This very substantial mortar and pestle (technically called a Molcajete, because of the styling) is an excellent way to grind down spices and herbs for your gourmet cooking at home. Made of natural granite, this is a substantial piece that you’ll use to make guacamole, salsa, and spice mixes, and dips for years to come!
Natural granite mortar and pestle (molcajete) – 6 inch size
IMUSA USA Granite Molcajete Spice Grinder, 6-Inch, Gray
* The Molcajete is the Mexican version of the traditional mortar and pestle, which is a kitchen tool that has been used for centuries!
* Also makes a stunning serving piece – or when not in use, use the mortar (the bowl section) to store limes and lemons.
Was $36.21 Now on Sale $26.90
I’m pretty sure that a combination of animals AND coffee all in one colouring book should go over well with everyone! (I know those are two things I’m rather passionate about. For instance, I REALLY love cats.) This cute little colouring book will give you hours of colouring fun and relaxation. And, it would make an ideal gift!
Coffee and Animals Colouring Book – was $9.69, Now $5.81!
CL Cuisiluxe 3-Piece Set Immersion Blender 50 % off Sale!!
* Powerful 300 watt immersion blender comes with a food chopper attachment AND a whisk attachment
* Use to make delicious, healthy smoothies
* Also ideal for pureeing soups
* Whisk attachment makes it easy to whip up egg whites or whipped cream
This would make a beautiful wedding gift, as it’s basically a 3-in-1 appliance! You can blend up smoothies and soups, whip cream, or use the food chopper to chop things like nuts or vegetables. Very handy indeed! And at $49.99 it’s our bargain of the day. 🙂
It doesn’t look like the need for face masks is going to go away anytime soon. So, I’ve been on the hunt for some well-made fabric face masks that you can use over and over again. These ones are all machine washable, and should be washed after every use. (I plan on getting a few masks, so a fresh one is always available when it’s needed.) We’ve also purchased the pack of 6 reusable black masks in our list below. We’ve found these masks at Well.ca and Amazon.ca.
Please note: You’ll notice a large price difference. That’s all down to where the masks are made. If you purchase Canadian made face masks, the price goes up. (The pack of black face masks is, for instance, made in China.)
* Made in Canada
* 2 layers of 100% cotton
* Contoured design means it’s comfortable to wear and even talk while wearing
* Machine washable
* Available in lots of popular fabrics such as: wild animal fabric, butterflies, neutral tones, and many more! Current price $14.97 each @ Well.ca
Well.ca has FREE shipping when you purchase at least $49.
6 Pack Black Reusable Face Masks
6Pcs Bandana Face Mouth Cover Face Buff Headwear Dust Anti-Pollution Anti-smog, Riding Dustproof Carbon Filters, Dustproof Mouth
This is the exact set that we recently purchase on Amazon, and we’ll be sure to come back and update on how we like this set of masks. The bargain was a good one – only $16.88 with Free Shipping. So, the deal is a good one. But, we’ll wait to see the quality of masks when we actually receive them.
* Bandana type face mask provides full coverage for face.
* Carbon filters are included.
Dana Clear Face Shield – Protect against Coronavirus
Dana Clear Face Shields
For an extra layer of protection, these clear face shields can be used on their own or in addition to a fabric or disposable face mask. Provides even more protection to prevent the spread of the virus. $11.99 each and CURRENTLY IN STOCK @ Well.ca
Well.ca’s Shipping is FREE when you purchase at least $49.
Make sure to fully wash and sanitize the face shield between uses.
Masks are just part of our new reality, so I’ll keep updating with new masks as I find them. Stay safe everyone! If we can help one another stay a bit healthier, it’s well worth it. And if you know of other handmade mask options here in Canada, please share them with us in the comments section!
Inspired by ‘Five Frugal Things’ posts over at Non Consumer Advocate AND the Frugal Girl, I decided to change things up a wee bit and at the same time add my own frugal accomplishments to my blog! Instead of 5, I’ve whittled it down to the three best thrifty things I’m doing right now.
