We are staying positive and being proactive about cutting the budget back to the bare essentials to limit the damage. I'm hoping to post our current menu plans shortly to give you an idea of what we are eating.
Here's our frugal list for the week
* Used downloaded Flybuys offers to get 10 cents a litre off petrol. We used it a few times to keep our cars topped up just before the price increased by 42 cents per litre.
* Gratefully received lots of lemons and mandarins from a friend. This blessing came at a time when really needed. God is looking after our needs.
* Sold two bottles of Miracle Spray to my cleaning clients.
* Saved washing machine water and shower warm up water to pour into the washing machine. This reduces our washing machine water usage by 50%.
* Created a cheaper menu plan for two weeks to help feed the three of us for $100 a month. In the next day or so I'll be writing another cheap menu plan for the next two weeks.
* Made a pot of soup using chicken stock from the freezer. This fed the three of us for two dinners and one lunch.
* Made lemon butter from frozen lemon juice ( last year's supply ) and our chicken's eggs. I've enjoyed it on my homemade toast for breakfast every morning.
* Jessica made decorated biscuits using leftover frozen dough from her birthday biscuit cake ( back in May ).
* Made cranberry hootycreek biscuits from dough in the freezer. We enjoyed them for morning and afternoon teas.
* Baked four loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness.
* Made two batches of dried seasoned bread crumbs from saved bread crusts. Salmon patties will be on our menu plan shortly so the bread crumbs will be used then.
* Made a bottle of room spray for our bathroom using essential oil and cooled boiled water.
* Used a gift card to buy much needed socks ( on clearance. Aa surprise at the checkout ).
 |
| Jessica's biscuits |
 |
| Homemade lemon butter |
 |
| Hamburgers and seasoned wedges for dinner. |
 |
| Gifted mandarins |
Hi Wendy and so sorry to hear about you loosing a cleaning job :( and God usually sends blessings through others. You never know there could be a job referral from someone coming up soon for you or blessings in other ways (super specials are usually one of mine). How wonderful to receive a gift of lemons and mandarins too :).
ReplyDeleteSpeaking on water saving we are in an area where we are in drought and most people on the country properties run off rainwater tanks for their homes as we do mostly as well. We heard about a local who ran out of water and was unable to buy any to fill his families rainwater tanks as we are on water restrictions here :o .
Last weeks savings by hunting bargains and specials added up to $124.50 :).
In the kitchen -
- Made all meals and bread from scratch.
eBay listings -
- Listed 20 items on a free listing promotion on eBay saving $33 on usual listing fees.
Purchases -
- Saved $8.20 on usual prices by presenting our RACQ membership card whilst purchasing 10 litres of hydraulic oil from Repco.
- At woolworths on half price special I purchased 9 x mouthwash and 4 containers of moisturiser to top us up for a year saving $47 on usual prices.
- From IGA on 58% or $13.08 off normal price sale we purchased 3 x 6 pk of hotdog rolls @.80c ea, a 680 g loaf of wholemeal bread @ $1.20, 2 x 4 pk cheese and bacon rolls @ $1.20 ea, 1 x 2 pk of cheese and bacon stix @ $1.40 and 1 x 6 pk of cream buns. I can't make them at home for this low price.
- Also from IGA purchased clearance 1.954 kg capsicums for $2 kg saving $3.83 on usual prices. These were chopped up and added 12 meal sized portions to the freezer.
- Ordered gift cards from RACQ for fuel and groceries saving 5% or $19.39 on usual prices. More money to spend on both fuel and groceries with no outlay and I will combine this saving with any 50% off specials that I find.
In the gardens -
- We finished our 10 x 2.2 mt garden enclosure for a total of $39.26 in cost including the 50% shade cloth and netting clips we purchased. Oh how we love to use free recycled materials. We still have more shade cloth, netting clips, ironbark posts and heavy duty chicken wire to use for our larger garden beds we are going to construct.
Hope everyone else had a wonderful week too :).
Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).
You found some wonderful grocery specials Lorna. Well done.
DeleteRACV / RACQ is a great way to save money on all sorts of things. We ask for discounts when paying for accommodation and activities on holidays.
We are certain God will provide for our needs.
Praying you find another client soon.
ReplyDeleteThankyou for your prayers.
DeleteHi Wendy,
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about one of your cleaning jobs, but being proactive is the key. I am sure another will come your way soon. Your goal to reduce your grocery budget is great and I'm ooking forward to your menu plan. I am always looking for frugal recipes for variety and cost savings.
