September 2015 Frugal Chatter Thread

[lovelikewinter3]

@lovelikewinter3 : What kind of soil are you replacing your clay with? And how deep are you going?

We have the exact same soil and we were infected with a noxious weed a few years ago. I spent many hours digging out the roots which sent runners everywhere! I could spend three hours in one spot, just tearing up the heavy soil. Thank goodness we have a postage stamp yard, but it's still big enough to be quite a task!

Digging about 4-6 inches down, and I've decided to sift through it and break up the hard stuff (and throw out all of bunches of roots, big roots, and other useless junk). Then come spring time we'll probably garden claw it up again (to loosen it) throw in a metric tonne of topsoil, and mix that all together, before even beginning to plant things into the ground. Normally early spring they have the topsoil on for fairly cheap, so it works for me. Should give us some good quality dirt to work with! (it will only be my second year gardening though, so we'll see!)

[Ciel]

@Angela273 -that mention of the new features on the PC Plus app-oh, how'd I'd like to be able to tell PC Plus not to send me certain item offers. If the program gives me a points offer for produce, it might be better on a $ total on any produce but not 4 separate lettuce offers as happened in the first year of membership. Or pts on every $1 spent on lemons when each lemon costs 99 cents (that's why I scope the reduced produce rack offerings first).

About the canned tomatoes-not a fan of soup from it. But go gung-ho on making tomato or pizza sauce. You can use it on toasted bread to make quick pizzas with shredded or sliced cheese if there is no time to make a pizza dough when you have three youngsters waiting for dinner.

Harvested the last of the basil and attempted a parsley/basil pesto. Blender sort of blended part of the herbs and mangled the rest. Ate it over the Catelli tri-colour fusilli. Washed the large lot of parsley and put it into paper towels then into a freezer bag to freeze. I'd risk losing the parsley if I'd left it in the vegetable crisper.

Cut back or down some spent or overgrown flowers and bagged them. When the leaves start to come down, I won't have time to give the flowerbeds much attention. It occurs to me that I should find some tulip bulbs at a hardware store and get them into the ground soon as the existing ones are very old and few in number. I was glad to have removed the old daffodil bulbs-we got about three springs out of the potted ones before they stopped flowering.

Popped into Sears during my short mall visit this morning-saw 3 pr of Jessica socks with lovely patterns are on for $10 so got three pairs (as some of my socks are about to wear out). Two checkouts in lingerie and womenswear had 3-4 customers each and shoe dept has no counter but hey, no lineup in menswear! Must remember that for future shops.

[saundyl]

So you've probably received a very partial congratulations rep from me, I hate this keyboard: when I lose my place for a second or two, it doesn't have those little bumps on the G and H keys so I don't find my way back and oh, well, I don't know what I hit that time, but CONGRATULATIONS on your new job, Saundyl!!
This keyboard is gonzo today! Hubby has one of those with huge yellow keys and it's going on today!

Thank you very much.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[jasperandchar]

purchased a new router BUT even my service provider can't walk me through the install, make call D-Link tomorrow when I have more patience...sigh

Service provider also told me that the model is purchased is discontinued???? Called the source they said nope, who knows!!!

Anyways the inlaws took me to Freshco this am score a bunch of reduced lean ground beef patties, Angus lean ground beef packages, Marc Angelo's pork burgers with reduced stickers...happy dance, however, I am now way over my grocery budget it will balance itself in the end.

well of to get a few things done

[sotypical]

I'm on the waiting list for it at the library. If you bought it, it sounds like it's worth the price! It'll be over three months before I get it, so I'm decluttering tiny bits before I get it and feel overwhelmed. I hope that's not cheating. Plus, with a LO running about, I doubt I'm going to find large chunks of time to go through every single piece of clothing at once. I can't really see that being realistic.

Same here. Just little things at a time. I don't have time to rip apart an entire room in one go. I did ONE cupboard the other day and it took me like half an hour because baby kept trying to help LOL. I threw away like 9 bottles of air freshener I got thanks to coupons. I don't use air freshener... not sure why I didn't throw it away years ago! Guess I was hanging onto it JUST in case lol.

Having my FIRST Norwex Party tonight. eeek! At least it is just at my own house with my friends. Give me a practice before my first really party in two weeks! I never thought I would ever do anything like this so I am pretty excited but also nervous.

[Lynn49]

Just checking in (as I do every so often, haha). It has been a while. I started couponing again recently. It is okay for some items - junk foods like pop, chips and some packaged items like frozen pizzas, eggos, noodles and rice. But mostly I am finding that we are purchasing items at Costco or just price matching - especially for produce and meats.

How has couponing been for everyone else lately? What other ways are you saving money when it comes to produce, meats and eating healthy in general?

Like Crochetlady posted, I find very little in coupons for products that we use. Just the two of us here, and we don't eat much in the way of processed foods, we don't contaminate our home with "smellies" (I have asthma so I don't need my condition exacerbated by toxins), and coupons for things such as fresh fruits, veggies, meats are mostly non-existent.
(Hubby does upload PC points for those when he sees them)
We don't store more than what we need for the next time we run out (okay, maybe bathroom tissue)...if we find coupons for particular brands of household products we use, then we'll use them. Other than that......sales are the way we go.

