Nintendo 3DS only $99.99!

Futureshop and Best Buy have an online only sale to ring in the new year, and one of the items that jumps out is the Nintendo 3DS in purple for only $99.99! The Boxing Day sales have this handheld console for $129.99 (regular $169.99), so this is an amazing sale! The sale starts on the website today at 5pm PST and ends 7am January 2nd.

Resident Evil 6 for PS3 and XBox 360 are also on sale for $19.99 each, $20 less than the regular Boxing Day sale, and $40 off the regular price!

There are plenty of other great sales that are available online only, so make sure to check it out!

BOGO Holiday Drinks @ Starbucks 2-5pm (Dec 27-31)

From December 27 to 31st, get a little afternoon pick-me-up with BOGO holiday drinks at Starbucks! Happening daily from 2 to 5pm, choose from delicious flavours such as peppermint mocha, gingerbread latte, creme brulee latte and eggnog lattes!

While you're there, make sure to check out all the holiday items on sale - many at 50% off and would make a great gift to yourself or to a friend!

Free Kobo Mini with Purchase of Kobo Arc @ Chapters

Didn't get that eReader you wanted for Christmas? Chapters is having a great sale for Boxing Day - buy a Kobo Arc and get a Kobo Mini for free! This sale will be valid online or in-store from December 26th to January 4th, while supplies last.

12 Days of Downloads from iTunes (Dec 26 - Jan 6)

Starting tomorrow, iTunes Canada is giving away one gift a day - a free download of an app, song, tv show or movie. In years past, there have been many great downloads to be sure to check it out here.

Resolutions to a Better You! #Giveaway

Resolutions to a Better You! Event

Hosted by Mom Powered Media

Prize: $500 Cash

Event dates: 1/3 - 1/31

Free Blog Event! Sign-up here, BLOGGERS WANTED

LUSH Cosmetics BOGO Boxing Day Sale

Lush has announced a Buy One Get One Free sale on Boxing Day starting at midnight (EST) tonight and in-store tomorrow! Make sure to be checking out the website to see what there is - most likely any holiday themed products will be included in the sale, as well as some year-round items.

Happy Holidays!

Wishing all my readers a happy holidays!

Make a Raised Garden with M Brace #Giveaway

One of the joys of spring and summer is working outside in the garden and enjoying the flowers (or if you're my family, growing vegetables!). Many gardeners put a lot of thought into what and where to plant things in the space they have. If you have ever wanted to make a raised garden bed (which I think is very cool!), Art of the Garden has created a very simple way to do it with the M Brace system - all you need are a few planks of wood.

A set of four M Braces. [Photo source: Art of the Garden]

They are steel corner pieces with slots that you can slide the wood into - no nails or hammers needed! Each piece comes with a whimsical cutout to add more charm to your garden. Because it is made of steel, it will rust and weather over time, and that just adds to the charm of your garden. There are many cutout designs to choose from, with carrots, squiggles, frogs and dragonfly shapes to name a few.

There are many designs to choose from - this is the sun design.

Each steel corner has a slot where you slide a wood plank into.

Raised garden beds can make a nice addition to your backyard! [Photo source: Art of the Garden]

You can currently purchase a M Brace system on their website. Connect with Art of the Garden through Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with news on the M Brace.

WIN IT!

Art of the Garden wants you to try out the M Brace system yourself and is offering a set to giveaway to one lucky reader! The giveaway is open to US residents only. Enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

2012 Holiday Gift Ideas: The Symphony Sampler for $99!

The Vancouver Symphony has a special Symphony Sampler pack that includes 4 tickets for only $99! This could be the perfect gift for the music lover in your life. There's not much that can compare to listening to a symphony live. You get to choose how to use your 4 tickets - 4 single concerts or two pairs to two concerts.

For more information on this sampler pack, check out the VSO website.

Kobo Mini E-Reader with Case - $49.99 @ The Source

If you missed the Black Friday sale on the mini Kobo e-readers, The Source now has an even better deal! Get the Kobo Mini e-reader for only $49.99 with a bonus snapback plate! This could be the perfect gift to get for yourself or the avid reader that you know.

You can purchase this at the Source online or in store. This price will be valid until December 23rd.

2012 Holiday Gift Ideas: Sweet Gifts with Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory #Giveaway

When I think of holiday treats, I think of chocolate. And one of my favourite places to shop for gifts or a little chocolate snack for myself is at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.  RMCF has been creating delicious chocolates, fudge, brittle and rockypop (caramel popcorn with nuts) right in the store since the 1980's and it's hard to resist when you see them! For Christmas, RMCF has loaded up their sleigh with a ton of holiday themed chocolate and treats! Many are great as stocking stuffers, with larger boxes of chocolates or even gift baskets that make a sweet present. My favourite this year are the milk, dark and white chocolate dipped pretzels!

Many cute holiday themed milk chocolates - Gingerbreadman, Santa with a snowboard, Frosty the Snowman and a large Christmas tree lollipop.

