Thrifty Tuesday - McDonald App Coupon

We don't usually get the normal round of flyers so when I found out that it's possible to save money without coupons but instead there's an app for that.  

In our technology savvy world, that is not a surprise.  When McDonalds App Coupon came out, I was drawn since McDonalds is not an expensive fast food restaurant to begin with.  Then add the discount coupon on the app and it's possible to save money.  Now what I didn't know is that the coupons do rotate and change every week.  

With the McDonalds Kiosks and McDonalds Coupon App, it's easy to order at the self serve kiosk and save money.  It's great for introverts like me who hate ordering in person and having to answer all of the questions.  The kiosk makes it much easier.  My coupon was for $1 off a breakfast combo so I ordered the sausage egg mcmuffin with hash browns and I splurged and upgraded my drink to a medium size of earl's grey tea with stevia.  There are customizations and options at the kiosk.  Have fun with it!  Comment and let us know what you ordered.  

Thrifty Tuesday - Fatburger

I have to admit that I love saving money and using coupons.  So I have a problem.  I'm addicted to Groupon Vancouver this year.  It helps that a have a Groupon buddy, yes a friend who loves Groupon even more that I do.  One of the reasons I stopped with all group buying coupons for awhile is because I was addicted to buying them and then never redeemed them.  Now times have changed and I make sure that I make my appointments and use my groupons.  On occassion if I miss out, that's okay because the amount I paid never expires.  

One night I was heading downtown for an art workshop at Opus and I knew that I wouldn't have much time to eat dinner.  So when I saw the Fatburger Groupon for a burger, fries and drink for $9, it was perfect and I bought one right away.  Fatburger is a fast food joint with big juicy burgers.  It was easy to use the Groupon and I only had to pay the tax which was less than $1.45 or something like that.  Fatburger just outside Stadium skytrain station was packed because of a Canucks game the same night.  However since it's fast food, I was able to find a spot for one at the window and there is fast turnaround.  It tooks 10 minutes for me to get my meal which is pretty good because just look at that plump burger filled with toppings.  

Check out Groupon Vancouver at my referral link for Fatburger and other great deals.  Or come back to see #thriftytuesdays.  

Fitness Friday: Keep Fit Without Committing

New Year's is around the corner and it is the time for everyone to make New Year's resolutions and promises for a fresh start!  Along with this comes the promise to workout and get fit.  This is the busiest season for fitness centres and gyms.  The memberships boost and then will fall dramatically before the summer and as the days get longer.  

So this year instead of being committed to a gym or yoga membership, there is a way to keep fit without committing.  GROUPON has coupons for all different types of fitness and is great for those who don't like to do the same thing all of the time.  It's best to keep fit and save money at the same time.  Here are some of the groupons for fitness that I've found for those in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

1.  Oxygen Yoga - This is a hot yoga studio that has unlimited one month long memberships for new members for only $49.  Keep in mind that sometimes groupon will have extra savings so watch out for those promotional codes.  Just type in Oxygen Yoga as the search function to see which one is closest.

2.  HIIT Fitness - High intensity interval training is good for your metabolism and they have a 10 punch card at their downtown location for $39.

3.  Zumba - Latin dancing that is also a workout for those who like to shake their booty.  The Zumba Latin Fitness Ztudio has a morning anytime 10 card pass for $35.  

4.  Cyklus Vancouver - Indoor spinning classes located downtown Vancouver have a 5 class pass for $70.  That is also the new client special on their website so this is a good deal on Groupon IF they have an additional promotion.

As for me, I've decided to go with Oxygen Yoga in New Westminister that is close to the skytrain station and on my way home.  That'll keep me busy for January and then I can revisit in February to see what I want to try next.  That's my style to reach new heights and keep fit without committing.

Vancouver Event: 4Cats Mug of the Season Workshop

Last year I bought in the Entertainment Book and knowing that it would expire at the end of December, I explored it to see what else I could use before the land of Entertainment book coupons ended. 

