Today, finally, we did the stock up shop that normally gets done at the end of the month!
Between issues with the truck and trying to get my mother’s apartment emptied before the end of January, what would have been our first stock up shopping trip to the city, didn’t happen.
This trip is normally a stop at Canadian Tire, a Walmart and then either the international grocery store we like so much, or a Superstore.
Well, we’ve done our Costco shop, and have done local shops, so today we only needed to go to Canadian Tire and Walmart. Both of which we could do in the smaller city where my mother is now in a Transitional Care Unit, until they can find space for her in a personal care home on a permanent basis.
I didn’t take a picture, but our first stop was at Canadian Tire, where we got three 40 pound bags of litter pellets. I was also looking for more seed starting mix, but they only had Miracle Gro, which has become increasingly filled with chunks of wood and twigs. So I skipped that, but I did pick up a new growing tray kit. They had 72 cell trays with hexagonal cells and a greenhouse dome lid for only about $9. I just got the one, as I have other things I can use. I’ll eventually need to get more drain trays separately, though. More and more of my older ones are starting to crack.
My Canadian Tire purchase was only three bags of pellets and the one tray kit, which totaled $35.24
Then, it was the Walmart.
This is what $288.51 looks like.
Most of my list was non-grocery items. My husband requested a few things, and my older daughter requested some heat and eats. None of us are doing well enough to stand in a kitchen, cooking a full meal, right now.
So this is what I ended up getting.
I couldn’t get the receipt to lie flat, but I think it’s still readable.
In the heat and eats, my daughter chose dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets, just for fun. Not something we normally get, at all, ever! I grabbed a package of corn dogs at the last minute (they became supper!), plus we got a couple of bags of frozen tater tots.
For other food items, we got a couple more loaves of rye bread, sandwich pickles, 3% milk, a case of Kraft Dinner that was on sale, a bottle of Kefir (a rare treat), Birthday Cake flavoured coffee creamer, a box of Sleepytime tea and a bag of oranges.
My husband requested Fresca, sour candies and water flavours.
There are some feminine hygiene products, hair oil, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, paper towels, two cases of canned cat food, and the Jiffy seed starting mix I was looking for. Also, a package of baby wipes to keep in the truck for hand washing.
For the drive home, we got a couple of drinks and a snack to try. Samosa chips; rosemary vinaigrette flavoured. They were quite tasty!
And that’s it; 33 items in total came to almost $300.
Our Walmart shop actually cost more than getting the truck repaired. That doesn’t even include the Canadian Tire stuff, nor the gas we got on the way home (I only put in $20, but used my points to get 10¢ off per liter, so I got more for my money).
*sigh*
Thankfully, though, this should be our last big shop for the month. Which is already almost half over.
First up, I am happy to say, the truck behaved wonderfully today. The oil pressure gauge stayed right where it was supposed to. The check engine light even turned itself off, when I was on the way home. 😂
My husband wasn’t up to going into town to get his blood work done, so I went into the city for a much needed Costco stock up trip. I went to the new location this time, too.
First bonus was filling the gas tank. Gas was $1.099 instead of $1.279, like everywhere else.
This is what $737.33 looks like.
Today’s costs were a bit different, though, in that I renewed my Executive membership, as well as using the annual rebate. The renewal cost $130 and the rebate was $130.40, so they cancelled each other out. That’s why the receipt below has a total of $867.73.
First up, there’s the cat supplies. I got two 11.6kg bags of Whiskas, which was on sale, and two 9.1kg bags of Kirkland brand. One of the Whiskas will be for the outside cats, though we will still be getting 40 pound bags from the feed store. Mostly, it’s to give them variety. The remaining three bags of kibble should be enough to last the month for the inside cats. There is also a case of canned cat food (we’ll need to get more of that before the end of the month) and more puppy pads.
In non-food items, there is toilet paper and AA batteries. The batteries were on sale.
For beverages, there is a case of Monster energy drinks for the girls and I (which my daughter pays me back for later) and a case of Coke Zero for my husband and I. There is also a three pack of oat milk for the girls, which they use more for cooking than drinking.
We’ve been getting extra bread every chance we get, so I didn’t get a lot today. There’s two packages of tortilla wraps and a 2 pack of “rustic rye”. Not the rye I usually get, but it was a better price.
In dairy, there is 5 pounds of butter, a block of Old Cheddar cheese and a wheel of brie – the brie was on sale – a 4 pk of cream cheese and grated Parmesan.
There is also a 9 pack of pasta varieties that was on sale, a jar of mayonnaise, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of olives, dehydrated onion, a 2 pk of butter chicken sauce and canola oil.
The only frozen thing I got today was a “Normandy” bag of mixed vegetables. There is also a double flat of eggs (60 eggs). They’ve changed the eggs they carry. Now they’re “free run, farmer owned” (yeah… right), so they’re more expensive. I think we’ll be getting our eggs from the local grocery store now. They are every bit as “free run, farmer owned” as anything else.
In the meats and fish, I was able to get a fair bit. A large package of drumsticks, which was on sale, a large pork loin, a garlic coil – not on sale, but an excellent price – two panini packs for sandwiches, some snapper fillets for the girls, and mild Italian sausage. They didn’t have the wide variety of fresh sausages in stock this time, but they did have loose sausage meat, which was at a lower price, so I got that instead of sausage links. There is also a 6 pack of canned chicken.
Last of all, I got “supper”. For the girls, I got a nigiri platter. With how cold it is, I didn’t have to worry about raw fish in the box of the truck! I also picked up a meat lasagna that was supposed to be for my husband and I, but I forgot he has been cutting out cheese completely. The Lactase doesn’t seem to be helping, and even lactose free cheese is making him sick, so we’re not sure what he’s reacting too, all of a sudden.
That’s it. That’s what we got today, for over $730.
We have another milder day today, but it’s also supposed to snow later this afternoon.
We’ve already been out and back, but we didn’t make it.
The goal was to go to the nearest Walmart, mostly to restock on cat supplies. The prices aren’t quite as good as Costco, but certainly better than local.
