This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 16th July 2016

My frugal list is a little shorter this week because I'm going away for the weekend.  I'm joining a group of  lovely ladies from The Cheapskates Club for a weekend of card making at Phillip  Island.  Here's what I managed to do before I left on Friday -

*  Mended a coat by sewing back on some buttons and tightening the others.  There was a hole in the pocket lining so I sewed that up too.  I also  replaced the buttons on a pj top.

*  Turned the power points off in the girl's bedrooms when they were out.  I also closed the ducted heating vents.

*  Bought lots of chicken fillets for $4.99kg.  For about $63 Darren and I were able to get forty meals which works out to approx. $1.60 per meal for meat.  Gotta love a bargain.

*  Picked lettuce,  silverbeet and lemons from the garden.

*  Saved the rubber bands wrapped around our mail

*  Used the thermos to store boiled water during the day.

*  Made lots of raspberry and white choc muffins and raspberry jam to sell to a friend.

*  Bought oranges for 49c kg,  golden delicious apples for 99c kg and mandarins for 99c kg.

*  Saved the washing machine and shower water to wash our clothes.

*  Decluttered and donated lots of items to our local op shop and received a couple of discount stamps.

*  Stayed home as much as possible to save on petrol.

*  Gratefully received some card making items in the mail.  Thankyou Barb.

*  Used the carpet sweeper mid week instead of the vacuum cleaner.

*  Lifted up my retractable eyeliner ( Avon ) to use every last bit.

*  Made a big pot of chunky chicken and veggie soup using chicken carcasses I'd frozen.  I also made a batch of peanut butter choc chip biscuits.  Both of these items were for the weekend away

One of our mango plants still growing

Jam to sell

The Sun streaming through the window

Can it get any fuller ?

.
What frugal tasks did you complete this week ?

Grocery Specials Wednesday 13th July 2016

Here are this week's best grocery specials -

COLES -

*  Pantene Shampoo or Conditioner 350mL1/2 PRICE Was $7.89, Save $3.95  Now $3.94 each

*  Mars Maltesers 360g, M&M’s Peanut 440g or Celebrations Boxed Chocolate 300g 1/2 PRICE Was $10.00, Save $5.00 Now $5.00 each

*  Arnott’s Hundreds & Thousands Biscuits 200g1/2 PRICE Was $3.05, Save $1.53  Now $1.52 each

*  Arnott’s Scotch Finger Biscuits 232g-250g1/2 PRICE Was $2.85, Save $1.43  Now $1.42 each

*  Massel Liquid Stock 1 Litre1/2 PRICE Was $3.45, Save $1.73 Now $1.72 each

*  Maharajah’s Choice Basmati Rice 5kg1/2 PRICE Was $17.50, Save $8.75  Now $8.75 each

*  Gold’n Canola Oil 4 Litre1/2 PRICE Was $18.00, Save $9.00  Now $9.00 each

*  Peckish Rice Crackers 100g 1/2 PRICE Was $2.20, Save $1.10  Now $1.10 each

*   IXL Jam 600g1/2 PRICE Was $3.99, Save $2.00  Now $1.99 each  

*   Continental Cup a Soup 2 Serve 40g-75g1/2 PRICE Was $2.00, Save $1.00  Now $1.00 each

*  Campbell’s Condensed Soup 400g-430g1/2 PRICE Was $2.00, Save $1.00  Now $1.00 each

*  Cadbury Cooking Chocolate Melts 225g1/2 PRICE Was $4.19, Save $2.10  Now $2.09 each

*  A2 Milk Ice Cream 1.8 Litre1/2 PRICE Was $10.00, Save $5.00  Now $5.00 each

*  Golden Crumpet Rounds 6 Pack1/2 PRICE Was $3.30, Save $1.65  Now $1.65 each

*  Tip Top Café Raisin Toast 650g 1/2 PRICE Was $5.90, Save $2.95  Now $2.95 each

*  Vanish Gold Stain Remover 2kg1/2 PRICE Was $20.00, Save $10.00  Now $10.00 each

*  White King Bleach 2.5 Litre Was $4.25, Save $1.75  Now $2.50 each

*  Glen 20 Disinfectant Spray 300g1/2 PRICE Was $6.80, Save $3.40  Now $3.40 each.  It's well worth buying a few as it doesn't come on a half price sale often.

