Love that Scratch and Dent section!

I'm a big fan of the "clearance" and "scratch and dent" areas of stores. If you're just starting out in a home or if you're just conscious of your spending, then checking these little gems frequently can give great savings. 

Here are a few examples of some favourite scratch and dent finds I've done.. long post, kinda turned into a brag post haha:

I've spoken about Rosehill Liquidation before (here: http://couponwithsam.blogspot.ca/2015/09/sharing-great-sales-rosehill-liquidation.html), but this place basically furnished my whole house. They are a end of the line place for many name brands from places like Sears and The Bay. As soon as I knew my offer on a house was accepted, we started shopping and filling a trailer for move in day 

• Bought a beautiful huge and comfortable leather couch. It was "scratch and dent" because one of the back cushions wouldn't zipper totally on. Never in the three years of using this couch have we even noticed! I think it was normally priced $2500 in the store and we paid $475
• Matching colour to couch, huge ottoman, fake leather. Love this thing (and so does the dog) and it was here because the fabric on the underside was ripping off. Again, have never seen the problem. We got it for $125 
• Big beautiful rug. This huge thing was exactly what we wanted to bring colours together in the living room. While standing in the store I googled it and found it for over $2000. We got it for $135
• Washer and dryer set. HE, decent capacity for both (can do our comforter) and haven't needed major repairs yet (and we've abused these things). They were both here because of dents in the sides. Got the pair for $472
• Pedestals for the washer and dryer. These were here again because of dents but they were perfectly priced when we compared to buying new. Yes they don't match, but they serve the purpose! Pair for $105
  
• We bought a pretty cool little fridge that held a lot for $600. After only being home a little while the freezer broke and we suddenly had A LOT of meat we had to cook up and eat. We were still under warranty with Rosehill and took it back, and upgraded to a really stunning fridge for $200 more. This one has been chugging along perfectly since.   
  
• Moving out to my own place, I wanted a new bigger-than-single bed. I got a really great, brand new mattress normally $2300 for $560. They threw in a boxspring free and I bought the rails base for $58. My roommates at the time both also bought new mattresses, getting some "once used" mattresses for steals. I still tell anyone looking for a mattress to go to Rosehill 
• Headboard for my bed.. was a nice white wooden thing. The lamination on a top corner was starting to peel so the whole thing was cheap and came home with us for $100
• Small home appliances came from here too, with no complaints as everything still works fine, including a coffee maker and blender for $20 each 
• Decor items like beautiful dividing screens (that had some sort of paint blotches on the backside no one sees anyways), metal leaves for outside hanging, candle holders and a bunch of other little bits. 
  
• A big backyard porch umbrella that uncannily perfectly matched some really random colored cushions I just bought on sale somewhere else. Never in a million years would I have thought I would find a matching umbrella to them! I think the umbrella was $30, and was totally worth it!
• Our Christmas tree! Seriously love this little tree, multicolor lights, nice shape and decent height. We paid $23 for him  
  

On top of all the above deals, we added on their newsletter discount coupon which gave another 10-20% off each time we went. 

I also know that my grandma found a cow painting she absolutely needed to have for my cousin (her other granddaughter). In the normal store this thing was over $200. I found it by fluke at Rosehill and told her about it and she went and got it for something around $60

• Fish tanks can usually be found "open box" or missing pieces for a discount. Display models can also score a good deal. My first tank is absolutely beautiful, and I bought it as an open box missing the light piece. It was too pretty to pass up at the price they were offering so I took it home (with the understanding I could bring it back within a month) and called the company to see about a replacement light. They sent me one free of charge and I have the prettiest little 30 gallon tank.  
• Our big fish tank was a discount as it was the display model with again, no light. The stand was already assembled so we had to take the whole thing as is. Thanks to our roommate with the big car, we got it all home and I called the company to get replacement lights. Again these were free of charge and I think the tank looks awesome!   Read more: http://couponwithsam.blogspot.ca/2016/05/another-it-doesn-hurt-to-ask-missing.html

• I was coveting my parents new bed that they got for a small bedroom at their beach house. It was one where you could lift the whole bed up for tons of storage underneath. They bought theirs from Ikea and my roommate and I set off to get one. IKEA has a corner for scratch and dent, just before checkouts. I know this is supposed to be your last stop, but it's always my first. Much to my surprise, there was the bed!! All boxed and the labels saying there was nothing wrong with it. It was almost too good to be true. I talked to the guys there and they verified it was brand new, just here for some reason. It was the "wrong" colour as I wanted white but for more than half price it was perfect. It came home and seriously, everyone should have this bed haha. 
  

• Maybe it's not quite scratch and dent but I really like popping by The Beat Goes On store from time to time to look at their discount previously used DVDs. For less than $4 I can usually have a movie I've been wanting to watch, that is priced at HMV for over $15. They provide an exchange warranty if the disc won't play so you really can't go wrong. Just yesterday I picked up Disney's Frozen for $15.99, priced at HMV for $35

• While looking for stuff for my new bathroom after renovations, we found a scratch and dent vanity store. They had all kinds and I really liked this dark red wood set that had the vanity with white sink, over sink medicine cabinet and a little shelf with hooks thing. The vanity was $175 and the shelf and cabinet were $20 and $30
  
  
  
  Love to hear everyone's brag buys from the discount stores... Share if you have them! 

