Thanksgiving And Our Family Values

This weekend, we celebrate Thanksgiving with our friends and family, like many people around Canada.

I love cooking in the Fall because I am a big fan of sweet potatoes, potatoes, apples, beets, carrots, corn, squash, and any other veg and fruits I can get my hands on.

Eating seasonal fruits and vegetables is always the best product you can find.

The best part is that you will also score better prices on seasonal products, making your grocery budget much lighter than buying out of season.

Meaning Of Thanksgiving

What is the meaning of Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving has a different meaning for everyone.

For me, Thanksgiving is when loved ones come together to enjoy a festive Thanksgiving meal and give thanks for what they are thankful for.

Let’s give thanks every day rather than just one day a year.

Thanksgiving Day is often just a swift reminder for everyone to slow down.

Sometimes, we get on the life bandwagon and ride it at a million miles per hour, letting things pass us by.

All it takes is a simple gesture, phone call, letter, text, or email to thank someone.

It may seem impersonal not to do it in person, but when time is tight, it’s better than saying nothing at all.

Just recently, you all know that we welcomed our son into this world, and to say life-changing what the past month has been would be an understatement.

Our son has brought us so much joy that we sit and stare at him because we can’t believe our little miracle is here with us.

When he was born, it made me think back to when I was a child and everything my parents did for us.

Now I know how difficult it must have been to juggle kids and a business.

My parents, siblings, relatives, close friends, wife, and son are the most important people in my life.

I thank them as much as I can and extend thanks to people I don’t know.

There is nothing wrong with saying thank you to a stranger for doing something nice or going above and beyond.

If you ever want to make someone’s day, say thank you to them, and if you know their name, don’t hesitate to use it.

Thanksgiving Canada

Last week, we got some Fall photos of our baby boy since he is a Fall newborn, which we will hand out to our family and friends.

We are also heading home to my wife’s parents for Thanksgiving dinner.

My mother-in-law called the other day asking for Thanksgiving menu ideas, so I shared a few with her, including a lovely roasted squash.

She typically will make the classic Thanksgiving menu of turkey, stuffing, gravy, beans, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce, with dessert being apple and pumpkin pie.

She decorates the house with Fall decor, bringing the meal together.

Roasting A Whole Turkey

The last time I had turkey was over at my friend’s house, but he didn’t make the turkey the way I was used to in a roasting pan.

He used a roasting pan but roasted the turkey in a bag.

It was a brilliant idea, and although I was skeptical, the turkey turned out amazing and juicy.

I was happy to learn something new from a friend and thankful it wasn’t me cooking the turkey.

I haven’t cooked many turkeys, so it’s always a learning experience.

This year, I will make part of the Thanksgiving dessert, my Pumpkin Spice Cake with brown buttercream (muffins).

If you love pumpkin pie, you will love this cake.

Thanksgiving dinner takes lots of planning if you want to execute it without too many problems, but those leftover turkey recipes can get the creative juices flowing in the kitchen.

Some recipes you can try with leftovers are Nicola’s favorites, which she shared, such as roasted pumpkin and red lentil soup and turkey and pumpkin lasagna.

I watched The Pioneer Woman on the Food Network today, and I must say Ree Drummond is a brilliant cook.

She shared recipes for her family’s Thanksgiving Dinner, but the leftover turkey recipes intrigued me the most.

Ree’s turkey rice wraps, dinner panini, and pumpkin smoothies all had me drooling.

After watching, I was desperate for a pumpkin smoothie, but I must keep one can for pumpkin spice cake.

I do want to try it, though, and Ree, if you read this, I enjoy your show and recipes!

On that note, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and a massive thank you to all my fans for keeping me on my toes.

-Mr.CBB

Canadian Budget Binder Blog News

It’s been another great week of guest contributions to Canadian Budget Binder.

I want to thank all the personal finance bloggers who have gone above and beyond to help me through this time with our new son.

It’s certainly been a transition for Mrs. CBB and me, and writing has been difficult to factor in, although I have managed the load I’ve given myself thus far.

Many more guest posts are coming up, and if you would like to write for me, I’m accepting posts from personal finance bloggers that I enter until the end of 2014 only.

This is your chance to share your best piece here at CBB! Email me today with your pitch. On that note, a huge thanks to Rob Carrick for sharing another CBB post at The Globe and Mail this week for Carrick on Money.

A guest contribution by Barry Choi on 10 Ways to Save Money on Travel was shared and has kept the blog very busy, so thanks, Rob.

I’m glad you enjoyed that piece as much as I did, as I’m a massive fan of traveling, as I’ve traveled to many countries worldwide.

CBB Weekly Blog Posts

If you’ve missed any of my blog posts this week, I will link to them all below.

