June 2016 Frugal Chatter - ALL welcome!!!

[Ciel]

Spend the afternoon with my auntie and we cleaned the living room before the inspection of the appart is due.Lots of papers and expired coupons when to the recycling garbage bins.But I dont like my auntie said i should not do more couponning because I have a stockpile of beauties products of 3 boxes.

@cath007 -you are a dear person to help auntie with grandmother's apartment cleanup>let aunt's words go out the other ear. So she does thinks coupons are only for beauty? One day, you'll pleasantly surprise her with some things you got with coupons, including free product coupons. Each SCer has their own needs and ideas of what a stockpile is. Maybe aunt needs to have some minutes remembering how much fun blowing soap bubbles can be.

[Ciel]

I got a little surprise a few days ago when I looked up how much I spent on grocery and personal items since March. I thought I was doing really well, using coupons, maximizing my loyalty points, etc. Come to find out I spend a lot more than I thought. I had myself fooled all along....instead of spending around the $600 a month I thought I was spending, it is more like $1300 a month.

So starting right now we need to eat what is around the house. I am stocked up like crazy. I will also be doing a $170 redemption at Shoppers on Sunday.

My daughter is starting university in September and we might need to get a third car so I need to see if I can cut that $1300 a month in food in half.

I will be watching this thread to get ideas on how to be more frugal.

Great goal to work towards for the car! You have checked for insurance rates that will apply to the car?
You probably have your favourite stores that you monitor flyers for so you likely know
how often grocery staples or baking supplies or certain snacks/meats/brands go on sale in a given month!

Is your daughter keen on cooking and budgeting? Those two things will help her be more money-savvy than most of her peers when she starts university. Hope she likes coupons and some loyalty programs-especially any campus related programs with her school's student card! The big grocery chains in some large cities seem to love students shopping on Tuesdays with 10% offers.

The hard thing to remember about coupons, like @jasperandchar pointed out, is the taxes that apply to purchase prices (before coupons). I used my 88 cent calculator (thanks Sobeys-fall 2015!) today while doing my Rexall shopping because I had to see how much I could spend including taxes. I was really close to spending all the cents in my wallet as the dollars were just about spot on.

[Ciel]

well off to pay for our driveway and walkway -so happy with the outcome
-so happy for daughter /hubby she bought a used 2014 car last night -Nissan hatchback and paid cash for it -she even knocked them down in the price -she didn't want to lease or get a loan as she will have other costs in toronto -transit -daycare in the next while down the road

Hatchbacks make loading groceries or baby furniture so much easier! Or taking a tv in for repair. Get a ride in it when she next visits, @coupongirl !

[Ciel]

Thursday evening, we tried a new recipe. DH made me vow only to try new recipes on the weekend in case the preparation time was longer than stated. Very sage advice if you have children and need to run for any reason. I made honey paprika chicken. It's a bit drier than expected, but only because I was trying to text my brother while doing dishes and keeping a third eye on the oven. I'd make it again but only with chicken breast.

I've been purchasing chicken leg and thigh for less than $1/pound, but it's been so oily and the cleanup so intensive, I'm thinking of giving it up completely. We'll have it at a friend's place once a month, but everyday meals, I think I'll stick with the boneless skinless chicken. My mother lamented the loss of all the chicken bones and that I didn't turn it into broth, but when it's midnight, an important day at work the next day, and laundry still to be hung, I won't feel like boiling chicken bones. Still, she's convinced me that it's not so much work and to try next time.

This weekend, I'm going to try a new recipe I've been craving, but the only negative is that it uses A LOT of oil to get the texture just right. It's in the notes that less oil can be used, but don't expect the texture to come out anywhere near restaurant quality.

We'll also be visiting a friend on the weekend so I'll have to bake some lovely chocolate chip cookies. If they don't turn out, I think PC decadents are on sale for $1.99 somewhere.

If you have enough PC Plus points to redeem for frozen dinners (PC meat lasagna is decent) for those nights when watching a timer is easier than cooking food from scratch, go for it. I wish there was a way SCers could provide some resources for you to have the experiences/food/me-time during this important period in your life so you can have all the Zen you need. I have not met your DH but I am fairly steaming at his expectations of you. You are so not going to be eating out of a can-you will have good food (stashed away but nearby) for that open house he insists on having. Oh, tell DH that second car is happening for you. There's too much to do to have to navigate public transit with two young children. Don't know how my mom did it with us when she was not driving and Dad was doing shifts and only sometimes drove her to store. When we were able to walk and carry something, we carried a bag each of groceries on the way home. Think Mom was glad the metal padded stroller was not needed-it had to be hard to push two youngsters in that!

BTW, does your RCSS pricematch Sobeys? I don't know if RCSS carries non T&T seaweed snacks but Sobeys carries the Paldo snacks that Shoppers has (the original ones) as well as the wasabi ones and hot&spicy ones for 98 cents in the current flyer. I bought 2 original and 1 wasabi packages.

[Ciel]

The metal eye that secures the pant hook decided today was a good day to free itself from the lower end's stitching. Thankful I had a paperclip with me for the coupons-secured the front pant tab by sliding the paper clip over the tab and waistband. New fashion statement! And I thought about how I had a needle and suitable thread in my little sewing kit at home...and I was not walking back for it.

Am updating my expenses spreadsheet. Need two more baking items, a watch battery and a list of possible sewing notions from Fabricland next week If a particular notion is on sale (because it's pricey at regular price), I will have to get one of it.

[jasperandchar]

@sweet sparrow I would suggest as time goes along and you are closer to your due date, to do mass cooking for the freezer AND if you don't have 1, please consider purchasing 1.

I would not be made to feel like I need to eat out of can when the inlaws are eating my food, that's absurd but I don't know them so I can't say.

Most definitely do not take the bus if in labour, take a cab, sweet girl you just never know what can happen and sometimes things change very quickly.

Do what you can, when you can and let that me your new Mantra

[lilo0003]

Sweet Sparrow: I too am of the belief the boneless skin less breast is better. I just don't have time to fuss with the bones and no one in my family eats anything other then the breast so anything else is waste.

[sweet sparrow]

Hatchbacks make loading groceries or baby furniture so much easier!

Our last Toyota hatchback did not fit our baby stroller. We had to get a new one. Our next car was a sedan, so it was no longer a concern. Some of the cheaper strollers only collapse and stretch out, so it won't fit a baby seat and a stroller. Our free, more expensive stroller collapses into a box shape, and while it's thicker, it's smaller lengthwise and fits hatchbacks too. You wouldn't think that you'd have to test the shape of the stroller in small cars, but wise if you do!

It's also true about car seats if you get one of the larger ones, like Diono, or other high backed ones.

If you have enough PC Plus points to redeem for frozen dinners (PC meat lasagna is decent) for those nights when watching a timer is easier than cooking food from scratch, go for it. I wish there was a way SCers could provide some resources for you to have the experiences/food/me-time during this important period in your life so you can have all the Zen you need. I have not met your DH but I am fairly steaming at his expectations of you. You are so not going to be eating out of a can-you will have good food (stashed away but nearby) for that open house he insists on having. Oh, tell DH that second car is happening for you. There's too much to do to have to navigate public transit with two young children. Don't know how my mom did it with us when she was not driving and Dad was doing shifts and only sometimes drove her to store. When we were able to walk and carry something, we carried a bag each of groceries on the way home. Think Mom was glad the metal padded stroller was not needed-it had to be hard to push two youngsters in that!

BTW, does your RCSS pricematch Sobeys? I don't know if RCSS carries non T&T seaweed snacks but Sobeys carries the Paldo snacks that Shoppers has (the original ones) as well as the wasabi ones and hot&spicy ones for 98 cents in the current flyer. I bought 2 original and 1 wasabi packages.

@Ciel : Good idea! I'm not saving my PC points and like to use up points as acquired just in case they devalue the points like SDM, but I'll be spending the same money at the end of the day. I think I can make lasagna quickly, unless I'm in labour, though I've heard baking is best in labour because it's a long wait and you can be productive with a goal in mind. I know, crazy friends.... My mom taught DH how to cook a few dishes when LO was born, so he should be capable of that.

A second car will be required in late 2017 for sure. LO will be in school by then, while daycare for the new one will be somewhere else. It's very difficult to push a 30+ pound toddler in a stroller, with all the supplies, laundry, and my laptop in the basket. I can't imagine two, but the weight is probably similar. I feel every small incline in the sidewalks.

@sweet sparrow I would suggest as time goes along and you are closer to your due date, to do mass cooking for the freezer AND if you don't have 1, please consider purchasing 1.

I would not be made to feel like I need to eat out of can when the inlaws are eating my food, that's absurd but I don't know them so I can't say.

Most definitely do not take the bus if in labour, take a cab, sweet girl you just never know what can happen and sometimes things change very quickly.

Do what you can, when you can and let that me your new Mantra

@jasperandchar : The in-laws will definitely not be eating prepared food for me, but they would consume all the easily prepared ingredients like bread and eggs.

I thought I'd take a cab during my first pregnancy if needed, but I've heard that taxi drivers here will refuse a woman in labour because of the liability. At least if I'm in labour, I'll be guaranteed that I'll get the front seats in the bus. Surprisingly, few people offer you a seat here unless you're wearing a cast, have a wheelchair or look like you're about to give birth. Seven/eight months pregnant, no. I'll probably exercise the call-a-friend option if DH is not home. There are few people that will turn down a female in labour. I've heard that calling an ambulance is also an option (just in case the unexpected happens). I think that's covered by my health insurance.

