Bulk Barn Coupon Save $3 WUB $10 November 11 to November 24, 2011

It's time to stock up again!

Bulk Barn is offering a coupon to save $3 when you buy $10 or more.

Coupon is valid from November 11 until November 24, 2011.

Print out your coupon here.

It's time to stock up on some more baking and cooking supplies, and a little bit of candy (as if Halloween leftovers weren't enough)

Don't know where's the nearest Bulk Barn? Check out Google Maps here. 

What do you normally buy at Bulk Barn? (I'm actually really interested to know!)

See their weekly promotions here.

Free 2012 Telus Calendar

For those of you who are Telus subscribers, you should receive an invitation to order your free 2012 calendar. Supplies are limited so order your free calendar today if you're interested. There doesn't seem to be any restriction to bar non-current subscribers from submitting an application so YMMV if you don't have any services with Telus.

Order your 2012 Telus calender here.

Telus also plans to release a cross-platform "digital calendar" in December that will supposedly support computer, smartphone and tablet.

More on their "digital calendar" here.

Coupons From Save.ca - Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizza $1 Off, Kraft Dinner $0.75 Off

If you haven't ordered any Save.ca coupons lately, then head on over to see if there's any new coupons you can make use of. Here's just a short list of what's available this round:

• SAVE 75¢ on Kraft Dinner Smart Macaroni and Cheese
• SAVE $1.00 on Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizza
• SAVE $1.00 on Post Honey Bunches Of Oats Cereal
• SAVE $1.00 on Majesta Bathroom Tissue
• SAVE $1.00 on Sunlight Laundry Detergent

Visit Save.ca for more detail and to order your coupons!

PG brandSampler Spoils Arrive!

Just picked this up from the mailbox. How can I not be excited to receive a package from myself? Here's a snap of today's brandSampler spoils:

Unfortunately if you haven't signed up for it already, it's too late for this round of free samples, but you can check out P&G's website and sign up for their newsletter to be notified of the round!

Click to check out P&G brandSampler website

Games - PS3 / Xbox 360 Weekly Deal - Games for $23 Each Shipped

Play-Asia has launch this week's weekly deals, and this time it's on six games, not one!
All of the games below are $17.90 USD with shipping from $4.90
They are all either region free or North American compatible.

Hurry and grab what you want before stock runs out!

PS3
Two Worlds II
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Yakuza 4


Xbox 360
DeathSmiles [Limited Edition]
Ninety-Nine Nights 2

Test Drive Unlimited 2
  

Real Canadian Superstore Clearance on Nalgene Tritan On The Go 700ml Water Bottles for $2.94

I snapped this photo on the west side of town, Oxford and Hyde Park.

Now, in all honesty, I much prefer the "leak proof" On The Fly model over this one, but at the current blowout price (and extra 3% cashback with MBNA SmartCash), one really can't complain!

I apologize in advance if the price (or stock levels) has changed since I took this photo on Saturday -- I just plain forgot about it. Only the yellow and red ones were left. They were near the back of the store, at the end of an isle along with other miscellaneous clearance item (near the kitchenware).

On a side note, I'm still itching for that Mountain Equipment Co-op to open at Wellington Commons. So even if you can't manage to get a hold of this one (or you're holding out for a different model), I'm sure MEC will have some sort of Grand Opening sale in the near future. /crossfingers

Shoppers Drug Mart - 20x Points, Mega Bonus Redemption, 8000 Bonus on Gift Cards & More!

Shoppers' have been making quite a buzz lately on penny-pinching forums all across the interwebs lately. Here's a summary of some of the finds that have caught my eye:

Mega Bonus Redemption on December 3 & 4

This one really takes the cake. Big thanks over to SmartCanucks and their forum members for posting some of this inside information: 

Shoppers is having their "Big Big Redemption" this year on Saturday, December 3rd & Sunday, December 5th, 2012. See below for redemption values

• Redeem 30,000 points for $60 off 
• Redeem 50,000 points for $125 off 
• Redeem 95,000 points for $250 off  

20x Bonus Points WUB $50 on November 19 Only

One-day 20x event. Regular exceptions apply.

Earn 8,000 Optimum Points WUB $150 in Gift Cards November 5 to 18

See the discussion over on the RDF forums, as this one seem quite unique.

You can browse through a selection of the gift cards they carry here on Shoppers' website.

Fine Print:

Offer valid from Saturday, November 5, 2011 to Friday, November 18, 2011.

* Points are issued according to the net pre-tax purchase of eligible products after redemptions and discounts and before taxes using a valid Shoppers Optimum Card®. Points to be awarded to your account by Friday, November 25, 2011 for eligible transactions. Calculation excludes Shoppers Optimum® MasterCard® points. Not to be used in conjunction with any other Shoppers promotion or offer. Gift or financial cards may not be used to purchase additional gift or financial cards. Bonus points will not be issued for transactions in which a gift card or a financial card is used as tender to pay for additional gift or financial cards. Some conditions apply. Offer valid Saturday, November 5, 2011 to Friday, November 18, 2011. See store for details.

