July 2016 Frugal Chatter - all welcome

[SassyAshley]

Good Afternoon Everyone,
Mom is working today so it was my chance to get things done around the house with no interruptions.

I wanted to make Shepard's Pie for dinner since Mom is working till 7, I can eat and then she could re heat but the heat has changed my plans. So instead well it was still cool this morning I made Mashed Potatoes and a Mushroom Gravy which I put the shredded Roast I found in the freezer in. So now we have Roast with Gravy over Mashed Potatoes.

I also made some French Toast Sticks, I had some freezer burnt bread so now Mom has breakfasts for this week since I am away and won't get a chance to eat them.

I also broke up some of the stuff I bought at Costco and used the Food Saver to package my Tea and Chicken Breasts into our portion sizes.

Now the dishwasher is running and I am taking a bit of a break.

Yesterday I deemed it my day and spent the whole day crocheting new items for my blog and writing blog posts to be posted this week. I think not this week but the following week I will start posting some of my samples for sales and start taking orders for Christmas.

Well off to have a cup of tea and relax until the Dish Washer is done, have a great day everyone

[coupon girl]

-well went to the mall to return 2 online kids items I bought from the bay last week
-so frustrated with nothing left in stores for me for summer clothing (I take L to XL)all nice tops in small left
-so checked out the kids stores got the baby boy to be a pair of socks in childrens place I thought they were .99 forest green colour but they rang up .55 cents I paid with tax
-then got ashlyn a lovely long white sleeve top with navy stripes at gymboyee 21.95 on for 6.99-40%=4.40 their clothing is such good quality -the bay their kids clothing is sooo expensive except online the few I got

[thriftygranny]

-well went to the mall to return 2 online kids items I bought from the bay last week
-so frustrated with nothing left in stores for me for summer clothing (I take L to XL)all nice tops in small left
-so checked out the kids stores got the baby boy to be a pair of socks in childrens place I thought they were .99 forest green colour but they rang up .55 cents I paid with tax
-then got ashlyn a lovely long white sleeve top with navy stripes at gymboyee 21.95 on for 6.99-40%=4.40 their clothing is such good quality -the bay their kids clothing is sooo expensive except online the few I got

Try the Cleo store online, they have some great clearance, I got 3 beautiful tops for 9.99 each with free shipping, they were about 40.00 and up regular price. i wear a size 10/12 and I find the large is just a tad big on me.

[coupon girl]

-thanks thrifty granny -I was on the site the other day Cleo's a lot of patterned tops ,florals and I like plain -but may look again -talize has 50% off tops Monday only may check that out

[saundyl]

My dad has cancer of the colon - polyp removed....follow up MRI and CAT scans shows no further spread of cancer at this time. Now a specialist has informed dad he should have further surgery just to check the site where the polyp was removed. The decision is his but, after speaking to others in the medical profession, I suggested to him to think about long term. IF they find further cancer, it may spread quickly because of the surgery. Then he would probably need chemo/radiation, maybe further surgery. He is in his mid eighties and has a fantastic quality of life at the moment - still works a few days a week actually. And he has NO health issues. He made up his mind now to let things be and enjoy life. Good on him! and it will save me and him countless out of town trips and a lot of stress. I know he made the right decision!

My grandma had the same thing removed a year and a half ago....had more removed this june. Shes 87. Seeing her for the first time since....she's looking very frail.

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[saundyl]

Andi...hope your mom us doing better

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[lilo0003]

Sandyl: we once had a flat on our trailer on the side of a 400 highway. Only to discover we did not have the jack in the truck. Some nice driver also with a trailer stopped to help and now we do the same if we see a trailer with a flat. We have not been out all summer and so we are hoping to take a few days in August and do a bit of camping.
Avon: good luck with the move.
I had such a super lazy day today. It was kind of nice. No one wanted dinner and I bought take out pizza for a late lunch.
I harvested my 1st tomatoes from the garden today. I see bacon and tomatoe sandwiches in my future. Lots of them. See you all in the August thread.

[saundyl]

My dad just called and informed me that he is bringing ripe gooseberries with him. He wants us to make gooseberry jam. Two problems: 1, I have never eaten gooseberries and 2, I have never made jam. It's our twins' first birthday tomorrow. I'd rather bake with them or something. Gah. Any suggestions? I will only have 2 days max with them visiting before I have the 3 new daycare boys.

edit: They just bought the house last year and didn't do anything with the fruit. After picking it this morning they realized that they are red currants. Have encouraged my dad to give them to his MIL, she does canning.

I tried making jam 5 yrs ago...
It might have been successful but ill never know how it tasted. I took my sister and her friend swimming. Turned off the jam after sealing it....i second guessed myself on turning it off and must have turned it back on...as when we got home 2 hours later we opened the door to black smoke billowing out....jam and glass all over the walls and ceiling....melted wall..and a destroyed element on the stove


Ive never tried again.

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[Angela273]

I tried making jam 5 yrs ago...
It might have been successful but ill never know how it tasted. I took my sister and her friend swimming. Turned off the jam after sealing it....i second guessed myself on turning it off and must have turned it back on...as when we got home 2 hours later we opened the door to black smoke billowing out....jam and glass all over the walls and ceiling....melted wall..and a destroyed element on the stove


Ive never tried again.

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Oh wow, that sucks. You are fortunate that it didn't burn the place down.

