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 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

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!