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Extreme Couponing Meets Extreme Rewards Program-ing

Part 3 of 3

For students, or anyone on a budget. These tips will help you get the most out of free aps and rewards programs without filling up your wallet or email with junk.

Last week I explained to great detail how I collect so many points at Shoppers Drug Mart. When you find a store you like to shop at and know how the program works you can really use it to your advantage to get the most out of it.

I recently joined the Aeroplan bandwagon for my traveling fever, although I wasn’t too keen on it. I didn’t think I would ever have enough points to travel anywhere. The free Aeroplan orange card gives you 1 point per dollar spent at participating locations like Esso, Home Hardware, many hotels, car rentals and so on (see participating locations here). It offers more points if you pair it with its many different credit card lines (see credit cards here).

I was first intrigued by it when I saw that TD Bank was having a promotion on signing up for the credit card. I got 30,000 Aeroplan points for opening up the card, which worked out to be two short haul round trip flights (here is a link to the TD Aeroplan promotion on now). Although the card does have an annual fee, there are some bank accounts that wave it. I already had a travel visa card and didn’t think I would use this one very much so I cancelled it after six months. I was able to keep the points and my fee refunded.

While I was working at my last co-op placement I was traveling quite a bit: renting cars, staying in hotels, flying etc. I was able to use my orange Aeroplan card and TD Aeroplan card to rack up a ton of points. Now that I just have the orange card I still use it for gas at Esso and other retailers that carry it. I recommend that if you are going to go the Aeroplan route you should sign up for some type of credit card that gives you bonus points and has promotions. It will take you years to get enough points to even buy a gift card. Here is a chart to see how many Aeroplan points you need to fly. If you got 30,000 bonus points for signing up for the Aeroplan credit card you would have enough trips for 2 short haul round trips in North America.

The only part of the Aeroplan card that I am not to fond of is the redemptions. If you want to fly with your Aeroplan points you have to fly Air Canada. I am a West Jet gal. Aeroplan also has a bunch of blackout dates you can’t use your miles on and etcetera. If you aren’t too picky on when you travel, and enjoy Air Canada than the Aeroplan card is definitely for you! Even if you don’t intend to travel you can use your points for merchandise and gift cards. I highly recommend it!

My final favourite rewards app is Open Table. I had never heard of it before until a co-worker booked one of our company lunches with it. Open Table Dining Rewards is a frequent-diner program. You can book online reservations through restaurants that are partnered with it and will be awarded a certain amount of Dining Points. Once you accumulate a certain number of Dining Points, you will be able to redeem them for a Dining Reward, such as a Dining Rewards Gift or an Amazon Gift Card. You usually get about 100 – 500 points for honouring an online reservation. Once you have 2,000 points you can redeem it for $20 to spend at any of the restaurants that are partnered with the app. Before signing up for free I recommend you check the restaurant listings first. If you find one you visit frequently then it is a no brainer. The best part about Open Table is that they have restaurants partnered with it from all over the world. For someone who goes out for the occasional beer at Beer town this is a great app! The most exciting news is that Montana’s and Boston Pizza are coming to the app soon! Check our the app here.

So whatever you favourite company or store is remember to find out as much about their rewards program and stick to it. If you shop with multiple loyalty programs with similar products you will never get anything back. Take advantage of the programs you are being offered and save some money!

#savemoney rewards

Extreme Couponing Meets Extreme Rewards Program-ing

Part 2 of 3

For students, or anyone on a budget. These tips will help you get the most out of free apps and rewards programs without filling up your wallet or email with junk.

Last week I talked about the best flyer shopping App called Flipp. By making my grocery list and checking sale items with coupons I have been able to save a lot of money. This week I will be highlighting my favourite features of the Shoppers Optimum Rewards Program.

Lets face it ladies, we all get enticed by the cosmetics department at Shoppers. I find this is the place where my wallet really takes a beating. By using the program efficiently I have been able to save points and money to treat myself on products I would not normally be able to afford.

