Free Coffee at McDonalds ( @McD_Canada )

From October 31st,2011 to November 6th,2011 enjoy a small premium roast coffee at McDonald's Free. Limited to one per customer, per visit. At participating McDonald's locations in Canada.



~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom. This is not a sponsored post, just wanted to share a good deal with all my readers.*~

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Winter Tune Up @CanadianTire Gas+ (#CBias)

With winter months coming upon us fast what are you doing to get your vechile in winter shape? We usually put on our winter tires (I drive a Caravan) as we live in Canada and get a lot of snow sometimes! I also drive in snow storms tons to get to work an hour away. We also head in for an oil change every few months, we just got our oil change at the end of September and will be due again I am sure in late December.

Another thing that we get and stock up on when it is on sale is the -40 Windshield washer fluid. This is very handy in the winter months as it doesn't freeze up like the summer washer fluid can in very cold days. Better deal if you purchase 2 instead of one. We received only 0.06 cents back in-store but it does add up. 

Our van was really out of Windshield washer fluid that it took a whole bottle! This fluid is great for winter with a de-icer in it! You never want to be without windshield washer fluid especially in the winter months when there is salt and slush everywhere. I don't know about you but have you ever had lock issues? This is handy to have in a little portable bottle to de-ice locks. Most people have remotes to unlock their cars. Maybe it is from Canadian Winters!

Did you know that Canadian Tire gas plus bar has a great Loyalty program when you buy something at Canadian Tire or gas up at the gas bar. Each time you make a purchase you receive money back in the form of Canadian Tire money or Canadian Tire money on your Canadian Tire Mastercard.

We have a Mastercard with Canadian Tire and we really enjoy getting the cash back on it especially when we gas up. The money really adds up especially with the 10x multiplier. Each week we check the flyer to see what the multiplier will be on Saturday and if we can we wait to fill up. This week the multiplier is 7x at our gas bar. This can vary from place to place. We filled up and received $1.05 from gas and 0.06 from the Washer fluid.

The money back either in form of paper money or money back on the card is a nice bonus and this keeps us coming back to the Canadian Tire Gas+. We have purchased a number of things with our "money" from Keurig cups, fishing gear to a bathroom vanity for our rental apartment. The money of course needs to be spent in Canadian Tire or the Gas + stations. Its a great way to get "free" products or shop for Birthdays or Christmas! I am sure a few of the points we have ($90.92) will be used for Christmas presents.

For more pictures from our Canadian Tire Visit check out my Google + album.

Want to learn more about the Canadian Tire loyalty program or their Mastercard? Visit Canadian Tire online or in store. Also "Like" Canadian Tire on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter

 

~*Disclaimer: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Dinner out with the Family at #ChinaBuffet #EqualCanada #CBias

Today we decided to head out to Brockville in the late afternoon do a bit of shopping and enjoy a nice family dinner out. Brockville is about 45 minutes from our town and is on the St Lawrence river.

We did some groceries then we went to Wal Mart as we promised the kids some toy aisle browsing and ended our trip at the China Buffet which is in the 1000 Island Mall.

We love heading out to Buffets as it gives everyone a nice choice of foods and the kids can choose what they would like or try a little of this and a little of that. We did enjoy a nice buffet dinner that included all kinds of yummy foods - Shanghai noodles, chicken balls, egg rolls, fried mushrooms, chicken and broccoli and so much more.

After such a big and tasty meal we decided that we didn't have anymore room, even for coffee. I know you say no room for coffee? I know usually I always have room for a coffee but my tummy hasn't been feeling well the last few days and D has cut way back on caffeine.

I did still check out the options for sweeteners in the restaurant and this is what I found in their sugar container....

 

No Equal sweetener in the China Buffet but I did talk to a couple of staff there about Equal sweetener and offering it to there customers. From what I got from our conversation is that it isn't an option from the supplier they order from. Also it was a very hard conversation as there was a bit of a language barrier. I have requested that they try and get Equal in as a choice of sweeteners as people do love the choice.  

