February Frugal Chatter

[HermanH]

Myself and another woman were trying to turn our carts around to get in line and I realized I thought I had cut off someone so offered to let to get ahead but they refused, when the line started moving neither me nor the woman in front of me moved and let the couple I thought I caught off go ahead. To my surprise well I was checking out he came running over he bought both the lady in front of me and myself a box of Valentine's Chocolate, not at all needed but a nice gesture.

It's always nice to hear about random acts of kindness and gratitude.

I was standing in line at my local Wendy's drive-thru lane when a man drove by and said that they might not serve me since I was not driving. He offered to order what I needed on my behalf. I told him that I was a regular and that they had no problem with me in the drive-thru since I was a regular.

After I got my order filled, I paid for his order in recognition of his unsolicited kindness. The next day, the staff told me that he was very surprised and happy to receive the gift. He went out of his way to try and help me, so I thought I would return the favour.

With Covid you cannot chose a checkout line so I try to keep it as simple as possible and limit Price Matches as much as I can.

I also wait for certain staff, with whom I know will not cause problems for me with price match. I just let people go ahead of me until their specific register opens.

[SassyAshley]

I did not realize how late it was LOL. Today on my shop I got:

4 x 10-lb Potatoes $1.88
1 x 10-lb Sweet Potatoes $4.97 (Sweet Potatoes were on sale for a $1/lb or the No Name were $4.97 for 10 lbs)
2 x Cherry Tomatoes $1
2 x Mangos $1
1 x 3-lb Lemons $4.97 (Did not like this Price singles were $0.50/eac but did not look as nice)
1 x Mushrooms $3.97 (Wanted 2 but all the other packs look worse than the part pack I had at home for over 2 weeks)
1 x Banana $???? (No idea)
1 x 6-lb Apples $5.97
1 x Milk $????
4 x Yogurt $1.97 - PM Food Basics
2 x Olive Oil $3.97 - PM Freshco
4 x Diced Tomatoes $1
4 x Tomato Paste 2/$1
3 x Beef Broth $1.97 (My Costco does not carry Beef only Chicken)
2 x Chocolate Milk $1 (Mom Request)
4 x Sugar $1
2 x Garden Cocktail $1
4 x Cake Mix $1
1 x Apple Cider Vinegar $1.49
4 x Oranges $1/lb
2 x English Muffins $1
3 X Tortillas $1 (Only had Whole Wheat, I do still have some white in the freezer but was hoping to stock up)

I have noticed the produce was not as nice as normal, the items I did buy I really had to dig for and there were a couple items I did not grab because of how they looks like the Zucchini.

All of this for just over $82, I cannot complain, I was expecting my bill to be higher but happy it wasn't. We are now fully stocked up, only issue might be Mushrooms since I only got one package. My goal is to make it another 2 to 3 weeks and our next shop will be a Costco shop.

[crafter]

Wow that's a lot of potatoes @SassyAshley ...what are you making with them?

Great deals

[SassyAshley]

@crafter , not sure yet but my German and Irish Heritage starts to get a little nervous when our Potato supply started to get low. Especially right now with the price of potatoes they become insane when they are not on sale.

Although I will need to figure something out as I forgot I still had 20 lbs in the basement (2 bags I forgot to put into storage) so now I have 60 lbs of potatoes plus more I pulled from storage as they were sprouting (guesstimating about 5 lbs were sprouting) . Thinking tomorrow I will turn the sprouting ones into Mashed Potatoes as one night this week I will be making a Pork Roast in the slow cooker.

[Ciel]

Oh, I'd love to have scalloped potatoes this week. Or cooked sweet potatoes or roasted ones with some spices. Yum-nice produce haul, @SassyAshley !

I ventured out around noon only to take out a bag of garbage and shovel the walkways and check on downspouts. Yes, two of them have split seams in which meltwater froze like a fountain spray caught in place. Told Mom at least one more pipe needs to be replaced and a bracket and I actually had to explain this to her. Decent mild temp today; slushy base under the powdery snow. Will see how cold the MOnday wind is. I have had too many mugs of hot chocolate, some Jello and protein (Bro heated up Swiss Chalet pot pies for brunch-so good) today that Monday will be Mugs of Tea day. It's like I anticipate some bad weather for the next snowfall. I have not had much headache but a certain joint in the backside has been talking for the past 72h whilst this cold snap of snow visits. Yowsers.
@HermanH There is for certain one large club pack of dried fruit lurking in a drawer that expired either late 2019 or early 2020. Mom won't let me pitch it. Might be a second bag as well-again such a large bag but date has already gone by. I only take my chances with smaller things that are expired or if they show fuzzy growth, off to the bins they go. Mom and late father grew up in large families where money was tight and their thinking has been-it's still good to eat. So I've been a bit James Bond-like in knowing when to pitch things (either I'm the only one up or I wait when I'm alone but I have to assess $ value of food item being tossed or how hard it'd be to get a replacement. We yell a lot about these matters.) Don't believe we have any old canned goods (there was a time a certain no name tin of mushrooms somehow sat for a couple of years) in the house.

