January 2016 frugal chat thread

[momof5boys]

I use a us size 6 needle and cast on 4 stitches knit increasing each row by one until i have 53 across then decrease by one each row until i have 4stitches left.
Ive also opted at times to stop when i get to 50 stitches because the smaller ones fit better in my tall thin glasses!

Pricewise I've typically asked 2.50 per cloth or sold sets of 3 for $6. Most of the cloths i make a ball I've purchased cost $1.50 (i havent indulged in cloth wool gir 4yrs i had so much) i noticed up here most balls for one cloth are $2.24 apiece now and ive been told that im asking a fairly low price for where i am.

They typically end up being 9"x9"

Bf applied for the short term disability insurance which once approved is effective 60 days after his accident and will pay us back the mtg payments we make after the 60 days before its approved. Today will be 62 days since his accident. We got the forms all submitted by mid december and have confirmation they were received.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

Thanks so much for your reply

[saundyl]

Morning all,

I've been day dreaming lately anticipation my tax refund for 2015 - yes I know we still have about 2 months or so before the T4s etc start showing up in the mail. I spoke with our accountant last year (yes we don't do our taxes - not frugal) but we have lots of wonky things in our incomes so it's worth paying someone else to do all the legwork and take care of any questions from CRA.

Anyways I have been daydreaming as I should receive a nice return if all goes as discussed with account last year. My inlaws have a contractor doing an addition and some renos with the inheritance that MIL received when her dad passed away last summer.

I am going to get the Rick over in the next few days while he's working next door AND when dh is home to give us an estimate to gut our bedroom and Logan's old room as both rooms will become a master suite with an office off to the side. He would be gutting the old lath & plaster, studding the walls, spray foam, drywall, mud, paint, install new window in our room AND frame new wall for main bathroom (a project for later down the road - perhaps next years (2016) tax refund.

Anyways it's nice to daydream, however, I truly believe if what the accountant told me to put aside it is a real possibly....fingers crossed.

Wishing everyone a wonderful day AND don't forget to day dream (haha)

I dream of a new oven!

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

[Frugalbigmama]

Went to No Frills on my lunch to grab the small tomatoes ($1.50 on sale) for tomorrow night's date night. Pasta with chicken, bacon and the tomatoes (he slices them in half and pan frys in garlic) I noticed they were on sale and since our homegrown ones are long gone thought it was a good week to make the pasta (chicken and bacon in freezer)
I also printed off recipes for 31 crockpot meals. At the moment I have to stop meat shopping and use up what we have. Totally want to get rid of the small chest freezer (I can store stuff at my mom's) There is tons of stuff from the summer to use up so will be trying not to find any deals till I use up most of it.

[Frugalbigmama]

I dream of a new oven!

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

A few months back I was dreaming of new appliances too and then my stove stopped working! I have a convection oven so didn't want to get a new one without that but $$$ (but also plan to sell and move soon so don't want to buy nice shiny new appliances and leave behind) so I googled it and it was an easy fix) He fixed it with my instructions and it worked! So on we go!

[Ciel]

Here's to everyone's dreams getting traction this year! Still say SC members need to be on their way to Hawaii (did not know which major spot we were heading to in Hawaii...and assumed we were all US$ rich at the time).

Beer doughnuts from Food & Drink magazine-not bad, as I fried the batter today. Realized there is a reason to cut donut holes in 3" shapes (I had a heart one) because otherwise the dough in the centre expand a good half-inch each way...thus when the oil level drops (I did not use 2" of it in my 1L stainless steel pot), the dough touching the bottom of pot got a lovely golden tan starburst in that spot.
The Boston Creme donut holes-not successful. I used 1-1/2 cups of the 1-3/4 indicated in recipe. Should have added just 1/4 cup more and waited to see if dough needed more. The holes when baked looked like well-tanned mini buns so they tasted like bread or stale doughnuts, however you deem them. I had a pkg of cooked vanilla pudding to use up-was being frugal as pkg was in the house-don't use it! I ended up scorching the bottom of the enamel pan while cooking it (20min of my life lost to cleaning it later). Suggest using instant vanilla pudding or chilled pudding cups instead. Other issues with glaze (sorry, semi-sweet choco chips with butter does look like the Boston creme glaze at Timmies but still tastes like semi-sweet chips-did not like that) and filling the holes (nut pick does not make a decent hole; should have found a wine stopper with metal stem-instead I sliced into the holes to be able to put in pudding). Will try another dough recipe to make the holes and find a sweet choco glaze recipe or melt a plain milk choc bar next time.

