Canadian Tire: filled to the rim with great deals

It’s been ages since I stepped foot in a Canadian Tire store.

Last week, I won a $10 gift card at work because iStudio’s Toronto team got an honourable mention for our awesome pumpkin at our FH/iStudio Hallowe’en pumpkin carving contest.

Mr. B and I had been shopping for a new porch light. We’d already purchased and returned three from a few different stores but hadn’t found the right one. So, I suggested we take a look at Canadian Tire since we had a gift card. The selection wasn’t huge but we found what we were looking for – in fact, there were three possibilities. Instead of the $80 we almost spent, we choose one we thought was on sale for $35.

Despite being in a rush, I also took a few minutes to have a look around. There was everything from greeting cards and holiday candies to housewares, home décor and hardware. The store was literally jam-packed. They could have used some help making their merchandise more appealing.

Regardless, I think I’ll be back again soon. When I got to the cash, the lamp was further-reduced to $20, with the gift card, I saved another $10. The only problem was the colour was a bit different than the one on display but for that price, who’s complaining. Not me.

Have you been to a Canadian Tire lately? What did you think? What did you buy?

Disclaimer: Canadian Tire is a client of iStudio. The porch light pictured above is available at Canadian Tire. It is different from the one I purchased.

Bargainista interviews Hellen Buttigieg

A few years ago, I stumbled upon a show called Neat on HGTV Canada. Each week, home and office organization coach, Hellen Buttigieg went into a home, helped organize the clutter and by the end of the hour, some lucky person had benefited from Hellen’s wisdom and a room makeover. I always wanted to meet Hellen and ask her to help me out. I even went as far as to ask my husband to enlist her coaching/consulting services as my birthday present this year.

Well, I still hadn’t gone beyond Googling her. About a month ago, our mutual friend, Donna Papacosta mentioned Hellen was on Twitter. Within minutes I started following her. We soon started an online conversation and I inquired about her company, We Organize U. I was delighted when she obliged to do this interview. I also went as far as to book my first session and started working with Nadia, a lovely member of the We Organize U team. I can’t wait for my next session.

What inspires you?
I get inspired by people who realize their dreams and live the kind of life they want for themselves. If I can play a small role in helping them create that, I get jazzed up.

What is chronic disorganization?
Great question, because the term is often misunderstood. The National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD) defines it as “having a past history of disorganization in which self-help efforts to change have failed, an undermining of current quality of life due to disorganization, and the expectation of future disorganization”.

When did you decide to help people organize their personal space and why?
I started my organizing business, We Organize U, in 2001. Ironically, it was meant as a temporary job to fund my coaching studies. Little did I know at the time how the two fields, organizing and coaching, could work together to help people create the life of their dreams.

How would reducing clutter in my home help me save time and money?
Reducing clutter allows us to save time and money because it makes it easier to find what we need quickly and easily, so it saves us from having to run to the store to buy duplicates (and a few impulse purchases while we’re there). A de-cluttered home takes less time to clean. Less clutter means we can use and enjoy all the rooms in our home as opposed to having some spaces ‘out of bounds’ because they have become storage areas for unused stuff.

What would you like Bargainista readers to know about your approach?
At We Organize U, we never use a cookie-cutter approach to organizing our clients. Our goal is not just to get you organized; it’s to set you up for success in maintaining your organized home/office. We help clients conquer clutter by providing them with strategies and techniques based on their unique learning style (visual, auditory or kinesthetic). You can learn more about this in my book, Organizing Outside the Box: Conquer Clutter Using Your Natural Learning Style.

Why Twitter and Facebook? Are they helping you build your business? How do you know?
I resisted getting on Twitter and Facebook for the longest time, but I’m a convert now. Social media has helped my business grow. My book reached #1 on the Amazon bestseller list in two of its categories within days of being published and only being promoted through social media. An added bonus: I’ve met some really great people.

DIY decor not just for nurseries

In this week’s baby bargainista column, Rebecca Atkinson completes her DIY nursery series.

As a final follow up to the Nursery on a DIY budget series, here’s a recap of two bargains we found/created for less than $20, which in theory could be applied to any room of your house really.

When painting, generally you take off the light switch and electrical plate covers, which of course got me thinking. They were boring, plain, white things. I wanted to dress them up somehow – and have them match the theme of the room if we could. I went looking in stores and online and saw lots of light-switch covers, but also saw the prices and thought surely this could be recreated for less.

