June 2016 Frugal Chatter - ALL welcome!!!

[Natalka]

@Andit - I've been thinking of you, and praying for your mom.

It is a shock when things go quickly. My mom was also living on her own, totally mobile and no deficits at all; she passed away six weeks after her diagnosis - way too fast.

[Ciel]

It's actually the thought of the holidays that stress me out more than anything. DH reminds me that his family will expect me to make appearances and travel, and will want to see the baby. I won't want to travel two hours away from the hospital to see them on my due date, and after the baby comes, I will be less inclined to sit for four hours in a car until the recovery period is over. I fully expect MIL to come over and tell me what I should and shouldn't be doing, while she and FIL wear their outdoor shoes all over our house because "they're not dirty". I have so many "expectations" already that I will not be accepting new ones!

But after all four families of DH's relatives have visited, I will be looking forward to settling in!

I had thought there might be a baby by Thanksgiving but I am too far off.
I'm going to suggest you find some wise woman (or helpful friends to be "your team") to be your 40 days helper when baby comes. There's a book by an author of Chinese heritage who had an aunt and cousin cook the foods she was expected to eat during her 40 days at home (no going outside, etc.) to recover (focus on Mom and baby). Tell DH that this pregnancy is going your way and on your terms or you'll book into a hotel suite and live large for those 40 days with friends who'll ensure you get food and extra arms to hold baby when you rest. Think you've not had enough "me time" and even LO is trying to stretch your time each day. Time to take back 30min/day for self or you will be Madeline on the move.

[cath007]

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]

I am so f(*&(*(*(* tired of my depression and about missing my life,I missed a few Yves Rocher offers because of that,still glad they are sending me offers.Supper is veggies pizza at 50% off

[Granger]

December babies are special. I had one born on the 23rd! Two weeks early! Congrats. You set the pace for the holidays, not others. We have recently told family we are not running around like the crazies trying to fit both families in one day or weekend for holidays/special days. The ones we don't get to will get priority next time.

I softly planted a seed and kept watering it. Now they have my change and have to accept it. When we say no to others, we say yes to our families, and while this can be selfish without balance, it is smart when done properly. You only get one childhood with your kids. Your parents already had theirs and understand. They miss that and want to be a part of yours, but they understand.

[Bargain Seeker]

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.

[jasperandchar]

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.

@Bargain Seeker welcome to the thread, helpful bunch of gals on here.

It can be deceiving when when we are using coupons, checkout51 and other loyalty programs like you said, I think the problem is that we have to pay tax on the whole amount of the product eventhough we may have a $3 off coupon. I find too since I restarted couponing it's more all at once out of pocket because I purchased say 10 of 1 item vs. buying 1 or 2 and then the full tax .

Well it's good to hear that you can redeem this weekend at sdm, are you able to participate in the super pc plus redemption going on this weekend I believe. But sounds like you are well stocked which will relieve some stress of going straight from 1300 to $600-$650.

Good luck

[Bargain Seeker]

The super pc plus does not seem to be offered here. I usually spend these points as I go anyway so I would not have enough in any case.

[coupon girl]

andit -thinking of your mom -take care of all the fur babies and mom
-granger -how true -my daughter is due sept 14 with her first and only child(son) (they only want one )and she told me she is not running her and there with a 3 month old in dec -we can go to her and visit them in Toronto and hour or and hour and half away -and you are so right we do understand as parents -gee my daughter doesn't call me everyday and I am okay with that she is a career woman and puts in long hours -now my son-in-laws mother said to them last week and she lives in my city "ahhh I wont see your child as much as my other grandchildren -which I see once a week "putting th onus on my daughter and son-in-law to travel here always -last weekend they came and they have no air in their small car and my daughter thought she was gonna pass out as it took 2 hours in the car in the heat because of accidents

-watch ashlyn today was soo tired but took her to playground and she wanted on the big swing I said no that's for big people -well she flipped out and the swing came back and hit her as she shoved it -I had just turned and missed -well she has a bruise on her forhead -plus it was steaming hot -so after a nice lunch she didn't want to nap as workers were drilling and cutting cement outside her bedroom window she told me "ashlyn scared " so I brought her down -then son woke up from nights at 2.00 and I dozed off on couch waiting til hubby picked me up at 4.30-lol

-got home and our driveway was paved -looks so nice ,clean fresh -not frugal month for us but hey needed to be done

[lilo0003]

Sweet sparrow: as others have said you set the pace. We are a 90 minute drive from our parents and I decreed after the 1st Christmas with our oldest there would be no more Christmas mornings at the grandparents and the mad winter scramble to get there. I did worry about our parents having dinner alone. But it was short lived. My mom always finds friends to feed and because our parents our friends they would often have my in laws over. There is no rule that said we must celebrate with everyone on the same day. The food coma alone was crazy. It worked. We pick a day for each set of parents and our siblings are on board. Now that my brother is separated we have a bit more work with planning but the kids now range from almost 13 to 21 so the whole idea of being home for Santa has gone. Last year we were actually in Cuba on Christmas Day, and I was the one who found that rather odd, I missed the crazy leading up to Christmas.

[coupon girl]

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

[Frugalbigmama]

TGIF! Wishing everyone a fantastic weekend!

[sweet sparrow]

I wish DH’s family was as supportive as everyone here. I just get wedding crashers, people barging into wedding photos uninvited, requirements to go to a wedding lunch three hours away on icy back roads with LO in tow in a -40C blizzard. 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.

However, I’m going to try not to stress about it. I was listening to a TedTalk the other day where a doctor said stress during pregnancy gets programmed into the new baby’s DNA. I’m going to try not to stress out about where the new daycare will be. LO’s current daycare only takes children 18 months and older, now that the old one has closed down. The only other option is LO’s first daycare, where they dislocated her arm and didn’t tell me or didn’t notice, leave sticky juice on the floor for a week, attracting ants, and left her tied in a high chair for an hour until pick-up because she didn’t like them touching her.

I shall have to visit other daycares while on maternity leave, but it won’t be easy with LO and newborn on public transit. Hopefully, LO’s behavior to run about will be more curbed by next year.

[sweet sparrow]

@Ciel : That would be lovely to move into a hotel for 40 days but I’m sure the fee at the end would be astronomical. I’d have to move into Motel 66 by the highway and that’s scary enough! All my friends have two or more children so they’re too busy to be much help for more than an hour or so.

My family is far as well and my parents are in their mid-eighties. I wouldn’t want to cope with these in-laws in my 80s! Oh that would be cruel.

[sweet sparrow]

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.