Here's my frugal list for the week -
* Made a double batch of Cranberry Hootycreek biscuit dough for the freezer.
* Cleaned the dishwasher with bi carb and vinegar. I wiped the inside of the door and seals with Miracle Spray.
* Cleaned the kettle with citric acid. It looks like new.
* Cleaned the inside of the washing machine with vinegar and a small squirt of detergent. Cleaned out the lint bag and holder with detergent and a toothbrush.
* Made seven male birthday / all occasion cards for the first ever Cheapskate's card swap.
* Kept the heater off when the sun was shining through the windows.
* Picked up 1 kilo bags of carrots for 69 cents, pears for 99 cents a kilo and small mandarins also for 99 cents a kilo.
* Made a double batch of peanut butter choc chip biscuit dough for the freezer.
* Made two chocolate cakes. One for the family to eat and one for church morning tea on Sunday. It's our turn to serve tea and coffee but I'll be in Adelaide so the cake for this is in the freezer for the family to take out Sat night.
* Made a double batch of Raspberry and white choc muffins for lunchboxes and the freezer. Gee, the freezer gets fed well.
* With both Darren and I having colds, we eat simpler, cheaper meals a couple of nights. Eggs featured in a few meals as well as English breakfast muffins.
* Saved lots of washing machine water and dried most of the clothes on clothes horses.
 |
| I'm learning to make men's cards. |
 |
| Filling the oven with baking. |
 |
| Chocolate cake |
 |
| Raspberry and white choc muffins |
Hi Wendy
ReplyDeleteHope all goes well in Adelaide but most of all I hope you both have fun :-)
This week I spent most of my time in my garden and trying to work out how to beat the possum. He loves to eat my veg. So far I have tried blood and bone, chilli spray (my chillies from the garden) and netting. I have realised after he ate my newly planted roses that he is smarter than me. My next move is to go to the $2 shop and get a few small cheap mirrors and place them strategically along his path to our house and garden. My reasoning is he will be kept busy fighting the other possum in the mirror… I will not be beaten lol. I will have my home grown vegetables and I will not share with him, there are a lot of natural foods for him in the area. Then I will try to get some flashing solar powered lights to place out there to disorientate him.
I was strong and didn’t buy heaps of plants at Bunnings when I went to get the netting… I could have gone crazy but stopped myself in time. I did buy a nashi pear to get the seeds to grow. I have also asked my cousins who are visiting shortly to bring cuttings down when they come… Goodness knows what will arrive here then .I have begun to gather my three litre milk containers ready to use as pots for herbs and Chinese greens and lettuce this year. They are the perfect size to fit along the window sill outside the kitchen and they cost me nothing.
Ok in the house I have made bread a few times, made a few batches of yoghurt, continue to use homemade dishwashing detergent and washing powder. We have eaten a lot of frozen meals as I am usually tired after a stint in the garden and precooked meals are easier to serve. The heaters are not turned on unless it is really cold... in the minuses... I capture the afternoon sun and warm the home this way... I actually managed to dry some clothes on the line, in the sun, this week but otherwise the clothes horse got some use. I have been still making things, knitting and crochet, for gifts for the future. With eight grandchildren I have a lot to keep up with.
I had some dental work done this week, but fortunately we have money allocated in our budget for this so all was good financially. I did hyperventilate a tad when they told me how much it was but recovered slightly after the medical fund paid for some of it.
Linda
Linda, I hope you get the possum problem resolved.
DeleteWonderful post! Would you be able to share more of your recipes if possible I love all your baking?
ReplyDeleteMore recipes are coming soon.
DeleteWendy, you shared lots of smaller things that go a long way toward frugality ... it's the little things/savings that make the bigger things possible! Love your baking photos, I plan to do some baking this week myself.
ReplyDeletePatsy, my home is not complete without home baking.
DeleteDear Wendy, I am in bed reading your blog after a wonderful afternoon!
ReplyDeleteThat chocolate cake looks beautiful. It is a set back having colds and I agree that simple meals are fine. An egg or toasted sandwich is enough when you're under the weather.
I was very lucky in bargains last week. I think I was just in the right place at the right time. One was a Target sale. Just what I needed was on a massive markdown. I could hardly believe it.
Also some good mark downs at the supermarket.