Last night after saving many weblinks of fabulous kids apparel, I spent time visiting the North American sewing pattern sites and can say some selection has definitely been cut back and some styles are ones I can remember from the 1990s. In other words, no luck finding Milano dress or skirt styles that I see in stores online. I will copy and paste apparel pics into Word when the library computer lab opens and run them off to have as templates to attempt to make similar styles at home. I came across a few new store sites and found a new pattern website, so there are more pages to explore.

Tomorrow, dvd marathon (Bro has to work) and maybe something to bake for eating later in the day. I made orange Jello tonight and it'll go fast in the morning. The lime one from last night-Bro spotted it and took some while watching his shows. Everyone has a sweet tooth here! I'll probably wait for Wed. to see if dish detergent is at Shoppers and I have to get my ordered item from the city store soon (almost at my 14 day limit for pickup).

I have wrapped a throw around me to keep warm and stave off another hot mug of whatever. Time to head upstairs to a book and warm bed. Have a cozy evening!

[Giseledta]

good morning all. work up in a weird head space. hopefully it passes soon.
i need to print off some stuff today. then i am done a bit of paperwork. i was going to organise a bit more stuff... but might just work on a bit of crocheting.

making homemade chinese hopefully for supper. i think i have everything for that. i am hoping to maybe play cards with my girls this afternoon. that would be good for me

[SassyAshley]

Good Morning Everyone,
I went to bed last night with all these great ideas of what I was going to accomplish today. Now today is here and I feel like today will be a bit of a blah day instead.

We got a light dusting of snow last night but tonight we are supposed to get hit with snow so looks like tomorrow will may be another day of digging out.

I do have some work I need to get done, I have done bits and pieces here there but it needs to be done before we open tomorrow. I do not think I should bank on being up before work and getting it done before we open.

I need to figure out dinner, needs to be something that includes Mashed Potatoes so I can use up some of the potatoes that were sprouting. I was going to do a Pork Roast in the Slow Cooker but guess what I forgot to take out last night LOL. So now I need a plan B. Maybe I will head over and see if Pinterest brings me any inspiration.

Have a great day everyone.

[lizzie bargain]

SA-won't the roast defrost and cook in the slow cooker?

[coupon girl]

Morning all-my mood has been down the past few days ,so i havent been on here as much .My girlfriend called me the other night and said i was the best friend ever .It is so hard not seeing people in person and no she does not have a tablet -we do but i find others our age dont.So glad my kids bought the tablet last mother's day as i love see the grandchildren on it even if for a fleeting moment .

Just popped out to shoppers yesterday for creme and milk ,wished i had gotten a few more items ,as a storm is heading our way .Oh well we will make do as i only like tea anyway ,so glad i stocked up on large boxes of tetley a few months back from a sale .

[SassyAshley]

@lizzie bargain the recipe says it takes 8 to 9 hours using a defrosted roast for I am afraid if I put it in frozen we won't eat until like 10 PM. I thought about trying to cook it on high but I am worried the sauce will burn and the roast won't get tender.

@coupon girl I think it safe to say even those who are normally home-bodies and introverts are even starting to feel the Covid fatigue. I personally thought finally no one get on me for weekend after weekend just being at home doing my thing but now that we are coming up on a year of this yeah the Covid Fatigue is real.

I did not hear about the storm until last night and was so happy I went and did our shopping yesterday so now when the snow comes I do not need to worry. Not that we would have starved we have food in the house but still makes me feel better it is not hanging over my head that we need to shop.

[HermanH]

@crafter , not sure yet but my German and Irish Heritage starts to get a little nervous when our Potato supply started to get low. Especially right now with the price of potatoes they become insane when they are not on sale.

Although I will need to figure something out as I forgot I still had 20 lbs in the basement (2 bags I forgot to put into storage) so now I have 60 lbs of potatoes plus more I pulled from storage as they were sprouting (guesstimating about 5 lbs were sprouting) . Thinking tomorrow I will turn the sprouting ones into Mashed Potatoes as one night this week I will be making a Pork Roast in the slow cooker.

