Maintaining the Car with Helpful Mechanics

We are a few months away from the third anniversary of purchasing our used car. We are also coming up on the car's tenth birthday. Our Mazda Protege is the first car I ever bought, I still love it immensely, and we are doing what we can to maintain it so we can keep driving it.

We purchased our car on a tip from a Mazda mechanic friend of my brother's, who let us know about a car his friend was selling. We got a super deal and a trusted mechanic in the process, and have been taking our car to Mazda for service and repairs ever since. We sometimes go to specialist mechanics (Tirebuster for tires) but we really love the service at Mazda, and they have a 'service rewards' program so all of our repairs usually end with a free oil change coupon.

We had an exhaust leak over the past few months, which presented itself in both sound and heavy exhaust fumes in and around the car. We booked a diagnostic last Monday for Mazda to check it out and they provided me with some pretty stellar customer service. Instead of advising that Mazda fix our muffler (of which they quoted me parts starting at $500 and labour that would add many more dollars to that), they recommended I go to a muffler repair place, and gave me directions to the one they trusted. They even told me to use them as a reference and said: "this is the most cost effective way for you to repair your vehicle". It blew me away that they recommended a more cost effective repair than they could offer, especially since that meant they were recommending I give my money to someone else!

So I took directions and went to Carline Muffler, who were able to check out my car within half an hour and fix it in about the same time. They quoted me "about sixty bucks", which sounded much better than the upwards of $1000 repair job I was looking at through Mazda. Plus everyone was super nice and I've now made some muffler mechanic friends, which will come in handy as my car continues to age. The muffler mechanic also noticed that I had a fuel leak, though he couldn't tell where it was coming from and recommended I get it checked out. He even let me know he had to remove my muffler to weld it "safely", as welding under a car with a gas leak is pretty dangerous.

So my inexpensive muffler repair directed me towards a new problem. So the excessive exhaust smell in the car was actually the exhaust leak AND a gas leak. Double the fun.

With my muffler repaired, I stopped it at Mom and Dad's to figure out my next car repair move. Dad recommended I go to The Gas Tank Doctor, a specialist mechanic he trusted. It was a little after 4pm, but I gave them a call and asked if they could check it out (they closed at 5), and they told me to "come on over".

Turns out fuel is leaking from the seam of the gas tank and we need a new one. Everyone was really nice and I was quoted a good price from my new gas tank mechanic friend. All told, the muffler repair and the gas tank replacement are going to be cheaper than the original muffler repair quote that Mazda steered me away from. How about that. I'm taking the car over this afternoon and I'm looking forward to driving it home with that new "doesn't smell like gas fumes" car smell.

I have to say that everyone who helped me or offered advice last Monday was super nice and doing their best to save me money. I know as my car ages I will have to periodically take it in for repairs, and it is very comforting to know I have a number of different mechanics that I can trust (and who are also super nice!). I know they can help me keep this car running for as long as possible.

Gary liked the car repair deals too. She had a nice nap on the receipts.

Sunny Days...Oh, Sunny, Sunny, Sunny Days...

Just a quick post before I head outside and enjoy this perfect weather.

It is 21°C, feels like 26°C, and with a light breeze it is perfect for bike riding. Can't wait to get out there. This past week it's been upwards of 30°C, feels like 37°C, and even though I went for some rides, the heat adds an extra challenge to staying out too long. The farthest I've gone this summer is 9km, so I'm planning on a longer ride today.

It is also perfect weather for going to the Drive-In. Tonight is "carload" night, which is two movies for only $8 per car. Super movie deal! Tonight's features are World War Z and This Is The End. I have little to no expectations for World War Z, other than I think Brad Pitt is the best and I hope the zombies aren't too scary. I am really looking forward to This Is The End, as it has most of the funny people I like and has a cameo by Emma Watson. Hope it's as fun as I want it to be!

World War Z Trailer:


This Is The End Trailer:


Whatever you are doing on this sunny day, I hope you are having a good one!

