August Frugal chatter

[Crochetlady]

Got the last 4 of my free Cheerios coupons today. They took not quite 2 weeks.

[Granger]

I just checked out the NF early flier. I am planning on picking up some chicken thighs for $1.67/lb. VH steamers are on sale for $2.97. I have $2 off coupons, so I'll pay 97c each. I'll stick those in the fridge for my work lunches. I head back to work as a teacher in less than a month. My maternity leave claim is up in just less than 2wks time.

We're going to be in a bit more of a financial crunch soon. As I was saying, my EI claim will be up in just less than 2wks time. I start back to work in September as a substitute teacher because I do not have a teaching contract to return to. Since I am a substitute...I work in September, but do not get paid until mid-October. That means that I will be completely without an income for about 6wks. Dh works full-time, but it is not enough to cover all of our regular expenses. We are also currently dealing with the insurance claim for the hail damage on our house, garage, and shed...which comes with a $1,000 deductible that we will need to pay.

I have never worked as a sub, but my sister did and those 6 weeks without pay were brutal!!! Just a tip, you may already know this: when we made an insurance claim (for our car) I was surprised to learn that that deductible was deducted from the payout. So we received the car value, less the deductible. This took the pressure off for us of "spending" (and saving for) the deductible right away. It meant buying a less expensive car or using our credit line for the excess. We chose our credit line and had it paid off within 6 months. So ask about what that dedictible actually means. Sorry if you already know all this.

[Frugalbigmama]

So my Wal-Mart walk cost me $11.02 but think I did well. I bought Silk Almond milk, Clear shampoo and conditioner, 2 rolls for DS's lunch the next 2 days (forgot I bought turkey kobassa at the market on the weekend so didn't need to by sandwich meat) Locker lock for DS, 4 duotangs, a presentation board for future project for DS (was on for $1) and cheeries on for .97LB!

[Frugalbigmama]

I would suggest implementing 1 frugal change/saving over a 2-3 week period or so that it gets ingraved in his brain/ways. If you try too many things at once he may be resistant as it's just too many things. So start with 1, maybe start with the easier ones such as bringing his coffee in the am from home and not Tim Hortons (example only) then move onto another task/challenge. A lot of people are resistant to changes wether large or small....so baby steps. Even things like writing notes such as I love you don't forget your coffee (lol). If you want to share what you are having challenges with I am sure the creative & frugal ladies on here are willing to make suggestions.

Timmies coffee is such a waste of money and I was guilty of doing that too. And it was tasting like crab more days then tasting like a yummy treat so now I only get it when out of town or once on the weekend for a change when we are out shopping in the afternoon.

[jasperandchar]

Were you able to still to your meal plan this weekend in the midst of doing renos? That is the hardest for us, especially on weekends, when we get going we just don't want to stop to cook dinner we end up ordering in something quick or running to grab fast food.

Yes, however, switched spaghetti for sausage last night...still on track tonight is Pizza. I think the key for your weekend renos which tend to be all day or very long hours is to maybe throw something in the crockpot or settle for a frozen pizza or pre-made sandwiches such egg sandwiches or western sandwich, something quick and easy made with little or no efforts.

[YOU AND ME]

Well this weekend we got all our furniture set up in the basement, it looks really good despite not having a ceiling yet LOL.

I have been busy organizing my scrapbook and crafting area. Went out to get one of those small sets of drawers to put stuff in (the one that sits on a desk or shelf) from Canadian Tire and found a huge selection of TV's on clearance! We have been saving the remainder of our wedding money to buy a second TV when the basement was finished... well we found a 46 inch flat screen LED for $300!!!!

Then second, I wanted one of those racks/shelves with 1 inch slots for storing paper, etc but they were SO expensive ($50 each at Michaels). Instead, I followed this tutorial: http://catricks-creations.blogspot.c...solutions.html and saved myself $80! I bought a similar package to the tutorial (except a bit bigger) and was able to get 2 of those shelves/racks out of one package (on sale for $20!)

Wow that's cool MaddensMomma might have to try that

[jasperandchar]

There has been some new produce in my garden for us to eat in the last week. We have started to enjoy some young zucchinis and cherry tomatoes. We were already eating peas, swisschard, potatoes, and green onions (done for the season).

I stopped over to visit my neighbour across the street yesterday afternoon. She has three children, her youngest son is 10 months older than my baby boy. She is done having children, so she has been giving me clothes and toys for our son (most for keep, some to borrow). She knows that I coupon and I mentioned to her that I found infant Tylenol on sale at WM for $5, just in case she needed any. She said that she is so broke she can't even afford that. When I asked her a couple of questions, she told me that they were running low on food, but she was hoping that her long term boyfriend (father of the children, and lives with them) would see what they had left and finally step up and buy some food. With a little coaxing I managed to get her to come back to my house briefly to get some food. I was able to send her home with 3 grocery bags of food from my pantry and freezer. I know about her and his relationship and it really bothers me when a guy doesn't step up and care for his children. I don't just mean financially either, he's a bit of an absentee dad.

Very generous & kind of you to pass along some groceries her way. I am sure they were much appreciated and well rec`d. Hope the dad smarten`s up and get`s his priorities in line.