*  1/2 PRICE Bonds.Excludes baby & clearance items

*  Nice & Natural Nut Bars 180g-192g1/2 PRICE Was $3.99, Save $2.00 Now $1.99 each

*  Mars Pods 160g1/2 PRICE Was $4.25, Save $2.13 Now $2.12 each

*  Birds Eye Oven Bake Fish Fillets 425g1/2 PRICE Was $8.79, Save $4.40  Now $4.39 each

*  20% OFF $30, $50, $100 iTunes Gift Cards Excludes $20 iTunes Gift Card.

WOOLWORTHS -

*  Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain 290g Now $2.29 each1/2 Price, Save $2.30

*  Cadbury Dairy Milk Blocks 180-200g Now $2.50 each1/2 Price, Save $2.50

*  Alfa One Rice Bran Oil 4 Litre Now $12.00 each1/2 Price, Save $12.00

*  Koala Long Grain Rice 10 kg Australian Grown. Only at Woolworths.Now $12.49 each1/2 Price, Save $12.50

*  Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk 1 Litre – Excluding Vanilla Now $1.64 each 1/2 Price, Save $1.65

*  1/2 price all Sistema To Go.

*  Garnier Fructis Shampoo or Conditioner 700ml Now $6.00 each1/2 Price, Save $6.00

*  Canon Printer Mg2965# Now $39.50 each1/2 Price, Save $39.50

*  Garnier Fructis Shampoo or Conditioner 250ml Now $2.72 each1/2 Price, Save $2.73

*  Nivea Body Lotion 400ml – Excludes Q10 Now $4.00 each1/2 Price, Save $4.00

*  Tip Top Raisin Toast 520g or Wholemeal Raisin Toast 600g Now $2.70 each1/2 Price, Save $2.70

*  Tip Top English Muffin Varieties Pk 6 Now $2.45 each1/2 Price, Save $2.45

*  1/2 price all Tetley*Excludes Tea Cup Bag 100s.  If this is your tea of choice,  it might be worth stocking up.

*  Campbell’s Real Stock 500ml Now $1.14 each1/2 Price, Save $1.15

*  Campbell’s Chunky Fully Loaded Soup 505g or Campbell’s Simply Soup 500g Now $1.89 each1/2 Price, Save up to $2.11

*  Dove Shampoo or Conditioner 320ml Now $3.49 each1/2 Price, Save $3.50

*  30% off all Garnier Skincare

*  Energizer Max AA Pk 16 or AAA Pk 14 Now $9.74 each1/2 Price, Save up to $9.76

*  20% off all Canon Ink.

*  Australian The Odd Bunch Continental Cucumber Australian Grown.$0.90 each
   

      

Making The Most Of Citrus Fruit.

When most people think of Winter they think of colds,  the flu and putting the heater on.  I love Winter for the cold weather,  comfort food and most importantly,  citrus fruit.  At this time of the year citrus fruit is in abundance and it's cheap. My girls love oranges as a Winter snack. They cut them up into eighths and eat every last drop of pulp.  Much better for you than store bought orange juice and cheaper per portion size.

I love to make 50 / 50 cordial for the family . It's made with 3 oranges and 3 lemons. So to have the cheap Winter fruit available for cordial in Summer, I zest and squeeze the oranges and lemons into a container and freeze. I also make a whole orange cake that uses one orange. I just blend the whole orange ( minus the pips ) in the food processor and freeze it in a container for all year round baking.

Lemons are coming into season too. With supermarkets selling them at 80 cents each, I'm very grateful that my lemon tree is in it's sixth season of bearing a good amount of fruit. To make the most of the "free" lemons, I zest them and freeze the zest for lemon slice, lemon and pistachio biscuits, lemon chicken and savoury chicken or salmon flan. Then I juice them and pour the juice into ice cube trays and freeze. The ice blocks are stored in an airtight container to be used on fish , pancakes, to make lemon butter, jam.  lemon slice etc, etc. This year I'm planning on slicing some lemons and freezing the slices to make lemon chicken.