Before we headed out, I backed the truck up enough that I could check for any new drips, and check the oil levels. I’d already texted the garage about a time when I could bring it in for a diagnostic, at least, since that check engine like it still on. It might turn itself off again when things get warmer, though. Plus, the driver’s side front tire has a slow leak still. That used to be the tire that leaked the fastest, so we got that sensor/valve assembly replaced. It no longer loses are like it used to, but it did still leak very slowly, somewhere. Both front tires got replaced, and the leak it still there, so that means it’s got to be the seal on the rim. It’s not an urgent thing, but it would be nice to not have any leak at all!
After I moved the truck, I saw fresh drips on the floor.
*sigh*
The oil level was actually low this time. I got my daughter to check it for me, because she can see the line better than I can. We ended up adding another 3/4 of a liter.
I messaged the garage about what I was finding. He is still perplexed, but we now have an appointment for Thursday afternoon, which is two days from when I’m writing this.
I asked if I needed to worry about going to the nearer city and he said it shouldn’t be a problem, but to check the oil again when we got there, and before we left. If it was a problem, they have their second location not that far from the Walmart that I could take it to.
We didn’t make it.
When my daughter and I headed out, I chose a route that took us towards town, where the garage is, first, instead of an alternate route through where my mother’s apartment was. There isn’t any difference in distance, really, but things were niggling at me and I decided to take the route that took us towards town.
We were maybe 2 miles from the highway turnoff when the truck started dinging. That oil pressure gauge just kept dropping, and was fast approaching zero, while the onboard computer was flashing a red message, “oil pressure low, stop engine.”
Well, we knew there was plenty of oil, so we just kept on going and tried to ignore the truck screaming at us. My daughter messaged the garage to say what was happening and that we were going straight there.
I’m so glad 1) I didn’t take the other route (though there is a garage I trust in the other town, too) and 2) it happened when it did, and not half way to the city on an empty highway.
Thankfully, it wasn’t too much further to the garage. Once we parked, I headed in while my daughter started messaging to update the family.
The owner had just got our message and was expecting me. I told him what was happening, and he was very perplexed. There was a lift open, though, so he sent one of his guys with the keys to bring the truck right in.
Which was quite a surprise for my daughter, when someone else got into the truck! I was going to message her first, but he would have gotten there before I could finish, so I didn’t bother.
They drove into the bay and my daughter joined me in the office, still laughing because she had to tell the guy how to get out of the truck. He was looking for a door handle that isn’t there!
The first thing they did was check the oil level, which was fine. Then they got it up, and I watched as the both of them were looking around with flashlights, trying to figure out what was going on.
I don’t have an oil leak.
It was the differential. Just a minor leak. Which explains the location of the “oil” drops I was seeing!
This leak would have been indistinguishable from any oil leaks we saw before that seal got replaced. It is also new, and likely another consequence of that last cold snap we had.
I already had the appointment set, so they’re going to replace the oil sensor, do an oil change and repair the differential leak.
I then asked about the possibility of getting pre-financing to see what we can afford to get to replace the truck. I just can’t be dealing with all these sensor issues! He’s going to send me a link, and I can start that process online.
There was no way we were going to continue on to the Walmart now. Instead, we went across the street to the regular grocery store. We wouldn’t be stocking up on cat supplies, but we could at least get enough to last us until the truck is worked on.
I didn’t get a picture of cart to show was $184.56 looked like, but I did get a shot of the receipt. Sorry for the poor quality image.
Top of the list is a 9.1kg bag of kibble. $43.99 The Kirkland brand kibble we get at Costco is also 9.1kg, but costs just under $30. Even the 11kg Whiskas brand bags they carry costs only a few dollars more.
*ouch*
They didn’t have cases of the larger size canned cat food we normally get at Walmart, so we got a dozen cans at 94¢ each.
After that, the only things we really needed to get that we would likely run out of over the next couple of days was milk, butter, bread and bananas. So I got a couple of pounds of butter, a 2L of milk and a couple of loaves of Texas Toast. Along with the bananas, I also got my husband more of the frozen curly fries. I remembered to get some plain cooking oil.
We also picked up a couple of packages of wieners on sale, so we got a couple of bags of house brand hot dog buns on sale, too. We just aren’t going to be up to doing proper cooking today, so those will likely be part of our supper tonight!
My husband requested some sour candies, plus Fresca that he splits with the girls. I got some more Coke Zero that he and I split. There’s some beef jerky, but that’s to keep in the truck.
Then, because we could really use some treats right now, we splurged. We got bags of chips for my daughters and I, plus there was a sale on baked goods, so we got chocolate croissants and chocolate brioche rolls.
My daughter and I were both quite hungry by then, so we got a couple of sandwiches and drinks for the drive home.
That’s it. That’s $184.56 Aside from the kibble and canned drinks, it all fit into three hard sided grocery bags, with room to spare. That cat food was what really kicked up the cost.
*sigh*
That done, we headed home. Thankfully, the oil gauge “behaved” and the needle was just low, but not low enough for the onboard computer to start screaming at us. We did make one stop at the post office. My daughter had ordered something could only be delivered by UPS, but they don’t go where we are, so it was delivered to the store the post office is in. It got there about half an hour before we did!
So now we will be staying home until after the truck is worked on. Then we can finally do a proper stock up trip, though with having to buy so much locally, it hasn’t been good on the budget! Plus, we’re going to have the truck repair bill to deal with soon.
*sigh*
Ah, well. It is what it is. As my father used to say, we can laugh, or we can dry, and I’d rather laugh.
After all the driving I did yesterday – including some white knuckle driving in near zero visibility, the last thing I wanted to do was head out again.
Unfortunately, between having to focus on getting my mother’s apartment emptied, plus concerns about the truck, we haven’t been able to do our usual city stock up shopping. I’m glad I had been able to do the top ups earlier but, until I can finally get to the city, we had to do another smaller shop. Plus, with all the driving I’d done yesterday, I normally would have gotten more gas before heading home on that last trip, but there was no way we were stopping to get gas at that point.
I really wish I’d been able to stay home today. The roads sucked. Yesterday’s high winds came from the south-southeast. Today, we had winds coming from the north-northwest. Since the roads I was traveling ran east-west, that meant there was drifting from yesterday/last night’s winds on one side, and new drifting on the other! Not to mention the open areas, where I was being broadsided by winds and had to fight them to stay on the road. Thankfully, it wasn’t particularly slippery. Temperatures were actually pretty mild today – not as mild as yesterday, but close. The winds, however, negated that completely.
I don’t want to have to do this again, so I made a larger than usual shop.
I filled a whole three grocery bags for $181.02m plus a 12 pack of Coke Zero and a couple of bags of potatoes – and that’s with all the discounts and sales I took advantage of!
Here’s what we got, today.
There’s the Coke Zero at the top of the list, which was on sale. I remembered we were running low on ketchup, so I got a bottle. It’s mostly the girls that use it, so I tend to forget. The gingersnap cookies are a treat for my husband.
There was a sale on pasta sauce, so I got a couple of jars. I got two 18’s of eggs rather than a flat, because the flats don’t fit in the hard sided grocery bags, and I didn’t want to fuss with a larger soft sided bag, just for eggs.
Next is a couple of pounds of house brand butter. The cheapest branded butter was almost $8 a pound. The spiral fries are something my husband is able to cook himself, which he likes to do whenever his pain levels are more tolerable. Then there are a couple of bags of frozen mixed vegetables, and a couple of bags of frozen pierogi.
Potatoes were on sale, so I got one of white potatoes, one of yellow. I also got a bag of onions and some bananas.
Stew meat was on sale, so I picked up the largest package I could find. It was still smaller than what I used to be able to get for under $20. Now, without the sale price, it would have cost over $30. Insane.
They had “cook tonight” discounts on whole chicken, so I got a couple. Those went straight into the freezer. I also got a couple of sausage rings, then decided to get a treat of potato salad. Something we don’t make ourselves, so it’s a fairly rare treat.
Last of all was bread that was on sale; two loaves of marble rye and two of whole wheat Texas Toast.
With the sale prices discounted at the till, not counting the sale items that were priced by weight, I saved $34.10. I could have gotten $10 off on this shop with my loyalty points, but saved it for another time.
There’s a reason we do bulk shopping in the city.
Hopefully, I will hear back from the garage early tomorrow. I ended up sending another picture. Once again, there was fresh oil under the truck. Just another drop, really. Still, it shouldn’t be there. Especially not after just getting that seal replaced. That means it’s coming from somewhere else.
*sigh*
No change in what the oil gauge is telling me. It starts off in the normal range, then drops to the exact same level in the “low” range, and stays there.
Tomorrow is supposed to be colder, but that wind is finally supposed to be done by now, so it’ll probably feel warmer than it has for the past couple of days. Today is Sunday, and the 10 day forecast is saying we’ll reach a high above freezing on Thursday, drop significantly on Friday, then warm back up again by Saturday. If the forecast is at all accurate, that will be the last of the whiplash weather – at least for the highs we’re expecting in the long range forecast.
Which means, by the time we’ve got whatever it is figured out with the truck and we finally do our stock up shopping in the city, even if it’s just one trip, it should be much more pleasant driving!
Since we had to bring cats in for neuters yesterday, and would be hanging around until they were done, we took advantage of being in a city. We wanted to pick up a few things before the polar vortex hit, so there would be no need to go anywhere during the coldest days.
Of course, we got more than was on the list.
This is what $293.80 at Walmart looks like.
Except for the three boxes of tea. My daughter bought those separately.
Gosh, that added up fast.
Part of it was because I needed to pick up some supplements.
The “white cheddar” at the top is actually a popcorn seasoning. We still have plenty of lactose-free cheese.
The “mineral” is my potassium, which I got along with some magnesium and zinc.
My older daughter had sent some funds, and part of her list included more energy drinks. The cases of 4 were on sale, so we got two cases.
My husband let us know we were almost out of peanut butter and molasses, one of his favourite snacks since childhood.
Next is a 5 lb bag of carrots – a good price, there. The vinegar is 7% cleaning vinegar.
It took some searching, but I found a small bag of seed starting mix, since I finished what I had left from last year, when starting the onion seeds.
The “sticks” is pretzel sticks; my husband requested something crunchy.
Not on the list is something we spotted on clearance. 3×10 heat vent covers. We need to replace several.
Pizza pops at under $20 is a good price, these days. At least compared to other places.
Next on the list is a new sponge mop head. My daughter tells me our current one has started to disintegrate!
Then there’s a bag of brown sugar, followed by a case of XXL puppy pads, feminine hygiene product, and a liquid soap refill.
Normally, I’d get a flat of 30 eggs, but they don’t fit in the hard sided insulated bags, so we got an 18 of eggs, instead. Then there are four loves of rye bread, followed by a couple of chocolate bars, one of which became part of my “lunch” on the way home, several hours later!
I got a 4 pack of distilled water for my husband’s CPAP humidifier. He wasn’t out, but the prices are much better at Walmart, so he’s well stocked now for some times.
Next on the “multi discount” list: We got a couple of energy drinks for right away, rather than for home. There is also a couple of coffee creamers for the girls, and 4 boxes of water flavours for my husband.
And that’s it.
Even with larger stuff, we didn’t fill a shopping cart, and it cost almost $300.
We did end up getting more.
After a had a bit of a nap in the truck, waiting for a call back from the vet clinic, I ended up going to the Dollarama. I didn’t get a picture of what I got, though. I found some 10% acid cleaning vinegar, so I got that. I really ought to remember to go there first. Walmart only has up to 7% acid cleaning vinegar, and it costs almost twice as much. I also got a roll of clear, self adhesive plastic that will be used to protect things from cat. I finally found a particular small size of hair elastics I’ve been looking for, for ages. I also got a small cat bed/mat for the inside cats. Last of all, I grabbed a small bag of roasted, salted cashews, which became part of my lunch/supper during the drive home, after picking up the cats. In the end, the total was about $16 and change.
