My Memories Suite Giveaway

I was given the chance to try out the My Memories digital scrap booking suite this week and the company has asked me to pass the software on to one lucky reader!

To enter the contest, please visit the website www.MyMemories.com and leave me a comment with what you would create with the My Memories software. 

Winner will be posted on Friday, September 9th. Good luck and happy scrapping!! 

*** My Memories is also offering my blog readers $10 off of the software! Use the following code to receive your discount at checkout: STMMMS46220.***

The My Memories program is so easy to navigate and I was able to begin creating a page within minutes of competing the download. I primarily make photobooks now, but have always been disappointed in the fact that you usually can't add embellishments with many online photobook programs. The My Memories Suite had preset "photobook" type pages that I could then personalize with embellishments as well. So simple and quick! The pages can be saved in several formats so that you have many options for printing--a huge plus for me as I don't like to be stuck with only one choice! One downfall for me was that the the printed books that you can purchase through the My Memories website are only in square sizes. This small problem does not overcast my excitement for this wonderful product though--definitely something every digital scrapbooker should add to their tools!

Visit the My Memories team on their:
Blog- http://blog.mymemories.com/
Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/mymemoriessuite
Twitter- http://twitter.com/#!/mymemoriessuite

 

Future Shop: Tales of Tech Love

I remember the excitment of my first big electronic purchase very well! I was in grade 8 or 9 and had saved up money for a long time from my first job. I was shopping for a large 5/6-disc stereo system and looked around every where to check prices, options, and features. This was going to be a big purchase! At that time these systems were 300-600 dollars and I wanted the best one! I remember getting my dad to help me find exactly what I was looking for. When I found this one....

...it was true love! I think I spent $650 of my hard earned part time job cash on this beauty! I had so much fun figuring everything out and enjoying the power of having such a sweet stereo system. I was in control of what I listened to, how loud it was.....everything! It definitely was my first case of electronic love!

Book Review: The Elemental Journal

The Elemental Journal: Create Expressive Books from Salvaged Treasures

Book Description:  "Rusty doorknobs, cardboard containers and plastic packaging may seem like trash to some, but through the creative mind, they are transformed into beautiful expressions - equally parts artful book and assemblage. The Elemental Journal will show you how to craft a wide variety of journals to hold your secrets or express your inner thoughts, and discover new ways to use wood, paper, fabric, plastic and metal in your art.”

This was quite a pretty book to look at but the whole time, all I could think was, “What would you do with these things?” The journals are made with all sorts of odd items and are strange shapes and sizes. Are they meant to be put on a shelf, given as a gift, or used? I couldn’t tell! I thought that I may get a few craft ideas from this book, but it all was just quite odd. Also, the instructions for each journal made were so specific, but the items that were being used were often things that were found at a thrift store or auction. You would not be able to make the exact project without getting the items that she used (which is impossible!). Overall, a pretty book to look at, but not one I would want to own or give as a gift.

**I was given this book for free in exchange for my honest review from the website BookSneeze.com.**

Review: McCain Purely Potatoes

McCain Purely Potatoes

Disclaimer: I was given a free coupon from BzzAgent to test this new product in exchange for an honest review.

When I opened the bag of frozen potatoes, I noticed right away that one of the potatoe chunks was rotten and black. This definitely was not a good way to start the meal! I cooked to potatoes and my husband and I both tried a chunk of potatoe before adding any condiments or mashing them. They were not tasty that way at ALL! After mashing the potatoes and adding butter and milk, they were fixed and tasted great! Overall, a quick way to make mashed potatoes and a nice product. I would buy them again for the convenience, but I would not want to pay full price (sale or coupon please!).

Review: Eat Your Peas for Mom

"A delightful book to give Mom to prove you DID listen to her advice, wit, and wisdom. If you want a special way to celebrate your mother, look no more! Eat Your Peas® Mom is a 3-minute read with a forever message. Upon opening this little package, her heart will smile through the pages filled with affirmation, appreciation, and gratitude expressed for all the ways she loves and cares for you. Each page is artfully hand-illustrated for a charming and homespun feel. It’s a perfect keepsake and reminder for Mom to hold onto forever."

I thought this book would be a bit different from all the other mother "gift" books. I've given books like this as gifts before, and this one wasn't anything special. Each page was quite pretty, but many of the sayings were very very similar. Also, with the phrase "3-minute read" I thought that it would flow better when reading it all at once. A few of the sayings did resonate with me and made me feel like the book was great, but then the next page would be something so similar, or something that didn’t really pertain to me/my mother. Overall, a cute book, but not something that I would purchase myself.

