March 2026 Frugal Chatter Thread

[SassyAshley]

Good Afternoon Everyone,
I was in a two day long IT meeting this week. It was a good meeting but lots of information and a lot of opinions on our side.

I did not sleep well last night I kept waking up and every time I woke up all I could think was my head hurts. I woke up with a headache and normally I wait to see how the day goes but today, nope I needed something.

I am loving seeing the patches of brown but the snow mold is out and I am feeling it in my sinuses and face.

Since I was working where there are more shopping options I was going to run errands on my way home but each night decided to just come home instead.

I was going to hold of grocery shopping till next week but Mom mentioned she needed me to pick up something at the post office for her, plus a prescription and we needed Milk, so, I decided today on my lunch to run our errands.

I went to Food Basics since they had Milk on sale, which I got plus Peppers, Grapes and Pears.

Then off to No Frills for Strawberries (which they were out of, will check next week), Sugar, Spinach & Artichoke Dip (I have some pretzel chips we need to eat up) and they still had some fries at $2/bag so I grabbed 2 more.

After I got home, I was sitting here working away and Mom ask "where is my other prescription?" Um, what, they only gave me one. Turns out they had both, but only gave me one so I just ran out and grabbed and second one.

I also ran back to No Frills as I realized I forgot to grab myself cucumbers, they literally had one bag and they looks good so got those and grabbed 2 more sugar (I grabbed 4 this morning). We are on our last bag and $1.88 is better than Costco's price so might as well stock up.

Now it is time to figure out dinner, I know we need dinner but I would really like a nap.

Happy Friday Everyone.

[lilo0003]

DH took advantage of the 10cents off a litre at Pioneer today. He did not need a full tank but give how quick the price of fuel is climbing it made sense to take use the offer. Thankfully DS1 had filled my SUV on the weekend. He uses my vehicle to transport his grandfather and I don’t mind paying for the gas. It was a no spend day for me and I think I am going to get back to tracking them. It keeps the spendy days in check. I do need to go to Walmart this weekend but I am going to see if my AM voucher shows up 1st. I redeemed for a $100 gift card as they have a promo redemption on now.

[coupon girl]

Hubby and i are going to "watering can " a local flower shop and bistro today ,taking my brothers ex with us as she doesnt have a car and it is nice to get closer to her .A nice small road trip on a nice sunny day .

[Frugalbigmama]

Hi All!

Today is house cleaning/cooking day. I popped out to RCSS this morning because we needed cheese! If I have cheese I can make any meal great
So I redeemed $30 in PC pts and paid $1 cash for lots of cheese and 2 bags of cheetos lol (they are good till June- we like a treat like that on road trips) (Price matched and used $6 in coupons)
Found some fancy dairy blocks for $1.94 - bought 2. I am going to make a small mac and cheese and try adding half of one with the old cheese and see how it goes!

Off to make homemade ceasar dressing and the mac and cheese now. 3 can of expired sliced potatoes- decided I am going to use them. I will fry them up with onions for a side in the next few days.

My shopping is very minimal this week- Basically only using PC pts (from my mastercard that I am not using these days)
It will help me use up stuff we have and be creative if I don't have more fresh options ready.

I do have a few free latte's from Starbucks that I can use for a pick me up which is nice And TIM HORTON's points to redeem for something (from NHL picks)
So that helps with the "no spend" I am trying to do this month.

Have a great Saturday!

[SassyAshley]

Good Afternoon Everyone,
Was up bright and early at 6 am ready to go.

Originally I was going to come down and make myself something nice for breakfast but opted to clean instead.

I am feeling semi on top of what I consider my weekly reset and hoping if I can stay on top of those, I will find the time to start tackling other things.

I started my morning in the kitchen, I had to empty the dishwasher and drying rack, I turned the dishwasher on well I was making dinner so I did all of the dinner dishes by hand last night, but it was a one-pan meal so not a lot of dishes to be done. Also wiped down all of the counters.

Then off to the bathroom to scrub it down, counter, toilet, bathtub. I completely soaked the floor, actually had to mop it up with a towel so the floor had to wait.

Took a break for some breakfast, didn't want to dirty the kitchen so kept it simple with an everything bagel with a slice of cheddar and some bacon we had cooked in the fridge.

Then it was time for the floors, I Swiffered the bathroom and stairs, and then Swiffer Wet both.

Then off to the basement to wash the bathmats and microfiber cloths which I meant to wash yesterday and forgot and well I was down there, I out away all the pantry stuff.

Then back up to do the Hallway and Kitchen floor, I vacuumed them and I was going to Swiffer wet the high traffic spots but vacuum is enough for now.

Now it is time for lunch and we will see where the afternoon takes me.

Happy Saturday Everyone.

[walkonby]

@SassyAshley THAT'S TOO MUCH CLEANING!!! For me I mean. ^^^^
Getting up so early had everything to do with the amount of tasks you accomplished.

I cheer you on from the sidelines.

My morning consisted of dropping DS to the hygienist, killing 40 minutes at the SDM and
Dollarma in the same strip mall. Pfft! SDM. I'm going to bring back the item I bought
from the Pharmacy ( SO OVERPRICED! ) I discovered this after speaking to my regular Pharmacist.
Will be getting a prescription for this and then buy it again, but it will be covered under my Insurance.
DS and I were back home early enough. No real plans for the weekend here as DH is still nursing his
horrible back pain.

