March 2018 Frugal Chatter

[Angela273]

Our taxes are filed and we are both expecting a return.

Free off Facebook - I picked up 10 children’s books from a series and a Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs puzzle.

I took all of our kids with me to No Frills. I brought my own bags, as usual, flyers, and coupons. I let the kids walk around the store, help push the cart, not buckled into the cart. They had fun. Twin girl found 2 dimes on the floor. Her big brother was excited about her find. She put them in his piggy bank when we got home. We need to get the twins their own piggy banks. They each have their own education funds and personal savings accounts. I found two cans and a pop bottle next to my van in the parking lot, so I stuck them in another bag and added them to our SARCAN collection st home.
I spent $23.51, $20 in Points, about $12 in coupons, -$0.50 CO51. I sent in a missing points inquiry.

[Natalka]

Good day!

A few shopping pickups for husband to do after work - some fruit, veg, and porkchops at No Frills, and a London Drugs stop for Robax and Lactaid.

[coupon girl]

well I plan to do something around the house all week ,yesterday washed floors ,today maybe not daughter-in-law called and asked if we wanted to come out so hubby is working in garage and I will go out to visit the girls

[Angela273]

We saved $59 on our home insurance because of our good credit rating. Nice new option to let them check and then gave us the discount.
I have a different lady coming this afternoon to look through the boxes of baby girl clothes, since the other lady was a no show. I have a couple drop-in kids this week, so that’s a little extra income. I might take on more kids during the summer.

Last night’s supper was dry fried pork chunks. I took most of the meat out of the pan before I made a mushroom dill sauce, which I figured our kids wouldn’t like. Rice and fresh sugar snap peas.
Today’s breakfast was fruit smoothie for the kids and I. I also filled our popsicle tray with fruit smoothie. Dh made himself an omelette with the last of the green onions and some cheese.
Tpday’s lunch plan is Casa Da Mia soft taco wraps (SCOPed) with scrambled eggs, grated marble cheese, sliced grapes and strawberries. I’ll have leftover meat in my wraps with sliced cucumber, etc. since my stomach can’t handle too much egg.
Tonight’s supper plan is pork steaks (SCOPed meat), leftover rice, coleslaw, cucumber slices, unsweetened apple sauce, and steamed cauliflower.

I’m looking forward to my green onions in the garden. I can start harvesting them before I can even plant the rest of the garden. I have plans to split my red rhubarb plan this spring, to give it more room to grow in our yard. The red tulips will also grow, on the South side of our house.

[sweet sparrow]

We saved $59 on our home insurance because of our good credit rating. Nice new option to let them check and then gave us the discount.

I'm undecided about our credit rating linked to our home insurance rates. Ours are currently linked and much reduced for it, but I also wonder if our credit rating will decrease with getting rid of things like mortgage, lines of credit, closing unused bank accounts, DH's high expenses for work on his credit card, etc. DH has mentioned that he thinks they're getting too personal delving into credit ratings.

Our insurance company also wants us to install an app so we can receive a credit for good driving. I have no issues with that, but DH said it will track things like hard braking, etc., even if it was caused by the error of another driver (as happened to his co-worker). The app has no eyes and will credit the hard braking with my driving experience.

In all these samples, surveys, etc. I constantly wonder if it's worth selling privacy over.

Remember how we used to have the question of the day? I have one for everyone. We went to an expensive looking salon in the GTA yesterday. I get mine and DD1's cut every two years so I'm using one of my Christmas "spa treatment coupons" from DH. I was wondering:

QOTD: How much do you tip the person cutting your hair/DH's hair/kids' hair?

[Natalka]

SS, I would never do the driving monitoring.
Our haircuts are $21, so we pay $25 with tip.

[sweet sparrow]

DH is 100% with you, @Natalka . I imagine if I download the app to my phone (as they suggest), it will track DH's driving habits as mine if we're in the same car.

[Angela273]

I took the kids outside to play this morning. I pulled them up and down the back alley. The end of one nearby ally has a bit of a hill that we carefully played on. I enjoyed myself, but now I’m tired. Good way to fit in some exercise. The combined weight of the kids is about 125lbs. My youngest daycare kid will be dropped off shortly. Just have to finish making lunch.

[Ciel]

I saw the English coupon and am certain it requires the purchase of two Bistro Express for a certain amount off. Lucky you if you get a FPC!

Used the English coupon-it is buy 2 Uncle Ben's Bistro's Express items and get 1 free-last night.

[Ciel]

@sweet sparrow -QOTD-I'm lucky to get even one cut per year at First Choice haircutters and I do tip 15-20%. I read that hair salon owners should not get tipped. Not sure the protocol for salon managers.
Actually could use a spring cut soon but there's next month.

[Ciel]

Last night, supper was the 2/3 half of the garlic loaf that was leftover with some juice and later too many chicken quesadillas. Mom was baking bread and with flour all around, I dare not set up baking a pizza or onion beer bread mixing bowl. I had purchased a yellow bell pepper and a green bell pepper (the cost per kg!) plus a tin of No Name pineapple tidbits for the future pizza on my walk home from the library.

I did a bottle return of empty bottles from home and got the folks a newspaper (hours of reading and it keeps the tv off for awhile).

Decided I really want to go see the spring flower show at Gage Park this week and went out to Fortino's to get the Uncle Ben's Bistro Express rice and some Clover Leaf sale tuna as a food bank donation at the show. I did not go to last fall's Mum Show and I'd like to see flowers as the local crocuses are keeping down under.

Super happy that I have my March expenses entered into the electronic spreadsheet. Have to tackle food cost entry another day and deal with January still. Did delete old program emails relating to PC Plus, Sears Club and Shoppers Optimum-felt good!

Ms. Sunshine has been beaming today with white and gray clouds around. My mood is still stuck in glass-half-full mode--must be feeling something is scarce or there's an issue.

[coupon girl]

I'm with nat I spent 21 on my haircut and tip 25.00 I give her and I get my haircut 4 times a year (as its layered) born with straight hair here
-well popped over to daughter-in-laws and I took Ashlyn outside we played in the snow as it was snowing also for a good 35 minutes stayed til 3.30 -I played dolls with her too -it was fun

[Angela273]

I sold another $20 in baby clothes this afternoon. A different lady is supposed to come tomorrow to pick out baby clothes. I also had a drop-in Daycare boy for a little while today.

City wide ore registration is at the end of the month, so I’m aiming to earn some extra money for those expenses. We are looking at soccer and swimming for our son.

[Frugalbigmama]

Received an email today that my PC pts from my mastercard are finally linked! Finally! took long enough and I wasn't going to give up on almost $600 in points. So I am redeeming some this weekend for sure!

Cooked a roast beef in the slow cooker over night. Sliced it up and put in the fridge this morning. The slow cooker pot is soaking today.

Will finish up laundry tonight. Almost done! Comforters hanging to dry on closet doors

[coupon girl]

Well off to see the specialist with my results from last week I suppose at noon then over to my sons to watch cara at 4.30 til son comes in at 5.30 from work as Ashlyn is going to her very first movie with her mommy and another friend and her mommy