Two weeks ago I wrote about all the free websites where you can watch TV in Canada for free. So this week wanted to share the How. I decided that video tutorial would better so went to You tube and found this to share with you.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GzaKfCtzb0&feature=related]
Have you tried hooking up your computer and TV? How easy of a process was it?
Us girls like to look and feel good. But sometimes we do not like the price tag attached to beauty.
So this week I am tackling how to save on beauty.
First of all as a Muslim woman I am going to note I do not wear alot of makeup. I do wear a kohl eyeliner, a little mascara, and usually a lipshine. But beauty is more then just make-up.
So how can we save:
1. Do you buy expensive brands thinking they will do more or are better for you? I want to give you a heads up that is rarely true. Check what is box 1 at the expensive price and box 2 at the sale price and well guess what your often find they contain the same ingredients, so shop smart and save some cash.
2. If you are addicted to the spa and spa days. Try buying your day for a steal. Use one of the daily deal sites and wait for a spa day. They come up quite regularly and you can get your day of bliss for steal.
3. Skip soda pop, canned drinks and the like and drink water instead, it is better for your skin and you save. I say that is a win both ways.
4. Instead of using an expensive hair conditioner to make your hair shine, mix a tablespoon of cider vinegar with water. After rinsing away the shampoo with ordinary water, pour this cider vinegar water over your hair as a final rinse. Voila, shiny hair.
5. Use a lip brush for your lipshine, gloss or lipstick. By doing so you are getting the coverage you need without waste and you can use the whole container.
6. How about trying some home beauty remedies? Do you have a favorite one, it might be your perfect way to save.
7. Beauty Products can often be gotten as discount pricing look for the coupons.
All these tips with help you save your hard earned cash because we all know once you are looking good you like to go out and have a little fun.
Each Tuesday I have a little fun visiting 5 Minutes for Mom and seeing what everyone is tackling this week.
Are you spending a small fortune on cable or satellite tv? The average Canadian household spends I would guess at least $100 a month on tv. That is $1200 a year! What could you do with that money? Spending a small fortune on cable does not work for me.
What does is is cutting the cable costs. There are many ways to drop your cable costs each and every month. Some are less radical then others but let me share what has worked for me.
Recently I cut the cable at our house as both my daughter and I have laptops. We watch alot of media online so this made sense. All of my favorite shows I can find online the day after they are on tv and guess what there are less commericals and since I am already paying for my internet connection it is free.
I also ordered Netflix. Here in Canada it costs me $8 a month and you can have 2 devices watching at any one given time. This works for us as Rachel can be watching her favorite animated shows which are on Netflix while I watch a movie.
We have also cut our cable. We choose to view online. We also bought an antenna that allows us to get 7 channels ( we live in a basement apartment), other friends using an antenna are getting more.
So do you want to cut your costs after hearing what works for me? Here are some of the things you can try:
1. Call your cable provider and tell them you are thinking of leaving, see if they can offer you a better bundle.
2. Get rid of theme packages that you are not watching all the time. Come on do you really need them?
3. Do not order Pay Per View movies, or sporting events. You can get a theme package or two for the cost of these. If you love movies I do recommend Netflix or how about using your local library. We use ours alot and the Toronto libraries have many great choices.
4. Get rid of the cable box. If you have a new tv most come with a buildt in scanner thus taking $5 off your bill each month or if you need a box buy one outright from many of the big box stores.
5. Go on a Media diet. Cut the cable and choose other sources for media input and watch what you are watching there is alot more to do then sit in front of a screen.
6. Go radical and cut the cable and instead of buying an antenna you could even build one.
All of these would work for me and I hope they work for you as well. Now I am off to We are That Family to see what is working this week for others.
And if you want to get radical and build your own antenna here is a video I found on doing so: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQhlmJTMzw]
With the weather finally getting warmer here in Toronto it is time to think of gardening. On the weekend my favorite daughter Roo decided she was going to do yard work. I am really impressed how clean our garden is. It looks good for mid April.
