Slow Projects

Renovations can be tackled 2 ways:
1) Pay through the nose and hire a professional to get it done completely and quickly.
2) Do it on your own, when you have the time and when you have the money.

Obviously, with my frugal personality, I have generally chosen Option B. And that's why, after 2 years in this house, the baseboard trim and window casings and interior doors are still not painted. We managed to paint the exterior of our home last summer (JUST before the rain came back) but the exterior trim was left as the peeling, faded brown until we could get back around to it.

Inside, I'd finally had enough of looking at the old, dark door casings, so I have primed them at last! It looks like streaky primer, but already so much brighter! You would be amazed how much nicotine leeched through the primer (its a good thing I invested in the stain-blocking "kilz" primer).

Also, very exciting, the double french doors between the front room and the kitchen are now painted! It was fiddly and stressful painting all the little ridges and grooves around the 30 glass panels, but worth it to have the glorious feeling of FINALLY removing the glass-protecting plastic! Hooray! Bright and actually finished looking!

I guess my inside work inspired some outside work too, hubby hired our teen to scrape and wash the exterior facia and posts. Then we went out and scored a big bucket of professional quality exterior paint that was a miss-tint and close enough to the colour that we wanted that we couldn't pass up the great price! (FRUGAL HINT: Always check the miss-tint section before buying paint. Much less expensive, and often I find an upgrade in paint quality too.)

It's miserably hot weather for painting, but it's the perfect dry humidity for good adhesion, so out we go, and it's looking SO much better! We are doing one side of the house at a time... front first :)

Whomever painted the trim last time was very sloppy. Drips below and dabs up in the soffit. I never know what to do about that. I painted carefully and straight and but then there is the ugly brown still there in blobs and smudges. Maybe I have to find some white metal paint for the soffits, but I suspect that would open up a whole host more work! So I will try to live with it for a while.

All in all, the progress feels great. With every brush stroke the house looks more finished. It makes me wonder why I waited so long to do it. Oh ya, I hate sanding! (shiver) the sensation is so very 'abrasive' on my nerves. Thats why I'm doing the non-sanding areas first LOL.

On a different note, the garden is a wild jungle of yummy veggies! Seriously overgrown and challenging to harvest, with excellent yields. Everyone who comes to visit gets a complimentary zucchini and some fresh beans to snack on while they visit. :)

Cluck Cluck Cluckity Cluck Cluck

 (translation: "Nice to meet you")

My sister in law is moving (the house they were renting sold out from under them) and the selection in their town is VERY limited. The only place that was even close to what they need allows NO PETS OF ANY KIND. A sad day for the 3 kids as they are scrambling to find homes for the cat, dog and 17 hens, a rooster and 4 new chicks.

Since a few of our hens are mostly past laying age, we said we would adopt a few of theirs. The stopped by last night with 4 large hens and a tiny bantam hen. Well that puts us WAAAAAY over our coop's limit, so I posted on-line for 3 free hens. The response was incredible! We chose a casual hobby farm just outside of town. They have 30+ chickens of all shapes and sizes, ducks, geese, turkeys, goats and even a couple piglets! She said she doesn't mind keeping old hens because she gets more than enough eggs and they have work to do clearing her field for a future veggie garden and keeping pest off the apple trees. They are not only free range, all the different species are together as they please all over the lot. I brought our 3 least productive hens (made me a bit weepy since one of them is my favourite hen-friend (the bottom one on the picture), Cami was very sad packing them up too, but he ended up happy with the farm. 

So we left them there. Angel, Penny (top left) and Stripes. We hope they are happy on their new farm.

The new-to-us chickens are still getting their bearings. They are all in their prime laying age, so they might actually be able to keep up with our appetite for eggs! One is downright feisty and instantly tried to assert dominance over the whole flock (bloody beaks and combs all over the place). But 18 hours later she seems to be calming down. I guess they need to figure out their pecking order, right?

Introducing the new members of the flock:

"Puffy Cheeks" soon to be re-named "Toast"

"Arwen" Ya, she's keeping that name!

"Stripe II" soon to be renamed "Oreo" (big bird upper left) and the little birdy to the right is actually an adult chicken named "Penny"  or "Little Penny"

and this black, camera-shy one is "Lucy" but the kids want to rename her "Maleficient" because of her black feathers and her comb that looks slightly like horns

There you have it. I will miss our originals, but look forward to getting to know these new hens. I can already tell that Toast and Arwen will be sweeties.

