August Frugal chatter

[blueeyetea]

I'm getting the sense that hubby isn't involved in the finances?

TOO MUCH TAKEOUT - have a well stocked pantry and a meal plan. Set aside some time and cook meals just for your freezer, which takes care of the excuse that you don't have the time to cook. Alternatively, get yourself some recipes that require very little preparation and/or ingredients. I have a recipe that needs sausages (from the freezer), beans (canned) and onions (pantry), and is ready in 20 minutes. For a vegetable, I defrost the vegetable soup that I always keep in the freezer. Knowing you have food ready to eat in the house goes a long way towards curbing take-out temptation.

TOO MUCH POP/JUNK FOOD: That's a tough one, because junk food is like smoking. It's an addiction that's difficult to break. And it's always pushed at you. My best advice is, don't keep it in the house. Go out for ice cream and treat it like the treat is should be, or maybe just thinking you have to leave the house to get it will be enough to curb that craving. What about making your own treats at home, like muffins, or popcorn?

DH PICKING EATING AND BRAND LOYALTY: honestly, he has to decide to change. Obviously, the disadvantages of making a change far outweight the advantages, from his point of view that is. There's no incentive.

OVERSPENDING and the "I GET PAID ON FRIDAY" EXCUSE: and that's the kicker. If he likes to shop when he's bored, he doesn't know the value of money, i.e. how much he's giving up to pay for this lifestyle. I know you mention that you sit down with him, but you're showing him, not working with him, or him with you. What about just giving him an allowance for him to spend on what he wants? Again, it doesn't look there's an incentive for him to change, so why should he? It has to be personal.

Fortunately neither of us at Tim Horton's fiends. He doesn't drink coffee or tea and if I decide to have a tea I either make it at home before or will make it at work when I get here.

I'm not sure if anyone has some suggestions for me but here are DH's (and my) bad, unfrugal habits.

[Frugalbigmama]

Home soon to hopefully get some things done around the house. Will also be bbqing fish for my dinner and lunches for the next few days (with leftover veggies from stirfry last night and coleslaw, Yum!)

[MaddensMomma]

I'm getting the sense that hubby isn't involved in the finances?

I try to include him, let him know what we have coming in and out every month, additional expenses, etc but he just isn't interested. All he looks at is what money is currently in the bank.

One thing I have tried is to always keep on top of the bills, paying them early on if I have to, so it looks as if we don't have the money in our account to spend.

TOO MUCH TAKEOUT - have a well stocked pantry and a meal plan. Set aside some time and cook meals just for your freezer, which takes care of the excuse that you don't have the time to cook. Alternatively, get yourself some recipes that require very little preparation and/or ingredients. I have a recipe that needs sausages (from the freezer), beans (canned) and onions (pantry), and is ready in 20 minutes. For a vegetable, I defrost the vegetable soup that I always keep in the freezer. Knowing you have food ready to eat in the house goes a long way towards curbing take-out temptation.

We were doing really well with our meal plan and eating out but have gotten side tracked the last month and a bit as we have been busy every night with all the reno's. I'm starting to wonder whether doing it ourselves is really worth it after you factor in all the take out and eating out we have been doing

During the week we often eat "quick meals" such as hamburgers and salad, sausages and corn on the cob, etc. but sometimes we just don't feel like cooking and want to get right to doing the reno work.

TOO MUCH POP/JUNK FOOD: That's a tough one, because junk food is like smoking. It's an addiction that's difficult to break. And it's always pushed at you. My best advice is, don't keep it in the house. Go out for ice cream and treat it like the treat is should be, or maybe just thinking you have to leave the house to get it will be enough to curb that craving. What about making your own treats at home, like muffins, or popcorn?

The thing is if I DON'T buy him Pepsi when it is on sale for $3 or less a case... he will go and pay $6 a case when he runs out which is not saving us anything. Chips he has been doing much better at and we only buy as a treat once and a while. Same with ice cream and ice cream treats, I only buy them when on sale with my coupons and I've told him once they are gone, they are gone. I'm not buying more until they go on sale again so eat them wisely lol.

One thing he does like is homemade banana bread but lately I haven't had time to cook anything on the weekends as we're so busy

DH PICKING EATING AND BRAND LOYALTY: honestly, he has to decide to change. Obviously, the disadvantages of making a change far outweight the advantages, from his point of view that is. There's no incentive.

OVERSPENDING and the "I GET PAID ON FRIDAY" EXCUSE: and that's the kicker. If he likes to shop when he's bored, he doesn't know the value of money, i.e. how much he's giving up to pay for this lifestyle. I know you mention that you sit down with him, but you're showing him, not working with him, or him with you. What about just giving him an allowance for him to spend on what he wants? Again, it doesn't look there's an incentive for him to change, so why should he? It has to be personal.

I don't think an "allowance" of sorts would work as he doesn't usually buy for himself, but always things that we "need" for the house that he always justifies. And yes, we do need a ton for the house since we just bought it not even a year ago starting out but some things need to wait.

[sweet sparrow]

A tip from a friend that helps me too is maternity-wear is only called that with your first pregnancy, after that it is called eternity-wear. Not because you are doomed to wear it for eternity, but because who is to say you can't wear it after if it makes you feel good.

My frugal habits have led me to borrow maternity clothes, every single piece. I'll be returning all of it, so I can't keep it forever.

I would suggest implementing 1 frugal change/saving over a 2-3 week period or so that it gets ingraved in his brain/ways. If you try too many things at once he may be resistant as it's just too many things. So start with 1, maybe start with the easier ones such as bringing his coffee in the am from home and not Tim Hortons (example only) then move onto another task/challenge. A lot of people are resistant to changes wether large or small....so baby steps. Even things like writing notes such as I love you don't forget your coffee (lol). If you want to share what you are having challenges with I am sure the creative & frugal ladies on here are willing to make suggestions.

Oh, I tried breaking him of his Tim's habit. He said the other option is to leave work exhausted and a coffee is much cheaper than an accident. I have to agree. Someone at work is always going for a Tim's run, so it's $2 for a $1.60 coffee, because no one ever has change and when they get it, they don't return it. It's like a service fee. He has a coffee machine at work now, but will never fill up his takeout mug. I tried including his takeout mug in the car so he could save $0.10 at least with each refill. Nope, he said the Tim's people give you a major hassle when you go to the drive through with a reusable mug as they have it ready at the third window after you pay. Of course, he could tell them when he places his order, but who can hear anything in those horrible speaker/microphones? I've resigned myself to loading a Tim's card for him. At least we get points on the CC....

1) TOO MUCH TAKE OUT!!! We have made a goal on absolutely NONE for the rest of the month and I am in the process of making a meal plan. Now to just get him to stick to it as he does most of the cooking. I also need to take some initiative and if he isn't feeling great or motivated to cook dinner, to start dinner when I get home instead of getting hangry and saying "f it, let's go out".

2) TOO MUCH POP/JUNK FOOD. Usually this is just one of DH's faults, but lately with the pregnancy cravings and sweet tooth I am at fault as well. IMO we go through way too much pop, chips, ice cream, ice cream treats, etc. Not sure how to cut back as DH is addicted to his Pepsi

3) DH's PICKY EATING HABITS. You have all heard me talk about his picky eating habits. He won't eat leftovers. The only thing he will eat from a crock pot is roast beef, and even then he whines. The only pasta he will eat is spaghetti. Nothing can have cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, etc in it. He doesn't like stir fry sauces, he likes it plain, yuck. He wants to grill EVERYTHING and that's all we eat - sausages, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken breasts, pork chops, roast beef, whole chickens... repeat.

4) DH's BRAND LOYALTY. I am not sure how to get him past this. We HAVE to use Tide and Downy, no other detergent or fabric softener will do. Must be Bounty paper towel and Royale or Charmin TP. He whines if I don't buy him Armstrong cheese. Crackers have to be Ritz plain. Chips have to be Lays. Sausages have to be Johnsonville. BBQ sauce has to be Diana. Chicken fingers must be bough at Costco for $15 a friggin box. I could go on and on... it doesn't matter if we can get something the exact same or similar for FREE... he wants what he wants.

5) OVERSPENDING and the "I GET PAID ON FRIDAY" EXCUSE. DH likes to go shopping and buy things when he's bored. ahem, new tv... I am constantly pointing out that we don't have the extra money and his excuse is always "well we get paid on Friday, etc". Well yes, but I've already budgeted that pay to go to "x" "y" and "z" so no we really don't have that extra money still. I have even tried sitting down with him and showing him the budget to see that we have "x" amount of dollars coming in and "x" amount of dollars going out for the essentials for we only have "x" to spend and it has to be broken down like this.... he still doesn't get it

I have the same issues. For 1), it's not that DH doesn't cook, he likes going out to eat (which you have to include the cost of the tip) because he doesn't like cleaning. He doesn't see the hassle of getting dressed, driving, waiting around for someone else to cook, and extra calories. At least you've agreed on a goal together and that's a great start. For us, we go out every anniversary, birthday, or Valentine's, and twice a year when we're at the dentist because it's close to our favourite restaurant.

2) Yes, and junk is cheap. My saving grace here is that DH drives so much during the week, he wants to do none on the weekends. Since I shop, I just don't buy pop and cookies. Is it possible to do all the grocery shopping yourself or promise to try more junk food recipes at home? I try and bake new cookies for special occasions. I reduce the sugars and bad things by a little bit and he doesn't seem to notice - but I won't touch his favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe! I also have a sweet tooth, but thankfully, I crave natural sugars in produce mainly. I still eat sugary cereals and gorge on junk when I'm out though! I'll allow myself to eat as many chips as I want when I'm out of the house because I know there's a bottom to that bowl and I'm sharing with others so I can't be rude.

3) DH is also picky and mine hates roast beef. I have no thanks for his mom who indulged him in whatever he wanted to eat, even if she had to make an extra meal for him. It's what he's grown up with and is hard to break him of the habit. Thankfully, my mom is an excellent cook and has gotten him to eat many things he hates because of how she prepares foods. Now if only I could follow her recipes of "a little of this, but not too much of that"....

4) Maybe try a few new recipes that incorporate how he likes things cooked, but add one new thing, or start replacing the contents of his packages and see if he notices.

5) Can you visualize it for him, like using money jars or envelopes? Maybe you can tell him he can have the money at the end of the month for the TV savings and after you take out the bills, the groceries, the planned expenses, he can see that he's left with $4.17? DH and I have a deal that he can't have a new TV until ours breaks.

[jasperandchar]

Well this morning woke up with a backache so couldn't do my customer .I took some Tylenol Back and Body so hopefully it goes away so.

Hope you feel better soon.

[coupon girl]

hey all wow we are a chatty bunch -just read a few pages -well talked hubby into going to value village this morning donated 2 bags and got a 30% coupon -his jeans 2 pairs 7.00 each after their preice of 9.99 and a cool sleeveless mesh shirt 3.50 after their price of 4.99 -so I was happy and he was -then he wanted to get out of there-so home we came

[jasperandchar]

Fortunately neither of us at Tim Horton's fiends. He doesn't drink coffee or tea and if I decide to have a tea I either make it at home before or will make it at work when I get here.

I'm not sure if anyone has some suggestions for me but here are DH's (and my) bad, unfrugal habits.

1) TOO MUCH TAKE OUT!!! We have made a goal on absolutely NONE for the rest of the month and I am in the process of making a meal plan. Now to just get him to stick to it as he does most of the cooking. I also need to take some initiative and if he isn't feeling great or motivated to cook dinner, to start dinner when I get home instead of getting hangry and saying "f it, let's go out".

2) TOO MUCH POP/JUNK FOOD. Usually this is just one of DH's faults, but lately with the pregnancy cravings and sweet tooth I am at fault as well. IMO we go through way too much pop, chips, ice cream, ice cream treats, etc. Not sure how to cut back as DH is addicted to his Pepsi

3) DH's PICKY EATING HABITS. You have all heard me talk about his picky eating habits. He won't eat leftovers. The only thing he will eat from a crock pot is roast beef, and even then he whines. The only pasta he will eat is spaghetti. Nothing can have cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, etc in it. He doesn't like stir fry sauces, he likes it plain, yuck. He wants to grill EVERYTHING and that's all we eat - sausages, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken breasts, pork chops, roast beef, whole chickens... repeat.

4) DH's BRAND LOYALTY. I am not sure how to get him past this. We HAVE to use Tide and Downy, no other detergent or fabric softener will do. Must be Bounty paper towel and Royale or Charmin TP. He whines if I don't buy him Armstrong cheese. Crackers have to be Ritz plain. Chips have to be Lays. Sausages have to be Johnsonville. BBQ sauce has to be Diana. Chicken fingers must be bough at Costco for $15 a friggin box. I could go on and on... it doesn't matter if we can get something the exact same or similar for FREE... he wants what he wants.

5) OVERSPENDING and the "I GET PAID ON FRIDAY" EXCUSE. DH likes to go shopping and buy things when he's bored. ahem, new tv... I am constantly pointing out that we don't have the extra money and his excuse is always "well we get paid on Friday, etc". Well yes, but I've already budgeted that pay to go to "x" "y" and "z" so no we really don't have that extra money still. I have even tried sitting down with him and showing him the budget to see that we have "x" amount of dollars coming in and "x" amount of dollars going out for the essentials for we only have "x" to spend and it has to be broken down like this.... he still doesn't get it

Well on a positive note your dh is not hooked on Timmy's which is a big savings in itself. 1. Take Out - is expensive as you know. I think that you should have a back up plan for each day of the week so that if your dh doesn't want to cook that you take over or start the meals like you mentioned. But I guess the question will then be will he eat what you cook or will he still want to go out? 2. Leave the Pepsi alone is my advice for now if he's addicted then he will get cranky and irritable and you can't force him to quit or make him cut down he has to want to do it. And is you pack less pop for his lunch he will just end up stopping and picking the stuff up at the corner store and pay way more than what you would have spent. What about making baked goods such as yummy brownies, cookies, cakes instead of ice cream treats. Start slowly and see if you can buy 1 carton of ice cream instead of 2 (supplementing with the baking) but you will have to do the baking otherwise he will buy the treats. Same goes for chips try and only reduce the amount of treats that you purchase by 1 each week until he's down to a reasonable amount (this may or may not work). 3. Picky eater - well if he's cooking then there shouldn't be a problem but if you are cooking well then it is what it is, you have made dinner and that's that, as you know he is picky obviously you follow/cater to his picky habits which you are used to but don't like. So if you are cooking you are in charge....more motivation for him to cook as he cooks what he likes to eat. 4. Brand loyalty, well that is tough if it's just plain preference then that's easy to change within reason but if it's because Tide is gently on his skin well then don't want to irritate it. 5. Overspending comes down to discipline in my opinion, if you can afford to keep up with the Jones then by all means indulge but if you can't things have to change, it sounds like your dh is not on board with your budgeting & goals and things really need to change, it sounds like you have had the "money talk" but he's not listening which is a big problem.

[YOU AND ME]

Good suggestions, thank you

Unfortunately I can't find anything that DH will eat from a crock pot. He will eat a pot roast but whines about it lol. He is a very picky eater and doesn't like anything out of the ordinary. Think of a 5 year old picky kid lol. Any suggestions for the crock pot??

Wow picky is not the word for your DH maybe you should send him to bed without his supper might changes his tune

[jasperandchar]

Does anyone know if there are any Harvey or McDonald printable coupons out, if so I would appreciate the link for our trip to Kingston on Sat, Sun. & Monday. I will be making blueberry muffins on Friday for our breakfasts, packing cereal as well. Cooler with drinks for the ride & evenings. I made the deal with the kids that if we stayed at the same hotel as last year which is the Ambassador in Kingston which has a waterslide which is more expensive that some of the other hotels that we would have breakfast in our hotel room & before we leave on Sat. @ home. So some savings on eating breakfast on Sun & Monday in our hotel room . I will be also bringing muchies for the evenings as ds#1 is 12 years old and is a bottomless pit (lol). We will be going to Chucky Cheese and it's funny as the coupons they have out are actually make the meal & tokens more expensive than without a coupon . I will be packing my thermos for coffee as well for our road trip and will bring extra coffee from home as well to make in the room (frugalista). We also are getting a $40.00 voucher for the restaurant in the hotel as part of our package so cost saving there. So 3 lunches out and 2 suppers out (1 $40.00 voucher for supper).

[YOU AND ME]

I was starting to think it was just me, the sales are pretty slim these days

No sales no money spent

[jasperandchar]

Wow picky is not the word for your DH maybe you should send him to bed without his supper might changes his tune

too cute

[YOU AND ME]

They are on sale at Target this week for $20! The tutorial also said they sell them at Walmart but we didn't check there.

They did not have them at Canadian Tire though, DH thought they might but no luck.

I've seen these at CT before

[YOU AND ME]

JnJ found these http://www..ca/coupons/mcdonalds.com

Harvey's at the bottom of the page http://freestuffcanadaguide.ca/print...oupons-canada/

[jasperandchar]

@ MaddensMomma - you are not alone with the situation(s) with your dh. My dh does things that drive me crazy as well but he has changed a lot over the years and now surprises me with frugal things that he does on his own now. My dh will not complain about what I cook as he never cooks and would be happy with a bowl of cereal. I know better than to send him to do groceries which he hates doing by himself so I'm lucky that way but if he does do groceries he gets a lot of junk food & bakery items which are not cheap AND NOT ON THE LIST (lol). I do the groceries and I ask everyone what they would like within reason and go from there. I don't always get what they ask for unless it's in the budget and sometimes I do splurge in the end my grocery budget balances. We don't get an allowance as we don't usually splurge on ourselves and if we do it's a dinner or take out for the family to enjoy. We have been married since 1995 and in the earlier years things were very different we lived in an apartment and had a lot of extra cash at the end of the month after expenses and such but now that is a different story 2 kids later, a cottage, 2 dogs and a house later things are very very different. We now have no choice but to budget and restrict our splurging and what we eat as things have gotten much more expensive over the last 18 years (vehicles, housing costs, groceries, hydro+++). My husband is on WSIB due to a work accident and was retrained to a much lower paying profession (CYW) and works at schools on contract and off during the summers. I was recently approved on an early medical retirement and although my income is fixed it doesn't leave much room for unexpected or frivalous purchases. I don't dwell on how things used to be but now try and live a comfortable life in a home I love that is and will forever be in a reno status as renos are expensive and we cannot afford to pay anyone to do them for us as well dh's back is not what it used to be. So I have taken on some of the maintenance work such as staining the house and such as he can't do it and it needs to be done. Sometimes life throws us unexpected situations and circumstances and we just need to roll with them.

[Giseledta]

I find , personally. frugal habits are best tackled one at a time.
the one I am working on for the fall is hanging laundry indoors. I fail at it big time. Bit I think I can do it this time. and it helps that my dryer ( that is just under 4 yrs old) is dying. colour me so not impressed.


ok. crockpot meal.

beef dips.
1 small roast, remove most of the fat if you see any.
put into crockpot.
add
1/4 c soya sauce, 3-5 peppercorns, a head of peeled garlic. a tbsp. of beef boilion powder. and a bit of itialian seasoning.
1/2 c water.
cover , turn on low. for 8 - 10 hours.

you know when it is done when you can shred it with a fork.
the sauce , is so good for dipping. like really good.
I serve on crusty buns, with some sliced gr peppers. and some cheese if wanted. a cup of sauce for dipping. and coleslaw on the side.
it is the best.
I make it for people who hate crockpot meals and they are all surprised its fromt eh crockpot.