Month: January 2020

Rewards Cards I Love

While I’m a huge fan of my points cards, there are also a few retail store loyalty cards that I love having in my wallet because they give me free things without having to spend any money.

The Body Shop “Love Your Body”

The Body Shop’s loyalty program used to cost money, but it’s now free to join!

Like most loyalty cards, you can earn points for every dollar spent. Once you get enough points, you can redeem those points for money off your purchase.

For the Love Your Body card, $1 spent = 1 point. 100 points = $10 off.

Why do I love this card?

Every year on my birthday I get $10 to spend. For free. Just for signing up. And it really is $10 off a $10 purchase–no strings attached.

Sign up here: https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-ca/love-your-body-club

New York Fries “Fry Society”

With the Fry Society card, you earn points for each purchase. After 10 purchases (one purchase per day counts), you can choose any item off the menu for free.

Why do I love this card?

A couple times a year, New York Fries activates free items on the Fry Society cards. Sometimes it is a free beverage and sometimes it is a free small fries, like they often do on National French Fry Day (July 13th).

Sign up here: https://frysociety.newyorkfries.com

Chapters Indigo “Plum Card”

There are now two options for the Plum Card at Chapters–Plum and Plum Plus. The basic Plum card is free to join. For every $1 spent (with some exclusions), you earn 5 points. 2500 points can be redeemed for $5.

Why do I love this card?

Every year on my birthday I receive 2500 points for free, which I can redeem online or in store. I can also earn points without making a purchase by rating their recommendations on my profile.

Sign up here: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/plum

These are a few of my favourites.
What are your favourite loyalty cards for getting free rewards?

#MoneyMasterClass — Week 4 Recap

This was a week of crafty tasks and credit card condoms.

But first, the question is: Are you able to pay off the debt in less than 5 years?

When I filed for bankruptcy, it made such a difference in my experience to have a trustee that was supportive and trustworthy. If you are in this situation, know that you can get through it. There is a structured process and it just needs to be taken step by step. Since filing is not an easy decision nor something that should be done without thought and investigation, I took friends with me to my appointments. Because it was a stressful experience, I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to absorb all of the information that I was being given. I had extra eyes and ears with me as well as some extra perspectives to help me process the information. If you have that option, I recommend it.

Visual Pictures of Debt

After the hard work last week of writing down debt, tallying it up and figuring out payments, the task this week was to create a debt tree or a paper chain to visually see our debt.

These are some of the pictures Money Master Class participants shared of their debt repayment goals.

Debt Payment Tree
Student Loan Repayment Tracker

Credit Card What??

The next step was to make a credit card condom, like this one: Desire or Require

Having a credit card tucked inside something gives an extra step before you’re able to make a purchase. It is an extra check in on whether or not a purchase should be made or whether the items should be put back on the shelf.

Here are some thoughts to consider as you make yourself your own credit card condom.

My favourite credit card condom I’ve seen so far is this one:
You got the money to pay for that?

I love a bit of arts and crafts, so I loved this week. I have my paper chain up on my living room wall and am using it for motivation.

Did you enjoy the tasks this week? What method did you use for the debt repayment task?

New to the Money Master Class? There’s still time to get started!
Check out this tweet to see all of Gail’s #MoneyMasterClass tweets from the start.
Check out my weekly recaps to get caught up:
Money Master Class Intro
Week One Recap
Week Two Recap
Week Three Recap

Easy Vegetable Broth

When I started eating a plant-based diet over 15 years ago, this cookbook became my Bible. I had no clue what I was doing in the kitchen to begin with and needed all the help I could get!

As you can probably tell from the picture, this cookbook is well-loved and well-used. I think I have a bookmark on nearly every page.

One unexpected thing I learned from this cookbook was how to get some extra life out of my veggie scraps.

I describe myself as a lazy cook. I like simple, quick, from-scratch food, but I don’t like wasting food, so I like stretching things and getting creative where I can to make sure everything is used up.

