1: Find Coupons

Great coupons can be ordered online, printed from special websites as well as found in local newspapers. For example, at the time of publication, you can order a coupon for “$4.00 off Pampers Cruisers diapers when you buy any ONE Pampers Swaddlers, Swaddlers Sensitive or Baby-Dry diapers” from brandsaver.ca.

Where to find coupons for diapers:

Huggies Coupons(CANADA)

Pampers Coupons (CANADA) 

Canadian Newspaper Flyers: Brandsaver, Smartsource

USA:

Hip2Save

Coupons.com

Smartsource.com

Walmart Coupons

Target Coupons

A&P Digital Coupons

Fred Meyer

“Discover the Value of a Great Buy” Booklets

Wegman’s Coupon Booklets

CVS Coupons 

Savingstar.com

Meijer mPerks

Target Baby Mailer

Step #2: Find a good sale!

Check your local retailers for good sales. Use your coupons to sweeten the deal! Just be sure that the store will accept your coupon in accordance with their coupon policy.

Retailer with the best deal won’t accept your coupon?

Step #3: Price Match!

Price Matching is when a retailer has a policy of honouring prices advertised (usually in print) at competitors. Often companies who will price match also have friendly coupon policies. So you might be able to get the competitor’s price AND use your coupon for additional savings.

See Mrs. January’s blog article on Price Match Guarantees for a list of companies that offer Price Matching.

Here is an example of a price match policy at a Canadian retailer: Walmart’s Ad Match 

Take the challenge! See how much you can save over the course of a year using these tips. And then tell me!

How to find rock-bottom prices on Tide Laundry Detergent

Paying full price for Tide Laundry Detergent? Here’s something to consider:

Earlier today, I was at my local Costco. I decided to walk around while I was waiting for some photos to develop and came across a Tide display:

88 Loads of Tide Cold Water for $21.59 (originally $24.59).

I saw the price and my jaw dropped. Although there are many good deals throughout Costco, this was not one of them. Here’s why:

• After taxes (12% HST), the sale-priced Tide costs $24.18. 
• Divided by 88 loads, the cost per load of laundry is $0.274.

Versus

• Just this past week, Safeway had a sale on 52 loads of Tide Coldwater for $11.99 (Club Card price; membership is free)
• After taxes, the product cost $13.43 or $0.258 per load. Alternatively, $22.697 for 88 loads if you prefer to compare it to the price of the Costco product.

So the scales were already in favour of the Safeway price. 

Here’s the thing: Safeway had mailed out to Air Miles subscribers a 50% off Tide Coupon to be used at any participating Safeway location. 

• After using it, the cost before taxes for 52 loads was $5.99 (or $6.71 after taxes). 
• Cost per load: $0.129 or $11.35 for 88 loads.

In either scenario, why would I pay a $55 Costco membership for the privilege of being charged more for the same product when I can go elsewhere, pay no membership fee, and get the same product for less? Specifically $12.83 less (not factoring for the cost of Costco membership)?

Please don’t get me wrong: There are some great products at Costco that represent good savings and I am happy to shop there for these items. For example, the complete set of the Hunger Games is priced at $34.99 plus taxes- this is one of the lowest prices anywhere. Or Annie’s Macaroni and Cheese (12 pack) for $12.49 (plus taxes) is a great deal over paying $2.50 or more per unit at a regular grocery store. 

All I'm saying is that I won't buy Liquid Tide there! As a Costco shopper, it is really important to identify which products represent savings and stick to those.

Didn’t get a Safeway coupon for Tide in the mail? Here’s another easy way to get a similar deal:

Step One:

Order coupons from Proctor and Gamble Brandsaver. They currently have a “Save $2.00 when you buy any Tide liquid or Tide powder product (excludes 6 load Tide liquid trial size)”

http://www.brandsaver.ca/en_ca/

Step Two:

Watch flyers for 26 load bottles on sale for $5.99 or less. 

Flyers to watch: Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharmasave, WalMart

Step Three:

Use your coupon and watch the savings follow. Here is a table that will show you your savings vis-à-vis the Costco 88 loads pricing (and please keep in mind, Costco’s regular price is three dollars higher than currently posted given the sale in progress)

26 Loads of Liquid Tide:

$6.99 (or $5.83 after $2.00 coupon and taxes)= $0.224 per load or $19.70 for 88 loads

$5.99 (or $4.71 after $2.00 coupon and taxes)= $0.181 per load or $15.92 for 88 loads

$4.99 (or $3.59 after $2.00 coupon and taxes)= $0.138 per load or $12.13 for 88 loads

Moral of the story: always check cost-per-unit of products when shopping at wholesale stores such as Costco. After all, you probably went there with the intention of saving money.

April 2012 Brandsaver Coupons

The April 2012 Brandsaver Coupons are available for order! To receive yours, visit the Brandsaver website or check your local paper over the weekend.

I was pleased to see a coupon for "$2.00 off when you buy any Tide liquid or powder product" as well as "Save $5.00 when you purchase any Venus razor AND any Venus cartridges together" (Source: brandsaver.ca)

For a full listing of current offers, please consult the Brandsaver website.