I am still enjoying the cooler weather and baking lots of biscuits and slices. The many cups of coffee and tea are enjoyed with a baked treat. Today I am going to make a double batch of pizza bases for the freezer. I am aiming to do a lot of cooking to freeze, during the school holidays in preparation for a busy Term 3 at school.
Thanks for continuing to share your frugal journey. Have a great week. Rachel:)
Rachel, I'm a big fan of a baked treat with a cup of tea. When my girls were in school I would freeze lots of muffins to go in their lunch boxes. Frozen biscuit dough was handy to have too.
DeleteI have a low cost menu plan coming on Wednesday.
Oh Wendy! That must have come as a shock but as one door closes, another door with brand new challenges and adventures opens for you. Sometimes it just comes down to patience.
ReplyDeleteI am currently (and finally) on school hols here in NSW and catching up on my blog reading. We have unfortunatly fallen victim to more outgoings than necessary and it is time to pull in the reigns. During school term with fulltime work I find I am literally too busy to remain focused and take so many short cuts just to keep on top of everything. I have used the tumble dryer far more than I want to admit, purchased take away due to utter exhaustion and abandoned mnay, many of my frugal ways. I much prefer to be at home tending to my home duties then at work!! But, there are many things we could not afford if I gave up work. So, I guess its a compromise and I always give thanks for my (rare) fulltime work. I prayed so hard to find a job that allowed me to work school hours that I would be selfish to give it away; if that makes sense.
Sorry for the ramble and I look forward to learning of your new adventure when the door opens for you.
Vicky, it's a real balance isn't it ? Due to the extra cleaning jobs I'd picked up late last year plus the family dramas we've been dealing with, there have been times when takeaway was the only option to keep us sane and fed.
DeleteI'm seeing this cleaning job loss as a blessing in disguise. At least I have a little more time to be frugal and do more baking and menu planning.
That was bad luck losing your cleaning job i'm sure something will come along. I am carrying $4500 in debt which i want to have paid off by the end of the year.
ReplyDeleteSo bought our medications from Priceline and gratefully received a $3.50 discount.
Bought some beautiful bananas for $1 kilo.
Received 2 Milo samples this week.
Was gives some new toiletries, a block of dark chocolate and some condiments for the kitchen. New toiletry bag. Some lovely cupcakes have just been dropped off. Completed some compulsary training for work and accepted 2 nice pens.
As usual dried out the bread scraps and made celery salt. Instead of soft drinks or cordial i have made a large batch of herbal tea is was 50 cents for a 20 pack and is raspberry blackberry with vanilla flavour. Tastes like a very nice cordial.
Taking my flask to work tonight and plan on bringing home enough hot coffee to last tomorrow.
Eating from our fridge and pantry. Not buying anything and fingers crossed i can get out of debt.
Hoping everyone had a lovely weekend. Leanne.
You have some great frugal tasks on your list Leanne. $1 a kilo for bananas is great.
DeleteI'll be posting my super frugal menu plans as I write them. I hope they help you too.
Hello Wendy, I admire you so much, and your lovely lifestyle. I too, have a balance of part time work and homemaking, which makes me very happy. I think I have the best of both worlds. Do you have a local Buy/Sell group, or a local newspaper where you can seek more work? Keep your chin up Wendy. There must be a reason for this happening, and am confident you will come through this. Your family are very fortunate to have you, and the many skills and attributes you have.Best wishes from Robyn in S.A. I love your blog, and look forward to reading it. Is there a recipe for your bread with added goodness Wendy?
ReplyDeleteWendy is your lemon butter recipe on your site please.
ReplyDeleteHave searched through recipe tag but could not see it.
Free huge lemons at work so would love to try and make some.
Thankyou Ruth.
Yes it's under spreads near the bottom of the recipe section.
DeleteSending good thoughts your way on landing another cleaning job as a replacement. I'm on (unpaid) sabbatical this summer, so trying to make smart/frugal tradeoffs, while still enjoying the time with trips & planned/budgeted for trips. Here's what we've been up to:
ReplyDelete-Brought leftover food back from vacation
-Drove (12 hours) vs flying for a summer trip
-Bought lunch & gas at Costco on the road trip. Lunch for four was $16, and the gas was cheapest by a long shot
-Making meals out of the freezer. It's full & ready to be trimmed back. We go through phases of loading it up, and phases of drawing it down