This Week's Frugal Tasks 1st August 2015

This week has seen cold, wet weather,  sickness in the house and more dental work.  With all this going on,  I kept my frugal list on the fridge of all the things I've done during the week.  I feel a great sense of achievement knowing I've done the very best I can no matter what comes my way.  Here's what I got up to this week -

*  Made 1 kilo of Easiyo yoghurt using a sachet I bought on sale a while ago.

*  Mended a few pairs of socks.

*  Gratefully received some broccoli,  cauliflower,  leeks,  crumpets and eggs.  I blanched the broccoli and cauliflower and froze it in meal portions.

*  Jessica has been sick with a really bad cold this week.  On Sunday while Darren and I were at church,  Megan made potato and leek soup for Jessica ( and the rest of us ).  Jessica said it made her feel better.

*  Kept the curtains almost closed on the really cold days.

*  Started saving the shower warm up water again.  With big birthday parties at our house and myself being sedated for the dental work a few times,  it just wasn't practical to have the buckets in the showers.  It feels like all is well in my world again.  I'm saving as much water as I can.

*  Megan gratefully received some ( costume ) jewellery from a friend who previously worked in a retail store.  Jessica was home sick that day so Megan picked out a few things for Jessica and a necklace for me.  Jessica declared it was the highlight of her week.

*  Gratefully received some silverbeet seedlings from my Dad.  He said there were 13 plants in the punnet.  That's a lot for any one to use.  This will help us with our succession planting.

*  Saved the shower warm up water and the washing machine water for the next load.

*  Dried most of the clothes on clothes horses.

*  Made all meals from scratch as usual.

*  Stocked up on shampoo and Olay lotion on sale.

*  Kept the ducted heating on 18 degrees on a few days when the sun was shining.  A couple of times I turned it off when I was working hard around the house.

*  Decluttered a few cupboards instead of going shopping.  A real money saver.

*  Attended a University  open day ( evening ) with Jessica where we were given food,  bottles of water and Greek donuts.  We didn't need to eat much for tea that night.

*  Topped up my car's petrol tank at $120.5 when everywhere else was $145.9.

*   Picked and juiced some more lemons off our tree.

Megan's says " soup is her thing "- meaning, she's good at making it

Making yoghurt.

Because the clothes horse is the only place to rest.

Princess has taken a liking to my bed.

Bought the suitcase in from the shed.  Look who claimed it.

Packing card making stuff with Princess.

Darren's container garden under the pergola.

What frugal things are on your list this week ?

Grocery Specials 29th July 2015

Here are this week's super duper specials -

COLES -

*  Cadbury Favourites 320g 1/2 PRICE Was $12.00, Save $6.00  Now $6.00 each

*  Kraft Peanut Butter 500g 1/2 PRICE Was $5.68, Save $2.84  Now $2.84 each

*  Vegemite 380g Was $6.35, Save $1.35  Now $5.00 each

*  Heinz Big Red Soup 420g 1/2 PRICE Was $2.20, Save $1.10  Now $1.10 each

*  Imported Freshwater Basa Fillets Thawed From the Deli.Was $11.00, Save $5.50 kg Now $5.50 kg.  Ask the deli staff if they have any frozen out the back.  Then you can take it home and put it back in the freezer.

*   Listerine Mouthwash Total Care 500mL 1/2 PRICE Was $9.30, Save $4.80  Now $4.50 each

*  Morning Fresh Dishwashing Liquid 900mL 1/2 PRICE Was $6.95, Save $3.48  Now $3.47 each

*  L’Oréal Elvive Shampoo or Conditioner 700mL 1/2 PRICE Was $13.95, Save $6.98  Now $6.97 each

WOOLWORTHS -

*  Celebrations 300g Now $5.00 each 1/2 Price, Save $5.00

*  40% off selected bedding

*  1/2 Price on selected Oral B products

*  40% off all Olay products.

*  Check in store for other beauty product specials.

*  U by Kotex Ultrathin Pads Regular Pk 14 or U by Kotex Tampons Regular Pk 16 Now $3.00 each Save up to $2.00

*  TRESemme Shampoo or Conditioner 750-900ml $5.24 each 1/2 Price, Save $5.25

*  Clear Shampoo or Conditioner 350ml Now $4.74 each 1/2 Price, Save $4.75

*  1/2 price on all Nature's Way vitamins.

*  Dermaveen Everyday Soap Free Wash 250ml 1/2 Price All Dermaveen .Now $5.90 each 1/2 Price, Save $6.09

Please feel free to add any specials you see.

Cobbler Dessert

This is a wonderful Winter warming dessert.  I originally heard about this dessert on the Oprah show years ago when she popped into her neighbour's house unannounced.  They were having this dessert with their meal that night.  So I googled it and came up with my version of this American favourite. 

1 x 410 gram tin of fruit in juice or stewed fruit
1 cup of SR flour
1/3 of a cup of sugar ( white or raw )
About 1  1/2 cups of milk - enough to make it a slightly runny batter

optional extras - 
chopped walnuts
cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on top,
sultanas or other dried fruit.

