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:
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:
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
Now that you know where to find Canadian coupons, you’re going to have to figure out some sort of organizing system so they don’t end up expiring before you use them. There are many different ways to organize coupons, but you may have to try out a couple of systems before you find one that works best for you.
In this post, I’ll be listing several different ways on how to organize coupons. You’re sure to find a system that will work for you!
Coupon Organizing Method #1 – The Wallet Size Expanding Folder
This was my first method of coupon organization. I picked up a wallet sized coupon folder from a local dollar store. You can also find them on Amazon. The folder from the dollar store already included pre-categorized sections like, baking goods, beverages, cleaning products and condiments. Feel free to personalize each section to how you like it. Maybe you want to organize your coupons by expiry date. Or label each section with store names so you could place all the coupons you intend on using at a particular store in the appropriate section!
Organize all your coupons using envelopes. Make an envelope for each category. (such as Meat, Dairy Products, Cleaning Products, Paper Products, etc.) Accumulate all the coupons you plan on using and store them in the corresponding envelopes so they can be easily found.
Coupon Organizing Method #3 – The Coupon Box
Use index cards to create all the categories you’ll need. With this method, your coupons will be really easy to find, but you may find it a bit bulky if you want to bring it into the stores you shop at. Here’s an example from Monica Wilkinson using a cute recipe box, including the categories she uses.
Coupon Organization Method #4 – The Coupon Binder
The coupon binder is a hugely popular coupon organization method and is the one I’m currently using. It’s fairly simple to create your own using a three-ring binder, page dividers, trading card holders, and perhaps a zippered pocket to hold scissors, random coupons, or a calculator. I’ve also heard of people using photo albums instead of a binder! Here are a couple of tutorials to help you get idea on how to create a coupon binder system that may work for you:
Now that you have some ideas on what to put your coupons in, you may want some ideas on how to sort your coupons.
Organize by product: Rather than create categories, you could group all your similar product coupons together. For example, all shampoo coupons together and all makeup coupons together.
Organize by expiry month: Create a section for each month of the year and place the coupons according to the month they expire.
Organize alphabetically: Put your Irish Spring coupons in the “I” section and your Crest coupons in the “C” section.
Organize by category: Probably the most popular way of sorting coupons. Place all coupons in broad categories such as Meat, Paper products, and Snacks.
I hope this post gave you some ideas on how to organize coupons with a system that will work for you!
If you’re a coupon user with a system already in place, how do you organize your coupons?
Here are the other posts in the How to Coupon in Canada Series:
Are you constantly trying to save more and spend less?
If so, you're not alone. Saving more and spending less is always one of the top battles we face every day.
One of the best ways to save money is to adopt a frugal lifestyle. Frugal does not have to equal boring. You just have to be get a little more creative with your thinking. Thankfully, I've made that a little easier for you! Below, are 12 almost effortless ways that you can be more frugal today!
If a friend invites you to a movie, suggest watching one at home. If a relative wants to spend the day at an amusement park with the kids, suggest a free or low cost museum. If a co-worker thinks a trip to the book store would be fun, suggest the library.
Cheaper entertainment alternatives can still be fun!
Switch to homemade coffee
Did you know, you only need to spend $27.40 a day to blow $10,000 in a year?
There are many great coffee beans on the market (Kicking Horse, Melitta, even Starbucks and Tim Hortons sell their coffee in grocery stores) that taste just as good, if not better, than the kind you will pay 10x the price for at your local coffee shop.
Many small local coffee shops sell more locally roasted coffee beans that you can take home to brew yourself.
There are also so many fancy coffee creamers and flavorings available at grocery stores, soon you'll be enjoying your homemade cup even more than store bought!
Flip and rotate your mattresses
A mattress can be a big investment. Take care of your investment by flipping and rotating it every three months to extend its life span. This is a great way to be more frugal.
Keep in mind that foam mattresses, like our Endy mattress can only be rotated. Most of the new foam mattresses can't be flipped. But rotating it will still keep it in tip top shape!
Stockpile groceries
I'm a big fan of stockpiling. I believe that in addition to using coupons, stockpiling is one of the best ways that you can save money on your grocery bill each month.
Set aside a bit of money each month for stocking up on great deals that you know you will use. When those sales come around, pick up as many as you need and can afford, and add them to your stockpile so you can make it until the next great sale.
Use Less
It really can be as easy as simply using less. Use less hand soap, less laundry detergent, less dish soap and even using half a dryer sheet. You probably won't notice a difference in how products like these perform!
Invest in energy efficient products
There are some things you should spend your money on, such as energy efficient products.
If you're in the market for a new dishwasher, refrigerator, washer and/or dryer or chest freezer - take a look at the energy efficient models available. They may cost a bit more, but considering all the money they will be saving you in the future, they are well worth the investment.
Don't forget about smaller energy efficient products, such as LED light bulbs. These do cost more than traditional incandescent light bulbs, but they last much longer.
Shop the Sales
Perhaps a no brainer, but there's really no need to pay full price for most things. Sales always come along on groceries, electronics, cars, clothing, furniture and more. If you are planning a purchase anyways, make sure to purchase when it's on sale. There's no easier way to be more frugal!
