July 2020 Frugal Chatter

[SassyAshley]

Story of my life, this week did not go as planned. I am supposed to be off today but I am working instead but my boss is aware so it is not being viewed a day off he knows I am working.

I got called to cover in one of our branches yesterday, it was interesting to spend a part of my day back in a branch, have not done that since March. We also had someone new start in this branch this week and they need to learn the position I was covering so I spent the day working with them. This meant I did not get any of my own work done. I tried to push through everything last night but I was too tired so I gave up but there is stuff I need to have done this week so I decided to work today and will take a different Friday off. I am thinking I might try to take the Friday before the August long weekend off, give myself a 4 day weekend, that would be nice.

I made dinner last night and that was it, I was so tired. Mom got a little annoyed we did not do take-out but I am standing firm on my no take-out. I am standing firm that I need some help with our house expenses and that does not include needing take-out. Baby-steps right?

Alright time to get back to work, see if I can get this stuff done off my plate and maybe finish a little early today.

Have a great day everyone

[Granger]

Having a lazy day. It's nice. Re: health. I think there is a time to be private and a time to share. BUT it is the person with the condition that gets to share, how much they share and with who. While I was still figuring out my health, only a few people knew. Now, I am open about it. I wish one person I know had actually saw me and said, "I am on anxiety medication and it helps, you might want to consider trying that." I probably would have got better sooner. So if I can help even one person suffer less (or perhaps prevent a suicide), have at my truth.

I love chit chatting with my online friends. Been doing it ten years now. Just like real life, sometimes the days are shorter between visits. I spoke with Crochet_Lady on the phone (2 or 3 years ago) just a few weeks before she passed (Cancer took her suddenly). I had done an exchange train with her and I still have the pieces she made and bought for me.

[coupon girl]

Granger -my dear son-in-law is on anxiety pills,he has been for years and it helps him greatly,his parents never really understood .

Hubby and i went to sign papers in our insurance parking lot (they dont have the pexiglass in yet)so it is final saving a few hundred a year is greatly appreciated.Good thing i inquired when my house insurance jumped up too much .

I went to winners today -wow their stock is soo low .I managed to spend my $40.00 gift card ,but need to return a puzzle i bought my grandson as he is doing 48 pieces now not 24 my daughter told me.I got a silky tank black 12.99 for me ,2 bathroom hand towels for daughter's birthday next month 3.99 each and they look so expensive .One 600 thread count grey pillowcase (missing one) so marked down to 6.50-i have a few that are garbage rags .

I got a kitchen drying mat for me with 2 face clothes 6.99.I tried on a few dresses but some even thou they said large we like a medium smaller fit .It was nice experience ,greeted at the door with hand sanitizer ,washrooms open -only 3 allowed in at once .

Supper will be frozen pizza and salad .

[coupon girl]

sassy -just chatted with my daughter as she takes time out to let sebastian ride his scooter(1hour) .She is starting to feel a bit overwhelmed ,her boss doesnt want to hire anyone under her til oct,nov.She talked to 2 other girls in another country (part of her company) and they will take on some work ,lighten her load a little .I mean she works some nights til 1.00 .am and weekends ,lots of zoom meetings in the evening because of the time zone difference .So i am happy for her .

[SassyAshley]

That is good that others are willing to help, sometimes just that light at the end of the tunnel can help so much.

We have been hiring for a few positions so I know upfront as the trainer it will be a lot of work for me but in the long run it will hopefully mean a few things will be taken off my plate. Like the person I covered yesterday, we have hired an additional person in that branch who will trained and will be able to cover so I won't need to anymore. We just need to make it through the training period.

sassy -just chatted with my daughter as she takes time out to let sebastian ride his scooter(1hour) .She is starting to feel a bit overwhelmed ,her boss doesnt want to hire anyone under her til oct,nov.She talked to 2 other girls in another country (part of her company) and they will take on some work ,lighten her load a little .I mean she works some nights til 1.00 .am and weekends ,lots of zoom meetings in the evening because of the time zone difference .So i am happy for her .

[SassyAshley]

The last two days, I have not written myself to do list for work and I am feeling the difference. Since I did not have a list today I found when I got off track I lacked the focus to get back on track. Normally my list brings me back the reality of what I still need to accomplish and I can visual see if I am getting stuff done or if I need to step it up. Sometimes this weekend I will need to take 10 to 15 minutes and write myself a to do list for Monday.

Part way through dinner we lost power, luckily it was only off for about 10 minutes but since we only have fans pretty much a within a couple of minutes of the power going off it was starting to get hot in here. I can admit even though it was only off for about 10 minutes I started to get worried that if it did not come back by bedtime it would be near impossible to sleep tonight.

We have someone coming early tomorrow morning to quote on some stuff we need done around the house. I need this heat to break as I am really motivated to get some stuff done and move some stuff around. As well yesterday as I was sitting here I started to think about painting some areas of our house. Ultimately it all needs to be done but thinking I want to start on the main floor, the blue/green in hallway from previous owners need to go. I am thinking a nice grey instead.