Lightly grease a medium casserole dish.

Empty slightly drained tin of fruit into a casserole dish, cutting up any large pieces.
In a mixing bowl mix the flour, sugar and milk until it's a smooth, slightly runny batter.
Pour evenly over fruit and sprinkle with nuts,  cinnamon and sugar.
Bake on 180 degree Celsius for 40 mins. Serve with cream,  ice cream or custard.

NOTES -

*  A couple of weeks ago I made a cobbler using stewed apple from the freezer.  It was a big hit with the family.  Darren said it tasted like apple pie.

*  Other fruit I've used with success are plums ( make sure you take the stone out ), peaches,  apricots and pears.

*  This dessert can be cooked 2 - 3 days ahead of time and reheated as needed.

*  If you don't have any tinned fruit,  grab a couple of apples ( even the wrinkly ones ),  peel,  cut and slice into a casserole dish.  Cover with cling wrap and cook in the microwave on high for about three minutes.  Then pour the batter over the top.

This Week's Frugal Tasks 25th July 2015

We've had a wonderfully well rounded frugal week.  The sun has been shining and we've made the most of the "free " heat for our home.  We've managed to eat quite frugally, yet oh so well.  Here's what we got up to this week -


*  Made a big batch of pita chips for snacks.

*  Baked six loaves of bread.  Four were wholemeal bread with extra goodness and two were white with chia seeds ( for the girls ).

*  Picked some silverbeet to eat ( hide ) in a meal

*  Bought lots of beef mince and a large tray of sausages from Tasman Meats.  I portioned the sausages into meal sizes of six. The mince was divided into 300g lots of 400g lots.

*  Made chicken stock using the skin from the fillets and all the bits and pieces trimmed off.  I used my slow cooker to make the stock.  Megan made chunky chicken noodle soup the next night with the stock and one chicken fillet. I lived on this soup for two days after more dental work.   I froze two serves of the soup.

*  Kept the curtains open on the windows where the sun was shining through.

*  Stayed away from the shops for most of the week.  I sent Darren out to get milk..

*  Bought a bag of cut out card sentiments from Savers for $1.90. It looks like someone had been cutting up old cards.  From now on I'll be doing the same with discarded greeting cards.

*  Made a batch of blueberry and white choc muffins for Darren.  I used blueberries bought last Summer for $1 a punnet and frozen.  I also made a double batch of raspberry and white choc muffins.

*  Juiced some lemons and froze the juice.  I also picked another bowlful to juice later.

*  Sold two dozen eggs.

*  Gratefully received two metal planter boxes from my Dad.  He didn't need them any more and knew we could use them.  Darren has replanted our strawberries in them.

*  Refilled the foaming hand wash pump in the girl's bathroom with diluted shower gel.

*  Refilled the dish washing liquid bottle and diluted it.

*  Redeemed an almost 12 month old rain check for Dove soap. It was for packs of 4 bars for $3.60.  I got 10 boxes.  I think we'll be right for soap for the next few years.

*  Froze two single serves of left over main meals.

*  Made a mince pasta bake with 300g of mince.  There was so much left over it fed  us for two meals.

*  Saved the washing machine water and dried most of the clothes on clothes horses.

Chicken stock in the slow cooker.

Homemade bread. 

Sliced and in the freezer

Card making sentiments

Our " new " planter boxes

The strawberries have been replanted

Darren's tulips are flowering.

What frugal tasks did you complete this week ?

Grocery Specials Wednesday 22nd July 2015

Here are this week's best buys -

COLES -

*  Cadbury Cooking Chocolate 200g-225g 1/2 PRICE Was $4.19, Save $2.10  Now $2.09 each

*  Campbell’s Condensed Soup 400g-430g 1/2 PRICE Was $2.09, Save $1.09  Now $1.00 each

*  Sargents Traditional Meat Pies 4 Pack 700g 1/2 PRICE Was $7.65, Save $3.83 Now $3.82 each.  Might be good for the footy finals.

*  Golden Crumpet Rounds 6 Pack 1/2 PRICE Was $3.10, Save $1.55  Now$1.55 each

*  Norsca Anti-Perspirant Deodorant 150g 1/2 PRICE Was $5.99, Save $3.00  Now$2.99 each

*  Duracell Coppertop Batteries AAA 14 Pack or AA 16 Pack 1/2 PRICE Was $19.50, Save $9.75 
Now $9.75 each

*  BabyLove Nappy Pants 20 Pack-28 Pack 1/2 PRICE Was $16.99, Save $8.50  Now $8.49 each

*  Palmolive Shower Gel 500mL1/2 PRICEWas $5.39, Save $2.70  $2.69 each

WOOLWORTHS -

*  Arnott’s Shapes 160-190g, Sensations 180g or Shapes Extreme 130g Now $1.45 each1/2 Price, Save $1.54

*  Energizer Max AA Pk 16 or Max AAA Pk 14 Now $9.74 each 1/2 Price, Save up to $9.76

*   Tip Top Muffin Varieties Pk 6 Now $2.35 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.35

Please feel free to add any super duper specials you find.

