I’m sorry for the lack of posts this weekend! I have been EXTREMELY busy with family junk, but I promise that things will be back to normal by tomorrow!

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who left me feedback! I really appreciate that you took the time out to do that. Almost all of the comments were wonderful and made me cry. I’m a big baby. You all are sooo sweet! I didn’t realize how much you liked my site. It makes me feel really good to know that there are people out there who enjoy what I write. *squeezies!*

I’d like to just respond to a few comments, if I may…

I wish you stopped talking about coupons and shopping and talked more about day to day life instead.
It really sucks you don’t enjoy my coupons/shopping talk. However, that is what my website is about so this is not something I can stop doing. I’m sorry! Why would you want to read about my day to day life anyway? I am boring, dude. I do a whole lot of sitting on the computer, playing with my baby and eating. I’m really not that interesting!

I really like the deals that you show off best. My least favorite are the letters you write to Elliot, but I wouldn’t say stop. They are only month a month and I know they are important to you. So, I really like your blog is what I’m saying.
I know that my letters to Elliott are not something everyone will want to read. I really don’t think many people pay much attention to them unless they are mothers and can relate. Or they just like babies and want to hear about how awesome mine is. Ha! Honestly though, these letters are VERY important to me and although I would stop them and publish them elsewhere if many people didn’t like them here, I only had 2 people who said they didn’t read them. So! I will stop posting these here if I get lots of people saying they don’t want to see them anymore, but until then they are staying put. I hope you don’t mind!

One thing I wonder is what you do with your massive stockpile of food that you always post about. Like when you buy 4 big blocks of cheese, or 6 boxes of cereal, 10 boxes of this or that, etc… since you’re a small family of 3, it seems extreme to me. I always wonder how you get through all that food! lol!! Please don’t take offense, I am genuinely curious!
I totally hear you! I used to wonder the same thing when I saw posts on my bloggie faves and I wasn’t using coupons. I can honestly say that we really do eat almost every food item we buy. Some things we will give away when they get close to expiry though. There’s nothing worse then throwing out 10 boxes of cereal because you forgot to eat it before it expired!

I’d love to see a “typical day” post from you, pictures, housework, etc…
I will do that! Be prepared for lots of boringness!

Another idea for your feedback I just thought of and I am not sure you do is I like to read what other Canadian sites that you like or to list a list of coupon sites which I know but it may be good for those who are fairly new to couponing. I like to read what other Canadian women bloggers are writing along the same lines as you do. There are many American women doing it but I guess I am prejuidiced!
I will definetely have to set up a blogroll which lists my my favourite websites. Thanks for the idea!

I wish you would add more info about couponing/saving, how to get coupons and even how to save on day to day expenses too. I’m still new to it, but I have read your posts about coupons and they were helpful.
I do have lots of new and exciting posts planned including personal finance, couponing, stockpiles, frugal living, saving money, making money – LOTS of stuff! So stay tuned! As far as where to get coupons and stuff like that, please check out my new to couponing? page.

They only thing that I would like to see changed is to see more. I am disappointed on the few times when you don’t post anything new for more than a day or so.
I know how annoying it is to visit sites that don’t update all the time. I am so sorry I have been doing that. I have just set up a posting schedule for myself so that I don’t forget to post. I definetely plan to post AT LEAST 1 new entry every day.

Again, thank you to everyone who emailed me and left comments with feedback. I hope you enjoy the stuff I have planned for here! If you have any other comments or questions, just send me an email at cassie@mrsjanuary.com or leave a comment. I love hearing what my readers have to say.

Hello my besties. I need some feedback from you all, if you don’t mind.

I am trying to make Mrs January the best that it can possibly be, and I would really like to know what my readers would like to see here and don’t want to see here. Is there something on this site that you don’t like or just have zero interest in? Tell me! Is there something you wish I blogged about? Tell me! TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME! I want to know! I promise you won’t hurt my feelings if you say you don’t like or care about something. You can even leave an annonymous comment. I don’t care – I just want to know what you think!

- What’s your favourite part about this site?

- What do you wish I stopped talking about?

Leave a comment or send me an email at cassie@mrsjanuary.com and let me know. Thank you so much!

Hey guys and gals!

I’m sorry about the downtime for the last day and a half. I honestly have NO clue how, but some of my WordPress files were corrupted. My host fixed the blog posts, but the “OTHER PAGES” are still not working, so please bare with me while I get those fixed as well.

Thank you for your patience!

EDIT: FIXED!