I still need to budget out some of the changes I want to make around the house. What we can and cannot do will depend on what this person says tomorrow. If they say it is not possible we need to move past it and move that money towards other things.

Alright got a couple of planning things I want to get done tonight as I am hoping to try to get some stuff done in the morning before it gets too hot.

Have a great night everyone.

[lilo0003]

@SassyAshley sorry to hear you did not get your day off today. I am Monday and the work 4 days until I am off for a week. Yay, but I know it’s going to be crazy next week. Tonight my cousins came for dinner and he brought the food to bbq here. He lives in condo so can’t bbq. It was nice to just sit and chat. I used to babysit him when he was a kid and now he is almost 40 not sure how that happened.

[Angela273]

Quick Sobeys trip
$9.19oop
redeemed $30 in AM
$14.64 in coupons
$2 CO51
$0.10 Caddle
Earned 36AM

Bread, milk, canned tomatoes, Rice Krispies, and rotisserie chicken with FPC

We had chicken veggie wraps for supper. 1/2 the chicken is in the fridge as leftovers.

We spent 2hrs at the park this morning. We spent 3hrs at the park and spray park this afternoon. We bikes to and from. It must have looked interesting since I had extra bags with my for the water stuff. The kids had a blast. Everyone was exhausted and I’m going to bed early.

[Ciel]

Forgot to add father purchased today 2 protective masks 4$ each at dollorama since it is obligatory by saturday
Hum.,..I have mixed feeling about the return to school in september...I receive my letter and we are supposed to subscribe with a mask and I wont be surprise if in september we will worn mask in class....???

At Mohawk College, only people who have a reason to be on campus (class or staff), go through screening and wear a mask are allowed to enter this summer. I expect some changes or loosening of rules by September. So I as an alumna would not be able to access college computers or the printer (need to load $ on my card) this summer. My best friend knows she'll spend about 70% of classes online at home and rest at school for fall semester. Local transit service will not be offering post-secondary students a semester bus pass for fall so travel will be interesting for students without cars or someone willing to drive them *unless they ride bikes.*

[Ciel]

Appointment at the hospital went ok. I did not freak out when placed in the MRI. Last year I had a panic attack. So I explained my anxiety about this to the tech and she was awesome. I have had them at least 6 yrs in a row and never an issue until last year so I was absolutely grateful for their compassion. I am high risk for breast cancer so it’s a necessary screening. I did take advantage of being so close to Loblaws and they had lots of PCO offers so I earned 13000 points on 60.00 and submitted 2.00 to Checkout 51 and another 5.00 Master card. I have a kid that loves Rice Krispies and since it’s a sugar free cereal I like buying it for him. I even used coupons which always seems like a win now.

Brave person rep!

[Ciel]

Having a lazy day. It's nice. Re: health. I think there is a time to be private and a time to share. BUT it is the person with the condition that gets to share, how much they share and with who. While I was still figuring out my health, only a few people knew. Now, I am open about it. I wish one person I know had actually saw me and said, "I am on anxiety medication and it helps, you might want to consider trying that." I probably would have got better sooner. So if I can help even one person suffer less (or perhaps prevent a suicide), have at my truth.

I love chit chatting with my online friends. Been doing it ten years now. Just like real life, sometimes the days are shorter between visits. I spoke with Crochet_Lady on the phone (2 or 3 years ago) just a few weeks before she passed (Cancer took her suddenly). I had done an exchange train with her and I still have the pieces she made and bought for me.

Thanks for sharing memories of Crochet Lady!

[Ciel]

The weekly paper bundle yesterday contained the summer issue of Cineplex magazine (first time ever and makes up for fact Hamilton is not in Stage 3 but getting closer to having open cinemas soon)! Bit disappointing but expected that Cineplex is moving to cashless payments for tickets and concessions. Either I ensure I have the debit room and funds when I want to go to the movies or pay my friend for my share of tickets and foods and she can buy our tickets and snacks on her Scene card.

I found a $5 bill on my walk home last night from Longos, Value Village and Walmart since I slightly altered my route home. It was against someone's Subway takeout bag on the ground and there was just enough light before twilight darkened to see the bill. I cleaned it up when I got home and after putting groceries away, I went to my ATM to deposit it. I did not find the plug part for an HP printer cord at Value Village but I did buy the old electrical outlet covers bag of items and a bag with an HP USB mouse and Microsoft wireless mouse (but the metal in the battery cover is loose and might not be able to work after all).

