Please note: It is temporarily out of stock, but place your order and they will email you when they an estimated delivery date. You won’t be charged until the item ships.
Get the Razor A2 Kick Scooter in Clear for a great price from Amazon.ca right now! If it is less than $60, you are getting a great deal on this popular item! Here are some details:
Original kick scooter made of sturdy aircraft-grade aluminum with clear/Black S
Patented t-tube and deck design folds conveniently for transport
98 mm inline-style urethane wheels with spring less shock system
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I love decluttering. Not only do I love the feeling of having more breathing space in my home, but I always find decluttering to be a wake up call to my spending habits. It helps me realize just how much money I'm "throwing away" on things I end up not using or liking in the end. Ugh!
If you want to enjoy a more peaceful home and keep more money in your pocket (because you've realized how much you're wasting!), then I've got the perfect list for you! 31 things you can declutter this year. Choose a few or choose all 31 and get to work! Maybe in the end, your list will hold more than these 31 items with all the momentum you're getting!
Even if you choose just a few things off this list it will feel so good to lighten up! Most of these things are items none of us need but we hang onto “just in case” and feel panicked at the thought of letting them go. In my experience, it's not often that I have needed something I decluttered. These days, it is so easy to reacquire that needed item by borrowing or repurchasing.
31 things to declutter:
Out of date makeup- It’s just unsafe for your skin and eyes. Toss it out and treat yourself to a new lipstick or eyeshadow!
VHS tapes- If you are still clinging to VHS it’s time to let it go, it’s not coming back.
Old cell phones- Many electronics stores or phone companies have boxes for recycling cell phones and batteries.
Non working electronics- If you haven’t dropped off the stereo or DVD player to be fixed and have no immediate plans to do so, just get rid of it.
Old stretched out bras- Keep those comfy old jogging pants but stretched out bras are not doing you any favors.
Plastic bags- While it is handy saving your grocery store bags for other uses, we all wind up with an excess of them that we just don’t need. Toss them in the recycling.
Ragged towels and washcloths- If they can be upcycled for cleaning rags, cut them up into small pieces and find a new home for them. Otherwise get them out of there.
Clothes that don’t fit- Clothes more than one size too small/too big should be donated or sold.
Unused or duplicate kitchen utensils- 6 wooden spoons? 3 meat mallets? Unopened egg poacher? Clean it all out of those drawers!
Books- If you have read it and won’t read it again or you didn't like it then it’s time to clean off your shelves and nightstand.
Single Earrings- If it has been in the jewelry box for a year with no mate, chances are it will always be a single, go ahead and set it free.
Single Socks- When you are all caught up on your laundry go through your odd sock basket and match up, get rid of any without mates.
Unloved toys- Donate or toss toys as needed. After the holidays kids have an excess and this is a great time to declutter.
Unused sports equipment- Ice skates from lessons two years ago that have never been picked up again? Donate them. Too small hockey gear? Sell it!
Items that don't belong to you- If you have a spot that houses casserole dishes, borrowed books, etc. waiting to be returned to friends and family that you borrowed from, go ahead and return it all asap!
Paperwork- Junk mail, old bills, or other out of date filing. Grab an inexpensive paper shredder or toss them in the fire.
Odd storage containers- You know that cabinet with plastic bowls that have no lids or lids that have no bottoms? Get in there and toss out mismatched pieces.
Old linens- While towels may be cut down and used for rags in the garage, other items like sheets that either don't fit or won't be used on current beds, excess comforters (keep one spare) etc., can be decluttered.
Blurry photos- If you have a box full of family photos through the years remove and toss the really bad ones, if that is the only one you have for an event you might keep it but otherwise just keep the best of the best.
Ink Cartridges- If you have a stockpile of old empty ink cartridges you can find somewhere local to recycle or many places like Staples let you use them for credit towards new ones.
Freezer items- Freezer burnt, well past their date, inedible or unappealing food should be tossed!
Dried up pens- Take 5 minutes to go through your various pens, test them all on paper quick and throw out the ones that are dried up or leaking.
Manuals- I used to be one that kept every single manual/instruction book for every piece of equipment i owned, I had a drawer full of them and rarely ever needed to look at them. Then I realized that I could find them on the manufacturer's website should I ever need them and I tossed those suckers out!
Spare change- Unless you are saving up for something really big, It’s time to grab that change jar, clean out couch cushions, get that pile on the dryer and turn it all in. Treat yourself to a mani/pedi or add the cash to your savings account!
Craft supplies- Take an afternoon to go through them and donate items you won’t use in the next couple of months to a Children’s program or somewhere else that could use them.
Paint- Do you have a garage shelf full of paint that you keep just in case? If it's just for touch ups pour some into a small mason jar with a lid to make it last. Otherwise dispose of it properly.
