A New View on Money

Boy have my buying habits changed! Ever since I had my little one, it’s changed the way I look at spending money. I suppose part of it was out of necessity, and part of it was my way of contributing back to the household with a reduced income. A few months after having the baby I did dabble in some extreme couponing (or as extreme as you can in Canada...it’s nowhere near as exciting as couponing in the States!). It certainly didn’t help that all of a sudden the big baby companies started sending me free samples and coupons, something that I didn’t even know existed. And then when I discovered that free samples are available for all sorts of items, more than just baby products, all hell broke loose.

My coupon obsession started one day when I took my coupons to a drugstore to purchase some laundry detergent. I was pretty excited, my coupons were of a rather large value and the detergent was on sale. And when I went to pay for it, they told me it was double coupon day! Oh my goodness, what luck! Again, I didn’t even know this sort of thing existed. Being very excited about my big score, I told everyone how I purchased detergent for 97 cents a jug...and then I found out that another drug store allows you to stack coupons! Woo hoo! (In case you weren’t aware, stacking coupons is where you are allowed to use multiple coupons on an item.) Between that and price matching, why shop anywhere else! But it all does take time, organization, and research. Luckily for me, once I was stocked up I started losing interest as I didn’t have anything I needed to purchase. And I think Extreme Couponing can be a slippery slope to Hoarding!

So then, one day I wanted an item that wasn’t available locally. In my search for it, I found a used one online, and I thought I would try and purchase it. Buying used was something that my husband and I had never really done before (garage sales and occasionally at consignment shops were the extent of it), and my husband wasn’t hugely supportive. He thought it was weird! But I was careful, and I purchased several used items through online marketplaces. When he saw the quality of what I had purchased, the price I had paid, and the amount I had saved...he was sold too! I know I have him converted when he asks me to lookout for a particular product he would like, and to see if I can get it cheaper used. There are new online marketplaces are popping up everywhere, even a slew of groups on Facebook dedicated to just this thing.

Now with the limitation on time and mobility, I find that I purchase much more online than before. It’s much easier to order something straight to my door than to try and drive all over town looking for it. At the least, I pre-shop online to get the best deal. And big companies are recognizing that mom’s buying habits change after having kids, and are capitalizing on this by having Mommy Bloggers sample and review their products. Oh yeah, I’m a mommy blogger too www.themellowmama.com.

This latest blog can be seen on www.okanagan4kids.com.

Guest blogging again!

I'm excited about guest blogging again! I had been guest blogging on www.okanagan4kids.com, but things have been put on hold while they revamp and rebrand their website. And it looks like they are ready to go again.

My little one has grown so much, especially in the last few months, that we are facing a whole different list of adventures. I'm back at work, and that holds a different perspective on life than before. So I hope I have some interesting new things to share.

Looking forward to sharing more with you! 

Twisting that playdate!

Today some friends and I did a twist on the traditional playdate. We had a potluck brunch! 

Our boys are only a few weeks apart.  And now that we are all back to work, it's getting harder to get together.  So we decided to have a Sunday morning brunch playdate! And we included the hubby's!

We had a mini brunch with yummy scones, fresh fruit, and Shrimp and Pea Frittatas (I've included the recipe because they turned out pretty good!).  It was so much fun seeing our little (and big) guys interacting together (something that is quite new for the little ones).

And we ended things with these parting words..."Let's do this again!". 

Oh how life in the Okanagan is delicious...

The Okanagan is known for it's beautiful wineries...106 at last count!  Along with our growing wine industry is a strong and vibrant culinary industry.  Restaurant events are increasing all the time and winery restaurants are appearing at a brisk rate. 

This year I have the pleasure of coordinating the Thompson/Okanagan Wine and Dine, and it's going to be a great event! The event this year will be starting off with a Launch event at the Delta Grand, and it's going to be a good one! 10 restaurants & 10 wineries will be there handing out samples to over 200 attendees.  The tickets went fast, what a pleasant surprise!  

Once the launch night is over, then the real fun begins.  Restaurants have put together fixed price menus of $15, $25, and $35 paired with beautiful wines from BC Wine Institute BC VQA wines! You can check out all the menus on http://www.bcrfa.com/.  And come and check out the Wine and Dine Facebook Page for a chance to win Gift Certificates, and hear the latest news!

Time for a change?!

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New Year's is upon us, as we come to and end of a year and the start of a new one...is it time for a change?! How do we decide what changes to make?

Life is a whirlwind, so we need to take time to slow down to even decide what changes we want to make for the new year. Wait...maybe that should be on my list...slowing down!

First I need to clear the table, so that I can sit down and think clearly.  Wait...maybe I should add getting rid of clutter to my list.

Let's make a snack while we decide.  Oooooh, let's add some ways that I can lose weight.

Maybe I should phone a friend and ask their advice.  But I haven't talked to some of them in such a long time. I should reconnect with old friends.

Well that was easy, but haven't I been adding those to my list every year?  Maybe I should be more specific.  Maybe I shouldn't be trying to do all these things at the same time.  What's the trick to making these changes?

If you have any advice on making positive changes...let me know. Happy 2012 everyone!