2024 April Frugal Chatter Thread (here comes the sunshine)

[coupon girl]

First day out for me driving as i am not on pills anymore.

Popped over to dollarama -i swear their prices have gone up,mind you i did get 3 pairs of mens crew socks $3.75 2 pairs for hubby one for me .lol

Then into sobeys and got villiagio bread rustico for 1.49 each after checkout51

Sad to say all coupons were ripped off from the other day only found one save 2.00 when you buy tim hortons coffee and creamer.

[harbie]

@lilo0003 it’s a good thing when they feel the results are better than the ultrasound. Sending positivity your way

[harbie]

My mom helped me with the gardening the other day and just before the rain returned. Woke up to rain and wind this morning and then just rain. Yuck! The cold damp weather wreaks havoc with my back which is already messed up with not being super mobile during recovery.

1 week left and then I’m back to work. Never thought I’d miss it as much as I do.

Not much to do with the rain here and Dh and I did a mini grocery shop yesterday and I REFUSE to go to Costco on a weekend and a rainy one at that. It will be packed!

I managed to change the bedding, wash a set, and shower. That’s a lot .

I’m probably going to make bucatini with bolognese sauce tonight with a salad unless Dh wants something else.

Have a great Saturday everyone

[SassyAshley]

Good Evening Everyone,
WOW it has been a week.

Tuesday I had to go in and fix a phone on the way I stopped at No Frills for a few groceries. Wednesday I had an all day meeting with our Regional Manager and Controller, Thursday I worked from home and Friday I had to go in and fix a printer and then I ran to Dollarama, in the Dollarama parking lot there is a car wash placed but as I pulled in a saw a huge saw that said free vacuums, yes please and then I ran to No Frills.

My Wednesday meeting was amazing, we decided to flip training completely upside, I think it will be amazing but it means I had to do about a month's worth of work in 2 days before the next new hires start. I also got to see our new training faculty for the first time, looking forward to using it but feels a little weird to not be in a branch training. For two weeks straight I am going to be tandem training as I have 2 and 2 back to back weeks.

Thursday I put my head down and got to work and honestly, I am shocked with how much I got done.

Friday I went in to fix a printer, ran into our regional manager did a quick update. Then I decided to run to Dollarama, since I won't be in a branch training I decided to create myself a training basket because I know at some point someone will show up with nothing. So I will stock it with Pens, Highlighters, Notebooks, a couple of calculators, Post-it Notes and highlighting tabs.

A little annoyed at Dollarama they charged me for 3 calculators, I only bought two and they could not put the money back on my card said the only option to was to give me cash but I used my work card so I cannot take cash. So I took a third calculator which I will probably leave in a branch, ugh annoying.

As I was turning into Dollarama I saw a sign free vacuums, it was a sign as Dad has asked me to clean out my car (not that it is dirty) so I vacuumed my car and when I got home cleaned out the inside of the car. Wiped everything down. I never really thought I kept a lot in my car until I had to empty it, found a lot of random things mostly from work that I just threw in there. Going forward no more.

Then I ran into No Frills and literally only grabbed produce, I got Raspberries, Blackberries, Cantaloupe, 2 x Mini Cucumbers 11-pack, Bananas and Grapes. Spent $20 and have tons of options for snacks next week.

Today I went to go and help at our childhood home (my Dad's), they are doing some renos so everything has to be moved out, sis-in-law and myself got the upstairs done so the boys could move the beds out and gathered all the donations and electronic recycling and put it in the cars. It was an adventure as over the years various siblings have lived in the house plus when Oma and Opa sold their Florida home everything they kept was moved into this house, literally at one point we had 5 kitchen/dining room tables in the house. So a lot of sorting and donating.

When I got home, I NEEDED a shower and then I decided to wash the towels and started to get some of my prep done. Cheese have been grated, all produce is washed and in a huge bowl to be prepped tomorrow, checked all of the older fruit to make sure nothing needs to go, I had one lemon with a spot and another soft one so we zested and juiced them (I have a plan for this tomorrow).

