August Frugal chatter

[jasperandchar]

Good Morning All,
So beyond happy it is Friday (kinda), I so need this week to be over but at the same time some days it seems like coming to work is vacation compared to everything I need to get done at school.

This weekend's goals are to finish the basement stockpile, move some stuff around in the freezers all three need to be re organized and moved around, attempt to get control of the bathroom stockpile which currently lives in our hallway and than maybe just maybe if I still have any ambition attack our dinning room which is where everything from the kitchen gets thrown (literally thrown when someone gets mad), I swear it is the official dumping ground. Oh plus I have to go shoe, bedding and grocery shopping. I think I need to finally break down and pay a little more for shoes to get better support, I live in running shoes and thinking the cheap $20 Wal-Mart ones are not worth it anymore since I wear them everyday, it was different when I was wearing all different shoes and only wearing runners a couple days a week. Hoping to find a good deal on bedding, I just upgraded to a queen and cannot find black sheets anywhere at a decent price, I found one set and they were over $90 so not worth it for a fitted sheet and 2 pillow cases and a flat sheet that will never get used.

Does anyone have any ideas on what to do with Shampoo and Conditioner, none of it has been opened but apparently "we don't like that brand anymore" after I fully stocked up on it.

sounds like you have a busy weekend ahead of yourself, take sometime to relax as you work so much...good luck

[jasperandchar]

almost forgot. my neighbor suggested having a garage sale next weekend. however as we got rid of all the stuff we didn't want, decided to do baked goodies instead and bottled water.. who doesn't like a treat while shopping. hope to make a few $'s.

when we used have a garage sale we used to bring out the bbq and we made tons selling hotodgs & drinks...

[jasperandchar]

Turns out DS wanted to nap early so I'd like to share with the group about what's going on in our lives while DD does a few puzzles...

As most of you know, we just moved to London in May. We moved in with DH's brother and his fiance, and they just had their first baby. They have been seeing a pediatrician for her who is taking on patients atm so we got an appointment for this past Monday. Our appointment was for 3. Luckily my dad was visiting so he drove us.

Ok... so, there was a big train table (Thomas) in the waiting area. DS and DD got to play with it for about 5 minutes before we were called into the little room. This is where it all went sour. DS had one of his infamous tantrums. These are not normal tantrums. There is glass-shattering screaming along with uncontrollable flailing of arms and legs. DS looks like a beat red tomato while he is having these tantrums. They're usually accompanied by hitting/kicking/pinching/hair pulling and/or throwing things/knocking things over. All of this took place on this fateful day. We were in the room no later than 3:10 and didn't leave the office until 4:20. During this time did my son stop his uncontrollable tantrum? Nope :D The doc got to hear and see what we deal with on a daily basis

I was so pleased with how kind and calm the doctor was with Isaac and with all of us really. Of course Isaac's tantrum caused Olivia to become upset as well so she was scared and crying the whole time the Doc examined her. He gave us some pointers on how to deal with his behaviour and printed off two different questionnaires for us to fill out about Isaac for our next visit (which was scheduled for 3 days' time, which was this past Thursday). Of course DH was all anxious (suffers from anxiety) because the doctor recommended a crisis centre here in London (Merrymount). However he was recommending it because he knows we're both students and are on a very limited income, and he had suggested that a daycare would be a good option to help Isaac learn to manage his behaviour.

So yesterday we took the bus up to the Doc and thank goodness Isaac didn't throw any tantrums. The Doc brought in a play mat and some blocks and once I sat on the floor, Isaac sat on my lap and eventually began playing with the blocks. The doctor didn't examine him, he said it would push Isaac to much and that we were better off waiting until our next appointment (scheduled to be 10 days from now). He read through our responses to the questionnaires and talked with us a bit more about what kind of techniques will work with Isaac and what to avoid.

He also recommended that we enroll him in swimming lessons immediately and seek out a daycare or Montessori ASAP. It's something I'd already looked into last month but DH's anxiety about daycare and who we leave the kids with prevented us from following through with it. Thank goodness the Doc recommended it because now DH will be more willing to commit. I wanted it not because we need a sitter for the kids but because I know it's best for their development and with DD starting school September 2014 I want her to be used to being out of the house. So, we've been looking at the London Academy Montessori. Phew it's pricey!! My parent's did offer to pay when I spoke with them about it before. When the kids and I go up to their cottage next week I am definitely going to be discussing it with them lol.

The Doc also said he's a kid who needs to burn off his energy with exercise (which we already knew lol - he is so insanely high energy), so we will continue doing what we have been doing and go to the park/splash pad every afternoon, and we bought a trampoline for the backyard for the morning's and days we don't get to the park. It's fun!

