Here's my frugal list for the week -
* Gratefully received a large tub of margarine from a friend.
* Stocked up ( again ) on bargain priced shampoo and conditioner. They were all $2 each and some were large pump bottles. I think I have enough for the next 5 - 7 years.
* Fed kitchen scraps to the worms.
* Picked another handful of feijoas from the ground under the tree. Feijoas are generally ready to eat once they are on the ground.
* Stocked up on 160g tubes of toothpaste for $2 each. They are available at NQR.
* Collected my prize of a jar of burger sauce from House Of Burgers in Berwick. Now to make homemade burgers to try it. I'm sure it will be yummy like the food we've tasted there.
* Received the refund from Coles for the refrozen fish. I used that money to buy a cooked chicken which goes a lot further in this house.
* Made chicken stock in the slow cooker from the above chicken. This was then turned into chunky chicken soup which gave us 10 serves. The rest of the meat went into the freezer.
* Found a new squeezy frosty mug in Savers op shop for $2.99. It's still in an unopened box so I've put it away for a present some time in the future.
* Saved lots of water in the shower, washing machine and kitchen sink. We then reused it to water plants, soak saucepans and pour into the washing machine ( not in that particular order ).
* Took a homemade meal, muffins and a packet of biscuits to my weekend away at Phillip Island. The other ladies who came shared in providing the meals and snacks.
* Used lots of bread bags to line our bathroom bins.
* Made up two bottles of diluted Dynamo laundry liquid.
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| My stockpile |
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| Around the home |
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| Tidying up my tins in the pantry |
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| In the garden |
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| Autumn in the garden. |
I desperately needed to use up half a butternut pumpkin, and half a cauliflower, so I made a soup. I didn't even use a recipe which is very unlike me, I simply roasted both the veggies in the oven, sautéed an onion and some garlic in a pot in a little oil, added the roasted veg, and a Massel stock cube dissolved in 2 cups of water, seasoned it, brought it to a boil, then blitzed it with a stick blender, it was absolutely delicious and simple, and prevented food and money waste. I was pretty proud of myself :)
ReplyDeleteBecause of the upcoming holiday on Monday (Memorial Day), the grocery stores have several things on sale to signify the beginning of summer- hot dogs, ground beef, condiments, fresh corn and strawberries!
ReplyDeleteI bought 2 flats of strawberries and flash drive them. I bought a case of corn on the cob for $6 and blanched and froze it as kernals since I had just run out! I bought several bottles of BBQ sauce for 59 cents and am now stocked up for the year!!
I also found a promotion for Zaycon chicken- boneless skinless chicken breast for 99 cents a pound so I bought 2 forty pound boxes which will come in October! I’ve bought from them before and never been disappointed!
We are starting the DIY renovation of our third bathroom and bought all the materials tonigh5 at Hone Depot.
I don't normally comment Wendy, but have been a faithful reader for well over a year. Do you re-purpose the shampoo/conditioner pump bottles? I use them in the kitchen to hold the dish detergent. I re-fill the largest ones with shampoo and conditioner from smaller, pour bottles and am consistent in the amount of product that I use - whether it be dish detergent, or shampoo, etc. That helps me to use the smallest amount possible and still get stuff clean.
ReplyDeleteHi Norma. It's great to see you here. The bottles in the above photo are too tall to fit under the kitchen sink for detergent. I usually save the pump part to reuse on bottles that don't come with a pump like shower gel and hair gel. I did save a pump from a hand wash years ago and put it on the kitchen detergent bottle.
DeleteWe are just back from a week in Melbourne and then Sydney and managed to keep the costs of that down by:
ReplyDelete* choosing a self-contained apartment in Melbourne, central to everything and easy to walk to/from places we wanted to see. In Sydney, we stayed with dear friends so there was no cost for accomodation then.
* took our own snacks for the plane.
* making own meals, simple breakfasts of toast & egg, sandwiches & fruit for lunchboxes we carried around with us & simple dinners. In Melbourne, I shopped for basic items to make our food. In Sydney, we contributed $ to family's shop for the meals we shared with them.
* we didn't buy takeaway or eat at restaurants. My sister took us out for morning tea at a French bakery and that was a lovely gesture and treat!
* walking and using public transport to get around. Trams and buses and our own feet got us to all the places we wanted to go.
* not buying touristy trinkets. I bought nothing extra to bring home in my suitcase and my son used his pocket money to buy a book about a place of interest we visited.
* buying family tickets instead of separate adult & child tickets. Always a few $ savings there. I pre-booked a lot of this before we left home.
We really enjoyed our short holiday focussed on seeing new and different things and letting memories be what we carried home. Meg:)
Sad to say but I have gone off the rails with saving at the moment. Life seems just to much to cope with, I really hate depression. I spent a little time in the yard yesterday planting spring bulbs. I grabbed some half priced deodorants, hair colours and shampoos from the chemist. I did some surveys and am looking forward to product testing some new samples. I'm going away in August for a few days so picked up some bottles of coke on special to take away with me. I had picked up some extra shifts at work which were later cancelled. Just seems like every time I take a step forward I get dragged two steps back. I will survive Leanne.
ReplyDeleteI did watch the Royal wedding. It was lovely. You had a great week. Glad you had a fun time away. I have been working extra this week, I will love my paycheck next week. My big garden is all planted and my small garden is now ready to be planted. My full list is here:https://mcoia.blogspot.com/2018/05/my-frugal-list-week-of-may-21-2018.html
ReplyDeleteHi Wendy,
ReplyDeleteJust wanting to thank you for all the wonderful advice, and the effort you put into your blog.
I took a leaf out of your book yesterday. My dentist has recommended my husband and I to get an electronic tooth brush. She suggested to check out Woolworths, as they have an introductory sale on a specific brand, and to only buy one base, and 2 heads! Hubby and I just have to swap the heads over, saving us $$ already!
After finding the product on the shelves, I went and paid for the heads and electronic brush. Chatting to the cashier, I didn't pay attention to the price, and paid. As I walked away, the price rang in my ears and I checked my docket. They had charged me the full price! Turning straight around, I headed straight to the service desk, receipt in hand. After showing the manager, and checking the shelf price, I was refunded.
I wasn't aware of the store policy, which entitled me to the whole refund, plus the product for FREE! Buy looking at the receipt, and taking a few minutes out of my time, I just saved hubby and I $85.00, and hopefully a fortune in dental fees in the future.
Thank you Wendy!