Child breaks the food rules of daycare: PF Weekly grab a brew #62

March 7, 2014 By 8 Comments
Submit to StumbleUpon
Submit to redditDigg This Share

grab-a-brew-online-review- toddler breaks daycare food rulesTHERE ARE NO WARNINGS

 

Rules are rules and they are put in place for a reason. We have rules at work to follow and many have strict provisions due to health and safety reasons.

When I read this article about a 2-year-old child that was suspended for 3 days from daycare for bringing in a cheese sandwich I knew it would cause online chaos.

The child broke the rules and according to the daycare policy would be suspended. It is what it is.

The Ottawa daycare says that parents sign a policy when they sign up at the daycare and it’s posted in French in regards to the policy on the front doors.

Chaos in commenting was right because plenty of parents and those without kids had something to say about this suspension. I’m sure many more parents will chime in because it is a topic of concern and it should be.

 

Follow the rules

 

So, the rules of the daycare state “no outside food” is allowed inside the daycare. Best of it is, if your child brings in any food containing peanuts they will be expelled. Strict, you bet.

The daycare provides everything needed for the children in terms of food and prevents any food from being brought in that shouldn’t be. After all many kids and adults have allergies and to combat any problems for the daycare they eliminate the most obvious, outside food.

I know when some of our friends take their kids to a home daycare they may bring their own snacks sometimes. It’s up to the parents to decide what daycare want to put their kids if they have allergies or any other reason not to eat a specific food.

It’s not an easy time when you have children with allergies and you want to protect their life. That’s what a parent and caregiver is supposed to do.

I’m not a parent yet so I can’t comment too much on this topic but I know if it was my child with an allergy I’d be concerned.

 

Suspension

 

Some people thought it was unfair that the child got suspended for walking in the door with a cheese sandwich. The father was unaware that she had brought it in from the car. He also has a 4 year-old son that attends the same daycare where they said to the father, he could stay.

I imagine the child took the cheese sandwich along for the ride and was to consume it before she went into daycare. These days most parents brains are in a million places especially if they are working a full-time job.

I see that in my sister-in-law who holds a senior level role in her organization but she always puts her child first. Sometimes it’s like you’re talking to a brick wall when you speak to her but she says she’s thinking about what she needs to do.

Parenting sounds to me like it’s not an easy role to take on but as a parent you must be aware at all times what your children are doing, especially at a young age.

I know for a fact that there is no way her child would have any type of food without her knowledge. Some people said the father should have been more aware of that situation.

I’m not here to say he was right or wrong or that the daycare should have let him off with a warning. What I am saying is that rules are rules and are put in place for a reason.

If one person breaks the rules and are let off then the downward spiral starts where others expect it. If we are talking about children’s lives here and if I had a child who had serious allergies I’d be concerned as well.

I know that for some it’s hard to grasp making the rules around a small percentage of children with allergies in one space but if it was a matter of life or death and it was your child wouldn’t you want the best care?

Wouldn’t you want to make sure that the daycare you were paying money to was doing everything in their power to make sure the safety of your child was the most important? That’s up to you to answer.

Do you think they should have given the father a warning or that the suspension of the child was warranted? Do you have a child with food allergies? What are your thoughts?

 

Top recipe

 

triple chocolate brownies

If you don’t already know I have a second Facebook page online called The Free Recipe Depot where I share recipes from other Foodie Bloggers from around the world.

Once a week I pick one recipe that has been submitted as my Top Recipe of the week. Trust me when I say this is no easy task as some of these foodies can cook up a storm.

This week that recipe goes to a food blog called “An Organic Wife” who came by to share her Triple Chocolate Brownies. Now if you follow me regularly you know I love my brownies so I instantly fell in love with this brownie. Enjoy the recipe.

 

Weekly CBB posts

 

If you missed any CBB posts from the week here is the list of posts you can catch up on reading!

 

Weekly reads

 

Every week I share a few of the best personal finance blog posts that I read online over the past week with all of you so please enjoy my top picks.

Well, that’s a wrap for this PF Friday’s Grab a brew #62. Happy budgeting and I’ll see you here again next week when I do it all over again.

-Mr.CBB

Money-quote

 

Are You New To Canadian Budget Binder?

 

Related articles

 

Submit to StumbleUpon
Submit to redditDigg This Share
Filed Under: PF Weekly Reading List Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Is the humane society the only place to adopt a pet?

March 6, 2014 By 10 Comments
Submit to StumbleUpon
Submit to redditDigg This Share

adopt a pet human societyTAKE ME HOME PLEASE

 

Not everyone thinks about the various places you can adopt a pet including the most obvious, the humane society.

Having a family pet is something that is common in many homes around the world.

Having a family pet can add some stress to our budgets as well as having enough time to care for them.