Summer is pretty much here and I am so happy about that! I love this type of weather and I love all of the great events that our community puts on during the summer! I know that if I don’t make some type of schedule and plan to do these things, they will never happen. I’m lazy. SO! Here is our summer fun schedule:

JULY:
- 1st = CANADA DAY! Community event with live bands, kids activities (will probably only attend the live trampoline show) and fireworks. Cost: FREE
- 3rd = Yard Sales & Picnic w/ Erica. Just us girlies! Cost: FREE (not including what is purchased at the yard sales!)
- 4th = Afternoon Lunch & Walk along the waterfront. Cost: FREE (lunch cost will come from our entertainment budget)
- 10th = BEACH! So so so so excited about the beach! Cost: FREE
- 16th = Girls night out! Dinner and some dancing. Cost: $30 (drinks, dinner cost will come from my allowance)
- 18th = Ribfest. Rib eating of course and there are also some family shows and live bands! Cost: $20 (food)
- 24th = Chinese Arts Festival. Some yummy chinese food as well as some music and dancing! Cost: $10 (food)
- 29th = Megadeth Concert (for Richard). Cost: FREE (already paid for)
- 30th = Elliott’s First Birthday! He will be getting his first taste of ice cream. Cost: $15 (ice cream for all 3 of us at Baskin Robbins!)
- 31st = Elliott’s 1st Birthday Party! Cost: FREE (already paid for)
TOTAL COST FOR JULY: $75

AUGUST:
- 6th = Family BBQ. We’re going to have our mommies and siblings over for a potluck BBQ dinner! Cost: $30 (food & drinks)
- 7th = Beach again! Cost: FREE
- 14th = Fisher Price Party. Face painting, yummy cupcakes, free loot bags, exploring real fire trucks and lots more! Cost: FREE
- 16th = Richard’s 27th birthday! We will probably go out to dinner this day. Cost: FREE (cost will come from entertainment budget)
- 21st = Guys night out for Richard! Probably some food and drinks. Cost: $40 (drinks, food cost will come from his allowance)
- 22nd = Beach w/ Erica. Just us girlies again. Picnic lunch. Cost: FREE
- 23rd = Our 6 year anniversary (2 years married). We will most likely be going out to dinner. Cost: FREE (cost will come from our yearly expenses account)
- 27th = Friends BBQ. Having a few friends over for BBQ dinner! Cost: $30 (food & drinks)
- 28th = Date night. Probably dinner and a movie. Cost: $50 (food, movie tickets have already been paid for)
- 29th = Nature walk and picnic in the park! Cost: FREE
TOTAL COST FOR AUGUST: $150

GRAND TOTAL SUMMER SPENDING: $225

Now, we probably won’t spend that entire amount, but I would rather give us a bit of wiggle room instead of being really tight fisted with the money. I want to have a great summer! Last summer I was preggo and then had Elliott and couldn’t be outside with him very much. I just hope the weather is nice so that we don’t miss out on any of the outdoor stuff we want to do.

We will also be doing some other FREE, unscheduled things such as trips to the park, visiting the library, trips to farmers markets (cost will come from our grocery budget), and evening walks.

What are you doing this summer?

Almost all of those toys/baby things looked to be in excellent shape and could have been used by other children! Now they are in some landfill somewhere. How sad.

Those did not need to go in the garbage. Items could have been given away for free to people in need. Ugh, this makes me angry.

Check The Sale Flyers
Always, always, always check the sale flyers before you go shopping! You can view them all online at each store’s website, or you can wait until you get them in the mail and then take a look. Circle everything that is a decent price. Whatever is on sale that week is what you will make for breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

Make A List (and check it twice)
After you have checked the sale flyers and circled what you would like to buy, write those items down on a piece of paper (or if you not as lazy as me, type the list on your computer and print it out). It’s best to keep like items together – all of the meat, then all of the produce, then all of the canned goods, etc. so that you stay organized while in the store. While you are shopping, check each item off of your list as you put it into your cart. Also, remember – don’t buy anything that is not on your list!

Use Coupons
Coupons are not for everyone, but they do help you to save alot of money while shopping for groceries. Even if you only save $3 or $4 on one trip – that’s $3 or $4 you still have in your pocket to keep for yourself. If you do like to use coupons, be sure to keep them organized. Pull out the coupons you plan to use before your shopping trip or as you are putting items into your cart. Make sure to have all of your coupons ready to go when you get to the register so you don’t hold up the line trying to find all of the ones you need.

