Urban Exploration: A Nosy Parker’s Dream Come True

Feb27

I am a big fan of urban exploration – it feeds the nosy parker deep down. There is something about it that appeals to my sentimental side.

Every time I drive down Derry Road on my way into Milton, I look at the old farmhouses – there is one in particular with a “1905” on it, all boarded up, and I wonder what it must have been like in that house 60 or more years ago, before there was any developments around, and when the farm was functional and there was likely a large family living there. There is a distinct feeling about that house, and I feel it every time I drive by.

After some research, it looks like one owner tried to put a gas station there, but for some reason that was not approved. I think Imperial Oil bought the land in 2009, and now it sits. I wonder what would happen if they auctioned off the property? This house would be a dream for many willing to renovate it and restore it back to it’s original glory. Continue reading →

Salad in a Jar

Jun18

On Sundays, I do all my food preparation for the week. I clean out the fridge, move food into the ‘stock’ bag for the freezer (any unused chicken, or wilted veggies fall into this category). I also think about what we will be taking for lunch throughout the week. I love salads, but hate all the work in making them during the busy week. The Salad in a Jar is a perfect way to get your salad ready on Sunday, and enjoy it through the week.

Continue reading →

Easy Meal Planning

Jun17

Meal planning is one of those things that can take up a lot of time. Even when you do it every week, it still doesn’t get any easier, and sometimes it just doesn’t get done. If you don’t do a plan, then the week following is chaotic, filled with fast food and multiple trips to the grocery store. Continue reading →

Pantry Challenge: What if I don’t shop this week? (menu plan included)

Jun4

So this week was a busy one for me. I had family visiting, work was crazy and there just wasn’t time to do a big shop. I managed to do the menu plan, and I tried to focus on things that I already had around the house. Here is what it looks like this week: Continue reading →

Consumers Distributing

May12

One of my childhood memories is Consumers Distributing. I loved this store – and I loved the catalog. You could “shop” at home, then go into the store, and just order what you wanted, and they would bring it to you (they also offered free delivery). There was a small storefront, with a few displays, but nothing that you could pick up and look at. They were similar to the Sears catalog, except that you would go to the store in person. Stock issues were a common problem, as many items were often out of stock, and attempts to fix the inventory issues led to overextending the company, and they ultimately went out of business.

Here are some flashbacks from 1979, and what they offered. Continue reading →

Do you reuse plastic containers?

May9

As you know if you read the Bone Broth post, I made my own stock. Usually, I save empty sour cream and yogurt containers, and freeze the stock in there once it’s cooled.  I didn’t think too much about it, since I wasn’t heating foods in the plastic. But an article got me thinking – even if I am not heating the plastic, do the chemicals leech into my food while frozen in the freezer? Continue reading →

Mississauga Grocery Flyer Deals

Apr14

Happy Easter everyone!! Every week I scan the flyers to see what’s on sale, and what great deals exist that I can stock up on. Certain things only go on sale periodically, and it makes sense to grab those items while you can, and if your grocery budget allows, buy enough to get you through to the next time it goes on sale.

This week the theme seems to be “meat, meat and more meat”!  This is a great opportunity to get some special occasion meats at a great price.

Here are some of the best deals this week: Continue reading →

Frugal Living: Doing more with less

Apr6

A big part of frugal living is not only saving money, but finding ways to do more with what you already have. We are so used to running out and buying something new as the need arises. But how many of us will actually stop and think ‘what do I have that I could use instead of buying another…?’

It really is a shift in mindset. Especially when we are busy, it is easier to solve a problem with money, then to spend time trying to find a creative solution. When reorganizing my office this week, I realized that the small bookcase I bought at Canadian Tire 10 years ago had finally had it. I started automatically thinking about what I could replace it with, and how much it would cost.  As I put the books away, I started thinking ‘maybe I don’t really need to replace the bookcase – what would happen if I just moved a few things around?’ Continue reading →

Dealing with baked goods when your child has food allergies

Apr2

One of the things that changed for us when we had a child with food allergies was no longer being able to buy items from the bakery section of our grocery store. Most baked good have warnings about tree nuts, sesame, eggs etc.  Many are peanut free, but the other allergens are usually present due to the other items that are produced in the factory/store. There are a few brands of things we can buy here in Ontario (Old Mill English Muffins are sesame free), and some wraps, and one brand of rye bread, but that’s about it. Continue reading →