**I was given this book free from the website Book Sneeze in exchange for this honest review. **

REVIEW: This Is Your Brain in Love

"In his new book,This is Your Brain in Love, Dr. Earl Henslin takes a close look at the biological factors that deeply affect our intimate relationships. Sharing many first hand examples from his counselling practice, Dr. Henslin attributes many of the problems encountered by couples on brain dysfunctions. He outlines five different types of lovers, and describes in detail some characteristics that identify each. At the beginning of each of the five chapters, there is a checklist provided in order to determine how you connect to your spouse. At the end of each chapter, Dr. Henslin gives some tips to improve the drawbacks of each type of brain. He also offers suggestions for the spouse in relating to each brain type."

You need a quite chunk of time to read this book! Dr. Henslin is a clear, crisp author, but there was so much information that I almost felt overloaded. He goes through different types of brain functions/disfunctions to explain and try to remedy any relationship problems.  I found that he seemed to focus a lot of ADD and ADHD and I got a bit sick of reading about it! He also really encouraged getting a brain scan to see where there are problem areas. This is not something that is cheap and easy to do. I can't decide if I recommend this book or not, and that's definitely NOT a good thing when you're trying to write a review!

This book was provided to me for free by BookSneeze in exchange for this review.

Clairol Nice N Easy Foam REVIEW

I was given the opportunity to test out Clairol's new Foam hair dye a couple weeks ago. It was very exciting to receive my package in the mail, but I have to say the product was a bit disappointing.

Clairol's big selling point of the foam dye is that it doesn't drip and is "no-mess." I would agree with this, but the foam applicator was so hard for me to use that I would rather risk the drips! When I first saw the product I thought it would be a pump top applicator. Instead, you mix the two dye portions in the applicator, shake it and squeeze to dispense. This was not as easy as it sounds! I don't want a work out while colouring my hair. :)

The colour that I was sent was called "Dark Reddish Brown," so I expected a very dark colour. Second disappointment! There were not many red tones in the colour and it wasn't much darker than my normal hair colour.

I would not pick this colour over normal liquid dyes in the future.

Some freebies to start with...

Here's a few quick current freebies and goodies:

Free Lean Cuisine

Free Thinsations Sample and Coupon

50 Free Photo Prints

BOGO Mousse

Saving Money Conclusion

Here's what I do....

• I rarely purchase things that are not on sale! My grocery bill would probably be double what it is if I didn't do this! Of course, there are many items that do not go on sale, but for the things that do--why pay more? 
• I try to be wise about using my coupons. If I am not going to use the item or it is not something we regularly purchase, I will pass the coupon onto someone else. The goal here is to save money; so if I am buying things just because I have a coupon, in the end, I am going to be spending more! If I have a high value coupon that will make something free or nearly free with a coupon, I will buy it to use as a gift or to donate.
• I price match at No Frills or Walmart. This allows me to make fewer trips out, but still lets me catch all the sales that I am looking for (and I'm saving gas by making only one stop!). Bring the flyer that you are matching from to the cashier when you are checking out; they must have the flyer to complete the transaction for you.
• For gifts, I will shop ahead! This past year, I was finished almost all of my Christmas shopping before October. During the year, I buy things I know the recipient(s) will love, so I don't have a large chuck of money going out in December and so that maybe I can catch the items on sale! I also use points or gift cards to puchase gifts. 
• I keep track of our spending. Not only does it help me see where we might be spending too much, but it's a neat thing to look back on in the future.
• I don't keep anything I'm not happy with. This is a big one! If you have bought something and once you get home you aren't happy with it or simply don't want it, return it! Anything you are not going to enjoy or use is a waste of money. Even if you can only get store credit, at least you don't have a pair of pants sitting in your closet that will never be worn. 

Some phrases you may come across while "couponing:"

•  “Stacking”—Using two or more coupons on a single items. Coupons must have different UPC codes. There are no stores in Ontario that allow you to stack coupons.
• “One per purchase”—this means that you can use one coupon for each item you have purchased. If you are buying three pizzas, that’s three coupons.
• “One per transaction”—No matter how many of the item you are buying, you can only use one coupon for the order.

