Love the Entertainment

If I told you there was a way to save hundreds and hundreds of dollars, would you believe me? What would all this saving be worth to you? In other words, how much would you be willing to pay?

Today only, you could pick up the 2013 Entertainment book for just $29.99 with free shipping. Of course, it is free shipping if you live in the US. But for international customers, they will charge you up to $17.50 to send it to you by mail. Considering how much money you could save, it is still worth it.

Depending on where you live, you can pick the one that serves your area. Each book contains hundreds of coupons, some 2-for-1, some completely free and some just gives you a discount. Say for example, you live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Your  book has coupons for free admission to the Calgary Zoo where the new penguin plunge exhibit had opened this summer. It also has free admission to the Royal Terrell museum, where all the dinosaurs are being dug up. Then there’s tons of restaurant coupons, ranging from a free drink to a free meal.

Near the back of the book are pages dedicated for the traveller. There you will find car rental discounts, cruise discounts and hotel discounts. These are pretty good and will definitely save you some serious money. There are coupons that apply to food, services, recreation and travel.

Would you like to know about the next deal I run into? Sign up for my emails and I’ll make sure to alert you on the next deal.

Another Liquidation Centre

Here’s an account of my Sunday. Decided to take a stroll through the streets of Inglewood in Calgary, AB. Parked on 9th Avenue, just a stone throw from Starbucks. Within the first block, we found an interesting shop/ boutique that carried kitchen gadgets on one side and figurines on the other side.

As an amateur chef, I took notice of a few gadgets that would enhance my culinary skills. These included a Garlic Zoom, Garlic peeler, a coaster with a bottle opener in the middle and last but not least, a folding cutting board that lets you slide cut vegetables into a frying pan or pot of boiling water in a jiffy.

If I had purchased these items from Inglewood, the total bill would come out to about $50 less taxes for all the items. Later that day, I stumbled on Bianca Amor’s Liquidation Centre in the S.E. Surprisingly, I found the exact items there for a lot less. The bill would come out to about $16.

As a result, everyone on my Christmas list will get a Garlic Zoom as a stocking stuffer.

Up to 80% off

Have you shopped at XS Cargo lately? If you have, you probably bought something that was really a good deal because everything they sell there has been discounted up to 80% off retail. One of the things to be careful about is consumer electronics. Remember that all sales are final which means if you brought something home that is electronic and it doesn’t work, you are entitled to return it for an exchange as long as there is another unit in stock. If none exists then you will get a credit. At XS Cargo, they usually don’t stock a lot of inventory so if you are going to buy something electronic, try it out as soon as you get it home and return it within a few days if it doesn’t work. Don’t let it sit around for a couple of weeks. Take it out of the box and plug it in. Try out all the buttons and functions and make sure everything works. Otherwise it is a return.

XS Cargo used to carry a lot more refurbished or recertified items, and now they don’t. A lot of people don’t like buying refurbished items but what the heck? Most of these people don’t know that these items are brand new and fixed up. They just lack the pristine packaging of a untested unit. Wouldn’t you rather have a unit that was checked, tested and certified than a unit that is fresh from the factory? Remember that any untested unit may fail to work.

Refurbished items are not for everyone. For instance, don’t give a refurbished item as a wedding gift. That is not kosher. Instead, give your child a refurbished Apple iPod Touch that works and is going to save you some money. Refurbished Panasonic Lumix cameras are a deal. They are great digital cameras and are very durable.

Where do you find refurbished brand name items such as Apple, HP, Fuji cameras, Sony, SanDisk, etc.? A great place online that sells refurbished and recertified items is eCost. Be sure to check out my sister site for the links and promo codes to save additional money. I hope I have shed some light on refurbished or recertified items and that it’s ok for you to save money buying them.

Stem can save $$$ in your kitchen

Want to know a way to save some money in the kitchen? Take a look at Stem. With Stem, you simply stick it into an orange and voila, you can spritz up your salad with orange juice. Stick it into a lemon and have lemon spritz. Stick it into a lime and have lime juice spritz.

Stem is a wonderful, innovative idea that will save you money at the grocery. Instead of buying a bottle of lemon juice or lime juice, you can now use Stem with your favorite fruit and use it to spray it on your salads.

