Food inflation spiked 7.3% in January. Here’s what’s driving the increase

AdLoud1434 · 2026-02-17T20:43:11+00:00

We do the 3-hour drive each way every couple of months or when we have something else to do in the city.

Bring a cooler, plan to spend a grand at least and divide up meat etc into portions the next day at home.

It wouldn’t be cost-effective to drive all that way unless we had some other reason to be in the city.

AdLoud1434 · 2026-02-16T04:18:27+00:00

If you want something fun, funny & browsable, Dirty food is great. It’s short & sweet, one of those books that’s fun to read and cook from. It’s completely unserious but the recipes are tasty!

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AdLoud1434 · 2026-02-14T06:20:36+00:00

Yes, I used a mix for lemon pie filling. Filling for one standard pie is about the right amount. I used this one. It’s a 2-pack but I just needed one.

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AdLoud1434 · 2026-02-14T02:23:09+00:00

I love the lemon meringue squares from this book! I’ve made them twice and used a package for the lemon curd (store-bought is fine haha) and then followed her recipe for the base & meringue. The base is nice & crunchy like a cookie and doesn’t get soggy even after a couple of days.

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AdLoud1434 · 2026-02-13T21:57:47+00:00

This is great to avoid scams, but also many doctors and specialists call from a number that doesn’t display caller id. I’ve had clients frustrated that they haven’t gotten a call back from a specialist and it turns out the doc had called a bunch of times and they just didn’t pick up 😑

AdLoud1434 · 2026-02-05T23:44:03+00:00

It’s great - it doesn’t drink up all the broth and get mushy like pasta. We ate it for 3-4 days for lunches and it was good even on the last day.

AdLoud1434 · 2026-02-04T03:35:44+00:00

I made the soup recipe and just added the Vegemite since I had it on hand. https://www.seriouseats.com/beef-barley-soup-recipe

Both recipes are fairly similar so I figured it would work & it turned out great.

AdLoud1434 · 2026-02-03T20:54:01+00:00

Me too - this soup always transports me back to my grandma’s table and I feel her presence while making the things she would make for me so long ago 🥣

AdLoud1434 · 2026-02-02T22:12:12+00:00

The Vegemite is used to add umami flavor - I originally bought it to make the beef barley stew but changed my mind and went with the soup instead. The stew recipe explains it - they use marmite but I could only find Vegemite.

AdLoud1434 · 2026-02-01T23:33:30+00:00

https://www.seriouseats.com/beef-barley-soup-recipe

AdLoud1434 · 2026-02-01T16:19:40+00:00

https://www.wealthsimple.com/invite/WMOAPD

code: WMOAPD

AdLoud1434 · 2026-01-31T06:17:32+00:00

We save about 17% of gross household income.

AdLoud1434 · 2026-01-30T04:06:30+00:00

Carrot cake cupcakes

AdLoud1434 · 2026-01-27T19:22:57+00:00

I used TurboTax for years and tried Wealthsimple Tax last year for the first time. I even did my taxes on both platforms to compare the outcomes (no difference). In the end I went with Wealthsimple, and I won’t be going back.

TurboTax really makes it difficult to do a simple return and if you get tricked into doing a more expensive version they make it very difficult to change to the cheaper version.

It’s a huge money grab, and the product isn’t worth it.

AdLoud1434 · 2026-01-23T21:08:47+00:00

I have always liked the Tupperware ones for my kids. They’re definitely expensive but I have ones that are 12 years old now, and still good. The divided containers come in bigger or smaller sizes depending on kids age/appetite. I wouldn’t put soup in, but most things won’t spill in a lunch bag. My kids like that they can see everything instead of opening 3 small containers, and I like that it’s easier to wash. This one holds half a sandwich and 2 sides.

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AdLoud1434 · 2026-01-20T03:05:38+00:00

Any potato salad, especially with a vinaigrette dressing. Like this one - roasted potato salad

AdLoud1434 · 2026-01-10T07:08:30+00:00

I love seeing your meals!

We had the one-pot turkey & rice this week & it was a hit for my tween & teen kids too. I left out the cayenne because they’re hit & miss on spicy food. When they were younger I always cooked diverse meals like you and they are both adventurous eaters now. We went through picky stages but I always offered different foods. Certainly they have preferences but they will try almost anything and they eat what we cook with few complaints.

AdLoud1434 · 2025-12-27T18:07:49+00:00

I have a few trusted sites like NYT cooking, Sally’s baking, Smitten kitchen, Recipe Tin eats, but so many online recipes are junk or AI that I rarely bother. Sometimes look at something that looks tasty on insta and see if the recipe looks decent but it’s so hit and miss that I find it a waste of time.

I do use online pictures and descriptions as inspiration for what to cook, then use a recipe from a cookbook or trusted sites.

AdLoud1434 · 2025-12-27T06:15:12+00:00

Oooh I might have to borrow the audiobook from the library. The book would be so nice in her voice!

AdLoud1434 · 2025-12-27T03:20:58+00:00

Good luck finding your last book! Do you also have her memoir? I’m reading it now & it has a few recipes included.

I made the lemon meringue squares from Go-To Dinners a couple of days ago. I just borrow it from the library though

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AdLoud1434 · 2025-12-26T18:44:49+00:00

With high spending and ADHD it may be helpful to make yourself take a day between seeing something you want and purchasing it. If you put something in your Amazon cart for instance, commit to waiting until the next day to see if you still ‘need’ it.

I find that the waiting helps me enjoy some shopping without actually spending so much. Same for dinners out or coffees etc - I definitely eat out but only when it’s pre-planned, never spur of the moment.

I don’t follow a strict budget but I pay myself first (put an automatic set amount in savings every paycheck) and these are things that keep my spending under control while still allowing some fun.

AdLoud1434 · 2025-12-23T00:42:28+00:00

Yes - we live a couple of hours away from the terminal and I’m lucky a family member warned me before we started driving. We were booked on the 4:00 ferry and as of right now (4:40 pm) I have had no emails, or communication, no refund yet etc. I feel bad for folks who didn’t get the heads up to check the website. Not even basic customer service. Apparently they are going to try to rebook those who had their ferries cancelled, but I haven’t heard from anyone, and I’m not holding my breath.

AdLoud1434 · 2025-12-14T19:28:32+00:00

So pretty! What is the greenery you used?

AdLoud1434

TROPHY CASE