The Shoppers Optimum Program rewards you 10 points for every dollar spent. At 8,000 you get $10, 22,000 for $30, 38,000 for $60, 50,000 for $85 and 95,000 for $170. By getting 10 points per dollar you would have to spend $800 to save $10. Now that sounds absolutely terrible. Going at this speed alone, you would never get any real value from the card. The way to get the most bang for your buck is to use the 20x the points events and sign up for their exclusive coupons. (Check out the program here)

The 20x the points events happen once every month. The way it works is you have to spend at least $50 to receive 20x the points. At $50 you would be getting 500 points regularly or 10,000 points on the 20x days. Now by spending $50 you get a little more than $10 in points instead of spending $800 to get $10. That is much better! I only shop on 20x the points day for two reasons:

1. I don’t over spend by only buying what I need once per month

2. In a years time I have enough points to buy stocking stuffers for my whole family

In one year I would have spent $600 at shoppers ($50 x 12 months) and received 120,000 points (500pts x 20x each month), which works out to be $200 in points (95,000pts = $170 + 25,000pts = $30). This way you get about 33% back in points instead of their regular program at about 0.002% back.

To ramp up your points collection you can also sign up for their exclusive coupons. Each week you get bonus points on products that you can load to your card for when you purchase the item. It’s kind of neat and creepy that it knows the products you love. I always get bonus points on buying the shampoo I normally use. Sometimes you even get bonus 20x the points coupon days. The Shoppers app allows you to load the bonus points right to your card without having to print them off, which is very handy. You just have to be careful not to get too excited and over spend.

My favourite method to shop at Shoppers is to combine all these promotions plus the Flipp app. Shoppers is usually more expensive than other drug stores, but they have really fantastic sales. I always plan my visit before going to Shoppers. I look at the Flipp app to see what is on sale and what coupons there are for the items I want to buy. Then I match up my coupons and sale items with the 20x the points events and bonus points coupons on my Shoppers app. It may seem like a bit of work, but just a little bit of planning can help you collect an incredible amount of points and save money. (Check out the Flipp App here)

Stay tuned next week for when I highlight savings tips for Aereoplan and my favourite restaurant dining app, Open Table.

#LoyaltyCustomers cosmetics savemoney makeup

Extreme Couponing Meets Extreme Rewards Program-ing

Part 1 of 3

For students, or anyone on a budget. These tips will help you get the most out of free aps and rewards programs without filling up your wallet or email with junk.

Every company seems to have a loyalty program now a days. Even local coffee stores are offering the buy five get one free incentives. With so many programs out there (with annoying emails that come with it) it’s hard to know if you are really getting any value.

It’s important to remember one thing: The more the NOT merrier. The more cards and loyalty programs you sign up for the more emails and cards you have that you forget about and delete. It is important to pick a few that you know you are going to use frequently. Before you sign up for another free rewards program make sure it fits your needs. Think about the purchases you make, the stores you frequent most and any big purchases you may need to make that these programs could help out with. For me, the Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum Card, Aeroplan card, Flipp App and Open Table program are my favourites.

Lets start with my favourite shopping App Flipp:

Flipp is a Canadian free App you can download on any Andriod or IOS device. By signing up with your email you get access to flyers in the location nearest you and weekly coupons. If I know I need to buy chicken, I do a quick search and every flyer with chicken on sale comes up. At the same time coupons will appear that you can use with the sale prices. You then select your coupons to be emailed to yourself and printed off. If you shop at No Frills, Walmart or Freshco you can use the flyers on the app to price match. This saves you from collecting flyers and remembering where each sale item was. Then you don’t have to drive around town stopping at each different store. By combing sale items with the coupons from the app you can save a bundle of money each week. (Check out the Flipp App here).

Stay tuned next week where I talk about my love of the Shoppers Optimum card and how to combine loyalty programs to save even more.