Living without Cable or Satellite - a growing trend

I'm hearing about it more and more, frustrations with the rising and unreasonable costs of cable and satellite television. People abandoning these "traditional" forms of tv in favour of the new "normal" Netflix and Shomi accounts only.  

I've been living in my house for 3 years now and we only just got some (free for us) satellite set up. But for 3 years we happily lived without!

In the beginning, my roommate and I invested in the unlimited gb internet package instead of getting cable set up. Best decision ever I think! We could stream, watch, play, download and Google to our hearts content without paying anything more than our set monthly Internet charge. We bought Netflix, which satisfies our movie and series cravings for the most part as well. 

Anything else we wanted to watch, we hopped onto the good old Internet to find. Besides YouTube which seems to have all the awful tv shows I like (judge shows, Maury and Steve Wilkos.. hah!) there are a bunch of free movie apps we used too like Crackle, A&E, City, Viewster, Snag Films, or PopcornFlix. 

Or how about Smart Tvs, that come preloaded with all kinds of different apps for show watching too, like Vimeo, . If there was something we craved that we couldn't find, we went to our "The Beat Goes On" store to buy it for less than $5 (and then it was permanently ours) or asked to borrow it from a friend. My roommate would go to his parents house for any big things like the Super Bowl. 

Or, though I promote nothing as I don't know anything about them, there are things that kind of act like cable boxes - android boxes I think they are. Had we not got satellite we might have looked into this option. 

The only reason we got satellite was for the sports games. We found these a little difficult to find streaming online for free. Even now with the satellite, we aren't technically paying for it as its an add-on to my parents account with a second box and portable dish for no extra money. Rather than sit in their basement, we said yes to hooking it up here. I still watch the majority of my shows on my iPad and phone, while "the boys" watch their sports on the tv. 

Spin and earn free money with Qriket app

You know me, always a fan of the get-rich-quick schemes that don't cost me any money to start.. Here's another one!

I googled phone apps that make you real money. There are a bunch! Most of them require you to answer surveys and stuff, but I wanted one that took no brainpower. This one seems pretty simple, and everyone that has posted about it seems to like the real money you can steadily get. 

Let me prelude this with Ive had it for 2 days. But in 2 days I have $2.45 real dollars (that I can cash out into PayPal when it gets to $5 I think. Easy! 

The Game

Meet Qriket. Pick either blue or yellow and spin the wheel. If it lands on your colour, you get the 5, 10, 20 cents. I've heard-tell that it also jumps up and down to $1 and $2 in a spin. 

Get More Spins

There are a few ways to get spins. 

When you first get started, plug in my referral code at startup: Use the code D73E9F to get 25 free spins http://qriket.com/invite/D73E9F

You'll want those 25 spins, trust me!

Thereafter it looks like there are four ways to get more spins:

1. Spin locator

This thing shows you all the places that will give you 1 spin for every $1 spent at their place (mostly food). Most of them are in Toronto and none are near me unfortunately 

2. Buy Qriket gear. 

Buying a hat or shirt with the logo on it will come with a bonus spins code. 

3. Follow @jcomparel on Twitter or Instagram to get freebies he posts.

All of these codes go into the top little spin redeem button

4. Have your friends use your referral code when they download the game and you get $1 for every joinee. Don't forget to use mine! - D73E9F  http://qriket.com/invite/D73E9F

I hop on once a day, watch all the ads and spin 10 times. I go up at least .50 every day, so I will hang tight and see where I am in a couple weeks. Don't forget to use my referral code if you've found this info helpful!

Another it doesn't hurt to ask - missing parts

Some couples get a puppy or kitten, we go ahead and get another fish tank!  I already have a small 15 gallon fish tank, but I always kinda wanted a big one for the living room. Well, hubby and I went out "fishing" for some new additions to the 15 gallon, and ended up finding what we thought was a too-good-to-pass-up deal on basically the fish tank and stand I originally wanted and we both thought looked stunning. 

(Bowfront on stand with a closed cabinet underneath.)

It was on sale in the store for 20% off, which already made it a good deal. And then, it was marked down another 20% off that because it was missing the light accessory. We looked at the lights and the 20% off basically covered buying one of those lights. Done deal, we picked up all the stuff needed and brought it home. 

To prelude any more of this, let me explain that my 15 gallon tank was also a steal of a deal when I bought it a year ago. It's a National Geographic bowfront tank that when I bought it, had a defective light. The store tried to help me but they didn't have any more of that tank (hence why I got it for such a great deal). I called up National Geographic and after a little back and forth, they sent me a complete new lid and light set. 

So part 1. of "it doesn't hurt to ask", is I called up National Geographic again and asked how I could get lights for my new big tank. Without much hesitation, they are sending me the lights. When we get the lights, we can decide if we like them or not, and if we do, we can take back the light we bought at the store. If not, I can sell them to another aquatic fanatic and get another $25 or so off our bill. 

Part 2., there was a store coupon going around for $20 off your purchase of $75 for three days only. I took in my receipt and asked if they could refund me and "buy back" an item on my receipt. They said yes, and I saved another $20. 