That's when I discovered the 4Cats Workshops at Capitol Hill in Burnaby.  It is close to SFU and when I saw the Polar Bear Mug was the mug of the season, I invited a girlfriend who invited more girlfriends and then there were four of us going to the Polar Bear Mug workshop at 4Cats.  I was even able to find another coupon to use.  

This was a fun Friday night that flew by quickly because adults are perfectionists and it takes us longer to follow instructions and make our mugs.  That's what I think.  When we first arrived we all sat around a large table and the 4Cats teacher gave us name tags and the clay supplies.  Then she went through each step and the class followed.  I have to admit that everything was going well until it was time to add the mug handle.  It was hard, and then my clay started cracking and I had a lopsided handle that fell apart.  In the end I asked the teacher to do it for me.  Yes, I'm not afraid to ask for help.  Thankfully she did so I had enough time to paint my mug before the class was done.  

Now my Polar bear mug is curing so I'm not sure what the final results will look like.  If you are looking for an event for your girlfriends, then check out Capitol Hill and the adult workshops.  I know that kids love 4Cats but I never knew it could be fun for adults too.  

Vancouver Event - Picnix in Stanley Park

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

If you are looking for a fun girlfriend date idea for the summer, then look no further.  Carolyn discovered the Picnix company asked if I wanted to go one day.  I said "sure" and then we left it at that until we actually would choose a date.  When I found a Social Shopper coupon for Picnix for $69 including the umbrella, I bought it immediately.  We knew that we would chose a sunny day in the summer for our picnic and the expiry date was in September.  

So what is Picnix?  Picnix is a gourmet picnic delivered to you in Stanley Park.   Everything you need to enjoy a picnic is in a wagon including the picnic blanket, thermarest seat cushions, all of the gourmet food, cutlery and then an umbrella.  The wagon opens up to be the picnic table.  We went on a picnic in Stanley Park and didn't need to bring a thing.  

Our YouTube video shows how to set things up and all of the fabulous salads, cheese and meat platters, bread, and the most amazing mouse cheesecake dessert.  

Seasonal Salad

Beet, Yam and Sweet Potato Chips

Baguette and cheese plate

Japanese Noodle Salad

Chacuterie

Our Favorite - Mouse, Cheesecake, Berry Dessert 

The hardest part was finding the parking lot where the delivery van with the picnix logo on the side is waiting for you.  Well in our case the van was running late, but usually it is waiting for you in the parking lot by the tourist information centre for Stanley Park for the lunch pick up spot.  This is also where all of the artists are set up selling their paintings.  The directions for driving to the parking lot is pretty clear.  Carolyn found it and was in the right place from the beginning.  

If you are taking transit, it is easier to get off at the first bus stop and then walk along the water until you see the tourist information centre instead of going all the way to the bus loop close to the aquarium.  I had an extra adventure before finding it.  But once we found it and saw our picnic, all was forgotten.  We had so much fun with our photo shoot on our beautiful sunny day!  Perfect for the Stanley Park Picnix.

We give Picnix two thumbs up!  

Shoppers Beauty Boutique - Favorite Drugstore Products

I've had a Shoppers Optimum card (which is free) for many years now and the points have added up.  Then I discovered that there are special "Spend Your Points" weekends where they give you extra money for your points but it only applies to beauty.  This is when you have to find a Shoppers Beauty Boutique that has all of the different name brand items.  

I had enough points for $100 worth of beauty products so take a look at some of my drugstore favourites that caught my eye and the freebies that came with them since it was bonus time.  

1.  Shiseido Extra Creamy Cleansing Foam - This is a nice gentle cleanser that I like to keep in the shower for my daily cleansing routine.  I love that you only need a small bit to have a nice clean lather.  

The bonus bag came with a cosmetic bag and inside included 5 trial size Shiseido products.  