It's great to have these items on hand in the freezer. It stops the need to run to the supermarket for one lemon. I'll bet it would be out of season and you'd be paying premium prices.

If you haven't thought about it before, growing a lemon tree is great. It looks good, the blossoms and fruit smell divine and a bowl of lemons on the kitchen bench is a little ray of sunshine in the middle of Winter. It can be grown in a pot too. Best of all, you'll get your money back from the cost of a tree in no time.

So if anyone offers you a bag of lemons, or your neighbour has a tree with too much fruit for them to use, you'll know what to do with it.

Lemon butter

Orange cake and muffins

Freezing the juice.

Lemon butter for presents

Getting ready to make 50 / 50 cordial.

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 9th July 2016

More decluttering has taken place in the Gower home this week.  We are not hoarders as such but in less than four weeks we'll have to move everything from room to room to get our new carpet and bamboo flooring installed throughout our home  The less we have to move the better.  In saying that,  I did buy a new toaster,  kettle ,  vacuum cleaner and two dinner sets this week as well. Here's what else I got up to -

*  Gratefully received a bottle of perfume from a family member.  It was new but the family member didn't want it.  I'm blessed that it was a fragrance I usually use.

*  Dried the washing on clothes horses.  I only needed to dry a couple of things in the dryer.

*  Saved the kitchen water to use on pot plants outside.  Saved the washing machine water as per usual.

*  Cooked all meals from scratch using what I already had on hand ( eating down the pantry and freezer ).  Darren and I were also invited to a friend's place for dinner.  Thankfully the girls are old enough to cook for themselves.

*  Cooked a big pot of chunky chicken and veg soup for a church lunch.  I used two chicken carcasses from a catering job a couple of months ago that I'd frozen.  The leftover soup from church was bought home and the girls had it for lunch.

*  When I was shopping in IKEA,  I bought home a couple of their free paper tape measures to use in card making.

*  Refilled the shampoo and conditioner bottles in both showers and diluted them a little.  I also emptied the little shamp / cond bottles you get from holidays into the big bottles.  I'm hoping my girls won't notice.

*  Refilled the foaming hand wash pumps around the house with diluted shower gel.

*  Over the last few weeks I've given handmade soaps and decorated hand towels for a number of occasions.  It's great to have these items on hand in my present cupboard.

*  Made a batch of soap for our personal use.  I still have plenty wrapped for presents.

*  Decluttered  my craft supplies.  Some has been thrown out,  some to donate to other crafters and the rest was organised into boxes for easy access.

*  Cut up some store bought soap that had been in our bathroom cupboard for a couple of years.  I then blitzed it the food processor and added it to the grated soap bucket the holds laundry soap for laundry powder making.

*  Gratefully received three avocados from a friend's tree a couple of week's ago.  One is now ripe enough to eat so I've taken it out of the pantry and placed it in the fridge.  I'm suprised Darren hasn't noticed it in there.

*  Closed off the ducted heating vents and doors for the girl's bedrooms when they were at work.

*  We received our gas and electricity bills this week. I always read them carefully to make sure it looks correct.  Thankfully I did because I noticed our Winter concession discount hadn't been applied to either bill.   A saving of approx. $100.

*  Picked silverbeet and lemons from our garden.

Yummies,  pretties and a basket for egg collecting.

The latest batch of soap.

Cutting the soap before blitzing it.

Another pantry tidy up.  All the tea is now on the same shelf.

  What frugal tasks were on your list for the week ?