Personal care items- Old perfumes, lotions, and shampoo bottles with 1/2” left in the bottom-get them out of the bathroom for good.
Cards- Open your wallet or purse and declutter customer loyalty, rewards cards, empty gift cards and the like.
Pet toys- Toys that are shredded, dirty, and unplayed with should be tossed, just like kids toys they need to be decluttered and occasionally replaced.
Boxes- Do you have a big collection of boxes somewhere, either packaging or packing boxes for another just in case? Clear them out and make room.
Any other things to declutter that you would add to the list? Did you get any good ideas for a starting place?
If you shop at the Real Canadian Superstore, Shoppers Drug Mart, or other Loblaw banner stores, then you may have heard about the PC Optimum Rewards program they offer.
Before I get into the exciting part about how to earn PC Optimum Points quickly, first a quick run down of the program:
About the PC Optimum Rewards Program:
It is free to sign up for a PC Optimum account.
You can earn points at participating Loblaw stores using your PC optimum card or app.
Earn 15 points per $1.00 spent at Shoppers Drug Mart.
Earn 10 points per litre at Esso and Mobil stations across Canada.
Earn points at Superstore, Loblaws, Zehrs, No Frills and other Loblaw grocery stores by collecting points from personal digital offers found in the app and/or in-store offers. (can be found in the flyers.)
Redeem 10,000 points for $10 worth of goods at any Loblaw store.
Redemptions are in increments of 10,000 points i.e. $10, $20, $30, and so on. You can redeem up to a maximum of 500,000 points or $500 in a single transaction.
How to Earn PC Optimum Points Quickly
It's easy to earn and redeem PC Optimum points. That's why PC Optimum is one of the most popular loyalty programs in Canada.
But I have several tips for you today that will help you to maximize the amount of points you earn each shopping trip.
1. Take Advantage of Weekly Personalized Offers
When you sign up for PC Optimum, they will send you weekly emails with personalized offers that usually reflect your buying habits. Making them personalized to you.
For example, this week, one of my personalized offers is 200 points for every $1.00 spent on strawberries. Most weeks, I buy strawberries. So I will automatically get the points when I scan my PC Optimum card or app at the checkout. You will also receive points even if you do grocery pick-up with PC Express.
New weekly personalized offers go live every Thursday at 12 am and are valid through Wednesday of the following week.
2. Save your Personalized offers for next week
Since the personalized offers change on a weekly basis, you may find some offers don't work for you on a particular week. (Because you just bought that item or you are away, for example.) If you know you will need that particular item next week when you shop, it's possible to save up to 4 offers for the following week.
For example, I have an offer for 600 points for every $3 spent on PC frozen fruit. I don't need any frozen fruit this week, but since we eat a lot of smoothies, I will save this offer for next week, when we will need more.
It could also be advantageous to save offers so you can wait for a sale. It's great when you can grab something on sale AND collect points at the same time! I believe you can save the same offer more than once.
3. Choose 'Don't Show Again'
Alternatively, sometimes you know an offer just won't work for you, ever. Instead of saving this offer for another week, you can choose 'Don't Show Again' and this offer will be dismissed.
This is a great way to tailor your personalized offers so that when the offers refresh on Thursday, they will be even more applicable to how you normally grocery shop.
4. Check the Weekly Flyers for in-Store offers
Take a look in your flyers and you are sure to spot some points offers that say something along the lines of 'Buy 2 (insert participating product), get 1,500 PC Optimum Points'. I recently earned 1,600 points because I bought a rotisserie chicken. (The offer was 1,600 points for every $8 spent on hot or chilled ready-to-go meals.)
You may also see bonus offers like: Get 8,000 Bonus PC Optimum Points when you spend $40 or more on these participating brands. (insert participating brands.) These are excellent. Keep in mind that you can also use coupons (if applicable) so you can get a lot of products and a lot of points with these bonus offers!
5. Check the app for Bonus Points Events
This week, I see in the app that I have a points offer for 20,000 points when I spend $60 or more on almost anything in-store at Shoppers Drug Mart.
So definitely take a look in the app before you go shopping!
6. Join PC Optimum Insiders
Signing up for a PC Optimum account is free. However, they also offer a subscription called PC Optimum Insiders. This does have an annual fee of $119.
I have heard from several people who are PC Insiders that they make back in points what they pay annually quite quickly. The PC Optimum Insiders subscription is really beneficial if you often buy President's Choice products or use PC Express grocery pick up.
Free PC Express™ grocery pickup with priority time slots. This is a saving of $3 to $5 per pickup.