Starbucks? Starbucks? Where art thou, dear coffee shop? (There, a little Shakespearean culture first thing on a Monday morning!) I love coffee. And for years, I’ve loved Starbucks. Truly everything about it made me happy, and the caffeinated boost it provided me in my busier (pre-pandemic) life was wonderful, too! But now, of course, everything is utterly changed. I’m working on our blogs (we also have a cat blog AND a gluten free blog) from home rather than working outside the house. So…the need for Starbucks and other takeout coffees has suddenly just vanished! Instead I stock up on good coffee deals, and brew it at home. The substantial savings of this are huge! (The best deal online I could find for you guys right now is this bag of Tim Horton’s coffee for $6.99)
Eating leftovers – The hub and I have developed a pretty good leftover meal system over the years. When we cook dinner, we make enough food for at least two nights. Then the next night, supper is already cooked! We just need to heat it up. We used to use leftovers as our lunches, but discovered we’d save more money on groceries if we had a simple lunch instead (think soup and salad, or scrambled eggs with veggies and toast or a sandwich) and then used the leftovers for suppertime. And, knowing we don’t have to cook the next night is hugely beneficial too!
Cheap entertainment – We’re watching lots of favourite shows on YouTube. Ever since I discovered Escape to the Country,that has become a true favourite of ours. British people escaping from London and other cities to find their perfect, charming cottage in the countryside? Yes please! It’s like travelling through all the sweetest spots of the UK from your sofa. Which is how we are all travelling right now. If you love all things British like we do, you’ll really enjoy this free show.
I’d love it if you left a comment with your Thrifty Three! What are you doing to save money right now, in these crazy and unprecedented times?
How do I apply for the CECRA for small businesses? What is the CECRA program? The Canadian government just announced more emergency measures for small businesses to help weather Covid-19. However, this time the focus is on helping commercial landlords. Let’s explain this new program.
How Do I Apply For the CECRA – What is it?
CECRA stands for Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance for small businesses. The goal of the program is to provide rental relief for small businesses. The government achieves this by providing forgivable loans to commercial landlords as an incentive to lower rents for their tenants.
How Do I Apply For The CECRA – How Does it Work?
First, the commercial landlord goes into an agreement with their tenant(s) to reduce their rent to 25% of normal rate for three months (April 2020 , May 2020, June 2020). The landlord will then take a loan from the Government of Canada to cover the other 75% for this time frame. If the landlord and tenant meet the program’s criteria, the landlord can have 2/3 of his/her loan forgiven. What does this mean in layman’s terms?
Suppose a landlord had a tenant who was paying $20,000 in rent each month. If the landlord wanted to be part of this program, they would go into an agreement to reduce their rent by 75% for April, May and June. This means the tenant would only pay $5000 per month for these three months. The landlord would then take a loan for $15000 per month for the three months from the government or $45000 in total. The landlord then can potentially have $10000 per month of the loanforgiven or $30000.
So what does this mean? it means that landlord will receive 75% of the required rent for these 3 months instead of 100%. The tenant will only pay 25% of their rent for same period. This means the landlord will incur a 25% loss in rent this time frame. But this amount is covered by the loan in which they pay back. Why would landlords choose to do this?
What is the Incentive for Landlords?
The government is banking on 3 reasons that landlords will apply for the programs. Here is a summary of the reasons from the Canada Mortgage and HousingCorporation whom the government is using to administer this program.
There is an incentive of getting a government loan where potentially 2/3 of it could be forgiven.
The landlord is guaranteed at least 50% of your rent for the months of April, May, and June. This is huge considering the alternative could be receiving NOTHING in rent if businesses can’t afford to pay.
Finally, eviction and finding new tenants can be an expensive and time consuming process that could be very costly. So, perhaps landlords can prevent this altogether.
How Can I Apply For The CECRA Program?
You will need to go to the CMHC website. However, the application portal for this program will not be open until Monday May 25, 2020 at 8:00 am eastern time. And then the government will take a staggered approach for applying due to the expected high volume. Here’s the schedule from the the CMHC website below:
NOTE: Once registered, the portal will be available 24/7 for applicants to input data and upload documents.
Day
Who should register?
Monday
Property owners who are located in Atlantic Canada, BC, Alberta and Quebec, with up to 10 tenants who are eligible for the program
Tuesday
Property owners who are located in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario and the Territories, with up to 10 tenants who are eligible for the program
Wednesday
All other property owners in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario and the Territories
Thursday
All other property owners in Atlantic Canada, BC, Alberta and Quebec
Friday
All
What Information Will I Need to Apply For the CECRA Program?