Grocery Specials Wednesday 6th July 2016

Here are this week's best grocery specials -

COLES -

*  Campbell’s Real Stock 1 Litre1/2 PRICE Was $3.99, Save $2.00  Now $1.99 each

*  Mars Medium Funsize 144g-216g1/2 PRICE Was $4.60, Save $2.30  Now $2.30 each

*  Fantastic Rice Crackers 100g1/2 PRICE Was $1.95, Save $0.98 Now $0.97 each

*  Golden Circle Tetra Drink 1 Litre1/2 PRICE Excludes Pineapple, Tomato & Nectar Was $2.05, Save $1.03  Now $1.02 each

*  Gold Choice Sunflower, Canola or Vegetable Oil 4 Litre1/2 PRICE Was $18.00, Save $10.00  Now $8.00 each

*  Heinz Beanz Creationz 420g1/2 PRICE Was $2.49, Save $1.25  Now $1.24 each

*  Heinz Classic Soup 535g1/2 PRICE Was $3.49, Save $1.75  Now $1.74 each

*   SunRice Basmati Rice 5kg1/2 PRICE Was $18.00, Save $9.00  Now $9.00 each

*  Edgell Black Beans 400gWas $1.95, Save $0.95  Now $1.00 each

*  Nescafé Café Menu 10 Pack 132g-185g1/2 PRICE Was $6.59, Save $3.30  Now $3.29 each

*  Ocean Spray Craisins 150g-170g1/2 PRICE Was $4.00, Save $2.00  Now $2.00 each

*  Golden Crumpet Breaks 6 Pack1/2 PRICE Was $4.00, Save $2.00  Now $2.00 each

*  Tip Top English Muffins 6 Pack1/2 PRICE Was $4.90, Save $2.45  Now $2.45 each

*  Tip Top Raisin Toast 520g1/2 PRICE Was $5.40, Save $2.70  Now $2.70 each

*  Dettol Profresh Shower Gel 500mL1/2 PRICE Was $6.49, Save $3.25  Now $3.24 each

*  Palmolive Body Butter Moisturising Body Wash 400mL1/2 PRICE Was $6.49, Save $3.25  Now $3.24 each

*  Macleans Multi Action Medium Toothbrush 1 Pack 1/2 PRICE Was $3.50, Save $1.75  Now $1.75 each

*  Macleans Multi Action Toothpaste 170g1/2 PRICE Was $4.50, Save $2.25  Now $2.25 each

*  L’Oréal Elvive Shampoo or Conditioner 700mL1/2 PRICE Was $13.95, Save $6.98  Now $6.97 each

*  1/2 PRICE on Bonds.

*  1/2 PRICE on all Sistema Multipacks.

*  40% OFF All Skype Gift Cards Limit of 10 per transaction applies

*  Viva Paper Towel 3 Pack1/2 PRICE Was $5.40, Save $2.70  Now $2.70 each

*  Arnott’s Shapes Crackers 160g-190g1/2 PRICE Was $3.00, Save $1.50  Now $1.50 each

WOOLWORTHS -

*  Morning Fresh Dishwashing Liquid 900ml Now $3.47 each 1/2 Price, Save $3.48

*  Allen’s Medium Bags 150-200g Now $1.50 each1/2 Price, Save $1.50 

*  Massel Liquid Stock Varieties 1 Litre Now $1.99 each1/2 Price, Save $2.00

*  Heinz Classic Soup 520-535g Now $1.74 each1/2 Price, Save $1.75

*  Vitasoy Coconut or Almond UHT Milk 1 Litre Now $1.89 each1/2 Price, Save $1.90

*  1/2 Price all Bonds

*  Dickies Plain Bath Towel 68 x 130cm*
May not be available in all stores. Colours, sizes and style may vary by store. While stocks last.Now $7.99 each 1/2 Price, Save $8.00

*  20% off iTunes Gift Cards*
*20% Off $30, $50, $100 & Variable iTunes Gift Cards on loads between $30 and $500.
The minimum load for this card is $30. Limit of 5 cards per transaction applies.

*  Palmolive Bodywash 500ml Now $2.69 each1/2 Price, Save $2.70

*  Rexona Deodorant Roll On 50ml Varieties Now $2.05 each1/2 Price, Save $2.05

*  Sard Soaker 1 kg or Inwash Gel 1 Litre Now $3.49 each1/2 Price, Save $3.70

*  Brut Deodorant Varieties 150g Now $3.14 each1/2 Price, Save $3.15

*  Mission Wraps Varieties 567g Pk 8 Now $3.00 each Save $1.99

*  Golden Crumpet Rounds Pk 6 Now $1.65 each1/2 Price, Save $1.65

*  Cinnamon Donuts Pk 12**Only available in stores with an in-store bakery. Now $2.00 each1/2 Price, Save $2.00

