December 2015 Frugal Chatter thread - all welcome!!!

[Crochetlady]

Feeling really restless. Didn`t do much today...just a couple loads of laundry and crocheted a couple towels.
Keep forgetting to bring the Christmas tree downstairs. All I need to do is take the garbage bag off it.

[Granger]

Another hockey win for DS's team. Dinner just for youngest and I. Pulled homemade pasta sauce from freezer. Cooking up 2 boxes with bits of past in them. With ceaser salad. We just picked up romaine $4.99 club pack at RCSS. As good as it gets but not the worst price. Now we can have salad this week. Laundry on the go. Teens bedding drying now. I like to do it when he is at work/ out of house

I love the Club Pack! We go through at least one a week! Healthy for the win!

Feeling really restless. Didn`t do much today...just a couple loads of laundry and crocheted a couple towels.
Keep forgetting to bring the Christmas tree downstairs. All I need to do is take the garbage bag off it.

Sounds productive to me, friend!!!

Today I visited my Grandpa (81) who lives 1 h 15 away from all family and we are the closest. We always have a great visit and catch up. I told him he needs to put a for sale sign on the lawn...i.e. move closer...my mom and her sisters always tell him this, but this is the first I have...see if my seed helps theirs sprout. lol.

[Natalka]

Wow, hi to all you busy bees!

I haven't started baking yet, but have started going through recipes to see what I might want to make.

Our van's alternator was on its last legs, so our son replaced it for us this afternoon. Payment for labour was a yummy supper, which is all he ever wants! Plus, he gets us the part cheaper because he orders it through his work.

Hope everyone has a lovely evening!

[avoncallingu]

Dh has been busy campaigning. We have a provincial election on April 4 and he is one of the candidates. I'm his campaign secretary. I'm attending meetings, organizing meetings, making phone calls, arranging a fundraiser, etc. I had a casual meeting today and received a small donation and was invited to ask again in the new year.

I had a frustrating experience earlier today when I was doing a variety of errands with all 3 of our young children. The siding on our property was finally replaced last week, this had been damaged by hail in July 2013. It turns out that the construction company only accepts payment via cheque or cash, and I had neither. I wish they had told me instead of wasting my time. I got the cash from the bank and the business closed for lunch. Dh will pay them before he goes to work tomorrow.

My gosh, Angela! You are one busy lady! That company could have been a whole lot more helpful!!!!

[avoncallingu]

DH and I ventured out to FreshCo today and picked up 2 more boxes of clementines ( $3.97 ) fingers crossed they are both sweet.
Also PM'd the lemons @ 5/$1.00 from Skyland! ( bargain!) and grabbed a bag of 5 fruit medley ( dried ) to make my own batch of mincemeat.
Calculated that 1 bag had many of the ingredients I needed and was just $3.99 so I figured saves me searching out currants and all the other things separate.
Actually the smell is awesome ( I finished making it about 1/2 hr ago ). probably the Spiced rum I added!
Oh! also I found 3 lovely storage glass jars ( the kind with the clasp and rubber seals were all like new! ) at the Value Village today for just .69 each! Plus today was 40% off on dishes, glassware.....sometimes these things are just sitting on the shelf waiting for you to find them.

Great stars aligning! And, I'll be right over for a piece of that mincemeat pie! How I wish! Enjoy!

[avoncallingu]

Today is my first "long "day at work. Although i have an hour physio appointment.

At 6 one boy goes to hockey snd after hockey they go back to their mom.

This week ontop of work i need to get cookies for school parties nade for while im gone and a couple dinners like lasagna or a couple slow cooker meals prepped for bf for my 4 days gone while we havd the boys next.

Bf got his cast off and is back in the air boot. He has another 6weeks of no weight bearing. At 10 weeks from now (3 months after surgery) he gets the pins removed and another 4 weeks after that until he can be back at work.

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Oh my, Saundyl, What a journey lies ahead for you! I am sending healing thoughts your way!

[avoncallingu]

Only 1 more Amazon order to go and I am done my holiday prep. I need everything wrapped and ready by next Friday. We are then gone until December 26th. I promised the boys we will do stockings that night so we are pushing Christmas back a day. Wearing flip flops on Christmas day makes the business worth it

Have a lovely time, Lilo!

[avoncallingu]

Good afternoon, everyone.

Been busy again (maybe life will slow down in Jan?). Spent the weekend with my Mom - she didn't want a party, so we celebrated her 80th b-day on Fri with dinner at the Keg. Then she spent the rest of the weekend cooking up a storm (all my favs!) and sent me home with food to last the week. She still has more energy than I had at 20!