Making smart decisions when purchasing a pet can go a long way in saving you some of your hard earned money.

A Man’s Best Friend, Not Always a Budget’s Best Friend

While many people consider their pet to be a part of the family many do not think about how much money owning a pet may cost them in the long run.

Mr. CBB shared in a previous post the many costs associated with owning a pet.

If you have even the slightest concern that you may not be able to afford all the costs associated with owning a pet or the time required to care for your pet, don’t own one.

You may want to strongly consider not having a pet until you can make sure all of their needs will be met.

Where you purchase your pet, Humane Society, online or even a pet store can certainly have an effect on how much money you spend. This may also help avoid some unnecessary trips to the vet.

While I mainly refer to dogs and cats in this post, many of these points are also valid for purchasing any pet whether it’s a bird, iguana or a guinea pig.

 

Buying pets from pet stores

 

Mommy, daddy can we have a pet please? Please!

How many times have you walked past a pet store with your kids to hear one of them say this?

All of those cute, adorable puppies staring at us through the window as we walk through the mall are put in those windows for that reason. The shop owner is hoping the cuteness factor will draw people in to buy one of those cute puppies or kittens.

Remember that when purchasing a pet it’s for life just not for the day, week or the season.

Unfortunately many of these animals are purchased from puppy mills and sources that do not have any regulations.

You may also find that a lack any kind of inspection of the environment in which these animals are raised is also not regulated.

It can be very hard to back-track to find where your pet came from originally to really have a good idea of what kind of living conditions your new dog or cat was exposed to.

There is what can be compared to a black market for pets, people and ‘businesses’ out there looking to make a buck any way whether it is humane or not.

Buying your new dog regardless of how cute it is from a pet store creates a demand for these animals that may have health problems.

You may unaware of these problems when you leave the pet store because you really don’t know where and how they were brought into this world.

 

Buying pets online

 

In this day and age there are many people posting ads on sites like Kijiji and Craigslist with their main focus being to make a few extra bucks.

Unfortunately honesty often gets overlooked by some people when posting these for sale ads. I am not saying there is a lack of honest people in the online world but you need to be weary and ask the seller lots of questions.

How do you know what they are telling you is true?

I have heard of a few cases over the years where the new owners were given documentation stating the animal has had its first shots when in fact they haven’t. Then the pet owner is surprised at how quickly they find themselves with a sick animal requiring a trip to the vet.

You may end up with a large vet bill to pay to treat a condition that may have been avoided if you were given the initial correct information that your pet did not in fact receive their shots.

If a seller offers to bring the animal to you rather than allowing you to see the environment in which it is coming from, be weary. I wouldn’t go ahead with the purchase because you just never know.

 

Buying pets from breeders

 

Buying from a breeder can be as misleading as buying a pet online.

Even though many breeders advertise that their animals have had all their shots unfortunately there are no regulations for even licensed breeders.

Having no regulations makes breeding animals an easy money making opportunity for some and often under the table money.

Often this is accompanied with inhumane living conditions and abuse to occur while they are advertising to sell you a new puppy to have as your family pet.

Again, if the breeder offers to bring the animal to you, say no!

 

Why buy when you can adopt a pet?

 

The over-breeding, unregulated breeding and unprepared pet owners have contributed to the over population of unwanted or uncared for animals. These animals are ending up at our local humane society or animal shelters.

While many of these animals may have been originally obtained through the means mentioned previously in this post you can be sure you are getting a lot more honest information about your pet.

Keep in mind you are also not contributing to the demand for unethical, inhumane breeding of animals.

Adopting an animal from the humane society is also significantly cheaper than going to a pet store or buying online.

The following list below is taken from my local humane society. While your local prices may be slightly different, respectively they will be comparable.

 

Humane Society pet adoption costs

 

Below are some  actual costs of adopting a cat or dog from the humane society in my Ontario city.

 

Cats & Kittens $180.00
Dogs & Puppies $300.00
Vet Services Included in Adoption Fees Cat Dog
Veterinary Health Exam $75 $75
Spay/Neuter $250 $300
First Vaccines $85 $85
Deworming $20 $20
Microchipped $55 $55
45 Days Free Pet Insurance $45 $45
Total Value of Vet Services Included in Adoption Fees $530  $580
Savings By Adopting at the Humane Society $350 $280

 

If you are looking for a particular breed consider calling around to multiple humane societies or animal shelters. There is a good chance you may find what you are looking for.

The costs of caring for these animals at the Humane Society is funded by donations. Whether its donations of pet food or blankets to make beds for them to sleep on all donations are appreciated.

If you have recently lost a pet or have extra blankets, toys or food around consider making a donation to your local humane society.

