Self Reliance - Let's Work Together

Anyone want to learn or hone some homemaking skills like:

• baking bread
• making pies
• canning
• sewing
• budgetting
• crafting / 'home beautification'
• handiwork (crocheting, knitting, cross-stitching, etc)
• Blogging

Feel free to add to the list.

Maybe we could share skills? In other words, one or two people go to another person's house who knows a certain skill and we learn from each other. A few years ago 4 of us, including my amazing mother-in-law got together in the fall and made apple pies. It was so much fun, we got to know each other better and we made over 20 pies in an afternoon to divvy up between us. Someone taught me how to machine quilt.

I feel confident in my ability to preserve food (jams, canned fruit), make cinnamon buns and sew some basic things. If you want to learn more, please contact me.

I would like to learn how to trade stock on the internet (not now but someday) and how to get music onto my iPod.

If you have skills and want to share please comment.

If you want to learn skills please comment.

Then we can match people up.

Sounds like a good time to me. Total Win-Win situation.

Summer Fun - Deals

Here are a few fun things in and around Red Deer that I found:
This Wednesday is the Westerner Days parade. FREE
FREE Family swimming: City of Red Deer site is not available right now but I think it's Tuesday July 17 at Dawe and Thursday July 19 at Collicutt in the evening.
MAGnificent Saturdays at the Red Deer museum: fun things for your kids each Saturday afternnon, activity included in admission.
Drive in Movie Nights at Parkland Mall: $10 per car. July 21 Twister, Aug 10 Ferris Bueller's Day Off, August 24 ET: The Extra Terrestrial
July 27-29 - Centre Fest Street Performer's Festival FREE, good idea to bring some loonies and toonies for the performers
August 18 - Fiestaval Latin Festival - so much fun!! FREE (admission free, bring money if you want to eat)
August 18-19 Pioneer Days at Sunnybrook Farms (not sure of admission price but this is fun)

Google for more details.

Grocery Deals This Week

Safeway: Today only, 1lb Lucerne butter 2 for $5
Sign up for their e-mails to get some e-mail only coupons and other deals.

No Frills: roast beast $2/lb
and some other deals, check out their flyer on-line (www.nofrills.ca)

Low Cost Snacks

I purchased a large amount of snacks from the Children's Festival at a reduced price and quickly realized that there is far too much for our Nursery kids. So, I have for sale:
Bear Paws cookies, chocolate chip or banana bread, $25 for a case (12 boxes/case). Each box has 8 packages of cookies. I will sell the boxes separately for $2 each (retails for $3.47 each at Superstore)
Gold Fish crackers (individual packages) $40 for a case (18 boxes/case). Each box has 6 packages of gold fish. I will sell the boxes separately for $2.25 each (retails at $2.97 each at Superstore)
These would make great snacks for all your summer adventures. I will check the dates to see if they will be good into the fall for school snacks (I would think so, but will check to make sure).
Let me know if you're interested.
Please note that I am not making any money off of these, I am selling for the same price I purchased which is well below retail cost.

Grocery Deals this Week

Safeway has an awesome deal TODAY only:
10kg sugar for $7.99
6oz/170g raspberries $0.99 (not great but fun to have once in a while)
Crest toothpast $0.75 (75-130ml)

And for the rest of the week, $5 days including:
Kraft Dinner 5 for $5
frozen pizza $5
peppers (all colours) $1/lb
strawberries 3lbs/$5
There's a few more deals too, but worth checking out.
Also, spend $100 get 100 airmiles.

I got Armstrong cheese (700g) for $7 today. It was in the flyer last week but still at that price today, not sure if it will be for the rest of the week or not.

Mark's Work Wearhouse has their special evening THIS Thursday, just in time for Father's day: 20% off everything including sale price that evening. Plus there is a coupon on the flyer for $10 off a purchase of $50 or more. Good deal.

I'll post more later.

Collicutt Passes and Sobeys Cards

Madolin and Jenna are going to Morrocco. For some fundraisers they are doing the monthly sobeys cards as well as collicutt passes. You can purchase 25, 50 and 100 dollar gift cards for sobeys. 12 child or youth passes or 3 family passes to the collicutt for 30 dollars. Let us know if you want any of these, and THANK YOU in  advance!!!  

JoAnn's Grocery Pick for the Week

I know it's been a while, but truly there hasn't been much to talk about.  However, this week, I'm pumped.

Co-op

It's their warehouse sale this week and they've got meat on if you need to stock up.

chicken breast, frozen $25.40/box

lean ground beef $2.49/lb (limit 1)

fresh pork loin $1.99/lb  not sure if they are whole or cut into chops, but they are definitely boneless.  Super

Campbell soups $4.99/case of 12  that's $.41/can (limit 2 cases)

Kellog's jumbo cereals $3.99

Strawberries big 5lb pkg $5.88  However, SS has their 2lb pkg for $2.86 which is slightly cheaper.  Both is good.

Haven't really studies the rest of the flyer, but if it's meat you want, here's your chance

Superstore

A few things here:

Strawberries $2.86/2 lbs

asparagus $1.96/lb

head lettuce $.86

NN peanut butter $8.48 2kg.  While 6 months ago this would have been totally outrageous, it's a good price for today.  However, if you have enough to last you another 6 months, my suspicions are the price will contiue to soften as the new peanut crop is harvested.  Just a thought.

Now for the best part

NoFrills  It's Dollar Days!!!

fresh chicken legs $1/lb  Even taking into account the extra back bones, this is still a great deal.  Makes terrific soups, bbq (parboil first)

Cook's ham steaks 170g/$1  Now I'm not a purchaser of ham steaks, but with bbq season here, you could get a couple of steaks for very little and because they are large, they could go a long way.  If you are used to the /100g price for cured meats, this is $.59/100g  Very good for a steak.

Buddig sliced meat (tiny pkg of ultra thin sliced meats) 2/$1  That's $.70/100g

Pork Souvlaki  2/pkg $1.00  Not exactly a staple item, but perhaps an enticing treat.  regularily $1.99

sour ream 500mL $1

Ricotta (Silani) 300g tub $1

gala apples $1/lb

tomatoes $1/lb

broccoli $1

frozen spinach $1.

Bagels 6/$1  I usually get these at the Bread Basket, but I think this is good for fresh

Dare cookies $1/350g

NN marshmallows $1/400g pkg  If you are used to buying the giant 1kg bag, this would be only $2.50!!! instead of over $5.00

pickles $1/L jar

V8 vegetable cocktail $1/almost 1L jar.  I don't buy this, but I see it's less than 1/2 price

Quaker rice chips or cakes $1

Soda crackers $1

canned veggies 2/$1

Several brands of shampoo $1/bottle

Colgate toothpaste $1

NN perogies $1/kg bag

Happy shopping