December 2018 Frugal chatter thread

[SassyAshley]

After I posted earlier I decided to go grocery shopping. I was thinking of everything we need to do this week and decided I wanted to get out of the house so decided to do the shopping today. Originally I was just going to go to No Frills but we needed Mushrooms which are are sale at Freshco and my No Frills will not price match since the description says Compliments Mushrooms and theirs are PC, they say they are different brands.

I went to Freshco and got:
Mushrooms 4 x $1
Carrots 1 x $1
Tortillas 2 x $2.49 (they had a different brand on $1.99 but they were hard, so for $0.50 I got the nicer soft ones)
Sour Cream 4 x $1.99
English Muffins 1 x $1
Bananas $0.56

At No Frills I got:
Olive Oil 2 x $4.99
Velotine 4 x (??) No idea on the price this never goes on sale but I had a points offer so I stocked up
Apples 5lb 1 x $3.97
Clementines 5lb 1 x $3.97
Palmolive 2 x $1.99
Apple Sauce 4 x $1
Chocolate Milk 1 x $1

I am happy with my shop, I mostly wanted Mushrooms and fruit, I feel we have been lacking fruit in the house lately. As well with sales was able to fill a few holes in my stockpile.

I came home and packaged 2 loaves of Fruit & Nut bread for Breakfasts, I butter and freeze them, then pull out the night before.

I also decided to change tonight's dinner to Meatballs in Mushroom Gravy over Mashed Potatoes. The meatballs are homemade from the freezer and I have made extra Mashed Potatoes to use later in the week. Well it is cooking I will mix up the manicotti filling and put it in a piping bag so tomorrow after work I just need to fill, sauce and toss in the oven.

All and all a productive day. Hope everyone enjoyed their Sunday

[SassyAshley]

Looking for opinions, I am having a hard time finding things to buy the family for Christmas. When I ask what they want I either get "I don't know" or their suggestions are way out of my budget.

I was thinking since I enjoy cooking and baking I would make each couple a basket full of homemade items. Most items would be something they could use in various ways like:
Homemade Cookie Butter
Homemade Caramel Sauce
Flavoured Olive Oils

What are your thoughts on a gift like this?

[lilo0003]

Looking for opinions, I am having a hard time finding things to buy the family for Christmas. When I ask what they want I either get "I don't know" or their suggestions are way out of my budget.

I was thinking since I enjoy cooking and baking I would make each couple a basket full of homemade items. Most items would be something they could use in various ways like:
Homemade Cookie Butter
Homemade Caramel Sauce
Flavoured Olive Oils

What are your thoughts on a gift like this?

I would love it because my rules for gifting adults are it must be an experience or a consumable. I think when you take the time and energy to make gift (for me anyway) that says you care about me.

[Angela273]

@SassyAshley I like your idea for home made gifts. I have made tins of baking some years. Another year I typed up a cookbook of my favourite recipes and gave copies to family members. A couple of the recipes are ones that my aunt’s shared years ago.

[Natalka]

Looking for opinions, I am having a hard time finding things to buy the family for Christmas. When I ask what they want I either get "I don't know" or their suggestions are way out of my budget.

I was thinking since I enjoy cooking and baking I would make each couple a basket full of homemade items. Most items would be something they could use in various ways like:
Homemade Cookie Butter
Homemade Caramel Sauce
Flavoured Olive Oils

What are your thoughts on a gift like this?

@SassyAshley Fabulous!

I know you did not ask, but other ideas - homemade poppycock, nuts and bolts or other snack mixes - sweet or savoury.

[Giseledta]

Sasy Ashley ... i think your ideas are wonderful. but if anyone has allergies.. please be aware of them .


ok. monday. i made my list of stuff to get done in the next 3 weeks...... i need another week.....
and if posible .. Canada post could quit mucking around and deliver the parcels that would be lovely. i have one from Nov 5. that i swear they have lost.. they keep moving the date back . it is now Dec 17... seriously...

today is busy. lots of little things to do , but it will all get done. hugs to all

[Frugalbigmama]

Happy Monday!!! That weekend went by way too fast! Yesterday morning I said how it was so nice to sleep in on a Saturday morning.....then a little later we realized crap its Sunday!!!