That done, I rejoined my daughter in the truck. We didn’t stay there for too long before we headed back into the Walmart so my daughter could use the facilities, and then we just looked around at other things.
To get to the bathrooms, we had to go through the shoe section, which is where I spotted something hilarious.
Yes, I did end up getting them.
I found slippers that perfectly matched the pattern on my new coat.
Different brands of product, but same brand in pattern!
I didn’t even try them on, because I didn’t want to fuss with my boots. When I had the chance at home, I spread out my coat and found the matching pattern sections for pictures.
I also found some underroos in one of the few brands that are actually comfortable, in stock for a change, so I got a package while I could. I “splurged” on some cheap yarn in graduated, rather than variegated, colours. My daughter picked up a sketch pad and drawing tools for herself, which is where I found a small spiral bound sketch pad for my mother. None of the drawing tools in that section were things my mother could manage, so we went to the stationary section, where I found some coloured pencils that don’t need to be sharpened.
Altogether, with the slippers and undies being the most expensive items, it came out to just pennies over $60.
It ended up being a long time before we got home but, thankfully, nothing we got was damaged by the cold while sitting in the truck box. The insulated bags made the difference, so we didn’t have to worry about frozen eggs.
The last thing I got, just before heading home, was $30 in gas. Gas is currently $1.249/L
As for my splurge on slippers, when I tried them on, they did fit – sort of. Something about the toe design doesn’t fit my feet right, which would have caused blistering.
My daughter now has new slippers. They don’t bother her feet the way they do, mine.
And that’s it. Our mini stock up trip of almost $300 at Walmart, plus a few unplanned extras that brought the total to just over $400.
Did quite a bit of running around today, which I’ll cover in another post. Since I was in town anyhow, I did a small grocery shopping trip that turned out to be bigger than originally planned. I was only there for bread, milk and cheese! 😄
This is what $121.25 looks like, but I got $20 off from my loyalty points.
Yeah, most of it fit into the one hard sided bag I brought.
One of my daughters mentioned we were running low on glass top stove cleaner, so I picked up a bottle of that. I also got a 12 pack each of Coke Zero and Fresca for the four of us, which were on sale.
There was actually ginger snap cookies in stock, so I got a box for my husband, along with two jugs of distilled water for his CPAP humidifier. I also got him some frozen tater tots as an each snack that he can prepare himself.
Then I got two packs of marble, two packs of white Old Cheddar, lactose free cheese, which were on sale. They didn’t have any 2L 3% milk in stock, so I got 2%.
I spotted hoagie sausages on sale, so I got two packages. The sale price is what used to be their regular price. The girls really like those. I also picked up a ring of garlic sausage, made by a local company.
Then, finally, I got the bread I was there for. Four loaves of regular white and whole wheat bread. The rye bread I normally get was on sale, and completely out of stock, so this was the substitute.
And that’s it. All that, with sale prices and discounts, came out to over $100.
*sigh*
On another note, our pantry just got a boost for canned soups and a few more cans of beans. With my mother still in the hospital and not going back to her apartment, I’m going to start clearing some things out, little by little. My brother and SIL had picked up a lot of canned soup and such for her, as it was a lot easier for her and something the home care staff could prepare for her. After talking to them about it, they told me to take them, since we have “more mouths to feed”. 😄 I certainly won’t say no to things to add to our pantry!
While shopping today, I saw the canned beans we used to get regularly were on sale as 2/$3 A sale price of $1.50 per can, that used to cost 97¢ a can, regular price, not that long ago.
What isn’t pictured is my stop at the pharmacy. I got ibuprofen for the girls. Two smaller bottles that were on sale, making them cheaper than getting one larger bottle. I got acetaminophen for myself, which is safe to take with my anti-inflammatories. I still have some prescription painkillers left, but I don’t want to be using those if I don’t have to. I also got a tube of Voltaren for myself, that was on sale, and lactaid for my husband, which was not on sale. That all came out to something like $98.
I did stop at the hardware store before going to visit my mother, trying to find some Roof Melt. Turns out, they don’t even carry it, though the website made it look like they did. The city stores carry it, not the small towns. The first staff I asked about it didn’t even know what it was. I ended up talking to a manager? I think? who has helped me before. They tried really hard to find something for me. One of the other staff came by and heard what I was asking for, and got all excited, because it’s a product she would be getting, too! In the end, the manager said he was going to try and order something in, but he wasn’t sure if it would work.
He did mention that you can get beet juice granules. Somewhere. He didn’t know. This would be sprinkled on the roof and in the eavestroughs in the fall, where they would keep things clear all winter, and are completely safe for the grass and water table the melt water would drain to.
Well, we finally made it to Costco! Not the new location I was planning to go back to, but to the one that we have been going to regularly, since it was near where we could meet up with someone from the cat rescue and deliver a furball for adoption.
We did do a bit of non-pictured shopping. After delivering the cat, we went in and had breakfast. I ordered a large meal of Chinese food, knowing I could only eat half of it, and brought the other half home for my husband. That, plus my daughter’s food, totaled just under $50. Then my daughter wanted to look for something. While going through the mall, we passed a store I’ve never seen before that specialized in warm things – leggings, touques, mittens, blankets, scarves, slippers, etc.
Boxing day sales were still going on, and everything in the store was a flat $10 each.
We went in and my daughter found a display of slipper socks. She got a couple for herself and her sister. I got a couple for myself and my husband, if they fit. I also got a blanket and some suede moccasin style slippers. Hopefully, either the slippers or the slipper socks will fit my husband. If not, they might fit me. If they don’t fit me, they’ll fit the girls.
Each of the items I selected was regular price, $40. My total after taxes was $44.80.
After that, my daughter found a store with what she was looking for, and then we went to the Costco. I had planned to get gas first, but it was so busy, we just parked in the first open spot we could find – way out in a distant corner of the parking lot! At least we didn’t have to go into the overflow parking.
Oddly, it didn’t seem that busy once we were inside.
This is what our $$722.57 looks like.
That… really isn’t a lot.