#savemoney coupons loyaltyprograms #Flipp

3 Easy Steps To Have Team Work Success

Chances are in the workplace, at school or with your friends you have worked in a team. Sometimes you click really well with your team and other times it may not run as smooth as you have hoped. You may get that team member who wants to control everything, or one that doesn’t care at all. As a leader it is your responsibility to make sure your team is motivated and successful. Here are some easy steps you can do to start off on the right track. 1. Hold a Kick-Off Meeting

· Outline Expectations It is crucial everyone knows what is expected of them with their time and project roles as well as what the expectations are of the project at hand.

· Brainstorm This can be done in a fun and energetic way to discuss as many options as possible. It is important not to knock any ideas down because it will lead to team members being afraid to speak up.

· Take Notes Make sure there is a designated note taker who can record everything you have discussed. This will help hold each team member accountable for their part in the project and be a useful tool in answering questions that may arise.

· Motivate At the end of the first meeting make sure everyone is excited about doing the project. Encourage everyone and let them know that you are excited about working together. This will help the rest of the team in starting the project.

2. Communicate Progress

· Updates Communicate the progress of the project to the team by sharing successes and challenges being faced throughout each step. You can do this by sending out weekly emails or holding brief huddle meetings.

· Feedback Let each team member know how they are doing throughout the project instead of at the end. This will ensure your project runs smoothly and outline any potential risks. Make sure you do this one on one so no one feels singled out.

· Deadlines Make sure every member understands when each step of the project is due. Use reminders so that everyone stays on top of things that may easily be missed. Don’t forget to leave room in deadlines for contingencies.

3. Finish Strong

· Review Talk about the aspects of the project that went well and the areas your team needs to work on for the next project.

· Reward Group work can be stressful which is why it is important to de-stress afterwards. Show your group you appreciate all of the hard work they have done by recognizes their efforts and rewarding them. It can be something small like coffee and doughnuts or all going out for drinks after the project is due. This will help build stronger team relationships.

· Rest The worst thing about doing a large group project is having to start another one as soon as one had been completed. Make sure you give your team enough time to rest before the next project so they can refresh their minds. This way everyone will be on point and ready to work hard again.

No matter what kind of team you have always remember that communication is essential. With strong communication skills your team will be able to face any challenge that arises.

#Team Work

5 Easy Steps To Get Motivated On The Job

Motivating yourself and team members while staying productive is one of the hardest tasks for anyone. Whether it’s due to a lack of communication, drive or purpose, inefficiency and productivity issues are costing companies significantly. According to Absenteeism: The Bottom-Line Killer, a publication of workforce solution company Circadian, lost productivity costs companies roughly $2,650 each year per salaried employee.

In an already challenging economic climate, more than ever before companies need their employees’ actions to be fully aligned with the organization’s strategic objectives in order to achieve performance goals and revenue targets.

Are you feeling the productivity pinch in your business?

Here are five easy steps to help you become more productive on the job

1. Create To-Do Lists

Lists are great ways to organize tasks, especially in the work place because they help you stay on track. Everyone loves the feeling of crossing off that dreaded task that has lingered on your to-do–list all day or even week. You can create your lists and track them using apps like Google Tasks that will sync with your Gmail, Calendar and Google drive. If that doesn’t suit you, stick with the art of handwriting.

Whether you’re at work or at home there are always tasks that are simpler than others. You may find that accomplishing the easier ones first makes your list feel smaller and allows more time to tackle the complicated ones. If some tasks are larger than others break them down into easier ones daily to help meet deadlines.

2. Take Breaks

A recent study by scientists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana analyzed 17,000 men and women over 13 years in their regular lifestyles. The scientists found that 54% of those people were likely to die of heart attacks because they were sitting for most of the day. Spending more than 8-10 hours at a desk without moving around increases fat cells and gives you less energy.

It is important to remember that productivity isn’t measured by the number of hours you are sitting at a desk. It is measured by how much you can get done without harming your health, so take breaks, go for short walks, or try using a standing workstation to keep the blood flowing and your brain working.