Beautiful tank, we were happy with what we paid, and we saved here and there on something we wanted. Hooray!

Free is everywhere! - @ Toronto Airport

My hubby and I recently took a trip to Disney World. As with all flights, you try to get to the airport early, so we were there probably 3 hours early. Once there and through customs, our plane was delayed so we were going to be another hour or so just waiting around. 

Through customs and at the waiting gates, Toronto Pearson has little iPad stands. We took up shop there to charge our electronics and play on the iPads. One of the features of the iPad is the ability to win free stuff just for playing games and watching ads. I thought.. Why not!

We played some scratch card game that gives you points for opening chests with keys and matching three of the same icon (because it took no brain power or skill, and each "game" went quickest). When you run out of scratches, you watch a 30 second ad and you get 5 more scratches. My honey and I did this for the entire wait time (well, I did, he was totally bored after the first hour haha). 

Your points can then be redeemed right on the iPad for free drinks and snacks. If you play long enough they also had prizes like a TV, but you would have to win the jackpot spin to get that sucker!

So in 3ish hours, I won us 2 pops and 2 chips and he worked hard for some expensive chocolate bar thing that they were out of, and substituted for some awful peanut butter version (see his sad face :( ). 

You had to answer a skill testing math question correctly, and they would deliver your chosen prize right to the iPad you're sitting at. They had other games on there including card games and slots that you can accumulate prize points in. 

From these iPads you could also order and pay for food, which we tried, and I would suggest the flatbread as it was large enough to share, and a good airport-deal at $9. 

Freebies are everywhere, this was just another one I found and wanted to share. 

SPC - Student Price Card... Get one!

If you are in school or are a parent/grandparent/friend to someone who is, this has been probably one of the best "investments" I've ever made. Everyone who can, get one! 

The SPC card is a student price (discount) card that is accepted in more and more places, from food to shopping to entertainment to banking to travel. They have a great list on the back of the card that shows all the places it is accepted and there is even an app that you can quickly use on your phone in your area on the go. 

The card costs $10. Yep that's it. When I got my card years ago, I was making a purchase of something like $120. I bought the card first and used it on that purchase, and it paid for itself immediately, and every discount since has been free effortless money! This is a complete no brainer! Every time we go out to eat, I save something like $3-$5. A couple meals and the card is paid for again. 

I always ask at retailers if they have a SPC discount and more and more places are saying yes. Banking and travel too, every little 10% adds up! 

To qualify, you need to be in school with a student ID card to show when you make the purchase. As long as you are a student you can buy the card every year and it is good for a year. 

Then there is this awesome second part, called the BMO SPC MasterCard. This I got quickly after getting my original card (can apply through their website) and it is a SPC discount card combined with a no yearly fee, chargeable, credit-building MasterCard. This was great for me to start building credit as it was my first credit card, and one less discount card I had to carry around. PLUS you can hook up the card to air miles and get air miles with each $20 charged to the card. This card is like a triple dream! Annnnnd.. Every year they automatically renewed my SPC credit card, so in the entire life of my SPC affair I've spent only $10. 

Since I got the MasterCard, I no longer had to show my student ID either because retailers assume that BMO has already screened me. One less card I needed to carry around again.  

There are other student discount programs as well. On campus, grab one of those free planners they give out and inside should be the various places that will give student discounts for your school. I went to York University, and they had their own separate student discount card plan that was good off campus too. While I was in school I would also ask stores if they had a student discount, and a bunch did though they didn't promote it anywhere. 

It pays for itself almost immediately so in my opinion there is no reason not to get this card (or MasterCard) and use it! 

Save some money on dog grooming

Maybe it's a cost you have in your budget that could be a lot less... Monthly dog grooming costs? Below is how I save money by not going to the groomers for my big hairy furball. 

This is all dependent on the size of your dog (dachshund or Bernese mountain dog?), habits of your dog (are they a digger? Outside only dog? Love rolling in dead animals dog?) and type of coat they have (curly and non-shedding? Smooth and long with undercoat? No coat?), so this is just my own personal opinion and preference for my dog(s). Consult other blogs and breeder tips for your own specific breed. 

So I have a golden retriever. Until recently I also had a whippet (my whippy passed away). These are two very different coat types, and bathing them both took different tips at certain points. I'll write this with both in mind. My golden retriever has long hair and an undercoat, she has very sensitive skin and allergies, and she's a big goof (her nickname is Dizzy). The whippet was a white short haired dog who did not like to get wet or have her toes trimmed (her nickname was Diva). 

If you take your dog to the groomer there are probably a few things they do there, charging per item, like:

- nail clipping, either clip or grinding

- bathing

- drying

- teeth scaling (might be moving to a vet-only thing now?) and/or brushing 

- ear cleaning

- general trim and cut, plus full brush out

- de-matting and detangling 

- anal gland popping (..ew..)

Personally, I do all of these things myself, minus the last one. For the most part, if your dog has never had their anal glands popped, they will probably never need to have them done. If they have once, they will always need to have them popped. It's one of those things I've been told is a "groomers gold", as they can do it once and have a client for life. My dog(s) have never had theirs done (thankfully, as it's annoying and kinda painful for a dog when they get "full", and is usually characterized by the boot-scooting on the carpet). 