*Shiseido Glow Enhancing Make Up Primer (10ml)
*Shiseido Ibuki Gentle Cleanser (30ml)
*Shiseido Ibuki Refining Moisturizer (15ml)
*Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate (10ml)
*Shiseido Ultimune Eye Infusing Concentrate (5ml)

2.  Biotherm Aquasource Moisturizer for Dry Skin - I like this daily moisturizer because even though it is for dry skin, it is very light.  

The bonus bag came with a Biotherm blue cosmetics bag with 3 sample products inside.

*Biotherm Aquasource Cocoon 48 hour Hydration Gel (for normal to dry skin and is supposed to keep your skin moisturized even if you break out a sweat) (15ml)
*Biotherm Aquasource Total Eye Revitalizer (3ml)
*Biotherm Life Planton Essence (30ml) - tried a sample of this before which was nice.  I find the full sized Planton products are too expensive.  

Those are two of my favorite drugstore skincare essentials and I love how I only need a little bit for each of them to last a long time, however, that was not enough for my points.  I still had $5 to spend so I decided to splurge and get a new eyeshadow pallette from Smashbox.  Yes, you can buy Smashbox at the Shoppers Beauty Boutique and get Shoppers Optimum points for doing so.

3.  Smashbox Cherry Smoke Eyeshadow Pallette - I love the colours that make your eyes pop and most importantly stay on for the day.  Loving this beauty treat so far.  Here's a Cherry Smoke Tutorial:  https://www.smashbox.com/video/index.tmpl?video=cherrysmokepalette

I've used up all of my Shoppers Optimum points so I'm sure it'll take me a year or two to get enough points for a "Spend Your Points" weekend but maybe I'll get some tips from Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn who says she buys almost everything at Shoppers Drug Mart just for the optimum points.  Even without the free points, it was lots of fun to shop at the beauty boutique.  

Vancouver Restaurant: Firepots

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

Winter is the perfect time for hot pot.  With many people getting the flu or cold the idea of sharing a hot pot is not ideal but we still want our hot pot so Firepots is perfect because they have individual hot pots.  Each person can order what type of hot pot they want and it is cooked on the warmer in front of your seat.

Why did we choose Firepots?  It's in Burnaby which is a convenient location.  There is a coupon in the Entertainment Book that has a 2 for 1 entree at Firepots.  I buy the Entertainment Book every year to support my niece's school so while I have it I might as well try different types of restaurants and save money at the same time.  

I tried the Fiery Schezuan Lamb which they made milder for me except for when I bit down on a fiery peppercorn.  I did eat it all up.  My friend's Tom Yum Goong Seafood Hot Pot looked amazing and I'm curious about the Satay Beef.    The Chocolate Fondue is a nice sharing dessert.  Three of us shared one and it was perfect!   Even without an Entertainment coupon, it is quite reasonably priced at $15 per individual hot pot.  It's definitely a foodie adventure.

Signature Hot Pot -Tom Yum Goong Seafood Hot Pot

Chocolate Fondue - Melting the chocolate on the warmer

Firepots Website:  http://www.firepots.ca/menu

Travel Tuesday: BC Ferries Savings Sale

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

During the winter, it's promotion time at BC Ferries!  From November 16th - December 19th you can get 50% off standard vehicles for sailings from Monday-Thursday and Saturday which makes it $27.70 per vehicle per sailing instead of $55.  I know it's atrocious to think that inflation has brought travelling to the Vancouver Island to be such a luxery.  Or more likely it's bad budgeting of BC Ferries which may be increasing the fares.  I still remember the good old days when I first moved to Vancouver 15 years ago when I would travel back and forth at least once a month.  


Even though it's cold, rainy, and windy, BC Ferries are strong and can sail through the stormy seas and at half the cost, it's worth it to travel especially if you have family or work on the island.  If you travel on the first sailing, you can watch the blue horizons as the sun rises.  Sailing the seas on BC Ferries is quite scenic no matter what the weather is.  