*  Tip Top Cafe Raisin Toast or Cafe Style Breakfast Toast 650g Now $2.95 each1/2 Price, Save $2.95

*  Woolworths Bake at Home Dinner Rolls Pk 12– White or Multigrain Now $2.24 each1/2 Price,
 Save $2.25

*  NEW Schwarzkopf Live Salon Permanent Hair Colour Now $6.99 each1/2 Price, Save $7.00

*  Continental Cup-a-Soup 2 Serve 40g-75g Now $1.00 each1/2 Price, Save $1.00 

*  Pantene Shampoo 350ml or Pantene Miracle Conditioner 180ml Now $3.94 each1/2 Price, Save from $3.95

*  1/2 Price All Bonds®* *Excludes Bonds Baby

                       

               

Starting A Stockpile

Anyone who knows me  knows that stockpiling is one of my favourite topics to talk about.   I LOVE stockpiling. It gives me a sense of security knowing that if anything happened and I couldn't get to the shops, OR if all the supermarkets closed down without notice ( I'd better start praying against that one ), then my family would be fed well for many, many weeks, maybe even 4 - 6 months. Ok, if I was feeding them for 4 - 6 months, we'd be on rations but I think I could do it.

I know of people who shop every day for that night's meal. I also know of people who only keep a couple of week's worth of groceries and they always seem to be running out of the basics. This is no way to live your life.  Think of all the stress and extra trips to the supermarket.  Think of all the petrol being used.  Here are some scenarios to think about -

What if you got sick ?
What if the car breaks down ?
What if family drops in unexpectedly for a holiday ?
What if your teenagers bring home a bunch of friends and expect a meal for all ?
What if your spouse invites some friends home for a meal without a prior arrangement ?
What if a natural disaster happens and it wipes out crops ?
What if you are stranded in your home due to floods ?

How would you cope if any of these things happened ? Yes they could easily happen although I really hope they don't. Do you go into a panic and order takeaway ? That would be so easy but then your food budget would blow out.  A better way is to have a good supply of basic ingredients.

Stockpiling is as easy as 1 2 3 .

1. Write out a list of basic ingredients that you would like to stockpile. Toiletries such as toilet paper, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, soap, shower gel, shavers, makeup all keep well for many years. In the pantry - flour, sugar, pasta, rice,  tinned veggies and fruit, herbs and spices, baking ingredients, spreads, powdered milk, sauces etc all keep well.
In the fridge - cheese and butter can be stockpiled as well as frozen. Even eggs keep well in the fridge for a few months.  In the freezer you can stockpile veggies, meat, leftovers, ready made meals ( homemade of course ) berries and other fruits.

2. Work out the quantities of these items you use per month. Then multiply it by the amount of months you want to have as a stockpile.

3 . Add some of these EXTRA items and quantities to your shopping list each week / fortnight / month you go shopping.  Remember,  these are extra quantities on top of what you usually buy.   Once you have finished stockpiling all you need to do is just replace the items you use. Also, do not forget to rotate your stock by putting new items to the back of the pantry,  fridge and freezer and the older items get pushed to the front.

Finding extra grocery money for stockpiling can be a challenge if you are on a tight budget.  Please keep in mind that basic groceries like flour,  sugar and pasta etc don't cost that much.  Here are some ideas for finding extra grocery money -

*  Use leftover holiday spending money.  This is how I started my food slush fund.

*  Make your own takeaway and the money saved could start your stockpile.

*  Revise your shopping list and cross off ready made / processed food.

*  Cook cheaper meals to stretch your $$$

*  Save your spare coins in a tin.  At the end of the month that money can be used to buy a few extra basics.

Do you have a stockpile and if so,  how long would it feed your family ?

If you haven't started a stockpile,  is this something you'll do shortly ?   

My spare tins of food.

An organised pantry

My spares.  I love things stacked neatly

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 !!!  

Home grown pumpkins.

Pizza.

Card making goodies

Look at all the magazines.

Meat pie cooking

Cranberry hootycreek biscuits.

What frugal tasks did you complete this week ?