At-home grooming for most breeds I would say is easy and a must. And.. It doesn't have to be expensive. 

I went to Petsmart and asked what a simple nail cut cost would be, $11 plus tax essentially (or $14+ for nail grinding). Years ago I invested in a dremel to do my own at home nail grinding. It goes super quick, makes it easy for me to get the nails short, plus I don't risk cutting my girls' toes off and making them bleed like with a traditional nail trimmer. It will depend on the dog if they will let you grind their nails, but if you start with them young, they learn. Then buy a nice pair of very sharp and rounded tip scissors in order to cut away toe fur (so your dog doesn't look like and act like they're wearing slippers). Your thick kitchen scissors are probably not pointy enough to get between the toes and flat to the pad of the paw, so you should probably have a separate pair. 

I do all my ear cleaning and teeth scaling at home too. I buy a big bottle of dog ear cleaner at the pet store (watch for sales) and some of those dollar store circle pad packages (meant for nail polish/makeup removal). Douse a circle pad in the ear cleaner and scrub in your pets ear with the swab. Do it a few times with new pads until the pad comes away clean. For teeth, you can buy pet scalers which look like the pokey dentist tool you get on your yearly visit. The scaler is meant to chip away at any built up plaque. You can also buy doggie toothbrushes and toothpaste, as well as stuff for their water to help reduce plaque buildup. Or, antlers and hard bones work great too (plus that's more fun!)

Invest in a couple brushes too. I have a couple types as my girl gets the clumps of fur dropping twice-three times a year, so I have a long comb, a big flat brush and a "slicker", or wire brush. I also bought the dyson vaccum which has this awesome pin brush attachment that sucks up the fur as I brush her (and she loves it because it pulls cold air through her coat!). Depending on your dog, you might want a shaver too. A pet Wahl clipper is a simple way to clean up your dog's belly in the middle of summer when they are hot. I shave my girl's belly in order to let her cool off faster on my kitchen floor!

DO NOT completely shave a dog with an undercoat though. All these shaved goldens break my heart as it totally screws up their fur growth and removes their protective undercoat. 

Shampoos and conditioners are really up to your personal preference for the most part. Different scents and stuff are readily available. But there are also colour-specific ones, like the "whitener" one I would buy for my white whippet, or a red enhancer one you could buy for a golden. There are also formula-specific ones like the sensitive skin hypoallergenic ones I go for for my allergy-prone girl, or tea tree oil ones for bad skin. It'll depend on your dogs coat, and it'll usually take some trial and error. I don't use a conditioner on my golden (extra time bathing I don't feel is needed on her) but I would on the whippet to make her feel extra super soft. A tip for shampoo buying if you can afford the space in a cupboard is to buy it by the gallon (once you find one you like). You pay more, but you get a ton more product that is usually concentrated (so you mix it in another smaller bottle anyways). Buy one gallon, buy a pump top and you have up to 30 bottles (some I think are maybe 60, can't remember) for maybe the cost of 4 bottles. Ren's Pets Depot is good for gallon buying (and monthly grooming sales too!)

Then, for the actual bathing part, this is up to you! Personally, I like using other people's water and electricity, plus clogging their drains with my dog hair instead of my own bathtub. How you ask? With some brilliant self-serve dog wash stations at a couple stores near me! I used to go to Rens Pets Depot in Guelph, and they have a wealth of shampoo options, toe and hair tools, towels and more to give your dog a good thorough clean.

Recently though, I've moved over to Pet Valu's dog wash station as it is closer to me and cheaper too! For the $11 Petsmart would charge me just to clip toenails, I get a half hour of water, drains and dryer, towels and some shampoo/conditioner. I love that I leave the mess there (I do clean up a little though!) and end with a lovely smelling and dry dog! 

The dryer is the best part! Long hair dogs can easily get "hot spots" if a patch of hair and skin is left wet for too long. These are painful, so it's important to get your dog as dry as possible quickly. In the middle of winter, this can be tough since you can't let them outside to "bake" in the sun like you can in summer. Buying a good $99 dryer/blower fixes this, and eliminates the "wet dog smell" from the house a little faster too haha!

If you decide to do at-home bathing, I would suggest a grooming table as it makes the blow drying part so much easier as you're not crouched on the ground. It allows you to clip whiskers, even out the hair lines and pretty up the toes without bent-over stress on your back. If you have a "busy" dog in the bath, buying a suction cup with collar combo is a great doo-dad to help too. 

Lots of other ideas, but every couple months I spend $11 for a Pet Valu self-serve bath, and once a year I buy some shampoo and ear cleaner. After my initial investment, and a learning curve, I now save myself the cost of a groomers trip :)

The cheap CAN come out expensive

I love watching Judge Milan, and she always says "the cheap comes out expensive"... And every "coupon queen" has had experience buying some great deal that turned out to be not so great. It's a lesson in research before buying that astounding deal.. Because if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. 