Here is how to get some extra life out of your vegetables:

What to do

Any time you have vegetable scraps, put them into a bag in the freezer.

Keep adding to it until you are ready to make a pot of broth.

What to add

This list is long: carrot peels, celery leaves, insides of your bell peppers (not the seeds), wilted veggies you’re just not wanting to eat…basically anything! Anything, minus the obvious unhealthy bits such as green potato skins or eyes.

What’s next

Once you are ready to make a pot of soup broth or when your bag is full, you have two options.

1. You can add these vegetables to a soup broth recipe you’re already planning, such as this simple recipe from The Spruce Eats.

2. You can simply boil the frozen veggies and have an unseasoned broth.

I usually do the second option as my goal is to get the nutrients out of these unappealing veggie scraps and into a usable form.

Once I have boiled the vegetables, I strain the liquid out and freeze it in smaller portions. I use the broth for making soups, making rice, or any recipe that might call for broth. It’s important to keep in mind if you don’t season this at the beginning, you’ll need to adjust for taste in the recipe you are making.

How do you use up your vegetable scraps? Do you have any tips or tricks on using up food items others might throw into the compost?

#MoneyMasterClass — Week 3 Recap

This week started with two reminders: the first, our failures have purpose; the second, our choices have a cost.

Getting down to the task

There were a lot of tweets this week with instructions and stories from participants. To keep up with them all, I created a Twitter Moment with all of the tweets from Gail for this week. See the link here.

The first task this week was to list all of the money we owe in notebook #2.

Throughout the tweets this week, there were instructions on how to calculate debt and debt repayment. We were also given access to a number of resources including a debt repayment worksheet.

Find the list of resources here: https://www.moneyproblems.ca/money-master-class/

All the feelings

After taking a realistic look at our debt, Gail asked us to examine how the information made us feel. I’m currently in the debt free category, but having no debt only came after a number of really bad life choices and a lot of hard work. Instead of a page titled “I owe,” I titled my page “I own.”

Looking at the list of savings and assets that I have, I fell into the trap of comparison. While I’m so grateful to be debt free, I realize my life choices prevented me from preparing well for my future. I am so far behind where I want to be at this stage and this age of my life. I can look to many others my age–even those younger than me–who are in a far more stable position financially. It makes it daunting to look at future goals such as saving for retirement or possibly buying a home. These things seems far off and unattainable. What the stories and feelings of other people that shared this week reminded me, was that knowledge is power and once we know better, we can do better.

It has been encouraging to hear from others and to see how openly people are walking through this process. How was this week for you? How did you feel after looking at your I owe/I own page?

Earn Cash Back on Groceries

I’ve been using coupons on groceries for as long as I can remember. I find them in a lot of different places–at the grocery store, in the newspaper and online. There’s a list of some coupon sites on my Helpful Links page if you’d like to take a look.

A newer way to coupon is via cash back apps like Checkout 51 and Caddle. These apps load new offers every week for grocery and household items. If you make a purchase for one of the offers, you just upload your receipt and you’ll get credited for the cash back amount.

Checkout 51

These are examples of some offers currently available on Checkout 51. In addition to the cash back offers, Checkout 51 often has videos you can watch for a cash reward and samples you can request to get mailed to you.

Sign up for Checkout 51 with this link and get $5 to get you started:
https://checkout51.app.link/4qxMOt5oQR

Caddle

These are a few of the offers that are currently available on Caddle. In addition to the grocery offers on Caddle, there are offers for Amazon specific purchases. You can also get small cash rewards for taking surveys and watching videos.

Sign up for Caddle here: https://portal-ca.getcaddle.com/signup
If you use promo code ALISON21075 you’ll get started with $1.00.

I don’t recommend buying things for the sole purpose of getting the deals on the apps–and this goes for any deal in general. But it is a great way to get rewards for buying everyday groceries.