Link to Shoppers' site for more details

20x Points WUB $75 on Cosmetics November 3 to 11

Link to Shoppers' site for more details

Save $10 WUB $75 on November 9, 2011

Print your coupon here

All Other Current Shoppers Optimum Bonus Offers

If you're just a few points shy of a redemption tier, you can just pick up a box of Kleenex or two packs of Stayfree, or check out the other current offers now running.

Click here to check out Shoppers' current offers

Rant - Shoppers Optimum Points And Our Love / Hate Relationship

I've been keeping a low profile about the recent Shoppers because of our love/hate relationship. Frankly, I feel they do a pretty good job at making me "spend" more to "save more". Now here's my take on Optimum Points - the most realistic and highest return redemption breakpoint (for me) is the 50,000 mark, where on a regular spending and redemption, works out to 1.7% return. Doing simple math, a 20x event will bump this value to 34% return.

Disclaimer: This is a lengthy rant - for a summary, see below. Note that I neither advocate for nor against shopping at Shoppers, but rather voicing consumer awareness on spending habits and avoiding shopper savings fallacies.

A 34% return sounds great on paper, but I gotta open my eyes and have a level head about things. Firstly, I need to spend at least $50 in one go, and only during the 20x points events. And at the end of it all, I need to spend my hard-earned "reward" on $85 of merchandise -- and again, all in one transaction. These two simple steps are already a large burden, but I keep telling myself that I'm "saving" 34%... but I don't "feel" the savings when I'm shelling out several hundred dollars :(

The good news is that SDM tries hard to massage that money out of my wallet but setting up "Bonus Redemption" events, and lately a pre-Christmas "Big Big Redemption" event. Here's the breakdown:

On regular redemption days:

• Redeem 50,000 points for $85 off ~ 1.7% return (~ 34% if 20x bonus)
• Redeem 95,000 points for $170 off  ~ 1.79% return (~ 35.8% if 20x bonus)

On the bonus redemption days:

• Redeem 50,000 points for $100 off ~ 2% return (~ 40% if 20x bonus)
• Redeem 95,000 points for $200 off  ~ 2.1% return (~ 42.1% if 20x bonus)

On the mega redemption days:

• Redeem 30,000 points for $60 off ~ 2% return (~ 40% if 20x bonus)
• Redeem 50,000 points for $125 off ~ 2.5% return (~ 50% if 20x bonus)
• Redeem 95,000 points for $250 off  ~ 2.63% return (~ 52.63% if 20x bonus)

What this means for me is that at my preferred 50,000 redemption mark, I would net a 50% return! To illustrate: I spend $250 on their "20x Bonus Event" on November 19th, I would qualify for $125 redemption on December 3rd or 4th. It's a great deal... but do I really need $375 of merchandise from Shoppers?

BUT... there's another route!

Shoppers also has another event going on right now where you can earn 8,000 point just for buying only $150 in gift cards. At my preferred redemption of 50,000 points (on the Mega Redemption event), that works out to $20 return for buying $150. But the problem is, there's a lot of psychology involved with how much "savings" I gained. But before I delve in deeper, here's a breakdown of the options:

Assume I start off with 0 points

If I take advantage of the 20x points on November 19th and the Mega Redemption on December 3rd or 4th:

I will spend a total of $250 to receive $375 of goods.

This would be perfect if you needed to pick up a new PS3 or Xbox 360.

If I only take advantage of the gift-card promotion running from November 5 to 18, I could spend $900 on gift cards to earn 48,000 points. Assume I have I magical way to earn the remaining 2000 points, I would net $125 in free merchandise, but lock up $900 in "gift cards"

Now my rant.

The fallacy of the gift cards is that "I bought $150 and got $20 back" wherein reality, I simply paid $150 to get $150 and the "savings" comes in the form of Shoppers' merchandise.

The fallacy of earning Shoppers' merchandise is that "I earned x points and now this entitles me to $y of free stuff". But I've failed to recognize that I have locked up a large sum of cash into gift cards to earn this reward (see Time Value of Money). Unless I was planning to spend $900 at Home Depot on a large renovation project, or gift out $900 of iTunes stocking-stuffers, the money would be locked up indefinitely in a piece of plastic that I can't use to pay my down my phone bills, hydro bills, credit card bills, or anything else that cold hard cash can do.

