Posts Tagged ‘shopping’

According to a recent survey from south of the border, 51 per cent of dog owners and 46 per cent of cat owners bought gifts for their pets last year. No doubt furry critters across Canada felt the love as well – and will feel it again this Christmas.

Here are some of our favourite gift ideas for the four-legged friends on your shopping list.

FOR DOGS

Grreat Choice Cuddler Plush Bed

Good night, Fido, and sleep tight in the microsuede Grreat Choice 22" Cuddler Plush Bed. (I'm betting the cat will try and grab a nap here, too.)
Available at PetSmart; $20.

Dogit Design Gumi

Your dog probably enjoys having his teeth brushed as much as your three-year-old does. Turn dental time into playtime with the Dogit Design Gumi from Hagen. Three different toys – one for flossing, one for removing plaque and one for cleaning those hard-to-reach areas – are available, and each comes in three sizes.
Available at pet specialty stores; $12 to $20.

Eco Pooch Shampoo

Eco Pooch, a line of five environmentally friendly shampoos from Live Clean, will leave your dog feeling and smelling fresh as can be. Julia McEwen, the senior beauty and fashion editor at Canadian Living, tried out the Super Deodorizing Baking Soda Shampoo on her Norwich terrier, Brooks. Check out the results!
Available at Wal-Mart; $9 each.

Snow Seeker Coat

Your canine will be styling with the Snow Seeker Coat from Canada Pooch.
Available at pet specialty stores; $38 to $55.

Muttlucks

Protect your pooch's paws from the elements with a pair of Muttlucks.
Available at Pet Valu; $43.

FOR CATS

Imperial Cat Scratcher

Your cat can scratch, play and nap to her heart's content with this Imperial Cat Scratcher.
Available at Pet Valu; $23.

Catit Design Senses Grass Garden Kit

Bring the outdoors inside with the Catit Design Senses Grass Garden Kit. Grass is a great source of fibre for your feline, aids in digestion and helps prevent hairball buildup.
Available at PJ's Pets; $20 (until Dec. 24; then $24).

Play-N-Squeak Thrill of the Chase

Let your cat get in touch with her preying instincts as she hunts the mouse in Play-N-Squeak Thrill of the Chase. This catnip game provides both mental and physical stimulation.
Available at Pet Valu; $20 (until Dec. 24; $22 after).

FOR SMALL ANIMALS:

My First Home 3-Storey Hamster Cage

Roll out the welcome mat for your pet hamster with My First Home 3-Storey Hamster Cage. It comes tricked out with a wheel, two food and water dishes, two shelves and two safety ramps.
Available at PJ's Pets; $29 (until Dec. 24; then $50).

Martin Apple Dumplings

Treat your pet rabbit to a taste of Martin Apple Dumplings or Banana Muffins.
Available at Pet Valu; $5 (until Dec. 24; $6 after).

Nibblers Small Pet Chew Toys

Keep little teeth active and out of trouble with Nibblers Small Pet Chew Toys from Living World.
Available at PJ's Pets; $3 to $7.

ALL ANIMALS:

Animal First Aid Kit

Ensure your pet's well-being is close at hand with this Animal First Aid Kit from the Humane Society of Canada. The kit was put together with the input of veterinarians and animal care experts, and includes tweezers, rescue sheets, sterile gauze pads and much more. (For the entire contents list, click here.) Bonus: All of the money from the sale of the kit supports the society's programs to protect animals and the environment.
Available from the Humane Society of Canada; $30.

Will your pet be finding something under the tree this year?

Image via Wikipedia

Happy Holidays!

Here at Canadian Living we're finished working on our Holiday December Issue. It's on newsstand.

So it's time for me to start thinking about the holidays and pacing my spending.

The earlier the better. I think I'm late this year!

So, first things first.

Keep on track.

• Make your list, even Santa does.  I love lists!!!
• Note all the family, friends, co-workers you purchase for. Attach along a side note of sizes, likes, age (for those little ones).
• Check your local flyers - weekly.  Sometimes, items you see, might just be perfect.
• Keep your coupons, but monitor their expiry date - sometimes you can use your coupon when the item is on sale.

Plan Ahead

During the year, I save up all my points...Air Miles, Shoppers Optimum,  and President's Choice Financial.

Although I'm tempted to use them throughout the year, I don't.

Air Miles has discontinued some of my favourite rewards this year, including Chapters/Indigo, Danier, Reitmans, The Keg Steakhouse.

Those gift cards came in handy last Christmas...my husband loves The Keg, my Mom shops Reitmans, my sister just loves the smell of Danier leather, and the kids love books.  It was perfect and I concentrated my points on Air Miles.

This year, however, my focus is President's Choice. I find if you concentrate on one rewards program, you're able to redeem better at the end of the year.

My household bills are pre-paid to my President's Choice Mastercard. Helps ensure that the bills are paid on time and I take advantage of the points per purchase.

20,000 PC points = $20 in Free Groceries

The rewards can be used for  more than just groceries, although it does come in handy for our annual Christmas dinner.

Slow Down

Remember the holidays is about spending time with your loved ones - enjoy and cherish those memories.

Eco-friendly products are environmentally friendly but not so economical friendly.

The Nielsen\'s Environment and Sustainability Survey gathered over 25,000 online respondents in 51 countries.

And did you know?

That Canadian consumers will choose to purchase items that saves them money versus paying more for the eco-friendly products.  A four to one ratio.

"When it comes to the environment, consumers say the right things, and may want to do the right things - but aren't always willing to pay for it," states Carman Allison, director, consumer insights, Nielsen. "Their priority is the sustainability of their wallet."