[coupon girl]

maddensmom -I use to save 10.00 or more on each grocery bill the past 2 years when there was 3 of us
-now only 2 of us and I save about 4 or 5.00 in coupons plus I love the checkout51 and snapsaves program they help a little bit

[sotypical]

Just checking in (as I do every so often, haha). It has been a while. I started couponing again recently. It is okay for some items - junk foods like pop, chips and some packaged items like frozen pizzas, eggos, noodles and rice. But mostly I am finding that we are purchasing items at Costco or just price matching - especially for produce and meats.

How has couponing been for everyone else lately? What other ways are you saving money when it comes to produce, meats and eating healthy in general?

I stopped couponing a couple years ago. It was great to start and then everyone started doing it and I couldn't find the coupons, or the products I wanted. It also took a huge amount of time. I never even had that much stuff to start but I just finding I am not even really using it all of it. I posted earlier about throwing away 9 bottles of air freshener I hardly even used. I have tons of bottles of cleaner that I probably will never use either since discovering Norwex. When I bought these things I thought I would always need cleaner... I bought 3 bottles 3 years ago and have only use half a bottle! So did I really save any money?

If I see a coupon for a product I know I will use I take it. But I have stopped buying stuff just because it is a good deal and I might use it. I try to use some of the apps but we don't use a lot of the products listed. I mostly shop at Costco and sales to save money now. I just try and buy when something is on sale and know how often the item might on sale to buy the appropriate amount. I don't really stock up anymore unless it is a crazy deal on something I know for sure I will use. Like deodorant or shampoo.

[coupon girl]

well ladies we are a one car family now -hubby and I hashed it over -my car 11 years old is starting to cost money -just got back brakes 85.00 hubby's brother did -my hubby cant do car work he has a degenerating disc in his back and deals with other stuff -now it needs an alternator or starter plus front brakes -it is starting to cost -so we decided to go down to one car -as I am not working -well I babysit ashlyn 8 times a month
-so saving 647 a year plus a 100 for the sticker plus gas plus repairs -probably up near a 1,000 a year if you factor everything in -I may miss it -but we will have to share -hubby is home from 9.15 in morning til 1.45 so I can always go out then or the evening -I feel good about this as our income may drop in December by a couple hundred

[walkonby]

well ladies we are a one car family now -hubby and I hashed it over -my car 11 years old is starting to cost money -just got back brakes 85.00 hubby's brother did -my hubby cant do car work he has a degenerating disc in his back and deals with other stuff -now it needs an alternator or starter plus front brakes -it is starting to cost -so we decided to go down to one car -as I am not working -well I babysit ashlyn 8 times a month
-so saving 647 a year plus a 100 for the sticker plus gas plus repairs -probably up near a 1,000 a year if you factor everything in -I may miss it -but we will have to share -hubby is home from 9.15 in morning til 1.45 so I can always go out then or the evening -I feel good about this as our income may drop in December by a couple hundred

I know what that is like @coupon girl , we have always only been a 1 vehicle family. For the first while it never mattered much since I did not drive anyway, but then there were very rough years when I would pull in the driveway from work, barely turn the engine off and he was coming out the door to start his shift. Now that I am retired it is so much easier. The $$ saved really has a positive impact on the family budget, enjoy your future savings!!

[Crochetlady]

The only time we had 2 cars was when I was still working. After that I would take hubby to work 1 day a week so I could do all shopping and appointments then.

Got the rest of the apples picked up today. A neighbour is going to pick the rest of that tree. We`re hoping to get the other tree picked next week. Hubby decided to get cider made this year. We have way more apples than we need for the freezer.

Great score on the meat Nancy.

Congrats on the new job Saundyl.

[MaddensMomma]

You will miss the independence for the first little bit but once you get used to it, it is a great way to save money! Between our insurance, gas and parking in downtown London, we save between $5,000 - $6,000 per year by me taking the bus to work!

well ladies we are a one car family now -hubby and I hashed it over -my car 11 years old is starting to cost money -just got back brakes 85.00 hubby's brother did -my hubby cant do car work he has a degenerating disc in his back and deals with other stuff -now it needs an alternator or starter plus front brakes -it is starting to cost -so we decided to go down to one car -as I am not working -well I babysit ashlyn 8 times a month
-so saving 647 a year plus a 100 for the sticker plus gas plus repairs -probably up near a 1,000 a year if you factor everything in -I may miss it -but we will have to share -hubby is home from 9.15 in morning til 1.45 so I can always go out then or the evening -I feel good about this as our income may drop in December by a couple hundred

[MaddensMomma]

I wish we had an apple tree, would save us so much money! We tried growing a vegetable garden this year but all we got out of it was 2 - 3 cucumbers and peppers each and a tonnnnn of tomatoes!

[jasperandchar]

@coupon girl it's hard not having your own vehicle I still miss my car and it's been 2 years I think already AND I will not drive dh's truck as it's too big and I'm not comfortable driving itself (OCD and all) but in the end my car was a $ pit so all in all saved us a ton of $ with insurance repairs, gas, etc.

It will all work out with sharing as your schedules are pretty open

[jasperandchar]

@Crochetlady geez I wished I lived closer all those beautiful apples.

And the cider sounds like a wonderful idea, I believe you get some made most years