November 2023 Frugal Chatter

[Skippy]

Good evening everyone!...time once again waits for no man as I seem to have difficulty making time to post. I've also been down a rabbit hole with the chat-a-thon thread and someone's Halloween Goat visit post(the real deal!).Quite the feat when compared to my no shows on Halloween(2nd year in a row).But not many kids living on my part of the street and only one side with houses.
Still awaiting to see what changes our grocery chains have for us after two visits to Ottawa to explain themselves but perhaps cheap 10lb potatoes last week is the best they can do which is no help for single people and some couples.
I'm thankful that we haven't gone hungry but feel for those not as fortunate!

[SassyAshley]

@Skippy , I do not see anything changing with Grocery Prices, I have read quite a few articles and I feel like the government is giving all the chains an out.

I know one of the things the government suggested was freezing prices so people would know the price of staples, did it not already come last year that grocery stores do this on their name brands during this time of year already? (easy out, asking them to do something that already do).

But I did notice Wednesday when I went into No Frills to grab potatoes they had all of the Naturally Imperfect Vegetables lined up at the front door, I double-checked the flyer they were not on sale, the signs did not indicate they were on sale or my stores new favourite in-store special. When I went in yesterday, they have been moved to various different spots in the produce department and almost all of the prices have gone up.

Apples have been $6 for 6lbs now they are $7
Potatoes have been $5 for 15lbs now they are $6
Cucumbers have been $5 for 2lbs (I think, don't quote me) they are now $6
Limes have been $6 for 2 lbs they are now $8.99

I honestly, do not know how people buy produce that is not on sale. Okay, I know they were on sale last week but 10 lbs of Potatoes were $1.88, this week they are $5.99.

I know people question the way I shop and stock up on things and yes I bought 4 bags of potatoes, I do this because paying $5.99 for a 10lb bag of potatoes is not in my budget.

[Frugalbigmama]

Good morning and happy Friday!!!

Last minute plan to head to Niagara Falls/Buffalo for the weekend! When asked you just say yes! Working in the office today so I cleaned house/packed what I could last night. Washed my hair this morning so it can air dry and then I can quickly straighten before leaving after work. Got to get in these little road trips before the snow flies and I don't want to go anywhere .

Went out to get DS groceries last night (didn't need much) He will enjoy having the house to himself so he can crank his music.

Brought my last shrimp/rice/green bowl for lunch today. Next week I will pick something different (probably taco salad!!) I need to switch it up so I don't get tired of the same thing.

Have a wonderful weekend!

[walkonby]

I got them! I actually got them! The cashier could not have been nicer! Whew!
At Loblaws, ( which I never shop at ) but it seemed to be the only store that had the 415 gram size of Lays chips to use that incredible coupon on.



I was reading the different price that @Purdee had paid. These were listed on the shelf at 2/$11.00 and the cashier just removed $11.00 from the final bill. Rats on paying the taxes
for all 3 bags though eh? I almost never print coupons, the hassle of stores fighting me on the fine print is often not worth it. This was a surprising exception.

[coupon girl]

Sassy i totally agree with you on the potatoes,i bought the bag of 15 pound imperfect for $5.00 a few weeks back and shared some with my younger brother(he gave me honey and eggs from his wife's brothers farm)plus i gave him some cans of chili i cant eat anymore (heartburn) and 2 free deodorant.Nice to share.

I hosted my kids last sunday and to buy a large chicken from a country type store plus the potatoes and cake from fortinos -i used my points to get the cake for almost free is not cheap but i dont mind as it is my family .

Frugalbigmama have a great getaway.

I am off to canadian tire to get my bill adjusted 13 days and i called $20 something back to me ,the canadian tire around the corner from me only gives 5 days to be adjusted (not that great) funny they all have different rules.

$22.60 back then i turned around and bought a case of windshield washer 19.99 and a water gun sprayer not on sale but needed as ours broke .

Just cashed out of checkout51 $21.60 only made $116.50 this year between caddle and checkout51 down a lot from last year but maybe i just havent had the offers or i am buying less.

[Ciel21]

Happy November

Great to see you starting off this month for the SC forum!

[Ciel21]

@Purdee what about a mug, if you do not have an extra you could grab one from a Dollar Store. We have a staff member who does this.

We have mugs with our company logo on them, she does not like drinking from it so she uses it for Candies, as her husband works at Mars and always gives her candies to bring in.

What a benefit to have someone working at Mars! I'd be kept in carb delight with all the chocolate cravings I have.

[Ciel21]

Is anyone having an issue with PC Optimum today?

I got an email that my profile has been updated but I did not update my profile, when I tried to use the Chat feature it said that right now they cannot access account information.

My friend had an issue over two weekends ago-her account was set to earn only by someone other than her and had not been resolved when she tried to redeem points for a weekend candy deal (she had her account set to earn & redeem). I am wondering if my cane purchase might have led to an issue for her account.

[barbis9]

Today I finally painted the ugly green trim on my stairs. A nasty 60's colour. Once it dries I am painting the steps brown as they are green too. I didn't realize when I removed the slippery carpet stairs, that I would find green paint!

Cleaned some of my eavestrough but have to ask a neighbour to help with the rest. Doesn't take much to fill them up. Has anyone on this forum used Leaf filter? I was told you still have to occasionally clean them as they don't catch everything. Now that I am 60 I'm not sure how much long I want to be climbing the ladder.