Buy one or buy a dozen. Only $4.99.

Christmas on a Budget

Everybody is going to budget-minded this Christmas. And talk about Budget, be sure to use BCD code U114800 to save on your Christmas rental. In Vancouver, you can rent a economy/compact car for only $45 for a 3-day rental from December 16th to 19th. I’ve been shopping and comparing with Thrifty’s using the code: LM78 and it comes close. Remember, the trick is picking up the car from a non-airport location to save on airport taxes. In Vancouver, the tax is well over 17% which cancels out alot of promo code rates.

Alot of people are going to strap down their budget and shop for themselves. If you are looking to stock your house, perhaps your new renovated basement with a home theatre, spa or home office, here’s a free visitor’s pass to DirectBuy. We’ve seen the ads on tv where they say you can save up to 50% off all your home remodelling and fixtures.

And if you have golfers on your Christmas list, check out all the golf shirts and windshirts by Antigua and Oakley at savings up to 75% off at Knetgolf. To take advantage of this special, be sure to use the coupon code: SHIRT.

Hot Water in 3 Seconds

The one complaint that I have with Rock Band for the Wii is that you don’t hear anything (realistic) when you beat on the drums. It would be better if you could hear the drum beat as you hit the pads instead of plastic against plastic. I mean, that’s what the Wii is all about. The sensation is there but it falls short of expectation. Coming to the rescue is the V-Beat Drumsticks. Attached to the pair of drumsticks is a device that broadcasts the sound of the snare drum, cymbals and the heart-pounding beats. For $30 US, you play on your own or you can connect it to your MP3 player.

Here’s another item for me, a Jimi Wallet. Great for my credit cards because I’m tired of bent credit cards. The Jimi Wallet is a plastic compartment for your credit cards, ID and gift cards. It goes for under $16.

Can’t wait for hot water? Here’s a hot device from Tefal, introducing the QuickCup Kettle that delivers a hot cup of water in just 3 seconds. It’s fast but it’s not cheap, at $92, at least it’s faster than turning on the tap. If you’re interested in these items and more, be sure to visit me in a few days.

Free Golf

We all know that once the leaves are on the ground that fall is around the corner. With the coming of fall, the golf season winds down and golf deals emerge. Golf courses in the Columbia valley will probably stay open for a few weeks more but as far as Calgary is concerned, most courses will close before the third week of October.

New in Kimberly are premier accomodations on Northstar Mountain Village offering ski-in/ski-out access, hot tubs, fireplaces, fitness room and fully equipped kitchens. Now if you call and make an early booking, you will receive 2 rounds of golf free at Bootleg Gap. Just call 1-800-665-1801 and quote ‘Kimberly Fall Special’. Don’t try to book online to get your free golf because this is not available for everyone. Hurry because this offer is only limited to the first 30 bookings.

Want to stay closer to Fairmont and Radium Springs? No problem. With High Country Properties, you can now stay for 3 nights and only pay for 2. Call the same number above and quote ‘Pay for 2 Stay for 3 Special’. Offer is good until October 31, 2008.

There’s a lot of golf left in this season. I hope you will take advantage of the late summer/ fall specials that I find for you.

Barbeque Bargains

We are suckers for infocommercials. If you ever tour our basement, you will find many ‘As Seen on TV’ things such as a pasta maker, bread maker, dehydrator, magic bullet, steam mop and much, much more. I have to admit, I am quite the shopper for gadgets.

Talking about bargains, I came upon a site today that you may find interesting. Do you have any heat resistant silicon brushes in your kitchen? These brushes are great for barbeques or for basting marinades on meat. They clean up quickly and they don’t stain like hair brushes do. On top of that, they can withstand temperatures over 500 degrees so they won’t melt on you. Pick up a set for $2.99 and you will thank me for it. On the topic of barbeques, the ‘Grip N Flip’ will save you some grief when you need to flip those burgers on the grill. These nifty tools act like tongs and let you get a hold of your patty instead of pushing it around. Pick up a set for only $1.99. 

