Or are they just trying to (sometimes-not-so) subtly suggest that you remain loyal or try their "new and improved" products? Either way, popular brands of cosmetics, skin-care, snack foods, cleaning products and other household items, often offer free printable coupons on their website! So, if you're partial to a particular moisturizer, candied nut, or paper towel, and you can get it together to remember to visit their website, you may be rewarded for your loyalty with some small savings.
One of the best ways to start finding and using these click and print coupons is the most obvious: think about the types of products you use frequently, then think of and search for the brands of those products you prefer to buy. Companies that offer special promotions and coupons do so on the "special offers" or "promotions" sections of their websites. Sometimes you may have to click the "sitemap" in order to find this section, other times you may have to make a profile in order to view the offers. Unfortunately, due to the increased occurrences of coupon fraud, many websites will ask you to fill out a web-form or make a profile or install a special coupon-printing program before they'll allow you to print their vouchers. While these profiles and programs are always free, they can be inconvenient. Still, as inconvenient as it can be to make YET ANOTHER online profile or fill out YET ANOTHER form, being able to search for and directly print coupons from your home computer remains rather convenient over-all.
Always bear in mind that companies often offer discounts and coupons as a way to advertise their brands or to promote new products. The trick to something like this, is to remember that these printable coupons are only really going to save you some money if you had planned on buying that product in the first place. If you've never used that product before, or had no interest in trying it before you found that coupon, then it's just yet another trick employed by those artful ad-people. Before you print, ask yourself: "do I use this product? Would I be interested in trying this brand if the company wasn't offering a coupon? Am I feeling compelled to buy this item merely because I want the thrill of using this coupon I found?"
*Here are three offers I found on products that my household uses regularly:
$3 off the new President Brie
$1 off any one (1) Seventh Generation laundry product
Save $2 on any new Neutrogena suncare product
Good luck and chipper clipping!
*Unfortunately, some of these offers require that you fill out one of the aforementioned forms and install one of the aforementioned coupon printing program, before allowing you to collect the discount vouchers.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Yippie-kai-YAPTA
If you're hoping to fly this summer on a budget, but seek a destination not served by Southwest Airlines, consider using Yapta to search for and monitor airfares from other airlines, including international companies. They'll even help you get airline refunds if the price of your flight drops below what you paid!
Powered by Kayak , the travel meta-search engine that assembles information on flights, hotels, and car rentals from several other travel sites, Yapta, like Kayak, allows the user to search hundreds of flights from different companies and compare the airfares. Yapta goes one further than Kayak though, and will monitor the ever-changing prices of a flight or hotel accommodation that is "bookmarked" by a user, and will then notify them through email if and when the price drops.
Registering an account is free and easy, and the site has been field tested by Your's Truly. One of the flights I had bookmarked for London in the beginning of September on United Airlines had fallen as low as $670.30, round trip with taxes and fees included! However, just like Southwest, when you see a fare that fits your budget, it may be worth booking right then. Yapta will notify you once a fare decreases but it won't send a notification if a fare is about to increase.
A quick search today suggests that airfares are sitting on the higher side right now, but who knows what tomorrow will bring for the highly volatile fares?
Some other things to keep in mind:
Powered by Kayak , the travel meta-search engine that assembles information on flights, hotels, and car rentals from several other travel sites, Yapta, like Kayak, allows the user to search hundreds of flights from different companies and compare the airfares. Yapta goes one further than Kayak though, and will monitor the ever-changing prices of a flight or hotel accommodation that is "bookmarked" by a user, and will then notify them through email if and when the price drops.
Registering an account is free and easy, and the site has been field tested by Your's Truly. One of the flights I had bookmarked for London in the beginning of September on United Airlines had fallen as low as $670.30, round trip with taxes and fees included! However, just like Southwest, when you see a fare that fits your budget, it may be worth booking right then. Yapta will notify you once a fare decreases but it won't send a notification if a fare is about to increase.
