Bargains

Julia Scott of Bargain Babe says a tough economy doesn't necessarily mean you can't eat out.

"Look for coupons in the mail or on the restaurant website," says Scott. "And two words - happy hour. Portions are huge. Split an appetizer and entree instead of two full meals."

To hear more of Scott's tips, check out the video below.

Tax season can be a difficult time.

Finding the right receipts, figuring out what to include in your return and even trying to decide when you should do it is enough to make even the sanest person rip out their hair.

We want to try and create a stress-free tax season for you and have decided to team up with H&R Block Canada to offer you a one-on-one live chat session with Cleo Hamel, H&R Block Canada's leading tax analyst.

She'll answer all your questions and share her tips for getting you the highest returns. And, best of all, it's free!

Head back to this page this Thursday, March 22 between 12 p.m and 1 p.m. to get all of your questions answered and so much more by Hamel.

The past couple of years have been tough on many Canadians and for a brief period of time, frugality was the financial buzz word. I'd like to add the adjective "intelligent" preceding frugality (being smart with your money) as a trend I hope will stay.

But then there are those individuals, you know the ones (maybe intimately), that are just plain cheap.

Take this test to find out if you're fantastically frugal, penny-wise and pound-foolish or a killjoy miser.

Question #1: Have you ever been out with friends for dinner and excused yourself just as the bill came to avoid chipping in?

A: Never; I can't stand people that do that
B: I'll be honest – I've thought about it
C: Yes, and I can't count how many times (is that wrong?)

Question #2: The last time the Girl Guides or Boy Scouts came to your door fundraising, you:

A: Bought one of what they were offering
B: Told them you bought at the office
C: Shut the blinds and turned off the lights when you saw them coming

All us deal hunters and freebie hounds have heard the stories: There are people out there who can walk into a grocery store and walk out with hundreds of dollars worth of food using nothing but coupons and their own penchant for organization. The rest of us are left to wallow in resentment, since we know deep down we don't have the discipline for those rewards. Then that resentment is followed by a certain brand of consummerist backlash. "These people are going too far. Do they really need two hundred deoderants?"

Shows like TLC's Extreme Couponing seem to do nothing but fan those flames among us average shoppers. Yet, when you see stay at home mom Joanie Demer of McKinleyville, CA buy $638.64 worth of groceries for $2.64, there's a skeptiscm that doesn't really believe that this 98% savings is possible. Still, we all want a piece of that don't we? We all would be extreme couponers if it didn't take such dedication.

Still, is it really possible to pull it off? The show only answers that question in the affirmative for the American audience, but you hardly ever hear of extreme couponers hauling wheelbarrels full of product out of a Safeway or a Loblaws. Walletpop wanted to find out why that was and what we discovered is that there are still tricks to saving with coupons in this country, but not to a degree that's going to allow the neighbours to shop out of your garage.

The recent news about Target moving into Canada was greeted with cheers from those who love the high-style, low-cost retailer. It's another U.S. store coming into the country, offering more choice for Canadian consumers.

While U.S. brick and mortar stores are slowly entering Canada (J.Crew is said to be investigating the market), Canadians are still shopping online - both at Canadian and foreign retailers. They're shopping at stores that don't have a brick and mortar presence and of course, to get the best deals.

Freebies are good. Useful freebies are much better. This month, if you spend more than $30 at Well.ca, you can choose three free samples.

Well.ca carries moisturizers, feminine products, soap, detergent, cleaning products and pretty much everything you could find at your local Shoppers Drug Mart.

Once you pick your products, you'll be directed to the samples page where you can pick your three samples.

The best part is they deliver and it's free shipping in Canada.

We understand your dillemma. Spending hours in the car every week to reach a job that offers a paycheck healthy enough to support your family means less quality time with them, less time to sit down at the kitchen table for breakfast and more time alone in your vehicle.

You don't want to have to do it, but you have no choice. These are just the demands of the job. Besides, it's not like this hardship is going to kill you.

But are you sure about that?

It's not feeling very summery out there, but Sears is already offering bargains off of summer clothing and footwear. There are also deals on furniture, electronics, camping gear and even cribs.

So if you need to refurnish your home (a lot of people move during the summer) then check out the Sears sale! It's only available until June 5th.

Facebook has become the hunting ground for great deals and coupons. Knorr is offering a deal where if you buy any three Knorr products, you'll get one free. All you have to do is like them on Facebook to get the coupon.

The best part? The coupon doesn't expire until December 31st, 2011. So there's no pressure to use it immediately.

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.