October 2015 Frugal chatter

[walkonby]

just popping in quickly to say hello! Thanksgiving is done for another year and man it sure was tasty! I still will never get my eldest, he eats nothing " saucy " so no butter on anything, no gravy, no cranberry sauce, argh!! no wonder he is a bean pole among all us chubby's. How is a good Mom supposed to find satisfaction if she cannot fatten up her babies? ha ha ha I am kidding! no one freak out on me.
I missed a golden opportunity to get some Prime rib into our freezer for FREE! I had plenty of AM in my account to redeem to get the Metro deal BUT did not realize it was for 4 days only!! waaaaaahhhh!!

[Frugalbigmama]

Yes, what is up with all these 3 day sales! I missed out on the cheese at No Frills! Do you have PC pts and a RCSS? They have the prime rib on this week too for $5.99 LB I think it is. That's what we had Sunday night!

[saundyl]

I'm trying to jimmy rig something to stop Chester from scratching his wound which is on the back of his neck (make sense???) I have no way to purchase a cone and would rather not have to spend the $. I hate putting cones on dogs it's a constant banging into walls and at this rate I'm not in the mood to have my not so perfect walls scratch or marked anymore than they are as it takes dh forever to commit to doing projects BUT primarily finishing projects arg...
@YOU AND ME hope your back feels better hun and glad you tackled the other coat of paint inside the cabinets you are 1 step closer to getting your stuff back in them SUCH a relief I imagine

I'm thinking leftovers for my lunches for the week as parents didn't stay for supper. Going to rewarm burrito meat for Logan and I and supper is done.

Rainy day here so my ambitions are quite low (haha) but that's okay I'll enjoy the day to myself.

Wishing everyone a wonderful day and frugal week ahead

Try baby socks....

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[momof5boys]

Well this was the first Thanksgiving that I cooked a turkey for a crowd. Usually people pitch in the bring food but it was all on me this time (my choice). My parents are getting too old to contribute and the rest of the crowd were my own kids. Dinner went off without a hitch and the boys raved about the food (turkey, yam bake, baked rice, beans, coleslaw, cranberry sauce, stuffing, applesauce and apple/pear pie for dessert) The turkey was very moist - I put small pats of butter underneath the breast skin.

As for the apple pie, this was the first time I tried brushing the top crust with a bit of cream and then sprinkle some sugar on top before popping it in the oven - yummers.

[thriftygranny]

It sounds like everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Ours was very full with lots of family and fun.
Family came from BC so we had a total of 10 people in our home since Thursday and my grown children were here for 3 meals so that adds up to 16 people, plus a few of my sons' friends stopped by frequently. I think that had something to do with how beautiful our two young second cousins are!!Sixteen and seventeen and drop dead gorgeous girls, and my son's friends were a bit smitten!!
I think I need a break from kitchen, laundry and cleaning details today, I am exhausted but we really had a lot of fun.the men got a lot of bird hunting in and enjoyed the crispy duck I cooked. We had countless games of catch phrase and the men ruled, beating the girls in most of the rounds!! I took my granddaughter and niece on a trail ride on Friday, and it was beautiful with the fall leaves, we rode for about an hour and a half through the woods and along the Red Deer river, I haven't ridden a horse for years so I was bit sore the next day!!
It is clean out the leftovers and fend for yourself tonight, i need to go to work for a few hours tonight.
I have another cardiology appointment in the morning so I am really hoping for some results this time, hoping to get the blood pressure issues worked out once and for all!!
Enjoy the day everyone.

[SassyAshley]

Good Morning Everyone,
Well my weekend was interesting. I had to work Saturday and had decided not to go out due to traffic (it was insanity) but after I got home and looked at the mess decided I was not dealing with it and went out. Spent hours looking for yarn for these mermaid blankets, I totally under priced myself which left me scrambling to not lose money on the deal. Luckily in the end my Mom's friends stepped up and helped me so I could get everything I needed with a 50% off coupon and won't lose money.

Sunday back to look for more yarn, turns out this pattern eats yarn like no ones business so I pulled it all out and reworked the pattern, but to be safe back I went to grab a few extra balls to be safe. Plus I needed a different hook. Decided to do Thanksgiving lunch out, since I did not stay home and clean our house was a mess again I decided not to care and paying for lunch out would save my sanity.

I spent the rest of the weekend trying to get one blanket done so I can see what it is really going to take to get these done, I have a few more people asking quotes so I think I need to raise my price. I am almost done the one I am working on. It will be done tonight or tomorrow.