Now, I am done, I am ready for bed but I should try to knock out some work but we will see might not happen.

Happy Saturday.

[SassyAshley]

Good Morning Everyone,
I need to get my butt moving but after this week I have to be honest, I just want to crash but still so much to get done.

I have laundry going, I washed the towels yesterday so today is out clothing.

I need to clean the Bathroom, do the floors, a million other little things here and there. Plus I want to spend some time in the kitchen prepping stuff for Mom that are soft foods she can just grab and eat this week since I am going to be in and out of the house all week.

I think I am going to make some muffins, I bought some softer fruits I can cut up and leave in the fridge. I think we will make some mac and cheese that she can have for lunch. Plus I need to make foods I can grab and take with me since I am going to be all over the place this week. I have learned always take food or I will miss meals. Plus with all of the produce I bought I am super excited for snacks this week.

Oh so much to get done but I just keep telling myself I got this.

Happy Sunday Everyone.

Happy Sunday Everyone.

[coupon girl]

Morning all happy Sunday .

Hubby and i are off to niagara on the lake to a winery for lunch we have a gift card half used from 2 years ago.It will be a much needed luncheon date -as i had a lot going on the past 2 weeks.

[walkonby]

Busy, busy lives!! I love reading about all the adventures ( @coupon girl Niagara on the lake! ) and never ending work ( yes, @SassyAshley you win that one ! lol ) of sc members.
I'm still standing guard defending the basement from any intruders. ha ha Actually I suppose I'm sitting and laying down more than standing.
Knee tightness and pain are pretty much still front and centre all day, warded off ever so briefly with 1 oxy every 4 hours and applied ice packs every hour.
My very first physio appointment ( the assessment ) is tomorrow morning.
Sure hope they are not expecting me to cartwheel through the door. Not knowing what to expect is worse isn't it?
DH can bring me there and back but he must return to work on Wednesday.....GULP. We have no frigging idea how I will fare, but we'll find out.

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!!

[lizzie bargain]

WOB-I am sure you will sail through the physio. Short term pain for long term gain. Speaking of pain I just bought a 170 ml jar of mint sauce for 7.29-good grief. If we weren't having company over for roast lamb I think I would have skipped it!

[harbie]

I need a nap after reading about your week @SassyAshley . Mind you me energy levels aren’t that high currently.
@walkonby your posts always make me chuckle. You really do have a way with the written word . Physio may be scary but it will be for the best. Easy for me to say but it’s true. They won’t push you to the point of “pain” but it wont be like a day at the spa. Sending lots of positive energy your way

[harbie]

Dh and I went for a short walk this morning as it was cold and before breakfast(Dh not me). Things felt pretty good so we will go out again to the lagoon after breakfast and stretching. I really need to stretch things out and get joints moving again.

I was thinking of making pancakes but we had those for dinner last night and I’m not hungry at all. That’s what happens when you drink 3.54L of water every day . There’s not much room for anything else.

After Dh rides I plan to do a light weight session later this afternoon. Gotta build those muskles up again . Make a Costco list and some light laundry to round of the exciting day .

[coupon girl]

Walkonby -one day at a time ,like everyone said short term pain for long term gain .You will be back to a new self in no time.

Our late luncheon was soooo good hubby had the 40 creek ribs and fries ,i had a juicy sirloin burger and salad -skipped the wine and dessert as i need too.
Lizzie i bought unpasterized raw honey 8.99 and pure grape juice white and grape 4.50 each .

Late lunch and the few goodies courtesy of the gift card our daughter gave us.We went to Carolina cellars -food is supurb.

[SassyAshley]

@walkonby , I am with you, the unknown is always so scary and usually gets me spinning.

[Ciel21]

WOB-I am sure you will sail through the physio. Short term pain for long term gain. Speaking of pain I just bought a 170 ml jar of mint sauce for 7.29-good grief. If we weren't having company over for roast lamb I think I would have skipped it!

Welcome back, @lizzie bargain! I apologize if I missed your return post as you went on a trip...