 

Farley Foundation

 

Do you know about the Farley Foundation?

I didn’t until I did some research to write this.

While life doesn’t always go as planned, our pets get sick or injured at times and require veterinary care. These costs can add up quickly and if you are already struggling to make ends meet where do you get some help to take care of your family pet?

There are some eligibility requirements that need to be met but if you are an Ontario resident and are a recipient of Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Payments, or a senior citizen.

You may qualify for up to $1000 per year of funding towards veterinary bills if you fall into one of those categories.

The Veterinary clinic does the application for you as long as they are a member of the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association, which is not a mandatory requirement in Ontario.

If your pets requires care it may be worth your while to look into this program if you think you may eligible for funding.

Many dogs, cats and other animals may never have the chance to make it into a loving home. Making smart choices when you purchase your new pet can avoid supporting the overpopulation of sick, abused and uncared for animals in our humane societies and animal shelters.

These animals will most often sadly be euthanized if no one adopts them as well as saving you some unnecessary expenses.

In the famous words of Bob Barker, “Help control the pet population and remember to get your dog spayed or neutered”.

Do you have any experiences or advice to share when buying a family pet?

 

Money-quote

 

Are You New To Canadian Budget Binder?

Related articles

Photo Credit: Stuart Miles/Freedigitalphotos.net

 

Submit to StumbleUpon
Submit to redditDigg This Share
Filed Under: Pet Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Time to get serious with numbers: Our budget Feb 2014

March 5, 2014 By 11 Comments
Submit to StumbleUpon
Submit to redditDigg This Share

bust-our-budget-budget-updateCRACKDOWN HAPPENS NOW

 

The numbers in this months budget update were a bit scary for us as we just made it with a bit left for our savings account.

It truly is more about how much you spend when it comes to the final numbers.

Although we earned a bit more this month with my new job the money went just as fast.

We did have to pay property taxes which took just over $900 but that money came from the projected expenses account. When that big bill comes due we’re happy the money is ready and waiting.

For others they would rather not deal with any more numbers than they have to so a portion of their city tax bill comes off their mortgage payments each time they are paid.

That seems simple enough although I’d rather keep our money in the bank to earn some interest rather than it sitting in someone else’s bank account doing the exact same thing.

Do you pay your own city taxes or do you have a portion paid each time you pay the mortgage?

 

Where the money went

 

This month was a particularly busy month for our budget and another reason we need to crackdown on our numbers. A good chunk went to home maintenance as we are starting to buy items for renovations as well as payments for our pet when he was ill at the vets are now paid in full.  We did make a few small purchases from Kijiji this month and I purchased a telescope from Sears.

I’ve always wanted to have a better look up in the sky and this baby will certainly let me do that. It was a great deal since it was regularly priced over $300 but I picked it up for around $90 after spending $50.00 in Sears points I forgot I had.

If you didn’t know I started a second job but this job requires I pay a parking fee of $147 for two months which is what some would call over the top for the hours I work. Anyone who lives in the GTA knows that parking costs are outrageous and we avoid them when possible but sometimes we simply can’t. The thing is it’s what I want to do so a foot in the door is better than nothing at all.

You will see the addition of the extra income in our net worth and budget update numbers although I’m only working part-time at the moment. The numbers will shift a bit for income but not too much that it will be a drastic increase at the moment.

My new job however is double what would be my current salary or hourly rate when broken down so if I get on full-time there will be some changes to our income. Anything is better than nothing. They say it’s good to have more than one source of income.

I just don’t have enough hours in my day with my full-time job, blogging and looking after the house and wife.  All is well though. I may see a shift upwards in hours in the next few months although my new role is seasonal in nature. Once this parking pass is expired I’ve decided that I will take the city bus instead as it’s much cheaper and environmentally friendly.

This will also cut down the parking pass cost and gas for a total just under $80 which is a huge savings for us. We also had to pay for a parking pass for my wife which is likely only to be a one time fee so we won’t be changing the budget numbers moving forward for that.

This is just another reason why we have those projected expenses because you never know when you need money to pay for something unexpected.

Thankfully our groceries were under budget for the month but I’m sure we will make up for it in the upcoming months. With BBQ season just around the corner it’s time to stock up on meat products. We’ve simply been using up what we already have to make sure we are rotating stock.

 

Get your free budget

 

  I’m currently offering 2 versions of our budget and the reason behind it is simple. Firstly, read the disclaimer because what you do with it is your own business so if you mess it up you need to sort that out. I have not closed off any cells so you can make all the changes you like to the budget to reflect your lifestyle which is what the fans wanted.

Although I would love to help every single fan with their budget I am unable to do so but I am always willing to answer any emails you send me so don’t be shy. This was after all meant to be our personal budget and although I would love to customize it for every fan that wants to use it but, I’m afraid I cannot.