During one of our trips to Michaels, Mark showed me some scrapbook paper he found for $4.99 which matched the flash cards we had. He wanted to know if there was something we could do with it. For $4.99 I said we must be able to and threw it in the cart.

It wasn’t until we got home that it dawned on me. Why not cover the light switch and electrical covers in the paper? I passed the idea on to Mark who is much better with a pair of scissors than I and he too was game. After wasting a few sheets trying to figure out how to make it work, we finally figured it out and found yet another use for that wallpaper glue we still had left.

After tracing the light switch cover (including showing the outline for where the hole would need to be for the switch itself and cutting out the shape, we affixed it by applying the wallpaper glue to the paper (minus where the hole cut out was traced) and then carefully sticking the paper on the cover. Once we’d let it set for a couple of days, we then took an exacto knife and carefully “exed” out the middle, affixing it with some more glue as needed. For a final touch, we applied al light coat of a shellac just to protect the paper so it wouldn’t tear prematurely from everyday use.

One other piece of the puzzle we wanted was to find a nice drape or shear for the room. We already knew from advice from friends that we wanted a blackout blind for the room so it could be closed during the sunniest of days allowing baby to sleep.

With an older style house, we have some odd-shaped windows so on a trip to Fabricland looking to buy fabric to make curtains for another room in our house, we thought we’d see if there was anything we could find for the baby’s room. Always one to look through discount bins, my husband and I were rummaging through the “clearance” bin for packaged draperies, when he exclaimed – “I found it!”

Sure enough, it was the perfect sheer for the room, the exact colours we were looking for and everything. We checked the price tag and found it said $7.99. Bonus! So excited with our find we immediately headed for the check out in case it was a mistake…

As I neared the cash register, I saw something on the package that made me stop. It wasn’t a sheer, it was a shower curtain! I immediately groaned, showed Mark and we went back and put it down looking for something else. Very disappointed we were getting ready to leave when we both stopped and asked ourselves why we couldn’t use that as a sheer? Immediately we went back and checked it out and discovered that if we didn’t tell anyone it was a shower curtain, they might not know. All we had to do was buy some nice curtain hooks and none would be the wiser.

However, we’re so proud of our find and our thought to use something “unconventionally” that we now proudly point it out to anyone who sees the room asking if they like our $8 shower curtain turned sheer. What do you think – can you tell the difference?
Lessons Learned
1. Practice with scrap paper first – especially good if you have paper the same thickness (scrapbooking paper is a thicker stock)
2. Once you glue on the outside, the middle gets hard so you need to cut with precision and trim carefully; don’t glue anything until you’re sure it will fit where you need it to
3. Just because something is labeled with a purpose already, doesn’t mean that’s what it has to be used for – get creative
4. Bargains are available to be found, you just have to be open minded

Giving hand-me-down baby furniture a facelift

In this week’s baby bargainista column, you’re in for another DYI treat as Rebecca Atkinson shares how she and her husband updated hand-me-down nursery furniture with a little paint and a lot of elbow grease.

One good thing about having family – especially those who have already had children – is that when you announce you’re pregnant, you’re bound to get offers of hand-me-downs. This happened to us from both sides of our clan, and begat our ‘eclectic’ second-hand collection, which included a crib and a rocking chair/glider. We also included a wooden storage bench we’d had kicking around, simply because we couldn’t fit it anywhere else... The only problem was that nothing actually matched.

Having spent so much time on painting and decorating the nursery, we definitely didn’t want to just put a mishmash of coloured furniture in the room, but hadn’t saved room in our budget to go out and buy many new pieces besides a dresser/change table combo and a bookcase.

The rocking chair was a nice maple, and the other two pieces we had were more of a birch-y finish, although not ‘real’ wood. We’d though about staining them all to match, but realized it would take a huge effort to get it to look right, and my significant other doesn’t have the patience to sand. We then had another idea: if we found a change table to match the rocking chair, perhaps we could paint the other two pieces of furniture a colour to compliment the room’s existing scheme and the maple pieces. However, we wondered if it was possible to paint the crib or if it had to be done professionally, and if so that would cost a lot of money.

After doing some research, we learned it’s perfectly okay to paint a crib and/or other furniture in baby’s room if you follow these guidelines:
1. Paint it with enough time to cure before the baby will be using it (i.e. 3-6 months). This will ensure when baby gums it, he/she doesn’t eat or take off the paint
2. Replace the plastic guards on the top of the rails to make triple sure they don’t get gnawed
3. And of course, don’t use lead-based paint

In terms of the actual painting portion, Hubby experimented with any number of brushes, but discovered that the small-diameter foam rollers (about 4" wide) work wonders to get into all the crevices. Touch ups with a small brush were required, but not as much as if we’d used brushes exclusively. The larger, standard size rollers are too large to fit anywhere comfortably.

