March 2017 Frugal Chatter - All Welcome!!!

[jasperandchar]

Welcome to the frugal chatter thread,

where all things frugal are discussed, kind words of encouragement, meal planning and everything thing else to live frugally

Welcome and/or Welcome BACK!!!

[Ciel]

Thanks for the next calendar month's thread, @jasperandchar ! Money is going to be top of mind for everyone feeling financially pinched or aware of a coming change in employment (possible layoff or job loss-someone I know is likely to have that scenario soon).

Will keep looking for the $1 off Wonder bread coupons on sliced bread at Shoppers on weekends (items ring up as 99 cent loaves after store coupons and before taxes). Finding it great to have one loaf in fridge and one in freezer for those random toast cravings (for soup or to have with tea or sandwiches). No Name salted butter on sale works for me budgetwise (just buy one package and not two). Pasta stocking when the 900g bags are on sale is going to happen this week (Food Basics).

Will post totals in Other Money thread for February but want to share I had $32.08 in found money (can walks+ bills/coins + remaining 63 cents on an e-gc) for February. Think that is my highest monthly amount since tracking in fall 2015.

[Natalka]

Our son was over for Shrove Tuesday supper yesterday, and he was packing up some leftovers later in the evening. I told him to check the fridge to make sure I didn't forget anything - and he was a bit shocked, said our fridge looked pretty much like his, not much more than condiments, lol! (mind you the crisper is full of veggies)
Haven't done any shopping this week, but will stock up on some things from the Co-op sale.

Enjoy the new month!

[jasperandchar]

Will post totals in Other Money thread for February but want to share I had $32.08 in found money (can walks+ bills/coins + remaining 63 cents on an e-gc) for February. Think that is my highest monthly amount since tracking in fall 2015.

That's fantastic plus your free coffee stickers and tim Horton cup wins

[jasperandchar]

Good morning everyone,

I have a load of towels in the wash, will hand to dry when ready and another smaller load of darks and I should be caught up (if one is ever caught up on laundry).

Supper tonight is pogos since they always go fast and no leftovers.

Lunches this week for dh & I are pasta with homemade sauce from the garden.

I forgot to mention that when dh went to the dump on Saturday he came back with about 60 mason jars all different sizes, so I'll keep what I need. I now only use 1 litre & 500ml jars so anything smaller I will post for sale.

Dh is doing an errand tonight (hopefully) I need 3 large rubber maid bins to pack things up that have made their way downstairs again....sigh.

Wishing everyone a great day

[Ciel]

I love my free McCafe beverages. @barbis9 is the one with the Tim Horton's food finds on her walks and also collecting McCafe stickers.
@jasperandchar -amazing how much of your canning is still providing for your meals during winter. I remember two autumns ago all the apples you were preserving or processing. Long days and hot ones for you!

[jasperandchar]

I love my free McCafe beverages. @barbis9 is the one with the Tim Horton's food finds on her walks and also collecting McCafe stickers.
@jasperandchar -amazing how much of your canning is still providing for your meals during winter. I remember two autumns ago all the apples you were preserving or processing. Long days and hot ones for you!

Canning definitely is a blessing during the winter months when fresh produce is so expensive BUT I hate it in the summer when it's blistering hot, thank you for the mention.

PS I'm almost out of canned pears, I will contact the lady that allowed us to pick her pear tree 2 years ago....my goodness time flies.

[barbis9]

Last month was good for me. I sold an item on kijiji for $50, had a rebate cheque of $15, earned $28 cash back on my credit card and found $40 on the street.

[wendymac]

Ciel, Barbis...you gals are amazing the way you find money and freebies during your walks. I've *got* to start to paying attention to the ground around me and make a point to cut through Timmy's and McD's parking lots. Every penny counts. Besides which, a penny saved or found is more fun than one that's earned.

[sweet sparrow]

Doing well on the $75 weekly grocery budget so far, with $51.22 spent. It's $45.29 with the return of some produce that was returned because it was damaged and I did not notice in-store.

