February 2020-Frugal Chatter

[Ciel]

The Hudson Bay Flyer shows Seniors Day to require 60+ age to qualify for tomorrow's event.
https://flyers.smartcanucks.ca/canad...to-february-62
Guess the January 65+ age in the flyer was an error?

[Ciel]

On the food front: yesterday morning, I roasted on low broil my three bell peppers, two onions, some garlic cloves (the sprouting ones got trimmed) and two carrots. Basically ate the veggies for all meals as a result along with Tostitos and Diet Pepsi.

Friday-I made sure to zest and juice my recent lemon purchases. Did not want to risk another green produce drama on the counter. Will roast potatoes either tonight or tomorrow, given that two snow forecasts are in this week's weather for our area. I snuck some of the Cob's rosemary focaccia that sibling bought and oh my, that coarse salt and rosemary topping is very similar to what I put on my homebaked flatbread. Though my version is better baked and Cobs' version is fluffier.

Saturday-had a two-hour visit from my best friend! Got caught up on each other's doings.

I have about three tins of diced tomatoes. Time for curried lentil stew or something to use them up. Hmm stuffed pepper stew might be perfect! Need a couple of ingredients like ground meat (but not too much).

[Ciel]

Today is the last day to get 50% off regular-priced children's footwear at Tootsies Shoe Stores. https://tootsies.ca/

[greentires4me]

Since getting this weighted blanket I have slept so long from 7pm to 3am then 4am to 3pm.

Then when I wake up I feel I could sleep more

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Granger]

On the food front: yesterday morning, I roasted on low broil my three bell peppers, two onions, some garlic cloves (the sprouting ones got trimmed) and two carrots. Basically ate the veggies for all meals as a result along with Tostitos and Diet Pepsi.

Sounds like my kind of meals!!!

Today is the last day to get 50% off regular-priced children's footwear at Tootsies Shoe Stores. https://tootsies.ca/

Thank you for sharing this. I just ordered 8 pairs of needed shoes (plus three pairs of novelty socks) for my three girls for $117 (taxes and shipping in). Shoes are something I "splurge" on in that, if there is a good deal, I will buy because if you don't get them on sale...everyone needs shoes all at once. Approximately $14 a pair is amazing for name brands. I can buy no name at Giant Tiger for $16. Which is what we do in a pinch.

I bough three thong sandals for $5 each - Easter gifts
Vans sparkly (church shoes) x2
Kamik rain boots x2
Sketchers x1
Novelty socks x3 - gift for MIL for birthday on Feb. 14

I find most people want this kind of money for GUC shoes. So excited! Thank you @Ciel.

[Granger]

And more shoes:

My feet have been hurting because I need new runners. Got a pair at Costco and spent our Costco check. Means "free" shoes for me.

We also stocked up on fruits and veggies for the week. Laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent that will last a LONG time. Some frozen goods. Hubby treated himself to a Rock griddle that goes on the stove top. He does most of the cooking right now and I did get the shoes. We got all three girls matching swim suits, best price around at $14. Plus they all match so makes tracking my kids in the busy pools easier. Yay Costco freebies.

We had free meal at Harvey's on a gift card I remembered I had from Christmas.

Finally cashed in $20 of PC/Opt at RCSS. Got a Polly Pocket for middle DD's bday in March and a gift for my niece who's day is five days later. I am also picking up an 18" doll hairdressing chair from a buy and sell for DD for $5. She has wanted one of these for a while.

Considering all we "bought" today and that the OOP will help maintain budget long term, I think we did awesome.

***

And my big happy is that my oldest (who has Celiac, Autism, ADHD and a Learning Disability) had her paediatrician appt. this afternoon and the doctor said, she and our family is doing amazing. She looked her in the eye and say you are absolutely perfect child and good job mom. You know? All the rest doesn't matter. That made my day. Last year I spent a lot of time stressing about doing the right things. This year, after almost losing DH to a PE, we have just been focusing on love and being there and we seem to be doing so much better.

Happy tomorrows.