[MaddensMomma]

I would suggest implementing 1 frugal change/saving over a 2-3 week period or so that it gets ingraved in his brain/ways. If you try too many things at once he may be resistant as it's just too many things. So start with 1, maybe start with the easier ones such as bringing his coffee in the am from home and not Tim Hortons (example only) then move onto another task/challenge. A lot of people are resistant to changes wether large or small....so baby steps. Even things like writing notes such as I love you don't forget your coffee (lol). If you want to share what you are having challenges with I am sure the creative & frugal ladies on here are willing to make suggestions.

Fortunately neither of us at Tim Horton's fiends. He doesn't drink coffee or tea and if I decide to have a tea I either make it at home before or will make it at work when I get here.

I'm not sure if anyone has some suggestions for me but here are DH's (and my) bad, unfrugal habits.

1) TOO MUCH TAKE OUT!!! We have made a goal on absolutely NONE for the rest of the month and I am in the process of making a meal plan. Now to just get him to stick to it as he does most of the cooking. I also need to take some initiative and if he isn't feeling great or motivated to cook dinner, to start dinner when I get home instead of getting hangry and saying "f it, let's go out".

2) TOO MUCH POP/JUNK FOOD. Usually this is just one of DH's faults, but lately with the pregnancy cravings and sweet tooth I am at fault as well. IMO we go through way too much pop, chips, ice cream, ice cream treats, etc. Not sure how to cut back as DH is addicted to his Pepsi

3) DH's PICKY EATING HABITS. You have all heard me talk about his picky eating habits. He won't eat leftovers. The only thing he will eat from a crock pot is roast beef, and even then he whines. The only pasta he will eat is spaghetti. Nothing can have cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, etc in it. He doesn't like stir fry sauces, he likes it plain, yuck. He wants to grill EVERYTHING and that's all we eat - sausages, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken breasts, pork chops, roast beef, whole chickens... repeat.

4) DH's BRAND LOYALTY. I am not sure how to get him past this. We HAVE to use Tide and Downy, no other detergent or fabric softener will do. Must be Bounty paper towel and Royale or Charmin TP. He whines if I don't buy him Armstrong cheese. Crackers have to be Ritz plain. Chips have to be Lays. Sausages have to be Johnsonville. BBQ sauce has to be Diana. Chicken fingers must be bough at Costco for $15 a friggin box. I could go on and on... it doesn't matter if we can get something the exact same or similar for FREE... he wants what he wants.

5) OVERSPENDING and the "I GET PAID ON FRIDAY" EXCUSE. DH likes to go shopping and buy things when he's bored. ahem, new tv... I am constantly pointing out that we don't have the extra money and his excuse is always "well we get paid on Friday, etc". Well yes, but I've already budgeted that pay to go to "x" "y" and "z" so no we really don't have that extra money still. I have even tried sitting down with him and showing him the budget to see that we have "x" amount of dollars coming in and "x" amount of dollars going out for the essentials for we only have "x" to spend and it has to be broken down like this.... he still doesn't get it

[YOU AND ME]

Well this morning woke up with a backache so couldn't do my customer .I took some Tylenol Back and Body so hopefully it goes away so.

[jasperandchar]

You know, if we ever ran out of topics for these monthly threads, it would be a fun exercise to go through together and we could report on how we're doing, a bit like some of us are finding good deals. Not this month, though. I'm going on vacation this Friday and I would hate it if I couldn't participate.

I love the idea, I think once life gets back to a routine (kids in school) I personally will be back on track and would love challenges & discussions so let`s aim for September for those that wish to participate after the long weekend (lol)

[jasperandchar]

I have looked at the No Frills, Food Basics and FreshCo flyers for next week on here... my 3 "go to" places for the best sales... nothing good on sale next week

I was starting to think it was just me, the sales are pretty slim these days

[MaddensMomma]

Yes, however, switched spaghetti for sausage last night...still on track tonight is Pizza. I think the key for your weekend renos which tend to be all day or very long hours is to maybe throw something in the crockpot or settle for a frozen pizza or pre-made sandwiches such egg sandwiches or western sandwich, something quick and easy made with little or no efforts.

Good suggestions, thank you

Unfortunately I can't find anything that DH will eat from a crock pot. He will eat a pot roast but whines about it lol. He is a very picky eater and doesn't like anything out of the ordinary. Think of a 5 year old picky kid lol. Any suggestions for the crock pot??

[MaddensMomma]

Wow that's cool MaddensMomma might have to try that

They are on sale at Target this week for $20! The tutorial also said they sell them at Walmart but we didn't check there.

They did not have them at Canadian Tire though, DH thought they might but no luck.

[Frugalbigmama]

Good suggestions, thank you

Unfortunately I can't find anything that DH will eat from a crock pot. He will eat a pot roast but whines about it lol. He is a very picky eater and doesn't like anything out of the ordinary. Think of a 5 year old picky kid lol. Any suggestions for the crock pot??

Does he cook?

[MaddensMomma]

Does he cook?

Yes during the week he cooks since he is home before I am.