My Abundant Life: Ths Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 11th June 2016

I'm on the home stretch with ordering everything for my new kitchen and flooring. Lots of time has been spent getting the best deal, researching, picking colors, putting down deposits and measuring. Next week we'll be getting quotes for the flooring. Then we'll get a few week's rest before the packing begins.

In the $300 A Month Food Challenge at The Cheapskates Club I mentioned that I have too much food in my pantry. Normally this wouldn't bother me. Infact, I love having lots of food. But with the prospect of packing it all up for the new kitchen, I've realised we need to use up some of the food. So until the kitchen is installed ( early August ), I'll only be buying milk, fruit and veg each week unless I run out of something.

Here's what I managed to get done this week -

* Baked a batch of raspberry and white choc muffins to sell to a friend.

* Made a large saucepan of creamed rice. This was made from slightly over cooked rice that couldn't be use with a main meal. I know rice is cheap and I did consider throwing it out but the family really enjoyed it as a dessert over the next few days.

* We bought five new chickens that will give us eggs in about 9 - 10 weeks. They re a little younger than the last ones we bought. Megan is beside herself with happiness because they are so cute.

* Dried the washing on clothes horses. Only the sheets were put in the dryer.

* Kept the heater off on the milder days or when the sun was shining.

* Baked four loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness.

* Made a batch of natural yoghurt. Then I used two tablespoons of the yoghurt to make vanilla yoghurt using this recipe.

* Megan gave me a haircut. I was tired of the rats tails at the bottom of my hair and didn't want to pay $20 $30 at the hairdressers. I think Megan did a fabulous job.

* Made some cranberry hootycreek biscuits for morning teas.

* Cooked a chicken curry in the slow cooker and froze three single serves of leftovers.

* Saved lots of washing machine water and shower water to put back into the machine for each next load. Saved water in the kitchen sink from drink bottles, washing hands and the warm up water. This was used to soak pots and scour dishes before putting the dishwasher.

* Picked silverbeet from the garden for two meals.

* Mended another shoe using shoe glue.

* Only spent $6.10 on milk and veg for the week. We had plenty of fruit left over from last week.