$220 in Canadian Tire Money Buys a BBQ

Exact total = $219.70

Counting it took my neighbours and I hours. We found that blue guy in the bills. Separating cash in glasses is clever eh.

Been saving for 20 years.

I was short about $40.

Neighbours starting dumping their savings into the effort, Brian showed up with a massive drawer, we ended up $2.30 over target.

It’s the MasterChef S380 Propane BBQ.  3 burners, 46,000 BTUs, on sale $189.99 here

The neighbours helped a lot with this purchase.

Another drove me in his F150 to pick it up.  And then put it together for me… so BBQs come in pieces?

The lady at Canadian Tire was unfazed.
She counted it by hand, took 20 minutes.

During which I announced to every passerby, “look, I’m buying a BBQ with only Canadian Tire money.”

Inaugural meat from The Meat Merchant of course.

An ole’ fashioned butcher serving organic, local meat and ingredients that are nitrite and preservative-free.

My neighbour, “wait Keri, you should document this moment, give me your phone and show the beer more, it’s part of BBQing.”

Brian’s first iPhone photo!

I tried. Honestly, I tried.

I listened to instructions.

I don’t know how it went so west.

Know what though, everyone was kind and ate them anyway.

Concluding with some BBQ-catalog-posing.

 

 

I Tanked at Gardening this Year

Look, I even killed ferns – the world’s heartiest plant.

Why? By the time I got my act together to plant seeds it was mid-August, way too late. I kept forgetting to water regularly because I thought rain water was enough. And I’m supposed to find time to weed?

While I’m not the most embarrassing house on these street – lawn is usually cut and porch swept – I’m far from the most together.

Canadian Tire even sent me the below package of encouragement, along with the flower seeds I requested for my bathtub… and still I tanked it. They know me well too, and sent stuff that was “just add water.”

However!

According to the labels, this stuff will store fine over the winter provided it is NOT opened.

The added bonus is gardening items are on sale right now at Canadian Tire.

I’ve seen the above items priced at half-off. So go shopping now, and I scheduled a post for May 3, 2016 to remind us to plant the seeds.

***

No money was exchanged for this post.

Canadian Tire sent me their products, so I tested them then typed my impression. This is a beta test of my latest idea.

 

 

Last Chance to Summer Road Trip is Now

Road trips are guaranteed fun, adventure, and consistently yield one of _those_ stories… “hey remember that time we went to Wherever HAHA the best memories yup.”

Meet Michael Palmer, the “CEO of Family Travel.” The Calgarian has road tripped over 900,000 km, part of which is detailed his upcoming book, No Tranquilizers! 17,000 kms, 63 Days, 3 Kids, 1 Van 

He teamed up with Canadian Tire, so we had a good laugh on the phone, talked cars, and here’s his list…

Michael’s Top 3 Road Trip Tips

1 – Safety First

Have it serviced, check and inflate the tires, you know the drill.

2 – Find a Rhythm

Arriving at 11pm one night, then 6pm the next, that will tire you quickly. Be consistent, find a rhythm. Michael drove those 17,000 km in 6-hour per day increments.

3 – Keep it Clean

“Things can get out hand real quick, ” Michael says.  He points out food is always coming in and out of the vehicle, and you don’t want a rotting-grapes incident like he experienced, “organization is critical.”

Plus, if you have to brake hard and suddenly, you don’t want stuff taking flight.

Canadian Tire introduced Glovebox, a new line of auto storage solutions. I attended the media launch in January, there’s a good weight and handle to the fabric.

Or do a 24-hour trip, they’re great, here’s one I blogged.

We live in the best country in the world,
go explore it!

***

No money was exchanged for this post.

Canadian Tire introduced me, he’s a fun guy and I like his list so I blogged it. This post has been a beta test of my latest idea.