* Saved the Wheat Bix crumbs from the bottom of the bag and poured them into the Dried Seasoned Bread Crumbs container.
* Fed the compost with lots of leafy greens and veggie scraps.
* We went to the Melbourne Show on Tuesday. Darren went for free as his sister's companion ( she has a disability ). Megan and I bought our tickets online and got the early bird discount on a student ticket and a concession ticket.
* Baked Cranberry Hootycreek biscuits to take to the show as snacks. We also took our water bottles.
* Ate freezer meals one night this week and also added to the stockpile with two single serves of sausage casserole.
* Saved lots of water from the shower to pour into the washing machine. Also saved the final rinse water for the next load.
* Cleaned the dishwasher and filters with Miracle Spray, bi carb and vinegar. I try to do this once a month and run it on an empty hot cycle.
* Baked four loaves of wholemeal bread.
* Dried all the washing on the line and clothes horses. The weather has been lovely.
* Went to a Cheapskates card making afternoon. I learnt to make a few different cards and flowers. We also had a swap table. I was blessed with some material, plants and craft supplies. I blessed other with glass jars and lemons.
* Washed out some snap lock bags that were given to me.
* Picked broccoli and spinach to go in a few meals.
* Sold two dozen eggs at the card making afternoon.
* Bought four crumpet rings from Savers for $1.80. I think they usually retail for about $4 per ring. As soon as we've finished eating our store bought crumpets, I'll try making my own with a recipe on the Cheapskates website.
* Only spent $4 on groceries this week and that was on milk. With all the fruit and veg bargains I bought 1 1/2 weeks ago, we didn't need anything else.
* Continued de- cluttering and took two bags of goodies to the op shop and received two discount stamps for future purchases.
* Turned the heater off when possible and made sure the curtains were wide open to let the sun stream in.
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| Our raspberry plants are growing so quickly. |
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| This photo was taken 11 days ago |
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| Darren's proud of his flowers grown from cuttings. |
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| Little raspberry plants popping up everywhere |
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| Gracie |
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| Dixie |
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| Sophie |
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| The girls who won't keep still for a photo |
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| Crumpet rings |
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| Princess - the only place to rest. |
What's on your frugal list for this week ?
Thanks Wendy. the raspberry pants are just taking off like a shot - how satisfying. I had forgotten how useful weetbix crumbs were...thanks for the reminder. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we'll ever buy raspberries again. We still have some frozen ones from last season.
DeleteWhat a busy week! Hannah is off to the show tonight with a group of friends, they've all bought their tickets online too :)
ReplyDeleteYou'll love the crumpets - so much nicer than bought ones. They freeze really well too, but they are best eaten straight from the pan with lashings of butter :)
My grocery shopping this week was 3 bottles of milk, a loaf of bread and 4 mushrooms - I think it's the most frugal week I've had for about three months :)
" lashings of butter " - the only way to eat crumpets.
DeleteHi Wendy
ReplyDeleteI like the white chook.
The extra raspberry plants once corralled will be a great bonus for you.
My week:
We went to markets and spent $18 to get 5 kilos of washed potatoes, two capsicums, ten cucumbers, 16 mandarins, one lettuce, 12 apples, 8 full garlic, 5 purple onions and 5 brown onions.
I have made:
Marmalade with the citrus – 3 ½ large jars of marmalade
I bottled the beetroot. It made up the equivalent of two cans of beetroot slices.
The apples will be for lunches
The onions will be used as we go along
Capsicum, cucumber and lettuce for salads
I will dehydrate the garlic and reduce to powder
Made a greenhouse out of left over bubble wrap and an old shelf I had in the garden and a staple gun.
Kept the core of an old lettuce, put it in water and it is already growing more leaves for us to eat
I have planted more seeds in the garden
Planted some garlic
We have eaten rocket and celery and herbs from the garden this week. My celery is nearly two years old now. It is a plant that keeps on giving.
Stewed some old granny smith apples we had in the fridge and froze in portions for Hubby to use for work
Made more marmalade with some oranges I had in the fridge… gave a jar to one of Hubby’s work mates who gives us jars. Have some set aside to give to my father who loves marmalade.
I trimmed my hair and Hubby buzz cut his.
Have a good week Wendy
Linda
You had a great week Linda. What type of lettuce are you growing from the core ?
Deletecos lettuce
DeleteGood Morning Wendy,
ReplyDeleteQuick question. What do you wash out your snap lock bags with? I don't use many but would like to reuse the ones I do.
