Five Frugal Things -- Vancouver, Canada!
1) My husband and I are finally on our Canadian adventures to celebrate our 33rd wedding anniversary. We cracked open our "road trip" snacks by Tacoma, making sure to finish off any and all produce before we hit the border. Thank you to everyone who let me know in yesterday's comments section that bringing fruit and vegetables across the border was a huge no no!
We only stopped at Washington state rest stops, plus one last gas station before crossing the border, as we suspected that Canadian gas (petrol?) would jump in price.
I did a web search of "how many liters are in a gallon" as soon as we passed our first Canadian gas station. The result of 3.79 liters/gallon at $1.95/liter puts the gas at $7.38/gallon. (Yikes!) But then I did the math to convert the Canadian dollars back to American, it's actually not as bad as I first thought at $5.30/gallon. This isn't all that different than current Oregon and Washington gas prices.
Long car trips allow for these type of time consuming mathematical sheniganans.
We had no problems at the border and were able to answer honestly that we were bringing zero produce into Canada. We even made to sure to dump our apple cores and banana peels into a Washington rest stop bin. Took nothing to chance.
2) Our first instinct after checking into our room was to stretch our legs and head out for some exploration. Although it's my first visit to Vancouver, my husband has visited multiple times for Portland Timbers vs. Vancouver White Caps soccer games and knew exactly where he wanted to eat. It was a bit of a schlep, but we made it all the way to Dinesty Dumpling House for dinner. I could've polished off three plates of those spicy string beans on my own, not because I was tremendously hungry, they were just that good!
Obviously the soup dumplings and pan fried pork buns were also delicious. We'll be hitting up this restaurant again!
3) We continued project "Stretch Our Legs" after dinner and made our way down to the harbor to enjoy the sunset and water views. It was excellent people watching and perfect weather. There were lots of spending opportunities, but we kept our wallets in the locked and upright position.
I just checked my phone and see that I got 8,447 steps yesterday, which is pretty impressive considering that I spent six-and-a-half hours trapped in a car!
4) Our hotel stay includes a buffet breakfast, which I always consider when booking accommodation. My expectation is generally low and I've learned through the years how to put together a satisfying and healthy meal from whatever's being offered. (My hack is to use two or three instant oatmeal packets, but to remove the sugar clumps.) However . . . this hotel has the most amazing free (not really free, you're paying for it) breakfast buffet I've ever experienced! I've never been on a cruise, but it resembled the videos of cruise buffets that I've seen online.
Not only do they offer the above options, but they also had yogurt parfaits, pastries, multiple fresh fruits and an elaborate oatmeal setup. My husband and I had bookmarked a couple different Vancouver breakfast restaurants to try, but we're now scrapping that plan!
Here's the best part, the breakfast is open until 10 A.M., which is amazing, as these hotel breakfasts close usually at 9 A.M. and it's a bummer to not sleep in while vacationing.
We tipped $10 Canadian to the waiter who took care of us, even though we chose the free buffet option.
5) Even though we're enjoying beautiful Vancouver, B.C., we will not be purchasing a second home for our twilight years. Just a wee bit out of our price range!
I guess I'll have to fill my time enjoying all the excellent Vancouver suggestions from everyone in this blog post!
Frugal hack!
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
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Happy Anniversary! I loved Vancouver when I was there some years back! Always enjoy a hotel stay with a breakfast option - I always grab fruit or a granola bar for later!
And I love "kept our wallets in upright and locked position"..!
Two apples procured for later!
That's quite a buffet! Can you bring fruit/veg back into the U.S.? I will guess not.
Worked extra hours today and yesterday. Free lunch yesterday
Postponed grocery shopping until yesterday. It’s old mother hubbards cupboard. Have Target gift cards. Only need edibles.
You two are such a cute couple. Happy 33rd!
Snuggles decided that he does like his peanut butter Milk Bones after all. Mainly because his ploy to turn up his puppy dog nose until I got him something better did not work. So we have 7 pounds of Milk Bones to keep us in cookies (dog biscuits) all fall and winter long.
TK came over to mow the lawn and I got him to climb the ladder and put in a couple of outdoor lights. I had bought some LED floodlights at Ollie's Outlet a while ago, and just needed someone to install them. [I no longer climb ladders at my age. Broken bones are not frugal!]
TK wanted to do tons of extra work, all for more money. I told him no. It was neither needed nor wanted. I am not his ATM machine!
My order from Wally world has already arrived, at least one part of it did. So I washed and line dried the undies before wearing them, and I recycled the heavy paper package they arrived in. My order was tax free (since I placed the order on tax free weekend) and no shipping charge. Used a credit card which gives me 5% Cashback bonus, and phoned in my card payment already. [5% is not a good deal if they charge you more than that in interest.]
