A free and fun afternoon with a four year old

30. April 2012 · 6 comments · Categories: Cheap activities, Kids

Is that a great title or what? I love alliteration (bonus Canuck Buck points if you know what that means ).

I went over yesterday to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and incredibly adorable 4 year old niece (yes, I’m a bit biased – but I’ll freely admit she gets her cuteness from her mother’s side, not ours).

I’ll refer to my niece as L – that’s her middle initial. L and I spent 2 very fun hours together and it didn’t cost a cent. First we spent some quality time making pretend strawberry tea and lemonade. We just used a variety of plastic toys to pour water around and through things. Then we headed over to the park for an hour.

City parks have got to be one of the best ways to spend time with kids for free. This one is great – it’s got small climbing walls, swings, slides, and stuff you can swing across. L was perfectly happy to play by herself some, and then we both went on the swings, and I chased her around the park, and down the slides.

Finally, we went back to my brother’s and she raced me around a little pond there. And she won. Fair and square. She’s in much better shape than I am.

It was a great afternoon, and we both really enjoyed it – and it didn’t cost a thing! My brother has actually been telling her stories about how I’ve been training night and day in order to race her. I guess my pretend training hasn’t been strenuous enough.

What’s one of your favourite ways to spend a free afternoon – either on your own, or with others?

Featured in my first carnival!

29. April 2012 · 2 comments · Categories: Blog Carnivals, Education

Woo! Please check it out- 101 Centavos has included me in my very first carnival!

Carnival of Financial Camaraderie #31 – Lend A Helping Hand

I’m in the Education section. Please check it out!

Blog round up for April 27, 2012

27. April 2012 · 5 comments · Categories: Blog Roundup

This week I wrote about:

How to see a movie in the theatre for 2.50

How to find scholarships

Below the 1 million dollar mark on Alexa

Salvation Army sale on Friday!

Some of my favourite posts around the blogosphere this week were:

Thank you for irresponsible credit usage by Modest Money.

Get Smart with your Smart Meter by Canadian Budget Binder

Early Retirement is never easy by Canadian Dream.

What is National Financial Literacy Month by Prairie Eco-Thrifter.

How I paid off my student debt by Saving from Scratch

How to ask for money instead of wedding gifts (tactfully) by Young and Thrifty.

50% off clothing at Salvation Army this Friday April 27th (Ontario only)

25. April 2012 · 2 comments · Categories: Cleaning, Sales · Tags: extra savings, salvation army, thrift store

If you like thrift store shopping, and saving money- and live in Ontario – then this sale is for you!

It’s 50 percent off ALL clothing at Ontario Salvation Army locations. And there’s also not HST on used clothing!

I’ve been meaning to do some shopping – this may finally get my butt in gear! My local store is open til 9, but you may want to double-check the hours for yours at www.thriftstore.ca.

You can check out the Ontario Facebook page for the Salvation Army as well: http://www.facebook.com/OntarioThriftStores

Happy shopping! If you’re interested, please check one of my earlier posts on thrift store shopping.

How to find out about scholarships

24. April 2012 · 7 comments · Categories: Education

It’s that time of the year – high schools kids will be graduating soon, and their parents (and the kids) will have to deal with how much school is going to cost them. While some scholarships may already have been awarded for the upcoming year, it never hurts to see what’s out there. At worst, you can pass on the information to a younger friend or relative.

Here are some ideas on how to find out about what scholarships are out there.

1. Surf the Web. There are several sites dedicated to helping you find out what’s out there. Here are a few of them:

These are both for domestic and international study, so make sure you check them out, regardless of where you’re planning on studying.

2. Contact your future school directly about what they may offer. They may just send you a brochure or information about a Web site, but it’s a good place to start.

3. See what your place of employment may offer. Large organizations may offer scholarships to their employees’ children. Students should also see what’s out there – large corporations like McDonald’s also offer scholarships to their employees.

4. Contact your current high school. They may have a list of local organizations or companies that offer scholarships.

5. Ask! Families should ask everyone they know about what scholarships are out there. A lot of scholarships are small, particularly ones awarded by local organizations, and they don’t always get taken. Try service clubs, advocacy groups, and cultural organizations.

It may seem like a lot of work to track down scholarships, but every little bit helps, so it’s well worth a shot. Good luck!

Do you have any tips on finding scholarships? Please post them!

Below the 1 million mark on Alexa!

23. April 2012 · 7 comments · Categories: Uncategorized

Woohoo! This makes me very excited. I started somewhere in the 17 million range I believe, so this make me very happy.

Many thanks to everyone who has stopped by, commented, and retweeted my tweets. It’s much appreciate, and I’m so pleased to have been noticed by so many bloggers I admire!

How to see a movie in the theatre for 2.50

23. April 2012 · 8 comments · Categories: Cheap activities, Entertainment, Kids · Tags: cheap entertainment, childhood movies, films, movies, stuff under 5 bucks

Over the years, movies prices have been steadily rising. To take family of four, it can costs at least 50 dollars just to get in. If you add in snacks and drinks, you might as well take out a second mortgage to pay for your admittance.

However, there is now a way to a) see movies in the theatre for cheap b)support a good cause while you’re at it.

