Holiday spending costs are higher from last year, but the good news is that we`re cutting back in one area: entertainment. Here are five tips to help you have fun for less.
According to Bank of Montreal’s 2012 holiday spending outlook, the average Canadian will be spending approximately $1,610 this holiday – a figure that includes the cost of gifts, travel and entertainment. The amount is higher than last year – $213 higher to be exact. Not great news considering that Canadians are at record high debt levels, but there’s a silver lining. When you break down the costs, we’re actually cutting back in one area: entertainment. So while we may be spending more on travel and gifts, we’re eating out less and cutting back on all that holiday booze cheer, which can cost you more than you budgeted for. Here are the Bank of Montreal’s average spending numbers as compared to last year| Purchases |
2012 |
2011 |
| Gifts | $674 |
$583 |
| Trips | $563 |
$360 |
| Entertaining | $267 |
$307 |
| Other | $106 |
$147 |
Are you planning on spending less on holiday entertainment this year? If so, here are five quick and painless tips to help you cut back.
1. Make your own hostess gifts
Homemade ornaments, cookies and candies or even scented bath oils are all great thank you gifts to tote to parties and drop-ins. And they beat store-bought chocolates any day.
2. Host a potluck
Throwing a holiday party? Ask everyone to bring their favourite dish as a fun way to try new foods and share the costs of the meal.
3. Opt for drinks instead of dinner
Skip the expensive dinners out and meet your friends for holiday drinks instead. But beware: don’t indulge too much or you’ll end up spending more on drinks than you planned (and with an unwanted hangover the next day).
4. Organize a skating party
Meet your friends at the local ice rink instead of at a restaurant or bar. Tote some hot chocolate, cookies and enjoy!
5. Stay home
Are you running yourself ragged going from party to party? Then stop and have a night in. Party-going means extra money spent on gifts, wine, and the other things one habitually takes along to parties. Opt out and visit friends in 2013 instead.
Ontario residents will be hit with a messy mix of rain and snow, as a low pressure system makes its way across the region.
Environment Canada said the storm will start Thursday afternoon and continue into Friday, the official first day of winter.
Southwestern Ontario can expect the rain to start Thursday, turning into wet snow overnight as temperatures hover above the freezing mark. Wet snow will continue throughout Friday with a couple of centimetres of accumulation expected by evening.
For Toronto, rain and wet flurries will begin Thursday while the temperature will reach a high of 6 C. By Friday precipitations will change to wet snow, with an expected total accumulation of 2 cm.
The traditional snow belt areas near Lake Huron and Georgian Bay can expect heavier snow with possible snow squalls developing Friday night.
For northeastern Ontario, residents can expect a total snow accumulation between 5 cm to 15 cm by Friday night. Areas stretching from Bayfield Inlet into the Ottawa Valley can expect 15 cm or more.
By Saturday windy and cold conditions are forecast for all regions.
The weather agency warns that driving conditions will begin to deteriorate Thursday afternoon.
http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/storm-to-hit-ontario-on-eve-of-winter-s-official-start-1.1086694#ixzz2FdF03mBI
How and when you eat can impact your health—and your weight. Upgrade your eating habits to maximize fat burning and keep hunger at bay
Certainly what we eat has an enormous impact on our health and weight status. But did you know that when and how we eat also make a huge difference? Eating at the appropriate times throughout the day will help to maximize fat burning and keep hunger at bay.
Aim to eat every 3 to 4 hours. Most people eat three meals and one snack, while others may prefer four smaller meals; you're free to find the combination that works best for you. Timing your meals in this way will improve your fat loss by preventing excess insulin, allowing leptin to work its magic on appetite control and metabolism, and by balancing the stress hormone cortisol. You should also enjoy your meals at the same time every day.
Eat within 1 hour of rising. Your mom was also right when she told you breakfast was the most important meal of the day. When you skip breakfast, you lose its stimulating benefits on your metabolic rate. You also become more likely to eat unbalanced meals, more calories, and larger amounts of saturated fat throughout the day. Plenty of research shows that those of us who skip breakfast are actually heavier. Missing out on a healthy morning meal also increases stress hormones.
Never eat within 3 hours of bedtime. Eating too close to bedtime raises your body temperature, increases blood sugar and insulin, prevents the release of melatonin, and cuts down on growth hormone release. All these factors interfere with the quality of your sleep and the natural fat-burning benefits of a good night’s rest. Furthermore, sleep deprivation leads to more cravings and a greater likelihood of overeating the next day.
If you must eat before bed, opt for a light meal or snack that's high in protein and low in carbohydrates and fat, such as a protein shake made with berries and water, salad with grilled chicken, or a shrimp and veggie stir-fry.