In preparation for spring I have been cleaning out pots,, filling them with dirt...also Chloe found two huge cement pots on the side of the road for me. I am using them for cherry tomatoes.
I am hoping next week is as good!
It was so lovely to meet you today. I feel like I have known you forever though! With love, Annabel.xxx
It was wonderful to met you too Annabel.
DeleteI can't wait for Spring too. All that lovely sunshine and planting.
Hi Wendy,
ReplyDeleteWow Wendy, you still got heaps done even with getting ready to go away and being sick.
You inspired me to clean my kettle and with the hot water, I put Bicarb and vinegar into the sink hole and poured the hot water down and cleaned the drains at the same time, thanks.
I made Cranberry Hootie creek Bickies, Choc chip and white choc chip bickies, Vanilla cake and chocolate cake, brownies and hot chocolate mix.
Bought cheap Potatoes so I have stored these in a cardboard box with lots of newspaper and a dark cool place.
Received a new baking dish from MIL and 6 loaves of bread and scones.
Aldi's had cupboard shelf organisers and chopping board organisers on sale this week so I bought two cupboard ones ($4.99 ea) for the pantry for all the little things that get lost in the back, pantry looks great. I found a paper divided my DH had bought home from work ages ago and used this for the chopping boards, perfect. Now no chopping boards falling over in the cupboard all the time.
Did shopping for the month and only spent $185.00.
I found some soap we had received in January whilst on holidays from the resort, so I will dry this out in my walk in robe and then use this in the washing powder.
As I was cleaning things out this week ,I came across an old shopping list back from 2003 when I used to spend $100.00 p/w and on the list were things like Cheese snaks, cake mix, washing powder, yogurt, spray and wipe, jam and evaporated milk. OH how things have changed, thanks to you Wendy, xxx
Hope all went well in Adelaide,
Maureen
Maureen, my chopping boards fall over too. I try to have a stack of mixing bowls leaning up against the boards.
DeleteI wish I'd kept an old shopping list. It would have had snack dip and biscuits, muesli bars, fruit sticks, etc etc.
You had a very busy week Wendy. The chocolate cake looks divine and I am loving the men's card ideas, I think they take a little more thought than female ones.
ReplyDeleteIt was lovely to meet you on the weekend. Thank you for making me feel at ease (I felt like I had known you forever) and sharing your knowledge on all things cheapskate. I am really glad I went along, I learned some new skills and met some wonderful people too.
xTania
It was great to meet you too Tania. I recognised you straight away xoxo
DeleteHi Wendy, Your choc cake and muffins look very yummy! Im sure your a big hit in your house when you bake :) Just wondering if you had any budget friendly tips on making things such as pasta carbonara, homemade chicken parmigiana, chicken kievs, risottos or stirfry's. My family loves to eat all these things, but i find they can be quiet expensive and would love to cut a few costs where i can. Hope your having a lovely week. Susanne
ReplyDeleteSusanne, I'm the best Mum ever when I bake or cook hehehe !!!
DeleteWe don't eat any of the meals you listed. From what I can gather, pasta cabonara should be really cheap to make. Use only two small chicken fillets and dice quite small to make the meat stretch further. For the parmigana, cut each fillet in half length ways
Maybe have these meals on a less regular basis and add a few cheaper meals to your menu to offset the extra cost. Chunky soup makes a great cheap meal. Very tasty too.
Wendy,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, your card for a guy is right up my alley (an American figure of speech for "I really like it!"). I'm not so much into frou-frou. Did you create the pattern yourself?
I've been on the "road" (in the air, really!) since mid July, so I've not been in the Li'l Dutchgirl (my caravan, RV home this year) so do any frugal home keeping.
However, we have been buying gallon jugs of drinking water versus buying individual size bottles. Lots of moolah saved there!
Instead buying individual packets of laundry detergent in the laundromat, we bought a larger bottle from the grocer to take with us for the cost of one teensy package sold at the laundromat. We can't take the bottle with us on the plane, so the hotel maid gets some free detergent when we check out.
*hugs* from St. Louis, Missouri USA this week,
Kelley~
Letters Unfolded
Hi Kelley, no I didn't create the pattern for the men's card. I went to a card making afternoon with the Cheapskates Club and this is the type of card we made. I changed it a bit and used little stick on bling instead of brads. So much cheaper and easier.
DeleteThankyou for visiting.