[SassyAshley]

I did not get all of the things done but I way more done than I expected so I am happy with that.

Laundry is done, washed, some has been dried, some is hanging on the rack, what went in the dryer has been folded and just need to be put away before before.

Bathroom is clean, upstairs floors have been swiffered.

Kitchen is clean (although it was clean going into the day but this whole eating thing is never ending work), main floor - floors are vacuumed, I was going to mop but Mom look the Lysol upstairs so I need to bring more up from the basement.

Fridge has been cleaned out, I am not sure why but I thought there was going to be quite a bit of food waste this week but there really wasn't any, just some leftover pasta that was not the best and two onions that were a little soft.

Well we cooked lunch we prepped all of our produce for the week, everything was washed yesterday so we just had to cut and put in containers, we cut up Cantaloupe, Strawberries, Cucumbers, Peppers, Carrots. Grapes are off the vine and in a container and mushrooms have been wiped and are in a bag waiting to be used.

I did not get any baking or dips made will have to do those tomorrow.

Garbage and recycling went out, I decided to move the garbage can and gave it a good scrub.

Deep cleaning the Garbage can will be my weekly project for the week, I am trying to remind myself that these projects do not have to be large and not every week can I complete a large project. I do not know why but to me a weekly project needs to be something like deep cleaning all the kitchen cabinet or completely cleaning the Dining Room. But those expectations are in my head only.

I did not get the pantry tidied up will try to get to this, this week but we will see.

I also have to set-up my training basket to put in the training centre at work but before I can do that I need to go supply shopping at work. I went to Dollarama and got some things I know we do not have, duotangs (WOW buying those was a flashback to elementary school), divitors, page markers, notebooks. From work I will grab pens, highlighters and post-it notes since those are bought in bulk.

Think I will cap off my night working on next month's bullet journal pages.

[Ciel21]

For some reason at bedtime late last night, I was thinking of how I have 2/3 cup of bean liquid and I ought to make an omelet.
This morning, I melted some coconut oil (it's still hard in the jar) and then poured the liquid into the pain. All I had to show for 2-3min of high-medium heating is an oily swirl in reddish liquid that did not show any sign of firming up. Down the drain it went.

Went back to the cornmeal dusted Portuguese buns with teriyaki sauce or jam. Feeling the need for salt and for sweet (separately). Some of the clementines Mom got last week had mushy spots but most were ok. Needed groceries but kept putting the task off due to expected heat (actually a cool warmish day plus rain) and the overcast sky. So the pantry pasta and last half jar of pasta sauce came to dinner rescue.

Sibling got two Toblerone cheesecakes (watch out on the plastic ring-underside has central opening covered by paperboard on top) from somewhere when he went out for a few things. After about an hour in the fridge (rather than waiting the 3.5-4h), he cut one and it reminded me of a cross between Oh Henry bars and Snickers. The other one was more a plain chocolate cheesecake-ok but crumbly dry. Liked the nuts etc in the first one. Kind of teeny about 6" wide across top of the cheesecake but slightly smaller at bottom.

I was US window shopping online and took a glance at the US-Cdn exchange rate. $1.36 Cdn per US dollar and 2 cents more by the bank if I were to make a purchase. I have to downsize my present budget and wait longer for a more favourable exchange rate. Glad I know of three websites I still can get the desired item at as long as stock exists (it might be discontinued in the colour of interest if it sells out).

Seems former phone provider is going to stop calling daily 1 or more times to woo Mom's business back. Bro told provider why the switch was made. Company had some insight over a year ago and did not provide much beyond an initial $5/mo offer (subject to change) but the teeny print mentioned the one-time modem rental fee, though the line installation would have been free. Does it help to state that the Internet speed has been ok for streaming on the tv but awfully slow/clunky/under 10MBPS at times on upload/download for computer Internet use? It's like the 1990s over again.

Groceries are a must despite the forecast tomorrow as well as two other errands. At least it will be spring like and under 20C! Though more 20C weather is coming this week. Haven't thought about Easter baking yet...