* Darren gratefully received three more avocados from a friend.
* Redeemed a Good Guys voucher for $20 and bought a few items for my kitchen. I'll be getting one of these vouchers every 3 months for the next three years. This is an added bonus for paying for an extended warranty on our new fridge. You could say we are getting the warranty for free.
* Juiced and froze a couple of bags of lemons. I also picked more from our tree. I like to sit them in a bowl for a week. It seems to relax the flesh and I get more juice from them.
* Mended a pair of socks.
* Darren picked a few silverbeet leaves from the garden when we realised we'd run out of frozen beans.
* Froze four single serves of leftovers.
* Fed the compost bins with veggie peelings.
* Made a big pot of chunky chicken soup from two chicken carcass I had in the freezer. These were from a catering job I helped at in May last year. I think I've now used the last of the fifteen carcasses.
* Cleaned the kettle with citric acid and the dishwasher using bi carb, vinegar and Miracle Spray.
* Used the dry mop on the bamboo floors instead of getting the vacuum cleaner out.
* Dried a few loads of washing on the line, a few on clothes horses and a couple of items went into the dryer.
* Refilled the foaming hand wash pumps with diluted shower gel.
* Sold one of my handmade cards in my blog shop.
* Bought three men's toiletry packs on clearance in Kmart for $2 each. Such a bargain and they smell great too. These will make great presents and I'll team them up with a block of chocolate.
* Baked peanut butter choc chip biscuits using dough from the freezer.
* Cooked all meals from scratch. Ate a few freezer meals.
* Jessica and I made bath bombs for the first time. We were doing a trial run for a Bella Pamper Party we are holding today for a 13 year old. They were so easy to make. I think bath bombs might be on the Christmas present list this year.
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| Peanut butter choc chip biscuits |
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| Handmade bath bombs |
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| Bargain $2 toiletry packs |
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| Chunky chicken soup |
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| From our Bella Pamper Party last Saturday |
I love that you always seem so calm and centered.
ReplyDeleteMy frugal list is small because I spent July not spending. I just got back from shopping sales in a town an hour away where prices are always better. We also got a new water bill that finally went down where I think it should be. I am so happy about that! Now, I need to work on the electric!
Debbie
Hi Debbie. Not spending is a HUGE frugal task. Think of all the money you are saving. I'm glad your water bill is down
DeleteHi Wendy, Your little bath bombs look great. I bet they smell lovely too! This week didn't feel all that frugal here because we had to buy a new oven. The old one went kaput! In and around that:
ReplyDelete* rang around for best price to instal our new oven, found a local electrician who didn't charge us a call out fee.
* Picked first pumpkin from volunteer vine that came up in our garden + veg from our patch like lettuce and kale and leeks
* Got 2 doz eggs for $10 from school hens (free range, happy chooks who turn scraps from all the children's lunches into eggs:)
* Used up some freezer meals like pea and ham soup given we had no oven for the week, they came in handy.
* Made our own ice-cream and a yummy pasta salad
Today, I want to make another pasta salad for a picnic tomorrow. Meg:)
Meg, think of all the money your oven will save with the baking and cooking you'll do.
DeleteHi Wendy,
ReplyDeleteThose bath bombs look amazing, did you put any fragrance in them? I bet you will make good use of those good guys vouchers! Here's what we got up to:
- took lunches from home
- used up left over mashed potato in your salmon patty recipe, they were delicious!
- kept pop top bottles and refilled them with diluted juice.
- used the heater and dryer as little as possible
- line dried all clothes as much as possible
- had 4 no spend days
- Hubby baked some chocolate cupcakes
- only used the demistifier in the car as needed, avoided using the heater in the car.
- made meals from scratch
I was given a compliment on how nice our clothes smell, of course this was due to our homemade washing powder. It cleans so well too, who says you need store bought washing powder? :)
Amy
Hi Amy, yes we put honey suckle fragrance in the bath bombs. I want to try new colors and fragrances like peppermint for small foot soak bath bombs.
DeleteI'm glad you liked the salmon patty recipe. They freeze really well too.
Your soup looks amazing, it was a good week for soup this week. Bath bombs are the easiest thing to make, and yet people pay a fortune for them, you'll save a fortune mooing them. In case you aren't aware, you can by bulk citric acid Aurora Cleaning Supplies in Dandenong South, much cheaper than from supermarkets or health food shops or even a whole food store.
ReplyDeleteHi Cath, yes I looked at their website for citric acid. If we continue to makes lots at the pamper parties we will buy a bucket. This time we went to Hindustan.
DeleteSoup looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteThankyou Georgiana. It was very tasty too.
DeleteSounds like a good week for you!
ReplyDeleteI've mentioned before that we are living 5 days a week in our vacation home and 2 days a week in our home that is for sale. Surprisingly, being at our "real" home tends to be more expensive because I can't mess it up and don't do any serious cooking. (I was glad for this when we had a house showing on 10 minutes' notice). Five days each week, we are in a small town (pop. about 200) with few places to spend money, and groceries that cost twice as much as at "home." We aren't spending much for food because I'm bringing the contents of my pantry and freezer here, a little at a time, and we have already run out of all of the interesting stuff, LOL.