One can argue that I can buy gas and grocery gift cards since they are necessities that I would otherwise spend money on. However, I'm currently toting the MBNA SmartCash which would give me 3% cashback if I made my purchases directly at the retailer instead of at 1% at Shoppers. So buying the "gift cards" at Shoppers would net me 1% instead of 3%, effectively a Net Loss of 2% - the cost to gain "savings" in the form of points and ultimately Shoppers' merchandise (total $18 loss over $900 to gain $125 of merchandise). And that's an $18 loss on top of having locked ~3 months of grocery and gas spending into gift cards.

tl;dr

If you regularly shop at Shopper's and/or collect Optimum Points religiously, traditionally give out gift cards as stocking stuffers for family/relatives/Secret Santa, or you need a new PS3 or Xbox 360, then check out the upcoming Shoppers' promotions!

Otherwise, if you're more intent on "saving" a few dollars and weren't planing to purchase a few hundred dollars of merchandise at Shoppers, then don't! And if you need gift cards, consider buying them at gas/grocery stores with your MBNA SmartCash for 3% cash return.

Remember - you're not "saving" money by "spending" more. It's only the case if you had been premeditating a purchase and would have paid more otherwise.

FutureShop After Hours Sale Ends November 7th

Future Shop is having an after hours sale, on now!

• November 5th, 8pm until November 6th, 10am
• November 6th, 5pm until November 7th 10am

I accidentally deleted my previous post which highlighted a few items that caught my eye, here's a few I find outstanding:

• Breville Smart Convection Toaster Oven (BOV800XL) for $150 (discount in shopping cart)
• BOGO on Premium Headphones
• Select games on sale (up to 75% off)
• Save 20% on all ink and toner

I have the Breville toaster and I love it. It's an absolute steal at this price. It comes with a 12" round pizza tray for what it's worth.

Click here to see all the deals

Home - 2012 Milk Calendar in London Free Press November 19th, 2011 Edition

Great if you have a subscription to the London Free Press.
There should be a free 2012 Milk Calendar in the Saturday, November 19th, paper.

You can check out the dates and details of other locales at DairyGoodness.ca
Follow their link here for more information as well as other promotions and recipes

Travel - Porter 50% Off Extended To November 7th, 2011

If you haven't been in the loop lately, Porter has been celebrating their 5th birthday by offering 50% off. Air Canada has been matching their promo up until this last-minute update, but Porter still had the edge with no blackout dates. And as add icing on the cake, Porter's just extended their sale for a few more days so if you missed out, there's still time to book your flights now!

Make your bookings before November 7, 2011 for any flight up to March 31, 2012.
Use discount code: FIVE50

I've already booked 2 round trip tickets to New York (Newark, NJ) for the holidays for under $450. I love the Porter experience, the comfortable seats, the free wine/beer and cookies on a 2hr flights, the spacious lounge and open cafeteria at the down town Toronto lounge. Last time I travelled Porter, I arrived 2 hours early just to lounge around in the lounge. The best part -- much fewer people, less traffic compared to Pearson

I have stories to tell about my "hectic" Porter experience, but that's for another day. In the end, it a pleasant experience overall.

What are your plans for this winter holiday? Who else has tried flying porter, and how did you enjoy it?

Games - XBLA The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile for 400 Microsoft Points

This little gem is on sale for 400 Microsoft Points this week as part of Xbox's Deal of the Week for Xbox Live gold members. Note that the game does contain gratuitous blood and violence, but all that aside, a must-have XBLA game.

Click here for more information, and to download from Xbox Marketplace.

Home - Brita Filter $2 Off Coupon

Here's a $2 coupon off any Brita pitcher filters 3 or 4 pack multipack or one Brita faucet filtration filter.
Offer expires November 15, 2011.

Click here to print your coupon.

Home - P&G brandSAVER Coupons November 2011

Check out Proctor & Gamble brandSAVER for winter coupons on all your favourite brands!

Here's only a small list of the coupons available:

• Pringles
• Puffs
• Charmin
• Duracel
• Febreeze
• Bounty
• Gilette
• Swiffer
• Tide
• Bounce

Click here to order your coupons.

Clothing - Esprit 40% off everything November 3-6, 2011

Esprit is having a four day sale starting tomorrow, November 3rd to 6th, 2011. Print off this coupon to save 40% off your entire purchase! Valid on all sale and regular priced merchandise, at all retail and outlet locations in Canada

Our local Esprit at Wellington Commons is an outlet store, and this is great news since many coupons and promos normally don't apply to outlet locations. This promo came at a perfect time, as I just received a points reward certificate in the mail this morning! You can bet your bottom dollar I'll be there tomorrow with a coupon in hand (and a free McDonalds coffee in the other). Last time I picked up some $2 flip-flops, a $8 belt, $5 summer scarf and some $7 crew-necks!

If you're not already a member, ask the cashier to sign you up for their free Esprit Club. You essentially get 5% cashback on all purchases and occasional exclusive offers.