There are a few pieces of information you will need to give to apply for the program. Here are a list below from the the CMHC website:
Attestations
Tenant or Sub-tenant’s Attestation (sample PDF): Property owners must have each of their eligible commercial small business tenants and/or subtenants sign an attestation. The Tenants are responsible for attesting to their eligibility with the program requirements.Â
Property Owner’s Attestation (sample PDF): Property owners must sign an attestation. This confirms the information relating to the property owner and the property provided in the application is correct. And it attest to their eligibility with the program requirements.
Agreements
Rent Reduction Agreement (sample PDF): All application documents will be accessible on May 25, 2020. Property owners must enter into a legally binding rent reduction agreement with each impacted tenant. And confirm the rent reduction in accordance with the program terms and conditions. This agreement is conditional upon final approval of the application for CECRA for small businesses.
Forgivable Loan Agreement (sample PDF): Property owners must agree to the terms and conditions in the application and outlined in the forgivable loan agreement.
You’ll also need to provide the following information:
Property owner information
Property information includes: property address, property type, property tax statement, latest rent roll for each property and the number of commercial units
Applicant information includes: banking information, property owner contact information, co-ownership information and contact details for co-owners
Tenant information
Tenant information includes: tenant contact information, registered business name, lease area and the monthly gross rent for the period of April, May and June 2020
Conclusion
The CECRA program is a very detailed program. If you think you might want to apply, please go to the CMHC website and read it carefully. However, the amount of information provided could be overwhelming. Hopefully this summary helps you in understanding the program better. Which is important because this is a big decision to make and the stakes are high. Stay safe everyone.
Hello bargaineers and all of you who love a great deal! Today we’re zeroing in on the Ontario region, and the best deals that Giant Tiger has in store for you guys this week.
Not surprisingly, Ontario has the most Giant Tiger locations in Canada. There are (as I try to eagerly count them all from the Giant Tiger website) a total of 87 Giant Tigers in Ontario. Wow! We’re talking places like Ajax, Acton, Deep River, Goderich, Hanover, Niagara Falls, Hawkesbury, Stoney Creek, Windsor and many more! (I hope I mentioned your hometown. Woohoo!)
Okay, enough chit chat – let’s get right down to the deals at Giant Tiger this week, one of our very favourite discount stores here in Canada.
Please note that these specials are in effect May 20-May 26, 2020.
Giant Tiger Grocery Deals this Week (Ontario flyer)
Aqua Star salmon fillets, frozen (1 lb bags) Save $2.00 – $4.99
Belmont chicken or turkey burgers, frozen boxes of 852 grams Save up to $3.00 – Now $7.97
Bick’s baby dill pickles, or Yum Yum pickles (or other varieties) Save up to $1.00 – now $3.47 each
Chipits chocolate chips – big 835-1 kg size bags – $7.97 each (Was $9.97 regular price)
Clark beans $0.88 each (regular price $0.97)
Coca Cola or AHA sparkling water beverages – pack of 12 cans – 2 for $9.00 (Has anyone tried this new sparkling water yet? I’d like to, since I’m a sparkling water fanatic.)
Dare Real Mallows marshmallow candies – only 2 for $4.00 (or $2.49 each)
Duncan Hines cake mix or frosting – 3 for $4.00 (Must buy 3 to get sale price) (Need gluten free cake mix? This is my favourite one, written about on my gluten free blog.)
Voortman turnovers – HALF PRICE – Only $0.99 each!
Wonder bread $1.88 each (Limit of 6; also includes Wonder wraps and English muffins) – Regular price $0.97
Giant Tiger produce sales this week (Ontario flyer)
Apples, Envy variety (2 lb bags) $3.97 each
Apples, Jazz variety (2 lb bags) $3.97 each
Blueberries, 1 pint basket $2.44 each
Celery – head of – $1.47 each
Green onions (I believe it’s a 1 lb package, it was tricky to tell on the flyer!) $1.47 each
Mini cucumbers, 1 lb package – $1.47 each
Romaine lettuce hearts, package of 3 $1.97 each
Patio planter (10″) of blooming flowers only $9.97 each!
Household and Cleaning products on sale this week (Ontario flyer)
Febreze plug in air freshener refills $8.97 each (Save $1.00) – 2 refills per pack
Giant Value garbage bags – 40 large black bags OR 20 tall drawstring kitchen garbage bags – $2.97 (man, that’s an EXCELLENT deal on the big garbage bags, everyone! Stock up price for sure.)