Thumbs up from the kids, except that the restaurant was a bit cold and P was lucky to have a sweater and A put here jacket on. The service was friendly not fast on refills or checking in on how we were doing. We were also over in a corner away from the buffet tables. Overall we did have a good experience and I am sure we will go again as we enjoy the food and variety. Side note: Bubble gum ice cream produces bubble gum smelling and tasting burbs. haha

"Like" Equal Canada on Facebook or join in on the conversation on Twitter with #EqualCanada

Did you know that you can bake with Equal sweetener? There are many great looking recipes on the Equal website on their recipe page.



~*Disclaimer: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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New Dempster's Coupon

Have you tried the new Dempster's Country Original bread? Head over to Websaver.ca to get a $1.00 off coupon.



~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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The Splendid Spotted Snake Book Review

Just recently we had the chance to review a few books from our friends at Thomas Allen & Sons Ltd. One of the books in the pack was The Splendid Spotted Snake by Betty Ann Schwartz and Alexander Wilensky.

This is a wonderful book about a small spotted snake that grows and grows. Each time the snake grows he grows a different color of spots. When the pages are turned the magic ribbon grows with another color. This is so fun for the children. They love to turn the page with the magic ribbon growing and changing spots.

The Splendid Spotted Snake is a great play on words book with its rhyming throughout the book. "When his growing finally ended...All his spots got kinda blended" It is a great book for preschoolers to learn their colors in a fun new way. I found this book to be very interactive as you read the book with your children. The new colors are introduced not in black font but the color font to help with recognition. It is also simple sentences that children can use this as an early reader book.

This book is likely one of my favorite books that we have read recently. It was a huge it with my children right from the start and we have read it over and over again. P is learning to read and he sits with the book and tries to read each page himself as he checks out the snake growing new spots.




~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom on behalf of Thomas Allen & Sons Ltd. We received a complimentary copy of the above mentioned book for review purpose. All opinions are honest and my own. *~

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Mystery Shopping Opportunity with BestMark

Are you looking for a part time job with flexibility? Maybe something you can do while the kids are at school? If you like to shop and are keen on details, why not become a Mystery Shopper?

BestMark has been helping create exceptional customer service experience in America’s finest companies since 1986, 24 years in service. BestMark has over 100,000 field representatives, mystery shoppers and auditors which are carefully screened to collect data from each company during a mystery shop to help in the customer service area. 

BestMark offers mystery shops all over the USA and also in Canada. The mystery shops take place in a wide variety of places including but not limited to Automotive, Banking/Financial, Lodging (hotel/motel/inns/etc.), Restaurant (Casual & Fine Dining), Entertainment (theatre, theme park), Retail – General, Gas Station/Convenience –Store, Grocery, Health Care stores.

If you are interested in becoming a Mystery shopper with BestMark here are the criteria that will be looked at before you will be accepted into their Mystery Shopper program:

• Must be 21 years of age or older
• Must have reliable transportation to get to and from assignments
• Must be able to focus on details without taking notes at the assignment
• Must have good written communication skills
• Must have full internet access as your results are submitted online

BestMark has recently come into Canada which means in the upcoming months more and more opportunities to become a mystery shopper in your area. This is a great time to apply for a mystery shopper and make little more income before the holidays. When you do a mystery shop you are in the end helping businesses know how the customer feels when entering/dealing with and leaving their shops. 

Once you are accepted as a mystery shopping you can sign up for a number of assignments at a time. There is a rotation that is done when applying for an assignment that you may have done recently but this is that the business does not reveal you as a mystery shopper. There are three pay options which are cash payments, reimbursements or cash payment with reimbursement. The latter would be say if you get an oil change or tire rotation you would get reimbursement and also a cash payment for that assignment. The price does range from $5-60 depending on payment option and shop opportunity. 

BestMark is also registered with the Better Business Bureau. They have been BBB accredited business since October 15, 2010 and have a great A+ rating.

For more information and to contact BestMark please visit their website.