I folded up the receipt because it had been pulled up part way through, so there were a lot of empty space, with an item count in the middle. It was only after I unfolded it that I realized there was a single item listed with the item count, too. A container of Parmesan cheese at $17.49
Aside from that…
For the big stuff that stayed on the cart, there is a case of Monster energy drinks, which I will be reimbursed for by a daughter, and a case of Coke Zero for my husband and I. There is a case of kitchen garbage bags, toilet paper, a 9 pack of pasta, a small case of tomato soup, and a double flat of eggs.
For cat stuff, there is four 9.1kg bags of kibble, a case of wet cat food and a case of puppy pads.
For the frozen and refrigerator stuff, there is a pork loin, which will be cut up into roasts and chops, and a pork blade roast. There’s a wheel of brie that was on sale, 5 pounds of butter, a block of Old Cheddar cheese, two packages of panini sandwich meats, a case of Oat milk, two 2 packs of salad mixes and a case of frozen pierogi.
Then there is a 2 pack of Vitamin D3, and some goat milk soap my daughter will be reimbursing me for, and a 2 pack of Head and Shoulders, which both my daughter and my husband use as an anti-fungal body wash, at the doctor’s recommendation.
There is also a container of popcorn, two big jars of mayonnaise, two 2 packs of rye bread, two packs of tortilla wraps, a case of instant oatmeal, and a case of ramen noodles.
I just realized, my daughter accidentally grabbed unsalted butter instead of salted butter. Oh, well. The price is the same! 😁
And that’s it.
Total number of items, 42. Total discounts, $15.30, but about $40 in taxes.
We got hardly any meat. Which is okay. With doing so many heat and eats for our Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, we still have some in the freezer.
Then we had to get the flat cart all the way to the truck. With so much packed snow, it took both of us to push it, and we kept having to stop to grab things that were vibrating off the cart.
Once we were loaded up, we went to fill the gas tank. The Costco price for regular gas was $0.999/L! It’s been ages since I’ve seen gas at under a dollar, even it if is barely a penny. Filling the tank cost $27.13
On the way out, we did stop at a gas station just outside the city. Mostly for a bathroom break before the drive home, but also to pick up some drinks, which my daughter paid for.
So, everything together today, including purchases at the mall, we spent about $844 in total.
Thank God this is just a once a month thing!
The next big purchase for the month will be a trip to the feed store to get 40 pound bags of kibble for the outside cats.
Ugh.
I’m glad to have the Costco shopping over and done with for the month, that’s for sure.
Meanwhile, I need to get that pork loin divided up for the freezer.
Today, my daughter and I headed into the city to do our combination last shop before Christmas and first stock up shop for January. After this, we don’t plan to do our Costco stock up shop until after New Year’s.
Our original plans changed a bit, though.
We waited until a bit later to start heading out, since it was still -30C/-22F at the time we normally would have headed out. As we were part way to my mother’s town, the check engine light turned on.
*sigh*
When we reached town, we pulled over in a gas station parking lot, so I could hook up the OBDII scanner. The scan is done with the key in that half way position, when things are on, but the engine is not running.
Which is when my onboard computer suddenly popped up a message, saying the batter was low and to turn on the engine!
Which I did.
The scan, however, came up with a code for an air-fuel ratio imbalance. Checking the details, this turns out to be a common code for our vehicle. The top reported fix is to replace the O2 sensor.
Did that mean we could still head into the city??
I knew my brother was on his way to the farm and would have his hands free set up, so I ended up calling him. I told him what we were finding. For the sensor, he suggested it could even just be that snow got in, but we should be fine with driving it. As for the battery, the gauge showed it was charging, so we should be okay with driving to the city.
Our first stop was Canadian Tire anyway, and their garage would be open (being Sunday, no local garages would be open), so I could see if they could check it/work on it, depending on how busy they were.
Of course, that made me absolutely paranoid for the rest of the driving!
Once there, I headed in ahead of my daughter, who was a sweetheart and paused to get some ice off from around the wiper blades. It kept rattling during the drive, which made me even more paranoid, because where the sound was coming from made us think it was the engine until we spotted the moving ice.
After explaining to the guy at the counter what was going on, and showing him screen caps of my scan reading, he assured me the truck was safe to drive. They didn’t have a tech in that could work on it. Since I already scanned it and had the code, there was no need for them to scan it again, which would have cost me $125. But he could check the battery for me, if I could pull the truck up to the main bay door.
So I did that and he hooked up to the battery to test it. We did have to pause to I could move the truck out of the way of someone needing to get a vehicle into a bay, but it was still very quick. The battery was low, even after driving for about an hour, so he recommended I put it on a charger when I got home and to leave it overnight. Our charger has an auto shut off once the battery is fully charged, so that was a viable option. He assured me that the truck was okay to drive. As for the sensor, he told me he knew of people driving around for a year before replacing it, so we would be fine.
When he was done, I confirmed how I was to exit the bay area, then said I would go around to park, then come in to pay.
He don’t me, no charge!
That was so awesome of him! Granted, it was less than 5 minutes to check my battery, but he still could have charged me for it and I would have been okay with it!
My daughter, meanwhile, was in the store and had found the coat section. One of my goals for today was to get a replacement parka, now that my 30+ year old down filled parka is finally unwearable.
For a while there, I didn’t think I’d find one.
Their inventory only goes up to XXL, for starters. Even with men’s coats, I like extra room, so I would have preferred a larger size. Sizes, however are not standard, so that is another issue. Also, I’m a tank. A refrigerator. A block. Plus, I’m fat.
The first XXL parka she found, I couldn’t even finish getting my arms in, the shoulders were so tight. We went through the entire section and there were hardly any XXL at all, and none fit.
We were starting to head out, thinking I would try at the Walmart (I doubt I would have found anything there), when we spotted another coat section.
We had even less luck there.
Then we found a couple of display racks at the far end of the store.
I found all of one XL in there. The rest were smaller.
Then my daughter spotted coats in the hunting section.
Amazingly, we found several XXL!
The first one I tried did fit, though it was tight on the arms. Especially the biceps. I may be rotund, but I’ve also got guns, and this parka, warm as it was, barely fit over them.