Since I did nothing all weekend, Monday Mom didn't feel like doing anything so neither did I. So tonight I need to get a load or 2 of laundry done, empty the dishwasher and reload. Told Mom that was enough for one night and try to get this blanket done. I love the way it is turning out hope the customer likes as much. I have one person who wants it exactly like the pattern but does not like the cost so I will have to see what I can do. Totally think it is time to raise my price so it gives me more options when it comes to yarn. I am not trying to make a lot off these blankets but it has to cover all my yarn costs or it just is not worth it. Plus a little for my time would be nice.

Have a great day everyone.

[Andit]

Good morning, everyone.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.

My Mom & I went to bff's for Thanksgiving dinner. Usually there is a crowd of 20 or so, this year it was down to 4 - it seems everyone was under the weather. It was nice to have an intimate candlelit dinner, but then bff's former neighbours ended up stopping by unexpectedly. Turns out the neighbour across the street had an incident (elderly lady living alone, got confused and drove her car across the city through several red lights and ended up lost - police got involved & she was taken to the hospital). bff had invited the elderly neighbour over, but she had insisted she already had plans - nobody realized that she was not well. For now, she is getting daily visits from homecare and the neighbours on the street are taking turns visiting her and keeping an eye on her, as well as the former neighbours who stopped by. Hopefully, she'll be able to stay in her home (she lives alone and has no relatives nearby - thank goodness for good neighbours!).

Brats are miffed with me, that we had to leave the land of endless treats. Between bff and my Mom, the treat jar was considerably depleted - & I sincerely doubt either one is partial to liver cookies.

Have another fun evening of theatre ahead of me tonight. Yes, I am an addict.

Better go make lunch, the troops are starving. I've made them wait a whole hour between snacks. Clearly, they're being deprived of the good life.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

[Ciel]

Mom made two sets of meals on Saturday night: turkey dinner plus spaghetti sauce and cooked a big quantity of spaghetti. I helped with the dishwashing because there was no space otherwise on the counters or in the sink. Her buttery mashed potatoes could feed me well alone! She was set on having turkey while I was not. Purchased pumpkin pie-I succumbed yesterday and had a slice.
Since I had purchased a St. Hubert's pulled pork pie, I can report the shredded carrots make the dish sweet and that the pie pastry is really good (not shortcrust but some kind of puff pastry?)-I had baked the pie on Sunday.
Mom had obtained a deal on a large Hubbard squash and was cutting it up to bake on Sunday-I rather lost my temper because
she had prepared food and she does not do anything special with squash. Also, she is about the only one who eats that baked squash-it's not done as part of a roast veggie dish or stuffed with something. I have suggested that we watch the flyers for acorn squash as their smaller sizes lend themselves to dishes and easier cutting-as long as the price is per squash and not by weight. I told her that the reason I purchased 2 heads of cauliflower was due to the unit pricing as they were not sold by weight.

As the pork pie was $10.99 and fresh chicken breasts (500g) were going to be well over $10 ($26.43/kg for boneless skinless) if I could find a 500g pkg (but did not find it), I decided to take the chipotle salsa and tortillas out of the FPC El Paso Old Restaurante kit to have as a snack after dishwashing. Aye! That chipotle pepper and the onion powder kick some heat well beyond to what I'm used to in mild salsas. I will use up the Chicken Tinga seasoning pack for a future chicken dish (likely not with breast meat; I'll have to find pieces that I can roast in the toaster oven).

From the fall issue of Ricardo magazine are some Halloween dishes (@wolfwoman) for a dinner menu. http://www.ricardocuisine.com/halloween_recipes
Cannot find the magazine's two kids' recipes for the Mars bars cupcakes or the candy coated canteloupe.

[walkonby]

Yes, what is up with all these 3 day sales! I missed out on the cheese at No Frills! Do you have PC pts and a RCSS? They have the prime rib on this week too for $5.99 LB I think it is. That's what we had Sunday night!

no, not enough PC points as I have AM at the moment.
I did see the Prime Rib was on sale at RCSS too, but wanted to hit Metro for the other offer of get back 100 AM wys $100.00 as well! ( Boo to me for not paying attention )

[Crochetlady]

Good Morning Everyone,
Well my weekend was interesting. I had to work Saturday and had decided not to go out due to traffic (it was insanity) but after I got home and looked at the mess decided I was not dealing with it and went out. Spent hours looking for yarn for these mermaid blankets, I totally under priced myself which left me scrambling to not lose money on the deal. Luckily in the end my Mom's friends stepped up and helped me so I could get everything I needed with a 50% off coupon and won't lose money.