Saturday night was fun. Free dinner for 4. Free comedy show tickets for 4. Won $230 in about 20 mins and cashed out and went and sat and had coffee for an hour and chatted before heading to show! Perfect night. We went out for breakfast Sunday morning and just chatted and then went to the Tanger outlet and Costco. I only spent $13.43 at Costco on English muffins and a book for DS. Pretty frugal but fun weekend!

Tonight- Taking a pork roast out of freezer for the crockpot in the morning. I bought buns on Friday for $1.25 with the plan of pulled pork sandwiches Tuesday night.

So much to do for Christmas so starting tomorrow night the focus at night is getting organized for that.

[Frugalbigmama]

Received my new wallet the other day from Cyber Monday shopping . Cleaned out my old one and tossed it. The new one is smaller which is good- downsizing the card/reward cards etc and have a stack of Gift Card to use up. Will motivate me to use up all these small balances on Visa prepaid cards I have.

I went to shoppers last night to grab milk, eggs and toothpaste and used up gift cards (I had a bunch of $5 ones from a lotto promo). Glad I didn't get caught up spending over $75 for the promo yesterday. I think I will go and redeem a bit tomorrow for the new promo (get 40% back in points) Hopefully I can get a few Christmas gifts off my list.

[SassyAshley]

Thanks everyone for your input, I think I have a rough plan now. I am going to crochet each couple a basket that they can later use for storage and then I will fill it will multiple homemade goodies.

Now to buy the yarn and make a list of everything I am going to make. I plan to try to get Mom to go to Costco and Chinese Market tomorrow night so I will see what I can get. I will be making 5 baskets so for things like Spices I will be best to buy them at Costco. I think my focus will be on items they can use to make things with like flavoured Salts, Oils and mixes.

[Angela273]

This morning the kids did some Christmas colouring. I managed to get some stuff done on my computer. I redeemed for another $25 Amazon.ca gift card from Swagbucks. Our twins’ passports arrived this morning. Only waiting for our son’s passport now. For lunch I made veggie bean and wiener soup along with banoc. It has been a long time since I last made banoc. The kids were divided on the food. I really enjoyed it and there are leftovers in the fridge.

[Frugalbigmama]

Wow I am so not motivated to grocery shop. Went to RCSS to PM a few things. Out of stuff I wanted. I left with bananas lip chap. Will make do with what we have and make fruit smoothies from frozen fruit for the rest of the week to get our fruit. Clean out the freezer so a win. (still have 2 pineapples and a watermelon)

[lizzie bargain]

Well speaking of grocery shopping I went today with my sister in Buenos Aries-always an adventure shopping in a foreign country. We walked down which takes about 15-20 minutes-then we shopped and had all the stuff delivered. I paid this time and it came to about $100 US but we really stocked up for 3 people-must admit we just put whatever we wanted in the cart-I am so much more careful and aware of prices at home-in any case I am not very good at doing the currency conversions in my head and I figure it is cheaper than eating every meal in a restaurant. She said I did not need to pay but I insisted. On the way down I grabbed a couple of takeout beef empanadas at a corner store for about $2 and they were really good. Paying with my credit card involved showing my passport and took quite awhile-no fast tapping here-they had to take down my passport number etc. On the way home my sister stopped at a bank machine to get cash and the ATM had run out of cash-welcome to Argentina.
Today I went down for a little swim in the pool and yesterday I went out for a walk in the ecological reserve and enjoyed seeing all the different flowers, trees, lizards and butterflies. Tomorrow my sister has a mahjong lunch with her expat ladies group-I have no clue how to play but I will go along just for fun. My sister says they laugh a lot and there is wine involved. I do not usually drink wine but I am sure I will enjoy it anyway. BTW the lunch starts at 2 p.m. which seems very late by our standards-but not uncommon here. Next week my sister has organized a congress building tour and a kosher lunch at a Syrian restaurant for her ladies group so I am going on that too. A whole different lifestyle this expat life.

The A/C is on the fritz so my sister called in Spanish( I was impressed) to arrange for a repair man to come on Wed-she says they may or may not show up and that it is very slow and hard to get service calls here-they are to call her after 9.a.m. Wed to let her know when/if they will show up-no 3 hr time windows given here like we might get in Canada for a delivery or a repair-in other words hang out all day at home and they may or may not get around to you. Luckily it is not too hot and humid yet or we would be way too hot.