Desk Flowers Brightening My Day

The grocery store in Elmvale recently had a super deal on mini roses, $2 per plant. We noticed the deal one night and conservatively bought three. The next night we went back and bought eight more, pretty much buying the remainder of their stock. On the weekend we noticed more roses and impulse bought our twelfth one. The cashier said: "They are such a great deal! And you are only getting one?" We told her we already had eleven at home! We planted most of them outdoors, but we kept a few inside and a red one sits on my desk. I love it!

Last week John was out weeding the flowerbeds and cleaning up the backyard and he came back in with a home grown bouquet. Lilacs and Narcissus made my desk smell great all week, and periodically I put my nose right into the lilac. I love that smell.

Do you keep any plants or flowers on your desk? If so, what kind?

Coupon Deal Worth Bragging About

I bought an excessive amount of air freshener this morning! I say excessive because I bought 15 cans! FIFTEEN!! My house doesn't smell that bad, but I had a coupon and there was a store sale, so we got a super deal on a product we normally use anyway. I love getting a deal on practical items.

So here was the coupon deal: Buy $15 worth of Glade products, get $10 off. 

Normally the air freshener sells for $1.29, but this week there was a sale and it was on for $1.00!

So 15 cans = $15 = $10 off.  Awesome.

So before the sale and with tax, 15 cans cost: $1.29 x15 x1.13 = $21.87

And with the sale, with the coupon, and with tax, 15 cans cost: ($1.00 x15) -$10 =$5 x1.13= $5.65

Each can cost only $0.38. DEAL!

Now that is a lot of air freshener!! :)

Meal Planning Update

We are half way through the last week of our month long meal plan and it has gone amazingly well. It has been so wonderful to not only know what is for dinner but to also have all the necessary ingredients on hand. Who knew a little organization could feel so good?

We have stuck to the plan pretty well, only changing a few things around when we realized that Sunday is too lazy to cook vegetarian, and swapping different meals within the week just because we felt like it.  Also, when we made Chili, the leftovers lasted longer than expected and we replaced Taco night with Chili taco night.  We are being really flexible yet sticking to the essentials of the plan. The only time we ate off the plan was last Friday when my in-laws unexpectedly picked up dinner for us. It is hard to say no to free food, especially on a Friday night when we were feeling lazy.

With the organized menu, we have increased our vegetables intake which was one of my goals.  Lots of salads and steamed veggies with dinner, and I am getting super into sweet potatoes. I mashed one today and ate it with a sandwich at lunch time. It was amazing! We have also ramped up our use of the bread maker, as I've been making tonnes of buns, loaves of bread, and weekly pizza dough.  Home made bread and buns are cheap, easy to make, and taste delicious!

In terms of cost savings, we actually spent more on groceries this month than we normally do. I think it is a case of spending more on the front end and over time it will be cheaper for us.  We bought some staple items that we won't have to buy monthly (a 10kg bag of flour, 2 jars of yeast because they were on sale, etc.), and my freezer is currently a stockpile of meats that will last well into February.  Just based on the amount of food we still have, I am predicting that February we will spend less than we normally do.

The plan for next month is to repeat the meals we had in January, accommodating for the minor adjustments we made.  I think this is a plan that will stick for us!

Deal Lego Games are Deal-lightful!

It's been crazy around here lately and to make sense of all the madness I have been playing Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes pretty much non stop.  There were some video game deals a few weeks ago and I was able to pick it up for only $19.  With unparalleled dedication, I played, explored, unlocked, and collected everything within the game, reaching 100% earlier this evening.

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes 100% completion

I also recently purchased the newest game in the series: Lego The Lord of the Rings. I had a gift card when I bought it, making it only $20.  That is my Lego price!  I have only briefly explored the Lego The LOTR map so 100% won't be for a while yet.  Check out the trailer if interested; I know it is going to be a lot of fun!

I Like What You've Done With The Place!

I visited the great city of Toronto yesterday to attend my beautiful friend Natalia's wedding.  The bus schedule got me to town earlier than needed, so I took the opportunity to explore the city I used to call home.  A spot I have been itching to check out, which happened to be a 5 minute walk from the wedding, was the Maple Leaf Gardens Loblaws.