[SassyAshley]

Good Morning Everyone,
Well last night did not go as planned. I went home after lunch to work on a few projects from home I cannot do in the office due to noise. No idea what happened but all of a sudden I am sitting there and I start having back spasms. I spent most of my night with a heating pad trying to get the spasms to stop as these ones where different. Normally walking helps and is what the doctor told me to do but this time every time I tried to walk I felt like I was going to fall. Since I was home alone I decided limiting movement was best.

It took me all night but I did manage to:
Make Potato Soup
Empty the Dishwasher (this was done before the spasms got worse)
Re load the Dishwasher
Did the Hand Dishes

I did the hand dishes later in the evening as I thought the Spasms were stopping but when I went to bed they started again. I was not feeling too bad this morning so my hope was to come to work get through the morning, I am running 2 training sessions this morning and if needed go home. By the time I got to work it was not good, I did not think about the fact it is the right side of my body so driving is not good. I got here but by the time I parked I just sat in my heated seats for a bit before I came in.

I am not feeling as knocked down mentally which is good but I gotta say I really feel like the world is against us right now. Between Mom's kidney and knees (Good news?? I think is the doc has her MRI results and called for her to come in today, which I do not know if that is good or bad as I thought she just would have been referred to a specialist) and now my back it feels like we just keep getting knocked down and cannot get ahead. We cannot both be down at the same time.

Also good news is Mom did go to work yesterday and made it through her shift and they gave her an extra shift tomorrow so really she has now only lost 5 shifts but that is still 40 hours she has missed. Plus we do not know if there are more to come, she will discuss her kidney with the doctor today when she goes for her knee.

Alright, well I better email my boss and try to set up for today's training.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day

[coupon girl]

take care of yourself sassy

granger -good deals on the shoes for family .I think I will start checking out the tender tootsie store as I need wide width and they are hard to find in reg stores ,mind did get a nice pair from globo reg 129 I paid 44.99.I think I may need orthodics again last pair was 4 years ago but we lost those,so I started wearing the pair I had down the basement(small hairline crack in them ) and we are no longer covered under hubby's insurance so may go to my podiatrist in the spring cost $600-800 dollars .

That is why I am putting a bit into saving every month ,you never know what may come up in life.

I may scoot over to sobeys today they have a deal on my cereal with airmiles plus a few other items

[Frugalbigmama]

Good morning!
@Granger . Sounds like all is well Keep up the great job you are doing! @sassy Ashly. You have to take care of you. I worry about you. All work and no play.

Tonight is getting the laundry done night. Garbage went out this morning. Today starts our new garbage pick up plan. Week 1 Garbage and Green bin. Week 2 Recycling and Green bin. We are going to have so much recycling to put out next week.

Food- There are still lots of buffalo chicken strips from the superbowl party. If DS doesn't eat them today (he is home RE: School strike) I will make wraps with them for his school lunch tomorrow. I need to pick up a 3pk of romaine hearts for $2.49 (PM GT) and I need to get gas today. I have less then 20km and the idiot light is on. I just have to drive DS to work later today so will do it on my way home.

Off to open my pile of mail I jammed in my purse this morning after stopping at the mailbox. Lots of junk flyers that will go into the shredder here at work.

[Ciel]

Hello! Ms. Sunshine must be taking a personal day today--she's not very visible due the cloudy sky and the Snow lurking up there.

Last night's adventure-checking to see if I had more than 1x 100W incandescent bulb left in stock-YES! I did have a second unopened package at the back of the closet shelf. I brought up those LED 60W replacement bulbs from the basement (about 9 left) and flattened the packaging from the used bulbs. I smirked when I read the package indicated 3h use per day every year would save $1.08 and the bulbs would last for 13 years. I've binned LED bulbs with less than one year's of use (flashback to 2016, when those energy coupons allowing $3 off each $4.65 bulb at Dollarama-sibling bought 15! Saw the receipt).

My Value Village socks from last fall have a hole in one heel. I am going to attempt to darn it, as the socks are otherwise ok (and I like the design!). Then if the darning fails to hold, the socks will be laundered and bagged for the spring rag/textile drive. Washing my runners last night, I realized that the soles at the tips of the shoes are about 1/3 gone and same with the back heel sole areas. Not just a couple of seam tears either...have to scurry to find some new runners as my usual place does not have my size in stock and I cannot lean on New Balance online (debit card remains locked--yes, I'm tempted to open a new account to get a new card but don't need more bank fees right now).