Breakfast on the patio included Chi tea. Lunch dessert was a big slice of watermelon, also on the patio. It is "only" 99 today; the rest of the week is forecast to be 100 degrees. Needless to say, I come indoors when it gets hot out there! (Canada is infinitely a better place to vacation than Texas in August!)
I have a free subscription to the Borowitz Report and am having fun reading all the suggestions as to where the Secret Service can hide Trump. Bororwitz suggests the sewer (because the rats are much like his cabinet members!), the pile of rubble caused by tearing down the East Wing, or inside one of a bunch of Port O Potties; other suggestions are even worse. Funnier. And absolutely well deserved for the Orange Ogre! One was to put him in the library; another was the touring exhibit of the Epstein and Trump files. My idea is the El Salvador Prison but I'd have to be a paid subscriber to post it.
Happy 33rd wedding anniversary. Welcome to my beautiful city where I was born and raised and where I still live. So much to see and do. Dinesty is our favourite Chinese restaurant.. delicious food and fast service. Enjoy your vacation. Your dollar goes a long way here, well other than buying a home.
1. I was nominated for some professional awards and went to a hotel for the day where I bought a wonderful breakfast beforehand and was treated to lunch. I decided to walk as it was close to my house and save on gas.
2. I stopped by my old apart complex and brought home an almost full case of water bottles, a three tier metal moving rack, and two floor mats. I will attempt to sell all but the water. This is a hack I do to bring in some extra money.
3. I did some investigative work on my own to avoid the cost of someone else doing it.
4. I am preparing to submit tuition reimbursement for my graduate class.
5. I received free curtains from a neighbor, and hemmed then at a different neighbors house. It's a massive and frugal upgrade.
Have a good time! Stay safe! That IS some free hotel breakfast!
Welcome to my home province, Katy! There is so much to see and do while you are there - be sure to get to the OTHER side of the main city, to English Bay - great walking and a solidly good beach. I know I mentioned the amazing museum out at UBC in the other post, however I neglected to mention the Art Gallery in downtown Vancouver, probably worth a visit. Walking Granville and Robson streets is also a great 'in the city' adventure. Take the ferry to the north shore, for giggles and a cheap boat ride.
This website has some fun things by date, too
https://vancouversbestplaces.com/events-calendar/august/
Aaggghhh! Lost my post to a misplaced touch of the finger!
Well, let me say again, Happy Anniversary, and happy wandering in Vancouver!
I have stayed indoors today. It's been storming. I popped downstairs to do laundry and that was it.
I signed up for a free trial of Apple TV, and I've been watching Ted Lasso -- so good!
I got a letter from my health insurance provider inviting me to take part in a house calls program. If I do, I will get a $75 gift card for healthy living supplies at Walmart. Looks to me like an excellent way to get free produce!
In my email, I have received free offers for a bakery treat at Corner Bakery, and $5 toward anything at DSW -- I usually get socks! These are birthday offers. I will cash those in before the end of the month.
I made quiche yesterday in a thrifted stoneware pie pan. It is shallower than a standard pan, so I adjusted the recipe to reduce the ingredients by 1/3. Then I saved the adjustments in my cookbook.
I seem to have about $100 extra in checking and I can't find the error. I guess that's the good way to be wrong. I won't treat it like real money quite yet.
We had a dinner & games night at my cousin's house yesterday. I was sent home with 3/4 of a lemon pie, deli sliced roast beef, a large container of broccoli cheddar soup, and an unopened package of muenster cheese. I added some chopped fresh broccoli, shredded cheese, & rice to some of the soup for a hearty lunch today.
Counted the pennies that I've picked up in parking lots since my move and discovered that I have $3.48! Now I'm curious about the nickels & dimes, but that's a tomorrow project.
Posted some of the broken down boxes from my move on the FB Buy Nothing page for my area. 3 snotty people said they'd only take them if I delivered. (Asking wasn't the problem, it was the way they phrased the demands) In the meantime, someone came & got what I had and asked if I had any more. Got their number & will call as soon as I have another load ready to go.
My aunt opened her garage to the family & told us to take whatever we wanted from my late uncle's prepper hoard. She wants the stuff to get used before it goes out of date. Anything we didn't take went to a homeless shelter. I snagged some batteries, paper towels, & a couple of cases of assorted canned goods. My best discovery was 5 large cans of dark roast coffee. Aunt said it was an unapproved substitution for one of his orders and & they got to keep it when the right item was shipped. Nobody else in the family drinks it, so they were all mine! Another cousin found a trove of Kool Aid style drink mixes, which her kids love. We divvied up some medical supplies & toilet paper, and decided the shelter could probably use the rest of everything more than the 9 of us could. Even after claiming our hauls, we filled 5 large vehicles with donations. They were very happy to take them.