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom on behalf of BestMark. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Halloween Activities & Reviews

Halloween is such a fun time for kids of all ages. How do you prepare for Halloween? We like to decorate the house, bake fun Halloween treats, make or buy our costumes, read Halloween books and make Halloween crafts.

This year we have made fun Halloween cupcakes during a Collective Bias shoppertunity and we also made a few spider cookies. The kids really enjoyed the Halloween cupcake decorating I think the best as it was easier for them to do than the spiders.

Next we went to playgroup and made some fun ghost with white cardboard and colored pasta, rice and tissue paper! This is such a simple craft but oh so fun. We will be doing more over the weekend. We have our pumpkins to crave and foam pumpkins to decorate.

We also had the chance to review three fun Halloween stories thanks to our great friends at Thomas Allan & Sons Ltd. The books we had a chance to review were Halloween Mice by Bethany Roberts, What Am I? Halloween by Anne Margaret Lewis and Mouse and Mole A Perfect Halloween by Wong Herbert Yee.

Halloween Mice! By Bethany Roberts: This little book is made of cardboard and is all about a little group of mice who head into the pumpkin patch to have a party on Halloween night. They do run into danger and have to figure out how to how to get away from the big cat but they put their heads together and make a scary shadow to scare off the cat! It is recommended for ages 4-6

Mouse and Mole A Perfect Halloween by Wong Herbert Yee: Mouse is very excited for Halloween, busy getting all decorated with scary skeletons and spider webs but Mole on the other hand is scared of Halloween and doesn't know if she wants to have anything to do with scary Halloween. Mouse and Mole are best friend's and Mouse decides she will help Mole overcome the fear of Halloween with a bedtime story. This is a very cute book. This book is divided into a four small chapters which makes it a great little children's book. For little ones under 4 you could read a chapter at a time each night for four nights. My kids loved it and also very excited to see more books about Mouse and Mole in the series.

What Am I? Halloween by Anne Margaret Lewis: This book is geared for young readers ages 4-8. Throughout the book the left page gives a description and then on the right page asks what am I? What could I be? The right page is also folded over and that is where the creature, person or animal is hiding while the children guess what/who they are. This went over really well with both my children, P has said out of the three Halloween books this one is his favorite. I agree with P this one is my favorite also!

Happy Halloween!!

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom. We received the 3 books complimentary for review purpose from Thomas Allen & Son Ltd. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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ET TU Review and Giveaway!

Who doesn't like something that is quick and easy to prep for supper these days? If you like quick and easy I am super excited for you to meet two of my new favorites!

ET TU are easy to assemble food kits that offer a variety of choices including Salad, Fish and Desserts. They are very quick and easy to assemble, everything is included in the kit except the produce or fish.

Linsey Foods have been creating ET TU Salad kits for over 20 years. They started with just Caesar salad kits and have had such a great demand for other kits that they now have 9 Salad kits and have expanded to include 3 Dessert kits and 3 Dinner kits which are fish and a side dish!

These kits are great for busy families, single/couples looking for quick and very easy to make meals. I hear time and time from my family, friends and co-workers when I tell them what we eat and they say "Oh, I can't cook." or "I don't have time for that". I have a solution for you, these kits are wonderful as everything is measured and sealed in their own pack. Just follow the easy directions on the box and volia a beautiful dinner!

Salad Kit review - We tried the Caesar Original salad kit. All I need to pick up from the store was lettuce. We now buy a fruit & veggie box once a month and they day we were going to review the salad kit our box came in with iceberg lettuce. Yes, I know I am suppose to use romaine lettuce but I had iceberg. See how vesitle the kits are :) Anyways the kid decided they would help make the salad. They helped break up the lettuce and place it in the bowl. Then we opened our packets of bacon bits, croutons, Parmesan cheese and dressing. Poured them all in our bowl and mixed.  Simple and tasty. The whole family enjoyed this salad and we heard no complaints from the kids that there was too much veggies on their plates :) Two thumbs up for this kit!