THI$ MEAN$ WAR

Financially we are still pinched... though the checks have started coming in from my mad torrent of jobs. :) It has eased my panic considerably, but I'm not out of the woods by any stretch.

I was laying in bed staring at the darkness the other night PANICKING about the money and the dark future. Wide-eyed horror about it (very unlike me) -- then I remembered -- I have the tools for success right here. I know how to make a budget (start with get Gail's budget Worksheet online) and implement it.

AND I am by nature a fairly frugal gal... I just need to ramp it up a notch. AND most valuable of all.... I believe in myself, my country, and my power to succeed if I only put my mind to it. I have forgotten that part, completely forgotten that I have the POWER to make my own future (with determination passion and the ability to open my mind to opportunities)! Of course the budget and the willingness to be frugal make all the positive thinking have genuine weight.

ENERGY FLOWS WHERE ATTENTION GOES

Focusing on the being broke is BAD. Focusing on the getting back to comfortable is GOOD

Some things are already coming together... upcoming gift-holiday headway....The secret Santa idea had mixed responses but in the end the "Yeahs" have it, so we are doing it!!!! WOOHOO! And I have enforced a $20-each limit to the niece's and nephew's presents (5 in all) if I am very careful and think hard about what I am getting, it shouldn't be too difficult. (After all they'll be getting loads of stuff, right?)


AND I have a brilliant plan for my step-dad's gift and my sister's gift....no hints here.... I don't want to spoil it.

ENERGY FLOWS WHERE ATTENTION GOES

My energy will be flowing towards gratitude for my blessings. I am blessed like crazy!
 
The money is a hiccup that will be conquered efficiently.

Belt Tightening Time!

Confession: The Slow spring for my income has finally caught up with me.

I am now Miss Frugal-Supreme until the Fall Graphics contracts begin (I have just confirmed 2 annual bread and butter October jobs back for another year)

The thing is I am kind of panicking.... I'm already pretty darned frugal!

No cable, ubber-cheap cellphone (that we all 4 share for emergencies), fairly local camping is our vacation of choice (and we pick low cost sites), we eat vegetarian several dinners a week, I grow as many veggies as I can fit in my little plot, I line dry the laundry, no car payments and T does all mechanic-ing here at home, we accept hand me downs for the kids and myself for clothes, I buy discount-near-expiry meat to freeze, no air conditioners, no booze, very little restaurant patronage (and then it's for lunch not dinner), no consumer debt to pay down, no student loans... where else can I cut?  Where else can I scrimp while still feeding my growing family decently, and keeping house and home and body and soul together?

Seriously! I need tips and I need them fast for the next little while.

There are 2 options... find a way to trim expenses or find a way to boost income.

Two mom's at Steve's highschool suggested I tutor Math on the side. But I already have my side jobs... could I make the time I wonder?

Maybe I should flog my business harder? Now that school is back in I could do that more easily... but there is the immediate problem of cashflow to deal with there is the gap between NOW and the client building, new work and invoice payments received, y'know? AND I know October will see me SWAMPED already, so why pile more on and alienate my family?

Back to ideas for cutting costs.... anybody?

For the first time, I am SLIGHTLY relieved we didn't get the other house because  moving  costs  money. Period.

I need to calm down, face my fears and find a solution PRONTO

Your Money or Your Life Rant

I follow some finance blogs. I find them grounding and they help me stay on my goals. Right now the poor dears are fretting about the slow recovery of the "economic downturn" and ways to combat the losses.

Thinking ahead and preventative financing are great ideas in any economy. However, I am not a fan of the "get a second job" approach when there is a young family at home. If mom is working a full time job (and something on the side) and dad is working full time (and something on the side) then WHO is spending time with the kids? (note: I'm not arguing the merits of daycare, there is some excellent quality childcare out there, and it's expensive.)

Of course, if you have dug a hole of debt so deep that it's the only option, that is a whole other argument you gotta do what you gotta do... BUT if you want more money so you work 2 jobs, that's the issue I am talking about.