I stock quite a few potatoes, too. I break down the bags into smaller brown paper bags to prevent light from reaching the potatoes (and my carrots, too.) I find that it helps greatly with suppressing sprouts.

I also spritz them with vinegar to try and prevent mould. Has anyone tried either of these techniques? Any other ideas to increase the longevity of vegetables and fruit?

[HermanH]

@HermanH There is for certain one large club pack of dried fruit lurking in a drawer that expired either late 2019 or early 2020. Mom won't let me pitch it. Might be a second bag as well-again such a large bag but date has already gone by. I only take my chances with smaller things that are expired or if they show fuzzy growth, off to the bins they go. Mom and late father grew up in large families where money was tight and their thinking has been-it's still good to eat. So I've been a bit James Bond-like in knowing when to pitch things (either I'm the only one up or I wait when I'm alone but I have to assess $ value of food item being tossed or how hard it'd be to get a replacement. We yell a lot about these matters.) Don't believe we have any old canned goods (there was a time a certain no name tin of mushrooms somehow sat for a couple of years) in the house.

My mother survived WW2 in China, so I believe that her mania for food conservation has passed on to me due to her wartime privation experiences. Oftentimes, I think we need more of that 'greatest generation' thinking.

I walk past my RCSS every day and there is a community collection bin in the back. Frequently, folks leave their clothes along with dishes, homewares, and cans of food only a month or two past the Best Before date. I am pretty certain that they hope the charity will use them, but organizations (i.e. food bank) can't because of their fear for liability from 'expired' food. I just pick them up and eat for months, since they would otherwise be thrown out.

[Ciel]

I did not know that vinegar staves off sprouts on potatoes. I don't like the smell of vinegar but am curious to know how often you spray spuds, @HermanH ? Sometimes even a small bag of potatoes turns very quickly into mush within a week or so.

[Ciel]

How wonderful that today is also National Flag Day of Canada! City of Mississauga will light its clock tower tonight in white and red lights!

Those of you familiar with past Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion (yes, that one who was on the Rick Mercer Report a couple of times) might know she marked her 100th birthday this month. The library system will rename their Central Branch after her when the current renovations are done (about two years' of work). Down the road from said branch, is the Sheridan College campus named after her. Right across from Square One shopping mall! There's also a photo book of the former mayor being sold to raise funds for the local hospital system. Busy person, Hazel is!

Am sipping my second mug of ginger peach tea of the day. Got scolded for vacuuming today (religious holiday) and managed to shorten a laundry cycle's spin cycle later (I had a load of my clothing being washed). Went outside to put the recycling bin in the shed (collection is moved a day later this week due to Family Day today) and made noise clearing snow from sidewalks. Struck ice from the downspout with all sorts of ice where it should not be. Cleared some papers off the fridge and will post latest update about Hamilton's reopening rules for businesses.

Plan to get a tray of veggies into the oven later. Had lunch using the leftover pasta (warmed under hot water tap with a strainer), cut up meatballs and a few spoonfuls of the sauce that Mom diluted with canned tomatoes. Added some sliced queen olives and lunch was ready.

The snow is going to make a visit to Giant Tiger tricky if a lot of snow falls (due to needing a cane). I have Wed as my last day to collect my order (14 days are given once e-mail is sent that order has arrived at selected store).

While leafing through the Feb.4 issue of community paper, I read how our local MP is involved with the federal government in getting projects to help Canadians get back to work. Also mention of need for childcare (and Canada-wide early learning network)to provide equity for women being able to return to work. There's a website seeking Canadians' input (questionnaire) on the upcoming budget and you will have until February 19 to contribute. https://letstalkbudget2021.ca/pre_budget_consultations

[HermanH]

I did not know that vinegar staves off sprouts on potatoes. I don't like the smell of vinegar but am curious to know how often you spray spuds, @HermanH ? Sometimes even a small bag of potatoes turns very quickly into mush within a week or so.

I don't think that vinegar prevents sprouts. I use it for the acidic value that seems to kill mould. Vinegar seems to improve the longevity of all my fruit and vegetables. I have kept potatoes for 4-5 months without any problems. I usually only spritz them once and put them in brown paper bags.

I tried keeping them in the crisper section at the bottom of my fridge, but that seemed to make them go bad more quickly. I think that it was due to more moisture collecting on them. I surmised this because I put some honeydew melons in the crisper and some I left on top. The ones in the crisper compartments seemed to develop mould and soften much more quickly. I removed the plastic crisper bins and have just left the bags in the same space to see if it will make any difference.