After 25 years of charging tax on tampons, sanitary napkins and other menstrual products, Canada has made the move to treat them as essential, non-taxed items. The bill was brought forward by MP Irene Mathyssen and the change will take place on July 1, 2015.
Game of Thrones has officially surpassed The Sopranos to become the most watched show in HBO’s history. It’s also the world’s most pirated show ever -- it’s like catnip for illicit downloaders!
Summer's just around the corner and for those of you who are looking into purchasing an inflatable pool or hot tub for your backyard, here's a little heads up.
Yesterday my boyfriend and I were playing Yahtzee on our phones with the Android app. Between games, he got a pretty interesting ad at the bottom of his screen.
Here's some interesting news from south of the border -- Walmart is launching unlimited free shipping for $50 a year in the US! The service is said to be like Amazon Prime (although it's half the price, as a year of Amazon Prime runs $99 in the US) and purchases will arrive in three days or less.
Recently I was looking at the stats for RedFlagDeals.com over the last year. While I was digging around, I discovered that out of our total traffic:
IKEA has great furniture at great prices -- but there are only 12 locations across Canada, and if you're not near one, shipping costs can be astronomical. IKEA is looking to ameliorate that problem by opening two tiny "pick-up point" stores in Canada later this year! The stores will be opening in London, Ontario and Quebec City, Quebec, both cities that are a fair distance from the closest true IKEA location. You'll be able to find them at:
Love ’em or hate ’em, the selfie stick revolution is here and there is no getting around it. We have reached a digital age where we apparently need to document all that we do -- just look at all the selfies posted on Facebook or Instagram!
If you're a fan of Starbucks, you've probably already heard about the Mini Frappuccino (hereafter dubbed, mini frap), which is the younger, shorter brother to Starbucks' existing beverage sizes. Standing at 10 oz, this drink size is just 2 oz smaller than Starbucks' tall-sized beverage and will cost around 20 to 30 cents less. Starbucks has stated that the Mini Frappuccino was introduced in response to a number of customer demands for a smaller drink size. The Mini Frappuccino was tested in select regions in the United States and the company found that it performed well enough for it to be introduced nationwide and in Canada.
In my opinion, one of the best cheap deals of the year is the annual Summer Drink Days from McDonald's. All fountain drinks, no matter the size, are just $1 (plus small and medium iced coffees are $1). What makes the deal great is that it runs all summer -- from the beginning of May through Labour Day -- and it's pop ... for $1! I don't actually drink pop very often -- maybe once a week or less -- but I love that if I want it, I can a great big cup of it for one buck. Not everyone feels that way -- in previous years I've heard complaints that a fountain drink is basically 10 cents of carbonated water and syrup so at $1, it's a total rip-off. And others feel like given the average calorie count of a fountain beverage (or sugary iced coffee), you're better off skipping them.
I've always enjoyed shopping at Anthropologie for fun, unusual housewares and gifts. Some of the items they carry are gorgeous, some are unusual are some are, honestly, just not for me. Then there are the items that make me wonder if Anthropologie is just straight-up trolling us. For example:
Here's a quick roundup of real estate news, strange stories and more from around the web!
If you're stumped for a Mother's Day gift this year, we've got a great suggestion for you! Don't get her the Mother's Day Feast from KFC. I mean, it's a bucket of chicken. For Mother's Day! I have a lot of thoughts about this, all of which basically boil down to: never buy your mother a present that comes in a bucket? And is chicken? Am I crazy for thinking this? But also: if you really want to buy your mother a bucket of chicken for Mother's Day, don't get the big bloated combo with gravy and salads and six cookies and something called Buttery Bread* and a completely useless spa voucher that will hold virtually no value upon redemption. I mean, at the very least get the 14-piece Family Special instead. It has the same amount of chicken but is $12 less!
Not everyone gets a refund when filing their taxes (For instance, I owed 40 cents at the end of the day, but, happily, amounts owing under $2 are waived) but if you did, I'm wondering -- did you spend it or save it? Traditional wisdom is that every windfall should be invested, but that's a whole lot easier said than done.
Shoppers Drug Mart has finally joined the digital era and you can now load personalized weekly offers onto your Shoppers Optimum card. Previously, Shoppers had been issuing a weekly email with coupons based on your previous purchases, but this is a much easier process -- there's no need to print coupons (or print coupons and then forget to bring them to the store). The discounts and point bonuses will automatically be applied at the register.
If you've been procrastinating on your taxes, you're in luck! The CRA has extended their filing deadline until May 5, 2015, giving everyone an extra five days to file, penalty-free. Apparently, an employee of the Canadian Revenue Agency sent an email incorrectly stating that all returns submitted by May 5 would be considered on time. That's actually the deadline for people who have filed electronically and need to resubmit a corrected return. But since the message was already out and it specifically said that was the deadline for all returns, the CRA decided that the best course of action was to adhere to that and move the deadline five days.
Here's a question I have been thinking about lately. If you were to win one of OLG's Cash For Life prizes, would you take a lump sum payout, or the weekly payment? The Cash for Life ticket available right now offers $2000 a week for life or a lump sum of $1.35 million. A quick call to OLG this afternoon confirmed that you do actually receive the money for life (some lottery programs offer "for life" payouts that last as little as 20 years) and that if you win the Cash For Life prize at the age of 71 or older, you can will the prize to someone else and it will pay out until what would have been your 91st birthday.
As a follow up to our article on the Future Shop store closing, all 65 Future Shop locations converting to the Best Buy brand are now open for business! Here's a complete list of the consolidated stores with address:
I recently went on a 2 and a half week trip to Hong Kong and in between all of the shopping and eating, my sister and I decided to visit Hong Kong Disneyland Park. After all, Hong Kong Disneyland Park is an extension of the Happiest Place on Earth™ and everyone can use a little happy in their life.
IKEA is releasing a new line of charging furniture this month in Europe. It will arrive in Canada this August. It's pretty basic Qi technology supported by about 80 mobile phones and many more mobile accessories. I could see it being really handy on a nightstand or bedside table and indeed, most of the offerings are small tables and lamps. They also have standalone charging pads (that basically look like oversized wooden coasters).