If you have a question that you would like to ask Mr.CBB, fill out the Contact Mr.CBB form on the Home Page and send in your questions.

Mr.CBB will look in his mailbag weekly and pick a question to answer on the blog.

• To Take or Not Take Early CPP
• Should you really shop at a Bulk Store?
• 10 Ideas to Save on Travel
• Turtle Pie Oh My!

Fan Deals Of The Week

Submit your Brag or Inspiration If you have a brag that you want me to share, email me at canadianbudgetbinder (@) [yahoo] [.ca] or fill out my contact form by Friday each week to have your brag considered for the Saturday post.

CBB Fan Samantha emailed me some fantastic savings she scored while shopping this week! Check this out!

Hey, Mr.CBB and Fans!

So here is the breakdown for the shop.

I only have my one receipt because I buy things separately for my home daycare and threw out the receipt for things I can’t claim, but I’ll try to remember the prices as best I can…

The prices are as follows…

• Slap bracelets…$1
• 3x 8pk markers….$1 each
• Sticky spiders…$1
• 2x gift bags…. 17 cents each
• 34x gift bags….29 cents each
• 11x gift bags…..30 cents each
• 6x gift bags…..59 cents each
• 3x tissue paper….29 cents each
• 2x wrapping paper….89 cents each
• Halloween book…$1
• Total $29.03  (the gift bags alone averaged $2 each (some more, some less), so originally would have been around $106!!
• My other stuff was…
• Owl lantern….$16.50 if I remember right
• Corn syrup is $2.69 if I remember right
• 2x pots…59 cents each for sure
• Fan….$2.40 for sure
• Total $22.77 plus tax…was around $25, and then I had a $10 gift card, so I paid $15 out of pocket.
• So the $15 plus the $29.03, I paid out-of-pocket approx $45

Making A Difference

If you know a personal finance blogger who is making a difference and wants to nominate them, please email Canadianbudgetbinder (@) yahoo.ca so I can reach out to them for a feature story.

Hi Mr.CBB and Fans!

I’m Nicola from The Frugal Cottage!

I started my blog as an outlet for my financial journey, but now I hope to inspire people to live a simpler life while on a budget.

Modern society places a lot of pressure on people, and I hope to show that there is an alternative journey through life that makes it simple and enjoyable.

I hope to make a difference by showing how a simple life means a better life and that not falling into the trap of consumerism and wanting more is a good thing.

Having a supportive network and inspirational leaders makes the journey with money an exciting and sometimes challenging time, but I hope to help people make positive changes.

My blog is a mixture of budget, lifestyle, and food all mixed into one!” 

Top Recipe- Humble Pie

If you don’t know, I have a second Facebook page called The Free Recipe Depot, where I share recipes from other Food Bloggers worldwide.

Once a week, I pick one recipe submitted as my Top Recipe of the week.

Trust me when I say this is no easy task, as some foodies can cook up a storm.

Since it is Thanksgiving this weekend, I thought it would only be appropriate to share a homemade pumpkin pie called “The Humble Pie,” created by Lorinda at The Rowdy Baker.

Now, this isn’t my recipe, but it sure does look delicious.

If you are looking for a basic pumpkin pie recipe, this is a sure winner in the easy category.

Editor’s Pick

Editor’s blog post pick of the week

This week, Tonya from Budget and the Beach blew me away with another fantastic post that I have touched on here at Canadian Budget Binder, “Should parents have a say in their child’s career choice?” which was a hot topic for many readers.

Tonya’s “Silencing your Critics” post talks about choices, specifically career choices, and how your toughest critics can sometimes be your family members.

In this case, it’s her father, and she details just how difficult it can be having a parent who wants you to be successful and the pressures involved; however, keeping your cool and following your heart has led Tonya to be successful right from the start.

Google Search Terms

Every week, thousands of people visit Canadian Budget Binder because they searched online and found my blog.

Remember any spelling errors below because I share how they typed their search engine query to land on my blog.

• Gail Vaz Oxlade’s Personal Religion– What an odd thing to search for, but it must be important to someone; otherwise, they wouldn’t be searching for it.
• Best way to pay off nursing– Cash always works.
• I’m a new immigrant to Canada and need a credit card– I guess this need is different from the need to spend. There is one positive side to this need, and I’m pretty sure it’s to build credit, which is important for some people, like it was for me when I moved to Canada.
• How to get rid of $100,000 of debt– Pay it off! Sometimes, how people phrase what they are searching for makes me laugh, although this much debt is no laughing matter. Start budgeting and talk to a professional.

Thanks for joining me for this edition of The Saturday Weekend Review #92.

Happy Thanksgiving to All!!

-Mr.CBB

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