Free shipping, with no minimum purchase from joefresh.com and shoppersdrugmart.ca
10% back on all JOE FRESH products
5% back in points on PC Travel bookings, including car rentals, hotel bookings, flights and vacation packages
7. Use a PC Financial Mastercard
If you are a credit card user (sometimes they can be beneficial!) and mostly shop at Superstore, Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaws, etc., then a PC Financial Mastercard may be a good option for you! There are three different cards available:
PC Financial Mastercard: Earn 25 PC Optimum points per $1 spent at Shoppers Drug Mart and 10 points per $1 spent at PC grocery stores. Also earn 10 points on all other purchases. This card has no income requirements.
PC Financial World Mastercard: Earn 35 PC Optimum points per $1 spent at Shoppers Drug Mart and 20 points per $1 spent at PC grocery stores. This card has a $60,000 minimum annual personal income requirement.
PC Financial World Elite Mastercard: Earn 45 PC Optimum points per $1 spent at Shoppers Drug Mart and 30 points per $1 spent at PC grocery stores. To be eligible, you must meet the $80,000 minimum personal income requirement.
For all the details, be sure to talk with an advisor at a PC Financial institution.
8. Buy Gas at Mobil and Esso
Earn even more points by fueling up at Esso and Mobil gas stations! You will earn 10 PC Optimum points per litre as a PC Optimum member and at least 30 points per litre when you pay using a PC Financial Mastercard.
Take Note:
Points cannot be earned or redeemed on gift cards according to their terms & conditions, section 7.
As you can see, the PC Optimum program is great. Especially if you do the majority of your shopping at Loblaw banner stores and Shoppers Drug Mart. It's fun to accumulate points and then redeem them to pay for an entire shopping trip! Sometimes I like to redeem some when I'm purchasing a new sweater or kitchen appliance, for example. It's like getting those 'wants' for free!
You may also love my How to Coupon in Canada Series:
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*If your child is over 4 weeks old, you’ll receive HUGGIES® baby product coupons instead.
Coupon stacking in Canada is a very popular topic when it comes to coupon use!
Unfortunately, traditional coupon stacking is no longer available in Canada. 🙁
Since I've been out of the coupon game for quite some time, I'm not sure when London Drugs and Save-On Foods stopped allowing coupon stacking.
But don't let this discourage you from using coupons!
There are still a couple of legitimate methods that will allow you to "stack" coupons or deals.
Method #1
First of all, since the introduction of cash back apps, it may be possible to use a coupon at the store, then redeem a cash back offer from an app at home. For example, say you have a coupon for Melitta Coffee Pods. Use that at the store, then redeem the cash back offer for $2.00 found in the Caddle app.
One thing to watch for is wording like this: Cannot use this offer with any other print or in-app coupon or rebate. This literally means what it says. You can't use a coupon AND redeem the cash back offer for the same product. This wording is found in Checkout 51 most often.
Secondly, this is very loose "stacking", but it's still a great way to use coupons and save money for future purchases.
I love the PC Optimum program. By scanning my card, I'm able to collect points with the personal offers they have for me each week as well as the bonus points that can be found in the flyers.
So with one grocery shopping trip, I can redeem coupons and collect points that I can use as a cash discount another time! Sometimes, you may have a coupon and be able to collect points on the same product!
Do you use cash back apps or the PC Optimum program? What are some of the great deals that you have gotten by using these methods?
Here are the other posts in the How to Coupon in Canada Series:
There really is a technique if you want to maximize coupon savings in Canada. Call it extreme couponing or just smart couponing, it is possible to get items for free or really cheap in Canada! It takes a bit of practice, but I’m sure you’ll have fun trying! After all, saving money is fun!
Let’s get going on the secrets that will help you maximize coupon savings in Canada, shall we?
Start Slow
You’re most likely itching to start using coupons right away on as many items as you possibly can to see how much you can save. It’s great to be excited!
However, if you start this way, you’re going to quickly overwhelm yourself and quite possibly, not see any significant savings on your grocery bill! Not to mention, you’ll likely purchase items you never intended on buying, only because you had coupons to use.
Sure, you only paid $2.99 for an Air Wick air freshener, but it won’t get used because some members of your family are sensitive to strong scents, for example.
This is not smart couponing because you are most likely spending extra money on items you’ll never use, since you’re just so excited to use those coupons. 🙂
Start out by gathering only a small collection of coupons from coupon sources like Save.ca, webSaver.ca or this list on Simply Frugal. Organize them into a small coupon organizer, so you can easily find the coupons you need, when you need them.
Using Coupons takes Planning
Are you ready for the number one secret to maximize coupon savings? Use your coupons when an item hits a rock bottom sale price. You want to be looking for items that are a good price even before coupons come into play. And, of course, items that are also liked by you and your family.
How do you find the sales? Check out your weekly store flyers that come in your local newspaper or find the store flyers online. I like to use the Flipp app or the Reebee App.
Start making a shopping list with the deals you can use your coupons on.
Once you’ve become more comfortable with matching your coupons with deals, start collecting more coupons from some of the coupon sources I’ve outlined in this post.