The ongoing heat and humidity sometimes tips me into should I be dead or alive thought territory (from the heat, from the cancer or from not getting along with family). Since May, I literally cannot stand Bro or Mom in the house. Today Mom and I have been at each other all afternoon. Found out she does not understand social bubble and what it means, as she plans to have people over (outdoors) next week. Because it'll be under 5 she thinks it's ok. Uh, no, each friend likely has 9-10 people in their own bubbles already but Mom does not understand the concept. And a few more topics where I clearly opposed her on her stances on them. Anyway, I need to make a plan for the day she has people over--likely will have to take the bus and cool in a mall without seating while trying to use wi-fi. I really don't know how much longer the local libraries will be closed for computer access. HPL plans to have all branches doing library hold pickups by July 22 but nothing is said about lab or printer access. Another reason I am rather sad this summer.

This week, I discovered that Walmart carries two Gatorade powder flavours-since I don't like orange, I went with Frost Glacier Freeze and make up a 2L jug each day to help cool me off. My one eye is going red from the dye or something, but I wanted to skip lugging bottles or cans in the heat so I don't have to take my shopping cart for groceries (light shop) everytime.
I truly have enjoyed my veggie and fruit boxes from Grocery Gateway and the breakfast and lunch bundles. I'd love to be able to afford the fruit box weekly during this hot summer (no need to do much except wash it before eating) and it ensures I vary my fruits each day. But I'd add a watermelon and peaches to a future order. No move from Mom to get a grocery order done online-though she stated last weekend she should consider it, I took her to mean it literally and asked her today. She's not getting groceries.

I finally sanded what I could off the bathroom door frame (the mounded hills of putty from Jan) late afternoon and did another paint coat on the frame, the back of door, the new ripped section on the wall and touched up paint on the baseboard radiator (rust spots have appeared due to the high humidity in the room and the metal of the radiator being quite old). Since I broke the door stop post behind the door, I got the replacement one put in and also replaced the bracket on the door, so things look *newer* after 20 years. The bracket has two clips that have little posts on the top to help pin them in place-one clip was missing the post. How to MacGyver the situation when I could not find Bro's double-sided tape? Elmer craft squares from glow in the dark stars bag. I trimmed two squares down and voila, sticky top to keep the clip on the bracket (the side of the clip clips on but does not stay in place without the pin or sticky tape).

What's the way to remove a door strike screw whose screw slots are ruined (putting a Philips screwdriver does not loosen screw as slots are mangled)? I tried to remove the door set from the basement bathroom door to update the main floor bathroom's doorset but could not overcome that last screw issue and was losing time. I have spare screws to use for the strike plate upstairs but the mangled one needs to come out. Do I rub pencil all over it or drop some oil on it or see if a strong magnet might unwind it (it's firmly screwed in). My brother is not getting around to the small household maintenance issues and I sense he could not care whether someone rips a finger on the old doorknob or not. (He's been working on Mom's car for over 2 months and I asked if it was driveable and he said no. So much for expecting Mom to go out of the house on her own.)

On the topic of masks and various local community mask bylaws-I noticed in a recent Fabricland e-mail that some cities (i.e. Toronto, Brampton) don't allow faceshields to be used as face coverings.


Something to think about if you live or work or travel in those areas. I noticed many faceshield wearers in stores tend to also wear eyewear, so that could be an issue. The local weekly paper this week had a letter to the editor stating that masks ought to have a clear portion as many deaf or hard of hearing people who don't use sign language will be unable to communicate with others if they cannot read speakers' lips.

[lizzie bargain]

Well as predicted things are getting busier-DD flew home yesterday as we heard her birth grandma was in ICU and very critical. We took her straight from the airport to the ICU and will take her again today-then off to my nephew's smaller than planned outdoor(I think) wedding on their family farm. All within govt guidelines. Luckily I had some Aeroplan pts-DD said she had a row of seats to herself and they gave her hand sanitizer etc on the plane. She had to have temp check etc to get into ICU.

At the end of the month we will drive DD to Vancouver to help move into her new place-then she will likely head back to Appsley and then drive out here with her BF and his brother for another visit enroute around Sept 1. By then my mum should have moved in temporarily while condo shopping. Anyway we are enjoying having her home and will need to remember to snap a few family pics at the wedding today.

Unbelievably my sister who turns 50 today and lives in the US said her family was just diagnosed with Covid for the second time in 3 months-so much for developing immunity.

[SassyAshley]

Lizzie I have seen quite a few articles lately discussing that with Covid you do not develop the immunity you would with other diseases.

One study I read said if you are asymptomatic they found immunity only lasted 2 to 3 weeks after getting negative test. For those who were hospitalized and they considered for the study had full blown covid immunity only lasted 3 to 4 months.

They also found some people both asymptomatic and hospitalized never develop antibodies.

[Arjon]

Unbelievably my sister who turns 50 today and lives in the US said her family was just diagnosed with Covid for the second time in 3 months-so much for developing immunity.

IDK about you, but since I know some people misunderstand this... immunity (would) mean not being susceptible to the effects the virus causes. This is not the same as no longer being able to get it. For example, if someone breathes it in and has it in his or her nose, a nasal swab will test positive even if that person has become immune from getting sick. It's not clear this happens anyway.