August 2015 Frugal Chatter thread

[Granger]

Anyone who has lost their child is living most ppls biggest fear. It's backwards. Sorry to hear.

Got some good deals at Carters today. #3 needed newborn pants. Nothing fits as she is too tiny...we have her in onesies but we have had some cooler weather which warrants leg coverings in mornings and nights. Got some other good deals too...extra 20% off of clearance.

[jasperandchar]

@thriftygranny so sorry to hear the news about your friends son so very sad @Natalka take it easy @Andit Lily looks beautiful, I love the look of aging dogs they are so beautiful and wise looking (haha), if it's meant to be with the new pup then you'll get a call and if not he/she has hopefully found a forever home

[jasperandchar]

Evening all,

Processed 30 tomatoes today, got 3 x 1 litre bottles of fresh tomatoes au jus, 2x 500ml of concentrated Tuscan sauce (need to add cream when cooking) and 2 x 250ml bottles of Tuscan sauce (need to add cream while cooking), enough sauce left over for supper with leftovers. Dh said it was restaurant quality which is impressive in itself.

I spoke with a lady today who is letting me pick her 3 apples trees and very pleased because they have no worm/bug holes. We'll be picking them either tomorrow or Monday and I will process in mason jars for later use, I will also freeze some packages as well.

Inlaws gave me another 3 small bags green/yellow beans which I put in the freezer for winter time as I am the only one who eats beans.

Pretty tired so I will enjoy the evening and relax.

Wishing everyone a great evening

[coupon girl]

thrifty granny so sorry about your friends son
-nat take care hon

-well popped into shoppers today for a few deals
then hubby brother and sister-in-law came over to help with our railing for the deck stairs -took a few hours -as house measurements are not perfect -ugg but they got it -I fed them a bbq of hamburgers ,fries ,corn and beans
-also gave my sister-in-law some clothing for my nefew from my son and a few ziploc containers

[avoncallingu]

Hello folks! Thriftygranny- my condolences to you and your friend's family! It's so heartwrenching when such a thing happens!

Natalka, it's not plantar fasciitis that you have, is it? That is SO painful!

Andit, I think I remember you talking about whether you might get another dog. It made me smile when you said - wrong sex- wrong age, etc. It reminds me of my friend who made a list of what she wanted in a second husband. DEFINITELY NO CHILDREN! Well, then didn't she marry a fellow with5 children! And she had 2 of her own! Love conquers all, so they say, and it's obvious that you are a very loving person.

J&C - Red tape is so frustrating when you want help for someone you love! I hope your son can move through the system quickly.

Granger - I bet your daughters love their " sparkle" shoes!

SA- I hope your golf tournament had great weather and went well!

Well, we're getting ready to fly down to Denver to see our new granddaughter, but unfortunately, she spent part of this week in the hospital and was sent home on oxygen- poor little tyke! Her mum is also sick and sounds exhausted. Can't wait to get there so we can help with things and DH's daughter can get a bit more Rest.

I officiated at a lovely backyard wedding on a river today. Lots of step-relatives and missing parents and it was hard to keep everyone straight. But the bride was beautiful and the groom looked dazzled and everything went off very nicely. I was cornered by a neighbour who wanted to know when I had been "saved" by the Lord Jesus Christ. He wanted to know all my credentials which I was glad to share. I congratulated him on being saved himself 30 years ago. He told me that he hoped I made it into heaven. With that I excused myself and left to say my good-byes.

I stopped at the local No Frills to pick up some snacks for our trip and also stopped by SDM and picked up some Ketchup Potato Chips which the kids love but which are not available in the States. They also love Laura Secord Chocolates which I was lucky to find on clearance.

These next three days will "fly" by! (Pardon the pun!)

[sweet sparrow]

I still haven`t got a call from the lady who wanted the pattern. I think her friend caught on that I wasn`t willing to give my patterns away. Avon was right. I checked and it is against copyright law to photocopy a pattern. I bought the privilege to use it. I would have no problem lending a friend my book but a total stranger is another matter.

@Crochetlady : Perfect! Now you can say no without questioning your character. You knew all this time.

A friend of mine lost her son last week in a single car rollover so have been feeling really off. I did a lot of baking to drop off for them, but it never seems to be enough. I couldn't imagine losing a child, so very difficult.

Oh goodness. I'm so sorry to hear. Sometimes I think about what I'd do if I lost LO and I instantly tear up. Then I give myself a shake for thinking something so crazy.

Maybe it's that we just had our wills done, or maybe it's just a natural deep rooted fear of every parent. On Friday, we were walking home when a BMW SUV started reversing while we were in it's path. I zipped out of the way and they were slow, but it definitely made my heart skip a beat!