[sweet sparrow]

@Ciel : I'm not sure that I've ever seen Paldo snacks, but I walked across the street from our RCSS and picked up the plain seaweed sheets that they use to make sushi rolls. I thought it would be more cost effective to buy in bulk, and my cravings can well outlast one of those little packets.
@lilo0003 : If I have to go through a guilt trip with Mom each time I toss out chicken bones, buying boneless, skinless chicken breast will be well worth it!

I don't see too much this week that I need, but the 10,000 PC points WUS $50 is tempting. I think I will pass though. I don't think I can spend that much this week unless I buy a boatload of cereal and that's not good for anyone.

[Ciel]

The college had a fire drill. Saw a fire truck come by I-wing's driveway loop near the end. It's been three years since I was last on campus during one.

[Ciel]

@Ciel : I'm not sure that I've ever seen Paldo snacks, but I walked across the street from our RCSS and picked up the plain seaweed sheets that they use to make sushi rolls. I thought it would be more cost effective to buy in bulk, and my cravings can well outlast one of those little packets.
@lilo0003 : If I have to go through a guilt trip with Mom each time I toss out chicken bones, buying boneless, skinless chicken breast will be well worth it!

I don't see too much this week that I need, but the 10,000 PC points WUS $50 is tempting. I think I will pass though. I don't think I can spend that much this week unless I buy a boatload of cereal and that's not good for anyone.

My Fortinos store seems to have stopped carrying those larger seaweed sheets for $7.99 since the renovation ended. I noticed the Pane Fresco sushi station does not have those supplies on sale at its area, only prepared sushi takeout. Not to mention no T&T seaweed snacks in the international foods area. Good for you to have seaweed stockpiled! Should I go into Mississauga or Toronto during the summer, I will scope out Loblaws or RCSS and get some of those larger sheets.

[sweet sparrow]

Should I go into Mississauga or Toronto during the summer, I will scope out Loblaws or RCSS and get some of those larger sheets.

If you're in the Mississauga area, I'd suggest skipping Loblaws and RCSS and going right to T&T! The Mississauga location is one of my favourites and DH loves that he can find parking, even in a neighbouring parking lot.

I found the large seaweed sheets for 10 per package for $1.99 each at an Asian grocery store.

[lilo0003]

If you're in the Mississauga area, I'd suggest skipping Loblaws and RCSS and going right to T&T! The Mississauga location is one of my favourites and DH loves that he can find parking, even in a neighbouring parking lot.

I found the large seaweed sheets for 10 per package for $1.99 each at an Asian grocery store.

Is this the one on Mavis? I drive by it on my way to the office but have never stopped in.

[jasperandchar]

Evening all,

Made 3 trades today so pretty happy now to get dh to actually pickup the mail at the community mailbox

Dh is having another Family reunion, least year was the 1st, the inlaws have announced they are not coming which us fine BUT they are always the first to say we only see family at weddings and funerals oh well.

Tomorrow I will venture out to stockup on the country natural hotdogs for the reunion and of course some to make yummy pogos .

In a nearby town tomorrow is put your unwanted items at the curb, I think perhaps this will entice a few fellows to come shopping with me (haha).

Wishing everyone a wonderful evening & weekend.

[Granger]

DH is not supportive of me wanting a quiet time at home. His family will have their Christmas celebration on our due date and if they asked, he would do everything in his power to attend and take LO. I’m not comfortable with her being alone with them and their influences. I can get to the hospital on public transit, but in mid-December, it may not be so comfortable. I’m sure our ancestors will have to put up with worse. Our home will be open house for DH’s relatives when the baby is born and they will come and eat all our food, while I may be relegated to eat out of a can or take out if I am to eat anything at all.

No no no no no no no!!!

I thought I'd take a cab during my first pregnancy if needed, but I've heard that taxi drivers here will refuse a woman in labour because of the liability. At least if I'm in labour, I'll be guaranteed that I'll get the front seats in the bus. Surprisingly, few people offer you a seat here unless you're wearing a cast, have a wheelchair or look like you're about to give birth. Seven/eight months pregnant, no. I'll probably exercise the call-a-friend option if DH is not home. There are few people that will turn down a female in labour. I've heard that calling an ambulance is also an option (just in case the unexpected happens). I think that's covered by my health insurance.

IF YOUR HUSBAND LEAVES YOU in labour to attend a family event with LO CALL ME. 1) I will drive you to the hospital. 2) I will bring dinner for his family...KNUCKLE SANDWICHES..."Merry Christmas ya filthy animals."