A quick search today suggests that airfares are sitting on the higher side right now, but who knows what tomorrow will bring for the highly volatile fares?
Some other things to keep in mind:
- The earlier you start searching and booking the better. Many suggest 90-60 days ahead of time, but since Yapta will watch your fare prices for you, is doesn't hurt to start searching earlier than that.
- Departing during the middle of the week can sometimes make a significant difference in your fare, but other times the savings are negligible. Search a few different dates or take a look at the fare chart to search for the best rate.
Friday, June 4, 2010
SAVING SUX (AMEN)
Ah, saving. Socking your money away so that you can do something better with it in the future. Saving kind of sucks, but you just need to do it shushy.
It's never too early or too late to start saving. However, if you find yourself in debt (especially a great amount of debt) it's more important to pay down your debt to avoid the ecu-ring of further interest. If you aren't in debt, and you haven't started saving, there's no better time to start than today!
The sooner you start saving, the longer your money has time to grow. Those of you in your twenties and thirties that are not-yet raising families are in an excellent position to start saving aggressively now.
For example, if you start saving $3,000 per year (that's $250 per month) at the age of 25, and your investment sees a return of 8%, then by the time you're 65 you'd have $839,343! If you waited until 35 to start saving the same amount of money at the same rates you'd have only $367,038. Something of a difference isn't it?
Some thoughts on getting started: if you've never been much of a saver, starting can be difficult to do and may seem impossible. It's not! --Well it's not impossible to start at least. Here are three ways to start saving!
- Clean out your wallet, handbag, satchel or wherever your lose money tends to gather, --if it tends to gather anywhere. Then, take all the change and free floating single bills. Put them aside in a coffee can, jar, antique vase, cute ceramic piggy bank, new savings account, --wherever you have to put it so that you put it away for a rainy day. Unless you're real hard-up for those green backs, you won't miss the coins, be they copper or silver. It's a slow way to save, but it's a way to start and it will grow over time! Especially, if you know, you put it in a bank account or retirement fund where it can gain some interest.
Pennies by themselves are still pretty worthless, but pennies in a pile sometimes amount to something!
- Again, unless you desperately need it to pay a debt or an upcoming bill, save some of every windfall, no matter how small or great the amount. You needn't feel as though you can't go out and celebrate that raise or bonus or scratch-n-win ticket for $500 --but instead of blowing every penny from heaven on a big dinner or fancy toy, pay yourself first. Consider doing it a little differently when you do go out to celebrate a gain. Drinks and hors d'œuvres are usually cheaper than a dinner without drinks, especially if you're splitting those hors d'œuvres plates with a few friends.
- If you have a habit that's born purely of pleasure, consider giving it up for a little while or scaling back on it for a bit and saving the money you would have spent. Let's say you're in the habit of going out to lunch everyday during the working week. If lunch costs you $10 a day, that's $50 a week or $200 a month you might be spending. Even if you only cut down to where you're still eating out twice per week, that's only $20 a week or $80 per month. There is, of course, the possibility that your grocery bill will increase somewhat so that you have food to bring for lunch. Still, groceries are often dramatically cheaper than eating out. Check out this guy who challenged himself to eat well on $1 per day!
Depending on your individual situation or life-style, these suggestions may not work for everyone. Still, they may inspire you to something that will allow you to save a little here and there. It isn't important that you save a lot right away, the important thing is starting, and then continuing to save with some regularity, even if it's just a little here and there. Don't get overwhelmed, when you start from nothing saving anything, much less hundreds of thousands of dollars seems terrifying! It can be tough, but the important thing is to keep at it. Setting a specific goal, or thinking of something concrete (a house, an education, a vacation, the Batmobile) that you want to save for, can help. Remember, isn't delayed gratification the definition of maturity? ISN'T IT?
It's never too early or too late to start saving. However, if you find yourself in debt (especially a great amount of debt) it's more important to pay down your debt to avoid the ecu-ring of further interest. If you aren't in debt, and you haven't started saving, there's no better time to start than today!