Friends have been coming by to explore the Xmas Market. My camera (actually, it's the battery) is acting wonky, so haven't had a chance to take pics. Good thing I have another week left to try to find a camera that works (5 cameras between my friends & myself & none are behaving! Sigh). A bit disappointed that this year, fewer samples are being given out (I want my free Merci chocolates, waaah ).

Better get going - have to bake some cookies to take over to a neighbour's later. Then, it's back to organizing the closet (& getting out the winter clothes & packing up the summer stuff, sigh). I still have to finish decorating the place and put up the Xmas tree forest (only 1 tree done so far, another dozen or so to go - good thing the tallest one is only 2 ft tall!).

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day.

I was getting worried when I heard you say "forest" to decorate since I thought you had a fairly modest-sized apartment. I had 12 trees up last year but, like you, they were all small but one. This year we may not get the big one up.

I hear you about still switching out summer and winter clothing. I was BOILING last night and actually thought about putting the a/c on. But it is all covered up now.

They are calling me into be seen at the ER. (Extended ear problems and cold ish stuff since we got home.)

Be well!

[saundyl]

Ive run away from home until thursday for training. It feels so weird to be in a hotel room alone.

I walked a block to the independent for some groceries l. Got bread cheese ham. A Cesar salad kit and a rotisserie chicken for meals. I am splurging for tonight and getting a pizza too.

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[lizzie bargain]

Enjoy your quiet time Saundyl. We have had a couple of health problems here too-DD has been having neck and shoulder pain so been trying to diagnose/treat that and I have a sinus infection so cannot go and see/help with the wee twins tomorrow in order to keep them well-hopefully will be back to my favourite job soon.

[Crochetlady]

Hope everyone starts to feel better soon.
Finally remembered to bring down the Christmas tree this morning. Hubby`s response was You could have left it up there.
Finished crocheting a ruffled afghan that was ordered for January. She also wants towels for Secret Santa gifts.
Tomorrow I get blood work done and meet a couple friends for lunch.

[SassyAshley]

Monday is here.

We finished inventory on Saturday so no Sunday was needed for our location, yippee. Got home and Mom was in a mood, the light in our living room went, I offered to go to Wal-Mart with her once I was off work but she didn't want to go out but she didn't want to have to go alone Sunday. Finally got her motivated and we went but wow what a trying trip, took us almost an hour to get out of the house as she keep thinking of things she wanted to do before we went which hit a nerve with me probably because I was so over tired but I mean really she was home all day.

Managed to do a little grocery shopping at Food Basics before we went to Wal-Mart and grabbed some produce and a few other items that were on sale. All and all spent just under $50 but that included 6 bricks of cheese which I had not been planning to buy, our cheese drawer is now completely full but we will go through it fast enough.

Mom wanted to do all her Christmas shopping Saturday night at Wal-Mart but I was not in the mood plus our local Wal-Mart is very hit and miss for stock so told her we would go Friday afternoon/evening, she has the day off and I am off as well but have our company Christmas lunch so when that is over we will go out and do our shopping. Told her it is going to have to be one shot this year since we left it so late so have a list.

Also yesterday after Mom left for work I ran out to No Frills and grabbed a few things, a 20 lb bag of potatoes (think I will go for another one later in the week we will use them with Christmas coming), some clementines (we have really been lacking fruit lately, every time I go to grab something that is one sale they are either out or it is rotting on the self) and some specialty teas that were on sale for a great price.

I was going to start my Christmas baking yesterday but that did not happen. I have started my list including a nice spreadsheet so I can check off what I have and what I need to get. Trying to be super organized this year as the last few years have been a bit of chaos.

Well time to get to work and see what today will bring, have a great day everyone.

[SassyAshley]

Hoping everyone under the weather starts to feel better.

[Frugalbigmama]

Happy Monday! Well laundry is half done and waiting for me lol. DS has a hockey game tonight but will get the laundry on the go after that. Teen has his Christmas dinner for work at a local fancy restaurant. So happy for him Still need to finish up shopping so guess it will be on my lunch this week since I am busy tonight, have a meeting tomorrow night, walking with my friend Wednesday night and heading to Barrie Thursday night for more hockey (Colts and free tickets my BIL gave me) DS can bring a friend since his brother works. Yikes busy week but tis the season!

[Granger]

Hoping to tackle those GF pecan pies today.

Had a Christmas party last night for the Bible study group that mets at our home. It was fun.