Baby Isle & News

Big news

 I've mentioned in one of my posts that I had some news! Do forgive me that its taken a bit to reveal that I had a Beautiful Baby boy in Aug of 2021! Please forgive me that I should have shared these news with my readers a lot earlier; however, for postpartum reasons and just being a busy mom I was super late to share. Nevertheless, time passes so quickly and now my son Ben is showing me the world through his eyes which is so sweet and Joyous.

Diaper's🙋

I can't say that I can provide thoughts on all the different diaper's because we ended up only using 2 different diapers' Pampers and Rascals. Please note prices don't include tax, prices vary they are just a general comparison.

Pampers

I personally chose Pampers because I felt that it provided my son the protection he needed. We would still have to change him one time during the night but that would still help us through the night. He had less blowouts in general and that was before Pampers came up with the blowout protection feature on the backs of their diaper's.

Price $39.97

# of diaper's: 66

Size 7

price per unit: $0.61 each diaper

Rascals

I also had tried Rascals premium diaper's, but I didn't like their brand as the cuffs seemed me to be too wide. The waistband area where the rascals brand is printed was also too stiff for my liking-it felt like if he bends over in them that his stomach would hurt, even though the tapes had plenty of room.

Price $19.97

# of diaper's: 40

Size 7

price per unit: $0.49 each diaper

Clothes🙌

We definitely could save more money in this department if we shopped second hand but instead I am selective in the kinds of clothes we purchase.

Walmart

They have clothes from birth to 5T, that are $4 Canadian dollars (they sell out of the good clothes quickly). I choose to buy clothes such as pants and shirts for outside play where I don't really have a preference for style or if they get torn.

I don't buy shoes from here because the soles don't have any grip and are super slippery; they always smell like plastic which just puts me off lol. 

Carters

We shop online and purchase dressier clothes or clothes that might still be for everyday but a bit nicer. I do buy all my shoes, rain coats and hoodies from Carters.

I often don't buy Jeans, dress shirts as kids just grow out of it so quickly, and I don't have many special outings to go out yet. Plus Ben is not a fan of buttoned up shits yet. Also once in awhile I buy a toy from there but I try not to as we are not a fan of the selection of toys.

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Share some ideas about how you save money around the house; we can inspire each other in our money saving journies and interests😊.

Storage ideas to save $$$

As you know I've been always mindful of trying to avoid wasting money unnecessarily due to my background of my parents immigrating into Canada and starting from ground zero. It's funny because I am always thinking about how I can stretch our household dollars and my family and friends can attest to that. I have made it into a game, and forgive me but its my frugal obsession! Don't get me wrong there are days where I am lazy and go pick up some takeout locally.

So today I thought i'd talk about another way to save money around the house is to be mindful about what you buy and to make the food that you do buy go a little longer by using different storage methods and tactics.

The tips I'm about to share are some, that I've discovered over time, because I realized that this is another "department" where a lot of money can be wasted if one is careless.

1) Storing Fresh Herbs: Cilantro, Coriander

I personally take them out of the vegetable bag and place a paper towel around the bottom of the stem; also if you happen to know the different "cold zones" in the fridge, you could choose one that is not as cold (if that makes sense). Wrapping the cilantro/coriander in a paper towel helps by avoiding moisture buildup between the bag and Herb which quickens its deterioration.

I've tried putting them in a jar with a bit of water but they seem to not do so well-at least that has been my experience.

I avoid washing the herb and storing it in the fridge as this will also contribute to the herb going bad, which in the end causes a loss in money over time. 

It may not seem a lot of money as on average they cost anywhere from $0.99 on sale to $1.99 but overtime these dollars add up in the course of the week, and then year; especially if some end up in the compost. If you do have a garden, patio or balcony you could definitely grow your own herbs and this would save hundreds of $ over the years.

2) Storing Strawberries

- Buy less than you think you need because strawberries inevitably go bad.

- Also avoid washing them and storing them in the fridge as they may become moldy, or over ripe.

-Buy local, made in same province, city, or within 100km.