The sooner you start saving, the longer your money has time to grow. Those of you in your twenties and thirties that are not-yet raising families are in an excellent position to start saving aggressively now.
For example, if you start saving $3,000 per year (that's $250 per month) at the age of 25, and your investment sees a return of 8%, then by the time you're 65 you'd have $839,343! If you waited until 35 to start saving the same amount of money at the same rates you'd have only $367,038. Something of a difference isn't it?
Some thoughts on getting started: if you've never been much of a saver, starting can be difficult to do and may seem impossible. It's not! --Well it's not impossible to start at least. Here are three ways to start saving!
- Clean out your wallet, handbag, satchel or wherever your lose money tends to gather, --if it tends to gather anywhere. Then, take all the change and free floating single bills. Put them aside in a coffee can, jar, antique vase, cute ceramic piggy bank, new savings account, --wherever you have to put it so that you put it away for a rainy day. Unless you're real hard-up for those green backs, you won't miss the coins, be they copper or silver. It's a slow way to save, but it's a way to start and it will grow over time! Especially, if you know, you put it in a bank account or retirement fund where it can gain some interest.
Pennies by themselves are still pretty worthless, but pennies in a pile sometimes amount to something!
- Again, unless you desperately need it to pay a debt or an upcoming bill, save some of every windfall, no matter how small or great the amount. You needn't feel as though you can't go out and celebrate that raise or bonus or scratch-n-win ticket for $500 --but instead of blowing every penny from heaven on a big dinner or fancy toy, pay yourself first. Consider doing it a little differently when you do go out to celebrate a gain. Drinks and hors d'œuvres are usually cheaper than a dinner without drinks, especially if you're splitting those hors d'œuvres plates with a few friends.
- If you have a habit that's born purely of pleasure, consider giving it up for a little while or scaling back on it for a bit and saving the money you would have spent. Let's say you're in the habit of going out to lunch everyday during the working week. If lunch costs you $10 a day, that's $50 a week or $200 a month you might be spending. Even if you only cut down to where you're still eating out twice per week, that's only $20 a week or $80 per month. There is, of course, the possibility that your grocery bill will increase somewhat so that you have food to bring for lunch. Still, groceries are often dramatically cheaper than eating out. Check out this guy who challenged himself to eat well on $1 per day!
Depending on your individual situation or life-style, these suggestions may not work for everyone. Still, they may inspire you to something that will allow you to save a little here and there. It isn't important that you save a lot right away, the important thing is starting, and then continuing to save with some regularity, even if it's just a little here and there. Don't get overwhelmed, when you start from nothing saving anything, much less hundreds of thousands of dollars seems terrifying! It can be tough, but the important thing is to keep at it. Setting a specific goal, or thinking of something concrete (a house, an education, a vacation, the Batmobile) that you want to save for, can help. Remember, isn't delayed gratification the definition of maturity? ISN'T IT?
HIPSTERIFFIC MUSIC MIX FROM iTUNES THROUGH STARBUCKS
Brought to you courtesy of Red Plum.
Through this week until the end of August iTunes has for download, a free, hipsteriffic music mix of ten tracks featuring the likes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Band, the Shout Out Louds, Goldfrapp, and Hot Chip. While it's maybe not as "edgy" as Starbucks would have you believe, it's not bad. --Well, not once you get over the feeling that you just downloaded a playlist put together through a partnership between Starbucks and iTunes.
Though a highlighting a mix put out through such an unholy alliance gives me a sort of nasty, filmy feeling on my teeth, I can't pretend I don't use both these... what are they anyway? Services? Brands? After all, whenever traveling, whether it's to the big city or some hole out in the sticks, I'm always a bit relieved to see a Starbucks down the corner. This guarantees that even if the coffee is hideously bad every where in town, I will be able to find a palatable, if kinda burnt, cup of coffee somewhere should I get desperate. And while I find the fact that iTunes only works with the iPod a little insidious, I still use iTunes in addition to owning and using an iPod. Eh.