Fish Kit review - We tried the Maple Mustard Fish fillets with cod fillets that I picked up while doing groceries. I bought frozen and let them defrost in the fridge until it was time to cook them. This kit was very simple, there was a packet for the fish coating that all you do is put it on a plate and press your fish down in it, place in greased pan and bake. While they are baking you make the orzo pasta which again was so easy boil water and add packet. Let cook for time indicated on pack and done! When the fish are finished you open the maple mustard and drizzle over. My husband isn't a sweet on meat type of guy and asked me to go light on the maple mustard. Right away he commented on how tasty the sauce was and the breading on the fish. It does have a pepper taste but not too bad as I enjoyed it a lot and I am not a peppery or spicy type of girl. This pack serves 2 portions (Hubby and I had a special dinner and the kids had regular fish). We really liked this meal and will have it again in the future I am sure.

Dessert Kit review - Apple Crisp dessert kit is so easy all you need are apples and butter/margarine. A helped me with this kit. I peeled and sliced the apples and she put them in a baking dish. I melted the butter and she mixed the crumble and we then topped the apples with and baked. Very simple no measuring! All in packets. We did add a bit more raisins as our family loves raisins. The caramel topping that you drizzle on after the apple crisp comes out of the oven is to dye for. The apple is crisp is easy to prep and so tasty it was enjoyed by all at this house!

Where to buy: Find a store near you with the Store Locator or you can order online.

Find ET TU on Facebook and join in on the conversation.

Win it! Our great friend Andrea at Faye Clack communications would like to offer One lucky Canadian Coupon Mom reader a chance to win their on prize pack of ET TU Apple Crisp and Caesar Salad kits. Please fill in the form below to win!

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom on behalf of Faye Clack communications and Linsey Foods. We received products in exchange for a product review. All opinions are honest and my own*~

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October Luxe Box Review & Giveaway!

I am very excited I had the opportunity to review the October Luxe Box by Loose Button. This month there has been a bit of a change to the box. First lets talk a bit about the service and then I will tell you all about the new stuff!

If you haven't seen the old version of Luxe Box, you can see my review last month on the September box. If you are new to Luxe Box all together I will give everyone a quick overview. Luxe Box is a monthly home delivery service of beauty samples from all higher end beauty and make designers. These samples are bigger than the normal samples you would receive when in the store at the beauty counter. Sometimes you may even get full size products!

The price of the box is $12 monthly with free shipping but if you sign up for 12 months you will actually receive two months for free, the total cost being $120 instead of $144. Each month includes 4-5 hand-picked deluxe sized beauty samples.

I love receiving mail for myself other than bills and this is a fun little box that is like receiving a Birthday gift monthly! It is also a great way to try high end beauty products without spending a fortune only to find out you don't like the product. We all have done that once in our life I am sure!

This month Loose Button has changed up the packaging of the Luxe Box. In the past Luxe Box came in a sand color box with a lid. This months box was different it is a black box, great for the fall with a sliding cover. Very different.

I love how personalized the new boxes are! The cards included are personalized on the outside. I also love when you move the cards away there is a cute little sticker holding the tissue paper closed that says "Made for Jennifer" How cool is that? It is my own little Non-Birthday gift!

This month also Luxe Box has teamed up with Lise Watier to give Luxe Box customers a first look at her new product Flash Lift Radiance Vials which will be in stores this month! They also teamed with Dealuxe.ca Canada's premier online shop for luxury fashion, accessories and lifestyle products by giving a $25 off coupon code!

Everything in the kit this month is very exciting for me. I have been looking at the Olay Professional Pro-X - Eye Restoration Complex but at $60 for 15ml I wasn't too sure. This is to help diminish dark circles and puffiness along with improving the look of crow's feet. I will likely review this one on another post or at least tell you about it over on my Facebook page. (By the way come join my over on my Facebook if you haven't already) 

What else was included?

Lise Watier - Flash Lift Radiance Vials: This product is great for all ages and is intended to moisturize while giving a lift effect and instant radiance for all ages.

Keratase Elixir Ultime: This is a multi-use elixir for your hair to restore strength and protect it from external aggressors. This I am sure will be great in the winter!

China Glaze - Crackle nail polish: This is a full size product! I have tried it and love the color I received but I didn't notice a "crackle" effect. It is very fun though for Halloween! 