Don't use the Dryer
If you can, don't use your dryer to dry clothes. Use a clothes line or drying rack instead. Not only will this save money on your utilities bill, but it will keep your clothes looking and feeling newer, longer!
Cook in Bulk
I love doing this! If I'm already cooking something that freezes well, I'll make a big batch so I can freeze half or more. This not only creates an easy meal for a busy night, it helps me avoid the temptation of expensive take out. I like to do this with taco meat, spaghetti sauce, meatballs, shepherd's pie, Chicken Pesto Pasta Shells and chili.
Cut off the ends of 'Empty' Tubes
When you think your hand cream is empty or your makeup is definitely gone, cut off the ends of the tubes or plastic bottles. You will be amazed to see how much is actually left!
Sign up for Rewards Programs
No matter where you live, most retailers offer some kind of rewards program. Some offer points that you can redeem for free products, some offer discounts and some offer cash-back. This can save you big bucks without really trying!
In Canada, my personal favourite rewards programs are:
One way to save a ton of money this year, is to buy used for everything you possibly can. Do you need new clothes for your kids? Check out thrift stores in your area. Need a new couch? Facebook marketplace is great for that!
Being frugal does not mean you live a life of deprivation. You are simply being smart about the resources that you have and learning to love the simple pleasures in life.
What is one thing you are going to start doing today to be more frugal? Or what are some things you already do without thinking, that are frugal?
Setting a budget is one thing, but actually sticking to your budget each and every month is another! In today's society, you're constantly bombarded by temptations that can lead you away from your plan. TV commercials, an enticing "sale" sign and a beautiful store display can all tempt you to spend outside of what you can afford in your budget. Never mind that you may not like to delay gratification for something that you want today!
But, the truth is, what you decide to do today will determine your future. Having a budget in place to help eliminate debt and not consciously sticking to it, may make our lives enjoyable today, but will give us much misery in the future.
Here are some tips to make sticking to a budget a bit easier:
Set specific financial goals
Since you've most likely put a budget in place so you can attain financial goals, it's important to get specific by providing numbers and deadlines for your goals. For example, instead of “My goal is to save enough for a down payment on a house”, a better one would be, “My goal is to save $2,083 a month for a 20% down payment on a $250,000 house in 24 months”. Setting specific goals gives an idea of how well or how poorly you're doing. In turn, possibly enticing you to be more disciplined with your budgeting or allowing yourself a pat on the back!
Be realistic
In terms of goal setting, it's important to set goals that are reasonable. Not ones that are setting you up for failure right from the start.
It's also important to be realistic when you're setting up your budget. Say you've discovered that you spend, on average, $800 a month on groceries after you've tallied up your receipts from previous months. Don't decide that having a budget of $500 for groceries is "totally doable" since you have to "reach your financial goals as fast as you can because you're so excited". This is just setting you up for failure. I'm not saying it's not impossible to eventually get your budget down to $500 a month, you'll just want to work slowly, one step at a time, at reducing your monthly grocery budget.
Have accountability
Think about the last time you started a workout routine or tried to kick a bad habit; having a partner by your side, holding you accountable is crucial. Involve your family (or a very good friend) in your plan. Explain why you need to scale back on some areas, and get their input and encouragement on those things. From here, review your budget once a week with your family (or very good friend) to make sure that you're on track. Not only is it good to have someone help keep you on track, it's great to have someone helping you celebrate your successes!
Use cash
If you leave your debit cards and credit cards at home and only bring the amount of cash that you have budgeted, then that's all you'll be able to spend. So if your budget allows you $100 at the grocery store each week, then only bring $100 with you. (These printable Cash Envelopes are a fantastic tool to help you organize your cash.)
You'll be more likely to avoid those unnecessary items that might otherwise end up in your cart. They may not seem like a big deal because they're only a few bucks, but when you end up at the checkout with $110 worth of items, you'll be forced to put some things back, making you prioritize and forcing you to stick within your budget. If you had your debit card with you, chances are you'd think "It's only a few dollars", and you'll find yourself short at the end of the month.
Remember your goals
As you go about the daily life of living within a budget, it's important to remind yourself often of why you're living on a budget. Is it because you want to save enough for that winter vacation? Or maybe it's to pay off your consumer debt. Regardless, it's important to constantly remember your financial goals to help fuel the excitement of what's to come, if you manage to successfully stick to your budget. It could help to write down your financial goals and carry them around with you in your wallet or purse. Every time you pull out your cash and look at those goals, you'll be reminded of the reason you have a budget.
Reward yourself
When you divide your big goal into several mini goals, make sure you reward yourself each time you accomplish one of those mini goals. Not only will this help spur you on, you'll also start to feel as though your big goal could definitely become a reality if you stick to it. Your reward may be as simple as a long bubble bath or a bowl of ice cream; or as extravagant as a fancy dinner out. Of course, as long as it is still within budget! Here are some great ideas to treat yourself for free.
What are the things that you do to make sticking to a budget easier? Let me know in the comments below.