Anyway! Get the playlist here! They're giving it away for free!
STILL TO COME: SAVING SUX (AMEN)
Through this week until the end of August iTunes has for download, a free, hipsteriffic music mix of ten tracks featuring the likes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Band, the Shout Out Louds, Goldfrapp, and Hot Chip. While it's maybe not as "edgy" as Starbucks would have you believe, it's not bad. --Well, not once you get over the feeling that you just downloaded a playlist put together through a partnership between Starbucks and iTunes.
Though a highlighting a mix put out through such an unholy alliance gives me a sort of nasty, filmy feeling on my teeth, I can't pretend I don't use both these... what are they anyway? Services? Brands? After all, whenever traveling, whether it's to the big city or some hole out in the sticks, I'm always a bit relieved to see a Starbucks down the corner. This guarantees that even if the coffee is hideously bad every where in town, I will be able to find a palatable, if kinda burnt, cup of coffee somewhere should I get desperate. And while I find the fact that iTunes only works with the iPod a little insidious, I still use iTunes in addition to owning and using an iPod. Eh.
Anyway! Get the playlist here! They're giving it away for free!
STILL TO COME: SAVING SUX (AMEN)
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Eating Lite: lighter on your wallet?
ECONOMIC VEGETARIANISM: (n) (the practice of) only eating vegatables because you can't afford to buy meat. From urbandictionary.com
Ah, economic vegetarianism, --also known to many as the collegiate or immediately post-collegiate diet. Truthfully, strict economic vegetarianism may not be the best nutrition regimien. Ensuring that one recieves a balance of the full spectrum of vitamins, minerals and nutrients while undertaking a strictly vegetarian diet can be complicated and difficult (but still far from impossible!). Additionally, though I can tell you with certainty that carrots are still cheaper than steak (they also tend to be crunchier. If you like your steak to crunch, you and I should probably never barbecue together), I've never actually done the numbers to prove that a healthy, varied, vegetarian diet is cheaper than a non-vegetarian diet. Food, the costs of production, industrial farming, and the role and effects of social class in our culture are all complicated issues in and of themselves; the point where these concerns converge raises an entire series of complex questions that are far beyond the scope of this blog.
Don't misunderstand though, this is by no means an indictment of vegetarianism! While I would consult a proper nutritionist (or at least get some free advice from the guy who works at the healthfood store) before permanently switching to a strictly vegetarian diet, economic vegetarianism can be a useful general guideline when you're looking to scale back your bills at the grocer's.
Despite a surge in popularity over the past couple of decades, vegetarian food (especially budget-conscious vegetarian food) still gets a bad rap at times. Though the idea that vegetarian fare primarily consists of bland, boiled vegetables persists, it really doesn't have to be like that! My favourite vegetarian dish to make and serve is a black bean chili dish that was inspired by a recipie I once saw in Nutrition Action. (I say inspired because even the first time I made this dish I was unable to follow their recipe due to a combination of my unwillingness to buy what I thought were unnecessary ingridients for something I was sure I was only gonna make once, and my habit of reading the ingridients lists for recipies, but never the directions.) This black bean chili is easy, it's usually cheap to make, and reheats well in the microwave. Though I usually make this chili for myself to take in my lunch during the working-week, I've served it to many of my dinner guests, and always to compliments.
The great thing about this recipie is that once you have it down, you can mix it up a little bit. The tomatoes and red peppers give this dish a natural sweetness that's pleasant underneath the hotter spices, but also does well on it's own as the main flavour of a milder version. It's easy to make, and most of the ingriedents average out to less than 1$ a piece (the unforunate exception to this, is the key ingridient that gives this dish it's subtle sweetness, the red peppers).
