Review: A quick visit to Target (Square One, Mississauga)

So I finally checked out Target at Square One in Mississauga last night. I only had a bit of time as I had to run other errands, but this is what I thought: Meh... nothing to get excited about.

A few things I noticed:

• For baby and toddler clothes, Walmart is still cheaper. Walmart has tops and bottoms starting at $3 - Target's start at $5. 
• Toy selection at Target isn't fab. It's actually pretty small and pricey.
• On the lower level at the mall entrance, they have four or five self-checkouts. Well, they had staff helping people at the checkouts because customers weren't sure how to use them. Plus half of the self-checkouts broke down.
• Their house brand of diapers are very cheap - cheaper than Costco, Walmart and Real Canadian Superstore. But here's the thing: I have no idea what their brand of diapers and wipes are like. Sure they say "leak-proof" but are they really? I'd rather spend the extra money on Pampers because I know they work.

So my final thoughts? I'll stick to Walmart and the Real Canadian Superstore. Although Target price-matches, I'd rather go somewhere else to price-match because Target doesn't have fresh produce.

Thoughts?

ON SALE: Fisher-Price Little People Animal Sounds Farm

I was at the Real Canadian Superstore this evening and saw the Fisher-Price Little People Animal Sounds Farm for $24.97. This is a great deal to me; at Toys R Us, it rings in at $44.99.

But if you want to go the cheaper way, you can find Little People houses, barns and accessories at Value Village. The only difference is that everything is separated. So you'd buy the house/barn/whatever separately and the Little People are usually in a pack of six or eight. I've bought six Little People for $3.99 before - I just washed the crap out of them first and then my daughter played with them.

Have you seen any good deals on toys lately? Share them below.

Pampers on sale

I just got back from the Real Canadian Superstore - great, awesome, amazing sale on Pampers! I got a box of 176 (size 4) Baby Dry for $29.97. I also had a $1 coupon, so I actually paid $28.97 ... which means I paid 16 cents per diaper. 

Quick tip you should know:  I've noticed that Costco's increased their prices on Huggies. For size 4, it would cost about 20 or 21 cents per diaper. So if you think Costco is cheaper, that's not always the case.

Baby- and tot-related cat anxiety

Before my daughter was born two years ago, my husband and I adopted two sister cats: Patti and Petunia. They were our lovely fur babies that sported pumpkin Halloween costumes all year round.

But when baby came along, our relationship with our cats changed. They began meowing and yowling more; they started chewing on random things like foam play mats, attempted to eat human food and, I must admit, there were unpleasant "litter box" issues.

I've read a lot on how to introduce baby to pet and vice versa. But who has time to bring home a baby blanket from the hospital for the cat or dog to sniff? We're only in the hospital for 24 hours after a birth here in Ontario. And when my daughter began sitting up, getting louder, crawling and walking, those were the times my cats acted up.

Many, many times, I wanted to give them up. I felt like a horrible pet owner; I adopted these sisters as "forever cats," but I just couldn't handle their naughtiness and my daughter's sleepless nights. Luckily, my mom found this link that really opened my eyes to Bach Flower Remedies.  These are "flower essences" that are used in homeopathic practices for humans. However, they can help calm stressful situations for animals, including changes like moving, travel or illness.

So what I use in particular is Bach Rescue Remedy Natural Stress Relief (liquid). All I do is this: About once or twice a day, I put about a dropper full of the remedy into their water dishes, then another dropper full into their food bowl. Honestly, within a few days of use, I found a difference. They were much calmer and playful - they were happy and I felt happy that I didn't have to give them up.

How do I save money here? First off, I found that the Real Canadian Superstore has the cheapest price ($15.99/20mL). I've also been fortunate to have found coupons in natural health magazines and Whole Foods, which take off about $2 or $3. Plus, I'll go to Superstore during no-tax sales to take further advantage of the deal.

Just a quick FYI: this is a method that has worked for me. Luckily, I'm able to find an affordable solution that is healthy for my cats. Like toy shopping, just remember to be safe. If you find an affordable product that's going to sacrifice your pet's health, don't buy it. And if need be, visit your vet for advice.

Price-matching places

Here's a quick list of Ontario stores that price-match 7 days a week. Enjoy, savers!

• Real Canadian Superstore
• Walmart
• Freshco
• No Frills
• Toys R Us (yes, seriously)
• Canadian Tire (yup, this one too!)

Take note: There are "fine print details," so pay close attention. For instance, Freshco sometimes says you can only price-match four quantities of one item in one shopping visit. So ... just be aware before you tell the cashier to shut the front door ;)

Did I miss any stores? Let me know!

Reduced to clear

Although I like to think of myself as a savings kind of gal, there's one aisle I don't check often: the "reduced to clear" section. I know, totally ironic, right? Maybe it's because it's out of the way. Or maybe it's because I have to jet thanks to an impatient toddler.