The 40% off offer is also available online at the Esprit E-Shop with coupon code: FRIENDS12.

Pay notice to the shipping costs if shopping online.

Click here to print your coupon.

Anybody else a fan of these Esprit offers? Share about your shopping success!

Pets - Nature's Variety $3.00 Coupon

Nature's Variety is offering a $3.00 coupon off ANY Kibble or Raw Diet product.

You only need to subscribe to their newsletter and you'll get a customized, printable coupon, as well as other regular updates and offers from the manufacturer.

Nature's Variety's Instinct line is grain-free and high in protein. If you pet isn't already eating grain-free, then you've got no excuse not to pounce on this offer. Do your pet a favour and print out a coupon and pick up a trial-pack at your nearest speciality pet store. (But you might still want to stay away from their "Prairie" line :P)

Click here to get your coupon.

Fine print:

OLI-Try It: No cash value.  Sales tax not included.  Not valid if copied or transferred.  One coupon per customer.  Valid for $3 off any Nature's Variety Kibble or Raw Diet (any size, any variety).  Offer good at participating retailers only.  May not be combined with other offers.  Retailer: Give this coupon along with the original sales receipt to your Nature's Variety distributor to receive credit for your cost.  Distributor: Return to Nature's Variety by February 28, 2012 to receive
credit for your cost.


Source: http://www.naturesvariety.com/getraw

Costco - Photos Center 10 Cents Prints, Ends November 13

Costco Photo Center is offering 4 x 6 inch prints for 10 cents until November 13, 2011.
Check out their website for other holiday deals as well, such as $6 off poster prints, $5 off greeting cards, photo books and calendars, $10 off canvas prints or tote bags.

Click here to order your prints online.

Gas - Going up tomorrow 2.8c, fill up tonight!

London, Ontario's November 2nd forecast for regular unleaded:

+ 2.8 cents / litre

121.0 cents / litre

While London's gas prices tend to fluctuate a little more competitively than in Toronto, prices are expected to rise for tomorrow, Wednesday November 2nd. Whether or not it will hit the forecasted 2.8 cents increase, it would be wise to fill up tonight if you're running low :D

Source: http://tomorrowsgaspricetoday.com/london-gas-prices.html?city=116

Food - McDonalds - Free small coffee Oct 31 until Nov 6

McDonalds is offering their small premium roast coffee for free at participating locations in Canada. There's no coupons to print out, just walk up to the counter between October 31 until November 6, 2011 and tell them how you take your coffee. (You can also up-size to a medium or large for under a dollar)

I take my coffee with milk, no sugar. It annoys me to no end that Starbucks doesn't provide 2% milk at the condiment stand, and McD and Timmies never seem to add enough milk when I ask for "4 milks" or "extra extra extra milk". As a result, I've opted to brew my own coffee at home... but you can't score a better deal than free! It's not far out of my way to swing by the corner McD's in the mornings, so I'll be having a few this week myself :D

Where do you guys normally get your morning coffee? And how do you take it?

How many coffee do you plan to "milk" out of McDonalds this week?

Source:

http://www.mcdonalds.ca/en/index.aspx

Games - Play-Asia - Deus Ex (PS3) $25 shipped

Weekly Special - Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PS3)
List price: US$ 49.90
Special price: US$ 19.90 (~19.93 CAD)*
Shipping at US$ 4.90
Limit 2 per customer

Great price on a recent game (only released 10 weeks ago).

It's a single-player game with a Metacritic score of 89.

For those who have never ordered from Play-Asia, there's no need to worry. I've ordered lots from them over the past 8 years, and they've never disappointed me. All their stock is shipped from overseas so you'll have to be patient if you're sticking with economy shipping.

SDM - 20% off regular price WUB $50 - One day only Nov 1st

Might as well start with this one, seeing it's a one-day deal.

Shoppers Drug Mart is running a coupon for 20% off all regular priced merchandise when you spend $50 or more.

Link to coupon. See fine print for details and exceptions.

Great for the people who don't want the hassle of collecting and redeeming Shoppers Optimum Points. But for those who do collect points, you may want to opt for the 20x points events for higher returns.

Hello, London!

Hello world!

I've always thought about blogging, but never really got into it. One of my hobbies has been following Red Flag Deals (RFD) and SmartCanucks, keeping up with the hot deals and stretching my dollar. I've come to distinguish the subtleties between the several communities of deal-hunters and appreciate each of them for their strength, but I think it's about time I take that first step forward and contribute my part in a meaningful way.

So, dear London, Ontario -- here's to you! May we seek out and share deals relevant to our community! Happy birthday, London Shopper. Now let's go save a few dollars by spending a few dollars!


11 Nov 2011

... now last thing on the list: how to organize a blog... :/