BASIC BLACK BEAN CHILI RECIPIE:
-2 tbsp olive oil (or just enough to coat the bottom of whatever pot or pan you use)
-1-2 red bell peppers*
-1-3 cloves of garlic
-1 onion, red or white
-1 lg can of black beans
-1 can of diced tomatoes
-chili powder
-hot sauce (optional)
-salt and pepper
Optional topping:
- sour cream
-fresh cilantro and/or chives
*An alternative to using so many peppers is to use 1/2 to 1 pepper, and then finely chop or grate up a couple of carrots as well. Carrots are usually much cheaper in the produce section and also have a natural sweetness, that enhances wonderfully when the vegetable is cooked.
1) Dice up your bell peppers! If you like chunkier chili, don't worry about dicing them up too finely. I like mine in bits that resemeble 1"-1 1/2" cubes. Set aside
2) Use your olive oil to coat the bottom of your pot or pan (I think the recipie I adapted this 8stove. Turn your stove burner on to medium-low.
3) After your oil starts to warm (I never wait til it's "screaming hot"), dump in the peppers and let them cook in the oil until they become fragrant and a bit shiney (for me, with my stove, this usually ends up being around 5 miuntes).
4) As the peppers are cooking, dice up your garlic and onions. Once they're cut up, dump them into the pot with the peppers.
5) Continue cooking the pepper,garlic, and onions on medium-low until onions start to become translucent (again, this is usually just takes a few minutes, usually around five of them).
6) Drain and lightly rinse the canned beans. Dump beans into the pot with the vegetables.
7) Next, dump canned, diced tomatoes into the chili pot. Your dish should look a bit watery. That's good. You'll know the chili is down when the liquid from the diced tomatoes cooks down.
8) Take your chili powder, and give a few of good shakes into the pot. I use quite a few good shakes and my chili is usually still pretty mild. If you want a spicer dish consider using a full-table spoon, or adding other, hotter spices of your choice.
9) Add any additional seasonings and herbs you'd ike to use to flavor your chili (such as hot sauce). A few of the things I like to add when I have them on hand are: Adobo peppers, Valentina hot sauce, cumin, red pepper flakes and tabasco sauce
10) Stir your chili.
11) Now walk away from it for a while, and let it cook slowly, on medium-low to low until the liquid from the canned tomatoes cooks down (this usually means your chili cooks for an hour or two. Yes, that is a long time; it's worth it).
12) Make sure you check on your chili and stir it up now and then to make sure none of it burns and sticks to the bottom of the pan.
13) After your water has cooked down, turn your burner off, and spoon the chili into a bowl.
14) Top with a dollop of sour cream and fresh cut cilantro and/or chives
15) Eat some chili!
Ah, economic vegetarianism, --also known to many as the collegiate or immediately post-collegiate diet. Truthfully, strict economic vegetarianism may not be the best nutrition regimien. Ensuring that one recieves a balance of the full spectrum of vitamins, minerals and nutrients while undertaking a strictly vegetarian diet can be complicated and difficult (but still far from impossible!). Additionally, though I can tell you with certainty that carrots are still cheaper than steak (they also tend to be crunchier. If you like your steak to crunch, you and I should probably never barbecue together), I've never actually done the numbers to prove that a healthy, varied, vegetarian diet is cheaper than a non-vegetarian diet. Food, the costs of production, industrial farming, and the role and effects of social class in our culture are all complicated issues in and of themselves; the point where these concerns converge raises an entire series of complex questions that are far beyond the scope of this blog.
Don't misunderstand though, this is by no means an indictment of vegetarianism! While I would consult a proper nutritionist (or at least get some free advice from the guy who works at the healthfood store) before permanently switching to a strictly vegetarian diet, economic vegetarianism can be a useful general guideline when you're looking to scale back your bills at the grocer's.