3) Salads

I am working on bringing up my Iron stores so I really try to make an effort to buy better quality lettuce/salad. Its a work in progress but eventually I would like to include more of a variety of salads in my diet.

I use to eat iceberg lettuce, and more simple vegies like carrots, broccoli. However, in the past few years I have switched to the boxed salads. I aim to buy boxed salads that either come in a mix (spring mix). and/or buy at least 2 packages of different ones. 

-I find that boxed salads lasts a bit longer rather than if you buy the fresh ones off the shelf not precut. I am not sure about the science behind it but my lettuce usually succumbs to fridge burn (getting too cold). It could also be that the boxed salads are already precut, ready to go, thus you end up wasting less over time.

4) Meat

If you are a meat lover (which I am) buying larger quantities make sense to a certain point. For example, you don't want to buy so much meat that you eventually can't fit in your freezer or fridge and end up wasting because you can't eat through it.

I personally don't believe in buying a second freezer (as it could contribute to a slightly higher electrical bill) to store excess meat products unless of course if you have a very large family. If you ball park cost of second freezer, electricity wise could be maybe 10 bucks a month more, so $120 a year more; 5 years means a whopping $600 more.

Thank you for reading my blog, I hope you have found at least one thing that could save you money.

I have some news for my next blog, so I will be happy to share it with you all.

Also, do share any ideas of your own (in comments), which could inspire some to save even more.

Happy Humble saving,

Katy

Finance-the frugal mindset

This inconspicuous log reminds me of my dad, and his career as a renowned cabinetmaker. Perhaps my frugal mindset came from his work ethic too!
 

Financial Goals and savings mindsets

Tid bit about my career

 In some ways I am lucky to have such giving and caring parents who allowed me to start and finish my first degree my first degree and supported me financially during my first degree in Associate of Arts degree in Criminology.  More on CSI later! My dad worked a skilled trade as a furniture builder, and he understood how difficult money was to come by and wanted to give me that strong start in life; which could be where my frugality mindset stems from.

By being at home I saved money on the following things:

-Dorms and food meal plans(which can be expensive especially if you want premium package)

-Lunches, snacks and after school meals. My mom always without fail made me lunches and snacks while I attended college.(This can easily count up to a lot, especially if you are spending 8.00 on a lunch at the local food establishment.)

-Car expenses- I took transit to get to university which throughout my entire school career ranged from 30 minutes to 1hr 15mins. This runs into the thousands over the course of 1 year, if you count insurance in.

 I am thankful for the opportunities given and the acute attention that was given to being frugal to always having savings whenever possible.

Each reader has their own unique and special background of where they came from.

Lets start here:

I feel that as a starting point for being frugal is to create your own purpose for being frugal, because this will give you the understanding of where you are starting and where you would eventually would like to end up.  It is quite important because without a specific purpose its easy to get caught up in every day life and simply overlook saving and instead focusing more on the “wants”. Here are some questions which I think are important to think about and its not an exhaustive list.

a)      Why are you being frugal?

-Is your goal it save money for that car, down payment, retirement? Alternatively, would you like to save up for a children’s education or rainy day, or vacation? Also, one should keep in mind that goals change as one gets older.

b)  What is my reason for being frugal?

-   I think due to my upbringing frugality is part of my identity. I like to save money and divide my money up on several ways. Sometimes it’s not possible, but I do what I can as time goes by, a dollar at a time.

I am frugal to save:

#1…. for a rainy day  

     #2 …. for retirement

#3 ….for home improvements (floor and lighting fixtures)

#4 ….for contributing to the purchase of a vehicle with my husband.

#5….Vacations (I haven’t had enough of these and this is probably my biggest resolution for years to come)

In conclusion, once you are able to establish the reason for being frugal it will give you the basis, motivation and understanding of why saving money is so important. Thus, I feel ones reason will empower you to continue to save and accomplish the saving goals you have in mind.

Conclusion

    In my opinion, I would start with saving for a rainy day, and also paying off credit card debt. I believe that for most people those 2 things is where stress comes from and many don’t realize why money is such a difficult topic to talk about.