I’m not selling this budget or hope to make any money from it so enjoy this free budget and I hope that it works for you as much as it does for us.

 

Canadian Budget Binder Budget Spreadsheet

 

  Canadian Budget Binder Spreadsheet Screen shot

You can download the free budget spreadsheets here.

  • Budget 1- You can use the pre-existing categories or you can use your own if you wish and you have the option to use projected expenses or not. Please read all notes left around the budget for tips.
  • Budget 2-Everything is pre-set so you have to use the pre-defined categories but this budget will generate year-end budget figures where the other one won’t but you must use the categories already in this budget. If you change anything you will mess up the formulas and year-end figures. Please read all notes left around the budget for tips.

I’m always open to feedback but be polite as you don’t want to hurt my feelings :) Get started and don’t procrastinate. Test it out for a month and see how it goes. There is never any harm in trying something new in life. You either love it or hate it, that is a fact with anything.

What type of budget do you use?

 

Our budget plan

 

How we budget our monthly expenses I often have fans ask me how to budget money and what we do in order to save so much money but the reply is that it’s not about the money it’s about the process involved. We don’t always save as much money as we would like every month but most importantly we are not going into debt because we are budgeting our money.

One of the most important things we did for our personal finances was that we never let the budget deter us from reaching our goals.

Sure we’ve had crap months but we made up for it or we learned from our mistakes just like anyone else would. Budget failure only occurs when you give up on the budget which should not happen as long as you give 100% into making sure you reach your goals. Sometimes fans email and ask me if living on a budget in Canada is any different from living in other countries.

To be honest I’m going to say, probably not. If I still lived in the UK I could use this exact budget to meet all of my needs. Below are links to the budgeting series which I wrote while designing our spreadsheet. I’m not a financial planner/advisor so I can’t tell you how you should budget but I can show you how we budget our numbers.

I’m just a regular guy just like everyone else; some might call me a budget or numbers nerd. Please take the time to read through the budgeting series and I hope you take something away from the information.

  1. How We Designed Our Budget Step 1- Gathering All the information
  2. How We Designed Our Budget Step 2- Categories
  3. How We Designed Our Budget Step 3- Tracking Receipts
  4. How We Designed Our Budget Step 4- Note-taking
  5. How We Designed Our Budget Step 5- 5S Organization
  6. How We Designed Our Budget Step 6- Who Does What and When?
  7. How We Designed Our Budget Step 7- Balancing Our Budget
  8. How We Designed Our Budget Step 8- Knowing our Coupon Savings
  9. How We Designed Our Budget Step 9- Reading Our Bills
  10. How We Designed Our Budget Step 10- Projected Expenses

 

Budget changes

 

We didn’t make any major changes to the budget this month as we haven’t seen any reason to.

Although we did go over in some categories we still stand firm that our numbers are fine. I will be adding to our budget spreadsheet a projected expenses tracking sheet so we can track how much we are spending in the PE categories. It was something I was going to work on last year but simply forgot about it.

I hope this will give us a better idea as to how we are doing with our numbers and whether we need to make any further adjustments.  

 

Budget percentages February

 

February 2014 Budget Percentages

Our savings of  11.41% includes savings and investments. Our projected expenses this month is at 24.63% which now includes some increases due to overspends explained in the 2013 year in review. The total February 2014 Household Budget Percentages comes to 100%.

 

Budget percentages month by month

 

Year to date budget percentages

 

Expenses breakdown

 

This is simply a breakdown of our expenses which has helped us to understand where all of our money goes. I appreciate that you enjoy this budget update each month but I do hope you view this as an educational tool rather than comparing your own financial numbers as we are all unique.

Sometimes we wish we had more money to budget with but understand that we only have what we earn and if we want more, we need to earn more. Spending less than we earn and budgeting our money has been the easiest way for us to pay down debt and save money.

  1. Chequing- This is the bank account where all of our debt gets paid from.
  2. Emergency Savings Account- This is a high-interest savings account.
  3. Regular Savings Account- This is a savings account that holds our projected expenses.
  4. Monthly Budget Total: $5352.51
  5. Monthly Net Income Total: $7555.85
  6. Total Coupons Used: includes every discount attained during the month = $23.97
  7. Projected Expenses: These are expenses we know we will pay for throughout the year = $1860.68
  8. Total Expenses Actually Paid Out: $5641.13
  9. Total Expenses Actually Paid Out: Calculated is $7555.85 (total net monthly income) – ($54.04 (cash savings) + $1860.68 (projected expenses)) = $5641.13
  10. Actual Cash Savings Going Into Emergency Savings: Calculated is $7555.85 (total monthly net income) – ($5641.13 (actual expenses paid out for the month) + $1860.68 (projected expenses)) = $54.04

 

Saving money

 

What are Projected Expenses? - We project expenses throughout the year so we have the money saved. PE= A projected expense is money which is automatically saved each month so it is ready when the bill comes in or when you need it as in the example below.