Thanks
I put a small amount of hot water in the sink with a dash of dish liquid. Once they are washed, give them a good shake and hang them on a clothes horse or coathanger with a peg at the top so they stay open.
DeleteThanks Wendy. Have a great weekend.
DeleteHi Wendy,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great find with the crumpet rings, this is on my to do list this year also.
I love how Princess is helping to dry the washing, heeee.
This week being school holidays, I got a lot more done than normal.
I made Lunchbox Muffins (which I took some to MIL's house for dessert), 2 x Orange cakes, choc chip bickies and blanched and froze heaps of Broccoli.
Did some gardening, used tank water, added to the compost, used Silverbeet in Tuna bake, took a cutting from inlaws house of a Geranium and used up 3 old bars of soap which I had from when we stayed in a motel in January, to grate up and use in the washing powder (it grated up 1 1/2 cups).
Cleaned out DS2's room and sorted things for op shop and Street Garage sale for October. I ran out of Bicarb and I was making Biscuits, so I looked up an alternative and used Baking powder, Yeah!!!
My MIL gave me a present on Sunday and the gift bag that it was in had Butterflies all over it so I can use this in my card making. I attended the card making workshop on Saturday which was wonderful and finished them off during the week. I also cleaned out all of my card making stuff to have it more organised.
I had to go thru Ballarat on Tuesday, so DS2 and I stopped at the SPC outlet in Ballarat and picked up a few bargains and found a little op shop where we bought a BBQ backpack, new, for $6.00.
We went to the movies and used vouchers and I also had a voucher from Ferguson Plarre which DS2 used for a treat and I had a free coffee.(This voucher came from being on their emailing list and sent to you around your birthday).
Received 3 loaves of bread and some muffins. I also washed out my snap lock bags, made my menu plan and shopping list. I cleaned out some of my sewing cabinet, kept the heater off as much as possible, used an old pen holder for a cutlery holder on the dish washing rack as cutlery kept falling thru the rack and received a book of vouchers from Red Energy(as we are with them for Gas and electricity) which I went thru and pulled out the ones I was interested in to keep in my purse. I received the Water bill this week and as I have been saving the shower water and using the tank water, my bill had gone down, yeah!!!
Have a great week,
Maureen , xxx
Maureen, I love the way you make the most of what you have.
DeleteWe'll be heading up to Ballarat in December and the SPC outlet will be on our list of places to visit. We also check out the op shops a few doors down.
The op shop where we bought was next to the Vintage china company shop, so cheap, i think they underprice their items.
DeleteYes I know that one. A good find as we thought that op shop was grungy
DeleteYes, we found it a bit smelly.
DeleteBy the way, how much sun does your Raspberries get? Mine is in a pot and i want to plant in the ground but not sure how much sun they need.
Thanks,xxx
Mine get the sun from midday onwards. In the extreme heat, we angle umbrellas over them. We are thinking of planting more on the other side of the backyard. These ones would get the morning to midday sun.
DeleteHi Wendy
ReplyDeleteAm on school holidays so I finally got to see the bottom of the laundry basket :)
This week,
Made 1 litre of Yoghurt.
Made all meals from scratch.
Ran out of ironing aid and remembered I had a bit left over of concentrate I bought ages ago so used that instead. Still enough left over for another batch so that is off the list for a couple of months (unless I am successful in making my my own like I posted previously then its off for good).
Made dog food.
DH bought home leftover pears from work which I will stew up for the bird (a rainbow lorikeet who is called Skittles and does not shut up, keeps asking "what are you doing"). Will also freeze some for yoghurt topping.
Spent a total of $187 on groceries with only about another $20 of things I will need and then I'll put aside another $50 for the rest of the month for milk, bread and F&V. Aiming for $260 total for the month.
Picked up 2 kilos of chicken breast fillets on a markdown for $11 along with 2 packs of marinated steak pieces for $2.60 each (each pack contains 4 good sized pieces of oyster blade steak). Original price was $12.99.
Bought 1 kilo bag of beans for 0.99cents and brocolli for another $1.99 and cut up both and froze.
Dried all washing on clothes airers as we've had a lot of rain this week.
Have a great week.
Cheers
Deb
Wow !!! They are great grocery bargains.
DeleteIf my cat could talk she'd say " What are you doing " as we say it to her all the time.
This week I used a hairdressing voucher for hair cuts which saved $20 off the bill
ReplyDeleteRang and reversed some incorrect library fees
Said "no" to takeaway dinner as suggested by kid's friends at the train station when I had to drop kids for an activity. We just ate earlier that usual. Couldn't think of anything worse that eating at the station.
