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.
  

In your skin

I've recently learned that sometimes you have to spend a few extra bucks to keep yourself in good health. The same goes for skincare.

Look at acne treatments – why use a cheap brand if it's going to do nothing for your skin? There's no need to feel guilty if you need to spend a little more on a product that works for you.

That said, if you are pregnant or have just given birth, maybe you feel like your complexion is going bonkers. You're not alone – check out my article "My Battle with Acne" on The Skiny. Fighting acne goes beyond a simple facial wash!

Sacrifices

When you're pregnant or bringing a baby home for the first time, sacrifices hit you hard. We've had to give up a few luxuries, but you know what? They've made me realize that my husband and I didn't "need" them in the first place. That said, here are a few things we've given up since the birth of our little soybean.

• Call display
• Gym membership
• Frequent coffee runs to Tim Horton's
• Buying a new sofa
• Buying a second car
• Adding another computer to the household
• Restaurant choices (goodbye, Winterlicious and Summerlicious)
• Regular bar/pub nights with the gang

Honestly, I'm not going to lie – I missed fine dining and ordering my regular Sex on the Beach or Pina Colada. However, redirecting funds to family time, like taking my daughter to an indoor playground for a few hours, makes it worth it.

Plus, I don't think this list applies to everyone. Maybe you need call display to avoid vexatious people; a gym membership might be necessary to keep your health up to par. If you're going to make sacrifices, please, please, please make sure it applies specifically to your family, not to anyone else's.

Thoughts?

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!

The perfect family outing?

So if your baby or toddler can't do restaurants or malls (ok, let's be realistic here, can't go out in public), then Ikea is the perfect place. I haven't gone there in awhile, so maybe some of you will think this post is old news. But I figure if I didn't know the latest Ikea info, then there has to be someone who doesn't know either!

Two things babies and tots love are food and toys. The two departments (in the Etobicoke location) are beside each other, so transitioning between the two places is effortless. My daughter — who is now 21 months old — loved exploring the mock bedrooms, little furniture and toy displays. And when she got her hands on a night light, I was fine with this because it was completely kid-friendly.  Now if I wasn't on a strict budget, I probably would've picked out a toy or two for her (or maybe more so for me?!). For toys, the prices are pretty decent. For instance, a cloth 14-piece vegetable set is $9.99. It's safe for the washer and dryer, so I would definitely dish out $10 if I can wash it that easily!

Restaurants for my daughter are VERY problematic — she can only do Pizza Hut and Asian buffets because she loves to walk (or should I say run) around. However, we have added Ikea to our list! There's enough room for a tot to roam around and high chairs and booster seats are readily available. And because the atmosphere is so family-friendly (P.S. lots of natural bright light!), I wasn't embarrassed when my daughter stood tall on her booster seat or pushed her stroller down an aisle. (Or maybe I didn't care because there were teenagers dancing beside my table anyway!)

Now when you go to Ikea, you MUST have their Swedish meatballs. Great prices here, too —10-piece meatball dinner, salad and drink is $5.99. Kid meals are $1.99. If your baby is on purees, you can get free baby food with an adult meal. For the hell of it, we got some baby food and surprisingly, it was an organic Heinz mixed veggies jar! So for a freebie, that's not bad at all.

When we finally ventured to other departments that were not kid related, we felt no pressure to leave due to annoyed customers and employees. Families are all over the place with newborns or babies in strollers, slings, etc. and shockingly, my daughter wasn't pulling us away when we were looking at closet displays for 30 minutes.

Can you recommend any other family-friendly stores or restaurants? Feel free to share with myself and other readers!

Gerber coupon

The title says it all. Here's the link to the Gerber coupon, enjoy!

Rewards points are paying off

So I finally swapped my collection of Pampers points for a prize: The Manhattan Toy Maya Mermaid & Deliliah Dolphin. And it arrived! 

I've noticed that the prizes change on and off on the Pampers site, which is why I stopped collecting points for a big prize, like a stroller. (And besides, by the time I get the stroller, my daughter will probably be too old for it!) 

The same goes for the Huggies site — the prizes frequently change. I finally earned enough points for a decent prize. (Is it me or is it harder to collect Huggies points?) In a few weeks I should be receiving the Winnie the Pooh Folding Travel Potty Seat, which I figure will be useful by the time it gets in my hands. 

So lesson here is ... think ahead with your Pampers and Huggies points. If you're saving up for something really big, ask yourself these questions: How long will it take to collect that amount of points? By the time I get enough points, will my kid want to bother with the prize? And what's the likelihood of Pampers and Huggies removing the item?