Start the day with protein. For better appetite control throughout the day, try combining your starchy carbs at lunch, dinner, or after your workouts rather than at breakfast. Stick to eggs or whey protein smoothies for breakfast and you'll eat less throughout the day.
Always eat within 45 minutes of finishing your workout. This meal or snack is the only one of the day that should not contain much fat and should be higher in carbohydrates. For example, have a smoothie made with juice, fruit, and protein powder, but no flaxseeds or oil.
Never do your weight training on an empty stomach. You will need energy from your foods to perform optimally. You may, however, complete your cardio before eating if your session will be less than 30 minutes.
Focus on your food. Do not eat while you are doing anything else (i.e., watching TV, working, surfing on the computer, etc.). Focus on chewing your food and relaxing while you eat.
Eat protein first. Eat the protein on your plate first to help speed the signal to your brain that you are full.
Drink alcohol last. If you have alcohol or wine, do so after your meal to enhance the hormones involved in appetite control and digestion.
Our shopping pros have curated their fave sites to help you make quick work of your holiday list
Gifts.com
This curated site pulls the best of the best gifts from around the web into one “present portal” and lets you narrow down your search by age, price and personality!
iTunes
A great gift for people on the go, iTunes lets you give the mover and shaker on your list access to hundreds of yoga series and fitness routines that they can do anywhere. And, for the dancing queen, plenty of music to keep those toes tapping!
Yogitoes
Yogis don’t let yogis do sun salutations on slippery mats. This sustainability-minded yoga company sells “smart” slip-free accessories in cosmic colours.
http://www.chatelaine.com/living/budgeting/online-shopping-destinations-for-everyone-on-your-list-2/
Mr. Sam Chopra has been conferred "The Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year - 2012" at the prestigious APEA awards!! Congratulations Sam from Team Khan at RE/MAX All-Stars in Canada!
Asif Khan, ABR
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.
Re/Max Hall of Fame
click here: http://bit.ly/Phzcqe
Mr. Sam Chopra has been conferred "The Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year - 2012" at the prestigious APEA awards!! Congratulations Sam from Team Khan at RE/MAX All-Stars in Canada!
Asif Khan, ABR
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.
Re/Max Hall of Fame
click here: http://bit.ly/Phzcqe
We all need some sodium but most of us eat about 3400 mg of sodium per day. This is more than double the amount we need for good health. Healthy adults need only 1500 mg of sodium per day. Healthy children need only 1000-1500 mg of sodium per day. Most foods we eat contain too much sodium.Eating too much sodium can cause high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and kidney disease.
Given that the investment you make in your home is probably the largest financial commitment you have ever made, it stands to reason that when looking to sell your home, the proceeds received will also be the largest amount of money that you will be handling.
Consequently, it is logical that you should optimize the amount of money you walk away with when selling your home. This can be achieved by using a little commonsense and perhaps investing a little so as to return a lot.
Lighting
When it comes to optimizing rooms before listing your home for sale, a little light goes a long way. When people enter a dark, drab house it is an immediate turnoff, so, unless you want to market your house to vampires, ensure your house has plenty of natural light.
Consequently, if you have neglected to clean your windows, do so. You would be surprised how built-up dust and grime on windows actually blocks natural light. Similarly, if you have curtains that could do with a wash, now is the time to get to it!
Painting
Similarly, a coat of paint in a light, neutral color can optimize a room and make it seem bigger and more airy. You don’t have to invest in having the whole house re-painted; the living room, kitchen, and master bedroom should be sufficient.
Reflections
Even if your home is not big, a strategically placed mirror can give the impression of a sizable area and optimize a room. Believe it or not, a mirror that is strategically placed at the entrance of your home can give an illusion that the area is larger than it appears.
Immaculate
Don’t even think of listing your home until it is tidy. It is one thing to show your house as a home but people consider their mess homey, not yours. A home is not at its best when it’s loaded full of removal boxes. It doesn’t leave potential buyers with a good impression and there is no way a house can look neat and tidy when full of boxes, even if they are all stacked up nicely in one room.
Unless you want to remove the boxes from your home and place them in temporary storage, a relatively cheap and effective solution is storage sheds. You can purchase a storage shed for the backyard. They are inexpensive and easy to assemble and all your boxes can be moved to the shed – out of sight, out of mind, into a deal for your home sale.
A good friend of mine just told me about the Scanner Price Accuracy Voluntary Code this morning. I had never hear of this, however we've all been victim to it. How many times have you shopped somewhere and had the wrong price come up at the cash register? Did you know if that item is under $10, it is yours for free? If it is over $10, you are entitled to a $10 discount.
