May 2023 Frugal Chat

[SassyAshley]

@barbis9 , I have not tried the fragrance-free as my Costco was out but I have been using the regular Ultra Clean and we are happy with it. It is doing its job.

I got it with the executive coupons, I think I got it for $4 and could not beat that price. Even the everyday price is better than what I have been seeing in the stores.

Next, we are going to try their fabric softener which smells identical to Downy.

[lilo0003]

I am tucked up and ready for bed, this is very odd for me but I am exhausted. I was out late last night, I went to Niagara Falls to see Sarah McLaughlin. She is still amazing but it was almost 1 when I fell asleep and I have an 8 am meeting on Friday hence my early to bed. I also took a few hours off today to go paddle boarding and it was amazing. I pretty much had the lake to myself.

[SassyAshley]

Good Morning Everyone,
Slept in this morning, I woke up at 3:30 and could not fall back asleep was going to get up at 4:30 and start my day, guess deciding to start my day was all I needed as back to sleep I went until 7:30.

I have my bedding in the wash now and will see if Mom wants her done when she gets up. Also need to do regular laundry as I was going to do it Wednesday but called in to start training a day early.

Enjoying a cup of tea and preparing my prep list for the weekend.

At No Frills yesterday I got:
1 x No Name Peanut Butter $4.79
1 x No Name Apple Cider Vinegar 1L $1.99 + 200 pts (Personal Offer 200 pts/bottle)
2 x Gay Lea Sour Cream $2.29
1 x Tru Taste 4L Milk $4.88 - $1 Coupon
3 x Broccoli Crowns $0.88 (PM Food Basics)
1 x Naturally Imperfect Apples 6lb $6
1 x Naturally Imperfect Mushrooms 680g $5 = 500 pts (Personal Offer 100 pts/$)
1 x Carrots 3lbs $2.99
1 x Mini Cucumbers 6-pack $1.99
1 x Lemons 2lbs $3.99
1 x Grape Tomatoes 900g $6
1 x Romaine 3-pack $3.98 (PM Food Basics)
2 x Mangos $0.99 + 200 pts (Personal offer 100 pts/$)
4 x Tomatoes on the Vine $0.88/lb (PM Food Basics)

The No Name Peanut Butter is for baking. The Apple Cider Vinegar is for Salad Dressings. Normally I buy the Naturally Imperfect Carrots for $3.50 for 5lbs but they looked horrible, they look like the carrots I already have in my fridge which I have had for well over a month. So I know I paid a little more but was worth it.

Was going to get Milk anyways but was pleasantly surprised to find a $1 off coupon hanging on the shelf so grabbed a few. I kind of wish I needed more Milk but I am currently fully stocked in the freezer as well.

New coupons were out and still available at No Frills but I am sure after the weekend they will be gone not that we are into cottage season.

Happy Saturday Everyone

[coupon girl]

Last night took ashlyn to the park,we walked 13 minutes from my house with a washroom bonus .
Then on the way home the 2 little girls on our street said hi to her so i took her over with a bucket of chalk and they chalked to their hearts desire.She was afraid to walk over by herself ,so i went with her and chatted with the mom .My street has all kids in their 20,30 at home but one side has 6 small kiddies in total .

So nice to see small one on our street again .Now ashlyn is playing with her dads old legos ,so i better go play with her .

[Frugalbigmama]

Good Morning!!

Dropped DS off at work and stopped at Walmart and No Frills on the way home to pick up a few fresh groceries.

Made egg on an English muffin for breakfast. Now to give the fridge a good clean out and prep the food for the next few days.

Have a wonderful weekend!

[SassyAshley]

Kind of ready for a nap but got a lot done.

My bedding is done, just need to make my bed.

Couch Blankets are in the Dryer.

Mom's first load of sheets is now in the washer, her bedding takes 2 loads.

The bathroom has been cleaned except for the floor, I went to grab the Swiffer only to discover it was downstairs, so will tackle that a little later.

The dishwasher has been emptied and hand dishes off the drying rack put away. Nice change, no hand dishes to be done and no dishes to go in the dishwasher.

The kitchen floor and the floors on the main floor are done.

I cleaned up my work area as I had notebooks, pens, and random pieces of paper everywhere.

The couch has been vacuumed and is ready for the clean blankets.

Taking a break for lunch and then we will see what the afternoon brings. Feels good to get things back on track around the house. But still, quite a few things I would like to tackle. Plus I have not started prep for the week yet.

[Angela273]

This is my 2 day weekend working away. I’m almost done a chunk of my meal prep. Roasted baby carrots, frozen diced butternut squash (didn’t turn out like the recipe), roasted frozen sliced beets, pork steaks, and boneless skinless chicken breasts. I was nearly done roasting everything when I realized I forgot to put in a couple potatoes to bake. *shrug* That’s not happening today. I also prepped my containers of fresh produce for snaking: carrot dicks, broccoli, cucumber, celery, and apple. I also made more chocolate chia seed pudding.

I’m working on lowering mg cholesterol. The food I listed above is what I was already eating. I’m avoiding baking and eating my oatmeal squares. I’ve also made a point of finding time to exercise. I’ve lost a few pounds, but I haven’t noticed a difference regarding how my clothes fit. Long hours and stress at work doesn’t make anything easy.

