Back again this time for good!!!

Well it took over three months before I got fed up of that online game; gosh they are addictive, but I was really good at it....LOL

Now to get back to blogging and saving money.  The saving money though is my main priority as we had an unexpected trip back to Britain a couple of weeks ago.  Dh's younger brother passed away at the end of December, so we went for the funeral and to see family.  It was a very fast week and VERY expensive.  How people manage to make ends meet in Britain is beyond me but they do it.

So back to the basics for me.  I have signed up again over at Frugaldom's Forums, to keep me on the straight and narrow and to make me accountable for what I spend etc.  I am going to post my grocery totals every week, so I watch what I spend.  I do need to do a pantry and freezer inventory; in fact I have been talking about it for a week or more and still haven't done it yet.  Menu planning which I HATE to do for some reason, is something I do need to tackle.  Eating out which I LOVE to do is something we shouldn't do anymore.

All the utility bills are under control, but there is always room for improvement.  I will be going through those over the next month.  We are currently with Bell Canada, for TV, Internet, home phone and my mobile phone.  Got a deal through the mail with Rogers for six months free service.  That could potentially save us $900+; so need to research that this coming week.

The new house is great and we have been in it now for nearly 8 months now.  Done some bits and bobs so need to catch you all up with that.  Our next job is to complete the basement.  I will take you through that in another post.  Need to save the money up for that job, but some things we can do a bit at a time.  

The grandchildren are all growing like weeds.  The eldest and the youngest are in India at the moment and will be there until the end of March.  Our little guy is coming up 5 months old.  Our Princess is now 25 months old and our little Munchkin is coming up 15 months old.

Here is a photo of her with her new tutu and her gold glitter Peppa Pig wellies on:

As isn't that what every fashionable 15 month old is wearing nowadays?  Yes she is growing and into everything.  She is very tall for her age and wearing 18 month old pants, but is right on age for the size of her body.  She is forever sick due to starting daycare, but that's normal.  Though she can now blow her own nose; sort of!!  Not talking much at all, but makes up for it verbally; and yes she can have a hissy fit when she wants.  Of course she is the apple of her Nana's and Granddad's eye.

Here is what I spent and saved this week grocery shopping:

Grocery shopping February 1st 2015 Exchange rate $1.80 CDN per 1 British Pound

Zehrs:
12 double rolls toilet paper: $3.99
Raspberry Jam: $3.49
3 x Granola Bars @ $1.99 each
1 x Quaker Chocolate & Banana Cookies: $2.49
1 x Lysol Wipes: $1.88
1 x Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner: $1.88
1 x package veggie rotini pasta: 99 cents
1 x canned tomatoes: 79 cents
1 x package crisps: $1.25
1 x Mini Wheats cereal: $2.88
1 x Peanut Butter cookies: $1.99
1 x 4 litre milk: $3.97
2 x Pizza @ $2.88 each: $5.76
1 x Jumbo Bag frozen French fries: $3.99
1 x breaded chicken fingers $3.88
1 x Breaded chicken burgers: $4.88
2 x loaf whole wheat bread @ $2.00 each: $4.00
2 x Old Spice Deodorant for dh @ $1.99 each: $3.98
1 x Gillette Shaving Gel for dh: $1.99
2 x Hairspray for me @ $1.99 each: $3.98

Coupons used $12.49
13% tax on certain items: $3.24

Total: $54.78

$50 worth of points cashed in.

Total paid: $4.78

Wal-Mart (same as Asda)

10 lb potatoes (Yukon Gold yellow flesh) $3.67
3 pk Romaine Lettuce Hearts: $4.97
English Cucumber: $1.67
1 red pepper: $1.47
3 Roma Tomatoes: 97 cents
Lysol wipes: $1.97
Dove Deodorant for me: $2.97
Frozen Garlic Bread slices: $2.97
4 x Lipton Side Kicks rice @ 94 cents each: $3.76
VH Pineapple sauce (for sweet and sour chicken or pork) $2.00
24 pack cheese triangles: $7.47 (for dh's lunches)
1 dozen eggs: $1.99

13 % tax on some items: 64 cents

Total: $36.52

Total spent to date: $41.30 (approx. 22.94 British Pounds)
Savings to date: $62.49 (approx. 34.72 British Pounds)
Best deal this week: two loaves of bread and a jar of jam after $4 and $1 coupon = $2.49 for all three.

Pleased with this weeks purchases, as I got a bit of everything including cleaning products, personal hygiene items, and all food groups.

Frugaldom and other things

We're in for another warm spell over the next couple of days, so as long as it stays dry it will be a good opportunity to pick up fallen twigs outside, all in the hopes of making things easier on me next Spring.

For those of you who have been following me for a while, know I am am a big fan of Swagbucks.  I cashed in $40 worth of points last month which was good.  I have cashed in $15 worth of points so far this month, but as you see I have very few swagbucks left.  So I need to get another 900 Swagbucks this month to cash in for another two $5 Amazon gift cards, then work away at building up my balance again.  Any questions regarding Swagbucks leave me a comment with your email address and I'll get back to you, I WON'T PUBLISH IT.

Here's a neat idea on Frugaldom:

How to Take Part in the 2013 Frugaleur Challenge

Official launch date - Monday 12th November 2012, to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week. Feel free to join in at anytime.

This section is about the 2013 moneymaking challenges. Moneysaving and frugal living challenges have their own section.

These challenges have been running for several years, each based on setting up and running your own home-based enterprise in order to generate some extra income.

In 2012, we capped the initial start-up costs at £10, with NYK Media offering to finance any start-ups who genuinely couldn't afford to spare £10. I am pleased to say that of those who took part this year, nobody has reported a loss and NYK Media isn't out of pocket.

So long as your business idea is legal and your new frugal business is set up and operated within the word of the law, then the world is your oyster. For past participants of the frugaleur challenges (previously known as Cyberdosh challenges), joining the 2013 project involves minimum investment to take your existing business to the next level.

Suggestions please... we need to decide on the amount used to get a new frugal business started for 2013 and, likewise, how much to allow for further investment to expand if it's your existing micro-business.
Edit - Initial investment maximum = £50

Should we run a public list of challengers by username? I prefer using lists and have done so, often, in the past both here and on other sites. A list makes it easier to show who started when - we do tend to get a few late-comers, so feedback needed on this, too.
Edit - Challenger list will be included here.

Make the first step now, join us here and share your thoughts on starting your own frugal business or further developing the one you have already begun. Research costs virtually nothing and we're all here to support one another n our quest for success.

To start your own thread and start recording yur progress, simply click on the 'New Topic' button at the top left of this page and insert your username into the subject line.

Good luck to all our 2013 Frugaleurs!

I am racking my brain for ideas on what to do as it seems like a neat idea.  Here is a link to the post

Love the new Adele song Skyfall.  Have you seen the movie?

This is one of my all time favourite Christmas songs: