October Frugal Chatter - Harvest the Savings

[Frugalbigmama]

Ooooh Cutting up and apple for DS for snack and then he is off to bed. Yippeee! Quiet time will be on!

[SassyAshley]

It has been a pretty busy weekend.

Mom got home around noon yesterday from a cake class and we were off to go Grocery Shopping. It was a pretty light week for us grocery wise, picked up some fruits and veggies, a few items for the stockpile and mom picked up a few extras (which she paid for). I was able to find quite a few great tear pad coupons for things we use all the time. Since we got off to a late start we got home late.

Today has been pretty busy, I did my prep work for the week chopping veggies, I also cleaned up our kitchen, did laundry, made a nice roast beef dinner and also did some prep work for my lunches for the week.

Last week was a huge success goal wise. I got a good chunk of the bathroom stockpile done. Aside from a few things everything that will be staying upstairs has been inventoried and put in the closet, the pile in the hallway is almost gone. Now I just need to clean up in the sink and take what will stored in the basement downstairs.

As well we only ate out once last week, which I knew we would eat out when we went shopping. Since we were getting a late start there is no way we would have been home in time to cook dinner. My goal for October is to only eat out once a week, once we accomplish this we will work on on lowering it again.

Hope everyone had a great weekend

[avoncallingu]

Mrs. S - DH bought us a bag like this and then proceeded to load GARBAGE into the outer bag. I had to "rescue it" - transfer the potato peelings into another garbage bag and washed off the Beatrice milk bag! Whew! A close one! LOL!

we have those on the bags of our Beatrice milk here Angela.. ours are Black diamond cheese blocks though.
we have
$1 KIK
$1 Astro Original yogurt
$1 Lactantia cooking cream
$1 off Lactantia fat free creamer
$1 off Black diamond natural cheese
all Jan 2014
seeing as we go through prob. 4-5 bags of week. i'll be visiting giant tiger ALOT if they continue to have these bags.

[avoncallingu]

Keep good records especially of costs you've had because of the inconvenience. Then when it's over - write a letter and cc it to your local paper.

Get this I rushed home this am because the range/stove repair people said this pm and no set time. 5 minutes after I walked in the door they called an introduced herself, "It's Marilyn calling from -------, do you have a gun?" I mean really how innapropriate, she then goes on to tell me that they got the wrong part again (3rd time) and that another part, the proper part will arrive on Monday after 2PM. Seriously what can I do????? My warranty lady was going to excallate my claim to higher ups but what are they going to do or able to do. I left a message for the lady at Whirpool Head Office asking her to call me back, I called on Wednesday and again today and have not heard back. Like I told the lady at the extended warranty this is totally unacceptable and I want something done to resolve this once and for all as who knows if the correct part will show up on Monday or not. I first called back on Sept. 4th the extended warranty people, the stupid repair people showed up on Sept. 6th.....good grief this is beyond comprehendable in my opinion, any advice, suggestions, please feel free to pm me. Thank goodness they don't build cars or rocket ships (lol) but seriously

[avoncallingu]

Excellent! Good for you!

I am going to really track my grocery spending this month. I really want to use up stuff on hand and clean out the freezer a bit, be creative while eating healthy.
Total spent so far:
$2.98-2 dozen eggs
$10.88 (3 pk romaine hearts/454g white mushrooms/4pk red/orange peppers/lemon juice/dijan mustard/worchestaire sauce (last 3 items needed to make homemade ceaser dressing which in the long run will save us $ as a $4 jar we like that hasn't been on sale forever doesn't go very far anyway)

So $13.86 spent on groceries and shouldn't have to go back till next week and probably get the same veggies to carry us through to the next week. (I do want the frozen berries at FB for $2.97 so will be grabbing a bunch of those for smoothies)

[avoncallingu]

Honourable goals!
Would this be body soap or cleaning soap? Either way - good for you!
Good Luck with your goals!

I'm looking forward to an unexciting weekend, considering the weather forecast. Plans right now are to:

• catch up on laundry (machine fixed, yay.)
• pull winter clothes out of storage: make assessment to what I need. I think I might need to buy new trousers.
• buy supplies to make my semi-annual batch of soap- do some cooking for the week/freezer
• continue cleaning out and emptying craft room in preperation to painting
• catch up on my reading- finish dvds of Downton Abbey Series 1. They're due at the library soon
• make soap if time allows - otherwise it will have to wait until I'm on vacation after Thanksgiving.

[avoncallingu]

I'm not a GREAT coupon organizer, but every month I refile the next month's coupons into a set of envelopes that I carry along with my album. They are separated into general groups - food - cleansers- personal care, etc. Then when I'm shopping, I check there first if I find a "find".

Hope to go through my coupons this weekend and toss the expired ones and sort the soon to expire ones. Think my plan will be to put all the soon to expire in a large brown envelope so I can have them with me shopping and hand out/put with products if I'm not going to use them.