[Ciel]

I leafed through Sears' Spring fashion catalogue and see a few dresses that will be versatile for special occasions
or work. Suggest anyone needing something for this year to snap up the Together oyster colour maxi dress, or black and white
polka dot sleeveless dresses if you see them/try them in store or can chance a catalogue order. Don't wait for spring to get them.
For the members going to warm climes soon, there's a decent selection of swimwear too for your trip.

[Ciel]

Michael's flyer shows a yarn sale beginning tomorrow. Stampede for the yarn fans!

[coupon girl]

well made homemade turkey soup this morning -have 6 containers for the freezer -one in the fridge for Friday -turkey soup will help with this cold for sure
-then made a banana loaf this afternoon -yumm froze some of that too for company or hubby and myself

[Ciel]

@Lilo 003 - if I had a couple of thousand dollars for a mattress, I'd try out the UK Vispring line at Elte in Toronto. A couple of the King size mattresses are on sale now. http://www.elte.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=vispring

[lilo0003]

LoL that's the thing, I did not plan to spend thousands. But thanks for the tip, maybe they would be lessy pushy.

[saundyl]

A few months back I was dreaming of new appliances too and then my stove stopped working! I have a convection oven so didn't want to get a new one without that but $$$ (but also plan to sell and move soon so don't want to buy nice shiny new appliances and leave behind) so I googled it and it was an easy fix) He fixed it with my instructions and it worked! So on we go!

We have to baby sit our oven right now it gets to temp but doesnt recognize its lost temp so we have to turn it off and back on every 10min..

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

[saundyl]

Michael's flyer shows a yarn sale beginning tomorrow. Stampede for the yarn fans!

Id be there if the nearestt one was closer!

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

[SassyAshley]

I am trying to tell myself I do not need more yarn but I have to admit a prepaid Visa I got for my Bday is screaming spend me on yarn. Although I just looked at the flyer and based on how they are doing it this time I am not so sure if would work out to be a good price. Maybe I will just buy the yarn for Mom's sweater she has been asking me to make for months but has not picked the yarn up yet for me to actually make it.

I think I am going to go out of town for work next week, we have a branch that has been short staffed since November and they are feeling the pinch. Only down side to this may be weather, they are really getting hammered hard this week by snow and if it happens again next week I probably won't make it to them.

I am trying to allot my time right which is hard, we have a ton of projects on the go so my head is still spinning. I just sat down with our controller to try to work out what needs to be and in what time frames. I think we are all a little overwhelmed right now.

Well must get back to it, have a great day everyone.

[coupon girl]

-finally feeling better -went to my dentist and donated about 25.00 worth of olay soap ,mouthwash ,st.ives scrub,deodorant cause I had such a large surplus of soap from a few years ago -it all went to a womans shelter plus booked my cleaning for next week
-then popped into fortinos got a lot of really good deals
-kashi bars 2.99-1.50 checkout51=1.49 cant beat that price
-lipton yellow tea 3.88-2.00 checkout51=1.88 for 100 tea bags -just tried it not as strong as Tetley but not that bad
-fresh broccoli -yum 1.69-200 p.c points-.25 caddle=1.24 now that price I don't mind paying -just had some with a dip -yummm
-I decided I am going to rely on a lot of checkout51 or even a few snapsaves and a few caddle this year as I don't have a lot of high 1.00 cpns anymore -companies are just not putting them out there as much
-so spend 90.00 on groceries but haven't been in weeks managed to get hamburger on sale with points offer and pork tenderloin on sale too

-yeah hubby and I are going on a date night to the show to see revenant and out to supper -A&W with my coupons of course
-a night for us as sat I get ashlyn overnight so my son/wife can got out of town to help celebrate a friends 30th birthday -they are sharing the hotel room with another couple to save money -my son is really thrifty sometimes always has been since he was a little boy always saving money

[jasperandchar]

@coupon girl glad to hear you're on the mend, enjoy your date night - it's important to that every once in a while