January 2024 Frugal Chatter thread (it's a leap year!)

[SassyAshley]

@HermanH , I can appreciate that parents have a responsibility but it does not correct what we are seeing in society right now. Let's be honest, you have parents who do not have these skills to teach their children. How does a parent teach their child something they themselves do not understand? Not to mention even the parents may have a limited view.

I will be honest from my personal experience our parents teach us what they know but will we be in the same situations when we are adults?

I grew up with 2 very different views on money.

My Mom was a single parent who let's be honest lived paycheck to paycheck and got help from my grandparents at times. Like I said having $$$ at the next paycheck was good. But also you look at how she grew up, she had a parent who was not good with $$$ but had the $$$ and just handed it out.

Now on the flip side, all of my siblings grew up living with my Dad and Step-Mom who have always been able to provide what was needed and did teach us you work for your $$$ and you save part of what you make. But at the same time, I have seen some of my siblings struggle because they were taught if you work hard you will have $$$ for what you need which with the cost of life right now is not always the case.

Some of my siblings admit they did not realize what we had growing up was not normal and expected the same for themselves because they did not realize what the lifestyle they had cost.

I admit growing up we were led to believe you know you have "made it" when you need something and can just go get it, which is great but also is it realistic? I admit I used to want for the day I could walk into a grocery store and just buy what wanted and not worry. It wasn't until I matured a little bit and realized but that would be a huge waste of $$$. It is nice to be able to buy some treats here and there which we can but oh my gosh I could not imagine walking into a store and just buying it because we want it, my grocery budget would be insane.

It is not as simple as it seems. I would have loved a class where I could learn about money in a non-biased way. It is not based on anyone's personal expereinces but more facts.

[Frugalbigmama]

I just went though my closet and pulled over 25 items to sell and a few items to toss in the garbage (old purses with broken zippers etc)
The men in my house need to do the same.
Will post on FB and then it goes to the garage for the Spring sale and then to donation! Out the house it all goes!

[walkonby]

Let the purge mode reign! @Frugalbigmama there must be something in the air because 2 of my sisters as well as I've been weeding
out the unnecessary garments from our closets and also from our homes ( small appliances, etc. ). Personally I don't have the online
skills or incentive to try and sell any of my items, I just give them to a donation centre. Kudos for you for being very thrifty to score a bit
of scratch for your items.
@SassyAshley , I support your your insight into today's parents and what sort of financial/budgeting knowledge they possess.
Passing on good advice to their kids is limited as you cannot teach what you do not know. There is no denying kids do learn
from watching the choices made with whatever limited ( or excessive ) family income there is.
Would there ever be a moment of embarrassment or shame for kids as they age if they discover that their family had been
supported through government programmes? I hope not. The stigma I can imagine is very real even though THAT part of
their life was considered normal. ( I'm thinking about families that rely on food banks too )

Similarly if kids grow up in a somewhat affluent environment they may become indifferent to those who have had to struggle
with less. It's possible they may not comprehend " making do " with their possessions because their experience has always been
to just replace with a new purchase.

[coupon girl]

My daughter-in-law got rid of a few pjs a purge the other day and a bunch of stuffies from the girls .The pjs i will give to hubbys sister as she is on diasability and could use a nightie and 2 pairs of pjs .The waist band is too thick for my liking on one pair.

2024 is the year for me to buy some new clothing for myself ,when i see a sale i will try to jump on it .Cleo had free shipping the other day as i went to put the blouse for 14.99 in my cart next thing it was sold out so i missed out.

I will be in bed by 8.00 p.m tonight as little miss cara will sleep with me and that is when she goes to bed.

[lilo0003]

DS1 cooked dinner today, which was great as I had forgotten to take anything out. He also took the dog for his pedicure. It’s nice to assign some of those task to the adult children. Christmas tree is still up and DS2 will un decorate it on Friday. Christmas is otherwise put away. The front lights stay out a bit longer as they are pretty.
I am currently surfing YouTube for new frugal motivation. I have posted 12 items and have takers for all so I am pretty happy with that.

[Frugalbigmama]

Good Morning! Shoveled the driveway and had a $20 pick up this morning already! Cheers to 2024! Let the "crap sold" money envelope start filling up!