Health and Beauty and Baby Stuff on Sale at Giant Tiger this Week
Old Spice or Secret deodorant – larger size – $4.97 each
Tresemme hair care (regular price $5.27-$6.26 each) Now only $4.97 each (I did a little hunting and found THIS Old Spice deodorant on Amazon for only $3.17. I thought that was a pretty good deal. And it’s for the large 85 gram size.)
Clothing Deals on at Giant Tiger this Week
Boys tanks or t-shirts for summer 2 for $8 or $5.00 each
Boys twill shorts OR girls ruffle tops OR girls knit shorts $8.00 each
Girls cute summer swing dress (In really cute fabrics, too – the flyer shows some cute florals and a lemon print. I’m all about the lemon print!) $12.00 each
Girls or boys sunglasses Only $4.00 each
Girls or boys summer hats Only $8.00 each (One size fits all)
Girls or boys novelty slides (summer shoes like flip flops) $10.00 a pair
Men’s cargo shorts Sizes 30-42 – $22 each
Men’s jammers shorts $10
MyStyle Plus size women’s popover/hoodie tops – $18 each
Women’s off-shoulder summer tops (They call them ‘cold shoulder tops. Haha, that’s cute!) $12 each
Women’s knit short sleeved tops $14 (Also available in plus size 1X-3X for $16 each.)
Women’s knit sleep shirts $10 each (Cute little novelty shirts with adorable sayings like: Allergic to Mondays)
Women’s stretch summer denim skimmers $20 each
Women’s summer dresses only $8.00 each
Ooh boy, there were lots of goodies available at Giant Tiger this week. (Giant Tiger people, have I mentioned how much I would LOVE it if you’d open a South Calgary location? Oh right, I have mentioned that before, I’m pretty sure.)
Hope we helped you save a wee bit of money this week all!
On May 12, 2020, the Canadian Government announced additional support for seniors during covid-19 to help them offset the increased cost of living resulting from the pandemic. Also announced was measures to help seniors deal with isolation and improve their quality of life. Finally, there was an extension of payments and allowances for seniors. Let’s take a look at each one of these new supports one by one.
Additional Support for Seniors During Covid-19, One Time Tax free Payment
The prime minister announced a one time tax-free payment of $300 for seniors eligible for the Old Age Security (OAS) pension, with an additional $200 for seniors eligible for the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS). This would give a total of $500 to individuals who are eligible to receive both the OAS and the GIS. The goal is to help seniors cover increased costs caused by the pandemic.
Additional Support for Seniors During Covid-19, Additional Funding to New Horizons for Seniors Program
The Government also announced that it is investing an additional $20 million dollars into the New Horizons for Seniors Program. The is to help support organizations that offer community based projects that help reduce isolation, improve the quality of life for seniors, and help them maintain a social support network.
Additional Support for Seniors During Covid-19, Extension of Allowance Payments
The government is temporarily extending seniors’ GIS and Allowance payments even if their 2019 income information has not been assessed. This will ensure that the most vulnerable seniors continue to receive their benefits. Also, seniors are encouraged to submit their 2019 income information as soon as possible and no later than by October 1, 2020. By doing so, they will avoid an interruption of benefits.
Conclusion
The government is trying to help the most vulnerable people affected by this pandemic and many seniors definitely fall into this category. The latest measures announced are a way to address this and hopefully many seniors can apply and will be helped by this. Even if the amounts are small, it is all a help. As the old saying goes, every little bit helps.
If you ask me, most laundry baskets or bins are ugly. And I mean UGGGLY. But, I came across this sale item at Linen Chest and thought: “Now, there is a laundry basket you’d be proud to display!” A lovely bamboo outer casing holds a durable fabric laundry bag. Sturdy bamboo handles make this laundry bin an easy one to tote around to the washing machine and back.
Bahari Laundry Bin Regular price $79.95 NOW on Sale for $59.95 with FREE Shipping
This is definitely the deal of the day, and since these will go fast I’m popping this up on the blog ULTRA quickly! Save a whopping 76% on these highly rated 20 oz jumbo gusseted pillow by LinenChest. Free Shipping on orders over $49 – so stock up on some gorgeous, comfortable new pillows and save a ton.