Fun stocking stuffers include chocolate reindeer and santa lollipops and chocolate filled candy canes.

You can purchase pre-made gift baskets or customize your own with the treats of your choice.

One of my favourite treats to get at RMCF are the caramel or chocolate dipped apples. They have rolled out Christmas themed apples for the holidays! I really like the Grinch.

Each basket comes wrapped beautifully with a big red bow - perfect for gift giving!

You can head on down to your nearest Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to purchase any of these gifts, or order online. Make sure to connect with RMCF on Facebook and Twitter as well, because there are several Christmas giveaways happening right now!

WIN IT!

To celebrate the holidays, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is generously giving away a $50 gift card to one lucky reader! The giveaway is open to Canadian residents only. Enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: The product mentioned above was provided free of charge from the company or PR firm for review. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Savvy Shopping, Deals & Reviews and have not been influenced in any other way.

2012 Holiday Gift Ideas: Easy gifting with CardSwap #Giveaway

There are just some people that are really hard to shop for - what do you get for someone who already has everything? I find that gift cards is a great solution to this problem. More and more people are turning to gift cards as presents now, and many stores seem to have a rack of gift cards you can load up. I give gift cards all the time, especially to my parents. I just pick a store or restaurant that my parent really love going to (McDonalds for my dad, Winners for my mum) and I don't have to worry about anything else - they get to choose what they want at the store!

How about when you receive a gift card that you won't use? Do you usually re-gift it, or just hang onto it forever (like me)?

This is where Cardswap comes in.

Cardswap is the newest place to buy and sell gift cards. Why not trade in your unused gift cards for cash? All you have to do is enter into Cardswap.ca how much the gift card is worth, which store it's for and it shows you what amount they will pay you for it. After selling your gift cards, you can either buy another card you want, or take the money out into your Paypal account.

You can also purchase gift cards on Cardswap.ca, and  will earn points for each gift card you buy. When you collect 1,000 points, you can redeem that for $10 on your next gift card purchase or even withdraw the $10 into Paypal! There are no shipping fees associated with buying or selling your gift cards, and the service is very fast. I ordered a gift card and it took only about 2 business days for it to arrive.

WIN IT!

Cardswap is generously giving away a $25 of your choice to one lucky reader! The giveaway is open to Canadian residents only. Enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: A gift card was provided free of charge from the company or PR firm for review of the service. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Savvy Shopping, Deals & Reviews and have not been influenced in any other way.

Double Stars with Starbucks Holiday Drinks (Dec 10-24)

From now until December 24th, you will get an extra star when you order a holiday drink and pay with your register Starbucks Card! Collect 5 stars and receive a free grande drink! If you don't have your collector card, just ask a cashier. I know I'll be visiting Starbucks a bit more often now!

Free Box of Kraft Dinner

Kraft Dinner Canada is giving away 20,012 boxes of KD. You must have Twitter, and all your have to do is tweet that you want your last meal to be KD with the hashtag #KDpocalypse and they will mail out your free box! Check out their website for more details. Kraft will send you a link where you can fill out your information.

2012 Holiday Gift Ideas: Cineplex Holiday Gift Pack

Cineplex offers one of the best values for their Holiday Gift Pack gift cards. Purchase a Cineplex gift card valued at $30 or more from now until January 5, 2013, and you will receive an additional gift pack with it, that is packed with valuable coupons!
The coupons include:

- Free admission during the month of your birthday
- Free premium upgrade, valid for 2 people
- 2 for 1 admission
- Free small popcorn
- Free small popcorn with any drink purchase
- Free 120g bag of m&m's with the purchase of a large popcorn and large drink

Even if you don't use all the coupons, the free birthday admission and the free small popcorn already gives you back in value half of what you would have paid for the gift card! If you're a regular movie goer, why not pick one up as a gift to yourself as well? I know I will be!

Purchase a gift card at Cineplex theatres or online.

See you at the movies!

20x Points Events @ Shoppers Drug Mart (Dec 12)

Shoppers Drug Mart is rolling out the promotions during this holiday seasons so shoppers can maximize the points they earn. On December 12th, spend $75 or more on almost anything in the store and receive 20x the Optimum Points! All you have to do is print out this coupon. Happy shopping!

Canadian Tire Scratch Card Event (Dec 8-9)

If you looked in your flyers this Wednesday, you will find a scratch card tucked into the Canadian Tire flyer. It's one of my favourite promotion events because you can get a ton of goodies! This weekend, bring your scratch card in and get either $10 off your purchase, of a 3-pack of Lindt chocolates that includes at $5 off coupon that you can use during boxing week. There is also a chance to win $5000! Make sure you go to your local Canadian Tire early as people go crazy during scratch card promotions and the sale item you had your eye on may be sold out.

Christmas Party at Al Porto

Even though it's very early in December, my company had it's Christmas party already yesterday. The party was held at Al Porto (321 Water St), an Italian restaurant located in historic Gastown. I actually had a bit of trouble finding the place because there is a small hallway that leads to the side entrance! We had a private room downstairs for our festivities.