As we look at gardening this year we will be doing mostly vegetables and fruit. We will have a few flowers though, and will be doing some herbs as well.
What is planned to go into ours: Tomatoes(both full size and cherry), strawberries, lettuce, red peppers, pumpkin, green onions, and for herbs we will do cilantro, basil, and parsley. Really a very basic garden for Toronto. How do I do it and do it on the cheap?
1. First I start everything almost from seeds, that is of what I buy. The only exception is what I get from friends and that will be started strawberries and tomatoes. Seeds are a cheap way to go and your children get to watch the whole growth cycle.
2. Water in the eveing or morning only, and water roots not leaves. First it is the roots that need the water, not the leaves, as well by watering in the early morning or on in the eveing it takes longer to absorb and is better for the soil and plant and you dont end up wasting water. It is also good to do it at this time to save on the pocket book.
3. I also keep my tools on the minimum and to be honest I got them all for free or from the Dollar store. There is no need for expensive tools.
4. NO chemicals…most of the things you need to fight pests,etc can either be done organically or by using your compostable stuff. For weed killer try PULLING them. Just think of it as a workout.
Well it is evening here and with the weather being so nice a perfect eveing for a walk. So here is hoping that some of you are getting your gardens ready just like me.
Here in Toronto many of us parents are waking up to a 4 day weekend with our children. Roo’s school has a Teacher Development Day today so she is off and on Monday we celebrate our new Satuatory holiday Family Day..So What do we do with the kids? Besides argue about computer time that…
Here in Toronto there are a number of things that are discounted especially on Mondaythat are great for kids, or even tweens like mine..
1. Casa Loma is letting kids in free with paying adult
2. If you are like me your child got a coupon for a free admit one child at the ROM. They have a really cool dinosaur display on right now.
3.At the Zoo Admission if half price.
4. There is a Family Day festival in the Beaches –It is scheduled to be outdoor fun but if it is COLD it will be moved indoor..
5. There is always the Bata Shoe Museum which is offering crafts for the kids..and admission is free.
6. Then there is one of our favorite places- Riverdale farm where the admission is free too.
Then there are the things that you can do closer to home….
7. How about going for a skate? All our local rinks have leisure skates and they are free.
8. We will be going tobogganing..with all the snow we have getting lately why not get out and have some fun it, just make sure you bundle up.
9. With this being reading month why not hit up you local library but not on Monday they are closed.
Now if you really don’t want to brave the outside world and want to stay home there is plenty to do inside..
10. You can bake something together–why not break out a recipe and bake together..Roo and I are making muffins.
11. Break out the craft supplies and see who can make the zaniest art piece
12. Make play-dough and create a sculpture of your family
13. Play board games
14. Have a movie marathon of family favorites( we are doing this tonight).
So there is lots to do even for us cheap frugal parents. So take time and enjoy your children this weekend. I know it is something you wont regret!
Well this week it has been one of organization. I have been purging big time. I have bags ready to go- 2 to Value Village and one to the local kids consignment store–so for all the work I will in the end get back a few dollars too. I am finding that the key to being cheap frugal is being organized. What helps me?
1. A Calendar– 4 times a year I do what I am doing this week, each day I am attacking one room of my apartment. This morning it was my under the stairs storage area. While I am cleaning and purging I am also noting what I already have on hand so I don’t dare splurge and buy more of something I don’t need. When I do my daughter’s bedroom I will inventory clothes on hand and what she might need for the up coming year that way as I am out I know what is on that list.( this list is in my purse- in my daily calendar in the back so I am not tempted).
2. Menu planning with flyer’s in hand- for me this works and saves me money. I spend about 30 minutes on Saturday morning looking through them and planning my menu for the week accordingly. If it is a real good buy I try and stock up( but I never by more then what can be used in 8 weeks) Why? Because I find that the sales cycle and will be on sale again within 6 to 8 weeks.
