Think outside the Chinese takeout box

If there's one thing I learned (actually there are many) from planning my wedding last year it was to shop for things in places with no connection to wedding or special events. When retailers tack wedding, holiday, party or special event onto things, or heck, when they aim them directly at female buyers, they have a tendency hike the prices way up. The key to getting things at the best price is really all about patience and using a little savvy when it comes to searching online. A great example of this is Chinese takeout boxes. In lieu of wedding favors I had a candy buffet at my wedding and wanted to use Chinese takeout containers as the vessel into which guests would place their candy. What I didn't want was to spend $1.00 or more per box.



So I set out in search of cheap Chinese takeout boxes in Toronto, firstly the old fashioned way –by visiting stores. This search took me to Michael's, Wal-Mart, Party Packagers, a craft shop in the Vaughn Mills mall and a bunch of other places I can't recall. However, ever one of those places wasn't giving me a good enough price. That's when I let my fingers do the footwork…across my keyboard of course, and set out searching for wholesale Chinese takeout boxes.


 

Awsome coupons and free stuff in Canada

So it seems I'm on a money-saving kick these days.I've just come across a veritable buffet of coupons online, including one for free Staryfree Ultra-thin 18's.

Get free stuff and savings on toiletries here(plus other coupons if you click around the site):

Save.ca

Find over $140 worth of savings on P&G stuff  here:

brandsaver.ca

Canadian Shopping Deals: Kitchen Stuff Plus

During my usual daily peruse of the interwebs, I came across a fantastic bargain and of course I wanted to share.

This Wilton Pro II Deluxe Cookie Gun is only at Kitchen Stuff Plus, for only $29.99! It's usually about 40 bucks, so I'm for sure running out to get one. My current cookie press/cookie gun is at least ten years old and has a tendency to seize up, making it pretty much impossible to squirt the little dough shapes out. I love making spritz cookies for Christmas, so this new cookie gun will definitely come in handy.

Actually, speaking of Christmas, wouldn't this make a wonderful Christmas gift for someone? Possibly a dear friend with a young child who might enjoy the fun of using a cookie gun? Definitely a great Christmas for bakers, or a great gift for kids who enjoy baking. That's it, I'm getting two!!

Best Interior Paint EVER!

Like many a Domestinista, I absolutely LOVE decorating and redecorating, (and re redecorating) the rooms in my house. There's nothing like coming up with a brand new color palette, plotting the room organization and filling the space with fabulous bits of furni, tschotskes and other delightful bits.

However, and again like many diva-licious Domestinistas, I'm not so into the toil certain aspects of a redesign can require. Applying interior paint would of course be at the top of my list. I am so not a fan. But what pulls a new room design together more than splashing the walls with a new hue. So hottie hubby and I took ourselves down to the local HoPo , following some lengthy paint chip recon on my part –which he for some reason wanted no part of (who doesn't love staring at rack after rack of similarly colored paint chips?) and selected our interior paint.

Prior to painting, the interior paint in our living room and dining room was a hideous baby poop brown color that the previous homeowners probably got on special, as its hideousness had infected several other rooms as well.

We'd learned from a previous painting adventure that primer was a must have , particularly since I wanted my new interior paint to be a creamy blue green that was much lighter in color. I had also learned from the great kitchen paint of '09 that priming adds another layer of work and I hate it. It messes with my need for instance gratification.

Enter the most fabtastic interior paint ever! CIL Smart is interior paint and primer in one and I LOVE it! It's fantastic, and the only paint I'll ever use from now on. It's thicker than regular paint and apparently very scrubbable; although I can't comment on that aspect just yet.

CIL Smart interior paint helped us take our rooms from that horrible dark brown to a wonderful, creamy pale color in only two coats!

At the cash register, CIL Smart costs about $10 more than CIL's basic interior paint; however, in the end, I think it actually costs less overall. With primer build into the CIL Smart interior paint, you save money on a can or two of primer. You also don't have to buy a second paint tray or tray liner. You don't have to use a second brush/roller or waste water on cleaning a brush/roller before reusing it for your paint. You spend less time painting, which equals less time with the lights on in that room, which equals lower utility cost (ok, I may be reaching there). Lol.

The biggest savings is in effort and time spent painting, which I happen to think is the most important.

So, if you're planning to purchase some interior paint sometime in the near future, maybe give CIL Smart a try. It's very worth it!

http://www.cil.ca/products/brands/cil-smart3.html

The Color of Style

What's the hot color (colour for my lovely Canadians) for this year's most fashionable kitchens? Well green, of course, darlings. What else?! Of course I'm not talking about having hubby slather your walls in a refreshing shade of Bartlett pear, I mean eco green (but of course you knew that, savvy domestinista that you are).

There are oodles of ways that we can create a greener kitchen, like buying new energy efficient appliances or installing counter tops and cabinets made of sustainable materials. Fabulous ideas of course, and the perfect excuse to finally get that kitchen of your dreams; however, this Domestinista likes green ideas, and well, just about anything really, that keeps a few extra pennies in my pocketbook. That’s why my current fav money save is an old idea that new all over again, and that’s home canning.


You’ll reduce your carbon footprint by making and canning your own fruits, sauces, relishes and more, and possibly even save a few bucks come holiday season with your scrumptious homemade gifts! Just think of the extra mani/pedi money you’ll have!

Now, before you even entertain the thought of standing alone in the kitchen, behind a mountain of ravishing romas for an entire day, let me give you the skinny on two ab fab ways to get into the canning game.

#1 – Take a test drive

A company called Ball has a spectacular little kit that helps newbies test the waters without making a big commitment. The kits are practically a steal, at under $15.00 each and allow you to do three jars. Simple and affordable. What more could you ask for?



#2 –Canning party

No need for a test drive and ready to take the saucy plunge into home canning? Grab a few of your like-minded bffs, a bountiful harvest (or farmers market find), and home canning gear for a canning party. You’ll be able to share the work and divide the results, with a light lunch and some great together time as a bonus.

Want to learn more about home canning before you dive right in? Here’s a great read to get you started.