There was a four course set menu that we got to choose from. I ordered the smoked salmon, gnocchi, sablefish and tiramisu. The food was very good! First of all, you can't go wrong with smoked salmon. The gnocchi was small and the tomato sauce worked well with it. I opted for the sablefish - the texture was very smooth (which I like!) and it flaked nicely. Yum! Of course, the part of dinner I look forward to is dessert! I chose the tiramisu because I was told it was delicious, and it was! The chocolate ganache torte was also very good - very rich and chocolatey! Everyone had a great time at the party and enjoyed the food. Definitely a great place to go for a night out!

Smoked salmon with capers and onions.

Organic mixed greens with dijon and olive oil vinaigrette.

Gnocchi with mushrooms and shaved parmesan.

Pan seared sablefish with lemon and tarragon sauce. Zucchini, eggplant and mashed potatos on the side.

Grilled beef tenderloin with green peppercorn sauce.

Tiramisu.

Chocolate ganache torte.

Gingerbread Lane @ Hyatt Regency

While you're downtown for the Festival of Trees, why not pop on over to the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Burrard Street to take a stroll down Gingerbread Lane? Over 40 gingerbread houses are on display, created by various schools and companies. All there gingerbread creations were very creative and colourful and made with such detail, it was pretty amazing to look at! The gingerbread smell is heavenly, and made me almost want to rip off a chunk of gingerbread to eat myself! Select your favourite gingerbread creation to win this year's People's Choice award. Make a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation with your vote and be entered to win a free night stay at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver. Gingerbread Lane will be open until December 27, 2012.

Santa's workshop

These cupcakes are adorable!

The winner of the secondary school category - this roller coaster scene is very detailed and well made. I see Gingy too!

Historic Gastown

One of my favourites - there are 3 sides to this creation.

The icing is pipetted on so precisely!

Another one of my favourites - not only because it's a marine scene, but because it's from my old high school, David Thompson!

The characters and house from Disney's Up!

A scene from the Nutcracker.

The winner - created by the Vancouver Community College Baking and Pastry Arts department. There is so much detail in this, with tons of small little things to look at.

Everything was made perfectly!

The village of Whoville.

Festival of Trees 2012

Head downtown and get into the Christmas spirit by taking a walk through The Festival of Trees at Pacific Centre Mall and The Four Seasons Hotel. Many different companies have decorated a tree in support of the BC Children's Hospital. The public can get involved and vote for their favourite tree as well. The trees will be up until January 1, 2013.

$20 for $40 of American Apparel Groupon

Groupon is offering a $20 coupon for $40 worth of clothing at American Apparel. Snap up this great offer if you're looking for some comfy clothes!

Choose Your U! Wii U #Giveaway

Choice Your U Event

Hosted by Mom Powered Media

Big thank you to our supporting co-hosts: Just Davey and Me, Giveaway Bandit, A Medic's World, Raking In The Savings, Mommy Bear Media, Capri's Coupons, Monica's Rants, Raves & Reviews and CountingtoTen

~ Introducing the Wii U ~

Wii U is the next great gaming console from Nintendo and it redefines how you will play next. With its innovative new Wii U GamePad controller, it will not only introduce entirely new ways to play games, it will also transform how you connect with friends and enjoy entertainment.

Play Games

• Discover new ways to play together with the innovative Wii U GamePad controller
• Enjoy brand new games from your favorite gaming franchises
• Experience up to full 1080p HD for the first-time ever on a Nintendo gaming console
• Play almost all of your favorite Wii games & accessories on the Wii U console

Connect & Share

• Interact with friends, family, and people around the world via Miiverse*
• Download add-on content, full games, classic games, and applications from the Nintendo eShop*
• Communicate in real time with the video chat feature*
• Make and share Mii? characters* *Broadband Internet access required for online features. For more info, go to support.nintendo.com

Transform Entertainment

• Search your TV, cable, video-on-demand and DVR content from one convenient place
• Control your TV with the Wii U GamePad as a remote control
• Browse the Internet on the Wii U GamePad and share your activity on the TV screen
• Find, watch, and enhance your video entertainment

Wii U GamePad Controller

• Connects Wirelessly with both the console and the TV
• Built-in touch screen
• Motion Control
• Buttons and control sticks built right in

One lucky reader will receive a Wii U Console with Wii U GamePad Controller!

Giveaway ends December 30th at 11:59pm, open to worldwide {residents outside of the US will receive a $300 Amazon Gift Card}, ages 18+. To enter please use the Rafflecopter form below. This is the perfect gift for yourself or any gamer in your life! Good luck!

Starbucks 12 Days of Christmas

The 12 days of Christmas deals is back at Starbucks this year! There will be a different deal everyday for twelve days. It could be anything from a BOGO sale to free coffee with purchase. Make sure you visit Starbucks to find out what the daily deal is!