July 2024 Frugal Chatter

[crafter]

Nice score on the blueberries @HermanH anything under $1 always feels good.

not much excitement on this end aside from managing to earn 5 airmiles on my cucumber from Giant Tiger making my net cost .15 cents can't get much cheaper

I was declined on a Giant Tiger AM receipt claim a couple of weeks ago saying it wasn't a major grocer...so it was a nice surprise seeing it being approved. AM receipts were a little fiddly at first but really easy to submit missing points now that I know how things work.

[Ciel21]

Home Depot also has their version of these totes too

(Picture me waving a white flag) oh no...they are everywhere...

[harbie]

Good evening. It’s the first time I’ve had a chance to sit down here.

The day started off working out. Grabbed an iced latte frappe from a local shop on the walk home. Then off to return some strawberries at SOF (had to get some more Nextmilk too)that were moldy the day after purchasing so I got refunded the $5.99, got a FREE new container and got 500 SOF points . They were super sweet about it too.

I grabbed some NOT mayo coupons and Soy delicious ice cream ones too. The NOT mayo was on for $6.99-$2.00 coupon, guacamole, cucumber and scanned for Airmiles (still waiting on those).

Off to the dentist to get my night guard saved $530. They made one that had a minor air bubble so they remade it and I got to keep both. It is totally fine so now I have a back up. Insurance took care of the payment so extra win!

Stopped at a different Costco and grabbed a few odd and ends and received 23 Airmiles immediately.

Our final stop was to New Balance and I got another pair of runners for work so not the super high end running ones but still nice. Also grabbed a beautiful pullover and we got our usual 10% off so not bad. Better than nothing.

Off to bed now. Have a great night everyone

[Ciel21]

Fortinos Upper James no longer has the discontinued Nexcare first tape I am keeping tabs on for future supply. Allowed myself a look through some racks at Talize and the clearance areas at nearby Winners. Returned cans and bottles to the beer store.Dime on beer store floor was deposited into the charity container on counter. Now that I have a cell number, I plan to explore Instagram this week. Could be great while Summer Games are on tv.

My adaptor for the phone arrived from Amazon today. Still cannot print from phone so I will play with settings.
More muggy weather ahead. Going to need more drinks or Gatorade crystals this week. Fruit has been lovely for snacking but not as meal replacement. Need to figure out something.

There is a Health Canada recall on 20 vitamins due to metallic fibres- store brands and natural health brands. https://www.thespec.com/news/ontario...46a3e8ae8.html

[Ciel21]

@walkonby 2 thoughts about chair for sauna: maybe manufacturer was copying the tiny chair concept from Japanese onsen in the washrooms where customers perch on low wooden stools while doing their washing up prior to communal onsen entry. Second thought- would a wooden folding patio chair give more of a sauna bench vibe? A suggestion: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/c...sherbrooke#srp

[Ciel21]

@HermanH Quite exciting finds in pet food this week! Do you have a tote bag to help carry finds in this hot weather? How is water fountain access out in your city?

I cannot risk going on a long walk during the day without a plastic water bottle and some water on hot days.

[HermanH]

@HermanH Quite exciting finds in pet food this week! Do you have a tote bag to help carry finds in this hot weather? How is water fountain access out in your city?

I cannot risk going on a long walk during the day without a plastic water bottle and some water on hot days.

I try to never carry anything with me. It lightens my daily load. If I find a need, I just nip into the nearest grocery store and grab some free produce bags.

I actually helped a senior lady by teaching her how to sling her groceries over the shoulders, thereby keeping her hands free and focusing all the weight on her spine and legs. She was lugging about 20 pounds of groceries in three bags and was likely putting heavy strain on her arms and wrists. I taught her how to tie her bags together and hang them over her shoulders, with two in front (on each side of her neck) and the last one at her back. After all, she is still carrying the same load, but now it is on her shoulders instead of her wrists. Hopefully, I get to meet her in the future to see how well she fares under the newly learned system.

I live in the suburbs; the only public fountains are in the downtown core. On occasion, someone will have a sprinkler running and I get to walk over it. Glorious refreshment! I love the hot days like this. I can easily lose 10 pounds of water weight. Of course, it comes surging back as I chug a couple of litres of water upon return.

[SassyAshley]

Good Morning Everyone,
Getting my morning going, it has been a rough one. I woke up at 2:30 this morning and my body thought it was morning, UGH. Not sure what time I fell back asleep but let me tell you, I did not want to get up this morning.

Working on knocking out the work things, I have had breakfast, I cleaned the kitchen last night so feel like things are rolling along.

My goal this week is spend 15 minutes each day cleaning, tidying, or doing something around the house just to start working on things. I really need Mom to vote on things, keep, toss, donate or sell but I have to catch her in the right mood.

Last night ended up being clubhouse sandwiches with air fryer homemade fries and one of the Dill Pickle Salad kits from Costco because I got distracted and did not have time to marinate the steak, it happens. Tonight I am not sure, I could do Shawarma or Ramen Stir Fry, hmmm, not sure.