• “SCOP” or “Scanning Code of Practice”-- The SCOP is a voluntary code that most stores in Canada participate in. If a product under $10 scans at more than the price on the shelf, this item is free for you. If it is over $10, then $10 is subtracted from the item's price. This occurs for the first of each incorrect item, and the rest are adjusted to be the correct price. You usually have to point this out to the cashier, so watch the prices as they are rung in.

 

Saving Money Part 2

Part 2:

Pay attention and be prepared. If you pay attention to your weekly sales flyers you will have a great advantage! Find a store that price matches and go there for all your shopping. With the competitor’s flyers, the store will match their sale prices. This saves you a trip! I price match at No Frills or Walmart, and will often be matching from 2-3 other stores in one trip. Remember that you can use coupons on these items as well. Take out all the coupons that you plan on using during your trip before you go to the store. This saves you fumbling at the till for that one that you "know is there somewhere!"

Should you buy in bulk? Buying in bulk can save you lots of money, but you have to use your math! That twelve pack of pasta sauce at Costco may seem like a good deal, but is it cheaper thqan buying twelve individual cans when they are on sale? As you start to pay attention to sale prices, you'll notice that not every bulk purchase is the better deal in the long run.

What is the unit price? It can be very hard to figure out the cheaper item to purchase when there are so many different sizes! When you are trying to find out which of two (or five!) items is the best one for you in terms of price, be on the look out for the unit price. The unit price will be the price per oz, ml, piece, etc. It will usually be located somewhere on the shelf price tag for the item (see the picture). The unit price is very helpful when you are looking at a bulk purchase as well. I was shopping for mayonaise a few weeks ago and since we always seem to run out (I know, I know! I need to stock up!), I wanted to buy the bigger size. However, the price per unit was about 75% MORE for the larger item! It was cheaper for me to get two normal sized jars, rather than the bigger bulk jar.

Savings Sites

The internet is one of the biggest resources when trying to save money with coupons and sales. Here are some sites I enjoy:

Think Coupons -- This is a listing of all the online or printable coupons out at the time.
Save.ca, Brandsaver (Proctor and Gamble), Gocoupons, Websaver --Your selected coupons are sent to you in the mail.

Smartcanucks -- Huge community with daily blog postings on good deals, savings, and coupons. This is a site to check daily! Also, there are “coupon trains” you can join to come across a variety of new coupons from other areas. Some links for that site: Current Printable Coupons, Freebies and Samples

I get all my coupons online, in the mail, in the flyers, and through trades.

Saving Money---Intermission!

Let's take a break from saving money to focus on a cool website to help you earn some FREE money!

Swagbucks! Seriously, sign up for this site right away! I have made $85 in Amazon gift cards through this site. It is a websearch and toolbar that gives you points for searching online. I earn about 25-35 points a day, and 450 points is a $5 Amazon gift card. I have made it my home page and have installed the toolbar, and when I want to go to a website I just do a search for it rather than type in the url. There are a ton of prize selections on the site and you also get points for any referrals (1 point for each of theirs up to 1000). You can also earn points by watching videos, doing polls, or completing offers; but I don't have time to sit and do all of that and the search toolbar works good enough for me.

Click on the banner below to start now!

Saving Money Part 1

Several people have been asking me for shopping and saving tips, so here they are!

Part 1:

Shop the sales and stock up! For instance, Campbell’s condensed soup often comes on sale for .44 or .59 a can; the regular price is .99. Stock up on sale rather than paying regular price when you run out. Keep a stock of items you will use and try to pay attention to the expiration dates. There are a lot of things that you can freeze as well. I never buy cheese regular price, but will buy 6-8 bricks on sale and freeze until we need them. This will last us until the next time it is on sale.  Toilet paper is another good thing to stock up on. It is on sale quite often, but is very expensive regular price. Some things that I do not buy if they are not on sale: shampoo/conditioner, toothpaste, TP, detergent, pasta, cereal, hamburger, soup, bread, pop, cake mizes, icing, and spaghetti sauce.

Use your coupons on sale items. This is where you can get the biggest bang for your buck! I often get things for free or almost free when using my coupons on sale items. Going back to the Campbell’s soup illustration, there is a coupon floating around right now for $1 off when you buy 3 cans. If I use this when the soup is on sale for .44 (like it is this week!), I will pay only .32 for 3 cans. If I use it when the soup is regular price, I would pay 1.97 for 3 cans.