Sunday back to look for more yarn, turns out this pattern eats yarn like no ones business so I pulled it all out and reworked the pattern, but to be safe back I went to grab a few extra balls to be safe. Plus I needed a different hook. Decided to do Thanksgiving lunch out, since I did not stay home and clean our house was a mess again I decided not to care and paying for lunch out would save my sanity.

I spent the rest of the weekend trying to get one blanket done so I can see what it is really going to take to get these done, I have a few more people asking quotes so I think I need to raise my price. I am almost done the one I am working on. It will be done tonight or tomorrow.

Since I did nothing all weekend, Monday Mom didn't feel like doing anything so neither did I. So tonight I need to get a load or 2 of laundry done, empty the dishwasher and reload. Told Mom that was enough for one night and try to get this blanket done. I love the way it is turning out hope the customer likes as much. I have one person who wants it exactly like the pattern but does not like the cost so I will have to see what I can do. Totally think it is time to raise my price so it gives me more options when it comes to yarn. I am not trying to make a lot off these blankets but it has to cover all my yarn costs or it just is not worth it. Plus a little for my time would be nice.

Have a great day everyone.

A couple things I learned over the years is:
1 Always get a deposit on orders. Many years ago I did a huge ruffled doily...fit on a coffee table. I only had the lady`s phone number and when I called to tell her it was done the number was no longer in service.
2 Always base your prices on regular priced yarn. There is no guarantee that you can always get yarn on sale when you need it. Also I was told at a craft store that to set your price you should double the cost of your materials.

[SassyAshley]

So true Crochetlady, I think I got caught up in the nice act and lost sight of what it was really going to take to make this blanket. Also doesn't help that the pattern is inaccurate, I bought exactly what it called for and ran out of yarn with over 16 rows to go. I have now changed the pattern to make it more yarn friendly.

[jasperandchar]

@thriftygranny good luck tomorrow I hope you can ask all the questions you have, make a list
@SassyAshley we learn as we go
@Crochetlady great advice about the yarn and pricing
@Andit sounds like it will take the brats a few days to settle back into their normal routine
@walkonby I hate those 3/4 day sales, the stores are a zoo to begin with and then add these days.....drives me bonkers (haha)

[Crochetlady]

So true Crochetlady, I think I got caught up in the nice act and lost sight of what it was really going to take to make this blanket. Also doesn't help that the pattern is inaccurate, I bought exactly what it called for and ran out of yarn with over 16 rows to go. I have now changed the pattern to make it more yarn friendly.

Your tension can make a big difference in the amount of yarn it takes. I tend to crochet looser so it always takes more. You can compensate by using a smaller hook.

[coupon girl]

had a long day with ashlyn today took her to playground for an hour this morning
-then at 3.00 had her outside for an hour chalking ,riding her new car etc
-she didn't nap today at all-she is 2 now and she seems to give it up somedays but then she was a bit cranky from 4 til 5.15 when mommy walked in -ahhh the life of a little one -its still fun sometimes I crawled into her small kiddie tent today and we stomped and clapped like "splash and boots" she loves this couple
-papa wanted to read her a book today -no -nana -she is really attached to me and I am loving it

-get to babysit her Saturday night as son/wife have a 30th birthday party to go to

[avoncallingu]

I'm trying to jimmy rig something to stop Chester from scratching his wound which is on the back of his neck (make sense???) I have no way to purchase a cone and would rather not have to spend the $. I hate putting cones on dogs it's a constant banging into walls and at this rate I'm not in the mood to have my not so perfect walls scratch or marked anymore than they are as it takes dh forever to commit to doing projects BUT primarily finishing projects arg...
@YOU AND ME hope your back feels better hun and glad you tackled the other coat of paint inside the cabinets you are 1 step closer to getting your stuff back in them SUCH a relief I imagine

I'm thinking leftovers for my lunches for the week as parents didn't stay for supper. Going to rewarm burrito meat for Logan and I and supper is done.

Rainy day here so my ambitions are quite low (haha) but that's okay I'll enjoy the day to myself.

Wishing everyone a wonderful day and frugal week ahead

Wrt your dog's wound. How about mitts for his feet? Would he wear them? How about a doggie shirt with a hood? You might be able to find something for free on Kijiji. (Like a Halloween costume) Our dog is having the same issue and the cone has actually irritated the one wound on his neck. I have been giving our pooch some Benedryl (he's 20 lb and the vet said I could give him one twice a day) to stop him from scratching. Good luck to Chester!