August 2015 Frugal Chatter thread

[sweet sparrow]

Sweet Sparrow you are right, hearing of a loss of a child makes you hold your own a little closer.

@thriftygranny , that was just me. I hadn't read about anyone losing their child. I'm just losing her to time. When she was under a year, she wanted to be held 24-7, and it was okay because she was small. Now, she's getting close to 30 pounds but I put her down after a few seconds. She won't tolerate kisses for long but I still try to get in some kisses until the time she gets embarassed by them.

@sweet sparrow $200 for groceries for the month is amazing, what's your secret????

No meat sales? No good sales on anything else so I buy nothing? I'm trying to buy less if we still have some at home. I do need shrimp, but I haven't been able to get to the store where I usually buy it. Purchasing produce in season helps, like the $2 for 10 - 12 ears of corn lately. Cutting meat smaller might be stretching it. We do it because it cooks faster and I have to cut less for LO. She won't eat ground beef (something about the texture), but she'll eat sirloin ($$$ ). She eats lots of brown rice though, which is good.

I buy cheap fish, which LO loves. I remember Jamie Oliver saying that the best food comes from areas where poor people live. I do fret about the fishing industry in Asian countries where they have slavery and terrible working conditions though. I wonder if that's where these fish are from.

This weekend, I think I spent less than $20 because I was cleaning out the fridge. Tossed out a few bags of vegetables gone bad as well as small portions of LO's food. I grocery shopped and it looked so empty. Well, at least DH will be happy. He loves seeing space in the fridge.

RCSS has stopped price matching across Canada now, so I've had to go to WM. They do price match and they are across the steet but I hate going. Most of the produce I was looking for has bruises or has no fragrance. The grapes were picked way before they were ripe so they're small and have a funny taste.

RCSS is definitely weird about their price matching though. Depending on who you ask, they only PM locally, but I've been okayed for Zehrs, T&T, and Loblaws, which are not local. I like that they PM meat. Does WM PM meat? They have those $10 packages now measured in kg. Very confusing and difficult to compare!

Cauliflower is in season and the shelf life surprises me. I've tasted it raw and cooked, just to make sure it'll be okay for LO, and then I freeze it for those days we have no time to cook. We've got two whole ones still. I hope she doesn't get tired of it anytime soon!

Warning to others!
Have you heard about Huggies wipes being contaminated with fiberglass? There are videos on the internet about it & my own brand new packages have fiberglass in them. They have "sparkles" & when I wiped two across the back of my hand it was irritating my skin. The babies bums have been kinda red & irritated for weeks, but we couldn't figure out why. We've been using lots if Penetin, but it didn't look like a true rash. I will be contacting Huggies this week. I also plan on returning the other packages to Wal-Mart to get a full refund and bring if to their attention too.

@Angela273 : Have you seen articles like this? I'm sure if there was fiberglass in diapers, there would be widespread notice and recalls, about as big as the Nestle formula incident a few years ago.
http://trimestertalk.com/glass-in-hu...-hoax-or-fact/

[YOU AND ME]

I'm back have a lot of catching up to do.My week away was very relaxing and did some much needed work on my budget as i'm looking for a car.I have to aggressively pay down my LOC so will be doing no unnecessary spending.Someones at the door back later

[Frugalbigmama]

I didn't spend much at all this past weekend on groceries. No meat at all. We ate and will eat from the freezer for meat and I have some veggies in there I want to use up too (green beans and brussel sprouts) There was one piece of steak leftover from Sat night dinner so I sliced it up and made DS steak/cheese/lettuce wraps for his lunch yesterday and today. Lucky boy! I splurged and bought 4 bags of chips at SDM for $9.04 with tax. Bought each boy their fav Doritos and 2 bags of Tostitos for nachos down the road. Gotta let them have junk sometimes

[Frugalbigmama]

I'm back have a lot of catching up to do.My week away was very relaxing and did some much needed work on my budget as i'm looking for a car.I have to aggressively pay down my LOC so will be doing no unnecessary spending.Someones at the door back later

Good luck! Less is more!

