Bargains & Freebies

Black Friday. The name always sounds ominous but it's the best sales day of the year in the U.S. and thousands of Canadians cross the border to take advantage of crazy markdowns. This year is no different especially thanks to the strong Canadian dollar.

I was recently in Chicago and every single store had sales signs in the windows. I did a little shopping but had to restrain myself because I didn't want to incur too much debt (I do write for this website after all) and I could only bring so much back to Canada.

Of course bring your passport with you when you head south but here are some other tips when hitting Black Friday.

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You must have seen the TV commercials: an adult offers a child something, and then, he offers something better to another child, just because that child is, as one of the commercials puts it, newer.

It's all about offering incentives to newcomers while earlier clients have to make do with services they have signed up for earlier, getting no new incentives in return.

Are the commercials a smart way of marketing financial (or any other) services? Or are they a sad commentary on the fairness (or lack thereof) when it comes to attempts to drum up new custom?

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"What the heck is that?"

This is the reaction of most people the first time they see a Quick Response (QR) Code. You know, those squares of digital hieroglyphs that kind of look like the negative space in a crossword puzzle? You'll usually see them on storefront windows or paired with virtually any product or street advertisement.

These are digital bar codes that when scanned with a smartphone. For customers, they can unlock everything from bonus content and event directions to giveaways and coupons. For companies, they are just another point of contact where potential customers get to interact with their brand and target certain audiences in a much more controlled way.

Just like typical barcodes, like those ones scanned in the supermarket, QR codes can be snapped with a smartphone camera and then scanned using a QR scanning app like Bakodo, RedLaser or ShopSavvy, but they will often take you to a website or some other portal with special bonuses, discounts or information related to the advertisement.

But not everything a QR can do has to pander to your most base capitalist sensibilities, sometimes the point, shoot and scan experience is so much more than that.

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Many people still consider all dollar store food unhealthy. Why? It could be that the poor quality foods of early discount stores lingers on or it could be that people perceive food sold for less as being past its best before date but that hasn't been my experience.

It's my belief that you can eat well with food from the dollar store. Here's why.

Just the other day I was in a cab with a friend. I had done some writing and editing work for her and in return she offered a marketing and branding session. That had more value to me than being paid so I accepted.

This made me think about the old skill of bartering. We're used to paying money for goods and services but not everything has to cost money. The old skill of bartering, once forgotten, has returned as a way of getting what you need without spending money. I took a skill I already had and exchanged it for wanted advice.

Shannon Simmons of the Barter Babes Project has been doing this for a while. She barters her financial advice for goods and services. She talked to Walletpop about her experience.

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Movie stars Angelina Jolie and Sarah Jessica Parker have topped Forbes' list of highest paid actresses. But don't worry, just because you don't get paid like them doesn't mean you can't dress like them. Just step inside a warehouse. She's a beauty, isn't she? 240 thousand square feet of retail therapy. Long held as a movie industry secret, movie wardrobe sales are now accessible to the public. The key is to find out about them.

You have two choices. First: Befriend a wardrobe master/mistress and badger him or her every day until they dish you the dirt about the next sale. Second: Get your name on the mailing list.

The Canadian Alliance of Film & Television Costume Arts & Design holds two wardrobe sales annually. These sales typically take place in a warehouse and are held in the spring and the fall. The cost to attend a wardrobe sale can be as little as $5 and the deals inside could be as much as 90% off the original price. If you are dying to have any of Angelina Jolie's blockbuster outfits or if you covet Sarah Jessica Parker's shoes, you could snatch them at a bargain warehouse price.

If you're looking for proof that you can't judge a book by its cover, look no further than the discount table at your nearest Chapters or Indigo store.

Warning: In many cases, the covers are hideous. Surprisingly, some major publishers obviously forgot the time-worn mantra that customers do judge books by their covers. But the stories inside are gems.

For $5 to $10 – or, in some cases, even $2 – you can acquire books by big-name Canadian and international authors that have won, or been nominated for, major awards or spent several weeks on bestseller lists.

You want fiction? Non-fiction? Autobiography? Self-help? Hardback? Paperback? Take your pick. Chances are, you'll find something you like – for less.

Why are they so cheap?

A survey from classified site Kijiji revealed that two out of every five Canadians are throwing away their old possessions instead of selling them and missing out on upwards of an estimated $400.

Even if the Canadian economy is relatively stable at this point, why would so many people throw away free money? For the answer, we asked Kijiji's resident de-clutter expert, The Clutter Wrangler, Jaclyn Ray, who wasn't at all surprised by the results.

"I don't find it surprising. I think a lot of people find that getting rid of clutter is a bit of a hassle Also, I can see why people would think it would be easier to put it in the garbage rather than take the time to find the right person who might want it," she says.

However, it doesn't have to be a hassle; Ray has made a career out of making clutter less overwhelming for people. As a professional organizer she gives people strategies for taking control of their space and applying order to their lives and one of those is by teaching her clients how to sell merchandise they no longer need through online classifieds.

Most moms are known for cleanliness and orderliness, but if yours has an inner barbarian just itching to get out and eat ribs without cutlery or manners, then this discount is for you.

Until May 8, moms get into Medieval Times for free when one regular-priced adult ticket is purchased. Just enter the code MFWEB11 at checkout.

A free flower will be presented to all moms in attendance, but if you want to treat mumsy like royalty, you can also upgrade your package by $30. To see what that'll get you, click here.

A final thought: I'm not really sure how they'll be determining who is a mom and who isn't...but if you're caught smuggling in a man in a feminine wig you may face a gory execution (on the bright side, the axe will probably be plastic).

Want a half-priced Frappuccino? Get ready to get your lineup on.

Starbucks has been offering variations on its Happy Hour with increasing regularity and - if my eyes aren't lying to my brain - people go nuts for it! This next wave should be no exception, as Frappuccinos (those icy, blended beverages) go on sale for half price between 3 - 5pm.

This year, there's a new flavour up for grabs: the Mocha Coconut Frappuccino. Wow, that's fun to say: mocha coconut, mocha coconut. You should try it.

I'd tell you more, but I'm going to queue up now.