The PC restructuring has not been welcome. I had an account linked to an old email I created for work, but have never used. I can't get into it at all and it's now been shut down. Last week, I was unable to see any offers and will have to link it to my current email. Unfortunately, the screen where you link accounts is temporarily unavailable, according to PC Plus. I can't remember how many points I had on it.

In other news, the final doctor's note for DD2's birth certificate is ready for pick up this weekend. The bad news is she's charged us a fee for the signature. I don't suppose anyone has ever heard of health plans covering doctor's notes? I'm really surprised at all the fees surrounding a birth outside of the hospital! We also received notice that if the health card is not received within six weeks (now five), we will be fully responsible for our newborn's hospital ultrasound fees. Argh!

I'll be on the lookout for a sale on drying racks at Canadian Tire. Does anyone know if the online prices match the pricing in-store? I know I've found some discrepancies at Home Depot. The surge protector/power bars I bought late last year failed in the last blackout so I will be receiving store credit for those. How much of a discount do the drying racks have at a good sale? This week they were "up to" 30% off.

I think we're going to have to pick up some duct tape this weekend. DD1 has been tearing her skin at night and during her afternoon naps. Time outs and talking to her hasn't worked. Taking away privileges or objects have only proven temporary. This has gone off and on since DD2 was born a few months ago. I don't know if she's doing it for the extra attention, but ignoring it hasn't worked either. She has told us she won't stop and has now begun lying on whether or not she's been doing it. Apart from duct taping socks or mittens on her hands, I'm not sure what else to do. I suspect she's doing it because she finds it difficult to fall asleep and she's bored in those first few minutes before sleep. The blood is all dried by morning, though there are traces of it all over her hands. As a parent, I find it really disturbing that she is this comfortable with pain and blood at the age of three. No one wrote about this in those "what to expect when you're expecting" parenting books....

[Natalka]

Good morning!

Husband will pick up Co-op deals on his way home from work - ground pork, bagels/bread, tea, pop, and a few other things.

[Frugalbigmama]

Happy Thursday!! Had a wonderful day yesterday and a financial win )) Planning it right and also buying some much wanted but put off things. Can't wait for the weekend to get some much needed housework done.

[barbis9]

Doing well on the $75 weekly grocery budget so far, with $51.22 spent. It's $45.29 with the return of some produce that was returned because it was damaged and I did not notice in-store.

The PC restructuring has not been welcome. I had an account linked to an old email I created for work, but have never used. I can't get into it at all and it's now been shut down. Last week, I was unable to see any offers and will have to link it to my current email. Unfortunately, the screen where you link accounts is temporarily unavailable, according to PC Plus. I can't remember how many points I had on it.

Do you have an ipad or iphone? If so, try downloading the PC Plus app. I too had problems accessing the website online but had no issues with the PC app. If that doesn't work - call PC points directly.

[jasperandchar]

@sweet sparrow sorry to hear dd1 is hurting herself. Does she a have a stuffed animal to snuggle with and act as a distraction. I wouldn't do as you recommended because that could open a whole new set of problems if people read or hear about it...if you get my drift.

I do feel it's perhaps for attention or for her a copping mechanism, I would talk to your doctor if she continues to do this and I can only imagine how concerning it is.

Can she look at a book before falling asleep/napping to act as a distraction.

Have you asked her why she does it, I know we sometimes look for solutions but perhaps she will answer why, she seems very intelligent from what you've said.

Does she want to be more involved with helping with the baby or perhaps resents the baby?

Good luck

[jasperandchar]

Good morning everyone,

I'm hoping to catch the noon news to hear about the hydro announcement.

During March I am challenging my self to stay off the computer until 11am/NOON and also bake something everytime I use the oven. It bulks up the desserts in the freezer and saves on warming the oven for 25 minutes before baking.

Supper tonight...sigh....no idea. The kids are sick of pork and well I desperately need to stock up on ground beef, chicken breast, shrimp and some rib steak would be nice.

Going to tackle the bathroom now,

wishing everyone a great day