Once you reach a $20 balance, you can cash out and request a cheque. I’ve used both of these apps for years and have received cheques from both of them, but my positive experience should not override your due diligence in reading terms and conditions before downloading like I mention on my Transparency Page.

Have you used cash back apps before? What has your experience been?

#MoneyMasterClass — Week 2 Recap

In my eyes, this week was split up into two parts: deep thoughts and practical steps.

Deep Thoughts

Following last week’s examination of our core values and goals, the question presented at the beginning of the week was: Are you willing to give up the things that hurt you?

For me, these first steps were about building a solid foundation and committing to make financial changes–or any changes. When I know why I’m doing something and why it is important to my life, then I am far more likely to stick with it.

When I spent time thinking about the question presented to us, I realized that while I am willing to give up things that hurt me, I may not always know what those things are. Some things like a chocolate addiction or Starbucks habit are easy to spot, but even those have roots in other beliefs and core truths that could be negatively affecting us.

One belief I held for years was that I’d never have a good enough job to get a mortgage. This belief carried over to other areas of my life where it felt futile to save money because I’d never have a substantial enough sum for large purchases. Once I realized how much this belief was hurting me, I was able to make a plan to save using tools like the Life Pie and a budget spreadsheet. It wasn’t actually my job that was keeping me from saving or getting a mortgage, it was this negative belief and I made the choice to change that.

Practical Steps

Our first money specific task was to track every food expense. This was clarified as everything you put in your mouth (including alcohol and edibles). The exception is medication, which would be a separate line on your budget.

Since this process is a Gail directed step-by-step, the tracking is only for food so far. I track all of my expenses in a spending journal as a part of my regular life, so I will still do this, but will also be tracking food on a separate page.

Having a close examination of my expenses is not something I’ve done in a long time, so I’m up for the challenge!

In addition to tracking spending on food, Gail has challenged us to track our savings. One Twitter user, reminded me that some grocery store receipts have a line stating your savings from your shop and this will make the savings easier to track. I’m hoping this will be an encouraging task–even though my first receipt tells me I’ve only saved $0.48.

What have your challenges been in this process so far? Are you looking forward to tracking your expenses?

New to the Money Master Class? There’s still time to get started!
Check out my Week One Recap here to get caught up.
Check out this tweet to see all of Gail’s #MoneyMasterClass tweets from the start.

3 Things I Always Reuse

A part of my frugal mindset includes creating less waste. I love combining the ideas of saving money and saving the environment. This habit of reusing things in creative ways looks to go back to my childhood. I found this little guy on my dad’s garage shelf during one of my recent visits. It’s likely a Father’s Day present my dad can’t bring himself to recycle.

Looking at some more practical uses, though, here are 3 things that I always try and reuse before sending them to the recycle bin.

1. Plastic Bags & Packaging

Most people know how handy a plastic shopping bag is for a garbage bag. But I don’t often get plastic bags from the grocery store anymore since I use cloth shopping bags. That’s why I got creative. I didn’t want to buy garbage bags if there was a way to save the money and the waste.

Now I use any packaging that will do the trick! Toilet paper and paper towel packaging work perfectly to line a bin. With strategic cutting of the packaging at the top to create a bag-like opening, it will usually fit over my smaller bathroom garbage bin.

2. Newspapers

Newspapers are easily recyclable, but to give them a little more use before they hit the bin, try using your newspapers for wrapping paper.

Newspaper is also perfect for lining your kitchen compost bin to keep the bin clean longer. This can also be done for your larger outdoor green bin, if your city has these.

3. Glass Jars

Jars are one of my favourite things to reuse. I’ve reused jars for plant pots and for wrapping homemade gifts, such as bath salts.

For everyday use, I have jars on hand to store food items. Plastic containers have their purpose, but I find glass jars great for freezing batches of food I’ve made in my crock pot.

#MoneyMasterClass – Week 1 Recap

Gail Vaz Oxlade’s #MoneyMasterClass is underway on Twitter!

Week 1 has been about self-reflection and getting to know ourselves a little bit better. Laying that foundation will help to build a better base to form our financial future.