So we kept looking. My daughter found one that was basically two jackets together, and you could separate them if you wanted a lighter jacket. That one was the worst designed coat I’ve ever tried! I had to get my daughter to help me take off one of the arms because the outside was trying to come off, while the inside layer was wanting to stick to my arm.
Finally, after much digging, we found one that fit. I bit more snug under the arms than I would have preferred, but that was just a matter of cut, not size.
Everything was mixed up, and there was no price on the tag, so I didn’t know if it was in budget. My daughter found someone that could scan the bar code, and it was only $100!
I was so happy!
We then headed to the checkout, where we also paid for the litter pellets we were there for. Those are stored in the vestibule on the way out, so my daughter went to start loading the cart, while I put on my new parka.
We got 4 bags of litter pellets, so the total was $145.55, but I only got a picture of my new parka, so this is what my $99.99 hunting jacket looks like.
My daughter was making all sorts of “where’s Mom? She’s hidden!” jokes.
Also, she requested I stick my arms out like a penguin for the picture. 😄
I had some concerns about how thin the coat was but, WOW, did that thing get warm, fast! I really appreciated how warm the hood was, even though it was really quite loose.
We did find it funny, though not really surprising, that the only coat I could find that fit was a hunting jacket.
Our original plan after Canadian Tire was to go to Walmart for kibble, then to a Superstore for the groceries, but with the truck concerns, I wanted to do as little starting and stopping at possible.
So, we did just the Walmart, instead.
We were originally going to go into the mall the Canadian Tire is part of for lunch, but completely forgot, so we did McRaunchies at Walmart for sustenance, instead.
That was $36 (with a donation to round it up to the nearest dollar). McRaunchies isn’t particularly cheap anymore! We didn’t get any sorts of extras, either. Just burgers, fries and drinks. *sigh*
Then, we finally got to shopping. Which was not fun at all. Granted, it wasn’t as crowed as I was afraid it would be, but it was busy enough and annoying enough that I completely forgot I was supposed to see if they had office/desk chairs in stock to replace my husband’s broken one. At least most people seemed pretty cheerful, and there were a lot of smiles to be shared.
My daughter had her own list and did her own shopping, so that’s not included. She finished and headed for the truck before I even got into line, where I found myself having a lovely chat with the elderly gentleman I let in front of me. He had just a few things in a hand basket, so I sure wasn’t going to make him get behind me in line!
This is what $442.24 looks like.
Most of that cart space is taken up with bags of kibble.
For our Christmas plans, we had decided on doing a lot of appetizers and finger foods, rather than our usual huge Christmas Eve wigilia (vigil) meal. I might still do a turkey for Christmas day, though, but we always do our main activities starting after sunset on Christmas Eve.
My daughter picked up some things for this on her budget, but this is what I got, along with regular stock up stuff.
Of course, there were the basics. They had toilet paper on sale, so I picked some up. We still have plenty, but since we’re not going to Costco until later than usual, better to have extra on hand! I also got a large package of paper towels and a package of facial tissues.
For the cat supplies, I got XXL puppy pads (I was out of that size), odor eliminating pet stain powder for carpets (for when the cats manage to get past the puppy pads!) and four 9.1kg bags of kibble. We have enough wet cat food to last until Costco, so I skipped that on this trip.
That made up the bulk or things.
For food, I got a bag of potatoes, some carrots, grapes and that was it for produce. For dairy, I got marble, Havarti and Old Cheddar cheeses. The “white cheddar” on the receipt is popcorn seasoning.
I picked up three loaves of rye bread for regular eating, and four baguettes for New Year’s Eve – those are now in the freezer.
For heat and eats and finger foods, most of which are for Christmas Eve, I got chicken nuggets, fish sticks, cream cheese wontons, a variety pack of Asian appetizers, and meatballs.
There’s also a jar of “Itty Bitty” pickles and a strawberry rhubarb pie. I even remembered to get my B100 vitamins that I was out of. There’s a pack of frozen, extra crispy, curly fries, mostly for my husband, and they had cross rib roasts on sale, so I actually got some beef! I also got a package of frozen salmon filets for my daughters. I’d forgotten about those and it took me the longest time to figure out what HL SIG WPS was. 😄 High Liner Signature Cuts Wild Pacific Salmon.
As we’re still pretty much in the middle of the month, we are still pretty well stocked from last month’s shopping, so a lot of things are “missing” from our usual first stock up trip. The kibble needs to last either until our Costco trip, or until I can get to a feed store. I got four 40 pound bags of kibble last month, and we were almost completely out, after this morning’s yard cat feeding! Three of the bags I got today should last for the outside cats until I can properly stock up, and one bag is more than enough for us to last with the inside cats, as we still have a fair bit.
So, there was have it. A grand total of $588.78. $624.78, if you count lunch.
After that, it was time to head home. Once out of the city, we stopped at a gas station to fill the tank, pick up some drinks and snacks for the ride home. As we were returning to the truck, my daughter ran back in to use the washroom for the long drive home, so I moved the truck away from the pumps to a parking spot to wait for her.
Which is when I noticed.
The check engine light was gone.
Yay!!! Maybe it was just snow in the sensor, after all!
Even the gauge for the battery was where it normally is.
Everything stayed as normal for the drive home, which was a relief for both of us.
After we got home, we pulled up to the house to unload (my brother got a LOT of snow blowing done, including enough in the inner yard that we could drive up to the house). Then I fed the outside cats before moving the truck into the garage. While my brother cleared a path to the door, he didn’t clear enough to turn around, so I’ll work on that tomorrow. Backing up through down path was a test of my reverse driving skills, that’s for sure!
Once in the garage, I got out the battery charger and hooked it up, plugging it into the shop power bar that I use to plug the truck’s block heater into. The charger showed full charge so, while I fussed with the power bar so I could plug in the block heater, I wasn’t surprised when the charger shut off. I was in the process of putting it away when I realized that, while moving the power bar around, with all the cords so stiff in the cold, it accidentally got unplugged. So I plugged it back in, then got the charger set up again.
In that very short length of time, the battery already lost charge.
The battery is only 2 years old, but we don’t have a battery warmer. The cold may have damaged it.
