I really like being a P&G Mom and not just for the freebies. The team behind the scenes do a fantastic job of showing how hard P&G works at connecting with their customers. Working with them has gotten me into the habit of googling almost every brand I use on a daily basis. I do this to find out more information about the products, ingredients, tips, etc. It shows that engaging online with consumers is now crucial for brands. Today’s consumers are internet savvy and ask questions about the products and services they use.
One big question all consumers have is ‘can this product save me money?’ The cost of living seems to get higher every years as does the cost of products. Finding one’s that can help us save a bit is a welcome relief. So says Sandra Hanna the co-founder and CEO of Smart Cookies. With every 2.95L bottle of Tide Coldwater and a cold water wash, you can save up to $7 on your energy bill. Considering the number of loads you do a year – that adds up!”
We also seem to have a teeny tiny water tank that does not get along with our fancy front loader machine, so a cold water wash just saves me hassles.
I unfortunately missed chatting with Sandra Hanna in person this week, BUT I did get to chat with her briefly by telephone. I had already seen her speak at the P&G Moms event in Toronto and she had made quite an impression on me. I had really like what she had said about getting in control of your money and budgets and shifting the attitude of worry around money to just doing the right thing.
Since that meeting, I had set myself up with Mint.com to start tracking my spending. I had also started creating better systems for monthly spending when it came to my bills, basics and extras.
Sandra has managed to confirm that I am on the right track. As well as washing in cold water, she recommends remembering to unplug all those electricity loving products we stuff into our houses when they aren’t being used or being charged. We are TERRIBLE for this. When it comes to shopping, she recommended the site Supercooks.com to help you make use of what you have in your pantry already. I would also add that as much as I hate it, menu planning, or at least recipe shopping does help. She and I both agreed that shopping without your children can save you hundreds of dollars.
For saving BEYOND the weekly or monthly budget, she shared with me a great idea that I think our whole family is going to take on. Sandra suggested an ‘Impulse Challenge.’ For every item you spy that you would impulsively pick up, try instead to walk away from said purchase and put the money into a separate account. Make the account or jar for something special….vacation, house, car, or even (more boring but WAY more important), your RRSP’s.
Our family survives on the income of my husband as I am not big enough in my own career to really make it worth counting. We make it on a day to day basis, but saving long term can be a bit painful. Thus ANY savings ideas and money saving products are welcome.
Thank you Sandra for keeping me on my path of financial success.
I also wanted to make sure that people do visit my Crunchy Carpets Facebook page as over there and my personal one is where you tend to find my mini reviews on some of the great products that I receive from P&G. Also, I have been using my mom’s car a lot recently to transport my dogs and kids and was a bit horrified of the doggy smell that was appearing there. The Febreeze car clip has done a great job of freshening up the car. Phew.
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