July 2017 Frugal Chatter Thread

[saundyl]

morning -oh daycare my daughter went on about 6 lists when she was 2 months pregnant-all didn't have room as they take siblings first before others or she was close on the list -she was scrambling emailing places a few weeks ago -finally she got one sooooo expensive in Toronto .It will be tight for my daughter for a few years while he is in daycare ,but we are here to help out a bit - Sebastian doesnt need toys for his birthday a book(which I got for free) ,clothing and money for diapers etc will be his gift and my daughter agrees
-gotta vacuum today -daughter is coming today and Sebastian will get here tonight as he is at his other grandparents

My grandma always gave us clothes for our birthdays

Today we went to check out another daycare. Last Wednesday, we filled out the paperwork for the old, horrible daycare. We met the daycare worker that I had previously encountered and asked difficult questions with, like why does DD1 come home each day with blood on her face and did no one notice that she was not moving her left arm (it had been dislocated). She had met us at the polling station at the last election and told us that she was now working elsewhere. She tried greeting and kissing DD1 but she turned away and did not say hello. Either her other job didn't work out or she was mistaken about getting it, but she did not even make eye contact with us. We left a refundable $200 deposit but I will be taking any other reliable daycare option.

I took both to another daycare that two friends said they had registered her child at as a backup and did not ask for registration fees. With DD1, I visited another branch, but they wanted $70 before putting us on the waiting list. She did not show us the outside play area or sleep area because she said she didn't feel like going to the trouble so I left quickly. This branch did not ask for a fee, but said it would be unlikely we'll get a spot by 2018. There are 37 other children ahead of us.

To recap, the awful daycare is only at half capacity. DH said if he only knew what he saw that day, he didn't think it was a bad place. The third daycare DD1 went to has a waiting list of 7, but is all the way across town for the branch that will accept under 18 months. This final daycare has a waiting list of 37, so we'll basically get in when pigs fly. It also carries a monthly cost of $1700, plus diapers, wipes, sunscreens, diaper creams, incidentals, etc. It boggles my mind that it's non-profit. How do you pull in $1700 monthly per client and not turn a profit?

On the bright side (or not), at two kids in daycare, we now qualify for a subsidy. I remember not qualifying with DD1, looking at a $1700 per month fee. Meanwhile, the single mom beside me on the bus that had designer labels on her kid's things and hers said she got it free as she was a student. Meanwhile she was chain smoking and bought herself a drink from Tim Hortons and a muffin for her daughter daily. I spent the ride home trying to imagine her budget. Or very wealthy benefactors.

My supervisor, now retired, would have a daily chat session with me on how things were going, etc. I remember him telling me jokingly that hard work just doesn't pay off. He recommended that I quit work, go back to school, go on welfare, and move out from DH. Only then will I get decent childcare here. I smile at the memory.

The daycare thing seems so stressful!


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[Angela273]

Thank you for the update Saundyl.

[lilo0003]

Saundyl: great work on the weight loss, I did lol at showing a bit more then intended. I have been lucky to do some clothes swapping with family because frumpy does not encourage one to lose more weight.

[Newfiescreech]

Hope everyone have wonderful Sunday !! Take good care all

[avoncallingu]

Hello folks!

My brothers and sil and nephew came over and brought supper and helped me with various things.
They are all off VERY early tomorrow for a week's holiday so I was glad to see them before they go.

I have decided that my precious leather lounges are really too big for this space and my BrotherB' s family can use them. I am happy that they will still be "close to home". My DH and I used to sit beside each other to watch TV but they just overwhelm this smaller space.
My DH loved the Florida Gators football teams and I had a little private crying jag as I unpacked some of his favourite knick-knacks and pictures this afternoon.

My poor brotherR has had his feet swell up and cause him a lot of pain again. He can hardly walk, so I will call the Dr. early tomorrow again.We are getting into the habit of sharing meals and he made a list of what he needs. I will try to fit some grocery shopping into tomorrow.
He is going to bring his much more compact freezer with him when he moves in and I have some frozen food stashed in friend's freezers so we should be ok for things from freezers in a couple of weeks.
I got my age-old sewing machine fixed and hope to get back to using it this fall.

My friend has been plant sitting for me so I now have a nice little collection of flowering plants that I picked up for a song at closing-out sales. My neighbours have even complimented me on my little patio. It's RIGHT beside the frontal entry way so everyone gets to see it on their way in.
Well sil left some salad and chicken left-overs that we can have for lunch tomorrow. Waiting to see if brotherR has any restrictions on what he eats before I order groceries.

Good night, folks. Hope everyone can sleep well.