Have a great evening everyone.

[Ciel21]

@lilo0003 Speaking of October being an expensive month-I went a tad overboard trying to get any needed socks/underwear/clothing before the month ended as I was worried about a bus strike. Plus yard waste bags and that rake-that lasted two days before the tines section separated from the metal bracket where it was crimped. My fault for not realizing in-store that the tines were not screwed into the handle. Since I earned two CT bonus money offers for the rake and hitting the $30 spend, I did not go back to the store for a replacement as I used the bonus money to knock off about 50% of the total cost of 20 yard waste bags. Did leave a review on the website today. At least Bro had one functional rake to finish up raking yesterday and day before (perfect weather, so little wind). I even cut some grass.
Today everyone's leaves are blowing around. I am so over leaf raking this week. I will have about 30 bags to put out for collection. At least I still have bags as I did another bag run yesterday morning for 25 bags at Rona+ (slightly cheaper than buying 5 x $3.44 5pk separately, so $15.98 for 25) so I have many bags still to use for the remaining weeks of collection.

Speaking of pop-I had a random chance trip (bus driver at intersection thought I wanted bus but I did not wave it down-I had a fare so I boarded and said yes to a ride) to big box land and at Winners in Meadowlands I spied Jelly Belly soda (10s/12? can't remember) for $7 clearance (Nov 2024 dates). French Vanilla, Juicy Pear, Very Cherry and that Orange something flavour on a back endcap. Did not go for it nor the strange 6pk of Jelly Belly candies box but I did get some 6-9mo clothing for a baby to be's future christening gift plus collapsible feeding dish/spoon set and card/bag. Could not find anything for a future 1 yr old but I have a backup gift idea in mind regardless.
Did spot more Jessica Simpson Kids (a Nordstrom US/Nordstrom Rack Canada) branded baby sets (girls) in 12mo section at the store-3 styles seen vs 2 styles at the Winners west location in town. Did manage to venture to the sale section in Indigo (but not inside the Kids dept) to look over any baby sale clothing. The Peek A Boo baby jogger pants are $9.50 on sale (were $16 or so) and same with the Whitney Houston t-shirts. Mini Maison home decor items seen-sheet set $45 on sale. I decided to forego more gifts and treat myself to the Sept issue of Burda Style (with the fun motorcycle theme wardrobe). That issue was sold out when I was in Denningers in Burlington last month and despite the higher price at Indigo (cover price is $20.75), this issue was worth it.

I did not have much of breakfast at home this morning so I checked out Fortino's clearance racks. All the Nestle Breakfast essentials choc flavour packs were gone (glad I got one a few days ago for $3.50 and quaffed 4 in short order) so I bought 2 Clif Bars on sale and a pink lemonade drinkable yogurt (not a fan of this drink but the flavour was ok) plus lots of the 29 cent Mr Noodles! I had not received the store flyer in the mail this week but was glad I spotted the noodle offer.
I did buy a Remembrance Day pin for $5 from the volunteer at the store because the regular pin in the poppy is not holding too well if I am doing yard work with my old coat on. So far I have not lost my regular poppy in today's winds but I did almost lose it at dusk two nights ago. I also saw a few powder snow bits fall for a few seconds around 5pm two days ago.

Apologies for not being online last weekend. Totally missed the Shoppers Indigo gift card offer that I only discovered this week when I picked up the flyer. I would have loved that card and my friend could have earned some pts. Sigh.

[barbis9]

Ugh Scene app is so annoying. I was told not to sign out of the app by Scene rep, but every once in a while it logs out and doesn't recognize my password and then I have to re-set it. Very annoying.

[Ciel21]

Yesterday for the first time since I re-signed up with Disney+, I noticed a 1 or i by the Settings menu option in the channel. When I looked at it, it was a headline reminding me of the price hike in December for the Disney + monthly fee. I have to remember to unsubscribe before Nov. 9 as I won't want a third discounted month.

I don't recall ever getting notices from Disney+ in the streaming channel on the tv before so I am pleased I noticed it after watching yesterday's The Kardashians episode (it was somewhat a yawner-wish I could spend like the family!).

[Ciel21]

Those of you with CT Triangle Rewards Mastercards-today you can earn 30x CT money if you spend $150 or more instore or online.

[SassyAshley]

@barbis9 , I do not know much about Leaf Filter as they don't sell it retail you can only get it from their installers. But generally speaking when it comes to Gutter Clean Systems yes some debris will still get into your Trough. Fine Dirt, Pine Needles is a big one and small leaves can slip through.

If you have a "good" system and "good" installer they should be advising you to put access panels in this way you can still access your trough and run a hose to clear any debris. The systems I am used to anything that slips through will stay in the trough but running a hose will wash it down the downpipes and it is so minimal it won't clog the pipe.

Also just a word of advice, I understand the appeal of the Leaf Guards that Double as a hanger and they are also cheaper to install as no hanger is needed. The issue is that if there is ever an issue with your trough to access the trough you have to uninstall the leaf guard. Where is retro fit can be removed and your trough will remain on your house.

[SassyAshley]

@barbis9 , I gave up on the scene+ app, my logs me out every 2 minutes, I have literally logged in well standing in line to check out and by the time they scan my groceries and ask for my card it has logged me out again.

So I downloaded the Freshco App, so much easier to use. But again I do not use Scene+ a lot, I still find PC Optimum to be the better rewards program.