Guess who gets to go fridge shopping this weekend I'm not even upset about it lol. It came with the house and thought we would have to replace it at the start of Covid so getting 4 more years out of it did us well! The good news is that the fridge was cleaned out and organized so was able to fill a large shopping bag with all the cheese etc and it is sitting outside in the snow. The freezer works fine so will leave it in there till we get the new one. Noticed I overpaid my CT MC and have a $300 credit on it so that will be the card to use for the fridge! I like this card to be able to make a cash payment on it in store so that works for me!

Last night went for a good walk. It was snowing lightly when we were out and then once back home the snow was really heavy.

Today need to clear some stuff off my work to do list. Wash bedding and then make bed with fresh bedding Will leave bedroom window while it is in the washer to air it out with the crisp cold air! Tidy the kitchen. Not going crazy today!

[coupon girl]

Frugalbigmama ,i am sure i will be buying a few large appliances this year .My washer a maytag is 12 years old and making sounds ,my brother-in-law said it is the bearings and they cost $300-400 to replace nope will get a new one as it is rusting around the lid also.I will wait til it goes .
My fridge is 25 years old bought it when we bought the house frigidare who know when that will go .

So saving for 2 appliances i have been setting a few 100 aside each month .

Still have the girls til 3.15 p.m today .Little miss cara woke me up at 3.00 a.m so back to sleep we went.I may take them to a playground for a bit across the street at the school ,burn a little energy off.

[Frugalbigmama]

Frugalbigmama ,i am sure i will be buying a few large appliances this year .My washer a maytag is 12 years old and making sounds ,my brother-in-law said it is the bearings and they cost $300-400 to replace nope will get a new one as it is rusting around the lid also.I will wait til it goes .
My fridge is 25 years old bought it when we bought the house frigidare who know when that will go .

So saving for 2 appliances i have been setting a few 100 aside each month .

Still have the girls til 3.15 p.m today .Little miss cara woke me up at 3.00 a.m so back to sleep we went.I may take them to a playground for a bit across the street at the school ,burn a little energy off.

Part of life right

[harbie]

So I want to chime in on some stuff.

I am someone that likes Starbucks. I enjoy the chai oat lattes and a few others as a treat once in a while. I’m not only super strict with my Starbucks consumption but just coffee in general as it’s not a good thing when Mr. Anxiety is visiting . I am still going to “complain” about the high cost of living because I DON’T drink, smoke (of any kind ), gamble, have kids, no pets anymore , go to movies or other form of entertainment. We work hard, live a simple lifestyle , have zero debt, have investments and are saving for our future retirement, have 1 car that was purchased in 2011. Boy, I just realized how boring I sound . That being said I do enjoy a treat once in a while and for me that’s a Starbucks or my running shoes and whether I purchase those items occasionally or not I will still feel the ridiculously high cost of living. If you are spending all your disposable income on wants and fun stuff all the time then you still have the right to complain because it doesn’t change the fact that things are stupidly expensive and we have shrinkflation on top of it.

I’m almost off my soapbox .

As for kids being taught at home vs school, yes I agree it’s primarily the parents to teach these skills to their children BUT unfortunately not everyone has parents that are in that position. You can’t teach your kids to not drink alcohol if you’re an alcoholic. Same goes for being fiscally responsible. They can’t teach what they themselves don’t know whether that be because of their upbringing or whatever. Schools (high school)need to teach real life skills like cooking and not just French toast like they did I’m my day. Teach them to budget, plan, shop and cook for a family or themselves. Same for how to budget the reality of income nowadays vs the inflationary cost of living.

I'm stepping off my soapbox now

[harbie]

Speaking of complaining .

Yesterday I was on my way to work on the hwy when BANG! My passenger rear window smashed. Fortunately I think the window tint we had on it kept it together. It appears to be a rouge rock made its way to my window but from the inside it looks like it could be a small gunshot hole. I nearly peed my pants! So I lost work yesterday and today I have to drop it off to get replaced and I’ll walk home after dropping it off (hoping the rain holds off). So far 2024 is NOT my friend. Deductible of $300 plus whatever the tinting will cost as insurance only pays $60 for that . On the plus side I haven’t gone shopping of any kind this year except for diesel.

Just goes to show the importance of saving money for no fault situations like this. It can only get better right????

Have a great day everyone. I might just grab a Starbucks too

[Frugalbigmama]

Speaking of complaining .