We're still making a few repairs at the house that is for sale. I got adhesive caulk all over my hands, feet and flip flops and had no idea what to do. My friend piped up, "Try Miracle Spray!" I did, and it worked! It hardened right up, the stickiness went away and I could just rub it off with a dry cloth. Everyone who has tried Miracle Spray raves about it! This particular friend got rid of sugar ants in her kitchen when she started using it on her countertops.
I did 6 loads of laundry and dried everything outdoors.
I have cooked all of our meals from scratch this week here at the lake. I try to think ahead for lunches. Last week, before we left, I cooked a thawed chicken in the Crock Pot and froze it again. Tonight we had it in cold chicken salad. I think (hope) there is enough left for lunch tomorrow. I had also frozen the chicken stock, which I am thawing now. The plan is to put the chicken bones and skin and stock into the Crock Pot for chicken soup for Sunday lunch. Since I don't have the option of going to the grocery store except in a dire emergency, I am having to think ahead about what to have for lunches.
I am adding fruit and veggie waste to the compost pile. We get deer in the yard, so keep your fingers crossed that they don't become addicted to my compost.
Have a great week, everybody!
--Maxine in northern Idaho, USA--where it is really, really hot and we don't have air conditioning!
Forgot to mention, I repaired the binding on two wool blankets and mended two tops and a pair of jeans. The jeans were mended about 6 months ago with a piece of denim used as a patch on the inside, so I only had to machine darn it on the outside. I find mending and spot removal to be among our biggest money-savers--plus we need fewer clothes if I keep up with it promptly.
DeleteHi Maxine. Are you planning on living in your holiday home when your " real " home sells? It could be a challenge living in such a small town ( grocery wise ).
DeleteDon't you just love Miracle Spray. It's the cleaning product that keeps on giving and saving money.
It really pays to mend as you see the need.
We are going to have a smaller home built, all on one level and in the city. We will be living in our vacation home until it is finished, which probably will be next spring since it isn't started yet. Then we will evaluate whether to keep the place at the lake, or take the money and run!
DeleteWhat a good buy on the toiletry packs,Wendy, also i have been so busy with work lately i did buy a card from you,its fine to leave it blank inside as i can use mine stamp kit looking forward to receiving my card :)
ReplyDeleteThankyou so much for your order Mel. I'll keep the card blank on the inside. I'll be posting it on Monday or Tuesday morning.
DeleteHi Wendy, we had a great week here. We received quite alot of produce and basics from friends and family. 4 loaves of bread, a jar of guava jelly, a turnip, 2 bunches of bok choy, a head of broccoli, and a bag of beans! I would say approx $25 worth all up. Very lucky!!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately DH's gearbox in his ute decided to play up. $1528 later it is now on the road again.
Will you be posting the recipe for the bath bombs? Would love to make them
Wonderful blessings came your way this week Rebecca. unfortunately car repairs can't be avoided.
DeleteYes I'll be posting the bath bomb recipe in the next couple of months. They are on the list.
You were recently experimenting with 1 capful of Dynamo to 500mls of water dilution - how has this worked out? Are you happy with the ratio?
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be working well Phil. Our washing isn't usually smelly or really dirty so using Dynamo to this ratio still gives the washing a perfume without it being too strong.
DeleteHi Wendy
ReplyDeletethose bath bombs look great. Did you use the Ph buffer instead of baking soda?
We've had a virus this week, hubby is the only one not to get it thankfully. I still managed a frugal week.
. Made all meals from scratch
. Took my lunch to work each day. Hubby goes to Coles on a Monday and buys fixings for his weeks lunch to keep at his office.
. Fuel is expensive up here but I managed to buy at $1.18L with a WW discount card. Cheap in Qld.
. Stocked up on half price honey. Coles had a great special. I've never seen honey so heavily discounted. We go through a bottle a week so I bought 7 bottles!!
. Made your washing powder for the first time. So far it has been great. I cut up the laundry soap and put it through my Nutri bullet. Came out like powder. The final mix was just as fine as Omo. I normally buy the 7kg bucket from bigW for $39. Saved myself $33 after this first outlay. Yay!
. Watered down liquid soap from Aldi for our soap dispensers.
. Dried everything on the clothes line.
. My daughter made double choc biscuits last night as I'm unwell and don't want to handle ingredients. They are very tasty and will hopefully last for school lunches.
Have a lovely week.
Rachel X
Gosh, I hope you all get better quickly Rachel.
DeleteI have a big bucket of bi carb my friend bought from Costco so I used that for the bath bombs.
I'm glad you tried the laundry powder. If you have smelly washing, then drizzle a little disinfectant in the wash to freshen it. You'll save quite a lot of money making your own laundry powder and the Miracle Spray.
Thankyou.
ReplyDeleteI love how you always say "gratefully received...." Gratitude - It's a powerful thing.
ReplyDelete