I've managed to keep on top of the washing and housework with Darren's help, put up the Christmas tree and other decorations, weed the garden, complete all my cleaning work, wrap the last of the Christmas presents and do some shopping for Christmas stockings.
Here's my frugal tasks list for the last two weeks -
* Cleaned the dishwasher with bi carb and vinegar. I ran it on the long, hot cycle to clean it and this time I did it on the weekend when the electricity is cheaper.
* Fed the compost bin every couple of days with tea bags, tea leaves and general kitchen scraps..
* Made a batch of pita chips for snacking.
* Dried almost all the washing on the line and clothes horses. We did have one day of humid weather so I dried Darren's work uniform and other dark clothes in the dryer. If it takes too long for dark clothes to dry naturally they start to smell.
* Picked beautiful pink roses from the garden. Their fragrance filled the kitchen.
* Cleaned the kettle with citric acid.
* Recycled a few hand towels that were looking a bit old. They were placed in the laundry for mopping up messes. Then the laundry towels were put in my cleaning box to take to cleaning jobs. By the time they are too old for cleaning they are ready for the bin.
* Took advantage of the Spotlight sale and bought glitter card stock at 30% off. I even found a cheaper brand that works just as well and worked out to about $1.70 per sheet. This will be used for card making.
* Bought a few baby items at the Savers 50% off sale.
* Took advantage of cheaper electricity on the weekends to charge my lap top, mobile phone and an electric toothbrush.
* Made up two bottles of diluted Dynamo laundry liquid. I dilute it one part Dynamo to 5 parts water.
* Sold one dozen eggs.
* Booked a parking bay in the city at a cheaper rate online. If you are in Australia, download the Wilson Parking app to get cheaper prices.
* I made fridge magnets from the Coles Little Shop collectables. Some are to sell at a craft stall and the rest are for both the girls and myself to use.
* Made four loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness.
* Took water bottles and snacks to all my cleaning jobs.
* Saved the washing machine water and shower water to reuse on the garden.
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| My latest fridge magnets |
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| This year's Christmas tree colors |
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| My Nut Cracker collection |
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| Decorations from the op shop. |
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| Roses from our garden. |
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| A rose from my Dad's garden. |
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| Princess playing under the apricot tree. |
Hi Wendy and I hope your craft sale goes well for all the Mum's tomorrow :). I love how cheerful your home looks with all those lovely Christmas decorations.
ReplyDeleteWe got to go to our soon to be new farm home today and had permission to drop off some items into the sheds there prior to settlement. A load of firewood went over today and we sat in the lean to 3 bay shed and admired the view after unloading the firewood :) and the cool breeze was wonderful. Of course more planning got done as well.
Our savings last week added up to $505.81 :).
Purchases -
- Bought a 7 pin flat - 7 pin small round trailer adaptor on eBay using a $10 off purchase voucher saving $28.90 over buying it locally.
- Purchased 3 x $240 for $200 Woolworths grocery e-vouchers off eBay saving $120 on grocery costs. I will of course couple this with any half price specials that I find to save more on items we use.
Sales -
- Sold DH's scooter to a friend who we took it to to get it going after sitting for a number of years for $500 that we will put into the bank our future home improvements and some small repair needs.
- Made $48.90 from sales from my eBay store which we used for a few things for the home.
In the gardens -
- Saved from divisions 6 thyme plants, 6 calla lilies, 6 of each yellow and tigerlily orange canna lilies, 3 lemon grass, and 6 more rosemary cuttings from the gardens saving $307.76 over purchasing them locally. These will be starts for our new home gardens.
Home & garden organisation and moving -
- We have now packed 3/4's of the house into marked boxes.
- I cleaned out the inside of cupboards as we emptied them.
- All of our grass clippings have now been used to heavily mulch all the remaining garden beds to stop weeds growing before we leave. We also weeded them all.
In the kitchen -
- Cooked a double batch of chocolate and coconut queen biscuits saving $14.03 over purchasing them.
- Made a large bacon and silver beet quiche from eggs given to us, pastry we made from food storage and silver beet from the gardens saving around another around $20 over purchasing it.
Have a wonderful week ahead everyone :).
Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).
I was torn between the cuteness of those magnets and the beauty of those roses! Then I saw that gorgeous kitty and well, who or what can hold a candle to that kind of adorableness!?
ReplyDeleteWendy I hope your Craft Sale is well attended by people who have money to spend. There is a craft sale on this weekend here, but I dont have spending money so will stay at home instead.
ReplyDeleteMy veranda pot plants were desperate for repotting. I tipped them all out in a wheelbarrow and then mixed in my home made compost with the old potting soil. I could see I would need a bit more so purchased one bag of cheap potting soil and was able to refresh and repot my plants quite cheaply. If the old potting soil is not required for repotting I put it through the compost.
I invited friends to our place for a catch up. Normally they would have suggested a cafe. They must have been comfortable here as they came for Morning Tea and left at 5pm. We fed them home made cake and chicken satays.
I cant believe you have your Christmas decorations up already! I think I might be a bit of a scrooge as I really dont like putting these up. Last year we had the GD here so the tree did go up. Not so sure it will happen this year.
Your magnets are so cute!
ReplyDelete-Kathryn in Washington State USA
My week has continued on the same track as it usually does. Washing on the line, wash full loads as much as possible etc. My biggest frugal fail has been trying to find somewhere that will take my recycling. I really do not want to stuff it all in an orange bag for later collection. We are now paying extra for bottles I would like that money back. I will collect it for treats etc.
ReplyDeleteI really like the Christmas tree. I am hoping and planning to do some Christmas sewing this weekend.
I just love your Nutcracker collection.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are on top of things and ready for Christmas unlike me.
ReplyDeleteHi, Wendy. Your roses are gorgeous, I can imagine their beautiful perfume from here! I went to the Spotlight sale too and I bought some fabrics. I will sew up some new work clothes (I am returning to part-time work teaching next year) I got some embroidery threads too. This week, we ate very simply as I had a procedure done on my shoulder to treat bursitis, it's been very sore. So, we had sausages and salad, pizza and salad and multiple serves of lasagne from the freezer. Love freezer meals! Meg:)
ReplyDeleteHi Meg, I hope you're shoulder is starting f to feel better. I had a treatment on my hip this week for bursitis and have previously had bursitis in my shoulder so I understand the pain. Your meals sound lovely. Take care love Barb W.
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