We review our projected expenses at the beginning of the year to set up our yearly budget and adjust as we go along if a new projected expense arises and needs to be added to the budget. Sometimes we remove a projected expense as well so it’s very important to keep an eye on your expenses.

This has happened on many occasions but it’s bound to happen as we can’t predict everything we have to pay for over the course of the year. The important part for us is that we are saving for these expenses and we no longer have to stress about taking money from our savings to pay for them. To learn more about projected expenses read Step 10 in my budgeting series.

When we spend the money in a projected expense category we move that money to our chequing account in order to pay for that incoming expense.

We pay money into the projected expenses account continually throughout the year even when bills come due as it’s revolving so as one bill gets paid the money continues to come in from the other categories all year-long. So the $1860.68 gets paid into the projected expense account every month no matter what. It seems to be easier to track our money this way but you can do what works best for you.

 

Projected expense example

 

If for example our clothing category was a projected expense we have a budget of $50 per month for the two of us. If we spend $30 on clothes for the month that means we need to pull $30 from the projected expenses account to pay for this expense or we move only $20 to projected expenses for the month and leave the $30 in your chequing account.

It’s up to you how you do it as I mentioned above. I’m hoping to put together a projected expenses spreadsheet to track the expenses all year-long otherwise you need to do that to make sure you don’t overspend what you haven’t saved or will save over the course of the year.

It’s a fairly easy process and becomes a lifestyle change for your finances but the most important part is that the money is available and saved, which means potentially less stress.

This means we should have $600.00 per year for clothing to spend. We have to track that expense as we spend it manually but hopefully for our 2014 budget I can incorporate that into our spreadsheet so it tallies the numbers up as we go along. That way we will be able to know exactly what we’ve spent as an ongoing total.

 

Our numbers

 

Below you will see two tables one is our budget and the other is our actual budget for the month of February. This budget represents 2 adults and no children and includes all of our investments.

 

Budget for February 2014

 

Budgeted numbers February

If it is highlighted in blue that means it is a projected expense of ours. You will also see our budget does not include the emergency savings as this is factored in at the end.

 

Actual budget expenses for February 2014

 

Actual budget numbers February 2014

You will notice we didn’t put the amount going to emergency savings as we have in the past into the actual budget which was a total of $54.04.

 

February 2014 goals

 

  • Reach 1600 Pinterest Followers- PASS
  • Get organized with blog activities- somewhat Pass
  • Learn more about affiliate marketing and blog advertising-ongoing
  • Complete and search out more freelance work -ongoing
  • Read more in my personal finance book- Fail
  • Reach 6375 Facebook Fans (2014 goal is to hit 10,000) Let’s do this!!- Fail 6348 (this has been challenging since I don’t hold contests like other bloggers do and Facebook reach is terrible unless you pay to boost your posts or your fans share your posts. You will also see some bloggers joining groups to try to help boost their own posts without having to pay fees.) Don’t rely on Facebook unless you want to pay $$$.
  • Reach 2500 Twitter Followers- PASS 2569 :-) Thank-you~
  • Reach 1240 Blog Followers- Fail.. chugging along
  • Continue with bathroom renovations- Fail
  • Start laying flooring in living room and dining room- Fail

 

March 2014 goals

 

Sometimes I think I am being too optimistic about by numbers but if I don’t reach them I try harder the next month.

Stay positive and that’s all you can do apart from bringing the best you can for your readers.

Not much has changed in terms of my goals for March apart from making the projected expenses sheet for the budget.

  • Start garden seedlings
  • Complete projected expenses tracking sheet for budget
  • Reach 2600 Twitter Followers
  • Reach 6260 Facebook Followers
  • Reach 1620 Pinterest Followers
  • Reach 1225 Blog Followers
  • Read a chapter in my personal finance blog
  • Help a new blogger with a task or question
  • Get moving with renovations when I can find time
  • Start Spring cleaning
  • Update budget spreadsheets on blog
  • Connect with a new blogger
  • Reach 1500 Followers Facebook for The Free Recipe Depot

 

Budget updates month by month

 

In case you missed our budget updates from the start of the year I will list them all here each month.

That’s all for this month check back at the beginning of April 2014 to review our March 2014 budget to see how we made out with our numbers and if any changes were made.

 

Money-quote

 

Are You New To Canadian Budget Binder?

