Coming up for air

The last post I wrote was entitled "I'm almost ready" (for Christmas). I remember it was a race to the wire. Well, I feel like I have been racing ever since. When I got back late New Year's Day from Cobourg, I was completely drained. I needed to sleep, and that I did for three days. Yesterday I unplugged the outdoor lights and took down my indoor Christmas decorations and put them away. Did I not just put them up a few days ago???? I made a quart of my laundry detergent and some more miracle clean for my spray bottles. I made a turkey stock from the frozen Boxing Day turkey carcass and home-made pea  soup with the juices of the New Year's ham. (The bone is still in the freezer) 

Today I did a short grocery shop a la Nathalie. I still have lots in my pantry and freezers, so hopefully I won't need to spend much in January. I have not had time yet to set any goals for 2016, but I am desperate to get back to my frugal ways and into a routine. I felt like Christmas got away on me...money-wise, diet-wise and certainly time-wise. I feel emotionally drained.  

Proteins cost  $27.28

Lean ground hamburger cost $15 for 4 one pound  chubs. The inside boneless blade roast was on sale for  $3.99 a lb and chunk light tuna was 99 cents a tin. 

Produce cost $7.10

Russet potatoes were only 99 cents for a 5 lb bag. This was way cheaper than buying a 10 lb bag of potatoes. The onions cost 99 cents and the tray of tomatoes cost 99 cents on the clearance rack. The cabbage was not on sale but was one of the few fresh vegetables that doesn't cost a small fortune.  Fresh fruits and vegetables have taken a huge leap in price here in Canada.....partly because of the U.S. drought, but mainly because of the declining Canadian dollar. Celery was on my grocery list today, but I refused to pay $3 for a bunch. My hubby opened the package of tomatoes right away to make a toasted tomato sandwich for lunch. I still have frozen  and canned veggies here at home, and I will be on the lookout for some good bargains in the future. 

Dairy cost $1.98

Bread cost $2.98

Groceries cost $9.43

The ketchup cost 3.49 and the soup cost 2 for 99 cents. Everything else was 99 cents each. 

Sundries cost $6.98

I needed the cat litter and tin foil was on sale for 99 cents. My total grocery spend today was $56.65

On January 3rd, I spent $119.30 at Shoppers' Drug Mart, which included my $50 gift card which we use for the whole month to buy staples like milk, bread, eggs, etc, which are the cheapest prices around for these basics. I picked up some grocery items on sale, and my hair colour. I also had to buy antibiotic cream and cold sore patches because I came back from my mother's place with my first ever cold sore. If stress is the cause of cold sores, well then I came by it honestly. Unfortunately, my mother is far worse than anyone knew. Because my stepfather ended up in hospital after a terrible fall, having shattered his hip and broken his arm in two places, and he looked after my mother solely on his own, nobody realized how far her dementia had progressed. There are three of us daughters who are going to try to take turns looking after things over the next few weeks. My sister has had to hire a nurse to go in twice a day to administer her medications. We will have to see what the next few days present. I may have to return to Cobourg sooner than later. Although I took my Blackberry with me, there was no WiFi available. So I was unable to keep you all informed. I will try my best while I am still here. 

Making Miracle Clean for my spray bottles 

Making laundry detergent