Image via Wikipedia

I want to protect our earth as much as I possibly can.

It is definiately on my "Worry List" - but, to be honest, it's priority sequence changes as my life changes.

I DO worry about our children's future:

• Pollution (water and air)
• Packaging waste
• Pesticides
• Global warming

But  also on my "Worry List" is:

• Our healthcare
• Increasing food and fuel prices
• Increasing electricity, heating, gas bills
• My children's education
• Job security

So I am one of the four to one statistic, I don't spend more on environmentally-friendly products, but I am concience of my actions.

I make my own eco-friendly products. Vinegar works wonders.

I Recycle - whatever I can, clothing, dishes, tools, donate. Reduce - excess packaging, consume less, plant a little garden, Re-use - refurbish furniture.

It is second nature to us.

Are eco-friendly products worth the extra cost to you?

Already...
It's time to put away the sand toys, beach towels and swim suits.
It's time to replace them with backpacks, fall sweaters and new sneakers.
It's time to set the alarm clocks once again and it's time to get back to routine.

The kids are headed back to school.

We sat down and took an inventory of all their school supplies.
Yay, all their backpacks are in great shape.
No need to shop for new ones this year.
I throw their pencil cases in the washing machine and they come out looking as good as new.
We spend the better part of the morning sharpening pencils.
Wow. How did we ever accumulate so many?
We're definitely not shopping for any of those.

At the end of the day, the only things on my shopping list was lunch bags, lined paper and refillable juice cups.

It's the only thing that made me happy.

Sigh.

As the years go by, I'm becoming less and less excited about the ring of the back to school bell.

The kids seem soooo much older on the first day of school.
Watching them head out the door with fresh sneakers and new haircuts always makes me think of the years gone by.
How little they were the year before...
How tall they've gotten...
How much more mature they seem.

Am I crazy?

Please tell me you feel the same way too.
Please tell me I'm not the only one that greets the beginning of a new school year with a touch of sadness.
Please tell me I'm not the only one not rejoicing after walking away from the schoolyard that first day.

Please tell me I'm not alone here.

My collegues think I'm nuts.  My family is already used to me.

I start Christmas shopping in September, well, technically, all year long.

It makes perfect sense to me.

1. I avoid the challenges of finding a parking space at the mall - and lugging around two children in the snow;
2. I spread out my payments thoughout a few month - makes January a little more bearable;
3. I have enough time (sometimes it takes longer than 3 weeks during the holiday season) to order special personalize gifts.  Great family calendars for Grandma, personalized mugs with the kids photos from the Superstore Photo Lab
4. I take advantage of my reward points on Airmiles and PC Mastercard.  I pre-authorize my payments to charge my credit card - Phone, Car Insurance, Cable, everything I can, thoughout the year.  As the holidays approach, I redeem them for gift cards or groceries.  Gift cards from Air Miles, include Chapters/Indigo, The Bay/Zellers.  I do some of my holiday shopping with those.  Let's not forget Shoppers Drug Mart - they also have an Optimum Reward Program.  The trick here is to try to save your points, so you have enough.

So if you see me at the mall during the holidays, I'll be the one, strolling along slowly, admiring the beautiful displays and scents, sipping a warm hot chocolate, and enjoying the magical season with my children.

Oh yeah, I'll be giggling inside.

Who's nuts now?

If you read my blog frequently, then you know I'm totally crazy about reusable produce bags. Let's say you're buying an assortment of 10 fruits and vegetables at the grocery store - that's 10 plastic bags that will end up in the landfill.

In the November 2009 issue of Canadian Living, we featured handy reusable and washable produce bags from Credo Bags (www.credobags.com) - complete with a drawstring. These produce bags come in two different sizes, and in either organic or regular 100 per cent cotton. Credo Bags offer more than just these fab produce bags. Peruse their site and you'll find a fab gift for someone you know (there are a few nice-looking gift sets). If you place an order now, you'll get it in time for the holidays. My fave product is the 100 per cent cotton reusable baguette bag. It's genius!

Talk about a low-carbon footprint grocery shop. They're pretty darn stylish, too!

I'm giving away a Credo Bags' Launch Giveaway Pack (pictured above). This 8 piece Eco-Shopping Gift Pack includes:

- 100 per cent Cotton Canvas shopper, "Peace-Love -Recycle"
- 3 Ecoshoppers with pouch
- 1 large produce bag, 100 per cent natural cotton
- 1 medium produce bag, 100 per cent natural cotton
- 1 Baguette Bag, 100 per cent cotton
- 1 Reusable Wine Bag

Everything in the set is made in Canada, except the Ecoshopper.

For a chance to win, subscribe to my blog and leave a reply here telling me who is the most difficult person to shop for on your list and why. I'll announce the winner here on Monday, December 14.

Have a great weekend!

Reusable? Check! Durable? Check! Stylish? Double check!

We certainly aren't short of reusable bags these days. Sold at every check-out counter, anyone can have a bag with their grocery store's logo on it. Though we all want to be eco-conscious, for some of us it's important to look stylish at the same time.

I recently discovered b.b. begonia's reusable shopping bags and am delighted by them. Not only are they eco-friendly, they're also fun, pretty and super convenient. My favourite feature is that you can roll them up into a small package (a little smaller than the palm of your hand) when you're not using them, so they fit perfectly into small spaces (like a purse!). If you put one in all your hand bags, you'll never be caught at the farmer's market without a reusable bag again.

Want to know my other favourite thing about these bags? b.b. begonia is a Canadian-based company.

Aside from buying individual bags, you can also purchase a pack of five, which I think makes a beautiful and useful gift.

b.b. begonia bags are available in many retail stores.