Once you have your coupons, some tips:

- Watch your local Pharmasave flyer. They often post incredible deals on products to which Brandsaver coupons can be applied. The same can be said for Shoppers Drug Mart and Walmart.

- The lowest price point for liquid Tide that I have ever come across: $4.99 plus taxes. Apply your coupon and you will have 26 loads for $2.99 plus taxes. Considering how much a 52 load bottle can cost, the savings are significant.

Happy couponing!

How to cut down your grocery bill (no coupons or flyers required)

Over the past few months, I have been challenging myself to cut down my grocery bill while maintaining healthy eating habits. For example, today I was able to plan a full week's menu that touches on all food groups for $18.07 (including taxes). With shows like "Extreme Couponing" capturing attention around the world, coupons and flyers have become a trendy topic. While it's worth paying attention to sales and offers, there are less time-consuming ways reduce your grocery budget not to mention possibly healthier. Often an "awesome deal" isn't the healthiest one.

Don't have time to read flyers? Drive to multiple grocery stores? Watch for coupons? Here are a few tips that can help you keep your grocery costs low sans coupons or flyers.

1. Always evaluate your fridge contents and pantry. What ingredients do you already have for meals that you know you enjoy?


2. Search for enjoyable and affordable recipes online. Looking to spice up your menu while keeping costs under control? Check out online recipe databases: plenty of budget recipes that taste anything but low-cost. Here are a few links to check out:

AllRecipes.com article on "cooking on a budget"
Canadian Living article on "budget friendly recipes under $3 per serving"
Jamie Oliver's budget recipes
Kraft Canada's "Healthy Living Budget Recipes"
 
3. Draft a meal plan. I use a simple grid that allows me to plan breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for every day of the week. Why this is great:

• You can map on the meals that draw upon existing fridge contents and pantry items. This gives you an idea of how many other meals you need to add to your plan
• It is easy to see if you are touching on all food groups
• You will know exactly which ingredients you need to buy: this will prevent you from over-buying
• It can save you from spending at fast-food outlets and restaurants. Knowing that you have purchased ingredients for a meal is often good encouragement to make the choice to cook at home
• You can prepare food ahead of time so as to reduce time spent packing lunches and preparing dinners
• It will allow you to make effective use of leftovers: why throw away good food?
• By knowing what you need, it will cut down the time spent grocery shopping

4. Know which grocery items can be found at significant reductions and base your shopping trip around these items

•  If you do not have a lot of time to research flyers, identify those items on your grocery list that can be found at significant reductions
• Briefly scan flyers to see if there are any good deals on these items; if so, the balance of probabilities is that your total grocery bill will be lower if you complete your shopping at the store offering the desired sale

5. Save room in the budget for an in-the-moment treat

• I still allow myself to purchase one or two "treats" (things that were not on the original shopping list)
• This keeps extra purchases to a minimum while allowing for some fun while shopping

Using these simple strategies, I've been able to reduce my spending on groceries by more than 50%. No coupons or fliers required. Before looking to coupons, I'd definitely recommend spending some time meal planning as the cost-savings can be much greater and the choices healthier.

Check your mailbox for McCafe coupons

In all honesty, I'm not much of a fan of McDonald's food. That being said, their new-ish coffee line is actually quite good not to mention affordable. Check your mailboxes as you might have received a booklet of "McCafe" coupons. Valid from November 15 to December 19, 2011, here are some of the offers in the booklet:

Please note that all of the coupons are "valid only on Latte, Mocha, Cappuccino and Deluxe Hot Chocolate". See the back of coupons for additional limitations.

• "Get a free small hot McCafe specialty beverage"
• "Buy one, get one free" (second drink has to be of equal or lesser value) (3 coupons in booklet)
• "$1 off a hot McCafe specialty beverage" (2 coupons in booklet)
• "McCafe your breakfast meal for free" ("Buy a breakfast Extra Value Meal and substitute your small coffee with a small hot McCafe specialty beverage at no extra charge") (2 coupons in booklet)
• "Buy a hot McCafe specialty beverage and get a free baked pie"
• "Buy a hot McCafe specialty beverage and get a cinnamon melts for 49 cents"

Above is an image of what the outside of the booklet looks like. Keep an eye on your mailbox for yours.

$15 worth of coupons for chicken from Maple Leaf

I noticed a new product at my grocery store on the weekend: Maple Leaf Prime Portions. It consisted of four chicken breasts individually vacuum-wrapped inside a larger bag. It provides an easy solution to the problem of discarding unused meat due to expiry dates or freezer burn.

What I didn't notice was that the package came with $15 in coupons for Maple Leaf Chicken Products:

$5 off Maple Leaf Prime Portions

$5 off Maple Leaf Prime Marinates Boneless Skinless Breasts, Seasoned Flattened Chicken or Boneless Skinless Breasts

$5 off Maple Leaf Prime Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Chicken Scaloppini Folds or Chicken Tenderloins

All of the above coupons have an expiry date of June 30, 2012. Plenty of time to use them.

While it can be difficult to find coupons for meat and produce, it is not impossible if you know where to look. Enjoy.

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.

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!