[jasperandchar]

Well after 5 months of harping dh finally called to update his bank information for the school board and well it needs to be rec'd by mail this Friday to be paid for October....sigh...needless to say his information will not be rec'd on time. Also after suggesting he call to make sure everything was up to date for him to be on the calling list for substitute and him telling me I worry to much, WELL, I went downstairs and heard him talking to someone at the school board again, he has to go to a school before the school year begins to complete some paperwork in order to be placed on the substitute list, so frustrated and pissed off at the lack of get up and go these days with him.

Nobody but dh is excited to go to the cottage tomorrow and at the rate he is moving the last few days I hope we don't go. He had made an appointment last week to bring his side by side in today for a warranty issue (last day of 30 day warranty) and well he's napping....sigh.

Next Monday will be our running around Costco and Sportchek for shoes for Logan and school clothes, really hoping that the old navy order arrives before next Monday this way I will know what we need to purchase.

[Lynn49]

Hello........you Ladies exhaust me! I've read back a few 'pages' and there's so much going on...

I do have to respond to my "adopted Sis", Avon...have a wonderful trip, and enjoy your wee Granddaughter!! Diapering is fun...honest!! At least she's a girl...they don't pee on you as soon as you've finished cleaning and dusting them off...

Thriftygranny, I'm so terribly sorry to hear of the passing of your friend's Son...losing a child has got to be the worst thing a parent would ever have to endure.

Andi, what a dear heart you have....and in case anyone wonders, she's as sweet a person as you can imagine in person, too!! What will be will be, Andi....if that doggie's meant to live with you, then that's what will happen and I'm sure Lily-dog will be happy with a new friend. And Quincy...sigh...may have to fight off another pooch for his place in the sun. What's with black dogs and sunshine?! Jenny always seeks out even the tiniest patch of sun everywhere and seems to bask in it!

Jasperandchar...so busy, and now those apples! I'm looking forward to hearing what you'll be doing with them! What a 'wind-fall'!

Sweetsparrow....wee ones are so huggable and kissable...enjoy those moments as much as you can, and yes, tying them down in a highchair if necessary is brilliant!

SassyAshley, very smart to take up anything that will give you some down-time to decompress from your work. You-tube is the best, isn't it? Even now, being what I'd consider a fairly experienced knitter, when I see something like SSSK I still have to look it up! Enjoy the process and your new washcloth or dishcloth...have you seen this site?
http://www.knittinghelp.com/free-pat...hes-potholders

Crochetlady, Angela, Saundyl, CouponGirl, Frugalbigmamma, Granger, YouandMe...and anyone I've missed, enjoy the week ahead of you and jeepers!!! Relax a little, okay?!

As for us, we're back and forth to camp on weekends, as are our DD and her Hubby and Son, and oh my, there's something going on every weekend either at our campgrounds or on the island!! This past week we were all at the Providence Bay Fair, and as my Hubby and I looked through all the entrants in the gazillion catagories, I just said, "I'm entering a TON of stuff next year!!" It should be so much fun! Then back to camp where someone organized a geocaching event which entralled our Grandson to no end, lol.... After the day's events we all rested, had dinner than hung out at our campfire with marshmallows and spider wieners. We still haven't sold our trailer, so we may have to store it for the winter...we bought it new and only used it under 10 times that first year, then I broke my leg last year and we didn't use it at all! Someone will get a pretty fine deal!!

Well...take good care, everyone! I tend to lurk more than post here...you all are amazing!!

[Frugalbigmama]

Great deals at SportChek for shoes! Sign up for their email and get a discount off your purchase if you haven't done so already!

[Natalka]

Hi, just checking in.

I have corn on the cob steaming for lunch - I already took out those cobs which I just blanched, for freezing. They are nice big healthy cobs from Co-op. I have another bag to do, and might get more during the week. Yes, frozen corn on the cob doesn't taste the same as fresh, but I really DO love having it in the middle of the winter!

I also have two big cabbages to blanch to make leaves for cabbage rolls. Don't think I'll get to that today, because it requires standing over the stove for a long time.

I don't think my foot problem is plantar faschiitis, because the problem isn't from the heel - it's from the inside ankle of my left foot - so more like a tendon is pressing on a nerve (like carpal tunnel of the foot). Husband has been very patient massaging me one or more times a day.