[lizzie bargain]

Just arrived in Darwin and looking forward to exploring despite the rain showers passing through. Dear daughter texted yesterday that she is now engaged-dear future SIL asked for our blessing in Nov so we have kept quiet. The perfect moment must have come. We are very pleased.

[coupon girl]

Congrats lizzie on your daughter's engagement .

We had a lovely day ,sister-in-law thanked us for asking her.I bought 2 plants a small soft cactus and a calelia.Then we went for a late lunch at a sandwich shop old fire hall.

Nice to get out without winter coats even thou it rained later in the day .

[flemeth]

Just arrived in Darwin and looking forward to exploring despite the rain showers passing through. Dear daughter texted yesterday that she is now engaged-dear future SIL asked for our blessing in Nov so we have kept quiet. The perfect moment must have come. We are very pleased.

congrats on you daughter engagement.

[HermanH]

Warm day made all the sidewalks into streams/creeks.t

A day of discovery.
Found a loaf of bread dropped at the bus station. Bag was torn, but the contents look okay.
Found a take-out meal of chips, rice, re-fried beans, and avocado outside a restaurant. Someone must have put it down and forgotten. A nice snack/lunch for me. Who said that there were no such things as Free Lunches.

Found a large bag of pretzels and a bag of cheetos abandoned by a bum at another bus stop. The meals just keep rolling towards me.

[SassyAshley]

@lizzie bargain , congrats to your daughter on her engagement.

[SassyAshley]

Good Morning Everyone,
I was up at 6 am again this morning but my bed just felt so comfy I decided to scroll on my phone for a little bit and before I knew it, it was 9 am. Not going to complain, I needed the sleep.

A few things I need to get done today, need to clean out the fridge, don't really think there is much that needs to come out, if anything. It isn't packed right now but nicely stocked. I do need to do a Costco run soon, for some of the basics like Yogurt plus I think I am running low on Feta, I keep a list in my phone.

Then I will take the garbage out.

I pull out a pack of Ground Chicken to make Feta Greek Meatballs for the freezer. So I will make those today and bake them off.

Last night for Dinner I made Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops with Smashed Baked Potatoes and a Cesar Salad.

Thinking tonight I might do Steak with Ricotta Gnocchi in a Mushroom Cream Sauce and some sort of veggie.

I will double the Ricotta Gnocchi recipe and put half in the freezer for a quick week night meal.

Guess we will see where this day takes me.

Happy Sunday Everyone.

[walkonby]

Wedding Bells!!?? Congrats on getting that lovely engagement news from your DD @lizzie bargain !
How exciting to have that bliss to enjoy!
I can count on one hand the number of wedding invites from couples we've received. It can come in waves though.
One niece and one nephew ( both from DH's side ) are taking the plunge in September and December of 2026.
Both of his sisters ( the moms ) are more excited than their offspring about the upcoming day.

My frugal day was sort of iffy. Yesterday I did the Tim Horton thing where you pay for the person behind you.
Now...I did ask the cashier at the window how much the order was and it was just a large coffee so a no brainer
for my budget. Can you all believe he followed me!! Totally unaware as I parked at the dental office lot and he
pulled up beside me. So we did a window conversation. Told him I felt like making someones day a little brighter
and he flashed me a grin that made MY day!
Btw, this was my first Roll Up The Rim cup as I mostly brew at home so it was laughable that I won a free coffee!

I redeemed that freebie this morning ( got an EXTRA large! ) and again lucked out as the car behind me had just
2 medium coffees as their total. I paid for theirs and dashed out of the place so they couldn't follow me! ha ha
Anonymous is always better! ( so don't rat me out if you know them )
No winner on the roll up with this one but still feels good to give in small ways.
Ramble through the Daylight Savings rip off of the lost hour of sleep.

[Frugalbigmama]

Happy Sunday!

Slow start this morning. Left the house around 10:30/11am? I am not even sure lol.
Need to descale the coffee machine today so decided on a McDonald's coffee. Paid for a small and got a medium- I didn't complain but I prefer the small as I am a slow drinker so the medium tends to get cold fast and I don't like the cream ratio in it.

Went to Home Depot- Found 3pk of storage bins for $3.83 so I bought 2 of course.

Went to No Frills- Picked up 3 pks of English muffins for $1. they had the large roasts in the flyer with 30% off stickers on them so I grabbed one and saved $11 and used points. So now I will cut it up and see how many meals I can get out of it. I did take chicken out of the freezer this morning before I left so chicken and beef are on the menu plan the next few days. Off to play in the kitchen!

[lizzie bargain]

Out of curiosity I popped into a grocery store in Darwin. Milk was double the price we pay here and bananas were 3 times the price-that was the end of my comparison shopping. I would not want to be feeding a family here. Later I was chatting to a fellow in the hot tub from Australia and he was talking about their high food prices. I assume they can grow bananas here-we have to fly them long distances and still the price is reasonable. Go figure! Headed home a week from today,