Tomorrow is a thrift shopping expedition with the next generation cousins. 2 are looking for dresses for a wedding; 3 are looking for odds & ends for their new dorms/apartments; their moms & I are just looking for fun.
1. Went to see Toy Story 5 with my sister using the $5 Tuesday movie promotion that also came with free popcorn. Cute and clever movie.
2. Went out for breakfast and brought home the ball of butter from my waffle in my own takeout jar.
3. Renewed my annual Tracfone cell service plan. Just $125/year for unlimited talk and text, along with a generous data plan that I never use up and that carries over. I replace my inexpensive Tracfone (also $125) as needed every several years so this is very economical for me as it has all the smartphone features I'm aware of. My husband is on a different plan through his business.
4. Requested any extra garden produce from my Buy Nothing group and received cucumbers, zucchini, Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, basil and chives.
5. Planned meals around the garden bounty we received.
Frugal/Not Frugal.
1. I needed a new computer and we are Apple people (not frugal). But, I figured that the much less-expensive Neo would be fine for my needs, saving me $600.
2. I used the Apple educator discount, which saved $100.
3. I bought it during MA's tax free weekend, saving about $50.
4. I used the credit card that gave me the most back, although only 1.5%, $7
5. The apple store is in an urban mall, which means paid parking. Rather than using the garage, which is $4 minimum, we found some on-street parking and paid $2.25
I TRIED to trade-in my [then] current computer, clawing back an additional $55, but they said it was worth $0...
Katy, what hotel are you staying at?
We:
1) dropped off a case each of applesauce and tuna at the local food bank.
2) stopped by our local Amish grocery -- but the bargains were not huge. (We did get some lower-priced dogfood.
3) Walmart -- ditto. But got what we needed.
4) Went to the St. Ives Grill in Alamosa, CO -- their Tuesday special is twofer beers and $1.75 tacos. Delicious.
I'll let you know where we stayed when we get back home.
Good for you. We all need to keep our private and current information off the internet.
Enjoy Vancouver - love that city!
FFT:
1. I don't feel like cooking, so it's carrots and hummus for dinner.
2. I am making more of an effort to collect my cans and bottles to get the deposits back, rather than put them in the community recycle bins.
3. My lovely friend gifted me a collection of fresh herbs - mint, rosemary, and basil.
4. I'm going to attempt to take my own school pictures of the kids this year. I just need a solid-colored wall and some good lighting, right? Multiple kids times the school photo package price is too much for us right now.
5. CD rates are looking good recently...I may try to scrounge together a small bit of cash to stick into a short-term CD. 9-12 months from now, every extra dollar will help!
I hope you are enjoying some cooler weather during your anniversary travels. I see you are wearing your purple tee. Did you take your embroidered denim shirt also?
1. I took inspiration from Katy's reglueing her sandals. I have a pair of leather Rockport sandals. They sole came loose. I reglued using some Gorilla glue. They are drying now.
2. I found around 10 med size bags of Frito-Lay chips. Doritos & Cheetos that were a week out of date. They were in a box beside a dumpster. I sampled a bag. Crispy & tasty.
3. I pulled out a few servings of prepared Rice-A-Roni w/ veg & chx from the freezer. I am going to add a box of chx broth to make soup. It is 101 degrees today. Hardly soup weather but I need to make something for dinner.
4. The buffet at the hotel I stayed at over the weekend was not luxurious like yours. I ate it anyway. Egg bites, pretzel rolls, fruit. I snagged a bottle of choc milk & OJ for later.
5. Not exactly frugal for me but was for my sister. I gave her an entire suite of nice bedroom furniture. A sleigh bed, dresser w/ matching mirror, chest of drawers, & TV armoire w/ drawers. She had to pay movers $500 to move the massive items. I paid $7K for it 20 years ago. Likely more costly now. I'm glad it is gone. Too massive for my taste.
Gluing shoes back together is about the easiest frugal hack there is!
Our favorite motel in Ashland, Oregon, (The Timbers Motel) had a breakfast of "muffins and coffee," which was a literal sleeve of store brand English muffins! Luckily the motel was otherwise great and we had a breakfast spot we liked to hit whenever we were in town. (The Morning Glory Cafe.)
I missed the chance to reglue my Birk sandals when the damage was minor after a trip and fall, and then got them damp at the splash park. The front of the sole is a crumbly mess. I've watched a couple of yt videos and don't think they can reasonably be repaired. At least they were a $3 score at the bins.
Thank you for sharing your trip with us! I enjoy visiting places I may never get to, through you!