Why should people with a bulging (e)Purse have all the fun? With these hacks, you can enjoy your student life and live the Canadian dream, all while being financially free.
Hack 1: Price Match
Are you in for doing the monthly grocery haul but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg? Try price matching. It is when a retailer decides to match the lower price advertised on a rival store’s flyers, selling you the identical product at a cheaper price than their own store. Believe it or not, it’s a more popular practice than you think. So, go ahead and download Flipp on your IOS or Android device to take advantage of the vast range of digital flyers and save away.
Hack 2: Be a Coupon Cutie
Okay firstly, you don’t have to go to an extreme length and be the crazy coupon person who plans their meals around weekly promotions of grocery stores. However, you can use coupons or apply online promo codes for things you were already going to purchase or places you were going to visit. In the future when you clear your mailbox, check for newspaper coupons for stores like No Frills, The Great Canadian Superstores and even Walmart OR you can print out coupons from these awesome Canadian sites.
Hack 3: Simply Share
They say sharing is caring, and that is what friends are for. However, there are times when it gets a little tricky to ask your friends for their fair share, when it might have genuinely slipped their minds to send you the amount, post celebration. Well, with the latest technology, the transactions are as transparent as they can get and are no longer awkward. From sharing rides for both short and long distance trips to splitting bills at a restaurant, you can start saving at the get-go and don’t have to worry about cutting back on the fun.
Hack 4: Pick Private Label Brands (PLBs):
Swearing by brands is OK, but sometimes opting for the stores’ PLBs is worth the try. Next time you walk into stores like Walmart, Costco or Loblaws, try their in-store brands like Equate, Great Value, Kirklands Signature and President’s Choice and be shook by the amount of $$ you’ll be saving.
Hack 5: Bring Your Own Bags:
BYOB-ing your way through shopping can save on the cost of store bags. Although each bag is 5-10 cents, it does add up considering the frequency of visits to these stores. Don’t worry if you don’t own reusable bags, you can ask the cashier for the in-store sustainable tote bags and in the process, save some sea-turtles.
Hack 6: Wait for Major Sales
Have you heard of the phrase, “Good things come to those who wait”? This is a fact when it comes to going on a shopping spree during the holiday season in North America. Two of the major annual sales in Canada, “Black Friday” on November 26, 2021 and “Boxing Day” on December 26, 2021, come in handy if you want to buy EVERYTHING for dirt cheap.
Hack 7: Visit online/ offline Thrift Stores
A little saving from thrifting can go a long way. Be it clothes, shoes, electronics or even textbooks, good quality hand-me downs have never hurt anybody. Popular Ontarian thrift stores and online sites like Kijiji, Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace are safe haven for people looking to cut back on their expenses. On the flipside, you can also earn some bucks selling your unused or moderately used items at these places.
Hack 8: Install Payd
Remember putting dimes, loonies and toonies into small piggy banks as kids and the joy you used to get while putting those savings to good use- like buying that delicious cone of ice-cream or a friendship band for your BFF?
Well, Payd is just like that, except it helps you crush your student debt. With 4 unique features like- Round-Up, Cash-Back, Crowdsourcing and Investments, the application will help you safely pay back your student loans, tension free. All you need to do is download the app from the App Store or Google Play and the rest will be taken care of. Click here to know how Payd works its magic.
So, absolute financial independence or saving up for a rainy day- no matter what your goal is, all you have to do is start small, slowly work your way up and be consistent.