Vancouver Event: Buddha Woodha Jewellery Class

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

It's Social Shopper Saturday!  I love coupons and I have to admit had a bit of a couponing addition.  I'd buy the Social Shopper, Living Social, or Groupons and would just collect them.  There was a fascination to buying and getting such a great deal!  Then after I had the coupon I would often forget to book ahead of time or to use it.  Yes, it's a bad habit of mine.  Luckily I have learned my lessons so I'm more careful.  I make the reservation right after purchasing.  And with the new Canadian laws, the price that I paid for the coupon never expires.  

I love beading and crafting but the bead stores are so far away in Vancouver or Granville Island.  When I saw the Buddha Woodha Jewellery Making class, it was a good deal and so close to home in Burnaby at the local community center.  I couldn't resist and made a reservation for their ring and pendant class in October.  It's pretty amazing how much you can do in a 90 minute class.  We made two rings and one stone wrapped pendant.  I learned some new skills and had fun!  

They are having another class on wirework now that is offered on Social Shopper with Buddha Woodha.  It is the same deal that I got which is $29 per class for one person or $49 for two people.  My advice is to book your class early.  

Buddha Woodha Jewellery Making Class - Rings and Pendants

Vancouver Event: Starbucks Holiday Share Event

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

Christmas is in the air in November!  Starbucks Red Cups are back to bring holiday cheer to our festive drinks which includes my all time favourite Peppermint Mocha.  There's also Chestnut Praline Latte and Caramel Brulee Latte both of which I've never tried but I might now that it's Starbucks Holiday Share Event.

From November 12 - 15 from 2-5pm, if you buy one holiday drink, you get one free to share!  Now that's worth trying something new and you can add a snowman cookie to share.  

Find the details and the invitation here:  http://atstarbucks.tumblr.com/shareevent

Girls NIght Out - Salida 7 Gastown

I love my coupons!  Sometimes I love them too much that I forget their expiry dates.  One was coming up soon in April so I booked my girlfriends for a Girls Night out at Salida 7 Spanish Tapas restaurant in Gastown.   

Another bonus is that Salida 7 Spanish restaurant is also in the Vancouver Foodster Meatball Challenge.  Doesn't venison and wild boar meatballs sound like something you would want to try because you are never going to make that at home?  That's what I thought.  What a perfect opportunity that I could use my coupon and in addition to participating in the meatball challenge.   Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.  When we tried to order the meatballs, they did not have any left.  I was quite sad about this so it was lucky that my coupon included wine to make me quickly forget about my disappointment.  

My Social Shopper coupon included 4 glasses of taster wines (2 white, 2 red), 2 tapas, and a paella.  Since there were three of us we ordered a third tapas and dessert.  I love girls night because we splurge on dessert to share.  The dessert at Salida 7 is definitely worth saving room for.  Let's take a look at the food photos from the girls night out.      

Patatas Brava - Potatoes with lemon aiolli and spicy tomato

Prawn Toast

Wild mushroom and arugula flatbread - refreshing and delicious!
My favourite tapas

Paella - Chicken, sausage, mussels, prawns, saffron and rice all in its own paella pan

Don't forget dessert - creme brulee and the almond pastry puff!
I love the pastry puff with fruit and mint - wonderful combination that melts in your mouth.
So happy we ordered dessert!

I don't play baseball and I'm not good at it, but this time with my choice in restaurants, I hit a home run!  My girlfriends went from scared, not sure what they are doing on Alexander Street in Gastown to relieved and refreshed with Spanish tapas, dessert, and wine.  

If this blog post has peaked your interest you can find out more at the Salida 7 website:  http://www.salida7.ca/

Come back in May to see Via Terre Pizzeria as our night Girls Night Out!

They also have meatballs so I'll be ordering those for sure!

Subscription Boxes: Foodie Pages Chef's Box

Hi Vancity Girlfriends,

I love coupons so when I saw a coupon for $10 off a $50 order of Holiday boxes or Chef's boxes at Foodie Pages I couldn't resist.  Now I've been watching Foodie Pages awhile back when I first discovered it but back then I was so overwhelmed by the beauty subscription boxes that I didn't think any other type of box. 