Card Making On A Budget - Part 3

As you've probably gathered,  I just love making cards.  For me it's a hobby that I'm enjoying and it's saving us money. Cards bought from the $2 shops and discount stores were originally sold for 3 or 4 for $2.  Recently the discount stores have put the price up to $1 or $2 each.  Whilst this is still a great price compared to newsagents and department stores, I can make them cheaper at home.

Recently I was on the hunt for a card for Darren's 50th birthday.  I didn't think I'd have the time to make one with all the party preparations etc.  So I went to the $2 shop to have a look.  I must say,  I was disappointed with the few cards on offer.  They didn't look nice,  some had pictures of alcohol ( we don't drink ) or they just didn't suit Darren.

I knew what I wanted to make for Darren.  It had to be black and white as he's a mad Collingwood supporter.  So I bough a packet of 8 black cards and envelopes for $2 and came home to make one.  I had some suitable black and white wrapping paper in my present wrapping box.  I cut it slightly smaller than the card and glued it on with a glue stick.

Then I googled " free 50th birthday sentiments ".  This took a fair bit of time as it had to look right and not have a copyright on it.  The one I picked was perfect and I printed off a few extras for future card making  Now I have a few options in my stash.

I cut this out and glued it on the front. Because the card is black,  I needed to cut some white card for the inside so I could write on it.    This part was quick and easy.  Megan made a card for Jessica and herself to give to Darren.  She used another sentiment I printed off and mounted it on black paper.

Darren was thrilled with both cards proclaiming they were the best we have ever made.  He just loves them and they only cost 25 cents each.

Since then I made a few other cards using the same idea  Here are some photos of a few of them -.

Darren's birthday card

Megan made this one

For the inside of a black card

Stamps mounted on paper.  I used sticky foam squares too.

Men's card using wrapping paper

Using scrap booking papers bought on sale and a stamp

Using a printable sentiment and gluing it to a punch out.

A printable sentiment glued straight onto a blank card.

Adding embellishments to pretty up a card.

This Week's Frugal Tasks 18th July 2015

With the weather being so cold this week  I've tried to stay busy on my days at home.  I just love cooking and baking good wholesome food for my family and as Annabel says " feathering my nest ".  I had a lovely day with Cath form the Cheapskates Club.  Of course we talked about all things frugal as well as the up coming Adelaide workshop.  So exciting  !!!  Here's what else I got up to this week -

*  Made a couple of cards for my stash.

*  Made up lots of biscuits using a packet mix bought after Christmas for 5 cents. It was meant to be a gingerbread house but I don't have time for such a fiddly thing.

*   Emptied the bottom of the wheat bix packet into the Dried Seasoned Bread Crumbs container and gave it a good shake.

*  Kept the curtains 90% closed during the cold days.  They were open just enough so that we could see our way around the house.

*  Hand washed the dinner dishes a few time this week.

*  Fed the chickens handfuls of grass and clover to keep their vitamins up during the cold weather

*  Finished using up two lipsticks by digging down into the tube to get every last bit of it.  I got another 6 weeks use out of each one.

*  Found an old eye shadow in my travel toiletry bag that didn't have enough in it to take away.  So I've put it in the bathroom cupboard and have been using it every day.

*  Bought my mum a bunch of flowers for her birthday.  The tissue paper the florist used went soggy straight away and wasn't a nice color.  So I used some of my stash of florist colored plastic wrap to make it look better with craft ribbon I had on hand.  Gave my mum a handmade card from my supplies.

*  .Made a bulk batch of fruit crumble topping mix.

*  Redeemed a rain check for 4 litres of Moro olive oil for $20.  I've had this rain check for almost 12 months but waited until I was low on stock in the pantry ( and I needed the room to store it ).

*  Wiped out the fridge using water and a microfibre cloth.  I saved the water from rinsing out the cloth and used it to water some pot plants outside.

*  Came in under budget for groceries from June 16 - July 15.  I only spent $237 out of $270.  The left over money went into the food slush fund to buy future food specials.

*  Bought lots of chicken fillets from Tasman Meats for $5.99kg.  They were portioned into meal sizes and frozen.

*   Made a double batch of pumpkin scones using cooked and mashed pumpkin I'd frozen last year when it was cheap.

*  Saved the washing machine water and dried most of the clothes on clothes horses.

*  Made 1 litre of homemade yoghurt.

*  Froze 3 single serves of left over meals.  I'm trying to get a stash together as next Tuesday is the last of my major dental work.  I'll only be able to eat pureed vegetable soup and custard for a few days so I won't be wanting to cook for the family.

My 5 cent gingerbread biscuits for church morning tea.

My favourite morning tea.

One of the cards I made.

Left overs for the freezer

Making my own yoghurt.

What frugal things did you complete this week ?  I'd love for you to share your list.
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