Yesterday I was on my way to work on the hwy when BANG! My passenger rear window smashed. Fortunately I think the window tint we had on it kept it together. It appears to be a rouge rock made its way to my window but from the inside it looks like it could be a small gunshot hole. I nearly peed my pants! So I lost work yesterday and today I have to drop it off to get replaced and I’ll walk home after dropping it off (hoping the rain holds off). So far 2024 is NOT my friend. Deductible of $300 plus whatever the tinting will cost as insurance only pays $60 for that . On the plus side I haven’t gone shopping of any kind this year except for diesel.

Just goes to show the importance of saving money for no fault situations like this. It can only get better right????

Have a great day everyone. I might just grab a Starbucks too

Yikes!! Thankful it didn't cause you to crash and be hurt!

Years ago I was driving to the bank to deal with my fathers estate. A rock hit my windshield. A girl in my office told me it looked like it was a gunshot! It did!
I just think it was my Dad saying hello lol.

[SassyAshley]

@harbie , oh my gosh the window breaking is so scary.

Also, if I list off all of the things we do not do, I would sound exactly like you. On the note of Starbucks, we had dinner with Bro last night and it was rough for Mom so on the way home we stopped and I grabbed her a Starbucks, it is a treat.

Everyone needs a treat here and there and we all like/want different things. As long as you aren't going into debt what is harm?

I signed up for Disney+, we had a free trial from Rogers and I really enjoyed curling up on the couch and watching a movie and let's be honest Disney is my comfort zone for movies. But this is our entertainment, we do not go out to eat anymore, take-out is limited (maybe once a month), we do not go and see movies, we do not smoke or drink, all personal choices and nothing against those who do. But I rewarded myself with Disney+ for a year.

[SassyAshley]

On the topic of appliances, I am hoping ours hold out a little longer as we are looking at some Home Renos.

I really really really want to replace the floor in our kitchen, I have tried but I cannot take it anymore. These horrible slate tiles need to go, you cannot stand on them, we have 4 of the anti-stree mats from Costco and still standing on it is horrible. Not to mention cleaning it, is insane and difficult and I am over it. I just want a floor I can stand on with maybe one mat the sink and I can easily clean with a swiffer.

Also, the bathroom needs some work but I am hoping some of this I can do myself (with a little help).

I have asked Mom to get some quotes because as much as I wish I was more handy, I think Flooring is a bit beyond me especially in the kitchen where we will have to move all the appliances an cabinets. It was suggested if I took my time I could probably do it but I also need a working kitchen so I might just have to admit this one is above me.

But I will switch out the faucet myself and do a few other things.

[Frugalbigmama]

Bedding is in the dryer!
Scrubbed the entrance floor.
Washed the dog and clipped 7 of her nails lol...its a work in progress
Cleaned out 3 of 4 drawers in one of those plastic storage things. Found my missing no expiry FPC's!! Will aim to use them in Feb
Just waiting for the bedding to dry so I can make the bed and then I am done house chores for the day.

[Ciel21]

I'll disagree; I don't think HomeEc should be in school (along with a host of other silly subjects, like CALM - Career And Life Management.) That should always have been in the domain of mommy and daddy, as well as money management. If someone chooses to be a parent, then they need to be ready to teach all the hard lessons, too. Things like motivation, discipline, and work ethic are learned from home.

I am so aware that some individuals who have crossed my life did not have parents interested in or who bothered teaching life skills, other than putdowns and criticisms. That kind of negativity does impact a person's self esteem. Add any income or food insecurity issues in adult life plus limitations (maybe not a full kitchen but one appliance or a kettle to use to make any food) and prepared foods or just add water meal solutions are the default option. Today I just happened to find a couple of things that might help someone expand their cooking repetoire as there's just one appliance available for cooking. However, I have to see if I can assist next month. This month I am focussing on me-so many things.

Yesterday I realized that I won't be able to crank out Xmas baking. A new chiffon recipe-I forgot to scale down the ingredients as the cake pan is smaller than one in recipe used . Oh well, the cake slices will get toasted before we have them. I plan to visit the farmer's market for one or three baked goodies from a reliable vendor to boost the sweets for the weekend. I'm being realistic (also pain issues are a concern). This morning, I had to rearrange stuff in the cupboards as sibling decided to add two new (one's too big) frypans to the collections. I had to shift things to basement and swap things in cupboards. I know I will get criticisms from Bro and Mom but the stress is getting to me and they both have issues of letting old things go when they bring new things in.

I literally left home at dusk yesterday to escape to the library. I was so upset at home (yes, I add to the drama too...). Not surprised I was eating Pop Tarts when I got home and made tea.