June Budget 2012

I'm going to be keeping the same numbers as last month. However, last month I went over by a considerable amount; for a legitimate reason though (you'll see it in the budget review). I'll probably be able to stay on budget for June... but don't get your hopes up. I still have to get around to giving Rogers a call to lower my phone bill. I guess it's people like me (the ones who are too lazy to call in to get better deals) that pay people like me (the ones who are shareholders of the companies that provide service to the aforementioned lazy people).

-the Paperboy

SCENE Loyalty Program: Part II

My last post about the SCENE program talked the kind of awards that could be redeemed and attempted to put a dollar value on each prize to see which one was worth the most for the least amount for points. I also talked about the how we could earn points. Today let's go over the other options to accumulate points so that we can collect points quicker. You'll be able to see free movies in no time.

Along with earning points with the SCENE card on purchases such as movie tickets and concession snacks, Cineplex teamed up with Scotia Bank to offer both a SCENE debit and credit card. When I was younger, I learned the idea that credit cards were pure evil. Everything from television shows and adults gave me lessons on how the little piece of plastic would ultimately leave people drowning in debt. However, now I see that credit cards are a great tool (if properly used of course) and getting one with perks is a nice bonus to having the liquidity that a credit card offers.

Recent Market Plays: May 2012

The last week was horrible for the stock market and people point to the fear of Greece exiting the Eurozone. This resulted in stocks getting slaughtered... which was great news! I jumped on an opportunity to get in on Rogers earlier in the month and last week I made a couple more moves.

I increased my position in Weston and added another member of the Big Five to my portfolio; The Bank of Montreal. As I mentioned before, I ran out of cash with the Rogers move, so to fund the plays I had to sell an ETF (which I was planning to eventually do). The ETF didn't pay any dividends so as a result my yield should be higher for the next dividend progress report. The downside was that I had to sell it at a loss, but I considered the opportunity cost of sitting on an ETF that generated nothing when I could have BMO giving me 5% annually so I took the hit. I can also use the loss to offset future gains so it's not all bad.

Now I'm really strapped in terms of cash. I'll have to find more money somehow because I feel that some bargains may be headed our way if the economic outlook becomes bleak again. Worse comes to worse I can keep selling my ETFs at a loss to get better positions.

-the Paperboy

SCENE Loyalty Program: Part I

A few posts ago, I talked a little bit about Cineplex (disclaimer: I hold a long position in the company). I also mentioned their loyalty program, SCENE. Today I would like to talk about the program from a consumer's perspective. 

The SCENE program allows moviegoers to collect points to redeem for not only movie tickets, but anything ranging from gift cards to music downloads. There are multiple ways to get points. 100 points are awarded when a movie is seen, up to 150 points are earned when a concession combo is purchased, and also obtained via DVD, Blu-ray and digital movie downloads.

Now that you amassed a large amount of points, what can you spend them on? Along with the free movies (at the cost of 1000 points), there are popcorn and movie snacks (starting at 1000 points),  DVD, Blu-ray and digital downloads (starting at 1500 points), free music (starting at 2000 points) and Bon Appétit e-Gift Cards (which come in 3 denominations; $25, $50, and $100 and costs 3125 points, 6250 points and 12500 points respectively). The Bon Appétit e-Gift Cards can be used at Swiss Chalet, Montana’s, Kelsey’s, Harvey’s and Milestones Grill + Bar, which is a nice variety.