A friend brought me a pair of jeans that didn't suit her but suited me.
Found a myki card with no identification on the ground outside my house, left it there for a while but no one claimed it. Has a few dollars on it.
Going to a friend's for dinner tonight and I'm taking dessert.
Going to the show with a friend with a free ticket.
Sold some school uniform items and bought some secondhand.
Got a couple of polo shirts that hubby likes at Target yesterday marked down from $20 to $4 each - will put away for Christmas. Also picked up some beautiful journals marked down to $1 which will be great in my gift stash box.
A friend gave me some magazines she'd finished with. It's nice to have likeminded friends!
Sue
Yes, some kids think the only thing to eat is takeaway. I'm god at saying no when it's not needed.
DeleteThe Super food ideas and Taste .com show bags were reduced to 2 for $10. Some great stuff in them and worth the money.
Hi Wendy,
ReplyDeleteCooked all meals from scratch, made yoghurt, made biscuits , also made more miracle and
stain remover sprays. Petrol was cheap this week, filled the car up which will hopefully last
until the next cycle. Received my renewal notice for our insurance. I called my insurance
company and successfully reduced the premium.
I also watched the BBC series Eat Well for Less on you tube (some episodes at least), about
families who spend too much money on groceries . $200 - $300 pounds !!!!!!!!!!!! per week, and
that's just for an average family with 2 or 3 kids. A lot of junk food, really interesting.
Tricia
Tricia, I've heard about that show. I must have a look. Wow, they spend a lot of money don't they? I'm sure they don't feel too healthy as well.
DeleteHi Tricia,
DeleteI love that show. Such an eye opener. The last episode I saw featured a family who loved pre-cut everything and bought pre-cut fresh carrots because the kids liked the matchstick shape and the mum couldn't be bothered cutting them. It was like 4 times the price of what carrots should be.
Even if I did have the money to waste on stuff like that I wouldn't do it.
Deb :)
Dear Wendy, I love your chooks. Chooks = happiness to me!
ReplyDeleteYou had a good week. I love weetbix crumbs. They are good for many things. Crumble topping might be my favourite.
We have a beautiful day here and have been in the garden much of the day. I answered a survey and got a $10 gift card.
It is such a good idea swapping paper. card making supplies. Sometimes I have things in a colour I dont like etc. I will save them for swaps one day.
Last week was pretty good. A lot of gardening but the things we have been planting are going well. Tomatoes especially growing a lot.
I have been card making for gift packs. Will show that on Monday. Boxes and packs of cards seem to be a good gift, I guess everyone uses cards and those who dont make them can spend a lot of money on them.
I did add to my pantry and today I added things to my cellar and feel pleased to see it growing.
Have a lovely weekend! I hope the weather is a beautiful there. With love, Annabel.xxx
Annabel, I've been card making too. I'm hoping to sell some to a cleaning client.
DeleteThe weather has been lovely the last few days.
Hi Wendy,
ReplyDeleteI love the way your Princess rest. Resting on flat surfaces anywhere is a different story, but on a clothes horse? It is funny but she looks cute; so calm and peaceful. Please tickle her ears for me.
Please excuse my ignorance, Wendy, but I have question for you. I've read a lot about using vinegar as a cleaning product to clean dishwashers and washing machines and also as a fabric softener. I really do want to use them, as dishwasher products are expensive.But my husband says the internal metal parts which vinegar contacts could corrode after some time. Recently I read a comment someone saying vinegar could 'eat away' plastic parts after a period of time. This scares me a bit as I don't want to ruin them.
What is your opinion on this? I'm so indecisive as what to do. Please advise.
Thank you,
Best regards,
Millie
It's funny watching Princess get comfortable. It doesn't look comfortable to me.
DeleteI clean the inside of the dishwasher door with Miracle Spray. Then I swish some vinegar in the bottom of the dishwasher, fill up the tablet holder with bi carb and turn it on a long hot cycle. With all the water being used, I don't think the vinegar is strong enough to corrode or weaken anything.
I've heard dishwasher repairers say that the tablets are not good for the dishwasher pipes as the chemicals are too strong and you can only use them on a very long cycle to wash it all away.
Epsom salts are really good for cleaning the washing machine pipes
Thanks heaps for your time and advice, Wendy. Sorry I was busy and couldn't check on this earlier.
