My Abundant Life: This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 2nd July 2016

Looking back on my week I'm really happy with what I've achieved. I cleaned, tidied, decluttered, baked and cooked everything from scratch. I even found time to make a few cards. Here's what else I got up to -

* Took the pumps off some shower gel bottles and put them on my TresEMME shampoo and conditioner bottles in the shower. The shower gel was just spares in the cupboard. It's good to know the caps and pumps can be swapped.

* Kept the heating off two days running ( except for night time).

* Used my first ever Ebay voucher for $20 off to buy some sentiment stamps I'd been wanting to buy. From the supplier they cost just over $40 including postage. On Ebay I found them for $26.89 with free postage. The voucher said I needed to spend $30 minimum so I also purchased a packet of embellishments that I use quite often. Total cost for both items was just under $11.

* Blank craft cards are getting harder to buy where I live. I wanted to buy some brown cardboard colored ones but they are not available. In the $2 shop I found a pack of 10 sheets of brown cardboard paper for $2. If I cut the paper to the size of the white cards I use and stick it to the front, I'll get 40 pieces per pack.

* Dried some washing on the line and the rest on clothes horses.

* Made French onion soup mix by using bought packets and adding onion powder, onion flakes, parsley, garlic powder and paprika.

* Megan de cluttered her room in readiness for the new carpet. I scored three scarves, a white picture frame, PVA glue and paper cupcake cases

* Made four loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness.

* Cleaned the kettle with citric acid and the dishwasher with bi carb and vinegar.

* De cluttered the pantry again. I'm determined to have lots of room and organisation for my new kitchen. I emptied all the little salt sachets into the salt pig and the brown sugar packets into the sugar canister.

* Reused lots of bread bags for storing home baked bread, flouring chicken drumsticks and lining the bathroom bins.

* Made a batch of double strength Miracle Spray. This is diluted when I decant it into the spray bottles.

* Closed off the ducted heating vents and doors in the girl's bedrooms. I did this when they were at work all day.

* Gratefully received two boxes of card making magazines, some stamps, ink pads, cutting boards and other useful bits and pieces. A friend from my youth group days sorted out her craft stuff and blessed me with so many goodies. Thankyou Cheryl xoxo

* Baked a tray of cranberry hootycreek biscuits using dough from the freezer.

* Made pizza for dinner one night using ham and pineapple that was given to us. So yummy.

* Darren picked two pumpkins a couple of weeks ago. After drying them outside I bought them in to be used. These pumpkins accidentally grew in our veggie garden. I think the seeds were thrown into the compost. Oh well, free food !!!