I now have the charger set up for the night. It’ll shut itself off when the battery is charged, but will turn itself back on again, if the charge drops.
Tomorrow is Monday, so our local garage will be open. I plan to give them a call to talk about bringing the truck in for a diagnostic. I’m not too worried about that code that triggered the check engine light to turn on, but I am concerned about the battery.
At this point, the only driving I plan to do between now and after New Year’s, is to visit my mother at the hospital on Christmas day. My sister will be visiting on Christmas Eve, and my brother saw her today, on his way home from our place. I just found out that he broke a sheer pin on the snow blower. Thankfully, he was able to scavenge one from their other snow blower that isn’t running. When he was done, he tried to find a replacement in town. There was none to be had, but it did give him a chance to see my mother.
Once I was settled in, I called the hospital to see how my mother was doing. She was responding to the IV Lasix to reduce the swelling so well, they are no longer going to continue that for a week. She will be back to taking it in pill form.
I spoke to the guy for a while and remembered to tell them about my mother’s macular degeneration, and that it was getting worse, but we couldn’t transport her to the clinic in the city for treatment anymore. He thought we had an appointment and said they could arrange transportation, but I told him, the last appointment she had, we had to cancel it, so we haven’t made another appointment since then. It was good to know that they could have transporter her, though.
As we were talking, and he was telling me how great my mother was doing, I brought up her pain and mobility issues, saying that after this, she couldn’t go home anymore. He said, “yes”. Like, it was a given that she couldn’t live independently anymore.
This is the first time anyone actually said that.
He brought up having her paneled for long term care, and I told him, she’s been paneled. Twice. Once, just a couple of months ago. He sounded shocked to hear that. I told him, we aren’t understanding why she hasn’t been accepted.
I didn’t mention it, due to how much time it’s been, but it’s not due to lack of beds. During her last panel interview, the home care coordinator said there were beds available. It’s just that she wasn’t “needing” that much home care. That was part of why we added meal assists, bathing and dress assists, to her care plan. My mom did actually need them, but had been refusing them. Just like she has refused things like having a hospital bed, which she really needed.
He told me that, now that she’s in the hospital, she will stay there until they can find a space for her. The people in charge of those decisions will be in, tomorrow, so that would be the time to call and ask about it.
Hearing that was such a relief!
After talking to him, I asked to be transferred to my mother’s room so I could talk to her.
I tried to tell her about what the nurse told me, but she made that very, very hard! I would say a bit, and she would cut me off with a tangential rant. I’d manage a bit more, and she would cut me off again and go off in another directions. I kept saying, let me finish, and she just ignored me. I had to actually raise my voice and talk over her, several times, saying “let me finish” before she finally stopped.
I finally was able to tell her that she will be in the hospital until they can find a place for her in a nursing home.
Her immediate reaction?
Where?
Over the next while, I had to deal with her doing what she always does: be her own worst enemy. She even started to say how, with home care taking such good care of her, with her medications and her meals, and my doing her grocery shopping for her, she can manage just fine. Her vision loss isn’t a problem, because it doesn’t hurt.
She doesn’t want to be a bother…
…
I had to stop her and tell her – again -that she needs to stop making light of things. She can NOT go home after this. It’s just not safe for her.
I’m just so frustrated. She’s the one who started the push to be placed into a nursing home. This is what she wants, and what she needs. We’ve been fighting for this for two years and, and now that she is SO close to actually getting into long term care, suddenly she’s talking about how she’s fine in her own apartment.
I told her (again), that this is the time to say MORE about her physical issues, not less, or make light of them, or not tell the hospital staff about them at all.
I don’t know that I got through to her. She finally stopped cutting me off, but when she goes silent like that, it often means she completely disagrees and is planning to do the opposite of what she should be doing.
Hopefully, she won’t this time but, gosh, she makes it hard for us to help her at times!
Anyhow.
Tomorrow, I’ll be giving my new winter coat a real test. I plan to expand some of the areas my brother has cleared out with his snow blower, and clear out more paths in the yard. Little Spewie is going to get another work out! Some of the areas will need to be shoveled, though, so I’ll be getting a workout, too! We are expecting more snow tomorrow, but now they’re saying it won’t start until 6pm, and it’s full dark before 5pm these days, so that’s not going to be an issue.
While catching up with my brother and SIL after visiting my mother yesterday, my brother gave me strict instructions to NOT have a heart attack, with all the shoveling I’m doing! 😄 I’ll be sure to follow his instructions.
The main thing is, we can get in and out easily, and we are stocked up. Anything beyond that is gravy!
I’ve been posting about our stock up shopping trips for a few years now, including photos of the receipts. Those who follow those posts over the years have seen how much less we are getting for our money.
One of the frustrating things is, we can’t really buy beef anymore. Not even beef shares. A lot of farmers just aren’t doing the direct sales anymore. The beef has to be processed through a provincially licensed and approved butcher. That adds so much to the price, they can’t be competitive in their sales. Personally, I’d be fine with buying beef from our renters that they butchered themselves – or even a side of meat that we could process ourselves – but that would get them in trouble with the province. It’s hard enough to be a farmer of any kind in Canada, without that sort of thing.
One of the things that has amazed me, even before our inflation skyrocketed (cost of living has increased over 40% in just the last few years, thanks to our federal government’s actions), is how much cheaper groceries are in the US. I was blown away to find out even dollar stores in the US even have freezer sections and sell meat (do they still do that?). I know, for you in the US, it’s a relative thing and prices are high for you right now in many areas. Today, however, I saw this video that did as close a comparison as I’ve seen so far. He mentions Costco prices, which are even more insane than the Canadian beef prices he used to compare with in the video. You’re meat prices are so much lower than ours!
These high prices are all artificial, with much of it due to the “carbon taxes” our current dictator said was dropped to zero before he was installed in office, only for it to turn out to still be there, just under another name.
