The focus of this site is mostly on learning repeatable strategies that can save you tons of money in the long term. It isn’t about the latest deal that crops up and goes away just as quickly, as there are lot of other sites that cover those deals. However, when a deal comes along that essentially gives you hundreds of dollars in free money, it’s hard to ignore and I just have to write a post about it. This is one of those deals.

Aeroplan has launched a new promotion for the month of May (May 1st to May 28th 2012) called “The Aeroplan Star Challenge” where they are giving you a chance to earn up to 16,500 miles for shopping at their partners. Normally there are big catches with these types of promotions in that you need to shop at 5-10 different partners, only get 1 credit for shopping at the same partner multiple times, have to spend a minimum of $20 at each partner to qualify, and the list of terms and conditions goes on and on.

Not the case for this promotion! I have read through the entire terms and conditions myself and it has been confirmed by an Aeroplan employee as well that you can shop at the same partner as many times as you want and still get credit and there is no minimum purchase other than you have to buy enough to earn 1 aeroplan mile in a transaction to qualify.

How The Promotion Works

You earn “stars” for every qualifying transaction you make at a partner. The number of stars you earn per transaction ranges depending on which partner you shop at, but the minimum you can earn per transaction is 2 stars. To qualify for the maximum bonus of 16,500 aeroplan miles you need to earn 70 stars. That means you need to do 35 transactions at the lowest star rate to reach this goal and get the bonus.

Here’s the good news: one of the qualifying partners is Esso and everybody needs gas! To earn 1 aeroplan mile at Esso you need to spend $3 on gas, which makes it a qualifying transaction. Therefore you can stand at the pump and repeatedly swipe your credit cards and debit cards along with your aeroplan card and fill up on $60 worth of gas $3 at a time. In just one fill up you would already have done 20 transactions, which is 40 stars. Fill up twice in a month and you have met your quota!

So that only leaves the question of how much are 16,500 Aeroplan miles worth? Well, if you were to buy them from Aeroplan directly they would cost you 3 cents each meaning that 16,500 miles would cost $495. Alternately, consider that 25,000 miles buys you a ticket anywhere in North America. I value such a ticket at roughly $700 before taxes if you choose an expensive route so that translates into $462 of value doing some simple math.

Profit

So basically, spend $95 on something you need anyway and earn $462 worth of something you may or may not need – travel. Most people need to fly eventually though so you might as well take advantage of it!

Some Quick Pointers

Often, the mortgage that suits you best is the one that you tailor to your own needs. Many home buyers are unaware that they can negotiate some of the terms of their mortgage or make smarter decisions that will lead to lower interest payments. If you’re perplexed by all of the mortgage terms and industry jargon, this advice could help you decipher them and decide which loan program is best for you.

Get an ARM.

While this is typically a no-no for buyers on the market for the home that they will live in for the rest of their lives, an adjustable rate mortgage can be beneficial for first-time home buyers or buyers who plan to move again over the course of a few years to a decade. This is because adjustable rate mortgages have the benefit of being lower in interest for the initial period, but they have the potential to become high-interest loans when they are adjusted. If you can sell your home before the adjustable rate takes effect, however, you can avoid this down side. Find more on mortgages in Canada with mortgagesupermarket.ca.

Buy points toward your interest.

Welcome to the How To Save Money Radar!

This is where you will find a new approach to connecting you with some of the best quality articles on the internet about saving money and personal finance. Many bloggers publish links posts to share content written by other bloggers with their readers, but the focus is almost exclusively on new articles from the past week. My approach is to scour my favourite blogs and even ask the bloggers themselves for the absolute best content they have produced since their blog’s inception.

Why do this? Because many bloggers have the most passion in the early days of their blogs before they gain popularity but those articles quickly get buried in their archives never to be read or linked to again. Now I’m digging it all up so you guys get to read the best possible stuff that you never would have seen otherwise. Enjoy!

Great Articles You Should Read Now

• Mrs January made a practical guide to Canadian coupons so that you can learn how to become an extreme couponer in no time!
• Retire By Forty ironically wrote an article on how to retire by 40 and turns out it’s pretty good!
• Krant Cents suggests 10 changes you can make that could end up being worth millions of dollars.
• Frugal Under Forty wrote a nice piece on the importance of cash flow and how people often steal money from themselves without even realizing it.
• Daily Money Shot has come up with an amusing article on what watching Roseanne has taught them about money.

One Of My Own Articles You May Have Missed

In my last blog post in this series I want to debunk the myths around mortgage brokers. Now, in ANY other industry, adding a middle man to any purchasing process usually means that YOU pay more. (Think of travel for example...we all now know that booking flights ourselves saves us some serious dough.)

BUT - did you know that getting a mortgage broker can literally save you thousands of dollars? So - why is it when it comes to making the biggest money decision in your life, that it will actually save you money to add a middle man? Here’s why...a mortgage broker is someone who is trained to represent YOU - not the bank when you’re shopping for a mortgage. Plus...

#1. Mortgage Brokers are FREE

Let me repeat that for you...mortgage brokers don’t cost you a penny. So not only do they work for you, and save you thousands....their services don’t cost you a thing.

So..who pays the brokers? Good question. Brokers are actually paid by the lenders once they close a mortgage deal with you.

#2. Mortgage Brokers Do the Leg Work

Over the years I’ve learned many car buying tips and tricks from various friends and relatives as well as from my own online and offline research. I have been buying vehicles for about 18 years and these tips can and do work very well. Some are easier to use then others, but if it means saving a few hundred or thousands of dollars, it’s worth it!

Buying a new car isn’t like buying a pair of jeans; you’re spending a huge amount of money. Of course if you’re buying a $500 used car that looks like “The Old Jalopy” from the Archie comics, then you won’t have much to negotiate on.

Keep in mind, I have only used these car buying tips at actual dealerships. Buying privately is different and you don’t have as many techniques to work with, and cars sold privately are always sold as is. I personally have never bought a vehicle privately.

11 Car Buying Tips You Can Use At Any Dealership: