My Latest Contest Win and My Two Cents

I picked up my latest contest win this week (as mentioned in previous blog post) 2011 Collector Edition Harvey Ellis Wedding Mirror made by Stickley Furniture

Value: $299

It is very pretty and both hubby and I like it and are trying to find a good place in our home to hang it.

I had a friend over for dinner last night and she said "you are so lucky!" Luck? Really I am not that lucky at all. I enter a lot of contests and at some point, you are bound to win! I only enter contests for companies that I know and trust therefore avoid scams and disappointment. This win has been just what I need to get motivated to enter a few more contests as I had slacked off over the winter.

My Two Cents
I use coupons and strongly believe in stockpiling groceries so that my family only pays the lowest possible price for the things we use every day.


Recently TLC has been running a new show called Extreme Couponing. So far I have been a little disappointed. Why:
Buying diapers for a baby you don't even have yet?
Buying 73 bottles of mustard just because the price is .43 cents after tax?

This is likely a case of the right idea with some misdirection.

Yes, if your family will use 73 bottles of mustard in the next two years by all means buy them - but I feed anywhere from 2 - 6 people at a time depending on which kid has landed at our dinner table for a meal(4 step kids) and we go through maximum 6 bottles of mustard in 1 - 2 years. Tying up your money in something you will never use seems a little misguided. I have personal maximums - 2 years worth on non perishables, 1 year on perishables. Every six months I have a good look at the stockpile and donate anything that I won't use in time by expiration to the food bank or shelter so that nothing goes to waste.

On the bright side the show does have a few couponers who donate to food banks, shelters and their churches, so I will continue to watch.

No great deals this week other than my Easter Turkey for .99 cents a pound which really is not that cheap but is as cheap as it gets here in Alberta. Spring is having a smack down with winter - we had another blizzard on Friday so no raking the snow mold off the front yard as planned this weekend. The Canadian Geese are bound and determined to stay until the ice melts so I wake up every morning to their chatter. Have a great week everyone!