Canada is in serious trouble. Especially since our overlords are going out of their way to kill off more animals. Tens of thousands of hens are being killed off by the same department that horrifically massacred over 300 healthy ostriches, after months of neglect and abuse, that weren’t even part of the food chain (I’ve recently learned the bullets used were .22 longs. You can’t kill something as big as an ostrich with a .22 unless it’s a direct head shot). They’re also slated to kill off yet another herd of beef cattle, or may already have been by now.
Yet somehow, the people doing this stuff are able to play all the games to stay in power. It’s insane.
I counted 26 or 27 this morning. In this picture, a well fed group is under the higher wattage heat bulb. When I did the evening feeding, I noticed none where hanging out under the lower wattage heat bulb, which is closer to the floor. I checked it and there was no heat coming off of it. It was plugged in, the switch was on but, nothing.
No. It wasn’t burned out.
Somehow, it was unscrewed, just enough to cut power to the bulb! The heat cover was also loose from its threads. I’m not sure how the cats manage to do this!
I headed to my mother’s earlier than usual, as I wanted to get her grocery shopping done before the home care aid arrived for her lunch assist. When I got there, she had actually started some vegetables cooking on her own. She does things in stages, so she can sit down frequently.
After double checking and modifying her list that we put together when I was there on Saturday, I headed out. There wasn’t much on it, so I was done quickly. Fast enough that I took the time to stop at a little department store along the way. I know my mother won’t be able to do a Christmas tree, and very little decorating, if any, so I wanted to get her something festive. I ended up finding a little tree set, complete with a string of lights, small enough to sit on her dining table. Then, spur of the moment, I got her a Hickory Farms set with a sausage, crackers, cheese and mustard.
When I got them out and showed them to her, making sure she knew that these were gifts from me, not something I got with her grocery money (because that would have been her first thought), she got all angry with me for getting her gifts. Especially the Hickory Farms pack. With that one, I opened the box and showed her what was in it, and saying it was something to go with her tea, if she wants, or to bring out if she has company. She was still angry with me.
Which is what I expected, really. My mother has never known how to accept gifts graciously, that I can remember. I know that she will eventually enjoy them, but will likely never admit it. At least not to me!
As I was putting her groceries away, the home care lunch assist worker arrived. Since I was there anyhow, she didn’t stay and I took care of making my mother’s lunch for her, and finishing off what she had started cooking, doing all her dishes, etc. At one point, she asked me to look for something in her cupboards (we never found it), but she has a bunch of stuff that she would like to take. These are things she brought from here at the farm – glasses, bowls, etc. – but had never used. They are, however, vintage things that we would actually keep and use. Especially my younger daughter, who really appreciates such things. They are fragile and just out of my reach, though, and we decided today was not a day to drag out the stool and start taking them down. Mostly, she’s just happy to know that they are claimed and won’t end up disposed of in some way.
I wasn’t in any hurry to leave today, as my husband messaged me to let me know there was a parcel to pick up. The post office was almost closed for 2 1/2 hours over the lunch period. Which meant I had time to do all my mother’s dishes, make room in her fridge, and prep containers of food to cool down before they would go into the fridge.
I did remember to go through my mother’s lock box. I knew there would be one bubble pack with her Sunday bedtime meds still in it. Those turned out to be the only ones in the pack. Another pack had only a Monday morning bubble with meds in it. I took both out and set them into a pill organizer she has, so the packs could be thrown away, and left a note in the lock box for the next med assist person. My mother will be getting her refills soon (which the pharmacy will no longer deliver to her, at my request; I will pick them up), so the lock box was going to need the space.
For some reason, the home care aids keep locking more and more of my mother’s pens into the lock box. They have a form to fill out, with each med assist. There should be one pen with their folder. Instead, it seems they use a pen from her table, then lock it up into the box. I’m guessing the pens fall to the bottom while the next care aid moves it to unlock it, so they don’t see it and grab another one… which gets locked into the lock box. There was one time I wanted to make my mother’s shopping list, but couldn’t find any of my mother’s pens in the container she has for them on her table. On a hunch, I went into the lock box. I found six pens in there!
While doing my mother’s shopping, I noticed some very good sales at the grocery store, so after I was finished at my mother’s, I went back to do a bit of shopping of my own. I actually bought beef today! They had a sale on tri tip that was at $6.99 a pound. That’s lower than ground beef is right now. I got a few other things, as well.
I was at Costco, yesterday, and their Kirkland brand chocolate chips were over $30 for a 2kg/4.4lbs bag. What gets me is not only how much more expensive the Kirkland branch chocolate chips are here, but that they are more expensive than the name brand chocolate chips – both are semi-sweet – in a 2.4kg/5.3lb bag.
I recall, two or three years ago, that there were predictions of the price of chocolate going up, due to things like weather damage, pests and disease. Add in everything else involved in production and processing going up and adding to the price, it’s really gotten insane. It takes a few years for the increase in prices of cocoa beans (they tripled) to affect retail prices, but now I’m seeing that there is a recovery and supply is increasing. Prices might start to ease a few months from now, though probably not by much. The beans may not be as expensive, but all the other costs are still going up.
That done, I still had time before the post office reopened, even with how long the drive it, so I ended up going to the local Chinese restaurant for a late lunch.
The store the post office is in is an old style general store that includes a liquor section, right next to the post office window. As I was waiting for my parcel, I started looking at the nearest display and spotted a new wine, with the label stating it was from our province. The postal clerk saw me looking and told me that the wine is actually produced locally. As in, just off the highway that runs through our little hamlet! There was a semi-sweet and a ginger and lemon, both sparkling white wines.
I ended up getting a bottle of ginger and lemon. It only cost $20. Technically, my mother bought it, since she gave me $20 in cash for gas. 😂😂 (It costs almost $30 a trip to go to her place, with the current local prices.)
I’m now debating: do we taste test it now, or save it for Christmas? 😁
With the extra stuff, I sent a message home and my younger daughter was sweet enough to come out and open the gate for me, then help bring the bags to the house. It was a bit early but, once everything was in and I still had my boots on, I took care of feeding and watering the outside cats, and doing my evening rounds, while my daughter put stuff away.
Then, opened up our parcel and go it set up, but I will write a review on that in my next post!
The Re-Farmer 