We had a wonderful time relaxing, shopping at both Mill Markets ( antique mega stores ), enjoying morning and afternoon teas out and had a lovely picnic by the lake at Daylesford. We took all our own snacks, water bottles, teabags, breakfast spreads and a few treats. The weather was glorious which can be unusual for Ballarat.
Here's what else we got up to this week -
* Saved $12 on petrol by activating and using an offer from Flybuys in their phone app. We used the 10 cents a litre discount to fill up both our cars.
* Used our Flybuys card to pay for our groceries while we were in Ballarat. Every time we get to 2000 points, Darren converts it into $10 and loads it onto the card. A great little bonus for doing our usual shopping at Coles and Kmart.
* Donated a couple of bags of unwanted items to Savers and received a few discount stamps. They only allow one stamp per day so I make sure I do a few trips when driving by to really make my donation count.
* Dried all the washing on the line.
* Refilled and diluted the shampoo and conditioner pump bottles. I diluted them by 1/3.
* When we left our accommodation to come home, we took all the food that was included in the price for our breakfasts. We took home a couple of pieces of fruit, a box of orange juice, milk and a small tub of margarine
* Converted $20 worth of Flybuys points into money.
* Picked silverbeet from our garden to include in two main meals. Broccoli isn't cheap at the moment so the silverbeet is our ' green ' vegetable on our plates.
* Found lots of great presents at Savers. I found new pizza trays ( with the holes in it ) for $2.99, Royal Albert bits and pieces, Tupperware hamburger presses for $3.99, brand new cook books for $2.99, baby coat hangers for Megan and a table runner for $2.99 ( I might keep that one ). I've made a fantastic start on the present list for 2019 and 2020.
* Bought hard cover Mr Men books at The Mill Market in Ballarat. They were $10 for 5 and they are in excellent condition. I'll be putting them away for when our future grand children come to visit.
* We received out electricity bill and saved $21 compared to the same time last year. It might not be much but with power prices skyrocketing, we are very happy with the saving.
* Cut the end off a shower moisturiser tube to scrape out the last of the contents.
* Fed weeds, bread and grass to the chickens.
* Darren emptied both compost bins into the veggie garden.
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| The miner's cottage |
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| Mill Market buy |
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| Apricots growing on our tree. |
Where is the Savers you use? I'm interested in the discount stamps
ReplyDeleteI go to the Narre Warren store but all stores offer discount stamps if you donate. Just ask the staff.
DeleteHi Wendy and you did really well for the week and I hope that you had a wonderful short break away together. You are sensible using produce that is cheap and available in your own home as prices of fruit and vegetables can vary wildly at the moment with the drought.
ReplyDeleteA bit of wonderful news on the home front here is that we saw a property to buy we had been keeping our eye on on the internet for about 4 - 6 months that was reduced by over $50 000. We put in an offer on it and our offer for less and was accepted, we have signed a contract and have conditional finance approval from the bank. We will find out whether we have unconditional bank finance at the end of next week. Keep us in your prayers everyone.
Not a lot done this week with racing backwards and forwards to solicitors, the bank, getting quotes on car, house and contents insurance.
We did manage a few things though being-
- Banked more money into our home deposit savings account.
- I listed more items on eBay using a free listing promotion.
- DH managed to get 2 pairs of dress pants from BigW for $93.90 less than the usual shop he buys them from and they are about the same quality and with the leftover funds we didn't spend I paid our internet and phone bill :).
- We washed all washing in cold water, hung it on the clothes line to dry and used saved grey water to water the household lawns with.
- Used saved shower warm up water to water the fruit trees and new seeds planted in the gardens.
- Cooked all meals and bread from scratch.
- We picked a heap of thyme, French and English lavender from the gardens and are now drying it to sell and keep some for the home.
I hope everyone has had an equally wonderful week :).
Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).
Great week again Wendy. The Miners Cottage is gorgeous. It's lovely to get away for few days.
ReplyDeleteI have saved nearly $250 in fly buys for our Christmas food. We hope to be camping this year so it should be a frugal holiday. I made a good start on this years Christmas shopping a few months ago so I am hoping Christmas will be more relaxing this year.