3. A budget- I only have a certain amount that I spend no mater what each week. For me a single mom that budget is no more then $50 for groceries ( and I use coupons when I shop).
By doing this I find I am able to stay on top of things and at the same time be frugal. For me this was one of the biggest challenges to cheapness.
I think most of are trying to find ways that we can go green and be enviromentally friendly. I know I am! I am also looking for ways to be cheap (frugal). For me I really can do both.
1. The first thing I have done and am continuing to do is to do meatless meals in every week’s menu plan. I try and go meatless at least twice per week.
2. Second I shop with reusable bags and NOT plastic bags.
3. Buy seasonal and local. This not only saves on the enviroment but saves on the pocket book as well.
4. I try to bulk buy as well so I can save on trips to the grocery store and cut costs at the same time.
5.Visit your local farmer markets when you can. Great way to shop local and meet some locals too!
I have been thinking alot lately about the future I want and dream about for my daughter and I. I have decided that as she enters junior high and high school I don’t want her here in the city. It is very expensive to live here especially doing it on $1200 a month. So where do we go, I am investigating several possibilities.
While doing this I am trying to also make sure I am prepared for whatever the future might hold. I am doing my will, and learning all I can about fiances here in Canada. There is FREE help out there for us Cannucks. The Canadian Financial Security Program offers free downloadable books that can help us achieve our goals whatever they are. There is the Will Preparation Kit, Shopping for Life Insurance, Starting a Home Business and Investing Wisely. Why not take a read? For us cheapies out there knowledge equals power and the ability to do more while being prepared.
Yesterday I spent several hours doing something I love to do and that is volunteer. It started out in the morning with me at my local food bank.I was there because right now they have a special project. For those of you who are in Toronto, you may remember a building collapsed on the Danforth a few weeks ago leaving 24 homeless. Well most are still homeless and are in one of the city’s shelters. I was sorting and helping one of the families that stopped by pick out a few things that they so need. For all the families the Need is great, especially for housing in East York where all want to live again. If you have towels, bedding, clothing furniture or the like and want to donate it, email me and I will let you know where you can drop it off. It fills my spirit to have chance to give what I can and for me that is time.
Last night I was again out volunteering my time at my daughter’s school where I am vice chair of the council and we met to discuss matters that needed discussion for about 2 hours.
I spend about 75 hours a month doing work for and on the behalf of others and serving in my community because I believe if we give our time we can make this world a wee bit better place. For me volunteering helps not only others but me. It helps me as a mom who isnt out in the work world right now feel like I am contributing to the betterment of my community. It helps my spirit. It works for me..If you aren’t sure about volunteering-try it, you may find you get more out of it then you give..There are many groups that always need volunteers: food-banks, soup kitchens, senior centers, Meals to Wheels, etc..the list is long and they would be glad to have your time and service.
Well I am off to my friend Shannon’s to find out what is working for others this week.
Well today I am off for to the dentist. Since mid December I have been in dental pain and too chicken to go to the dentist. First here in Toronto there aren’t many dentists who will take an Ontario Works client. When you are poor and live in the city it is harder to access dental care at least it is here in Canada. But luckily I found one who will do the emergency treatment that I need. But for the long run she was telling about some programs that are here. Since then I have found that many major cities across Canada and even North America have options similar to this. So why not take care of your mouth? For a long time for me it was a fear factor. Don’t know why or where it began but I feared the dentist.
So where to go here in the city first to get my teeth cleaned there are several options George Brown offers free cleaning, as do many other private colleges here in the city that train dental hygienists. So no more excuses for teeth not being cleaned, you do however have to be available for about 5 appointments. For things like needed fillings, root canals and like there is the University of Toronto and there is a cost. The cost is 1/3 what you would have to pay at a dentist’s office. In Hamilton they have the Dental Bus for emergencies and a local dental hygenie college so i do remember what is there.
So after many years of hating my mouth it is time that I attack the issues of poor dental care. If you are anything like me you can do it too just search out your local programs.