Just think about it.... One parent or the other could cut back or rotate with the other parent and then not as much money is needed - it's a tough concept to wrap the head around -- working less = spending less = more opportunities to save. (The bonus of actually seeing your kids grow would be nice too.) Some would argue that then they couldn't afford to give their kids the finer things like ipads, cellphones, video games and trips to Disneyland! To that I say "so what?". Wouldn't life be finer without having to worry about paying for all that crap? No iphone means no iphone bill! And if you are home, why do you need a cellphone? Maybe all those extra curricular activities that cost so much are more for you than for them? Twenty channels instead of over 500 isn't really that bad, especially when you don't have to work more hours to pay for the excessive bill!

I don't want to hear any whining about "I deserve it because I work hard" that's crap.
You HAVE to work hard because you WANT it. That's the truth. The whole needs/wants things is so distorted... I'm a victim of it too, I didn't NEED to go to Italy (or England) and I don't NEED about 80% of the stuff in my house either.

Maybe spending some time actually living in that house more than just dusk to dawn and using it's stuff that you are working so hard to pay for would be a refreshing lifestyle change? You may even discover that you could use a smaller house? Or less vehicles?

Working costs money too. so working 2 jobs has to cost more. There is the obvious, like the transportation costs, the wardrobe, the "occasions" that crop up, eating out, coffee to-go, DAYCARE, etc etc. Then there are the subtle increases like the cost of not having time to cook from scratch, being exposed to more advertising or shop windows, the peer pressure from coworkers to have or do things that you may not have thought of at home, not having time to keep up with home maintenance (so having to hire people), needing to "unwind" after work with entertainment or pampering, and the GUILT-presents for the kids and spouse to compensate for the lack of attention, etc, etc, etc.

I've seen it first hand, I've experienced these expenses myself!
I love making meals for the family- taking the time to chose the ingredients and prepare them the way I like it. I also love being home for my kids when they get home from school (and being able to call the teachers if I have to). I like knowing who my kids are (and knowing their friends). I like using the house every day all day. T sacrifices 40 hours a week to help give me the freedom to stay home. I sacrifice about 10 - 20 hours a week at the computer to pay for the "extras" like dirtbiking and trips. We work together to decide what is a WANT and what is a NEED so that we are on the same page about how much money has to come in and how much we will let go out. They aren't reactionary decisions because we have the time together to really think about it.

I chose to live with less and live more. And I am a pretty happy gal for the most part. Sure I drool over the occasional gadget, and I wonder at the idea of a NEW car or deluxe family vacation, but the truth of it is we have a mighty fine life and I would challenge any parenting couple working more than 80 combined hours a week to see if their life is happier more balanced or richer than my family's.

I'm blathering on all self-righteously... Is that vain of me to say? Probably.

Oh ya, it's my blog. I can blather on about how great my life is all day long!

June's Mission Update

"No new clothes, no new gadgets, no new music, movies NOTHING NEW for one month. "

Not 100% success so far. But I'm doing quite good!

I went to Costco with my mom today and bought my husband BRAND NEW work jeans. They were $14.99 each -- I got 2 pairs -- and his other work jeans have holes. Not exactly wasteful spending, but it felt like cheating. I walked past all the new books, movies games, gadgets and toys without even an urge to browse.... ((patting myself on the back))

Other than those jeans for T, I have been VERY GOOD! (Remember- food doesn't count, I got LOTS of food).

Feeling bored with my aged summer wardrobe (some of my summerdresses were bought PRE kids, thats 13 years ago) I did not go to the mall, I went to the Thrift Store -- on a Tuesday so I could get the 30% family discount. I found a couple of really charming, name-brand tops and a pair of denim Capris that fit perfectly and sporty, calf-length black yoga pants that look fairly flattering! I even found a handmade dress with a cut that was super-comfy and almost sophisticated looking!

All second hand,
All adding up to less than $20.

With my one-in, one-out rule, there are a few things for my sister to reclaim if she wants and a set of PJs being converted to rags.

No new resources were exploited in the expansion of my wardrobe, I am happy with the quality of the garments and REALLY pleased with the price.

Trying new things

I had a MEAN craving for HUMMUS yesterday, so I dove into my pantry and whipped up a batch that was my best one yet (slightly adapted Original Moosewood Cookbook version w/o the tahini and adding olive oil).

• 1 big can of chickpeas
• 5 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• juice of 2 medium lemons
• 3/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 packed cup finely minced fresh parsley FROM MY GARDEN
• cayenne pepper to taste
• olive oil to blend

food processor it all to smooth consistancy. better flavor if made ahead of time.

I had some flatbread for the occassion, and enough veggies to make a deluxe spinach salad (with a Greek twist). Then I realized that I had thawed out ground PORK by accident (I intended on beef). So I had to improvise my dinner plan. When put in these situations I turn to the internet.


I searched for "ground meat kebabs" and found a fantastic idea for Morroccan kebabs!


Kefta Kebabs (it called for beef, or lamb, but I could just tell these flavours would be good for the pork).

• About 1 1/2 pounds of ground pork
  1/2 c minced parsley FROM MY GARDEN
• A few sprigs of cilantro, FROM MY GARDEN minced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 c fine breadcrumbs,
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  
• Mix thoroughly and form around pre-soaked bamboo skewers.... grill on med-high heat on BBQ until done.

No regrets!

Served with lightly grilled flatbreads, the hummus, plain yogurt and the salad, they turned out very very yummy as a meal. My youngest boy even helped make them (they were so easy). I WILL be making these again!


A new use for a cheap source of protein -- hooray!

I love trying new things with food!

"Cheap and Cheery"

"Cheap and Cheery" Well, that pretty much sums me up!

Or, could I be so bold and say I'm "Frugal and Fabulous" or "Savvy and Sensational" ?

I'm getting carried away. I'm happy sitting and watching the bees in the flowers, listening to the birds or reading my thrift store novels in a quiet corner.... genuinely happy.

Alas, sometimes I need to go shopping. When deciding to make a purchase, there are a few questions that run through my brain before I pull out my wallet:

1. Do I already have it? Or something that will do?
2. What will it contribute to my life/the life of my family?
3. Can I afford it?
4. Do I have room for it? Where will I keep it?
5. If I wait to get it later, will it matter?
6. Is it selfish, wasteful?
7. How long can I expect it to be a part of my life?
8. How much extra time do I have to work to justify this extra expense?

All this happens VERY quickly. If all the questions are answered favourably, then it's a no brainer and I buy it. If some of the answers are iffy but I really want it, then I'll likely buy it with only a little remorse. If I feel like I need to get it even if the answers are skewed or another family member pressures me, then I will likely have loads of remorse. That is life.

The truth of it is that I put a time/energy value on my money. I always have and probably always will. What this means is "just $20" for something had better give me something I value as much as about 4 hours of billable labour. If it does, then I will happily shell out the 20 bucks!

That's part of the reason the idea of moving is so PAINFUL for me. All the things I wish we had i our next house do not reasonably outweight the huge expenses, hassles and other losses that will happen if we move on. So we stay. Hating the driveway, living with the cliff, tolerating the grouchy neighbour, enduring the location that is not ideal for our lifestyle. When for a mere $20,000 or so out of pocket (realtor fees, mortgage fees, property transfer tax, moving expenses, inspection, lawyers, etc...) and perhaps a much bigger (or at least longer) mortgage we could move to a very different house that is older and not have the features we have learned to love here.... only with a better riding location and more space outside.

This frugalness also affects my social life. I don't see movies, I don't just "go out with the girls" order take out, or shop at the malls, go to sporting events, get my hair done or do the pedicure thing.... at least only once in a blue moon. I enjoy my life without these things, I don't feel deprived and the truth is my plate already feels very very full so I don't see how people even have the TIME for such things regularly!

I'm a happy person; my life is full of love, good food, warm hugs and decent second-hand purchases.

*** PS, I'm looking for a "mates/captains bed for Cami, does anyone know of where I can get one cheap? Or feel confident enough with carpentry to help me make one? Also we are selling the boys' BMX bicycles. Good quality, suitable for racing. ***

How to Cook at Home

I love cooking at home. It's cheaper, faster and better for me than eating out and I'm happy to say my family tells me my cooking TASTES better than restraunt food too!

When I started cooking I worked around the staples of my childhood family kitchen: mushroom or tomato soup, hamburger, noodles, potoatoes, onions and frozen veggies were always on hand to whip up something. Now that my palette is more sophisticated, my kitchen essentials list has grown.

There are a couple secrets to successful home cooked meals on a regular basis:

#1 keep a well stocked kitchen.

#2 menu plan for the week.

Let me expand on #1.

My freezer is full of the "base" ingredients for most of my meals. There is chicken, pork chops, hamburger and a few cuts of beef -- the starting points for an infinite selection of menu choices! I also have frozen fruits, berries and many vegetables for the times when fresh is not available.