It reminds me of my friend who made a list of what she wanted in a second husband. DEFINITELY NO CHILDREN! Well, then didn't she marry a fellow with5 children! And she had 2 of her own! Love conquers all, so they say, and it's obvious that you are a very loving person.

I also said definitely, hands down, NO children. And now we have LO. Today I think I kissed her cheek continuously for a minute. Normally she pushes me away now that she can walk and is asserting her independence. She was strapped into her high chair, ha ha. I'll take all the kisses I get.

@Andit : Very much enjoying all the photos of your fur babies! Thank you for sharing!

@Granger : Thank you for letting me know about the sale on shoes at Shoe Company. I don't know if I should get myself there to hunt for new shoes for LO. We were going to borrow them, but she seems to have outgrown all the extras our friends have already.

[sweet sparrow]

Interesting day today. I kept hoping that one of you lovely ladies would tell me that a crown wasn't going to be that bad. Well, I saw the dentist and he saw my blackened tooth and three chipped fillings. I was terrified. He said he'd do a quick repair on all three, and no crown. (What??!) He's reluctant to give a crown because my molar is short and he needs at least 1.5 mm above the tooth. He didn't use any freezing because he's just that good. He knows the x-rays and how deep the cavities are. I can't remember the part of the molar that's below the enamel, but it gets very sensitive. If I felt anything, I was supposed to raise my hand. I guess the cavity was still in the enamel? YESSS!!!

Less than 40 minutes later, I was out of the office and my teeth are looking pretty good. I told DH we are NOT leaving this dentist until he retires. Ever. After a history of bad dentists for both of us, we are so grateful to have found him. I should send the lady who referred us a thank you note.

I spent a horrifying amount today, mostly on undergarments for the family. We were in desperate need of socks and underwear and I bought tons. I couldn't find any for myself though, but for one hodgepodge package that I had to scrounge up off the floors. But, I did find LO underpants for her toilet training! Hanes has a BOGO package at the moment. It was $10.87 for 2 x 9 pairs. 18!!! I think we're set. Toilet training to begin in two weeks. T - 13 days.

Our grocery budget is still under $200 for the month, but there's one more weekend to go. That's better than it has been all year.

Another large expense was a possible experiment in the making. I bought a large container of castille soap. It was $16.94 for a 944 mL bottle to be made into household cleaners. I don't know if that was a good price but I'm interested to see how well it cleans.

[lizzie bargain]

TG-so sorry to hear about your friends son. Natalka-I also wondered about plantar faschitis(sp) which I had 3 years ago and was very painful-I went to physio for that. Thought I was getting a hint of it back but the podiatrist said it is arthritis in the arch of my foot and not to go barefoot in the house( which I love) and to wear New Balance runners with custom orthotics inside. This was all quite pricy but so far things are feeling better after 2 weeks and I need to be able to walk to keep up with my 16 year old, and my husband and to stay semi fit at least, so I figured I needed to buy the new shoes, etc. If it persists see if seeing a podiatrist is covered in your province and if they can figure out what it is.

[SassyAshley]

TG so sorry for your friend's loss.

[SassyAshley]

Good Morning All,
We survived a another year of golf,m it was a great day, everyone had fun but there was a time frame with complete chaos but we got through it everyone loved the day which makes it worth it. We ended up with 63 golfers, new record. There was some chaos before but we made it work. I think next year we need a tiny pit more organized but I can handle that.

I decided on Friday night to take up knitting again. A number of people have been telling me I need to find a work life balance but I think it really sunk in that my leadership keep bringing it up. It was kind of a wake up sign, this guy is here to move me forward in my career but keep bringing up that I am going to burn myself out and I feel like, right now when it is my turn to work a weekend I could cry, I won't lie. In the last on weeks where I have worked the weekend I would cut back my hours and go in at 7 instead of 6 but this year it just has not been an option so come Saturday I am done and still need to work 4 to 5 hours. So baby steps I am going to try knitting again. I have been watching videos on You Tube and decided to start with a dishcloth which I finished this morning. Only downside was Friday night we needed to run to Wal-Mart but our Wal-Mart did not have any cotton yarn so we ended up going to one further away. But I am now stocked up to at least make it through the week.

I may also try cross stitch again but for cross stitch I like to make my own patterns so that takes me quite a bit longer which is good but the downside right now is our craft room is a mess so anything I want to do I need to buy the supplies as we cannot find them in my basement. But I think I found the cross stitch stuff and will going try cross stitch again if I can. Buy a set of needles and some yarn is one thing but having to buy the cross stitch fabric and needles and floss is too much when we have it in out basement.