However as time passed Canadian Subscription Boxes have gone through their ups and downs in trying to stay alive.  I have discovered that the formerly Canadian Snackbox has merged with the American Healthy Surprises so we come across high shipping rates for Canadians and snacks from American companies.  I LOVED Snackbox but did not like Healthy Surprises at all.  Chef Butler which was another Canadian company who shipped ingredients to make a meal to Canadians is no longer accepting new subscriptions or gifts as they are winding down and out of business.  

I want to support Canadian companies so with the $10 off coupon, I decided to

try Foodie Page's Chef's Box.  With the coupon, it is essentially getting a break on the shipping to B.C.  Chef Brian Skinner chose the selection for the November Chef's Box from Foodie Pages which includes three recipes and six local small batch ingredients.  The menu of Buckwheat Blueberry Pancakes, Honey & Fresh Cheese Canapés, and Honey Baked Apples with Ricotta & Vanilla won me over.  I'm quite excited about opening this box with an expected arrival date of Dec 10th.  I know, I still have to wait a month, but isn't anticipation the fun part?  Mouth watering and healthy! 

How do you save money and order the Chef's Box?
1.  Go to Foodie Pages website
2.   Click on "Shop Boxes" at top menu link and "Monthly Clubs" from the drop down menu
3.  Choose the "1 Month" and Click "Add to Cart"
4.  Click "Proceed to checkout"
5.  Use Promo Code:  SMALLBATCH before November 15th, 2014.  

It's just that easy!  Or come back in December to see me open my Chef's Box.  

Save Money with the Entertainment Book Coupons

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

I wanted to share how I save money and support my niece all at the same time.  Every year my niece's school does a fundraiser for the Entertainment Book and every year I buy one to support her and her school.   

The Entertainment Book Vancouver and the Fraser Valley is chocked full of coupons for restaurants, grocery stores, entertainment, spas, and more.  They have the coupons in the book as a traditional paper coupon, or you can register your Entertainment Book membership online for web and mobile coupons.  

I'm pretty old fashioned so I browse and use the paper coupons.  I bought the book this year for $30 which is pretty good since I always use the IGA coupons every month to save money on my local grocery store.  The IGA coupon is save $5 for a $50 purchase.  That alone pays for the cost of the Entertainment Book.

The Entertainment Book is sold at the end of October as the school fundraiser and the coupons are valid from the day you receive the book until the end of December 2015.  That's loads of time to use up coupons and the more coupons you use, the more money you save.

So what Entertainment Book coupons do I look forward to using?  
- IGA (save $5 for every $50 purchase)
- Neverland Tea (buy one high tea, get one high tea free to maximum $30)
- Las Margaritas Restaurant (buy one entree, get one entree free to max $15)
- Zennkai Hair Salon (save 20%off regular price of service to max $25)
- Graze Food and Drink (buy one menu item, get one free to a max $17)

And more...it is a great way to try new places and return to my favourites while saving money.  I can update on the Vancouver Restaurants as I go to them.  

Thank you for reading Vancity Girlfriends!  Come back again soon!

Vancouver Events: Living Social Coupon for House Seats Entertainment

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

As you know, I'm addicted to coupons and getting a good deal.  So when I saw this Living Social Coupon for House Seats entertainment for a year for $44, I grabbed it.  


What is House Seats?  I am starting to learn myself.  Basically as a member you have access to different shows and events but they do not tell what type of tickets are available until you become a member.  Of course the internet is a wonderful thing as you can snoop around and they do have tidbits of information about the type of tickets that have been available in the past on House Seats Facebook page.  

I love musicals and live theatre but often the tickets are too expensive or I'm too darn lazy to make arrangements.  I'm hoping that my year membership with House Seats BC will change that.  

I will update you as I attend shows to give you a review of not only the shows but of the House Seats membership to see if I get my value of the $39.  How did the price change?  Well, on the Living Social website, they have flash deals and reduce the coupons by a few dollars so the impulse shoppers who loving saving money, like myself, will grab the coupon!  