3. Make ambitious, yet realistic goals

Les Brown, a motivational speaker, once said, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” Just because you can cross everything off on your list in one day doesn’t mean you are being productive. In fact, you could be sacrificing time and quality simply to feel accomplished. It’s okay for some tasks to take a couple days, weeks or even months to complete. You will feel that much more encouraged when you meet goals that you have been working on for a long period of time.

Try to always Make SMART goals: specific, measureable, realistic and timely. One of the major reasons why people fail goals is because they did not set deadlines. A realistic deadline will push you to finish without causing too much stress.

4. Reward Yourself

After you achieve a goal you should reward yourself. Make a big deal out of the project that drove you bananas. You put a lot of time, effort and hard work into completing your tasks and deserve to treat yourself. This way you will change your attitude from feeling reluctant to excited about starting other projects.

A reward can be as simple as your favourite meal for supper, a frosty treat after work, or maybe a movie you have been dying to see. For bigger accomplishments a night out for dinner with friends or family is very encouraging. Whatever it is that satisfies you make sure to applaud yourself for a job well done.  If you are a team leader, remember to engage and encourage your staff in celebrating their achievements as well. It took team effort to get the job done, so the entire team should share in the reward.

5. Get Plenty of Sleep

In an era where society never rests, sleep seems to be unappreciated. It’s important to get plenty of sleep so that your working hours can be as productive as possible. Going to bed late and trying to pull yourself out of bed early the next day is harmful to your day ahead. You may be half awake, not feeling well or even in a bad mood, which can make your quality of work suffer. A doctor recommended dosage of sleep is seven and a half to nine hours per night.

These are just a few easy ways you can motive yourself while you are at work. Everyone works in different ways and has more productive days than others. Find what works for you and share it with other co-workers!

So now I’m asking you… what do you do to get motivated every day?

#Motivation Goal Work

The Power of Why?

Last week I found myself buried in a long list of tasks that had to be accomplished within a quick timeframe. Each day more and more items were being added to my list. I was moving quickly, like a robot, finishing off these tasks and checking them off one by one. It felt good to get them done, but I never really stopped to think about why I was doing them. I just knew that my many different people were counting on me to finish them.

Sometimes we get stuck in this cycle. When our day-today tasks pile up and the stress level rises, our first instinct is usually to buckle down and get started; But I am not sure that should always be the case.

I began asking my friends, fellow class mates, co workers and myself “why?” Why am I doing these tasks, and why are they important?

I felt a bit like a four year old at times, continuing to ask “why?” over and over again. I was hoping I wouldn’t get the notorious parental answer “because I said so,” but that wasn’t the case. In fact, by asking “why” I began to feel more empowered in my role. Through the answers I received, I began to understand how my actions directly contribute to my workplace success and to their overall strategic goals .

By asking myself “Why?” I got thinking about the power of “Why?”

When an employee asks why the company does things a certain way, and management has an explanation with a logical reason, the employee gains affirmation that what they are doing is valid. They feel empowered and energized to continue to work towards achieving company goals. However, if management can’t offer up any other explanation than “we’ve always done it this way,” the resulting impact is directly opposite. Employees become discouraged and disengaged. After all, if you don't know why you’re doing what you’re doing, how can you be fully engaged at work?

The ability (and freedom) for employees to ask the right questions can help fuel innovation and drive change, not just in business, but also in our personal lives.

So check in with your inner 4 year old’s curiosity and keep asking those “why?” questions until you fully understand. Not only will you get the information necessary to finish your projects; you’ll also gain business knowledge that can help further your career and deal with future business challenges as they arise.

Try and answer these “What’s in it for Me” (WIIFM) questions before you start working on your next project to expand your knowledge and understanding”

WIIFM – Generally communicates how an action/project fits into the big picture and benefits 

WIIFM-C – What’s in it for my career?  

WIIFM-G – What’s in it for my own growth?  

WIIFM-T – What’s in it for my team?  

WIIFM-K – What’s in it for my Learning and Knowledge; what new knowledge will I acquire?  

WIIFM-W – What’s in it for my/our world? How will this help our community and others?

#Business goals strategy

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