Take a read at the policy below. All retailers must abide by this. This will surely save you some money in the future. Please share this with your friends and family. Thank you Randy for bringing this to my attention!! The Competition Bureau has endorsed the Scanner Price Accuracy Voluntary Code, which evolved from the collaborative efforts of the Retail Council of Canada, the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores, the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers and the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors. These associations are composed of national, regional and local retailers selling a wide assortment of general merchandise, as well as pharmaceutical and food products. This Code, implemented in June 2002, applies to all scanned Universal Product Code (UPC), bar coded, and/or Price Look Up (PLU) merchandise sold in all participating stores, with the exception of goods such as prescription drugs which are not easily accessible to the public and price-ticketed items. Purpose of the Code The purpose of the Code is to: Visibly demonstrate retailer commitment to scanner price accuracy;
Provide retailers with a consistent national framework for dealing with scanner price accuracy issues; and
Provide the retail industry with a mechanism for consumer redress in scanner price accuracy cases, to be managed by a Scanner Price Accuracy Committee.
Key Features of the Code The Item Free Scanner Policy – The Retailers' Promise of Price Accuracy. If the scanned price of a non-price ticketed item is higher than the shelf price or any other displayed price, the customer is entitled to receive the item free, up to a $10 maximum. When the item has a price tagged, the lowest price applies. When identical items are incorrectly priced, the second one will be sold at the correct price. What does the Code cover? The Code covers all scanned merchandise at participating retail outlets where this sign is displayed at the store entrance or checkout. Scanning Code of Practice If the scanned price of a non-price item is higher than the shelf price or any other displayed price, the customer is entitled to receive the first item free, up to a $10 maximum. If a Code of Practice problem cannot be resolved at the store level, please call 1-866-499-4599 to register your complaint. What is a non-price ticketed item? A non-price ticketed item is any bar coded merchandise that does not have a price affixed to the merchandise. What happens if two or more identical non-price ticketed items are incorrectly scanned? Customers are entitled to the first item free (up to a maximum of $10) and the subsequent item(s) at the correct price. How can I claim my refund? Cashiers are authorized to implement the Item Free Scanner Policy. If you are not satisfied with the cashier's decision, you may speak to the store manager or supervisor. If you are still dissatisfied with the outcome, you may register a complaint with the Scanner Price Accuracy Committee, by calling 1-866-499-4599 (toll free).
Happy Shopping everyone! Asif Asif Khan, ABR
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.
Re/Max Hall of Fame
click here: http://bit.ly/Phzcqe
Take a read at the policy below. All retailers must abide by this. This will surely save you some money in the future. Please share this with your friends and family. Thank you Randy for bringing this to my attention!! The Competition Bureau has endorsed the Scanner Price Accuracy Voluntary Code, which evolved from the collaborative efforts of the Retail Council of Canada, the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores, the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers and the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors. These associations are composed of national, regional and local retailers selling a wide assortment of general merchandise, as well as pharmaceutical and food products. This Code, implemented in June 2002, applies to all scanned Universal Product Code (UPC), bar coded, and/or Price Look Up (PLU) merchandise sold in all participating stores, with the exception of goods such as prescription drugs which are not easily accessible to the public and price-ticketed items. Purpose of the Code The purpose of the Code is to: Visibly demonstrate retailer commitment to scanner price accuracy;
Provide retailers with a consistent national framework for dealing with scanner price accuracy issues; and
Provide the retail industry with a mechanism for consumer redress in scanner price accuracy cases, to be managed by a Scanner Price Accuracy Committee.
Key Features of the Code The Item Free Scanner Policy – The Retailers' Promise of Price Accuracy. If the scanned price of a non-price ticketed item is higher than the shelf price or any other displayed price, the customer is entitled to receive the item free, up to a $10 maximum. When the item has a price tagged, the lowest price applies. When identical items are incorrectly priced, the second one will be sold at the correct price. What does the Code cover? The Code covers all scanned merchandise at participating retail outlets where this sign is displayed at the store entrance or checkout. Scanning Code of Practice If the scanned price of a non-price item is higher than the shelf price or any other displayed price, the customer is entitled to receive the first item free, up to a $10 maximum. If a Code of Practice problem cannot be resolved at the store level, please call 1-866-499-4599 to register your complaint. What is a non-price ticketed item? A non-price ticketed item is any bar coded merchandise that does not have a price affixed to the merchandise. What happens if two or more identical non-price ticketed items are incorrectly scanned? Customers are entitled to the first item free (up to a maximum of $10) and the subsequent item(s) at the correct price. How can I claim my refund? Cashiers are authorized to implement the Item Free Scanner Policy. If you are not satisfied with the cashier's decision, you may speak to the store manager or supervisor. If you are still dissatisfied with the outcome, you may register a complaint with the Scanner Price Accuracy Committee, by calling 1-866-499-4599 (toll free).
Happy Shopping everyone! Asif Asif Khan, ABR
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.
Re/Max Hall of Fame
click here: http://bit.ly/Phzcqe