Best account for shopping- ING Direct THRIVE chequing

I just recently signed up for this new account and so far so good! It's a free chequing account, and includes unlimited debits (great for the shopping habit), free unlimited bill payments, free interac email money transfers, and  free unlimited deposits and withdraws. The only drawback (for some) is that there are no brick and mortar banks. As someone who does all their banking online this doesn't bother me. On their website it says if you need a bank draft they will courier it to your house for $10, which sounds quite reasonable. The first book of cheques is free as well. If you need to withdraw money from an ATM they have a list of free ones to use in your area. It looks like its all the credit union ATM's that can be used for free (at least in the Niagara area).
Another bonus for this account is if you sign up and use a valid 'orange code' you get a $25 dollar bonus when you open the account and deposit at least $100. Also if you switch your payroll deposit to this account they give you an additional $100 :) Another interesting bonus is that this account actually pays interest. Although it's not much, it's a rare feature of chequing accounts these days.

If anyone needs a valid orange key here's mine- 35972618S1 (as of July 17, 2011) Just enter it in when signing up for the account and $25 will automatically be deposited once the account is opened with a min of $100 (there's no requirement to keep the $100 in there). Happy shopping!

Deal of the day- babydoll dress from Old Navy

I picked up a cute dress from Old Navy (in store) for an amazing $11.99! It looks like it's slightly more expensive online for $14.99 in some colours, and $21.99 in others. Their Canadian shipping policy is free if you spend $50 or more, and there are always free returns.

 

Best shopping option = Winners

My favourite shopping destination in the Niagara (Canada) area always seems to be Winners.... there are less designer items/good finds than in other areas, but at the same time less shopping competition than in the greater Toronto area or say, Montreal (home to my favourite Winners). Today I found a cute Theory plaid dress for work, regular price $225 I got on clearance for $45! It must be said though, you have to be in the mood to search..... I'm also a fan of Marshalls, the American version of the store. In the States items seem to get marked down so much more than in Canada. However, they have recently opened Marshalls in Toronto, Mississauga, Ajax and Woodbridge, but I have yet to check them out.

Hard Candy makeup line

So.....Hard Candy is now available exclusively at Walmart! I know I'm way behind on this one, but I don't shop there very often. A quick google search told me it's been at Canadian Walmarts since August 2010. Back in the day I would buy the nailpolish from Sephora, it's interesting that they dropped the price point so low while keeping the products so similar. I bought some bronzer and the quality is good :)

Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips!

I'd been on the lookout to find these in Canada ever since I saw them advertised a few months ago...and today I finally picked some up! I chose "misbehaved" which is a silver colour with a black fishnet pattern. The product is actually pretty amazing, it's real nail polish but is already dry. It did take quite some time to apply but I got more efficient as I went along. Each package comes with 2 packs containing 8 different size strips. I only had to use one pack because it's really easy to cut some of the bigger ones in half and use on two nails. Also included is a little file and a cuticle stick.You basically just peel off the strip, press it down, and file away the excess. They seem to go on better if a little warm, and once the plastic is peeled off the quicker you put it on the better it works. Now let's see how long they last! On a side note, I'm also a fan of Sally Hansen's complete salon manicure line. The polish goes on really easily but I find I need to add a good topcoat if I want it to last more than a couple days. I really like the wide, angled brush and the colours they have available which has caused me to accumulate about a dozen so far...

The results!