Related articles

 

Submit to StumbleUpon
Submit to redditDigg This Share
Filed Under: Our Family Budget Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pet peeves at the grocery store : The Grocery Game Challenge #1 Mar 3-9, 2014

March 4, 2014 By 13 Comments
Submit to StumbleUpon
Submit to redditDigg This Share

dairy section grocery storeNOTHING BOTHERS ME MORE THAN…

 

Some of the biggest pet peeves at the grocery store are what motivate people to get in and get out.

I don’t know about you but my pet peeves can vary depending on the time of day to the day of the week that I go grocery shopping.

While I was writing this I decided to put together a list of pet peeves that really get under my skin at the grocery store.

They say not to sweat the small stuff and I really am a laid back kind of guy but there are some things that just make me shake my head.

There are things that get under my skin but I don’t really show how it affects me because it doesn’t benefit anyone but me.

That never solves the problem but deep inside I just wish things would be different. Back to the saying, ‘not everyone or everything is perfect’ and ‘go with the flow’.

 

Pet peeves

 

Not everyone will find my pet peeves bothersome but to be honest, they shouldn’t.

They are my pet peeves and since we are all different I bet your pet peeves will be different from mine.

I won’t be surprised if some of us share common pet peeves but for the most part not everyone wants to pull their hair out because the wrong label and price is on a bunker full of product.

Yes, that’s a pet peeve of mine. Just one of them.

What is the meaning of pet peeve? It’s not when you are peeved off at your pet either. It’s simply something that irritates you to the point where when it happens it bothers you.

Here are a few of my pet peeves that I came up with this morning on my list.

 

Miserable staff

 

I know it may only be a job in a supermarket and not the career you once hoped for but you really do get some miserable depressing people at the check out. Not everyone is like this I’ll admit and everyone is entitled to a bad day now and again but sometimes a smile is all you need.

Happier staff tend to lead to happier customers, it can generate a more positive ambient environment. I’ve also found that the happier the staff are the more willing they are to help you out. They are much more approachable too, why would you want to disturb an unhappy person?

 

Sales

 

When those sales come around it’s time to stock up, or so you think. There are plenty of occasions when you go to the supermarket because they have a sale on (for this instance, fish).

You know it’s a great deal and there is no fine print in the flyer that states “while quantities last” so you head out to go and hunt down some deals.

The problem is, the fish is all gone and they are not getting anymore in and you can’t get a rain check because it’s a one-off “special size“.

That’s almost as annoying as the “one day sale” when you’ve got other things planned and cannot possibly make it in time to take advantage of the deal in question.

I’m not sure if it’s a marketing ploy, but it they only have a limited amount of stock then they should say so. It’s almost verging on the bait and switch tactic that is illegal in Canada.

The ridiculously small special offers that sometimes appear in the flyers aren’t quite as good as you think they are. Watch the sizes compared to the normal regular size and compare the prices per unit, e.g. cost per 100g. You’ll soon notice the sales aren’t as good as you first thought.

 

Irregularity of choice

 

Even though there is a huge choice of pre-made processed foods available in every supermarket the range of fresher foods including fruit, vegetables., meats and cheeses can sometimes suffer from place to place.

You can tell when there is a distinct lack of choice when all you get offered is the large name brands, which tend to be highly processed.

The stock changes from one branch of supermarket to another depending on the local demographic. There is definitely a greater selection of Asian foods at one supermarket close to where we live, but the other branch of the same supermarket doesn’t have anywhere near the same lines of products.

It’s not a complete disaster, just annoying that they think that customers basic essential food items should be based on jarred, tinned and other highly preserved products.

In the end no one supermarket is going to be your only place to shop. There will always be excuses to venture out to the next place and experience something different or find something strange and unusual.

What are some of your pet peeves at the grocery store?

 

March grocery game challenge posts

 

If you missed any grocery game posts for the month I will post the line-up for the month each week here in this section for you.

Since it’s the start of a new grocery game month we have a winner for February! I made a few adjustments to the last few posts I moderated for ballot numbers as I mixed the month up this morning. Instead of going back to change all the posts I made the adjustments in my book. No worries, it was all sorted out. Easy. :) Always track your own ballot numbers.

Congratulations goes out to Lynaka ballot #11! Please email me with your address.

 

Grocery saving tips

 

Click, Save and Print. It’s that easy!

Free Money Saving Downloads are awesome lists that were created to get us on track to work towards reaching our budgeting goals and now we are sharing them with you.

I hope you take the time to get back on track and start the saving process in your grocery budget today.

Get organized with a FREE freezer inventory, meal plan, shopping list, price comparison list and much more all for FREE. CLICK HERE to download all the free lists and even our family budget spreadsheet for FREE.

NEW!! You can now download the Canadian Budget Binder Budget Spreadsheet in Excel…… Grab it while you can… It’s FREE! We use it to budget.. check it out!

