* 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 !!!
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| Home grown pumpkins. |
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| Pizza. |
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| Card making goodies |
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| Look at all the magazines. |
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| Meat pie cooking |
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| Cranberry hootycreek biscuits. |
Wow Wendy those pumpkins are amazing! Lucky you! You've had a great week with your frugal tasks. We have been crazy this week but here is what we got up to:
ReplyDelete- bought 2 large turkish breads at aldi half price for $1 each and cut each turkish bread into four (it's very filling!) and put them in the freezer. I was originally going to buy wraps but this was a better deal.
- gratefully received some eggs and milk
- gratefully had dinner made for us by a family member one night and we kept the leftovers, leftovers won't be wasted.
- saved all my bread bags and shopping bags
- all lunches this week have been brought from home
- used heater and dryer as little as possible
- used the car for necessary trips, and if there were several things that needed doing, I tried to do it all if everything was in close proximity to each other.
- my fortnightly shop was under budget, more money was placed in our food fund. I'm saving for spring lamb specials when it happens!
Now that the weekend is here I'm hoping to do some bulk cooking for the freezer. I don't have a huge amount of freezer space, but I always have a few meals ready to go for just in case!
Amy
Amy, I've had those Turkish breads and they are so yummy.
DeleteI always buy 5 or 6 legs of lamb and lots of chops in Spring too.
I have been reading some of your old posts this past week and I came across your muesli slice, it is so easy and so good! I was able to whip it up after work one day. A little accident and a little experiment had me making it my own LOL, and I think it made it better. I forgot to dissolve the sugar in the butter/honey mix, I just threw it in with the dry mix and it was fine, and after I baked it for 30min I turned it out onto a board and noticed that it was very pale on the bottom (but golden on the top) so I put it back in the oven upside down for about 20mins (maybe less I wasn't timing it) and the bottom became golden brown, after it had cooled it was crunchy and chewy and just delicious, it replicated a packaged muesli bar perfectly, and the whole family devoured it in 24hrs! Much nicer, cheaper and no nasty preservatives than shop bought! So that was my biggest frugal task this week! Thank you for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteCheryl, when I first made the muesli bar slice, I put the sugar in with the flour. I did find that the slice came out a bit grainy as if the sugar hadn't dissolved. I'm so glad your family liked it.
DeleteThose free pumpkins look like Kent pumpkins - They are the most delicious pumpkin and make the best soup and pumpkin scones.
ReplyDeleteHi Phil. They are Jap pumpkins as that's all we buy. Jap and Kent pumpkins are the most tasty of all varieties.
DeleteHi Wendy, what a fabulously full and frugal week. Hope you have a splendid Saturday
ReplyDeleteFi
Thankyou Fiona.
DeleteThat is a great list Wendy!
ReplyDeleteThose JAP (Just Another Pumpkin) pumpkins looks like they grew really well. I agree with Phil, that they are the best pumpkins going.
Great score with the crafty things you were gifted. Looks like you are going to be kept busy.
I had a pretty busy week too.
*I cleaned two houses (income)
*Every meal was cooked from scratch this past week.
*Made two date loaves.
*Worked out a menu plan for next three months.
*My thoughts have been focused on frugality this week. I have come to realise that I do many thrifty things without thinking about how much money I actually save. I am going to start writing things down to keep track.
*I am consciously turning lights/power points off to save electricity.
*Line dried the laundry, and used the heat from the fire to finish them off.
*I am using up food stores I have here and limiting my shopping.
*Three no spend days.
*I picked up some reduced steak.
*Starting Wednesday morning I will be stalking the supermarkets for any meat specials.
*Picked up a reduce packet of fruit buns for $2.00.
*I have nearly finished the knee rug/blanket I am knitting.
*Made some more washing powder.
*Getting about three eggs a day from the girls, just enough for baking.
*Bought some baby spinach seedlings, we eat a lot of this.
*Bought shampoo and conditioner on special.
*Paid extra off on the mortgage. Getting closer to being debt free!
*Did some op shopping and picked up some pretty bottles/jars to use for gifts.
*Started a savings fund for our next holiday.
*Made yoghurt.
*Picked mandarins and oranges off our trees.
*Picked tomatoes and capsicums from the garden.
Wishing you lovely week,
xTania
You have such a great list Tania. I hope you put some photos of the bottles on your blog. I'd love to see them. I'm glad your chickens are laying. Eggs from the backyard are so tasty.
DeleteWendy I'm slightly envious of your pumpkins. This past year we have had amazing vines but the fruit got to about tennis ball size then rotted off. after some research I have found this is blossom end rot and requires quite a lot of lime in the soil, to help the plant with the uptake of calcium. The rot is caused by major calcium deficiency. With this now addressed we shall see how the next crop goes.
ReplyDeleteWell done on your busy and frugal week.
Jane, we had a lot of pumpkins die off. Our soil is mostly composts from our bins and it has lots of coffee grounds in it. I was just happy to get the two pumpkins. It saves me buying any for a while.
DeleteI hope you are more successful next season.
Hi Wendy,
ReplyDeleteThis week I got lots of things done around the house like cleaning out cupboards and catching up on cleaning. The school holidays are great for this. We've been into the veggie garden, sewing and only buying Milk and fruit this week.
I made all meals bar one(we ate out in Carlton at a Pizza restaurant as a treat). One meal had leftovers so I made these into pies for the next night and another meal, the packet of Satay chicken came from the swap table at card making. I picked Silverbeet and capsicums from the garden and used the tank water in the washing machine. We were blessed to be given Bread, Scones and Lemons.
I cut my own fringe, kept the heater off as much as possible, used the Themos, stuck to the two light rule and closed off the heater vent in the spare room.
I applied for a Coles MasterCard as my MasterCard rewards, I'm not getting the rewards I used to get and I have to pay an annual fee. As a result of this, I was given 20,000($100.00) Flybuys points and this card has no annual fee. I also received my Electricity bill which was nil due to the solar credits and the gas bill, I only had to pay half price using the rest of the credits.
What's an EBAY voucher?
I also bought some brown cardboard for card making @12 sheets $2.95 0.24c ea. Can't seem to get cheap brown cards.
have a great week,
Maureen
I made hot chocolate mix for the first time when we ran out of Milo and we love it.
ReplyDeleteI made shower spray (vinegar/dishwashing liquid) and it is so effective.
I diluted by 50% the dishwasher rinse aid and sensitive shower gel, which works just as well as full strength.
DD1 was after Doc Martens at $250 but we found some fabulous as new ones second hand for $50 which she paid for and is wearing.
Enjoying a free TV series on SBS on Demand called Trapped. So many great series for free here.
Keeping warm with blankets and rugs on the couch.
Made "clear the fridge" soup. Also a meat and vegetable stew which will make its way into pies this week.
My homemade yoghurt I am finding is going mouldy quite quickly - any tips? I find a pinkish colour after a few days which is the mould. I use a tablespoon of yoghurt powder and a cup of milk powder to make it and use an old Easiyo system.
Have a lovely week.
Marie