Sunday, November 6, 2022

You Got This


Friends....I want to have a chat with you today. In Northern Ontario the leaves have almost finished their falling. Suburbia is a flush with folks dragging out their favourite rakes or leaf blowers and the almighty extra large brown paper leaf bags to hoard the leaves until the next trash day.

Folks have been watching the news....perhaps still a little too much, but definitely not as much as during the onset of the pandemic just over 2 years ago.

Canadians struggled a lot with the strict measures that shut down major swaths of our vibrant economy. We take great pride in our national economy. We believe in hard work and earning your keep. 

And now, by God´s grace, the restrictions have lifted and wearing masks is optional in public. Only highly confined and vulnerable settings such as doctor offices still command adherence to a mask wearing policy.

Another big miracle of deliverance was the cancellation of the  app that was foisted upon Canadians to use whenever they tried to travel across a Canadian border. It was and is a welcome relief that this  computerized travel tracking application was scrapped. It was intrusive and very much too ¨big brother-ish¨.

Well, I myself, did go ahead and get more than one Covid 19 vaccine. 
The vaccines I took, made me feel horrible for 2 days or more, and then it was pretty much back to normal life. 

A lot of folks in my city got Covid19, and most did not wind up in the hospital. Most just felt like they had a bad cold, or flu and bounced back within a week or so.

There were a few people I heard of in our corner of town.... who were hospitalized with severe experiences with the virus, but gratefully, both recovered and were released.

The saddest part of the pandemic in our northern Ontario city, was the experience of the virus that blew through several of our city´s retirement facilities. The number of those who got very ill and succumbed to the illness was so high...... the numbers are too painful to dwell on at the moment.

But we must be able and willing to talk about these things at some point. I understand it is hard....heart wrenching and disturbing. But it is a part of our city now, and a part of our shared experience of community.

What have we learned from the lock downs? What have we learned from the vaccines and their effects? What have we learned about how these kind of viruses affect those of us considered in our ¨golden years¨?

What have we learned about the social needs of us all? How did the lock downs and economic stress affect us mentally and emotionally? 
How can we do things better if/and/or when there is ever another pandemic?

I am grateful to have made it through to the other side. I am free to go where I please and to wear a mask only when I choose. I am free to get whatever vaccine I choose to get as well. This is freedom of living and I give God the glory for this blessing. 

If you are reading this, you are blessed too. You have access to the internet and you have the ability to read or have access to a device/person that reads this for you. You are greatly blessed.

You will someday speak about this pandemic in hindsight too. You will explain to some youngster what it felt like to be told you couldn´t go to school or work of the store for weeks on end. You will help them understand  how and why......some folks didn´t make it.

As time and experience moves us forward in time and we put this global pandemic in the rear view mirror of our lives, we may just look upon one another with a sense of camaraderie and encouragement.

We have been there....in that fire...and we made it through.  We can be proud of one another. For some it is still too soon, to even speak of closure or ¨moving on¨. The experience is too fresh and painful. I feel for you. I feel your discomfort and also respect your need for silence. May no one force you to speak before you are ready. 

In closing, I just want to say this....that whatever challenges your life encounters, may the past 2 years remind you of just how strong and resilient we are. We can do anything. You got this.

Peace,

C.






Saturday, October 15, 2022

Cheapskate Hack to Avoid Buying Expensive Jam for Sandwiches

I don´t know about you...but I find these ¨ extreme cheapskate¨ shows to be great entertainment. Most of the tips are not practical and pretty dangerous....but I have not lost my appetite for a great frugal life hack.



So here goes. If you have a big family...or a small family with BIG appetites, then you may sometimes wondered why even the discount grocery stores still charge a handsome dime for any kind of red jam.
By "red" jam, I mean any kind of jam such as strawberry, raspberry etc....

So, the other day when I was preparing the Canadian Thanksgiving turkey dinner and I opened the can of jellied cranberry jelly, I thought to myself....hmm....I wonder how this would do as a frugal substitute for jam on a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. And so, I tried out the jellied cranberry sauce in every way that I normally use raspberry jam....and was pleasantly surprised.

How does the taste compare? Well, jellied cranberry sauce has a tartness to it, which adds a bit of a kick to it...but it still has enough sweetness to  balance it out. The tartness makes it quite refreshing.

So....if one were to use canned jellied cranberry sauce as a raspberry jam substitute, you could store it in the fridge once you open it and put it into a seal-able glass jar, such as a mason jar with a tight lid.

That´s it. Pretty simple huh? I have not done enough experiments using this to know how long it would stay fresh when stored in a glass jar in a refrigerator, but I have enjoyed trying it out for the first time. Does this sound like something you could see yourself or a family member trying out in the future? Or would you file this idea under something you would do only if you ¨had¨ to?

Well, that´s all for now. Enjoy your days and frugal ways, and not so frugal ways. It´s all good.

Peace,
Carla








Craziest Cheapskate Hack You Have Ever Seen or Done or Heard Of?


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There are some frugal tips and tricks which seem pretty normal....pretty every day....and common.