If you have access to a spray gun, use it! That would have made life immensely easier, especially if you’re not going to/able to take the piece apart. However, renting one isn’t cheap ($75/day from Home Depot) and buying even a cheap one ($90 and up) hurts the pocketbook, so if you don’t have one, don’t bother. It’ll look fine.

Once we had everything painted, we found that it looked kind of plain, so pulled on our creativity hats and decided that we could at least decorate the bench to match the theme of our room. We’d found some small, cutout chipboard versions of the flashcard animals we stuck to the wall, and used the same wallpaper glue to attach them to the bench. Easy peasy.
So whether it’s an inexpensive hand-me down or a family antique, go ahead! Adding a coat of paint or two can really spruce up a room for very little money.

Lessons learned:
1. You don’t have to go out and buy a matching baby-room set at inflated prices. Find a few used or free items you like (or can live with) and get creative!
2. Baby won’t care about paint drips or brush marks, so don’t get stressed if you aren’t Leonardo Da Vinci.
3. Talk to the paint people at the hardware store to see what they recommend based on the materials you’re trying to cover up.

How to get a designer nursery look on a DIY budget

In this week’s baby bargainista column, you’re in for a treat as Rebecca Atkinson shares how she and her husband decorated the nursery.

One of the first things my husband and I thought about when we found out I was pregnant, was space. We had a room in the house which could be converted to a nursery, but it meant getting rid of our prized Foosball table, and also creating a new linen closet somewhere else if we wanted the baby to have somewhere to put her clothes.



After convincing hubby that we couldn’t just put the crib on top of the Foosball table (much like the old ping pong/billiards combos), the nursery renovation launched a giant project of our bedroom to create more storage so baby Atkinson could have her closet. We were forced to redo two rooms simultaneously, meaning our nursery budget shrank considerably.

Being big fans of the show Sarah’s House, and having recently watched the nursery episode we decided we wanted to recreate something similar (complete with two-colours and the alphabet on the wall), but on a DIY budget.

First stop was Michaels craft store, where I fell in love. I’m not normally a very crafty person, but it is full of so many cool things to get your creative juices flowing. First thing we looked for were letters. We found several options, but went with styrofoam ultimately because it was half the price ($1.50 per letter) of the same sized wooden letters.

We got very lucky with this project as my husband’s aunt was coming into town for a few days and she is one of the most creative people I know. We immediately asked her to come help show us the light so she gets a lot of credit for this post too.

Back at Michaels, we filled up our cart with several things: acrylic paint (because we learned this would go a long way, be easy to clean up and have virtually no fumes, meaning I could paint letters to my heart’s content). We also found the cutest vinyl wall art of safari animals which would be easy to remove without ruining the paint, should we decide to change the room down the road.

Having already found a bedding deal at Pottery Barn the colour scheme for the room was pretty much chosen for us; yellow and green. We then decided to add orange and light-blue accents. Although we’ve been told we’re having a girl, we also know you never know until the baby comes out. So we opted to still go as neutral as possible without making it gender specific – just in case.

As we were showing my husband’s aunt everything, she declared we’d found a theme – Alphabet Safari. This prompted Mark‘s next brilliant find, alphabet flash cards using animals. With all the fun stuff bought, it was off to buy the room paint and material for the plate rails so we could get started on this project.

We were excited to be able to recreate the designer’s look for less and to be able to say we did all of it ourselves (with help from said Aunt). Overall with paint and supplies (tape, brushes etc), we spent less than $350 on decorating (not including window coverings, furniture, shelving or accessories). You can see the finished look in my Flickr album and read our lessons learned below for some additional tips.

My next post I’ll tell you how we saved more money by reusing several pieces of hand-me-down furniture and updating them.

Lessons learned:
1. A trip through Wal-Mart later showed us many of the same items we picked up at Michaels for less (especially for paint and brushes), so when the budget is tight, make time to look around before buying everything at one store
2. If using Styrofoam, gently sand the letters as it will heanlp the paint stick better, and get rid of the cast lines.
3. Buying primed (MDF) which we did for the plate rails, doesn’t cost much more, but saves you a whole lot of time and fuss. And use a combination of industrial glue and nails to keep it on the wall. It’s also a lot cheaper than “real” wood options
4. Wallpaper paste can be used for so much more than wallpaper – and a little definitely goes a long way. It’s also not expensive and cleans up easily with water, too.
5. Allow plenty of drying time between coats – especially for letters; drying times suggested on paint are just that and depend on a whole lot of factors (including humidity).

Checking out Zola’s Dot Sale

I met up with Anita, Tiff and Nicole at Zola’s Dot Sale – it ended up being next door at Zola’s Last Call. Zola has their semi-annual warehouse sale on now too.

Believe it or not, I was the only one who came away empty handed. I couldn’t find anything I liked that fit. A week into the sale, much was already gone and most of what was left was shoes I’d seen around since last spring. There was a limited selection of designer clothing at great prices. I tried on two tops – one was too low cut for my tastes and the other didn’t fit properly.

Also, if you have any idea why they were selling lamps, please let me know.

Safe decorating

In this week’s baby bargainista column, Jenny shares her tips for choosing safe paints for her pre-schooler’s bedroom.

I’ve posted before about how paranoid I can become when it comes to the health of my babies, both born and unborn, so it’s likely no surprise to you that when the time came recently for us to redecorate our 4-year-old’s room and turn our “den” into a nursery, safety from toxic compounds was foremost in my mind.

In particular, paint and its off-gassing of VOCs was of primary concern for me, since
1. I’m pregnant and exposure to paint fumes is contraindicated above almost all other VOCs; and,
2. we couldn’t afford to stay anywhere but at home while the painting was going on.

Luckily for me, there are a number of low- and no-VOC paints now available to fretful parents like myself. Home Depot carries a line called Freshaire that promises no VOCs in the base or colorant, and no paint fumes. My neighborhood paint supply store, Reim Custom Paints, also carries their own brand. The color choices for both are as broad-ranging as any other brand of paint so that you don’t feel limited in your décor options.

And I can personally attest to the fact that the paint fumes are, if not completely absent, minimal. We chose a lovely light lavender hue for our 4-year-old’s room, with a deeper purple accent wall (purple is her favorite color). This required 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of paint to cover the original wall color (an obnoxiously bright orange – a legacy from the previous homeowners), but despite these multiple applications, the smell was barely noticeable.

What about you? What’s your safety obsession these days?

Tip of the Week - Zoe shares her adventures in furniture shopping

Last week, I received this Tip of the Week from my friend Zoe Sistos. Thanks to twitter, we learned we share a birthday - it’s today - Happy Birthday, Zoe!

So, I thought there’s no better time to share Zoe’s humourous shopping adventures then now...

My husband and I have been doing a lot of furniture shopping lately and have also come up with a couple of good ideas.

The first is a little game we like to play. You know when you see the sales person slowly follow behind you..trying to “nonchalantly” catch up? We play a little game of Chase - it’s where we let them get close enough to think they’ve got us but then we keep moving. Its funny to watch how long and how far they will chase you around the store!

Once you let them catch you (or sometimes they do get you in a corner) I find the best way to get them off your back is to speak really loudly. So when they say “Can I help you with something?” you say, in a very polite but almost yelling voice, “NO THANKS. I DON’T NEED YOUR HELP. I AM DOING FINE THANK YOU.” You would be surprised at how embarrassed they get and they will leave you alone. Mind you, you have to be a bit outgoing and not embarrass easily to do this one. It works best after a game of Chase....lol.

Tip of the Week - tiny living for tiny things

I was hanging out at my favourite social network and Lex asked where she could order Tabasco sauce in tiny bottles. Not one to pass up a shopping challenge, I found what she was looking for in minutes from a nifty little store: tiny living furnishings for small spaces.

A husband and wife team in New York City opened tiny living in 2005 as a response to the tiny living conditions in NYC. They’ve lived in many small spaces including a 200 sq. ft. studio! Fortunately, they were smart enough to venture into e-commerce and attracted customers worldwide.

Even though they don’t sell their entire inventory online, they offer a wide-variety of cleverly designed, affordable items that are small in scale, multi-purpose, flexible or for storage. Designed for usability, I suspect they ring up more sales online than in their bricks ’n mortar store.

Do you have a favourite store catering to a niche market?

Wild Wednesday: 50% off at Goodwill

What?
Goodwill Wild Wednesday
• Save 50% off most merchandise (some exclusions)
• New items arriving hourly.
• Great way to reduce, reuse and recycle!

Where?
Find a location near you.

When?
Wild Wednesday June 13
Check stores for hours.

If you go, let us know what you think. What did you get? How much did you save?