It worked for me!  All I need to do now is activate my account and keep my eye open for shows.  But all of this will have to wait until the middle of July after my vacation.  So come back to check out how I'm doing with this Living Social Coupon.  

Thanks for reading!  Come visit again!

Subscription Boxes: Ethical Deal Healthy Surprise Subscription Box

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

I love deals so I decided to start blogging about the different deals that I find and of course I also have a fascination for subscription boxes.  After all, that's how Vancity Girlfriends got started a year ago, it was with subscription boxes.  Even though we don't subscribe to any boxes regularly, we are always on the lookout for new boxes to try out.  Healthy Surprise Subscription box is one of them.

I discovered the Healthy Surprise Subscription box on the Ethical Deal Vancouver website.  Now it can be a bit deceiving because it says $5 for $25 towards your Healthy Surprise subscription box.  Initially I thought, oh, that's a GREAT deal because it's $5 for a subscription box.  Now that's not exactly true.  Instead you get $25 worth of credit to use to purchase your Healthy Surprise Subscription box.  The key word here was "towards".  Now that didn't stop me because when I had the Canadian Snackbox, I loved trying different healthy snacks.  The deal is GREAT for those who live in the US because there is no shipping fee.  For Canadians the shipping fee is $10.  

So I ordered a STARTER SNACK Gift box for $40 after using the Ethical Deal coupon and including shipping.  The STARTER SNACK Gift box has over 11 full sized snacks to feed 1-2 people.  That sounds like a LOT to me!  

Starter Snack Gift Box is $50 + shipping to Canada is $10 = $60
Ethical Deal Coupon $5 (for $25 credit) + extra $35 = $40 for the Healthy Surprise Starter Snack Gift Box.  

Now I was going to say that $40 is a comparable to Snackbox but when I went to the Snackbox website, guess what?, they are a part of Healthy Surprise now!  Aha, if you were a Snackbox subscriber, you can receive 3 months of free shipping.  To find out more about what Snackbox was like read a few of my blog posts from last year.  

Snackbox Curated by Erin Ireland

Snackbox August Review

Oh, I am surprised and a bit sad to hear that the Canadian Snackbox is no more but now I don't need to feel guilty about not supporting it because in a way, I am!   I'll search a bit now for those Canadian Subscription boxes to support too!  

Thanks for reading Vancity Girlfriend blog!  

Come back again to read our review of Healthy Surprise once it arrives.  

Vancouver Spa: Miraj Hamman Spa

Relax.  Revive.  Rejuvenate.

I've always struggled to find the balance in life with work and play.  But when work overwhelms, then it's time to take a break.  I've realized the value of spa days as my mental break and oasis.  As a working professional, we ALL deserve our spa days.  

I heard about Miraj Hamman Spa as a rejuvenating spa that is worth every penny.  Now I'm a little bit of a coupon fanatic so when I found out the name and realized that the normal price was a bit too expensive for my liking, I did my regular search for a coupon.  Lucky me!  Perfect timing!

Travelzoo had just released the Miraj Hamman Spa coupon deal so I grabbed one so I could experience the Middle Eastern Oasis.  After my treatment at Miraj I understood why the Miraj Hamman Spa coupon sold out so quickly!

I walked into the spa with a small entrance and was kindly greeted and asked to take off my shoes and put on the spa sandals.  Now these are nothing fancy.  They are large brown sandals.  Then a woman wearing a sarong and a bit steamy asked me to follow her to the change room.  No one else was there.  And there was a door that led to the steam room.  I was given a locker to put my things in and a sarong to wear.  I stripped down and put on the sarong.  

Then I walked into the marble covered steam room which was foggy with steam.  I could barely see and my skin was immediately dew wet and the eucalyptus oils drifting among the steam.  I was the only one in the steam room.  The high temperature steam was amazingly refreshing.  I have been to steam rooms but not ones that were so hot that you need to have a cool silver pitcher of cold water to keep you cool.  Rejuvenate like never before.  

