Pre - Winter Fridge Clean out

For most of Australia,  the warmer weather has disappeared and Winter is just around the corner.  It's time to give your fridge a clean out to use up or throw out any Summer related foods and sauces.

Last week I looked at the shelves on my fridge door and declared we have too many bottles and sauces.  Now that Summer has gone,  I'm not inclined to make potato salad or coleslaw every week.  With this is mind,  any bottles with just a little in the bottom were tossed out.  I've asked Darren to use up a couple of smoky bbq sauces that were opened at the same time.

Next I wiped out the shelves and the wall of the door where saucy finger marks and drips appear from time to time.  It doesn't matter how careful I am with the soy sauce bottle,  there always seems to be a ring left on the shelf.

While I was in the organising mood,  I took stock of the sauces used more frequently in Winter.  Although mint sauce,  soy sauce,  Worcestershire sauce,  Dijon mustard and wholegrain mustard are used  during Summer,  by the time Winter comes around,  they are on the low side and are used more frequently.  These sauces were added to my shopping list for the next couple of months.  I'll be stocking up again as soon as they come on sale.

Is your fridge due for a pre - Winter clean out ?

What will you be using up or throwing out ?

Saving Money At Restaurants

Dining out can be a wonderful experience.  For me, I get the night off from cooking and doing the dishes.   A treat for sure.  Unfortunately a lovely meal out can be tarnished when the bill comes.  Here are some tricks to keeping your costs down.

*  Kid's could share an adult meal.  Sometimes it works out cheaper to order an adult meal for two children instead of two children's meals.  Just ask for an extra plate to divide the meal.  An added bonus is the healthier options on offer for main meals.  You know what I'm talking about.  Children's menus are loaded with chip,  nuggets and more chips.

*  Ask for a jug of water with your meal.  Soft drinks and alcohol add so much to the bill total.  Quite often the soft drink on offer is mixed soda water and syrup.  Save your money and drink healthy.

* Look for the " kids eat free " nights.   This might be earlier in the week when restaurants are hoping to entice customers in.

*  Sign up to loyalty cards.  If you are a frequent diner,  see if your restaurant of choice offers these discount cards.  You may as well save a few dollars along the way.

*  Eat a small snack before you dine out.  A couple of dry biscuits and cheese at home will be far cheaper than ordering garlic bread for everyone at the restaurant.

*  Eat out at lunch time and order from the lunch menu.    Quite often lunch menus offer cheaper / smaller meals.  You'll still get the same enjoyment of eating out but saving lots of dollars.

*  Watch out for the added extras when ordering your meals.  Wait staff might ask if you'd like cheesy sauce,  dressings,  flavoured butters or avocado etc,  etc with your meal.  Always ask if it costs extra for these items.

*  Share  dessert if you're still hungry.  Even better,  have your dessert at home.  I'm sure you have a tub of icecream in the freezer just begging to be eaten.

*  Little children generally don't eat much.  Have a think about it.  How many empty kids plates do you see in restaurants ?  Probably zero.  Ask for an extra plate and give them some food off yours.

*  Check the back of your shopping dockets for discount meal coupons.  Just make sure you read the fine print.

*  When dining in a large group,  ask the wait staff if they do separate bills.  There's nothing worse than paying for other people's food.