Also, my pantry is never without certain non perishables that make these meals possible : the previously mentioned soups (for a wide variety of comfort-food sauces from stroganoff to creamy mushroom chops to, caccatorie) canned tomatoes, tomato sauce (for italian and mexican dishes), broth, asparagus, olives, artichoke hearts, spagetti sauces (to cheat for quick lasagna's) and a few varieties of our favourite italian and chinese noodles. And of course potatoes and onions, garlic, flour, sugar and enough spices to keep it interesting (chili powder, pepper, dried mustard, curry, cumin, oregano and basil spices are used the most in my house) and a few different oils and vinegars for their own distinct flavours.

My fridge is loaded with mustards, sauces and other flavour boosting ingredients, and I always have plain yogurt (for indian dishes), sour cream (for mexican an russian dishes), cottage cheese for snacks and lasagna, and eggs, parmesan, mozza and cheddar cheese.

Okay I'm probably overwhelming those that aren't used to cooking regularly, but honestly, these items can be accumulated gradually as you get more comfortable with different recipes. And once you have them, they are waiting for you to make something yummy!

#2: With my pantry and freezer ready to offer up dozens of helpful ideas the menu planning is easy! I look through my favourite grocery store's flyer to see what fresh produce is on sale that week and generally base the meals around that. Asparagus and leeks on sale? Then we are having grilled chicken breast and a grilled vegetable salad with olive oil and pumpkin seeds and a side of couscous or quinoa at some point this upcoming week! Tomatoes on sale? Then we are definitely having tacos one day (especially if avacados are on sale too). Mushrooms on sale? We are having straganoff, stuffed vegetarian zucchini casserole and maybe a frittata for 3 dinners. Cucumbers? Greek salad, tzatziki, and greek style skewers! Red Peppers? Then we are having black bean and grilled red pepper quesadillas, and/or maybe a balsamic vinegar-grilled veggie salad or they can go diced in the soft tortillas or sauted in the fajitas with some onion and chicken! And almost any vegetable can go into a stirfry, though some taste better in an indian curry or a thai soup... yummmy, the possibilities! I always seem to have broccoli, carrots and spinach in the house, they make excellent snacks and sides raw or cooked. Eggs on sale? I make quiche or frittatas (especially good for using up limp asparagus or leftover bacon or tomatoes or ham or shallots or odds & ends of cheese)

On the days when the veggies are not interesting, or I have run out I generally make something almost entirely from canned goods: chili and spaghetti are good examples. Stew happens when the beef I am using is starting to get freezer burned (though that's getting rarer) and/or my potatoes are starting to sprout. The stew makes an even playing field of all the flavours and everyone loves it in my house (especially if I make dumplings in it).

You may have guessed we are not a "meat and potatoes" kind of family. I LOVE making colourful foods and try to keep it interesting from day to day when I can. I feel terrible guilty if I serve the same type of food more than once a week, thankfully my family appreciates it, and my kids will always try it. Usually the flyer determines what we are having, that and what will expire first (always important to keep track of that to reduce waste)

I hope this has been helpful!

Food Clutter

What kind of a society of overindulgence am I living in that this could even be a concern?! But in my lower-middle income family household FOOD CLUTTER is a reality.

- I have looked in my fridge, wondering how I am going to fit one more variety of mustard in there.
- I have stacked cardboard boxes of dried goods on TOP of my cupboards because my pantry is overflowing.
- I have had to pass on meat sales because my chest freezer and fridge freezer were at capacity.
- I have even taken to designating a shelf in my basement for warehouse-quantities of canned goods!

Not really anything I should be complaining about. EXCEPT that I occasionally catch the show "Hoarders:Buried Alive", I see a little bit of myself in those people and it scares me.

I'm not alone either, my sister has the same compulsion to stock-up on food. It gives us a sense of security, makes us feel like we are providing for our family -- noble goals, but really we have to say enough is enough at SOME point!

Lets just have a peek in my fridge. At any one time I am likely to have: prepared yellow mustard (your standard, hot dog condiment) Dijon mustard (in the BIG jar), Grainy German mustard, sweet mustard, hot mustard, honey-mustard mayonnaise, and dried mustard. (The sad part is I use them regularly).

Pickles are a no less crazy. Dill pickles, pickled mushrooms, pickled asparagus, pickled banana peppers, pickled jalapenos, two varieties of stuffed olives, marintated artichoke hearts and pickled capers. And around Christmas I have pickled onions, rollmops and gherkins too.