- I bought an awful-horrible-no-good vaccum from XS Cargo, which was like a liquidation store. It was on for a great slashed price deal from like $120 to $40 so I thought I was so smart. I read the box, read all the marketing jargon they had printed, and talked it out with my roommate while walking the store.. It came home. This so-called pet vaccuum, wouldn't pick up anything, including stuff from the tile floor. It was a pain to disassemble to empty and all around a bad decision. When I tried to take it back to XS they just pointed to the signs that say no refunds after opening (EVEN if it's defective, which I then started saying that I would take an exchange for the same model to see if it was just the one I got). I didn't buy anything from them after that, and my calls and emails to the company who made the vaccuum went unanswered. A year and a half later after being shelved in my garage I saw that some mice decided to start eating through the hose, so the whole vaccum ended up on the curb (and some poor soul took it a couple hours later). 

- around Christmas a few years ago, my dad got off work and was tired. He went to pick up some groceries and on his way back to the car ran into some guy selling genuine leather coats. He gave a sob story about wanting to get enough money to buy his daughter something, and was saying that he was on his way back from a trade show and had a whole bunch of leather coat samples he could sell. He asked dad if he had $500 to buy some nice coats. My dad made the mistake of saying "I only have $200 sorry" and the crook quickly said he could have these 5 leather coats for that. My tired dad got swindled. While pretty and brand new coats with tags, they were not leather and not worth $40 each. 

- never skimp on the cost of a Home Inspector. I did. I didn't the first time, on the first house I made an offer on. The first (expensive) guys provided me a huge detailed binder with a million pictures. They documented everything, they walked my dad and I through the house and talked to us like we were kids explaining what this and that meant (a little condescending for us but would be good for those who have no knowledge at all about house terms and such). They were super thorough and it was probably because of this inspection why I didn't buy that house. When I finally found the house I did want to buy, we wanted to go a little cheaper because we thought we knew everything. We went with a friend of my grandmas who was about to retire. Long story short, he caught nothing. He saw nothing wrong with the house and said it would be a good investment (it needed little things he said, nothing too major). He walked around the house first and then sat down at our table to write out everything (not as he went). We got one piece of paper from this guy (versus the entire binder and books and photos from the last guys). You get what you pay for as I ended up with the "house from hell" with every item needing replacement. Plus, since I got a home inspection, it waived me from going after the previous home owners for lack of full disclosure, and since he was a "family friend" it wasn't appropriate to sue him for not catching everything. 

- From a very expensive mistake to a cheap mistake... We have a liquidation store near my home which has hit-and-miss good deals. On one visit they had a ton of shoes on for like $2 each. Yay! I found some sparkly black and grey zebra slip ons and thought I was in heaven. I tried one on and it fit, picked up the pair and bought them. Went to wear them the next day and discovered one foot was 2 sizes bigger than the other. Whomp whomp. I tried stuffing it with Kleenex but it was just too lopsided to work. Out they went. 

The moral of the story.. 

1. Do your research. Get details on the item (cell phones and Google now do everything) and read about warranty and store policies. 

2. Try it on, open it up, try it out, BEFORE you buy it. 

3. Ask questions. The shady coat guy might have got nervous and abandoned swindling my dad if he had started asking too many questions. 

4. Ask for a second opinion. "Would you buy this?", or getting two home inspections. 

5. Don't impulse buy. Sure, walk around the store with the item in your cart, but make sure you dig a little bit into the product and ask yourself why something is so cheap

"Investing" in Your Retirement

I am not the be-all-end-all expert in investments. Not even remotely close. All I can do is advise that YOU should do your own research to what kind of investments to have, but that you SHOULD have some sort of interest-gathering account for your future.  

This is personal experience only. Every person's situation is different of course... BUT, start some kind of interest-gathering investment as early as you can in life, and seriously, DON'T touch it. Even just a little amount put away for retirement while you are young adds up to a lot over the years, and it's so much better than trying to scramble the last few years before retirement to build up your after-work income!

Personally, I have 3 different "investments"/savings:

-I have a tax free high interest savings account. I took advantage of a promotion at a brand new bank that opened near me, who have a 90-day GIC (guaranteed interest credit I think it stands for) at 3% interest (which is triple what anyone else seems to have) to kick start this account, but afterwards it's a locked away account that just gains as much interest as possible at 1.5%. I had this money in TD first but it was like 0.25% and equalled out to $2 a month interest. It's absolutely better than just sitting in your checking account or in a book under your mattress though, so this is probably the first place I would say to start with your little nest egg. It's also reliable (as reliable as it can be in a bank), and the money won't go down in value like it can in an "investments" setting

- I have a Mutual Fund RSP. I started it with a $400 check I got from a stock at Disney my mom bought when I was born for a penny (haha, 23 years later..), and I started this fund about 3 years ago. Fast forward to now, the fund is at $1445, with only a $25 investment every month and with $2-$5 a month on top of that reinvested (kinda like interest).

I'm not concerned about growing this overnight, and even if I just keep trucking on the way it's going (it's just in the safe investments bracket, not the crazy risk ones that can yield much higher returns), that's $300 a year more to get interest on that I don't notice. By retirement that's $12,000 minimum + any of the reinvested distribution. I'm sure when it gets close to $5000 though I'll throw it into that tax-free high interest account instead. 

- I have a work-organized retirement savings account. This one was a no brainer as my work will match whatever money (to a max) that I put into it. It's free money, so why wouldn't I! It'll just grow that much faster. I've put the max in that my work will match (and I just started this, so I'm excited to see how quickly it grows). 