Happy Tuesday Everyone.

[walkonby]

Good morning ladies! @Ciel21 ty for posting that vitamin recall. Luckily I've not bought any of those other brands, never Costco as I don't shop there. Whew!
I do take a sh*tload of things though ( organic, non GMO, no additives, they're GF and SF , ordered online from Genuine Health. )

Also Ciel21 wouldn't that wooden chair rot eventually if DH used one in the steam sauna? The folding 100% plastic one like this is what he uses.


@SassyAshley I forget if you posted about that nerve racking meeting you were supposed to have with your boss? Did it turn out to be nothing? Hope so.

I feel pretty chipper this morning with no good reason for it? I often get suspicious when these moods come around. I can ruin it by waiting/worrying about a shoe dropping and then another shoe.
gah!!

[Shwa Girl]

@Ciel21 , thanks for the recall information. Costco will contact members about recalls, if they sign up for shopping update emails. We got one from Costco about a recall early this year. Not vitamins.

[Frugalbigmama]

Good Morning! Finally up and enjoying coffee.

Had a great stay at Blue Mountain. The band sounded fantastic! Everyone seemed to love them. (My brother in law's band)
My sister showed up 5 mins after they finished! (Not her fault- she was dropping my niece off at camp 3 hours away and they had a specific drop off time)
We went to dinner with the band at an Italian restaurant. I think we all rated it about 2/10 . Slow Slow Slow. No bread. Upcharge for parmesan. One bill for group (no splitting) 2% credit card charge. 18% charge for groups of 6 or more. 4 of us ordered pasta. All were under cooked. They offered to take the drinks off the bill (pop) but my sister spoke up and said I didn't even have pop (water drinker!) and then she said they were taking mine off the bill completely and offered us all dessert. We all said no thanks but she insisted and said she would pack it to go. Dessert was good!
The 2 bedroom condo we stayed at was really nice and right in the centre of the the villiage. We met everyone in the hot tub after dinner (almost 11pm!) but they let us stay in after it was to close.
We slept in till after 9am and met people at the Sunset Grill for breakfast and had a great breakfast and tons of laughs. Then my sister and I grabbed a Latte at Starbucks and walked around the village till around 2pm before leaving for home. Was a nice night away!

Now to get some things done around the house today. Haven't been to Walmart for awhile so will pop in there today and take a walk around.
Will enjoy the day not working. (even though I logged in last night and this morning because I am trying to set something up for someone but I need to keep asking for more info!) Hopefully they figure it out today so I can do it first thing in the morning.

Enjoy the day!

[coupon girl]

Hubby and i got our haircut today ,such a good feeling !!

Then on to pizza nova for a small pizza and dollarama as i needed a fridge light and clippers for outside .Wonder bread was 2.50 so picked one up.

[SassyAshley]

@walkonby , I think we are one in the same, I am always waiting for the shoe to drop.

Yes, I did speak with my Boss Monday morning and this is where I think a phone call can really change things. The way I took the email with no context had me spinning. I took it completely opposite of how it was meant. I was asked to track my remote days and I took it I shouldn't be working remotely as often (even though I am a remote worker) when really they are tracking the days I get called in.

Also I am supposed to assign my days to what I need to work on, I took this as me being behind when really they are just looking at everything I am doing and seeing if all of it should be on my plate. They are also trying to get me to write a job description but I feel like it would be easier to write what I don't do.

So all is good. It is interesting how things can be taken in an email.

[Ciel21]

Hubby and i got our haircut today ,such a good feeling !!

Then on to pizza nova for a small pizza and dollarama as i needed a fridge light and clippers for outside .Wonder bread was 2.50 so picked one up.

Haircuts-Total envy from me! My hair feels like a heat dome rug.

[Ciel21]

Did long library visit and figured out one phone issue by uninstalling last update and eureka the phone app is accessible. Have to set up voicemail then ask cell provider about wifi calling which is in my plan but not apparent in phone app as option.
Hot walk to Fortinos where I spent more than intended $20 on groceries though all items are needed including peaches. Major traffic backup eastbound in Ancaster and on hwy 403.

The August issue of Consumer Reports is a recommended read. One test involved putting an air fryer vs a toaster oven with air fryer feature to test of cooking french fries. Article on dust in homes and cleaning strategies, grocery shopping in us, and choosing vehicles. Magazine advises that August is a good time to buy computers and printers. Check your libraries for print issue or online copy to read.
Canadian Tire flyer for Friday shows 1kg Kraft peanut butter for5.79. Seems chain will try different products to get customers into stores.
Dinner of three all beef hot dogs on discounted brioche buns with ketchup. The all beef hot dogs do not go on sale too often at Fortinos.
Summer Games coverage begins tomorrow. Opening ceremonies are on Friday. Snoop Dogg is on NBC's team in France.