After the steam I lay down my sarong and then lay down on the marble slab.  My skin was rejuvenated from the steam lifting out the toxins is my guess.  Then it was time for the 'gommage' part of the experience which is a moroccan soaping and exfoliation of you skin all over your body.  This is an intimate treatment but the end result is super soft skin and a reviving experience.  

After that you put on a robe and wait for the masseuse for the body massage, facial part.  Relaxation.

Post massage I was brought to a lounge with tea and snacks and ample time for me to read magazines, or lounge, or do nothing.  My entire experience was private.  A perfect spa for one!  

Overall the "hamman" steam and "gommage" were the memorable experiences at Miraj Hamman Spa and I would return to have the opportunity to rejuvenate, revive, and relax.  

Living Social Coupon: Paint Nite Vancouver

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,
As you may already know, I love a good deal!  So that's when the group buying coupons come into play.  It's bad because in the past I've been so obsessed with buying coupons, that I even forgot to make reservations to actually use them before they expire.  Now I know better!  If I'm actually buying a coupon, I basically make the reservations immediately.  Due to the popularity of the deal, you have to plan ahead!  

Bird on a Wire from November Paint Nite

That's exactly what we had to do for Paint Nite Vancouver at the Ascot.  Paint Nite is a night where you can get together with your Vancity girlfriends at a local pub restaurant (in this case the Ascot) and have a drink and paint at the same time.  

With the $25 Living Social coupon your canvas, painting supplies and instructions are all included so you leave Paint Nite with a painting you can hang on your wall.  (alcohol is not included and optional but you know what will happen when Vancity Girlfriends go;)  It's an easygoing atmosphere so you have the choice to follow the instructions or to let your creative juices guide you.  Either way at the end of the night you have a finished painting that you've completed all on your own.

Now we want you and your girlfriends to come and join us at Paint Nite Vancouver on Saturday, February 22nd to paint Hot Pink Flowers!  Spaces are filling up!

After you buy the Living Social coupon, you need to go to the Paint Nite website to make the reservation and enter the coupon code from living social.  There will also be an additional $3 fee for taxes.  Do this right away as you'll notice the dates fill up and get SOLD OUT!  quickly.  Don't worry about making a reservation three months in advance, their customer service is excellent and you can always change your dates if something comes up.  

Step 1:  Buy the Living Social Paint Nite Coupon 
Step 2:  Make the reservation on Paint Nite Vancouver website
Step 3:  Come to Paint Nite!  Enjoy!  Come find Vancity Girlfriends!

Social Shopper Coupon: Make It! Vancouver The Handmade Revolution

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,
This is a merry time of year with lots of Christmas Craft fairs in Vancouver to choose from.  It's hard to determine which craft fair will give you best bang for your buck so to speak.  It's an event to check out local crafts that may be suitable for your Christmas list but also as something to do with your girlfriends.  I'm a holiday craft fair browser myself.  I like browsing and getting ideas and sometimes if something catches my eye, I may buy.  For the hesitant shopper like myself, the Make It! Vancouver (The Handmade Revolution) is a good craft fair because the ticket is good for the whole weekend.

That's exactly why I'll go on opening day and then I will have until Sunday to decide whether or not to return to pick up any items.  This year the Make It! Vancouver has changed to a larger venue at the PNE Forum so this is quite exciting.  I'm not a big fan of crowds so the PNE will easily have enough space to browse leisurely at the 250 exhibitors.  I have my fingers crossed that they have some food options as well.  I'll let you know in my review after I attend on Thursday night.  

Best deal on tickets is to get the Social Shopper 2 for 1 coupon!  

It's $7 for two 4-day admission to Make It! Vancouver.

Click on "Today's Deal" and scroll down looking at the right hand side for the one for the Make It! fair.  

If that's too complicated you can always go to Make It Vancouver and buy the early bird ticket for $4 each.  You only have a few days left since the fair begins on Thursday!  Come back to see my review of Make It! Vancouver 2013.