 

Ultimate grocery shopping guide

 

Everything you want to know about grocery shopping in Canada is below with new information added monthly.

If you missed a Grocery Game Challenge post some of the most popular posts are listed below or you can now find the posts listed on their own page called The Ultimate Grocery Shopping Guide.

If you know a topic that should be discussed send me an email and let me know.

 

Food food and more food

 

shopping-cart

No Frills

  • x 2 Mushrooms 227g Sale $0.88
  • Romain lettuce $1.49
  • Roma tomatoes Sale $0.88lb  $1.76
  • Eggs 18 pack $2.88
  • Green spring onions $0.88 for 2
  • Potatoes 10lb $1.88

Total out of pocket $10.65

Food Basics

  • Celery Sale $0.88
  • Chick Peas Dry 1kg Sale $2.99 x 6 (stockpile budget)
  • Oranges $0.88lb x 5lbs $4.40
  • Pineapple Sale $1.88
  • x3 Iogo Yogurt sale $1.99-$0.75 -$1.24

Total out of pocket $10.88  with $17.94 to stockpile budget

Shoppers Drugmart

  •  2 x 4L bags of milk $3.97 each

Total out of pocket $ 7.94

 

Yearly grocery budget for two: $2820

 

(The above total does not include the stockpile budget of $240 per year or $20 per month.)

  • Total Grocery Budget for the Month: $235.00 or $78.33 week with potentially one no-shop week per month or $58.75 for 4 weeks per month. (During the months with 5 weeks we just make it work)
  • Total Budget for March $235.00
  • Total Coupons Used this Week : $2.25
  • Total Coupons Used to date: $24.50
  • Total Discounts this Week: $0
  • Total Discounts Used to date: $5.54
  • Total Gift Cards Used to date: $33.18
  • Total Rewards Points Used: $0
  • Total Rewards Points Used to date: $0
  • Stockpile Budget ($20.00): $17.94 (chickpeas dry)
  • Stockpile Budget Used to Date: $20.00+$19.08+$17.94
  • Total Spent This Week: $29.47
  • Total Spent So Far March: $27.69
  • Total Over/Under spend this shop: $0
  • Total Over/Under spend for the month: $
  • Total Left to Spend for the Month: $235.00-$29.47=$205.53
  • Total to Carry Over Next Month: $0
  • Total Spent To Date This Year: (does not include stockpile budget) Jan $242.66+ Feb $191.74+ March $
  • Weekly Overview: Some great deals this week but we didn’t need much as we have plenty in the house this week.

 

Canadian Coupons Found

 

coupons-March-2014-Canada

Did you find any coupons? If so share the details in the comment section of this post where you found it and what the coupon is for with expiry.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

 

Read the rules first and if you have any questions email me or comment on this post with your question and someone will answer you as soon as possible.

 

  • Do I have to be Canadian to post my Grocery Shop?

 

No, you don’t have to be Canadian to post your shops only to win a monthly prize. We have fans who post their grocery shop who live all over the world.

 

  • When does the Grocery Game close each month?

 

The Grocery Game Challenge closes at midnight of the last Sunday of the last post for the month. You can post your shops all month-long.

 

  • Does your Grocery Budget include health and beauty and laundry products?

 

Yes our Grocery Budget includes such items as shampoo, conditioner, laundry soap, fabric softener, dish soap etc. We don’t mind stockpiling items that won’t be affected by expiry dates or have long expiry dates but not so much food any more. It’s just one way to help cut your budget to save money.

 

 

Here are your latest Coupon Match-ups of the week and your weekly Checkout 51 offers from 25 Newspaper Inserts around Canada compliments of Save Big Live Better that you can use to help you save money in the Grocery Game Challenge.

 

  • What is an FPC?

 

An FPC is a free product coupon which means you can get a free product as described on the coupon.

 

 

You can find all your store coupon policies here. If you are not sure it’s always best to call the store and ask.

 

 

I can tell you about grocery shopping and what we do in terms of shopping to save money and how it works for us. There are no wrong or right answers, just smart choices.

Over time you will gradually learn where you should and shouldn’t go in the grocery store or at least how to say no, I’m on a budget I need to buy this or that.

You may also substitute items in order to stick to your grocery budget to make it work. Nobody is perfect, heck we struggle with this part of our budget like many people do.

This is why the grocery game challenge was created to not only show you that we are like everyone else but to bring us all together to work as a team to get our budgets on track.

If you have just joined The Grocery Game Challenge 2014 get ready to dive deep into your grocery budget and learn just where you are spending, how much you are spending and what you are saving.

Feel free to read all the above posts that I linked to above which I feel are relevant to learning about the grocery budget and grocery shopping in general.