I love groceries and I love grocery shopping, a trait I inherited from my mother.  I love checking out the weekly flyers, I love walking down the grocery store aisles, I love looking at all the possible foods I could eat! Or deals I could get! I just love the whole experience.  So my love of groceries coupled with some high expectations about the new Loblaws based on some photos I had seen, got me pretty excited to be on Carlton street in Toronto yesterday.  And my excitement and expectations were met entirely by what I encountered throughout my twenty minute visit!  First case in point: when I walked into the store I was greeted with the sites and sounds of an Elvis impersonator doing a show.  Amazing!!  And Like a good tourist, I took a bunch of photos!!

Elvis was just doing a show in the lobby. Obviously.

The place is gigantic and beautiful.  There is a full LCBO, a coffee shop, a Joe clothing store, and many incredible specialty sections.  Oh and just an entire regular grocery store as well.  I was completely overstimulated by the site of so many fresh foods and prepared treats, countless varieties of meats and cheeses - my heart be still till the next time I'm in the T-Dot.  Oh and they have free wifi if you want to surf the web while shopping. I loved it.

Wall of Cheese!  So many choices!!

Classy meals to go section.

An actual deli in the grocery store - did I mention the Loblaws is really big??

 Everything in the store is classy.  Even the signs that indicate what aisle you are in are classy.

Looking for ice cream cones has never been so upscale!

They also pay homage to the history of Maple Leaf Gardens with a giant blue maple leaf made out of the former seats.  It was a neat touch.

Go Leafs Go!

I live in a small town, so the other highlight for me was the variety of foods in the international foods section - and how inexpensive they were!! Next trip I am bringing some reusable bags and loading up!  Memo to Maple Leaf Gardens Loblaws: I will be back!

Have you checked it out?  What do you think?

Praise Cheeses!

I eat a lot of ridiculous food this time of year.  The "joy of the season" is kind of like a green light for me to buy and consume all kinds of things that I wouldn't normally eat (smoked salmon, I'm looking at you!).  I don't actually discriminate this time of year to the degree of crazy shit I buy, neither do I limit the quantity that I eat.  December kinda rules, actually.

One of my extravagances this time of year is cheese.  All different kinds of fun and flavourful cheeses.  And I don't need company to pull it out either.  I can eat a whole wheel of brie by myself, thank you very much. This immaculate body is not going to maintain itself! ;)

Recently at the Superstore, there was a weird deal where if you bought one wheel of brie it was $6.99, but if you bought two, they were only $2.99 each.  What?  I bought four, obviously.  My friend Jen happened upon this awesome deal as well and we discussed the wonder of Brie at length at work.  Praise Cheeses!

Brown sugar baked brie.  Share only if necessary.

Yes, please.

Spread on a baguette.  FTW!

I also picked up some avocado and smoked salmon to add to my decadence.  All the flavours complimented each other quite nicely.

Presentation is everything - even if it is just for me.

I want to punch this photo it looks so good!

Namesake

We love nicknames in this family.  We have a thousand for Gary (the Bear, Gare-Bear, Squid, Squidly, Squiddle, Bearis, Lil' Boss, the Gerrorist, to name just a few).  We also have nicknames for each other. Sickly cute things like Baby, The Baby, Pants, The Pants, Baby-Pants, Bum, The Bum, and Bumble.

We were doing some pre-Christmas looking around the stores and found the following:

Cute right?  And then we noticed his name:

I've seen Rudolph a thousand times and didn't know his name was Bumble.  How adorable!  Before Christmas he was $5 and frugal me can't spend that much on something impractical just because it is cute.  But with 50% off boxing week sale, I now have my namesake sitting on my desk!  :)

Whole Lotta Salmon

We enjoyed an enormous amount of salmon over the weekend.  We collect PC Points and on Friday we happily discovered that we had 20,000 points which is equal to $20 to spend at the Superstore.  Wanting something we wouldn't normally buy, we went over to the fish counter to see what we could have for dinner.  We picked up a giant fillet of fresh salmon that was $22.74, but with our $20 free dollars it was only $2.74.  Amazing!  We picked up some veggies to have with it, and for only $7 we had a lovely dinner with tonnes of leftovers. Thanks PC Points!  We both had generous helpings of the salmon on Friday (believe me!) but there was still over half of the giant thing left.  Hello leftovers!