Okay trying to get some energy and ambition, I did not golf this year but by the time I got home I was done apparently there was a massive party 4 units down started around 11 I slept through it and slept in today. Now I have no ambition but there is a lot to get done so hopefully if I head the basement my ambition with kick in.

Have a great day everyone.

[coupon girl]

sweet sparrow -your dentist is right when he says he need 1.5 mm above the crown -trust me look at my last dentist went and did the crown and went to far past the length he was suppose to -I still pay for it with extreme dry mouth and my gum behind the crown will flare up at least once a month or twice
-my new dentist is excellent and she did fix the extreme pain I was in -but she could only do so much as I will have this the rest of my life and I use biotene always
=-so when this new dentist said I had a crack(the other day) -it wasn't in my filling but a hairline crack in my actual tooth -when it completely goes -I will know

-hubby had a crown put in the other day -no pain she is so gentle ,explains everything -excellent service set us back $ 288 the rest is covered by hubby's insurance -so put it on the visa will pay next month


-cant wait to see daughter today -she called to say how about chicken ,roasted potatoes and corn instead of pasta -I said fine doesn't matter getting her small birthday gift together (socks ,note paid ,pen ,Satsuma from the body shop -she loves this stuff got it on sale for 7.00 less than half price a few months ago ) the pen I got my daughter from a specialty store says "behind every successful woman is a substantial amount of chocolate "lol she loves chocolate as much as I do ) plus a bit of money so she can buy whatever her heart desires

[thriftygranny]

Good morning gals and thanks for the well wishes.
Sweet Sparrow you are right, hearing of a loss of a child makes you hold your own a little closer.
Great job on the canning J&C, my daughter brought me a big bag of tomatoes yesterday and I am going to roast them for the freezer, after I use a few for blt's for lunch!!
Good job on the golf tournament Sassy, working at a golf course I know the work that goes in to a tournament.
Crotchet lady I am so glad the people didn't pursue getting your pattern, I think they crossed a line by askiing.
Enjoy the visit with your daughter CG, hope the day is perfect!

I stayed up late making cookies to drop off at my friends, the funeral is Tuesday and all the out of town family are arriving today. I made big soft ginger crinkles, salted caramel chocolate cookies (made with rolo candy, new recipe and it is a keeper) , macadamia white chocolate and pecan chocolate chip skor cookies, and a loaf of banana nut loaf. I had purchased really pretty blue and yellow baking boxes on clearance at Michaels a few years ago and dug them out of my supplies and packaged everything up and put them all in a big basket, it really turned out to be a nice gift basket and my son and his friend tested all the cookies and gave them the thumbs up!! I will drop it off this afternoon.
I want to go for a walk in our city's beautiful trails today, I asked my son if he would come with me and he said he would love to. He worked full time this summer so we haven't had as much time together and he took the last week off before school to go camping in the mountains. i am looking forward to it.
My husband called last night and he is on his way home from Prince Rupert with tons of Salmon and halibut, he said the fishing was fantastic and he had a wonderful time. I need to tidy up the freezer to make room for the fish, I may cook a turkey tomorrow to make room!!
Enjoy the day everyone.

[lizzie bargain]

I am having a chill day today! Our company slept in Fri due to arriving late at 3:30 a.m. and due to the cold and rain, we figured visiting and 3 hrs in the shopping mall late afternoon was ambitious enough! Yesterday we did a 13 hr trip to the mountains including Lake Louise/Banff etc, hiking to the ink pots at Johnson's Canyon which is a min 2 hr climb up one way! I wisely bailed at the lower falls which is only about a mile up and down and very pretty! There were a few sore muscles this morning, but not to be deterred, DH, DD and our willing guests left before 8 a.m. this morning determined to beat at least some of the hordes to Morraine Lake and hike up 1300 feet to the Lake Agnes tea house at Lake Louise. I volunteered to stay behind, prepare dinner and make more room in the car for the 4 of them-so kind!! lol. More like that hike would about kill me and I don't want to hold them back!

SA-glad to hear you are taking time for youself with knitting etc and attempting to find a better work/life balance!

[thriftygranny]

Sounds like a great visit Lizzie, In my mind I can still go to the mountains and do the trekking but my body thinks otherwise!!such a beautiful place to be though.

[jasperandchar]

@avoncallingu very tactful of you in your response to your neighbour, sorry to hear your grand-daughter is on oxygen hopefully it's nothing serious, all the best to you and your dh travelling @sweet sparrow $200 for groceries for the month is amazing, what's your secret???? @SassyAshley I think a distraction/hobby is a good idea to find some balance in your life and a good stress relief @coupon girl have fun with your daughter and husband celebrating her birthday - love the pen so true @thriftygranny great news about all the fresh fish for the freezer @lizzie bargain enjoy your time left behind and cooking supper