Anyway it is a whole different way of life here-that is for sure. My sis will fly home with me to visit with her kids and granddaughter and her hubby will follow a few days later for Xmas. The only bad news is my sister is winning most of our Scrabble games-argh!! Anyway I thought some of you might like a bit of an update from the Southern hemisphere.

[Ciel]

Looking for opinions, I am having a hard time finding things to buy the family for Christmas. When I ask what they want I either get "I don't know" or their suggestions are way out of my budget.

I was thinking since I enjoy cooking and baking I would make each couple a basket full of homemade items. Most items would be something they could use in various ways like:
Homemade Cookie Butter
Homemade Caramel Sauce
Flavoured Olive Oils

What are your thoughts on a gift like this?

Yes to the olive oils and consumables! Do it your way and solve the gift dilemmas now, so you get your free time to yourself again.

[Ciel]

@lizzie bargain -ha, ha-my budget has been off the rails since late September. Always seems to be a sudden burst of spending in the first 72hours then eking out the remainder of the grocery and personal needs money for the rest of the month. Had my Mississauga/Toronto trip to check out thrift stores (Value Village at Dixie/Dundas was gold in womenswear but thin in menswear, struck out at Talize and Salvation Army nearby (SA had the 6 days of Christmas and Thursday was 50% off menswear), found the Muji hankie for Mom and also a secondhand purse in a Port Credit shop then did 1 hr at Square One for Simons, visit to Miniso, peek at Uniqlo then a pop at Walmart (I got overheated lugging two tote bags in the warm mall with my winter jacket and umbrella.
Toronto-did a short visit to the French book fair and talked to a graduate from Glendon College. My book was not seen at the fair and my spoken French was awful so English was agreed upon for talking. Could not find a Toronto Yellow Pages phone directory in any of the four newsboxes downtown on the way back to the GO bus station. Muji Atrium store is very lovely-embroidery orders were for next day but that did not suit me. Found out Long Tall Sally store in Atrium will close in early February. Hope to visit the store next month if possible or the one in Mississauga. My knees did not like the train station stairs nor the maze that is now Union Station below ground (the food court is spiffy but way too far to go to).

Saturday-spent afternoon raking so many leaves. Missed Internet. Yesterday after some needs shopping, I took the bus to the library for the last 15min of Internet and speed reading the weekend papers. Walked home (saw so many cans to collect) and encountered the rainstorm in the last 40min of the walk (good thing I had the umbrella).

I'll be late on the computer tomorrow. Have to mind Dad, who has yet to provide any grocery cash yet after flinting on November. Mom knows I'm campaigning for cash or a lockdown on spending and making do with what's at home. That even means taking white garbage bags from the minibarn to use in the kitchen and bathroom as we've run out of the usual bags and every store trip costs money from my personal spending money. There's an occasion that Mom wants to make food for but I have encouraged her to curb any excess unless money comes from Dad. She spent a lot last month preparing for the guests and such, but she shortchanged herself too.

Meanwhile, Mom has accepted the new flannelette sheet and let me toss one of the old ones. Progress, one month at a time!

[Ciel]

Turkey or other prepared meal deals-I was leafing through Farmboy's flyer and noticed a $129.99 turkey or ham dinner with 4 sides offering.
Longo's has its turkey and 5 sides priced at $99.99 until Dec.9. Price rises to $109.99 on Dec. 10.
Sobey's also has a meal deal for the holidays but the sides are standard.

And the grocery pickup competition is heating up. Grocery Gateway is waiving store pickup fees for Dec 1-23 for Longo's customers ordering online for store pickup ($5 fee usually applies). E-mail did not state minimum order requirement but it has tended to be a $50 before taxes/delivery or $75 before taxes/delivery situation.

Food inspiration via December issue of Glamour (which will cease print publication after January's issue and become strictly a digital magazine)-an article of three vegan friendly dishes to serve as sides at meals. I'll copy the pesto dish and post it this week (I like basil pesto with cheese but a non-dairy version would be super for Advent).