[Natalka]

Good morning!

So crazy hot yesterday, today should be cooler in the 20s. Good rains though, which was good.

Hope you all have a lovely day!

[coupon girl]

-nice weight loss saundyl
-lilo -always good getting things free and sale on hubbys stuff
-avoncallyu-nice that you are living with your brother to help each other out -I wish I had a really closer relationship with my 3 brothers

-had a lovely bbq with my daughter ,Sebastian last night

[Angela273]

There is a new Old El Paso coupon to order on freefridays.ca.

[Ciel]

For tomorrow, there is an August thread set up. https://forum.smartcanucks.ca/422655...a/#post6803925

We must make the most of this last July day! It's a hot summer.

[Ciel]

Weekend update-found a $20 bill near Walmart. Found a nickel on walk to theatre yesterday. Went to see a sci-fi movie (3D ticket is $15.25 at Cineplex) and bought pop and seaweed snacks after the show. Hot walk home but having pop kept me from drying out.

Did a late start on laundry (my own plus bathroom linens) today and everything is drying well in the breeze. Forecast calls for stormy afternoon so I may have everything indoors by that event. Jotted a small list for Walmart grocery items and finished the errand just after 12pm. Glad for the shade trees on the route. Plan to use some of the clearance flavoured Oikos peach mango yogurt ($1.98 in dairy clearance endcap) on my tanned/burnt arms and face to see if the lactic acid helps the cells renew with a 10-min paste session, followed by a rinse.

Did buy the new First for Women magazine. An entertaining tip to distinguish drink glasses for guests-use a dollar store window decal on each glass (tropical aquatic life decals were shown in the photo). That is clever and saves one the effort of writing out names on tags or labels.

Sky is starting to show some big white popcorn clouds. Guess the weather is on the move...

[Ciel]

@saundyl -do feel good about all the renovations and changes you have made to your current and past residences! Those are accomplishments. @avoncallingu -everyone is helping you-that is a blessing! The patio is going to be a favourite spot. Your DH will always be on your mind and his passing is still recent, so tears will need to flow. @SassyAshley -your dinners read so deliciously on the screen! In concession to the heat, I will cook rice in early am or late pm with herbs or curry for some flavour, purchased some green leaf lettuce (washed, spun, torn and in the fridge) and flavoured Haagen Daaz Spirit ice cream (could not consider anything with caramel or nuts as Mom would say they are too hard for her), so that is all I will consider today. Am craving a coffee cake or chiffon cake but need another repeat of Friday's cool weather to even turn that toaster oven on (am not doing that today). @Angela _273-summer adventures continue-yay to more fun with the children and new toys! @Natalka -belated happy 28th anniversary! Orchids are the theme-have any flowers or prints of orchids?

[saundyl]

Saundyl: great work on the weight loss, I did lol at showing a bit more then intended. I have been lucky to do some clothes swapping with family because frumpy does not encourage one to lose more weight.

Thank you. I ended up with a sundress on over my swimsuit. Lol.
Clothing swaps and trades are awesome. I've been loving the fb buy and sell groups too.

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[saundyl]

-nice weight loss saundyl
-lilo -always good getting things free and sale on hubbys stuff
-avoncallyu-nice that you are living with your brother to help each other out -I wish I had a really closer relationship with my 3 brothers

-had a lovely bbq with my daughter ,Sebastian last night

Thank you.

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[saundyl]

@saundyl -do feel good about all the renovations and changes you have made to your current and past residences! Those are accomplishments. @avoncallingu -everyone is helping you-that is a blessing! The patio is going to be a favourite spot. Your DH will always be on your mind and his passing is still recent, so tears will need to flow. @SassyAshley -your dinners read so deliciously on the screen! In concession to the heat, I will cook rice in early am or late pm with herbs or curry for some flavour, purchased some green leaf lettuce (washed, spun, torn and in the fridge) and flavoured Haagen Daaz Spirit ice cream (could not consider anything with caramel or nuts as Mom would say they are too hard for her), so that is all I will consider today. Am craving a coffee cake or chiffon cake but need another repeat of Friday's cool weather to even turn that toaster oven on (am not doing that today). @Angela _273-summer adventures continue-yay to more fun with the children and new toys! @Natalka -belated happy 28th anniversary! Orchids are the theme-have any flowers or prints of orchids?

Very proud of the work we've done. Really wish we had more before pics for a collage.

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[saundyl]

Good morning!

So crazy hot yesterday, today should be cooler in the 20s. Good rains though, which was good.

Hope you all have a lovely day!

Love the pup! It poured rain here last night with an awesome thunderstorm

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