Things you should never pay full price for in Canada

Apple, IKEA, Cineplex and Staples all sell some things for less than the sticker price, and you don't need a coupon or a sale to get it. A refurbished Mac from Apple costs up to 15% less, IKEA sells showroom pieces and returns at a discount, movies are cheaper on Tuesdays, and Staples will refund the difference if you find the same item for less.

Buy your Mac refurbished, from Apple

Apple's Certified Refurbished store sells refurbished Macs, iPads and iPhones for up to 15% less than new. They go through Apple's full functional testing, come with the same one-year warranty as a new device, and ship free.

On a $2,000 MacBook Pro, 15% is $300 before tax. The only limit is stock. The store only has what came in that week, so search by the exact chip, memory and storage you want and check back if it isn't listed.

IKEA's As-is corner is now online

IKEA's As-is areas sell discontinued products, gently used returns and ex-showroom pieces, and IKEA Canada now lists that stock online. You pick your store, browse what's there and see photos of any marks or dents under the defects tab before you leave home.

To hold something, sign in with an IKEA Family account (it's free) and press Book. The store keeps it until closing time on the next business day, then you pick it up from the As-is area and pay at the cash. You can reserve up to 10 items at once. For a first apartment, start here before you go anywhere near the flat-pack aisle: a showroom sofa or a discontinued dresser costs less than the new one, and the showroom piece is already built.

Let the grocery markdowns decide dinner

Flashfood sells produce, meat and other groceries at up to 50% off at participating stores, including Loblaws. You choose from what's listed at your nearest store, pay in the app and pick the order up in store. There's a small service fee per order, shown before you pay. Check the app before you plan the week's meals: if chicken thighs are half price, make chicken.

Too Good To Go does the same for bakeries, cafés and restaurants: a Surprise Bag of what didn't sell that day for half price or less, picked up in a set window, usually near closing time.

Too Good To GoFeatured partnerFind cheap food for good value from local merchants when bags are available. Too Good To Go helps restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and grocery partners sell surplus food in discounted surprise bags.

Find cheap food for good value from local merchants when bags are available. Too Good To Go helps restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and grocery partners sell surplus food in discounted surprise bags.

Get Up to -50%Referral link · opens in a new tab

Create an account, reserve an available surprise bag, and pick it up during the listed pickup window. The savings happen through discounted food purchases instead of a cash payout. Read the provider terms before completing the offer.

Go to the movies on a Tuesday

Cineplex has discounted pricing every Tuesday, and Scene+ members save an extra 10% on top of the Tuesday price. Scene+ is free, so join before you book. The Tuesday price depends on the theatre and the format, so open the same film on a Tuesday and on a Saturday and compare before you pick a night; for a family of four, the difference adds up quickly.

Ask Staples to price match, even after you've bought

Staples Canada will match a competitor's lower price on almost everything it sells. The item has to be identical (same model number, components and warranty), in stock, and sold directly by a Canadian authorized retailer. On Amazon, that means "Ships from" and "Sold by" both have to say Amazon.ca. A colour difference is fine.

You have 30 days after the item arrives to ask, or 14 days for electronics. So if you bought a $129 printer and see it for $99 at another retailer two weeks later, bring the ad or web page and get the $30 back. Know the exclusions before you go to the counter: marketplace sellers don't count, and neither do refurbished, open-box and demo items, clearance, Bose, or special-event prices such as Black Friday, Boxing Day and Prime Day.

Free museum nights, library passes and the Canoo pass

At the Art Gallery of Ontario, anyone in Ontario under 25 gets in free, every day, and general admission is free for everyone on the first Wednesday night of each month, from 6 to 9 p.m. Book the free ticket online first, because those nights fill up. If you have a Toronto Public Library card, the library's MAP programme lends free passes to the AGO and other Toronto attractions, which you reserve online with your card number. Plenty of other library systems run similar lending programmes, so before you pay at the door of any museum, check your own library's website first.

New citizens and permanent residents can get a free year of museums. Canoo, run by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, gives you a free year of admission to more than 1,400 places across Canada, including the AGO, plus discounts on travel and events.

CanooFeatured partnerEligible permanent residents and new Canadian citizens can join Canoo free for admission discounts, events and member offers across Canada.

Eligible permanent residents and new Canadian citizens can join Canoo free for admission discounts, events and member offers across Canada.

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Referral link. Canooq may receive referral credit if you join through this link. Canoo remains free for eligible members, and no referral reward is promised to the reader.

For everything else, use cashback

Rakuten pays cash back at more than 750 stores, and new members who join with a referral link get $50 after spending $50 in their first 90 days. It works on top of everything above: when a store you're buying from is listed on Rakuten, start the order there and the cash back lands on a price you've already cut. Then log what you actually paid in the budget planner.