[avoncallingu]

well I went to the hospital with my daughter-in-law for company for her ultrasound-GOOD NEWS -she is not in breech position- I didn't go in with her I would have liked to -but I didn't ask-I don't want to be a pushy mother-in-law -I gave her a big hug and said great -so ultrasound showed she is about 6 something pounds has hair ,chubby cheeks and is due any day -she has 9 more to go -but who know??? might be this weekend -I am staying close to home -p.s don't have a cell phone- I cant wait

That's wonderful! Did you know before that "she" was a "she?" Do I see PINK in your future?

[avoncallingu]

I got called during morning break while teaching this morning. Another school booked me for Thursday of next week. That school has a longer school day, so I will be paid for a 1.1 day. I have already worked or been booked for 4 days in October. Won't take much to pass last month's 4.5 days. September is always a slow sub. month.

I found that when I was teaching and substitute teaching, that teachers start to "come down" with colds, etc. in the last half of October - the adrenalin of starting the year has worn off and all the "sniffles" and "kerchews" are spreading the germs around - especially in rainy weather when the kids don't get outside. I hope you're taking your Vitaminies! I used to say that it's an odd job where you have to hope someone gets ill, so you can work! LOL! But luckily there are good folks like you around to "take up the slack"!

[avoncallingu]

Well - Lee Trevino - a professional golfer was struck by lightning about 6 times during his career. I would definitely stick by that family! They seem to "beat the odds." (I think I buy a ticket once or twice a year - so don't listen to ME!)

My SIL was in a work pool that won 21 million just before Christmas of 2011. They each got 1.75 million. My neighbour won 20 thousand. As for me, never played the lotto, never will. I heard that a person was more likely to get struck by lightening twice than win the lotto. My husband still buys lotto tickets even though I think the family luck has run dry(his aunt won a couple million in the 80's).

[avoncallingu]

It's great to hear about all these new babes! There won't be any more on my side of the family. We're waiting for my dh's son to get his patoot in gear and find a woman he wants to marry! TIC! TIC! TIC!

coupon girl, you must be SO excited!

Our niece had a baby girl yesterday - no name or pics yet, just that all went well, and that my husband's youngest brother is a grandfather, lol! He's a year younger than me!

[avoncallingu]

It's the opposite in our family - my dh couldn't care LESS about gifts (or so he says) but my family likes to DO CHRISTMAS! Not so much value but thoughtful presents! Something you've said you'd like might JUST turn up under that tree! So nice to think you're being thought of all through the year!

I have a 15 year old and an 11 year old. We set the same amount for both and then try to purchase the same amount of gifts each. This is getting harder each year because the gifts they want are more expensive. So one might get only a few gifts but they still equal the same amount as the others. My husband gets a bonus every year at Christmas so that money is what we use for gifts for everyone. I try not to spend too much. The kids get the bulk of the money and then my husband and I do about $150 each. We did about 10 years of not buying each other anything....and my husband hated it. He grew up in a family where Christmas was a big deal so I think it bummed him out not getting each other gifts. Being my frugal(cheap)self, I was good with no gifts

[jasperandchar]

It has been a pretty busy weekend.

Mom got home around noon yesterday from a cake class and we were off to go Grocery Shopping. It was a pretty light week for us grocery wise, picked up some fruits and veggies, a few items for the stockpile and mom picked up a few extras (which she paid for). I was able to find quite a few great tear pad coupons for things we use all the time. Since we got off to a late start we got home late.

Today has been pretty busy, I did my prep work for the week chopping veggies, I also cleaned up our kitchen, did laundry, made a nice roast beef dinner and also did some prep work for my lunches for the week.

Last week was a huge success goal wise. I got a good chunk of the bathroom stockpile done. Aside from a few things everything that will be staying upstairs has been inventoried and put in the closet, the pile in the hallway is almost gone. Now I just need to clean up in the sink and take what will stored in the basement downstairs.

As well we only ate out once last week, which I knew we would eat out when we went shopping. Since we were getting a late start there is no way we would have been home in time to cook dinner. My goal for October is to only eat out once a week, once we accomplish this we will work on on lowering it again.

Hope everyone had a great weekend

Great job on your bathroom stockpile organizing and inventory!

[jasperandchar]

good night ladies, sleep well

[Angela273]

I found that when I was teaching and substitute teaching, that teachers start to "come down" with colds, etc. in the last half of October - the adrenalin of starting the year has worn off and all the "sniffles" and "kerchews" are spreading the germs around - especially in rainy weather when the kids don't get outside. I hope you're taking your Vitaminies! I used to say that it's an odd job where you have to hope someone gets ill, so you can work! LOL! But luckily there are good folks like you around to "take up the slack"!

Yes. I was in a school for 3 days last week and the staff was already talking about 3 sick teachers at that school. The good thing is that the teachers who have contracts and need the subs have sick days to use. They are not out any money by calling me in to cover for them.