For lunch today I had a beautiful salmon sandwich that made me realize there is a considerable difference between canned salmon and a fresh fillet. Both are yummy, but there is something to be said about giant chunks of fish on a sandwich. Plus the flavours that were baked into it on Friday really popped today.

I'm looking forward to my second leftover adventure tomorrow at lunch - I've packed a garden salad that I'm topping with huge hunks of salmon. Should be good.

And if that wasn't enough salmon in a 48 hour period, I also went to the all you can eat sushi restaurant yesterday and partook in many, many salmon rolls (both smoked and spicy). It was a beautiful and salmony weekend.

A Slippery Slope

I'm not a crazy person, but I recently made the following:

It's a coupon binder!  I picked up a pack of hockey card sleeves at Dollarama (8 pages, with 9 pockets on each page for $1.00).  John gave me an old binder of his and then I was set.

I easily get obsessed with things, and my new thing is couponing.  I definitely won't use all these coupons, but now that they are organized, I can easily find a specific one if I want to use it.  For example, I wouldn't normally buy Dawn dish detergent (I'm a store brand or Sunlight-on-sale kinda girl), so I most likely wouldn't use the "buy two Dawn save $1.00" coupon that is in my coupon binder.  However this week, the fun people at Smart Canucks posted their Hot Coupon Flyer Deals, and it turns out that Dawn detergent is on sale at Giant Tiger for $0.99.  If I buy two bottles for $1.98, I can use my coupon and save $1.00, so the two bottles of dish detergent are actually only $0.49 each!  That is a deal I can go for!

Do you collect coupons?  How do you keep track of the ones in your collection?

Extreme Couponing

Did you happen to catch the TLC show about the extreme couponers?  It was a few weeks ago, but there are some clips online.  The show profiled people who are really good at using coupons to get free groceries/products.  Check out this clip of a woman saving a pile of money at the grocery store:

I love the idea of couponing but I haven't really gotten into it beyond checking the weekly grocery flyers.  I have clipped coupons, but only for products I already buy, and often coupons that come in the mail are for things I would never purchase.  The show was inspiring though, and it made me search around the internet to see what kinds of deals/coupons are out there.  The internet is FULL of couponers, and the following are some links to some Canadian couponing sites/deals.


BLOGS/FORUMS:

Red Flag Deals: I've known about this site for a while, but the Extreme Couponing show pushed me to take a closer look.  I noticed a section called Freebies and I clicked the link to check out what was currently available.  One of the available freebies was free photos from Walmart PhotoCentre.  By ordering online, I got 50 free photos just for signing up and I was also able to use a promo code to get another 50 free photos.  Grand total of 100 photos for $0.00.  They were ready for pick up the next day at my local store.  When I picked them up I felt like an extreme couponer because I got $19(+tax) worth of photos for free!

Smart Canucks: This is a deal blog/forum with links to coupons, shopping deals, and a forum where you can brag about the deal you just got!  I love that.  The only thing better than getting a deal is telling other people about the awesome deal you got!!

Grocery Alerts: This site will go through the weekly grocery store flyers and point out the best deals.  They will also show you how you can get some of the deals for even less by providing the appropriate coupon (they tell you where to get the coupons too!).


COUPONS:

There are tonnes of Canadian coupon sites on the internet.  I have surfed many of them, but have yet to order any coupons, as I don't often want the items that are being offered.  New coupons are added as they become available, so I'll keep checking the sites in case something of interest pops up.
Some coupon sites worth checking out:   Save.ca,   Gocoupons.ca,   Couponclick.ca,   Brandsaver.ca


DEALS:

Flyerland.ca:  If I ever miss a flyer or recycle one prematurely, I check out Flyerland to see what is on sale.  It is not just flyers, they also have links for featured deals, coupons, and contests.

Wag Jag: I haven't bought one yet, but there are deals to be had on this site.  Basically they post a deal of the week, and if a minimum number of people buy it (5 or 10, etc.), the deal becomes 'active' and everyone can get the deal for that low price.  I'm sure I'll try it at some point, I'm just waiting for the deal to be something I actually want to buy!

Are you a couponer? Do you chase after deals?  Have you gotten any awesome deals lately?