Who wants to be a spy?

This weekend I got to have a nice dinner at a pub with my husband. Not only was the $70 meal free, but I also received a $10 fee and got to play a spy while having dinner. I did have to submit a relatively straightforward report the next day, so it wasn't exactly "free", but for the amount of work (and fun) involved, I'd say it was a pretty sweet deal.

There are a lot of Mystery Shopping companies out there. You need to watch out, because some of them have questionable business practices, such as demanding payment for signing up to be a Mystery Shopper or failing to remunerate their Mystery Shoppers for completed assignments.

I personally have worked for a couple of such companies and have found SQM to be the most reliable one out there. This company accepts free Mystery Shopper applications on their website and has a myriad of different assignments scattered throughout North America and even a few assignments in Asia. The types of assignments available range from oil changes to restaurant evaluations to hotel stays. Lately they've even made it possible to evaluate certain Via Rail and Air Canada trips while receiving a substantial discount for the travel involved.

Do you think you have what it takes to be a spy? Why not sign up and find out! Plus, the cash you'll save from getting meals and services for free doesn't hurt, either. Nope, it doesn't hurt at all. :)

It feels good to be a winner

So, I'm sitting at home yesterday playing with my little boy (did I mention that I love being on mat leave?) when the doorbell rings and wouldn't you know it, it's one of my favourite people, the UPS guy! And he's got a big box in his hands! Oh, the suspense... I sign for it quickly, rip it open and am delighted to find the prize from my latest contest win - a Deluxe Brita Pitcher, 4 Brita filters, Josh Dorfman's book The Lazy Environmentalist, The Biggest Loser Cookbook and a little card informing me that my free one-year subscription to Prevention magazine will begin soon. Not bad for a secondary prize!

I'm generally not a very lucky person and don't enter nearly as many contests as some people I know, so I can't say that this type of event is an everyday occurrence. However, when it does happen it sure makes my day! Another prize that I won recently consisted of 52 "free product" coupons for any Ocean Spray item from the Win a Year's Supply of Ocean Spray contest, where a new winner is drawn every week. That was such an awesome surprise, especially since I love cranberry juice!

Entering contests online is fun and takes only a few minutes a day, not to mention that it is free. It sure beats playing the lottery, don't you think? :) The prizes are numerous and vary from a few dollars worth of merchandise to thousands and in some cases millions of dollars. Free trips are commonly awarded, as well. Best of all, there are many websites out there whose members hunt for and list current contests open to Canadians, which makes the process of finding contests incredibly easy for those of us who don't have hours to spend every day searching for these things. My favourite site for contests (as well as freebies, deals and coupons) is www.pricenetwork.ca. Additionally, you can visit Emily's Blog where she lists tons of blog contests open to Canadians on a daily basis.

Here are a couple of good ongoing contests to get you started:

Win a Year's Supply of Ocean Spray
Weekly Vacation Giveaway from tripcentral.ca

Have a snack!

Feeling hungry? Want a free snack? No problem! Head on over to the Kashi site where you can sign up to receive a free box of Kashi granola bars! And as an added bonus, if you don't like them, the nerdy guy on the site claims that he will eat a cardboard box! What could be more fun than that?

I have received these in the past and to be honest I did find the texture a little cardboard-like, so for now I am sticking with my Quaker Chewy bars. However, other people have told me that they do enjoy these supposedly healthy Kashi granola bars, so I'm sure it's a matter of personal taste. Plus, it doesn't cost you anything, so get your butt over there and order some!

Another day, another freebie

What's the best kind of freebie? Free cash, of course! What's the next best thing? A free gift card. That's the kind of freebie I received in my mailbox today. And all I had to do for it was sell my soul to the devil. :) Well, not quite.

You see, a lot of large companies nowadays will go to great lengths to earn new business. And one of the most affluent and competitive types of business out there is the insurance industry. It is no wonder then that every once in a while different insurance companies offer bonuses to potential new clients for requesting a policy quote.

That's what happened in this case. In early January I received an ad from RBC Insurance informing me that I will receive a $25 Esso gift card if I request an auto insurance quote from them either by phone or in person at one of their branches. To the untrained eye, this leaflet looked like just another piece of junk mail. But not to a professional frugalite! Picking gems out of junk mail is part of the art of saving. So I figured, what have I got to lose? A few minutes of my time, plus you never know, perhaps I'll get a quote that is lower than what I'm paying for insurance right now and I'll become a happy RBC Insurance customer. As it turned out, the quote I was offered was significantly higher than my current premium. However, the process was quite painless and the phone call only took about five minutes. And now, two months later I am the happy recipient of a $25 Esso gift card! Gotta love those insurance companies and their promotions!

Other bonuses I have received for requesting quotes from insurance companies in the past include a nice first aid kit from the TD Canada Trust and PC points worth a few bucks from PC Financial Insurance. While there are no current promotions of this type that I am aware of, as soon as another one comes up I will be sure to post about it here, so stay tuned. Until then, keep an eye on your mailboxes because you never know when an awesome deal will pop up disguised as a pesky piece of toilet paper alternative!

Hello world!

Well, I finally broke down and decided to give this blogging thing a try.

I am literally crazy about finding freebies, awesome deals and just saving money in general. Some people call this a hobby, but in my case it may very well border on addiction. Many have laughed when they hear my stories of jumping through hoops to save a few bucks, but at the end of the day the money I save is no laughing matter. Thanks to this extreme frugality my husband, son and I now enjoy a completely debt-free comfortable lifestyle and have stockpiles of food, toiletries and household supplies that will last us for many years to come (well, with the exception of some of the food, perhaps). I know that we will be fine financially for quite a while, no matter what kind of curveball this messed up economy throws our way.

Now, it is true that being frugal to this extreme is a lifestyle, it is a state of mind that may not be suitable for everyone. Still, in these tough economic times I know for a fact there are lots of individuals out there who would love to be able to stretch their budget, but simply don't know where to start. My intention is to post various finds, tips, and personal experiences in the hopes that others may benefit from the savings opportunities that are up for grabs. Let the savings begin! :)