On the reports it has this little thing about if I continue on at the same contribution rate I'm doing, what that would mean I would have at retirement. Kinda fun to see it. 

Something else I learned which I have to do some digging on is "Tax Free" accounts. At the new bank they put me under a protective tax-free umbrella, and then put both my GIC and my savings accounts under the umbrella. This means that any interest gained will not be taxable by the government as "income". This was news to me, as the bank lady explained that if I didn't put my GIC under the tax free umbrella I was going to have to pay $30 to the government for the 3% interest gained. Again, better in my pocket than theirs (seems to be a motto I use). 

Look into your options and ask around. If you're trying to save up a nest egg and a retirement fund, the above are all great starts to also make that money grow without any added effort on your part :)

Savings tips at Disney World

Okay so let me prelude this with a quick backstory summary. My family and I are Disney crazy. While I was growing up we went to Disney twice a year. I was probably the most Disney-versed kid. It made sense that when I got to university, we heard about the International College Program, where kids from around the world go and spend 3 months working at Disney... Talk about a dream come true for a nerd like me! It was an incredibly hard 3 months for basically no pay, but I strongly suggest it for everyone's kids if you can get them there. It is a great experience and a lesson in hard work. 

What we learned working there:

On top of this, I met my now husband there, as he did the same program and got put on the same ride as me (Jungle Cruise). 

So, I have a little bit of experience, but I wouldn't say I'm the world traveler. I'll try to cover what I can from my perspective on how to save at Disney (Florida) for my future trips.

When

-Travel during Disney's value season. This info is on the WDW website, but a basic summary can be seen in the attached picture for example (this was last year). This is when the park will be the quietest (still crazy busy though) and the cheapest. It's easier to get fast passes for the rides you want and bookings for dinner too. Plus no waiting half your day for one ride. 

-then, try to plan your vacation during the week. Stay from Monday to Friday, to avoid the weekend rates that spike at Disney. Flights through the week can also be cheaper than a Friday to Monday flight. 

Where

- this can be up for debate depending on circumstances, but for the most part, staying on Disney property is expensive. If you can stay off-property you can save a ton, enough to rent a car for the duration. Typically, I would suggest staying off property (but still close) and renting a car, which allows you to spend your money for meals at Walmart, buffets and cheap places instead of every meal sprinkled with Pixie Dust.

- The benefit to staying on Disney property is the transportation aspect - IF you are only going to be doing Disney. While in Florida you might want to see Universal Studios or SeaWorld or Clearwater beach. These shuttles aren't available from your front steps at the Grand Floridian! Again having a rental car helps in this aspect. 

- house rental. AirBNB or general websites allow you to rent a whole house for the duration of your stay instead of staying at a hotel. I've done this with the family and let me tell you how nice it is to have a kitchen! A little bit of research is needed here to find a place close to all the amenities you want, with the inclusions you want (like is there a community pool?). You'll have to rent a car again, but this is an awesome option if you have a large group or are planning to stay longer than a few days in Florida. 

- another cool option is camping at Disneys Fort Wilderness campground. I would suggest NOT doing a tent, since it's really hot and rainy in Florida, but you could rent a trailer/motor home and park it on a campsite for a little less than a hotel room. The campground has a lot of cool fun free stuff (like each hotel has), but biking/walking around is the most fun. Whenever my family stayed, we did up the whole front area with welcome signs (everyone does actually). 

- another where to consider is what kind of stay you'd like. Totally fancy? Try the Grand Floridian or the Swan and Dolphin. Cheap as possible? You'll look at the value resorts like Art of Animation or Pop Century. I personally like the idea of staying at any of the resorts that are right on the water across from Magic Kingdom as the monorail and boats can get you to and from major points of interest quickly (I'm not a big fan of busses due to car sickness). Plus, these resorts can get extra cool freebies I'll describe below. Our favourite new hotel has been Port Orleans.. Cheaper, really nice, walking distance to Downtown Disney and all the transportation busses

- When and where can also be dictated if you look into becoming a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) member, as they have priority rules and such plus must book before 1 year stipulations. This is similar to a timeshare option, where you buy and maintain points for stays at Disney World, Disney Adventures, not-too-Disney resorts and locations and more. It gives you discounts around Disney for food and shopping, but make sure you do your research and homework before jumping into this (especially with the US dollar the way it is) as it almost works out to a second mortgage

Tickets

- this is another one that will take a little bit of number crunching, depending on what you want. You can get a pass from a one day, one park admission up to an annual pass with unlimited ins and outs and free parking included. 

NOTES:  Watch expiry dates (so if you're coming back the same year do an annual, if you're not coming back for a couple years, do the park days and use them up or add the "no expiry" option). Magic Kingdom park tickets are more expensive than the other three parks' tickets. One park admission = literally one park, and if you wanted to do two parks in the same day then this would count as 2 days admissions. You can add a "park hopper" option to any park pass (a one days adds $160, a 10 day adds $470) which allows you to do as many parks in one day as you want, while only charging you one day admission. 