Use Price Matching to your Advantage
Many stores in Canada offer a price match guarantee. They’ll match the advertised sale price of any competitive retailer as long as it is the exact same item and in the current sale period. They’ll even accept coupons on top!
Here is a list of Canadian retailers that price match in Canada:
Best Buy
Staples
The Source
The Home Depot
Lowe’s
Rona
Leon’s
The Brick
No Frills
FreshCo
Giant Tiger
Maxi
Real Canadian Superstore
Canadian Tire
Toys R Us
PetSmart
Remember There Will Always be Another Sale
Stores run sales in a cyclical manner. The cycles last anywhere from 6 – 12 weeks. Sometime during the sale cycle, any particular item will be at its highest price and at its lowest price. You’ll want to use your coupons when an item is priced at its lowest.
I would recommend you start a price book to track your store cycles. Use a small notebook to record the prices of things you buy most often each week for 6 – 12 weeks. You’ll start to see when you should stock up on the items you need.
It’s Okay to Not Hit Every Deal
Couponing takes a lot of time if you’re going to hit up every deal you possibly can. Time is money. Instead, I recommend that you focus on the best deals that week for the items you need. For example, if you already have 10 sticks of deodorant but are nearly out of laundry detergent, prioritize the laundry deals over the deodorant deals.
How Much You Spend Matters More than How Much you Save
I’ve said this many times, but what you spend is definitely way more important than how much you save. A 55% savings might be impressive, but the 45% you actually spent is what matters the most, since what you spend comes out of your pocket!
If you’re consistently going over your grocery budget every week, by trying to save money on items you may not necessarily need, you’re pushing yourself farther away from any financial goals you have set for yourself. Stick to your grocery budget, even when that means passing up good deals, and you’ll see your bank account grow and your debt get smaller!
What are your tips to maximize coupon savings? What are your favourite deals to snap up?
Here are the other posts in the How to Coupon in Canada Series:
The first and most important step in getting started with coupons in Canada is, well, getting coupons to use! This is really the easy part because coupons are actually really abundant in Canada!
Today, I am going to give you a list so you know where to find Canadian coupons that will help you save money! Coupons are a great way to save money on food, cleaning supplies, hygiene products and more.
Here is where to find Canadian coupons so you can get your coupon stash growing quickly:
At the grocery store
Grocery stores can be a treasure trove of coupons. There are several different kinds of coupons you can keep an eye out for.
Tear pad coupons - These can be found on the front of shelves or on those cardboard display cases, usually very close to the product for which the coupon is intended. Some large grocery stores also have large coupon boards at the front entrances where you will find dozens of tear pad coupons. As you find the ones you think you will use, keep in mind that you don't have to use them on the day that you take them!
Peelies - Peelies are those little sticker coupons that you can sometimes find attached to products. Recently, I have found them on cereal boxes, feminine products, and granola bars. Keep an eye out! These are meant to be taken only when you purchase the product on which they are found!
Hang Tags - Like peelies, but they are actually hanging on products with an elastic. These are also meant to be taken only when you purchase the product on which they are found!
Rep Coupons - You know those booths that are set up in grocery stores with someone handing out samples or simply bringing awareness to a product? They often have coupons to give out!
Some companies run promotions where they mail coupons (for free product, or money off) to you via Canada Post. One such company is Chapman's Ice Cream. Every year you can request for them to mail you a $4.00 off coupon to use on their ice cream products.
You could also try Shopper's Voice. Complete a survey to receive coupons, samples and special offers.
Be sure to keep an eye out for coupons from fast-food restaurants! These you don't have to sign up for. They just come as junk mail and can be quite valuable if you utilize restaurants like Subway, McDonald's, Wendy's, Dairy Queen, etc.
In product packaging
You can also find coupons inside specially marked boxes or packages that may be used for future purchases. I often see these coupons inside cereal boxes, granola bars and taco kits.
Free Samples
Many times when I fill out a form for a free sample, when it arrives, it comes with a coupon. Sample boxes from companies like SampleSource often add coupons into the box along with the samples.
Email Newsletters
Join email lists of the companies that you often buy from, if they have one. When you sign up online, make sure to check the box that asks if you would like to have special coupons and offers sent to you. I also recommend having a separate email address for signing up for things like this. You wouldn’t want to clutter up your personal email! Gay Lea, Oxi Clean and Oasis are all examples of companies that regularly send out coupons with their newsletters.
Email your favourite companies
If you have a favourite product, there is absolutely no harm in emailing or calling that particular company asking if they have any coupons available to mail to you! Many companies are very willing to send coupons your way if you ask!
Coupon Apps
Also known as Cash-Back apps! If physical coupons aren't your thing, cash-back apps might be a better option for you! The way most cash-back apps work is:
Download the app
Browse the list of cash-back offers then buy your groceries