You’ve made a wise decision to take control of your grocery budget now show me your shops and let’s get saving!

Welcome to The Grocery Game Challenge Canada 2014!

-Mr.CBB

Money-quote

Are You New To Canadian Budget Binder?

Submit to StumbleUpon
Submit to redditDigg This Share
Filed Under: The Grocery Game Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Do you need financial motivation?

March 3, 2014 By 3 Comments
Submit to StumbleUpon
Submit to redditDigg This Share

motivationPUSH YOURSELF TO SUCCEED

 

Financial motivation doesn’t normally just jump into your head when you wake up in the morning.

Motivation for many typically happens because something is either wrong or you want to make changes to your life.

Some people need personal motivation to get through daily, weekly, monthly and yearly tasks and if that’s what it takes, go for it.

Asking for help is not easy to do especially if you are a strong, independent person who struggles with showing weakness in any form.

I know plenty of friends especially my male friends who won’t even ask for directions because they don’t want to look like they don’t know where they are going. These days we combat that with the GPS but there’s only so much a GPS can do.

The same goes with letting our finances ride out on their own. You can’t expect to see optimal growth in your savings account if you aren’t focused on growing it.

Same goes with paying your bills on time and earning enough money to pay cash for something you want rather than putting it on credit.

Motivation to have patience and wait until you have your feet on the ground financially before jumping into any big decisions is something that many people seem to toss aside unless they are forced to think about it.

Many people rush out and buy a house with a small down-payment and nothing in the bank for an emergency.

What happens if you need a new roof and have no way to pay for it? Asking for financial help is not a bad thing whether it be buying your first house, getting OSAP for your education or learning how to do something financially that you aren’t too sure of.

The person who fails to ask the questions are the one’s who fail to get the answers because they fear failure.

Don’t let that be you. Failure happens because you let it happen. You let the world take over your life and you wallow in the memories of what you should have done or should not have done.

Move forward. Ask for help. Don’t back down.

 

Personal motivation

 

How to motivate yourself?

It’s not always easy to motivate yourself but sometimes starting with a pen and paper is a good start. I know that sounds old-fashioned but writing something out might hit home rather than typing it into a word document.

The written word for me has always carried strength because it’s your own handwriting. I know this may not work for everyone but do what works for you.

I have people searching this blog for motivational quotes all the time and that tells me people want to either encourage themselves or others.

If you really want to succeed at motivating yourself you have to be dedicated to the mission. Whether you need financial motivation to get out of debt or motivation to start something new and see it through to completion the puck is always in your court. If it’s not, then find a way to get it there.

When I moved to Canada as a permanent resident I needed financial motivation especially when it came to finding a job. Being new from the UK didn’t help my cause because I didn’t have any Canadian working experience.

I wasn’t old by any shot but I certainly wasn’t young and had to make the decision to go back to school.

It was a financial motivation for me because I knew I needed some sort of skill to get me the career that I wanted in Canada. I achieved that by never giving up on my dream of becoming who I wanted.

 

Words to motivate

 

Sometimes keeping motivational words that are positive in nature such as determined, focus, success, opportunity etc. on your radar is important.

Positive motivation gets people through all sorts of events in their lives whether it be an exam at University, a job interview or getting their finances on track.

Keeping a positive mind-set can not only change your outlook on life but the way you move forward with tasks that you might be afraid to tackle out of fear of failure.

No one likes to fail but if you don’t start, how do you know if you are going to be good at it?

 

Financial motivation

 

I find when I talk to some fans who email me or even people in my circle of friends who have financial difficulties that motivation is lacking.

There are typically more excuses then there are reasons why they should make changes to their finances. You may be able to talk to someone about their finances but never can you make them change the way they execute their spending habits.

They are the only one’s who can challenge themselves to make better choices and to spend less than they earn. When we started using the excel budget we designed it was new to us and something we had to get used to.

We weren’t sure how it would affect our life but we certainly didn’t back down because we feared the outcome. We wanted to see those financial numbers month after month and find out if our efforts were being realized.

Sure enough a few years later and we are still budgeting our money because we have seen the positive impact that it has had on our finances.

Personal motivation will always be the hardest of all but it doesn’t have to be unless you let it become a fear in your life. Just like we need motivation in the workplace when we do a good job or excel in what we do, the same is needed in our personal life.

The problem is sometimes the only form of personal motivation comes from with-in. If you know someone who needs some financial motivation, share this post with them.

What are some ways you personally motivated yourself financially?

 

Money-quote

Are You New To Canadian Budget Binder?

Related articles

Photo Credit: Stuart Miles/Freedigitalphotos.net

 

 

Submit to StumbleUpon
Submit to redditDigg This Share
Filed Under: Finance Tagged With: , , , , , , ,