Don’t Buy Brand Name Products
Unless you are a crazy couponer like me, it’s very rare that you will be able to find brand name products for less than the store brand. If you compare ingredients, brand name and store brand items are almost always pretty much identical. When you buy things like Kraft Dinner and Maple Leaf and French’s – you are helping those companies pay for their advertising. The advertising that just made you buy that brand name product.

Buy In Bulk
Places like Costco are great to stock up on things you use alot of, if you don’t like to use coupons very much. The cost of the membership definetely pays for itself not long after buying it with all the savings you get from buying certain things in bulk. Be sure not to buy things that you won’t be able to eat before they expire. Stock up on items that don’t go bad such as cat litter, paper towels, and you can also get lots of meat and just stick it in your freezer until you need it.

Shop At Farmer’s Markets
Farmer’s markets are a great place to get cheap, FRESH, good lookin’ foods. Especially fruits and veggies, though you can get plenty of other items as well. The prices are usually much cheaper than the grocery store and in my opinion, the stuff usually tastes a whole lot better!

Never Shop When You’re Hungry
Before you go out to buy your groceries, make sure you eat something and are not hungry at all. Being hungry at the grocery store is a dangerous thing. You will be tempted to buy almost anything! I remember the last time I went shopping on an empty stomach, I was so hungry that I bought black olives because they were right in my face and looked delicious. I tried them and hated the taste – they went straight into the trash. My being hungry at the grocery store lost me $3.99.

Avoid The Center
Grocery stores put all of their freshest and (usually) cheapest items all around the outside of the store. The rows in the center are usually for pre-packaged convenience foods that will cost you an arm and a leg to buy.

Check For Discounted Meat
When meat is a few days to expiry, grocery stores will knock down the price significantly. Just freeze them and you have some meat waiting for the next meal and have saved yourself some money by buying it at a discount.

..oh, and don’t buy spring plungers.

From now until June 19th, 2010 at Reitmans, you will receive a $25 gift card when you spend $50 or more on anything in the store! The gift card is redeemable for purchases over $75 from August 8th until September 4th, 2010.

Click here to find a Reitmans location near you!

Please Mum is having a FANTASTIC sale right now! Everything in the store (and online!) is 50% off! Even accessories! They have great quality clothing so I think I may pick up a few things for Elliott and perhaps Richard’s 2 little nephews. Cuteness!

Oh, and don’t forget – all online orders get FREE SHIPPING! You can take advantage of this offer in your pajamas (not that I am doing that or anything…. *cough*)!

Click here to start shopping at Please Mum right now!

Happy Mother’s Day to all of my fellow mommy friends! If you aren’t a mom, make sure you call YOUR mommy up and tell her how much she means to you!

My sister and I are taking my mom out for lunch this afternoon. We initially wanted to go out for dinner, but Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year at restaraunts, so we decided on lunch instead. I really want to bring Elliott with me, but he has come down with a little cold and I really don’t want to bring him out when he is sick. We’ll see how he feels in a few hours but it’s not very likely that he will be able to go to visit his grandma and auntie.

Wow, another store is having a 50% off clearance items sale! Suzy Shier has a bunch of clothing on their website right now that is 50% off – everything in the sale section of the site that ends in .98 (which looks like everything to me)! This offer is also available in store.

Click here to get some great deals at Suzy Shier online!
Click here to find a Suzy Shier location near you!

Suzy Shier is having a great promotion this week. Spend $75 (before taxes) and get a $25 gift card back. That’s a pure profit of $25! You can only get 1 gift card per customer, per transaction and you cant spend the $75 on gift cards, you must purchase actual merchandise.

If this is a store you like to shop at, this is a great deal for you! This offer is only good on May 7th and 8th, 2010.

Click here to find a Suzy Shier location near you!

On May 6th, 7th and 8th, The Bargain Shop is having a Friends & Family Event at all of their stores. All you have to do is bring a friend or family member with you to the store and you both will save 10% on your purchases! The Bargain Shop usually has really great deals, so be sure to stop by if you are near one on any of these 3 days!

Click here to print your coupon to get 10% off your purchase at The Bargain Shop!

We have a winner for the “Budget Kit” giveaway – Erica (and no, it totally wasn’t rigged, I used random.org to pick the winner!). CONGRATS, Mamacita. I know you will be able to use this book!

Thank you to everyone that entered! I hope you have been enjoying all of the giveaways that I have been having lately.

The winner of the FREE VINYL WALL DECAL is Renee! Congrats, Renee! I will be emailing you shortly to get your address. Thanks to everyone who participated in this giveaway. I have many more planned so stay tuned!