- basically, I would do the math before jumping into buying the ticket the morning of. There is a lot to do at every park, and Epcot in itself in my opinion could be counted as two parks (the World Showcase of countries can take a day to get around alone). It can be totally exhausting to try and do one full park in one day (you can't possibly meet every character or do every ride in each park in 1 day, plus what if day 1 everyone gets horribly sunburnt and you still have three full park days planned?). This is an easy decision if you are not going to be at Disney long (3-4 days), but if your math starts adding up to being close to $700 per person, I would suggest jumping to the annual pass for the added perks and options. 

- the annual pass also gets you discounts around Disney for meals and merchandise, kinda like a DVC member. You can save on rooms and excursions too by mentioning this. 

- I really like the annual pass for the freedom it allows - maybe you want to see the animals in the morning at Animal Kingdom, have lunch at Prime Time Cafe in Hollywood Studios, then catch the Wishes fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. Then maybe the next day you've booked a Segway Tour at Epcot, but would rather spend the day after at Magic Kingdom. An annual pass allows this freedom, while those two days could either count as 5 days admission or 2 park hoppers day admissions otherwise. 

Free Entertainment

Okay so you've finally picked the where and when and you are ready. Besides the have-tos in the parks, I'll try to let you know about free stuff outside of the parks

- the Electical Water Pagent. This is quick and cheesy but I like it. It happens out front of a few of the beach resorts around the Magic Kingdom area, just before the Wishes Fireworks go off. Try Polynesian Beach, Grand Floridian Beach, or Fort Wilderness Beach. We like the Polynesian Beach because we grab a couple of amazing Dole Whips to eat while watching the show. 

- beachside movies. A bunch of resorts will set up a screen and play Disney movies on it, sometimes around a campfire like at Fort Wilderness. Bring a blankie and watch for free! Polynesian, the Beach Club and Fort Wilderness do for sure, the others might too

- Fort Wilderness has horses!  Cinderellas ponies are all stabled here, and you can wander and see them (when allowed). The beautiful carriage horses are usually down by the dock too, and you can sometimes get someone to take your photo with these guys. 

- boat rides. I think everyone loves a little ferry ride, and I love watching little kids get excited over this freebie. You can take a long ferry ride around the Magic Kingdom area, which goes between the hotels and stops at a leisurely pace. When you take the full ride, you could also get a little mini tour from the captain who can point out wildlife and the old River Country water park as it passes. There is also a ferry ride over at Disney Springs (Downtown Disney) that goes between a few resorts. Make sure you hop on the ferry that takes you over the water bridge, while cars go underneath you!

- wildlife! This might be the tourist in me talking, but you can see wildlife all sorts of places. Beaches are the best, and egrets are quite interesting to watch, but I have a favorite place... Try a walk around Fort Wilderness, where we always see deer, armadillos, bunnies, once a gator and all types of birds. If you wanted a little more exotic, Animal Kingdom is worth a full day's adventures with all their hidden animal treks and shows. 

- aren't monorails cool? Seriously, ride this around and get a birds eye view of hotels and of Bay Lake. Challenge family members to memorize the announcers "pour favour.." line too. This also allows for Hotel jumping which is very cool to go and wander, as each hotel is themed differently

- maybe this doesn't count but you can ask for ice water or a cup of ice at vendors in the park for free

- pin trading! Buy a starter pack of the cheapest pins you can (usually 4 for $9.99) and then pin trade with anyone you see wearing a lanyard of pins. Even some stores will have a "pin trading" collection if you ask. Trade up and up for a great few souvenirs, and have some fun along the way

- Downtown Disney has a few shops that lets the kiddies (or the kiddies at heart) play. Try Lego building or Mr Potato Head creating

This last freebie is worth a separate bullet point all its own:

Hidden Mickeys

These refer to hidden secrets and gems all over Walt Disney World. Virtually every hotel and theme park will have a secret hidden item. A lot of the time they are actual Mickey heads, but sometimes they are hidden items like the wedding ring at Haunted Mansion or a mistake like the 5 legged goat at the Contemporary resort. Do buy one of the Hidden Mickey books (off property before you go on your trip) and after you've done some of the parks, look up what hidden Mickeys are to be found at the hotels and such 

The (boring) secret to being rich.. And how to fund a brilliant idea

It's not what you earn, it's what you spend. 

I came across this quick article, which led to a bunch of related videos and topics. http://time.com/money/4034098/get-rich-secret/?xid=time_socialflow_facebook 

..and it's true!  The bigger the gap between what you make and what you spend, defines whether you are rich or poor. Live below your means. Live within a budget that balances, that includes a large chunk for saving as well. 

Now, if you have a goal or an idea (like any of these people on Dragon's Den for example), by all means pursue it!.. Within your means. Don't be the person going hundreds of thousands in debt for an idea, keep working or work harder to be able to fund the goal. 

I'm a big fan of the crowdfunding ventures. I support a bunch of things on Kickstarter, which is a place for artists, designers, writers, videographers, inventors and more to get their brilliant ideas funded. They offer their product or item at an extreme discount, and in various packages, to the general public with an end goal in mind. People like you and me can then go on and browse all the ideas and contribute (or buy into, literally) someone's idea to help them reach their mark. You only get charged your pledged amount if they reach their goal. I'm a supporter of a few different people and ideas, and for the most part I do it not for the item but for the person or the goal. You can also help fund a person for $1 or $5, just to track the progress of the great idea/product through the campaign and to market. I've done this too if I have no need for the item but think it's a great idea that should get funded. 

