Using the internet to save money in Canada

I wrote this article a couple of years ago.  I have updated it, but the majority of it still held up. Some links were changed.

   

With the rising cost of food and other products, people are looking for any way of saving. The Internet is a wonderful tool to help you in your search for savings.

I can't promise that all the ways will work all the time, but it never hurts to try.

Contact Companies Directly

Check the advertisement or product package, and more often than not, you can find the website or email address.  The product website just might have coupons, offers, and possible samples.

 Email the companies. Tell them that you really like their products and ask if they will send you coupons. Cosmetic companies will sometimes offer samples if you say that you wish to try before you purchase.  

Don't hesitate to complain. Companies like to know if something is not right. Be prepared to give serial numbers, UPC, and/or expiration dates from the product. Sometimes the companies will send discount coupons in response. Also, praise a product if you really like it.

To find contact information, look for the 'Contact Us' link on the websites.  If you can't find it, look for a link called Sitemap.

 Remember to leave your name and address in your email.

Some websites and companies have print your own coupons. I find them difficult to use because some stores refuse them.  If you live in an area where these are not accepted, contact the company, inform them that local stores don't accept them and ask if they could possibly send you a 'real' coupon.

Companies often have email newsletters. They provide you with heads- up on new products, offers, coupons, samples, and contests.

Restaurants

Sign up for your favourite restaurant's newsletters. Some of them send you free or discounted meals for your birthday. Newsletters often contain special events.  Again, don't hesitate to complain if a meal was not up to snuff, or send a letter of praise if service was extra special. Most national and international chains have websites, but make sure you have the Canadian site.  

Stores

Most chains and outlets have web pages. You can sign up for newsletters with information on sales and web-only specials. Some offer discount coupons or giveaways as well. Also, you can check a store's website for the weekly flyer.

If you want to check flyers and don't have the newspaper you can check out flyers online.

http://www.flyermall.com/web/flyer/store.html lists most online flyers.

Coupon direct sites

www.save.ca , www.brandsaver.ca , www.websaver.ca www.gocoupons.ca

At these websites you select your province, and a list of coupons is shown. You must chose at least three, and not more than twenty. Then follow the instructions, type in your information, and in a week to ten days you will get the coupons sent to you via regular mail. Coupons have a short life, expiring usually in about 3 months. Some of the coupons you can order once, some twice a year, some every three months.

 At https://www.pgbrandsampler.com/brandsampler.jsp  they give away P&G sample packages occasionally. You can get up to 8 sample sizes of various products after filling in a survey. You must register, and they will email you when samples will be given away. There are a limited supply of products, so when the promotions are on, you mustn't dally.


Group sites
These are sites that a "deal" will be posted, and if enough people sign up for the deal, it happens. There are various incations of these types of sites, some local, some have web deals as well. Deals might be for merchandise or services, http://www.groupon.ca/  and http://www.cityxpress.com

A word of warning. Do some due dilegence here.  CBC program Market did a feature on one of these such sites and it is worth watching. http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/episodes/2013/04/whats-the-deal.html While the program deals with one specific site, the warnings might be applied to any of them. 

Freecycle

www.freecycle.org

Instead of throwing out things that might have some use left in them, some people a are willing to give it away for free!

People post them on local Freecycle sites. You can find a local group from the national website. Some sites allow you to place a wanted posting. From the main page you can find a group in your area, or information on starting one up. There is a Windsor based group, as well as a Leamington based group.

Blogs and Forums

There are several good blogs and forums out there that can help you with saving money.  They often list links to store flyers, deals, and coupons.  Several include forums where people share links to freebies, samples, coupons and contests.

For Canadians these include:

http://canadian-freebies-n-stuff.com/

www.smartcanucks.ca

www.canadianfreestuff.com

Another benefit of these types of sites is that coupon trains are often started here. A person will announce that a train is starting and ask for ten to twelve 'passengers'. The person will gather a list of addresses, and send a package of coupons to the the first person on the list. That one will take some coupons, and replace them with ones of equal value that you don't need, and then send the train off to the next person on the list.

You must register and log in to view the forums, but there is no charge. Use your Hotmail or Gmail to register, and under options, make sure that your privacy settings are set high. Use a nickname, as your username, and if you don't want email, check the user page.

Word of Mouth Programs

Word of Mouth is a buzz in advertising. For example www.buzzagent.com offers you the opportunity to try products and promotional sites, and ask you to create 'buzz' among your friends and family. You post your promotion on the word of mouth site. You sometimes receive the product for free, and get coupons to pass on to those you buzz. Other sites are http://www.theinsidersnet.com or  http://www.brandpower.ca/ 

Book publishers sometimes offer advance reading copies of books to people, and hold contests for copies. If you blog, you might get advanced copies as well.  Check out publisher websites.

Facebook
Increasingly, companies are using Facebook for contests, giveaways, and sample offerings. Often samples and giveaways are limited, and go fast.  Keep an eye on your favourite companies Facebook pages. 

Your local library
Most libraries now offer e-books for downloading. Check your local library website, or pay them a visit.

Keeping Safe and Words of Warning

To get things you've gotta give. Most sites have Privacy Policies, explaining what they do with the information they gather from you.  They claim to keep it safe, but often share information with other parties. The news is full of stories of information gone missing.

The original company might keep your data safe, but partners may not be so secure. There is a huge market for verifiable email address.

  Spam, the electronic version of junk mail, is a fact of life anymore. More dangerous are emails that carry viruses, or fraudulent scams. Take the time to learn about viruses, phishing, and 419 fraud. Always make sure that your computers anti virus program is up to date and running.

Here are some ways to keep you and your data safe, and your junk mail to a minimum.

Get yourself a Hotmail, Gmail, or Yahoo account to keep junk out of your general email account. This is almost a must. These accounts are free to use, and can be disposed of easily. Keep it exclusively for offers.

Always read the forms carefully. The privacy policies that most websites have, are mind numbing to read at best, but they spell out what the companies say they do with your information. Read them.

Watch what information you give out. Sometimes things are optional, such as birthdates and phone numbers. Don't give out any more information that you need to. I play around with the phone, sometimes putting 000-000-0000 works. If it isn't required, don't give it. 

There are often boxes asking if you want email from partners and third parties. If you don't check carefully how the request is written, you may end up with more email than you want.

It  is imperative to  to have a competent anti virus program. Learn how to use it, and run it often.

How much time you want to spend in your on line search is up to you. The time spent can be worth it in terms of savings.