Huggies Diapers - $16 off!!!

So I did it!!! 

I bought a $20 pack of diapers for $4.04.  How?  Armed with 4 coupons and a Zellers flyer, I made my way to London Drugs.  I was admittedly pretty nervous, wondering if this could work!  I was so nervous that I totally forgot to step into Superstore and pick up my fifth coupon which would have brought the price down to $2.02. 

I went and found the diapers that I wanted, and went to the customer service desk.  I used the Zellers flyer to price match the diapers from $20.99 down to $9.99.  Then I set out the coupons.  I must have looked like a total coupon amateur  as I sat there nervously watching the clerk read through the coupons.  She scanned them and said, "That's $4.04 please." 

I tried to act all casual, but inside I was literally leaping and dancing, screaming, "IT WORKED!!!"  I had visions of myself dancing through some flowery meadow, receipt in one hand, diapers in the other, cash still left safely in my wallet.

I paid, and then left the store before my excitement came bursting out through my skin. 

I am hooked.  I purchased a couponing how-to guide for $12.99, and just saved $16 in one single transaction.  I am so excited, if I can save money on diapers alone, I will be saving around $40 a month, if not more! 

So my dear readers, if you want to start saving some big money, take a peek into the world of couponing.  Not just using a coupon here and there, but look into actually figuring out the system and how you get stuff for free or at a very low price!

Couponing in Canada

Alright, so for a long time I have believed that it is virtually impossible to do couponing in Canada.  Yes, I could save a buck or two for each grocery trip, but really, is that worth it?  And I'd probably be buying the higher priced stuff anyways, where I could just use the store brand and save more!!

I used to think that. 

Then I came across http://www.frugaledmontonmama.com.  She helps people get free groceries over and over again!!!  She claims that with her course, (only $12 for the e-course) she can teach you how to reduce your grocery bill by up to 90%!!!  I think it's time I take the course.

With some tips from her site, I'm armed and ready to go get some nearly free Huggies diapers.  If I could do nothing else but get my diaper costs reduced, I would save hundreds of dollars a year. 

I will let you know how it goes... and I'll let you know when I decide to take the course.  I may take her in-class course, which is more expensive, because I want to be able to ask questions- or even interrogate!!  ...Nicely of course.  :D

Check out the site for yourself, you might be pretty surprised at all the deals to be found here in our own city!

No analog TV signals means I have to get cable?

So, as most of you have noticed, there are no longer any analog TV signals- which means that those of us who have old TVs and relied only on "peasant view" TV, are hooped! 

With winter coming, the kids spend less time outdoors, and a little more time in front of the TV.  That may be bad mothering on my part, but it's pretty much a fact of life in this house.  I like to monitor when and what my kids are watching, but with all the TV signals disappearing, they have really missed some of their CBC Kids shows!!

I looked into getting cable or satellite, but was seriously turned off by the high monthly prices!!  In order to get the few shows that would actually be worth watching, we'd end up with a bill of at LEAST $50 a month.  But really, as far as bills go, the sky is the limit!  It's crazy... totally insane.  I cannot believe that people spend that kind of money so that they can turn on the TV and watch! 

But... I too was going to go down that route in order to at least have something that the kids could be entertained by when I needed it.

My brother mentioned that if there were just a few shows that my kids wanted (Word World, Busy Town, Little Bear, etc.) I should look into Netflix.

Netflix is definitely the answer to my dilemma!  With a free trial offer for the first month, and $8 each month after that, we decided to give it a try.  I was immediately pleased with the results!!  We use my computer or the Wii to view our shows, I don't have to worry about any commercials or shows that I'd rather my kids not see, and we don't have to wait until a specific time for them to watch what they want to see!

I've noticed that Netflix changes their lineup quite frequently... they used to carry all the Mythbusters episodes, but recently dropped those.  My kids LOVED WordWorld, but in the last week, those are gone too.  However, it's not like the kids won't find something decent to watch, there's always Veggie Tales movies, Little Bear, or even Dora.  Steve and I have enjoyed seeing all the Blue Planet shows, and other nature style shows.  If we want, there's a ton of movies to choose from as well.

I'm pleased!  For $8 a month I can choose when and what my kids watch, without having to sign up for a cable or satellite connection that would cost me a lot more!  

Electricity Calculator! How much does your stuff cost you?

When I opened my Epcor bill last month, I nearly fainted.  $180???  Are you kidding?  We didn't really do anything differently, I certainly didn't have the AC running for the month of September, and I didn't really have the furnace on a lot either. 

As I sat there staring at the bill, I do realize that electricity costs fluctuate, but for the most part, I wanted to make sure that what I was doing wasn't causing our bill to rise.  I am pretty clueless when it comes to knowing what electricity costs... and even what it all does and how it all works.  I had no idea how to know what used more and less electricity, and I didn't even know how to lower our usage! 

I found this handy calculator that did all that funny math for me, and was very useful to my limited knowledge self!  :)  FortisAlberta offers this electricity cost calculator on their website.

After typing in my numbers, I was shocked... I had no idea it cost me about a dollar for every hour that my oven was used.  I didn't realize that to let my printer stay on in stand-by mode all day and night, it was about $10 a month.  I had no idea that using a small burner on my stove used half the electricity as a large one. 

I'm sure some of you are shaking your head right now at my ignorance, but I'm also sure that there some of you who are having a "light bulb moment" (okay, bad joke...) and are also learning the same things I just did.

If I'm to save money on electricity, I need to know what things are most effective in doing that.  Obviously things like the furnace fan, some lights, and other odds and ends aren't going to change.  But I can use my crock pot instead of my oven, and I can set my dryer to a setting that will leave the clothes dry, but not bone dry.  I can limit the amount I use my dishwasher, and make sure that the lights aren't on when they don't need to be. 

Here's hoping for a smaller electricity bill next month!! 

Do you have any realistic tips on how to save electricity?