Despite a surge in popularity over the past couple of decades, vegetarian food (especially budget-conscious vegetarian food) still gets a bad rap at times. Though the idea that vegetarian fare primarily consists of bland, boiled vegetables persists, it really doesn't have to be like that! My favourite vegetarian dish to make and serve is a black bean chili dish that was inspired by a recipie I once saw in Nutrition Action. (I say inspired because even the first time I made this dish I was unable to follow their recipe due to a combination of my unwillingness to buy what I thought were unnecessary ingridients for something I was sure I was only gonna make once, and my habit of reading the ingridients lists for recipies, but never the directions.) This black bean chili is easy, it's usually cheap to make, and reheats well in the microwave. Though I usually make this chili for myself to take in my lunch during the working-week, I've served it to many of my dinner guests, and always to compliments.
The great thing about this recipie is that once you have it down, you can mix it up a little bit. The tomatoes and red peppers give this dish a natural sweetness that's pleasant underneath the hotter spices, but also does well on it's own as the main flavour of a milder version. It's easy to make, and most of the ingriedents average out to less than 1$ a piece (the unforunate exception to this, is the key ingridient that gives this dish it's subtle sweetness, the red peppers).
BASIC BLACK BEAN CHILI RECIPIE:
-2 tbsp olive oil (or just enough to coat the bottom of whatever pot or pan you use)
-1-2 red bell peppers*
-1-3 cloves of garlic
-1 onion, red or white
-1 lg can of black beans
-1 can of diced tomatoes
-chili powder
-hot sauce (optional)
-salt and pepper
Optional topping:
- sour cream
-fresh cilantro and/or chives
*An alternative to using so many peppers is to use 1/2 to 1 pepper, and then finely chop or grate up a couple of carrots as well. Carrots are usually much cheaper in the produce section and also have a natural sweetness, that enhances wonderfully when the vegetable is cooked.
1) Dice up your bell peppers! If you like chunkier chili, don't worry about dicing them up too finely. I like mine in bits that resemeble 1"-1 1/2" cubes. Set aside
2) Use your olive oil to coat the bottom of your pot or pan (I think the recipie I adapted this 8stove. Turn your stove burner on to medium-low.
3) After your oil starts to warm (I never wait til it's "screaming hot"), dump in the peppers and let them cook in the oil until they become fragrant and a bit shiney (for me, with my stove, this usually ends up being around 5 miuntes).
4) As the peppers are cooking, dice up your garlic and onions. Once they're cut up, dump them into the pot with the peppers.
5) Continue cooking the pepper,garlic, and onions on medium-low until onions start to become translucent (again, this is usually just takes a few minutes, usually around five of them).
6) Drain and lightly rinse the canned beans. Dump beans into the pot with the vegetables.
7) Next, dump canned, diced tomatoes into the chili pot. Your dish should look a bit watery. That's good. You'll know the chili is down when the liquid from the diced tomatoes cooks down.
8) Take your chili powder, and give a few of good shakes into the pot. I use quite a few good shakes and my chili is usually still pretty mild. If you want a spicer dish consider using a full-table spoon, or adding other, hotter spices of your choice.
9) Add any additional seasonings and herbs you'd ike to use to flavor your chili (such as hot sauce). A few of the things I like to add when I have them on hand are: Adobo peppers, Valentina hot sauce, cumin, red pepper flakes and tabasco sauce
10) Stir your chili.
11) Now walk away from it for a while, and let it cook slowly, on medium-low to low until the liquid from the canned tomatoes cooks down (this usually means your chili cooks for an hour or two. Yes, that is a long time; it's worth it).
12) Make sure you check on your chili and stir it up now and then to make sure none of it burns and sticks to the bottom of the pan.
13) After your water has cooked down, turn your burner off, and spoon the chili into a bowl.
14) Top with a dollop of sour cream and fresh cut cilantro and/or chives
15) Eat some chili!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
HEELS YEAH
My very first check from Global Test Market came today! And it looks like a real check!
Will my bank cash it?! STAY TUNED! The thrilling conclusion and an actual entry coming tomorrow!
Will my bank cash it?! STAY TUNED! The thrilling conclusion and an actual entry coming tomorrow!
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