 Last year I was listening to a lady who had a new and  unusual frugal trick that she used in order to continue to be able to knit her beloved crafts, no matter her income or the state of the economy.

So, what was her trick? Her trick was to go to her nearest thrift shop and look for the wooliest sweaters to buy....NOT to WEAR! The reason she would buy these thrift store sweaters was so that she could cut open the seams and unravel the precious yarn and form ¨new¨ balls of yarn that she would then use to create her own new knitted or crochet fashions.

Is this something that you would do?  Does it remind you of something perhaps a relative did back in the Great Depression to continue to afford to knit hats and mitts and sweaters when brand new yarns and wools were out of reach?

Some folks think that an economic recession or depression is on the way...if not already here? What do you think? As for me, I can not predict what is around the bend. I only know that those who refuse to give up....don´t give up and they make the best of what they have, whether that is a little or a lot.

Be blessed my friends, with all you have and own.

Peace,
Carla.


Tuesday, September 20, 2022

It's Going to be Ok


The stock markets are rumbling again. Just when we feel like we can shrug off some of this covid chaos.....we feel the threat of financial bullying. The governments that were so quick to send us money when the pandemic rose to power.....are now forcing the populace to its knees ....to fight the creep of inflation.

First things first friends. Don't panic. Panic prevents u from seeing the good in the day. Panic prevents u from seizing opportunity.
So my advice is this: 

Don't panic. Most of us are in the same situation. We will get through whatever life throws at us.....together.

That's my humble pie for today......

Peace,
Carla.



Thursday, September 15, 2022

Writing Terribly and Often


Some of you are writers....in the midst of trying to monetize your writings.

I must admit I have listened to an awful lot of motivational speakers and professional writers who have taken the time to share their best tips for how to grow your audience and marketability.

One of the most common tips I hear from globally famous authors is quite surprising.

It is simply their advice to ¨Write Terribly and Often¨


Why on earth would a famous author suggest we simply just turn out more volumes of words and focus less on perfection?

Well, it turns out that experience shows that it is not always the ¨best ¨ writers who make the most money from their writing.....It is more likely that the folks who simply WRITE the MOST OFTEN wind up making a space for themselves in creative writing.


This makes every literature teacher wince, because it simply goes against all the classical writing theories.

Literary professors tend to promote whatever form of literature that they are teaching. They don´t often promote the practices that produce the best selling or wealthiest authors.

Sometimes it comes down to this.... Do you want to be a perfect writer who can´t pay the bills....or do you want to become a mediocre writer who can build up a high net worth that can support their whole family and leave a healthy inheritance for the next generation?

Sometimes, itÅ› about just getting up..... having a cup of coffee and churning out some more words.....not perfect words....and definitely not very pretty words....but words on paper....or on screen....by the hundreds.

Don´t count the words.....just keep going. You will know when you are done. Same way a  musician knows when the song is complete and time to exit stage left....you will simply know when you are done.

Friends , I wish you success in your creativity.....even if you feel alone and feel your work is not up to par. 
Don´t give up on your creative genius.

Peace.

Carla








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Saturday, September 10, 2022

Flashfood App bragging rights !



Hi Friends....what´s the fun of saving money on groceries if you can´t brag about it once in a while?

Yes, I know....I´ve blogged about the FLASHFOOD app before....but i feel like so many people just don´t realize how much it can help them....especially if they have a large household to feed.

So, on the left is a screen shot of this week´s tiny shopping savings. Not a huge amount of items, but the prices were right on the money!

The bottle of 100% pure Sunflower oil was no where near expiry and the  bottle was almost a ful liter....measuring at 946 ml. Being able to pay $2.23 cdn for a full bottle of sunflower oil is a great bargain! Yay!

It´s always good to buy enough pasta to stock up once in a while....and so, to get my hands on a box of pasta (454 grams ) of high quality pasta for only 84 cdn cents per box....was definitely a win win.
So, I bought 3. 

Years ago, it used to be quite common to be able to buy groceries priced at under $1 cdn. But not anymore.....it is harder to find things under a dollar and so when you see something like a staple such as spaghetti noodles, it is a ¨no brainer¨ to decide to go ahead and buy some at only 84 cents a box.

What is the greatest deal you have discovered lately? Do tell!!

Well friends, if you have access to a smart phone or any device upon which you can download the FLASHFOOD app....I highly encourage you to do so. It will save you money on feeding your family and it allows the grocery stores that participate in the FLASHFOOD program to save a lot of  items from going into the landfill.

Thanks FLASHFOOD!

Have a great weekend all!

Peace,
Carla


















CANADIAN residents Only---High Value Coupons from Chapmans


https://www.chapmans.ca/coupon/chapmans-annual-coupon-2022/


Above is the current link for chapmans Icecream coupons.....available for Canadian Residents only.

I know that some of my readers are frugal folks and appreciate a reminder now and then of opportunities to get things for free or lower cost. 

Therefore, I thought I´d refresh your memory....yes Chapmans is still giving away high value coupons.  Give it a whirl if you are a Canadian resident.


Best wishes to you and yours as you provide for yourself and your household.

Peace,
Carla