They say to never clean your barbeque grills because the baked on grime adds to the smoke flavor of your ribs and steaks. If you can’t stand the grease and grime build up, get the Grease Bullet for Cookware. It’s a tablet that you drop into a sink full of hot water. You just drop your greasy grills, pots, cookie sheets, etc. into the hot water mix and wait a few minutes. All the grease and grime practically dissolves, leaving you with sparkling cookware. The Grease Bullet normally sells for $9.99 but is now on sale for $4.99.

The site I found is on our website under the blog with the same name as this one. There’s no promo code nor coupon but check out the prices and I guarantee you will find a steal there. There is a shipping charge of $7.95 but you can ship up to 150 pounds of stuff so get at it.

Crazy for some Weed?

We played our last game at Radium Springs and decided to head back. One of my friends had recommended a little restaurant in Canmore so we thought we would drop by for a quick dinner before driving into Calgary. Canmore is a small town established in 1883 as a railroad division point and mining town. You can still see mining shafts on the Stewart Creek Golf Course, just southeast of town.  Tourists usually drive past Canmore on the way to Banff but a lot of Europeans have purchased ski chalets and condos here. For golfers, there are two championship courses here and a private one is on its way.

The restaurant we headed for is on the main street and in the shopping district of Canmore. We walked into the Crazyweed Kitchen and sat down on a small makeshift table by the window. It was packed with skiers and people like us, passing through to Banff or to Calgary. I decided to go with my friend’s recommendation, Grilled Chicken with Spicy Chili and Cilantro. It was delicious. My buddies decided to go with the lamb curry and the scallop dish. I never liked ordering seafood when you’re inland, especially in the mountains. If not for the chicken, I would have chosen a steak or a vegetarian dish. Anyways, the lamb curry smelled wonderfully and the scallops were few (which I had expected).

When we arrived home, I decided to try out some cooking of my own. I wanted to see if I could make the chicken dish from Crazyweed’s. I started grilling a breast of chicken on my indoor grill. As it was smoking, I put a bunch of cilantro leaves into a chopper and poured in about 2 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce (that you can buy at a supermarket under the international aisle). I blended the mixture and topped the grilled chicken. Believe it or not, it tasted exactly the same as how I remembered it. 

Next time you feel like a chicken dish, try this simple recipe or venture out to Canmore for some weed.

There is Life after Budgeting

Sometimes I feel I’m not doing this site justice. I should be blogging about how to save you money rather than to tempt you with things to buy. Lets start off with laundry. To save on buying static sheets such as Bounce, you can buy dryer balls that sell for $15 a pair. Using these dryer balls when you dry your clothes will remove the static and save you money at the same time. I understand that 90% of the energy used in washing clothes is the heating of the water. Based on the US Department of Energy, they tell you to wash your clothes in cold water and use cold water detergents whenever possible. If you check out their website, you can see a list of tips that we can all follow to save money. Since you’re there, you might as well check out the driving and car maintenance too.

 

If you want to go further on my blog about ‘Cheap Eats’ then learn a few recipes and eat home more often. Use Google search box on our site to find recipes of food that you like, download them and experiment with different recipes. You will find that it is more economical if you make your own meals than to go out. Try making a little more for dinner then bring the leftovers to work the next day. Saving on lunches can add about $40 per week to your savings. 

 

Everyone enjoys a nice steak sandwich or a juicy steak on the grill. Next time you’re at the market, try to pick up a Sirloin Tip roast instead of a T-bone steak. With a roast, you can carve your steaks to the thickness you like and you will find that each individual piece will actually cost less than one sirloin steak.

 

Here’s a simple tip to cook fish. If you want a real economical fish dish, buy a package of frozen fish such as cod filets. This should cost you no more than $10 for a package of five filets. Thaw out a serving in room temperature then coat it with some white flour. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on it then pan fry it in a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook for about 3 minutes and slide a spatula underneath it and flip to the other side. Reach for a bottle of salad dressing such as a golden italian, greek salad or my favorite, cuban lime and chili. Pour about an ounce over the fish and let it sizzle for a minute. Transfer to a plate with rice or some cooked vegetables. 

 

If you follow some of these money-saving tips, you can probably save enough for the next cruise that we find for under $34 per night. Think of it as your reward for inconveniencing yourself for a short while. There is life after budgeting.