Anyway, Isaac doesn't seem to be doing any different since our visits to the pediatrician, but he did tell us it would take a lot of time. I'm finding it difficult to manage his tantrums the way the doctor advised with our current living situation (can't put him in his room when he's having one because it's beside my SIL/BIL's room and with the new baby I don't want to wake them up every time he has a tantrum which sadly is quite frequently). The doctor just advised to simply ignore Isaac unless he is hitting or throwing things (so not necessarily to put him in his room) and then to calmly tell him "no" and go back to ignoring him. Check in every few minutes and eventually ask, "Are you ready to talk?" and if he says yes, to sit down and talk to him, but if he screams to just say, "I'm not going to talk to you when you're screaming" and go back to ignoring. It's hard lol. Gosh it's hard.

Anyways, we head up to my parent's cottage in Kingston on the 7th so the break for all of us while we're there will be so lovely.

oh Bronwen, I hope things get better soon, hugs

[coupon girl]

selling 2 more items on kijjij 11.00 coming to me on sat morning -good because after the 3-d baby viewing we are going out to lunch with her parents and us and my daughter-in-law's sister its her birthday -so threw together a small bag with a few bath stuff in it-see from shopping year round when something comes up -I usually have a gift ready -oh and cards too-bought a bunch at value village for 2.50 a big mixture -so that isa being frugal

[YOU AND ME]

great goals, congrats on paying off your cc and the extra $300.00 from cleaning...you're doing fantastic!

Thanks for the comment you seem like a sweet lady JnC and always sound cheery

[sweet sparrow]

Thanks everyone. I think I was most concerned for DH since he has to drive on the highways here (in one of the areas with the highest insurance rates and most accidents) to and from work with no sleep. He was worried as well about not having any rest and having to face drivers that will pull the most dangerous stunts - all so they can be just one more car length ahead.

I was worried that she may have colic or something not physically visible. LO is exactly one week old now. One week and one hour to be more exact.

She was an extremely good sleeper, right up until yesterday.

By liners in the cloth diapers, I meant those sheets that resemble fabric softener sheets. Kushies makes one variety and they're quite expensive. Is there another option?

LO had a checkup at three days and he said she sees a family doctor from now on. A public nurse has called to check in, but we really haven't had any issues so far. At three days she was 100 g away from her birth weight and the nurse was really impressed. The only thing we were concerned about was her hiccups, number of soiled diapers, and other minor things that the nurse said were perfectly normal.

I imagine LO could sleep through the night but they recommend waking her up every 2 - 3 hours to feed. Is that how you all fed your babies in the early stages? Some friends think it's totally unnecessary if baby is healthy and happy. At the rate she's packing on the pounds, I'd say she has an appetite like mum, while foot size and ear size are from dad (according to grandma, she does not have dainty feet!).

[sweet sparrow]

Thanks to all of you for your support and advice. I'm BF exclusively and it seems my body is into overdrive for milk production. Even though LO feeds every three hours, I still have to use a pump to relieve the pressure just before feeding or LO will not latch properly. (And now that any and all men are afraid to join this thread...) The lactation nurse said she was impressed that I could get so much at a time and being able to produce so much at four days after birth was just super.

However, it seems to come at a price since I've been referred to a different consultant concerning engorgement. (Sorry for the TMI, guys.)

[Angela273]

Thanks everyone. I think I was most concerned for DH since he has to drive on the highways here (in one of the areas with the highest insurance rates and most accidents) to and from work with no sleep. He was worried as well about not having any rest and having to face drivers that will pull the most dangerous stunts - all so they can be just one more car length ahead.

I was worried that she may have colic or something not physically visible. LO is exactly one week old now. One week and one hour to be more exact.

She was an extremely good sleeper, right up until yesterday.

By liners in the cloth diapers, I meant those sheets that resemble fabric softener sheets. Kushies makes one variety and they're quite expensive. Is there another option?

LO had a checkup at three days and he said she sees a family doctor from now on. A public nurse has called to check in, but we really haven't had any issues so far. At three days she was 100 g away from her birth weight and the nurse was really impressed. The only thing we were concerned about was her hiccups, number of soiled diapers, and other minor things that the nurse said were perfectly normal.

I imagine LO could sleep through the night but they recommend waking her up every 2 - 3 hours to feed. Is that how you all fed your babies in the early stages? Some friends think it's totally unnecessary if baby is healthy and happy. At the rate she's packing on the pounds, I'd say she has an appetite like mum, while foot size and ear size are from dad (according to grandma, she does not have dainty feet!).

Our baby boy will be one year old next month. Dh has a degree in the medical field. New research indicates that you should not let your baby sleep longer than 5hrs at a time when they are under the age of 3 months, this is to help decrease the risk of SIDS. I followed this, even though I was tired like every other new mom. During the day, I tried to stick to the 2-3 hour rule (minimum). We nursed on demand. I just started day weaning LO in the last couple of weeks. I am heading back to work in September (as a teacher), so I need to have him go without nursing during the business day. I plan on continuing to nurse him outside of business hours. He's doing quite well.

It sounds like your LO is certainly gaining weight quite nicely for her age. Like others have said, try to rest or sleep whenever she will let you. I know this is hard to do, but I still take some naps when our LO sleeps and he is nearly 11 months old.