I’ll be home with my family the first two weekends in June. The second weekend the fair and rodeo are in town. We haven’t taken our kids since pre-COVID. I asked Dh to buy the one day ride bracelets in advance, which reduces the price by $30 in total. It’ll still be an expensive day, but we’re making memories.

[Angela273]

I purchased a bag of clothes from the local second hand store for $5. I bought a pink Rough Riders baseball hat, 3 swim suits for twin girl, three pairs of swim trunks for Dh, a pair of pjs for twin girl, 3 t-shirts for twin girl, a pair a capris for twin girl, and a pair of jeans for myself. I didn’t find anything for our boys this time. I’ll find out next weekend if everything fits.

[Frugalbigmama]

I had picked up a chicken at Costco on travels back home yesterday. It was cleaned and put in a container this morning.
Also cooked a pot of rice and made a can of black beans into taco beans.

Lunch was a simple rice/bean/cucumber bowl.
Dinner - Salad topped with chicken.

Found prices on some fresh stuff not bad this week. Will make some good meals with avocado, lemon, peppers, mushrooms, cucumbers, romaine, blueberries and bananas.
Gave the fridge a good clean out and we still have wraps, cheese, sour cream etc so will work these in the menu. (also have rye bread, English muffins, bagels/ cream cheese, eggs/bacon for breakfast) Haven't bought bacon in a long time but had 3 in the fridge this week. DS cooked a package up yesterday and put the extra in the fridge. (DS has a good variety)
I shouldn't have bought Rye bread today since there was a full loaf in the fridge and tons in the freezer to use up. (Will not buy any for a few weeks now to use up what we have)
Feeling good for food and healthy eating the next while.

[SassyAshley]

No prep got done this afternoon but that is okay, there is still tomorrow.

The beds are done.

Dinner was French Toast Bake with Bacon. Mom was making French Toast Bake for the freezer and it was an easy option. I lost time this afternoon, one minute it was 1:30 next thing I knew it was just after 4 with no plan for dinner.

There were a few things I needed to get done for work before we open on Monday. I thought "Oh let me knock that out, should only take an hour tops." Ha Ha, I should know better, the first thing I had to do, I could not get the coding right since I am not a coder so that took me about an hour to get it working but got it done. Then the next thing should not have taken that long but 137 errors and 2 hours later, it is done. I should know better. But it is done.

Tomorrow will be prep first thing when I get up.

Then I want to put the AC units in the windows so when we need them they are ready to go. Normally, I leave them until we need them and then I am trying to install them when the house is already hot. The bedrooms won't be hard but the Dining Room might be a challenge, where we have it is not easily accessible but it is the only place we can set it up.

[walkonby]

who stole my early evening??! @SassyAshley I feel like you in that I was robbed of part of my Saturday. Waking up on the couch downstairs about an hour ago I saw the empty wine glass on the coffee table next to me and turned red in the face! lol. Apparently my BBQ meal at 4 p.m. was washed down with just 4 ounces but that was enough to knock me out for a couple of hours. Intense hockey game on now!! Darn it!! Bloody Vegas Knight's just scored, so it's 2-1 now. Dallas needs to win to stay alive.

[lilo0003]

I went paddling again today and came home to the younger son asking to go Sunday. I have an already packed day but I can’t so no to spending time with him. So we will head out early and then I will be back in time for book club and then dinner out. I did stop for a few groceries on my way home but there was not enough we needed to take advantage of my spend 100.00 in PCO and get 20000 back, so I used DHs card as he had a spend 40.00. get 5000 which is amazing because they usually give us the spend $150.00. He had the better offers so I earned 10000 PCO on a $50.00 shop.

[SassyAshley]

Good Morning Everyone,
Did not sleep well last night, ever have one of those nights where you feel like you are only half asleep? That was me until about 2 am. So I slept in this morning until 7 am.

Now, I need to prep, I know what produce I need to deal with but I am not sure what I want to cook yet.

Thinking I might make a batch of Rice to have in the fridge, I have a few meals I can make this week that would be served over Rice.

I am going to make Shredded Chicken which I can either use for Enchiladas or maybe Chicken Salad during the week.

Thinking Dinner tonight might be Meatloaf with some Leftover Mac & Cheese and will make Broccoli in the Instant Pot, I can make extra Broccoli that I can have in the fridge for lunches.

I am going, to be honest, last week's dinners kind of sucked because I was so tired by the time I got home. We really need to turn it around this week.

Happy Sunday Everyone

[Frugalbigmama]

Good Morning!

Dropped DS off at work. Stopped at Walmart for a coffee and a walk around. Grabbed 2 x blueberries for the oldest. He is stopping by at noon and asked me to go shopping with him. So will send him home with the blueberries.

I had started lots of seeds and my friend sent me home with cucumbers, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and cucumbers seedlings so my job today is to get this all planted. I am most excited about my pumpkins. They really took off! Hope to have a good harvest for decorating the porch in October!

Off to write out a list and get at it! Enjoy the day!

[walkonby]

morning ladies! An early start for me for no good reason, so I gave Frankie a nice clean cage to start his day off with.