Technorati tags: bargains, clothing, furniture, Goodwill, Wild Wednesday, sales, shopping

Linens•n•Things - 20% off with coupon

Linens•n•Things - 20% off this weekend with coupon:


Technorati tags: linens

Your Favourite Warehouse Sale - May 10-12

What?
• Your Favourite Warehouse Sale
• Up to 70% off clothing, accessories, gifts galore
• Print and bring this flyer to save an extra $5 off purchases of $50 or more

Where?
70 Wingold Ave. (map)
Toronto
(Entrance and parking in the rear of the buildingº

When?
May 10-May 11: noon to 7 p.m.
May 12: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Technorati tags: accessories, clothing, gifts, shopping, warehouse sales

Wild Wednesday: 50% off at Goodwill

What?
Goodwill Wild Wednesday
• Save 50% off most merchandise (some exclusions)
• New items arriving hourly.
• Great way to reduce, reuse and recycle!

Where?
Find a location near you.

When?
Wild Wednesday Apr. 25
Check stores for hours.

If you go, let us know what you think. What did you get? How much did you save?

Technorati tags: bargains, clothing, furniture, Goodwill, Wild Wednesday, sales, shopping

Sleep tight

Bedroom sets are on sale this month at UpCountry:


Technorati tags: beds, furniture, sales, shopping, sleep

Nothing like fresh sheets

Deblins linen warehouse sale starts Wednesday.

Everything in the store will be 20%-75% off including the high quality bath and bedding linens.

Crisp sheets and other goodies are being consolidated at their warehouse location for this fantastic 4-day sale.

There's lots of neat stuff online too including tips on how to care for your linens.

Can't make the sale and wanna shop online? no problemo. They've done a great job with their new online store. The selection is wide, the bright pictures and clear descriptions make it easy for you to part with your money. You won't get to take advantage of the warehouse sale prices, but you'll still save. Deblins has built their reputation by selling quality merchandise for less.

What?
Deblins Linen warehouse sale

When?
Jan. 24 - Jan. 28

Hours:
Monday to Friday 10 a.m.to 9 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m.to 6 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where?
7979 Weston Rd. (map)
Vaughan
L4L1A6

Talk:
905 264-0975

Technorati tags: home decor, linens, sales

DeBoers January clearance sale

Save up to 80% off designer furniture at DeBoer's:

Take my advice, go visit a location near you. Unfortunately, I can't link you directly to that information on their website 'cause it's all built in flash. Their website isn't designed as well as their furniture and it's not as nice to look at either.

Technorati tags: furniture, sales, shopping

Outfit your home and save

Home Outfitters is having a semi-annual clearance event, print the coupon below and save $10 off any 1 item if you spend $50 or more:

Technorati tags: coupons, home decor, sales

The big comfy couch

the Art Shoppe's big sale starts today with store-wide savings up to 50% off (see map; store hours):

Technorati tags: furniture, sales, shopping

Pamper me

Just before the stores closed on Saturday, I remembered I hadn't bought a gift for my son's Hebrew school teacher. I needed something for first thing Sunday morning. The last place I wanted to go was the mall (strange but true, I do whatever I can to avoid malls in December.)

I didn't want to spend a lot of money but I wanted to buy her something nice that she would appreciate. Then I remembered a quaint little shop on Yonge St. just north of Eglinton called SABON (all products are made in Israel.)

SABON reminds me of a cross between Lush, L'Occitane and an old-fashioned apothecary. They're known for their bath, body and facial products including a new skin-care line for men. Check out the home products too.

My personal favorite are the handmade fresh cut soaps. Made with natural ingredients and aromatherapeutic oils made from an old Australian recipe, in scrumptious scents like vanilla coconut and dulce de leche, there's something for every one. I quite like the shea butter bars too.

Three items of note:
• No animal testing
• Prices start at about $6
• Have cash on hand for purchases under $15, (I only had $5 so the cashier regretfully agreed to accept my debit card for a $10 purchase)
• You can shop online but I don't recommend it; their website cries out for a redesign

Technorati tags: cosmetics, customer service, gifts, home decor, shopping

Weekend specials

Umbra Factory Sale (great gifts; sweet prices):

Town Shoes Exclusive Sale:

Double Roots ...
Save an additional 25% of sale prices:
and if you live in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver it's Polar Bear Day:
Note: The "Find out More" link on the Polar Bear coupon won't work here - just use the link I included for "Polar Bear Day" above the coupon, it will take you to the same page. These sales are in the Toronto area unless specified otherwise.

Technorati tags: bargains, coupons, sales, shopping