Cineplex is now running a series of movies on Saturday mornings, and listings are available from here until August. Here’s a sample of some of the films running:

The Great Muppet Caper
Babe
Chicken Run
The Iron Giant (excellent movie, if you haven’t seen it!)
Big
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (I’m tempted to catch this one!)
Follow that Bird (I was forced to see this at the age of 10. I do not recommend it for the the 10 and up set. Smaller children may enjoy it)
Night at the Museum

Yes, you can probably get these for free on T.V or from the library, but I have to admit, there is nothing like seeing a movie on the big screen. If you have young children who have never been to a movie, this might be a great way to introduce them. After all, if they can’t make it through the movie, then you haven’t wasted too much money.

As for the good cause I mentioned – it’s the Starlight Children’s Foundation, which helps provide support for family outing and activities, educational programming, and other great things like hospital playrooms for seriously ill children.

To find out more, check out the Family Favourites page at Cineplex.com.

And remember – you don’t have to be a kid or have a kid to go. You’re perfectly welcome to relive your childhood all on your own!

Are any of these movies ones you’d like to see on the big screen again? If not, what would you like to see?

Blog round up for April 20, 2012

20. April 2012 · 5 comments · Categories: Blog Roundup

Hi all! Hope you’re having a great, and fiscally responsible week. Here’s what I wrote about this week:

Monday’s post was about being on top of auto-renewal fees.

Tuesday’s post was about how you can spend money on crazy expensive and strange food.

Wednesday’s post was about some unusual ways to supplement your income.

Thursday’s post was about how “free” isn’t always free – there can be costs associated with it.

And my favourite posts from other blogs are:

Increase your self-confidence: 5 easy steps by Prairie Eco-Thrifter.

Establishing spending priorities by Modest Money

The importance of having an emergency fund in Save yourself the stress by Saving from Scratch.

Canadian Credit Cards can provide some perks by Canadian Budget Binder.

Is a diploma necessary for financial success? by Young and Thrifty.

How “free” can really add up – but sometimes it’s worth it

19. April 2012 · 2 comments · Categories: Entertainment, Extra costs · Tags: book signing, books, Christopher Moore, events, Toronto

Mr. Canuck Buck and I are big fans of an author called Christopher Moore, and he just came to Toronto to do a book signing. There’s no actual charge for the book signing itself, but that certainly didn’t mean it was a free day. We actually spent a fair chunk of change.

1. Train fare. About 30 dollars to get in and out for the 2 of us. Driving and parking might have been cheaper, but with 2 other events going on that day, there was no guarantee of it, and taking the train is more relaxing then driving.

2. Buying the book itself. I don’t tend to buy a lot of books, and I almost never buy them in hard cover. So – another 30 dollars on buying the new book, “Sacre Bleu”.

3. One very large Starbucks hot chocolate to keep me going while I stood in line for several hours. 5 bucks. That being said – I rarely buy Starbucks, but I love their hot chocolate. It’s amazing and I call it “Heaven in a cup”.

I did bring a bottle of water and couple of snacks.

So – the “free” book signing cost almost 70 dollars. I’m not sorry I put out the money though. Mr. Moore was a great speaker, and I even got a chance to ask him a question, which was nice. I did some thinking and realized that being frugal doesn’t mean you don’t ever do anything or spend money – it just means accounting for costs, making sure you can afford them, and that they are worth it.

I had a great day out, and I’m looking forward to reading the book. It was worth every penny!

On a side note – if I lived in town, and didn’t want to get my book signed , I could have heard him speak for free. Something to keep in mind if you’re broke, but want to attend a book signing anyway.

What “free” event have you attended that ended up costing you money? Was it worth it?

5 unusual ways to supplement your income

18. April 2012 · 6 comments · Categories: Extra income

Are you unemployed or underemployed? Have more time than money? Then look no further. Here are some ways to help you earn some extra cash:

Be a personal shopper for someone. While this may be more popular during “big sale” times, there are opportunities for this year round. A lot of busy families don’t have time to go shopping, and some people have a hard time getting out (such as seniors). You can provide a valuable service to them, and make some extra cash while you’re at it.
Selling your used underwear online. Yes, this is a real and lucrative business. As far as I know, there’ s only a market for women’s underwear. I realize this may seem a bit gross, but it definitely isn’t physically taxing or time consuming. Do some research online before you try to get ideas of how to do this safely and securely.
Rent out your drive way or your lawn for big events. I’ve seen this before. People who live nearby stadiums etc. can make some extra money by renting out their driveway and even their lawn to let people park on them. Some may try to park on them without your permission, so you might as well just make some money off them!
Pet sitting or plant sitting. Not everyone had friends or relatives that can do this for them. I got paid to cat sit when I was a teenager, and it was great! They basically paid me to feed the cats, snuggle up with them, and then hang out and watch T.V. One of the best jobs I ever had and much easier than babysitting!
Volunteer for psych experiments. I used to make 5 bucks a pop in university doing these and it was never anything crazy – just memory tests and that kind of thing.

These are just a few ideas. I’d love to hear about the craziest thing you’ve ever done for money or heard about someone doing for money.