[sweet sparrow]

-well went to the mall to return 2 online kids items I bought from the bay last week
-so frustrated with nothing left in stores for me for summer clothing (I take L to XL)all nice tops in small left
-so checked out the kids stores got the baby boy to be a pair of socks in childrens place I thought they were .99 forest green colour but they rang up .55 cents I paid with tax
-then got ashlyn a lovely long white sleeve top with navy stripes at gymboyee 21.95 on for 6.99-40%=4.40 their clothing is such good quality -the bay their kids clothing is sooo expensive except online the few I got

@coupon girl : I really think I need to shop with you. I went to return some extra sheets to Home Outfitters and stopped by the mall to see if there were any tights on sale for LO. The lowest priced ones that I could find were $5.99 at Gymboree, which I thought were pricey - was that an additional 40% off? I returned a skirt that someone had given LO for her birthday. It was a size 2 and she now takes a size 4/5. I stopped by The Bay to check out pots and the one salesperson was helping an elderly man who wouldn't stop talking about his past experiences with dysfunctional toasters, even though there was a five person line up at the till. I was trying to buy a set of sheets that I found that were almost the exact ones at Home Outfitters for less. A cotton sheet set for $20 isn't terrible.

Plus, when I go shopping, I never find my size. Being pregnant, I don't think I'll steal your size. I have no clue what size I'll be at the end of this pregnancy. I've been eating so many carbs, you'd think I was a bodybuilder.

@avoncallingu : I'm sorry that you were randomly bitten throughout the night for trying to do a good deed.

Good morning everyone!!! I got free blueberries from the bleuetiere of my aunts this morning!!!They are bigs and sweet !!!

@cath007 : It's so nice when you're happy!

@Natalka : Lovely wedding video. It makes me wish I had ours. My brother-in-law did it and my sister thinks he taped over it.

I love the dresses from back in the day...can't get used to the ones now a days without straps! I guess I'm old fashioned....

We got married in September, and even with a strapless dress (not my choice, it was borrowed from a good friend) it was crazy hot dragging that 30 pound thing around. Add a train that pins up in the back, the (ahem) structural things you need to wear underneath, plus crinoline, it's not as easy as the photos make it look. Because the beadwork was so heavy on the front, I told my sister the corset back was the only thing holding up the dress with no sleeves or straps. As the maid of honour, make sure it doesn't fall down during the ceremony! She pulled a Scarlet O'Hara on me and probably gave me the smallest waist of my life. I think I only survived in it for a few hours before having to change into my reception dress (also borrowed, but no neckline exposed and cap sleeves). Phew!

If it were up to me, I'd wear something I could wear something normal underneath, but that would mean actually buying a dress or three.

I have a favourite medium sized pot with matching lid. I actually found the exact same one at a garage sale in town a couple years ago, so now I have 2. You might want to consider checking out second hand pots.

Yesterday, I drove 30 minutes to the store (10 minute detour because of a road closure), got to the checkout, and realized I forgot my wallet at home. Drove all the way back, woke up LO with my entrance, drove back to the store (another 30 minutes) to pick up my things, drove home (another 30 minutes). This isn't counting the hour I spent looking for all the items in such a big store. Then I had to stop at WM to get LO shoes but didn't want to take up more time than I already had. I grabbed every shoe in LO's size. It took so long. Sigh.

During LO's nap today, I had to go to the mall across the city to do some returns, the library to get LO a new set of books, get back to the grocery to pick up something they ran out of on Saturday. I have no idea where I'd find time to randomly wander through people's yard sales in the hopes that I might find a pot in decent condition that I like in this sweltering heat (though it's not too bad in early mornings). I used to get blackout spells due to the heat and now know to watch for the symptoms. Honestly, I don't know how you moms do it with more than one child.

Then I got the Cuisinart - and ended up picking up some Kitchenaid big frying pans at CT really cheap - and I wondered what the heck were we doing all those years struggling with crappy kitchen equipment for?

@Natalka : I definitely agree with your sentiments. I would like to find something that lasts awhile and sturdy. The link you posted looks like just what I was looking for! I did happen to go to Home Outfitters today to make a return and their pots were 50% off. A Lagostina was 50% off, making it $45. I think I'll save up some points for it. I certainly don't want to buy a completely new set!

@Andit and @momof5boys : I'm sorry to hear about your parents. Life continues with the curve balls, but the two of you are very much Wonder Women.

[Angela273]

Last night we had red baby potatoes, baby carrots, and yellow zucchini from my garden. I boiled the potatoes, we ate the baby carrots raw, bed marinated zucchini, celery, and mushroom kabobs, BBQ burgers, and BBQ'ed a fresh pickerel that my dad had caught that morning. We had cupcakes for dessert. It was our twins' first birthday. They were too tired, so they'll be opening their few gifts this morning. My dad and his wife are down for a short visit. They brought us a variety of bison, moose, and beef for our freezer for free.

[momof5boys]

Good Afternoon Everyone,
Mom is working today so it was my chance to get things done around the house with no interruptions.

I wanted to make Shepard's Pie for dinner since Mom is working till 7, I can eat and then she could re heat but the heat has changed my plans. So instead well it was still cool this morning I made Mashed Potatoes and a Mushroom Gravy which I put the shredded Roast I found in the freezer in. So now we have Roast with Gravy over Mashed Potatoes.

I also made some French Toast Sticks, I had some freezer burnt bread so now Mom has breakfasts for this week since I am away and won't get a chance to eat them.

I also broke up some of the stuff I bought at Costco and used the Food Saver to package my Tea and Chicken Breasts into our portion sizes.

Now the dishwasher is running and I am taking a bit of a break.

Yesterday I deemed it my day and spent the whole day crocheting new items for my blog and writing blog posts to be posted this week. I think not this week but the following week I will start posting some of my samples for sales and start taking orders for Christmas.

Well off to have a cup of tea and relax until the Dish Washer is done, have a great day everyone

Just checked out your blog - wonderful creations for sure!!! Love love that market bag - was it quite easy to make? I am a beginner crocheter and will likely take it up again when the weather cools.