Day 1 – Core Values

This felt like such a daunting task, but was so rewarding to do. I often stand firm on a lot of aspects of my life, and was able to trace those “non-negotiable” things to their roots in my core values. For example, I’m passionate about living within my means and budgeting because I value financial independence. And I prioritize walks on my lunch breaks and carve out rest days in my week because I value self care.

Day 2 – Goals

Day 2 was a chance to dream big and get practical at the same time. The task was to “list all the things you want or need to do in the next few years” and then to prioritize them in groups. My list will be a work in progress, but seeing the tasks laid out motivated me to start working towards them.

Day 3 – Reconcile

After the hard work for Day 1 and Day 2, it was now time to see if our values and goals lined up. This is a task that will take time–each of them will. I am keeping in mind that these lists are ones that can grow and change as often as I need them to.

How do you figure out if your core values and goals conflict with each other? Try asking yourself some questions.

One participant suggests writing your conflict down as a question to gain more insight. I also like the idea of starting with the question why.
Question: Why is my goal to build a retirement savings account?
Answer: Because I value financial independence.

And now that Week 1 is over, we have time to rest and reflect on our goals and values. Gail will be back on Monday with more tasks and challenges!

Have you been participating in the #MoneyMasterClass this week? How have you found the tasks and assignments so far?

Watch TV for Free

When I revamped my budget years ago, I decided cable wasn’t a priority for me to include. But I still love to watch the current shows out there. I’ve found there are a number of legal ways to watch TV without spending any money.

Here is a list of my favourite websites

CTV not only has current shows, but also has a number of “throwback” series that you can stream. There is a wide variety of movies available to watch too.
https://www.ctv.ca/video

Global TV lists the network’s current shows. The shows go live on the website the day after they show on TV and are available for one week.
https://www.globaltv.com/shows/

City TV also lists their current TV shows as the previous two sites, as well as some seasonal and Hallmark-style movies.
https://www.citytv.com/vancouver/shows/

CBC Gem has a ton of Canadian and foreign content on their site. If you sign up for a free account, you get access to additional seasons of TV shows. There is a large variety of movies and documentaries on the site as well.
https://gem.cbc.ca/

Slice has a few older reality TV shows on their site. The reason I love it is that it has Money Moron with Gail Vaz Oxlade.
https://www.slice.ca/video/

Some of these sites will be local to my area. Do you have favourite websites to watch TV for free online where you live?

#MoneyMasterClass

Have you ever wished you could have a financial guru walk you through your finances for a year? Well, you kind of have your wish! Gail Vaz-Oxlade is hosting a FREE–yes free!–class on Twitter for the year 2020.

If you are not familliar with Gail, she is well known for the TV shows she’s hosted such as Till Debt Do Us Part and Money Moron. She’s written multiple books on finances and has contributed articles to various publications. Now she’s taken Twitter by storm with her no-nonsense opinions and also, for 2020, her #MoneyMasterClass.

Details on the class have been few and far between, but we know it starts today, January 1st. This is an opportunity to focus on your finances with some guidance from a woman who knows her stuff. As a bonus, you’ve got a community on Twitter who will be journeying through this with you and will hopefully be that extra motivation to stick with it.

Below are some items you’ll need to have on hand to participate in the class.

5 jars (one with a lid), plus 4 for each child
2 highlighters in your favourite colours
2 notebooks
construction paper or recycled wrapping paper
500 of something (macaroni, beads, buttons, beans…anything really)
month at glance calendar
a pretty box to put it all in

You’ll also want to follow Gail on Twitter here and also keep an eye on the hashtag #MoneyMasterClass.

While the class is free, Gail is asking people to show their appreciation by donating to a local woman’s shelter.

A note from Gail’s Twitter feed about the class:

I’ll be sharing regularly through the year about my journey through the course, the lessons I’ve learned and the tasks that we are being asked to do in the class. I hope you join in too!