Free Calendars

It's getting to that time of year when 2010 calendars are coming out. There are many companies offering free calendars, you just have to know where to look.

For the next several months, I will be posting (as I find them) sites and companies that are offering free calendars. If you know of any, please send me the information (company and/or URL) and I will post it.

Free Calendars:

Joyce Meyer Ministries

The New Yorker

Rosenborg

2010 Smart Consumer Calendar

2010 Milk Calendar 

2010 Great Ontario Outdoor Adventure

FabulousSavings.ca

About FS.ca

FabulousSavings.ca is a new website for Canadians to find online coupons for Canada.

First off, I’d like to say that FabulousSavings.ca is the Canadian counterpart of FabulousSavings.com, which has been in the online coupon business for ten years.  Granted, FabulousSavings.ca is new, but it’s got the experience to help you save money.

FabulousSavings.ca is one of the only true online coupon websites in Canada.  Once you hit the homepage, you instantly realize the possibilities.  Thanks to the easy-to-use and effective search front, any coupon is within a quick search.   Also, our twelve categories, seasonal rotational banner and prominent social media presence make finding the right coupon and connecting with FabulousSavings.ca a breeze!

FabulousSavings.ca works to ensure saving money is easy for you. We've built relationships with each of our retailers to ensure that our coupons are valid, trusted and always working.

And using our coupons is simple. For example, to save on your hotel stay, visit the specific FabulousSavings.ca webpage for Orbitz Canada (www.fabuloussavings.ca/online/ca/orbitzcanada). Click on the coupon you want to use, and the FabulousSavinga.ca webpage will be redirected to Orbitz's own website. Then just book your hotel to receive an additional 10% off your hotel stay!

At FabulousSavings.ca, we update our coupons daily as retailers are always offering deals and offers based on the season, collections and more, so check back often for new coupons! We've worked to streamline our website as much as possible. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through any of our social media networks. (Courtesy of FabulousSavings.ca)

Happy Shopping!!

Campaign for no TV tax for Canadians

As if Canadians are not taxed enough, here comes another 'tax' that is trying to hide behind the guise of a 'fee for carriage.' TV networks want us to believe that this new 'fee' will be used to help local television.

Canadians are coming together to say NO to this 'tax.' Below is some of the information that can be found on  stopthetvtax.ca.

Saying that this is no time to ask Canadian families to pay up to $10 more per month on their cable and satellite bills, a coalition of Canada’s leading cable and satellite providers today launched a campaign to Stop the TV Tax at www.stopthetvtax.ca.

The campaign responds to the attempts by the large television networks to hide behind the issue of local television funding in order to obtain a new tax, a fee-for-carriage, on cable and satellite subscribers. The Coalition has launched the Stop the TV Tax campaign in order to ensure that Canadians hear the whole story. (Courtesy stopthetvtax.ca) Read more...

Customers contributing more to bank profits

Recently, I was charged $40 NSF (insufficient funds) for a stop payment I made on my account for a pre-authorized transaction. The company I was to pay was notified and a new date was set up for them to withdraw funds. The stop payment was placed a few days before the withdrawal was to occur. Placing a stop payment on an account is supposed catch the transaction and although the original payment will go through the account, it will be returned into the account and marked as 'stop payment', avoiding an NSF charge. Bank of Nova Scotia charged me $12.50 for this service.

According to them, since I did not have the funds to cover the original payment that the company was going to take out, I am being charged for NSF. My question is this, if I had the funds to cover my payment, why would I need to put a stop payment? Is my bank kidding me? I am being charged $40 because I used a stop payment for what it was intended.

This is apparently their new policy. I've requested this 'policy' in writing, as I was never notified by phone, email, message center, mail or in person regarding this new 'policy'. When I was placing the stop payment on the account, I was not informed at that time either. What the bank has also failed to do is reverse my NSF fee or my stop payment fee, for a total of $52.50 in charges. I have left a message with them to request the reversal of one of these charges.

I am sick and tired of banks sneaking 'new policies' in at every whim and not notifying customers. It's interesting how these policies always seem to favour the banks' profits. It's also funny how they use their rules to try and sell you their products (VISA card, overdraft, personal line of credit, etc.) which are supposed to help you save money and avoid unnecessary 'charges.'

It looks like the banks have found another way to take more money away from hardworking consumers, (who are already feeling the financial pinch) and add to their already billions of dollars in profits. As consumers, it is our responsibility to check our bank books and transactions often and to take up any discrepancies with our banks. Most of us work too hard for our money to watch it being 'stolen' by institutions that already have way too much.

Happy Shopping!!

No Junk Mail Please!

Prior to living on my own, I never realized the amount of junk mail that was received by consumers. Everything from home improvement to food to clothing. My average weekly amount is usually 10 pieces of mail. Rarely do they ever reach my house. I put them right back in the mailbox. I browse through them, look at what I might be interested in (usually not many) and I slot them back. I can't say it has decreased the amount of  junk mail I receive but it does decrease the amount of unwanted mail I bring into my house that end up in the recycling bin.
Online searches  regarding junk mail came up with the Red Dot Campaign. It is a campaign with basically two purposes in mind; first, to stop marketers from inundating consumers with advertising and second, to stop waste as a result of unaddressed marketing received in the mail.

Sites on reducing junk mail:
Canadian Marketing Association
 
National Do Not Call List

Awakening

Happy Shopping!!

Home Renovation Tax Credit, not Rebate

In an attempt to get Canada's economy moving, the federal government has introduced the Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC) for the 2009 tax year. Many people are under the misconception that after a home renovation, when receipts are submitted to the government, they will receive a rebate of up to $1,350. I have seen the commercials and they can be very misleading. The way the term credit is used in the commercials, it can be easily misunderstood as rebate.

This is a tax credit and not a rebate. Credit means you may use the amount to decrease your taxes payable on your income tax return; rebate is when you first spend the money and then get a portion back.

Not all home renovations are eligible. There are exclusions.

The HRTC applies to eligible expenses of more than $1,000, but not more than $10,000, resulting in a maximum non-refundable tax credit of $1,350.
It applies to eligible purchases made after January 27, 2009, and before February 1, 2010.

For more information click here.

While you’re here, you might want to take a look at other tax credit opportunities that may apply to you; there are some rather interesting ones, such as the SRED program, which allows businesses conducting scientific research and experimental development to receive cash refunds and/or tax credits for their work.

Happy Shopping!!

Lotto Max

Super 7's last draw is September 18, 2009 and is being replaced by a new game called Lotto Max. Lotto Max will cost a minimum of $5 to play and has jackpots starting at $10 million which can reach up to $50 million.

Game details:

• Draws will be held on Friday nights, starting with the first draw on September 25
• Players will receive three chances to win (seven numbers each) per $5 play
• In order to win the jackpot, players must match 7/7 numbers (from one to 49)
• Odds of winning a jackpot are one in 28.6 million per play
• Odds of winning any prize are one in 6.6 per play
• If a jackpot is not won it will "roll" to the next draw date, with MAXMILLIONS jackpots created after the $50 million mark is reached
• The base jackpot is $10 million and will grow until won or until reaching $50 million (courtesy of OLG.ca)