[lilo0003]

Thanks to all of you for your support and advice. I'm BF exclusively and it seems my body is into overdrive for milk production. Even though LO feeds every three hours, I still have to use a pump to relieve the pressure just before feeding or LO will not latch properly. (And now that any and all men are afraid to join this thread...) The lactation nurse said she was impressed that I could get so much at a time and being able to produce so much at four days after birth was just super.
However, it seems to come at a price since I've been referred to a different consultant concerning engorgement. (Sorry for the TMI, guys.)

it is a good idea to get the support you need early on as it will result in huge success. BF is one of the most frugal things you can do...not to mention healthy. I BF both boys for 14 months and 20 months respectively and I still recall the pain of engorgement...ouch.
I always though waking a sleeping baby was the craziest idea ever, especially if there are no growth concerns.

[MaddensMomma]

How is everyone's August budgets doing so far?

Any extra expenses you've accounted for?

Anything that you have cut back on this month?

Any other adjustments you've had to make?

[MaddensMomma]

Here are my answers below

How is everyone's August budgets doing so far?

Any extra expenses you've accounted for?

1. Camping - We are going camping this month so I have budgeted an extra $75 for gas, an extra $75 for groceries/wood/parking and an extra $25 for treats/junk food (and to do the Pepsi promo x 2)

2. Basement - Our basement reno budget is set MAX $200 for the month, hopefully that will finish the basement (minus the extra track we need for the drop ceiling). We need to buy paint, maybe 2 gallons, and more trim for the baseboards in the bedroom. I think we have enough trim for all the doors and windows that we need.

3. Lighting - Our furniture/furnishings budget is set at $125 for the month which we need to buy a track lighting for the craft room, regular dome ceiling light for living room, and fan light for bedroom. Hoping to do this for under $100!!

4. Fence - We have now also added $600 to our budget for building the new fence but hoping to come in under this amount. This has been saved and budgeted for a while now, and COPPS has a great sale on this Monday

5. Back to School and Stocking up - I have also budgeted an extra $25 to our grocery budget to stock up on school snacks and such for DS, and $10 extra to our household supplies and hygeine supplies budgets to stock up a bit more on essentials before the baby arrives. And $40 has been budgeted for DS' clothing for back to school, we have already bought him a lot, and doesn't need a backpack or lunchpail, so pretty much just have to buy him shoes.

Anything that you have cut back on this month?

We are trying to cut back on our eating out. Last month we went WAY over our budget and spent nearly $300 on eating out. We are reducing to under $100 this month (including stopping to eat on the way to/from camping which will take probably 1/3 of that budget).

My clothing budget for the month is also reduced to $0 as I need nothing for this last month or pregnancy and won't be buying any new clothing for a bit after baby is here and my body is somewhat back to normal (hopefully).

Anything for the yard has also been completely cut back to $0 (aside from the new fence) as the season is almost over and we DO NOT NEED ANYTHING as DH way overspent this spring on the gardens.

Any other adjustments you've had to make?

Haven't really had to make any other adjustments than what is mentioned above. After 4 months my budget is pretty much tweaked to my satisfaction.

[Crochetlady]

Today I had to pick up this month`s prescriptions for DH and myself. I hate the start of a new year when the deductible is due.
Both Zehrs and FB had Cheerios on so I picked up 4 boxes with the code...gotta love free cereal. I`m waiting for 4 coupons in the mail so hope I can find more then with the code.
I think I`m suffering from frugal fatigue too. Really do have to get back on track though.

[MrsSunshine]

ok so im struggling here.. dh are joining neighbors next weekend for a garage sale, were doing a bake table/bbq.. what do you charge for cookies, mini muffins, bottled water, hams/dogs.?

[Bronwen]

Thanks to all of you for your support and advice. I'm BF exclusively and it seems my body is into overdrive for milk production. Even though LO feeds every three hours, I still have to use a pump to relieve the pressure just before feeding or LO will not latch properly. (And now that any and all men are afraid to join this thread...) The lactation nurse said she was impressed that I could get so much at a time and being able to produce so much at four days after birth was just super.

However, it seems to come at a price since I've been referred to a different consultant concerning engorgement. (Sorry for the TMI, guys.)

Oh dear goodness the engorgment. I still have nightmares about it. Lasted a straight 7 days with both kids. Boobs hard as rocks and dripping everywhere. Long nights of me sobbing because I couldn't take the pain. I'd rather give birth 7 times in 7 days than go through 7 days of engorgment (i had easy labour's lol). Poor you. (((hugs)))

[cath007]

Well yesterday that was my night ...I writhe back I need it to do my expenses all myself because it is my money....try to solve this problem is very frugal and I need it...so will see...If you want to understant more I made a rant on that

So yesterday we talked on Facebook an hour and he give me his telephone number and we talked the whole thing an hour,but again it was more for move to others things for me and say all I want to say,I dont believe in those great speakI anymore....we agreed on 175$ in expenses of my choices,for me I want what I coould have back not necessary money,just dont want to bother anymore wasting my time in that.He dont like pressure so will see for the court,but does have a job even if it is a basic one