Am still monitoring the Smart Canucks blog and have not seen a Shoppers coupon offer post for today. Maybe I am wrong and the chain only ran the 20% off coupon in Dec and Jan to get sales on Tuesdays?

There's a Mary Brown's coupon deal good until Feb. 29 on the blog. The Ancaster store has not yet opened (I walked by it yesterday afternoon and someone was working in the backroom with a table tool).

[Ciel]

@Granger Yay on the shoe offer lining up with footwear needs for your family! Double-yay on the doctor praise! Hope you jotted it down somewhere for those days when reading those words will be so precious and uplifting!
@SassyAshley Either you have a strong mind-body link (what the mind thinks, the body talks about) or perhaps the stress is affecting your post-operative recovery and the area is now very sensitive to what you feel. Have you been mixing up your fruits and veggies for variety? Maybe more colourful fruit (heavy on the vitamin C like pomegranate or happy fruit like dragonfruit) might help with adrenal glands coping with all the demands you have of recent weeks. Add a little sea salt to some drinking water to support your adrenals too. If your work chair is no longer adequate, can you get a new one or at least a Kabooti cushion to help support you when you use your chair? Have you had your hormone levels tested lately? Random possibility that they may be still adjusting post-surgery or you could be entering that Goldilocks phase I have tagged perimenopause-every year is another surprise bodily. Keep up your vitamin D intake to stave off dry eye and splash some water into those eyes during the day (to refresh and to reset).

Due to recent stresses at my home, my body is not happy (despite the Diet Pepsi and chips) so I need to increase my protein intake and fruits too. It's like when I feel blah in the mind, somewhere my body is relaying the blahs elsewhere and my right hand acts up or a nerve on an arm decides to protest or a muscle tries to flex and goes "ouch!". Good Times (let's sing that opening theme song from the 1970s tv show)...

[Ciel]

Happy find that I did not notice last weekend when trying to find any news about the new row of stores being constructed behind ReMax in Trinity Wilson Common: the map showing where the Value Village and Pet Smart stores now shows Dollarama, then Giant Tiger store names. However, those buildings don't exist yet but the parking lot entrance was created last year. Maybe we'll have those stores by November holiday retail season? My friend and I were just talking about something when she spotted the two store names in the upper part of the Common map that I had pulled up. http://www.trinity-group.com/property/wilson-common/

I suspect that if this new Dollarama does open (I understand via the web that Scarborough locations of Dollarama are getting self-checkouts?), the location by the Ancaster Beer Store is likely going to close (older building, not much space and the four checkouts seldom have more than two tills open except on a busy Saturday). And I'm wondering if Giant Tiger might make changes to its Hamilton stores as a result of opening a new location in Ancaster?

[Giseledta]

hi all.
went to the park this am with the kids
fixed a dc issue i had. not sure if issue is the right word. .. but fixed everything

i am super cold. cannot get warm. brrr.
supper is going to be a chicken penne bake.
i need to do a quick fridge clean out, take the grbage and recycling out.

need to work on the gail thing.

[Ciel]

hi all.
went to the park this am with the kids
fixed a dc issue i had. not sure if issue is the right word. .. but fixed everything

i am super cold. cannot get warm. brrr.
supper is going to be a chicken penne bake.
i need to do a quick fridge clean out, take the grbage and recycling out.

need to work on the gail thing.

You have been making progress on the Gail thing! I've slunk off since making the debt chain--I'm ashamed I have not got all my tasks done by this time.

Posted an Ontario contest on the Contest Subforum (shopping mall is giving away weekly prize packages for three weeks!). Centre for Skills Development (Burlington location) has a kiosk this week at Burlington Centre if anyone needing to know what the employment resource centre does for people seeking work or more work.
https://burlingtoncentre.ca/event/Ce...nt/2145537546/

Still no Shoppers coupon-guess it's not happening today (sorry, everyone! I even logged into my PC Optimum account to check).

[GoodBoy]

@Ciel ... this was my Shoppers text message this morning.

http://scratch.3c.com/de30711v9rwYCa...0Iy1tg4=<br />