Also on my fridge door, RIGHT NOW, I have 3 varieties of bottled marinades, 15 varieties of Asian sauces (including the soy sauce and wasabi mayo and hot sauces), chili sauce, tartar sauce, seafood cocktail sauce, mayo, Tabasco, Worcestershire, franks hotsauce, 3 flavours of relish (gourmet onion is my personal favourite), 2 Indian chutneys, a vindaloo paste, chipolte/blackberry syrup anchovy paste and ketchup.

Strangely I am out of BBQ sauce.

I have maple syrup, corn syrup and butter syrup for the different breakfast choices! (and a few kinds of spreads, from Blackberry jam to apple butter, cinnamon spread to mocha topping, marmalade, etc...

I could go on and on -- JUST in the FRIDGE!

Now I have to mention, I rarely let food SPOIL in my fridge. I buy perishables with a purpose and they usually get consumed in time (the occasional 1/2 tub of cottage cheese being the exception)

I need to be honest about whether I am going to use it at all. And then either use it or swallow the guilt and toss it. I do feel terrible that so many people have NOTHING and here I am complaining about having too much. I've managed to start to bury myself and there is no one to blame but me. At least my eyes are open now. I can see that I need to get shovelling.

Today I want to be able to wash the shelves in my fridge, that's my goal for the day.

+++++
Okay the task is done. I had 2 opened jars of jalepeno-stuffed olives and 2 giant open bottles of chinese hotsauce (one of which expired last month)... not so many duplicates as I was afraid there would be! And the shelves are so bright and CLEAN now!

It doesn't hurt to ask.

I doesn't hurt to ask, providing you are asking the right person.

One of my college friends asked me to come with her to all the hardware stores in Duncan to look for paint colour, flooring and faucets for her bathroom reno this weekend.

The dear friend had JUST ripped the bathroom down to the studs when financial disaster struck their household, and they were left in survival mode since LAST February! She has been living with a naked room with NOTHING but a bathtub set in studs in that room for a year now. The only working toilet and vanity being downstairs. I am proud that she didn't borrow money to get it done before now, but still.... 3 kids, her and her husband all living with their only full bathroom torn up like that would be VERY difficult.

Thankfully they are both employed now, (though under-employed) and the first priority is to get that room functioning again!

She knew exactly what she wanted, and had me limping around FOUR different building supply places, then back again to the one that had the faucets she wanted. There was only one box left of the tub faucet... and it had obviously been opened and rifled through. So we took the box to the nearest help counter and asked if there was another one in the back.

NOPE.

So we asked him if he could be sure all the parts were accounted for.

YEP.

She decided she would get it, and as we were packing it to go pay, I asked. "Do you give discounts for damaged packaging?" My friend smacked me on my shoulder, embarassed that I would ask such a thing. But the fellow was amazingly helpful and called over a nearby manager, he jokingly asked the same question. At first the manager chuckled, then he asked if it was on sale (it wasn't) and went into the computer and came back with a price that was $60 OFF the original price! Well, my friend was gobsmacked because that was about 40% off, and she said she NEVER would have thought to ask.

I'm shameless that way.

I will ask the grocer for a discount on wilted veggies (if I'm making it into soup anyways...) I will ask the butcher for a discount on close-to-expiry meats (they go straight to the freezer), and I always ask for a discount on damaged packaging and on the floor model/last item (if they are obviously not going to re-stock it). Just make sure it's someone with the power to make those decisions... the stock boy doesn't give a crap, and neither does the cashier.

There is technique involved. Strangely, you do need to look as though you are respectful of the product and the store. Threatening to not buy it unless there is significant discounting doesn't seem to work at all. It's a delicate thing to look as though you would be HAPPIER (as a loyal customer) with a little discount and would be doing them a small favour in return by taking this thing that otherwise may not be sellable off their hands (without being too obvious about it). Implying that you'd rather have a PERFECT product just like anyone would, but this one will do at the right price -- hint, coy smile.

I always gush happily when the discount is made, and that way I am more likely to get repeat results. And I am genuine about it. I also don't as too often, it looks greedy.

BTW this doesn't always work. Some managers, when I mention that something is past-due, will just say "oh, thanks for bringing that to our attention" and whisk the item away. Others will look offended that I would take the item off their hands if there was a discount. But, as long as you are willing to take these responses along with the good ones (I have gotten FREE vegetables and bread this way) it is always worth asking.