Lise Watier - Plumpissimo Gloss: This is to instantly make your lips look fuller. I have tried it a couple times. I didn't notice a big difference but I love the color. Will try it again and let you know.

Sign up for Luxe Box, visit them on Facebook or read their blog for great tips on beauty.

Win! Our friends at Loose Button want to offer one lucky Canadian Coupon Mom reader a November Luxe Box!! Enter to win.






~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom on behalf of Loose Button. I received a complimentary Luxe Box for review purpose. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Saturday Snack Time at Tim Hortons - #EqualCanada #cbias

My mission this weekend was to snag hubby or a friend and head out to Tim Horton's to enjoy some "me time". I asked a couple friends who were pretty busy this weekend and I asked dear hubby but of course this is his weekend to work and it's going to be a long and busy weekend for him.

Either way I was heading to Tim Horton's this weekend. So....Who did I go with you ask??

Well it wasn't really "me time" but it was a nice afternoon activity for the kids and I. I was in need of some time out of the house and not just in the grocery store. I figured a coffee for me and a snack for the kids sounded like a great plan.

We went to the Tim Hortons out the highway of our town. Our downtown Tim Hortons is small and right now it is under construction with a portable Timmies. We have two Timmies in a town with 9,000 people. I am actually shocked we don't have one more on the other side of town near our mall. This Tim Hortons we went to today is in between Harvey's/Swiss Chalet and Pizza Hut/Subway. It is also across the road from Wal Mart!

The parking lot was pretty busy but it wasn't too busy inside, most of the traffic I think was either going through the drive through or in the other restaurants.

We do not go to Tim Hortons that often so it really is a nice treat for myself and the kids. They were super excited to see all the different donuts and even Halloween and NHL Sentors Donuts. Sorry no photo of the Sentor donuts P was in charge of the camera while I ordered and asked if they had Equal as a sweetener option.

My daughter making this weird smile she does now.

P was snapping anything that caught his eye.

My son taking a self-portrait

The kids decided on Timbits and Chocolate milk and I got a large coffee with two milk. I asked the lady at the counter what option they have for sweeteners and she told me only Splenda. I asked if they will bring in Equal soon and I was told she will look into it for me and see if they can. The lady was very friendly. I will remember to fill in the comment survey online to request it again, comment on the friendly service and for a chance to win free coffee for a year!

The kids were so happy to be at Tim Hortons that I barely had a chance to take a picture before they were into and almost done their snack. Right now Tim Hortins has these cute little Halloween boxes.

The also have a few Halloween treats - pumpkin spice donuts and timbits and dipped donuts with Halloween sprinkles. Yum! I was able to get one timbit away from the kids for myself and a couple to save for daddy. That took a lot of convincing that it would be nice if they would keep a couple for daddy.

For some odd reason the cap is always crooked. haha

A was so happy for timbits she couldn't wait for the second one.

I usually only take milk or cream in my coffee sometimes I will feel the need for a sweeter coffee and I will request sweetener. I stopped adding sugar about 6 or 7 years ago switched to sweetener and then I think about 2 years ago switched to no sweetener. I do go with my participants from work who most of them will get sweetener especially one who is diabetic and loves his sweets. All sweeteners do taste different and it would be great if there would include Equal in their options.

We also made the trip educational with counting. We counted chairs, bowls, napkins, people, pictures etc. We added and subtracted people when they came and went. Both A and P did well until A got a little giddy and pretty much started Duck duck goose to count chairs in the area we were sitting at.

My son spotted this sign on the way out as it was busy by the door we came in we went out the other side and around to our van. P asked why we didn't get the tasty lasagna? Well we just ate lunch less than 2 and a half hours before. Maybe another time we will try out the lasagna.

Have you checked out Equal Canada website? You can find some great recipes and learn more about living with Diabetes if you or someone you know is Diabetic. Don't forget to "Like" Equal Canada on  Facebook and on Twitter to join in on the conversations - use the hashtag #EqualCanada.


~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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