Every year, I treat myself to something new for my baking cupboard. Nothing over the top, but always something quality that I know will last and that maybe, one day, LB will want to keep and use for herself. But, in all the excitement of the holidays, I often forget to add that ‘present-for-me’ into our holiday budget and sometimes I feel guilty spending the money when I know we have other gifts to buy. So I’m pleased that RBC Rewards is sponsoring this post to talk about how we can (and should!) use reward points to make these special holiday moments a reality without totally blowing the budget.
I went out to the shops the morning of my ‘baking day’ and stocked up on some new cookie sheets, cookie cutters, a few fresh ingredients (because leaveners like baking soda go stale when they sit on a shelf too long!) I even treated myself to a couple new pieces of holiday decor. I was able to turn my rewards points into gift cards to buy almost everything. I ended up out of pocket less than a toonie! #MEGAwin!
Before a big bake, I always run through my recipes a few times, read them out loud and gather every ingredient, tool and prep bowl I’ll need in advance. And (in a trick I learned from my friend Jennifer at Simple Local Life) I now also fill the sink with warm soapy water, so I can tidy as I go.
My bake ware collection is a bit of a hodgepodge – but it all tells a story. My most FAVOURITE piece is a giant, blue vintage Emile Henry mixing bowl that was my Gramma’s. It’s excellent for mixing big batches of crusty bread and pizza dough and it reminds me of baking days with her. Gramma was a great cook, and she was the messiest baker! I have vivid memories of her counters covered in flour, icing, and all things.
So of course Dan snapped a picture when I managed to spill sugar and flour on the floor LOL I was channeling Gramma, I guess 😉
For this year’s Baking Day, I decided to do a couple of things – coconut cookie wafers and traditional holiday sugar cookies. LB has been fighting a nasty cold virus this week, but she still managed to come ‘help’ me in the kitchen while I was shaping the dough. 
She’s a bit little this year, but I have a feeling she’ll be right in there with a spatula next Christmas!
In the spirit of baking and tradition, I also grabbed a new Emile Henry Mixing Bowl through the RBC Rewards catalogue and I’ve got my eye on a few of the Cuisinart products as well – like the food processor. As a new RBC client and RBC Rewards member, I can redeem my points for all kinds of great brands like Cuisinart, Le Creuset, Kitchen Aid, Nordic Ware and gift cards from Visa, Whole Foods and Longos.
All this to say, I believe the holidays are stressful enough without feeling guilty about investing in yourself and your family traditions, whether they are in the kitchen, dining room or beyond. And if you’re investing in something using your rewards points -even better!
Cheers to the rewards of a little ‘me time’ 🙂
Oh and while you’re having that me-time, I recommend watching this ‘Happy Cry’ video. #RBCRewards invited eight Grammas, Nonnas and Grans to bake some special treats at Ronald McDonald House. #AllTheFeels
-E
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This post is sponsored by RBC Rewards. We only partner with brands we know and recommend to you and we appreciate their support in keeping this blog up and running!