I managed to stay at $140 this week for groceries. This includes everything for two adults, two teenagers and our little dog. It may seem high but it usually stretches another meal or two. It also includes all lunches for school and work. As the rain has set in up here in Qld this week, I have/had all my washing on airers and will finish off in the dryer if needed.
Thank you for continuing to share your advice and tips Wendy. It's inspiring! Rachel:)
Hi Wendy, Liz here from WA. What a lovely break you had, its always refreshing to get away!
ReplyDeleteWe are off on an adventure too this week. Hubby's work is flying us both to Sydney and have put us up in a very flash apartment suite for a Mining awards night dinner, in which hubby is a finalist for a mining safety award, all expenses paid, very excited! So this past week I have been indulging in a long overdue make over, with my hair restyled, and a trip to the dentist and eye brow wax, feeling great! Our neighbour kindly lent hubby his black suit and tie for the event, and I picked up a white shirt from the op shop. They also lent me a gorgeous silk wrap to go with my new dress and shoes. Got a bit of a bargin on my outfit, the dress was 30% off, costing $45 and the shoes, which I love were half price plus an extra 10% off as a new customer, so $60.I had to google how to walk in heels, but with practise I should pull it off :) I picked up a matching handbag from the op shop, and that was also reduced as it has a small mark. The outfit will also be used for an upcoming wedding. Work will also reimburse our airport parking and any taxi fares.
This past week I've incorporated home grown lamb, cabbage and bottled tomatoes into the menu as much as possible, and with my monthly shop due Monday, today I will do a complete inventory of the freezer and pantry.
Dried all the washing on the line or clothes horses!
Brewed a home brew beer and bottled it which is a huge saving.
I too was pleasantly surprised with the electricity bill, a lot less than usual, so pays to only run one large freezer.
So a busy week ahead, but really looking forward to exploring Sydney!
I have plugged along doing all my usual frugal things. It feels like I do the same things day in and day out. I have been recording all of my spending to see where there are holes so I can plug them
ReplyDeleteI loved hearing about your time away. It was kind of you to share.
It all adds up doesn't it. We also took or bought our own snacks when we traveled.
ReplyDeleteHi Wendy. I love the little cottage you stayed in, it looks gorgeous! Glad you found some book bargains, there are some lovely toys and books at op-shops. This week:
ReplyDelete* only topped up fuel in my car as it hit $1.67 per L. Used 4c discount.
* dried small loads washing on racks inside as it's been raining a lot. (We don't
own a dryer!)
* made a large tray of lasagne and a sticky toffee pudding for dinner with
friends. (I only needed to buy the mince for the lasagne as I had everything
else.)
* bought a pretty glass jar at an op-shop which will be used to hold fragrant bath
salts for a xmas gift. Donated clothes and a couple of board games to them.
* Got eggs for $5 per dozen on special.
* Used $10 off for small grocery shop I did.
* Worked 1 1/2 days relief teaching for some extra $
That's my list! Off to do some school baking now. Have a lovely week. Meg:)
Its so relaxing when you can disappear for a few days. The cottage looks lovely. This week I continued to plant in the garden herbs, beans more lettuce and a few more tomatoes. I bought some cheap Christmas lilly bulbs which were planted. Dried my washing on the line looking forward to a nice day to wash my pillows and quilts. Weve been drinking home made lemon cordial and mint tea for a change. I cashed in for 2 $50 fly buy gift cards and have cashed in several survey amounts. Those Mr Men books were a great buy I purchased 20 paperback as new ones from Savers there were 10 for $3 I will e putting them in presents for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteColes have Whole chickens at a great price so I bought 4. Two for mums birthday and 2 for December. I got some half price bargains for my stockpile and some goods for my Christmas hampers. Hope everyone is enjoying the great weather Leanne,
Hi Wendy
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous little cottage to stay in. Looks like a very cosy place.
This week I had a massive savings as I did my Photo Books, Calendars and Christmas Cards for Family and friends through Snapfish.
I saved $221.33 on
3 Calendars
13 Photo Books
1 Set of Christmas Cards
I do these every year for family and friends who do not get to see DD8. We send one to a student midwife (now qualified) as DD8 was the first she saw born an we do keep in touch regularly
Hope everyone has a wonderful week
Take Care
Aly xxx
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