A few weeks back, I happened to pass by this bargain section at a Real Canadian Superstore. I couldn't believe my eyes (or, I mean, what my daughter was using as a drum): diapers ... and they were in her size!

About 90 percent of the time, I use coupons to buy diapers. I normally pay about 17 cents a diaper (she wears size 3 still, which is why I can keep the cost this low). But on this lucky, non-full moon evening, I paid $10.44 for 136 diapers. That equals to .... 7 cents a diaper! (Here's your cue to say, "whaaaaaat?!")

So sometimes it doesn't hurt to take a u-turn towards the bargain section. Here are a few tips if you find diapers at an incredibly, eye-popping price:

• If they're cheap and you know they won't work for your baby or tot, forget about it. (P.S. Same goes for skincare and personal care items on sale.) You want to keep your sanity during diaper changes, not lose it for a few bucks. If I see something at an amazing price, I'll sometimes text my mommy friends. Hey, why not pass on the savings? 

• Watch that you don't buy too many boxes at once. If you buy 500 diapers and you're kid outgrows the first 100, well ... 'nuff said. See my post "You don't have to buy it just because it's on sale!" for details.
  

Don't cheap out on your health

A few weeks ago, my family recovered from a nasty case of kiddie germs: My daughter got the flu (I know, it's not even flu season!); I got her flu, then strep throat and then side effects from the antibiotics; then my husband had some throat thing happening.

Although I initially felt like I wasted most of July thanks to sickness, I did learn a new baby-saving lesson: Sometimes you need to cough up the dough for better health.

My daughter didn't need antibiotics, however, she did have some sniffles. I got her Coryzalia Cold (by Boiron) for $12.99 (30 doses) at Walmart. But I got a lucky break here because I usually see this product at health stores for around $16.99. She wasn't in the mood to eat or drink either (and she was throwing up, ew), so we got popsicles for her, which were about $5 for a pack of 24 (sorry, I don't remember the brand or exact details here!).

As for myself, here was my get-well shopping list:

Exact Cough Lozenges (30 pack) x 4 = approx. $8
Penicillin prescription (30 pills) x 1 = approx. $5 (we have health insurance, thank goodness!)
Chloraseptic Throat Spray x 1 = approx. $12

Thankfully, my husband caught his germs at an early stage and was able to use my leftover cough lozenges.

So looking back at what we spent, actually it wasn't all that bad. But when you are living on a tight family budget, an extra $30 can throw you off big time. If we didn't spend that money on health costs though, it would've affected our well-being. I was using up to 30 lozenges a day (otherwise my throat would've felt razor blades!), so those lozenges made a HUGE difference in daily coping.

So folks, here's today's lesson:

• If you need to spend money on your health, don't feel guilty. You need it to take care of your little ones and yourself!
• If you are on a budget, I found that Walmart and Superstore had effective products at decent prices.
• Lastly, try not to put off seeing a doctor/walk-in clinic! I waited over a day and thinking back, I probably should've seen a doctor earlier. I just thought I could deal with the throat pain. Boy, was I wrong!

Heinz Baby/Little Kids coupons

SmartSource has printable coupons available for Heinz Baby and Little Kids snacks and food. Here's a tip: If you can, wait until there's a great sale or price match at Walmart, Superstore or Freshco; then use the coupons on top for additional savings. Check the site out if you have time, especially if you're starting your baby on solids. I started my daughter on rice cereal at four months old and she seemed to be okay whenever I gave her Heinz. Happy savings!

Diapers and In The Night Garden

First off, let me say how disappointed I am at the diaper sales for the past few weeks. Diapers from all brands have started at about $0.19 per diaper, going up to as high as $0.29! However, I was at a Superstore in Mississauga and they have an in-store coupon for Huggies Snug & Dry for $3 off. I don't remember the count, but a size-3 box with the coupon was $0.16 per diaper. Unfortunately, I recently bought a box of Pampers 222 count (and with a stupid coupon they totaled at $0.18 per diaper!), so ... I'm stuck with that for now.

On the plus side, I discovered a thrift store called Talize. I never bothered to figure out what it was all about. However, I saw their sign in Brampton that said "Discover the new Power of Thrift" so I thought, "Okay, why not?" Well, thank goodness I did check it out because I found an In The Night Garden doll for $1.99 and it talks, too My daughter absolutely LOVES this show and Upsy Daisy, the doll below, is her favourite character. (Like many first-time adult viewers, I totally found the show weird at first (uh...Makka Pakka and Hahoo?!), but then I discovered it was made by the creators of Teletubbies, so it all made sense.)

My friend was asking me the best days to visit thrift stores for good finds and to be honest ... I can't think of any best days. (But if you know the secret, let me know please!) From my experience, it's been a luck of the draw. Sometimes you find things, sometimes you leave empty handed. So if you're trying to save some bucks on toys ... just keep checking out the thrift stores whenever you can. But come spring and summer time, it'll be garage-sale season, so those will be fun to sift through!