DeleteI definitely will give bi carb and vinegar a go in the dishwasher and see what happens. I was curious about this all the time since I read it first but had doubts.
How do you use Epsom salt in the washing machine, please? Have never done it before. Where do you put them in the washing machine and from where can I buy them?
Love,
Millie
It's been a couple of years since I've bought epsom salts as I bought a new machine a couple of years ago. I think they are in the medicine aisle near the calomine lotion, eucalytpus oil , cod liver oil type things.
DeleteI use to sprinkle 1/2 a box in a machine ( the bowl ) filled up with hot water and run it on a long cycle. It's the only time I use hot water in the washing machine. Make sure no one needs a shower just after doing this.
Hi Wendy, another really great week for you.
ReplyDeleteI love how your raspberry plants are coming up everywhere. I popped into Bunnings the other day but they didn't have any raspberry plants. Instead I purchased a Tayberry, a cross between a blackberry and raspberry. Hopefully I can get it growing here, I am still deciding where to put it.
I had three no spend days this week, made yoghurt, dried washing outside, sold excess eggs (we are getting over a dozen a day), planted out capsicum seedlings, purchased two more strawberry plants from woolies for $1.98each, picked ripe strawberries, continued picking oranges and grapefruit, saved veggie peels etc for compost, used tea-leaves instead of bags and saved the leftovers for compost, organised more garden beds, made a chocolate cake.
Have a lovely week,
xTania
You had a well rounded frual week Tania. It's a shame Bunnings doesn't have raspberry plants. Might be worth asking when they come in and making a note for next year.
DeleteSo resourceful. I especially loved the $4 grocery week. We live on the road this year, so $4 is impossible. Glad it's possible for you!
ReplyDeleteLoved your feathered girls, too, and I'm off to research "crumpets!"
*hugs*
Kelley~
Letters Unfolded
You would find it very hard to stockpile Kelley.
DeleteOk it's been a long while since I've posted!
ReplyDeleteYou have beautiful chickens! I can't wait to get some of my own
This is for the last 2-3 weeks
Made all meals from scratch (the maccas is from what Stuart buys when he gets paid LoL...)
I barely spend any money on take away anymore.
Ruby's calisthenics was on Thursday I made myself Ruby and a friend a packed lunch I only bought water because I forgot my bottle at home but rememberd to brin Ruby's (the usual forget about me but worry bout the kids first haha)
Went to card making day at Caths house and got some goodies at the swap table as well as learnt how to make some very pretty cards
Made a few cards at home on my own
Went to crocheting on Wednesday and am doing a working project on a crochet hook folder/pocket holder
Sprouted some cucumber seeds
Gave my dad some pumpkin seedlings
Greatfully accepted some bread and soup from mum
Found HEAPS of wood on the nature strip of a house that had just cut a tree down woohoo! Stuart was very happy with my findings.
Greatfully received a children's table/rocker type thing from the kids daycare.
Made 2 tooth fairy pillows for Ruby and Nayomey and bought the material from spotlight with their 30% off material sale
Greatfully received a bag of oranges
That's all I can remember for the moment
Hopefully I don't get too distracted to post next week as well LoL... have a great week wendy! Xoxox
That's a great list Anne. Maybe put a list on the fridge and add to it daily. I do this otherwise I'd forget things.
DeleteWhat is Stuart going to use the wood for ?
I keep forgetting too haha I've got one on my phone now cause I usuallly always have my phone on me.
DeleteStuart made like a barbecue type thing out of car stock rims I'll have to send you a pic on Facebook so you can see :)
He usually just uses it to keep warm while his outside listening to music and playing with his car LoL...
My stockpile of toiletries is growing - this week Woolworths had the shaving cream and deodorant my hubby uses out for half price so I bought 8 of each!
ReplyDeleteThat's the way Joolz. Did you clear the shelf ?
DeleteWendy, where do you buy your black cards and envelopes from? I looked in Kmart but there was nothing there. Thankyou, Sue.
ReplyDelete$2 shops are the cheapest. $2 plus shops might sell them for $2.50. If they don't have that color in stock, ask the owners to get it in.
DeleteKmart sell packs of 50 white cards and envelopes for $5.50 in their scrapbooking section. It's hanging on a hook.
DeleteSorry, meant to say BLANK cards and envelopes. Sue
ReplyDeleteWendy, what a great week you had. We have those little flowers too, in about five different colours. They're such happy things aren't they? I missed this post somehow, so I'm really glad you came over and shared at A Tray of Bliss. Love, Mimi xxx
ReplyDelete