One of my favourite buys from Kickstarter and I'm going to give them a shameless plug have been the Fire & Bone team, who digitally scan animal bones and create metal mini molds of them for jewellery. I've bought way too many at this point but I think they are so incredibly cool (my favorites are the Dire Wolf and the Lynx/Bobcat) 

My other shameless plug will be a project I have waited and watched for more than a couple years called PillowTalk, which is a bracelet and speaker that shares your heartbeat with someone that isn't near you. My long distance fiancé and I kinda can't wait for this little contraption!

Other crowdfunding outlets exist, like GoFundMe which is more the everyday person hoping to fund their next computer purchase or their aunts medical bills, and Teespring which are for awesome designs on tshirts. I've been on both these sites, and other than the high shipping costs for the item we chose on Teespring, they were easy to contribute/buy. 

The secret to being rich is simply put, living within your means without debt. This all circles back to how to save money everyday, how to save for retirement and an emergency, and being surrounded by (and able to care for) the things you love. 

Broke/Budget maxed out?

So you a stretched for cash, or used up all the money from your budget jars... But you still need to eat and have fun? Here are some thoughts and solutions I've done when my wallet was hurting:

- Dig deep in the freezer!  Wow, what a treasure trove!  Frozen veggies and some meat you got on sale one time are probably down in the abyss, under all the ice cream and frozen bananas. Easy, multi meals are just a defrost away. 

- dig around in the pantry. Cans of mixed veggies and beans can be a good start to a crock pot meal. Rice and pasta are usually stored in a corner and make large portions for cheap. If there's a craving for a dessert item, how about a box of cake mix and a can of pop (yes this works beautifully!), which saves the cost of cookies or doughnuts. 

- gift cards. I still have gift cards from like 2 Christmases ago. This might be cheating, but for my birthday and Christmas I just ask for gift cards. Mostly food, I can usually buy some large meal out to get a couple work lunches out of the deal too. Gift cards are great for entertainment too - use one for a good sale rack shopping trip in a store, or to buy a DVD for later. 

- parents or grandparents visit. Again, cheating probably, but maybe see if you can stop by for a visit to loved ones. I don't think I've ever made it out of their homes without a meal (either eaten there or sent with me in a doggie bag)! I've never had to do it, but if you needed a couple meals to tie you over for the month, your family is sure to help you out with either made or almost-made meals if you just ask. 

- discount sections of grocery stores. There are usually a couple racks of the "almost expired" food stuff that is great to cook up the same night. We usually buy our meat here and then freeze it. You can usually get bread, fruits, veggies, pies, buns, meats and others for nearly nothing. I've done this before with hot dogs (buns and weiners were on for half price) that we cooked up and had the same night. 

-coupon. Follow the Facebook groups and blogs in your area who post about the deals, and jump on a great deal if you can afford to. If you're in my area, I like the Savings Guru, who posts all sorts of deals. He does the work for you and you just go out and get the free butter, or the cheap eggs that are on that week. 

- use your points. You've been accumulating points on your various cards for years, spend them when you run out of cash! Gas, shoppers drug mart, PC groceries, air miles, etc. You can also sometimes buy gifts cards for other places with your points, just have a look through your wallet for all your points cards and see what is available.

- look up free event days. In my area, the local skating rink will have free skate hours, and sometimes museums will have a special free day. I haven't done a lot of research in this area but there are groups and blogs about this topic too I've seen, as parents are always looking for cheap things to do with the little ones.

- regrow table scraps. This could be for fun, or for continuous small bits of food. This one doesn't need a lot of explaining, and it actually works

- throw a party! This sounds a little backwards, but if you do it right it can both be entertainment and extra meals. Make it a BYO drinks, food and chairs, and advise you'll provide the bathroom, music/movies, plates and cutlery. Have a good time with friends, watch a movie marathon, and have a day of fun that doesn't cost people very much to participate it (just a bowl of chili and a case of pop each basically). 

- make crafts. There are so many great YouTube tutorials and Pinterest things about crafts you can make for nothing. Repurposing garbage items, making string from plastic bottles, using various items as stamps, origami of old chip bags, you imagine it and someone has made a craft around it. This is a good option for families with kids. Just pick an item and google it with the word craft. I did soda can crafts and holy cow, cooool!!

- sell stuff. You meet people, it can get you out of the house, and it'll get you a little extra cash quickly that you can go to that discount food section with. Try selling old clothes, an old kitchen item, shoes, books, kids toys, puzzles, etc. you could also try selling your newly made soda can crafts and who knows, maybe there's a business idea in here. 

- while on this topic, what about making a little mini business out of something easy? I recently found out that I am good at string art, and actually enjoy all the hammering (stress relief) and stringing (relaxing). It's a minimal investment (I have to buy $2 roll of string, a $2 box of nails and a few brackets to hold wood together at the back (about $1 each), plus find an old wooden pallet to break up). But.. I could sell it for upwards of $20 and offer custom options. (The ones below were for my mom for Christmas (which had a dog saying added to the blank area in sharpie) and the logo of a company that was visiting my work's head office)

There are tonnes of other ideas, but this post is long enough with all the pics. What other tips do you use?