Sun is out, so it's a nice day at just over 20.

Enjoy the Day!

[Frugalbigmama]

Action plan tonight: Dinner- Not sure the plan yet but will figure it out since I will be home shortly after 4pm. Put all clean laundry away. Tidy kitchen after dinner. Take DS for bike ride if not raining. Finish cleaning dining room (put stuff away that does not belong in there) Wash dining room floor. I will be happy if I get all that done

[Andit]

Good afternoon, everyone.

Had a hard time logging in this morning, so I decided to give up & play with the brats. Priorities, ya know.

I heard from my Mom, apparently Budapest is looking like a war zone (coming from someone who survived WWII and life under the Communists, that's scary). The downtown is over-run with angry frightened traumatized refugees. The trains can't run, because of the number of desperate people climbing on top of them to try to go west to Germany. They have to go through Austria, who isn't letting them in (& sending back those who manage to cross the border). Hungary is now trying to mobilize a medical clinic to vaccinate and check the refugees, to keep illness from spreading (tuberculosis is now a real threat). Tensions are running high, to put it mildly. Hungary has a long history of being invaded and annexed, so xenophobia is always there, just under the surface.

Can't really blame the Hungarians. They are having to deal with hordes of people who don't want to learn the language or integrate into society, just want Hungary to help them get to Germany or Sweden or Britain. No doubt we'd be upset too, if a hundred thousand or so refugees suddenly showed up in downtown Toronto insisting they get help getting to NYC.

If things don't turn around soon (it's not just Hungary that is overwhelmed), I worry there will be WWIII.

Sigh.

On another happier note, here are a few pics from Rosetta Mclean Gardens in Toronto's east end.





(Hard to see, but past the fence where the trees are is the top of a cliff that overlooks the lake).



Off to finish watching an interesting British docu-drama about a weird murder plot. It's from 2003, but I'd not heard of it.



Off to squish the critters and be grateful I live in my happy little bubble in Canada.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

[YOU AND ME]

Audit wow some beautiful gardens

[Crochetlady]

Just got back from the dentist. Broke a tooth sometime yesterday. I didn`t feel it happen and it didn`t hurt but thought I`d better get it looked after ASAP. He was able to save the tooth...filling was still there so he just bonded it. Sure wish we had insurance though. $348 later I walked out. Guess I`d better start saving $$$ because I have 2 more that I think will need some attention soon. sigh I`ll probably have to get crowns for those.

[coupon girl]

-nice cool weather -love it
-did 2 loads today hung out
-paid visa bill in full-it was a tad bit higher too -deck stuff

-son asked us if we wanted to go to Burlington spenser smith park with him and " ashlyn" they have a cute water area and playground all free-ashlyn screamed with delight when she saw the water area -so she went down one slide then into the small sprays of water coming up in her clothing (son had a change in her bag -good boy)a lady was wheeling her 90 year old mother around ( reminded me of my mom )and the lady took so much joy in watching "ashlyn" then ashlyn said bye bye to her I think it made her day seeing a little one

[jasperandchar]

@Andit sounds scary, hope your mom still has fun in her travels @Natalka hope your foot feels better soon @coupon girl sounds like a delightful time with your son and Ashlyn

[jasperandchar]

Dh has so many things he has been procrastinating and asked if anyone really wanted to go the cottage, nope so we will head up for a day or 2 next week. Such a relief as summer is the worst time for my mental health issues with everyone always home I find it so hard.

I posted on a few local facebook groups that if anyone had any surplus pears or veggies for free I would love some. One lady has offered for me to pick her pear tree as they don't pick it, I will speak with dh tonight and get back to the lady or her dh to arrange a time to pick the pears. Apparently after doing some research pears don't ripen on the tree like apples, I didn't know that. So hopefully in the next day or 2 I will be picking free pears. It never hurts to ask and it's surprising how many people don't pick their fruit trees such as the lady who I will be picking apples from this weekend.

Anyways that's my news, I spent some time on Pinterest looking for pear recipes, however, I will freeze some pears but mainly process by canning.

Wishing everyone a wonderful evening.