Cutting The Budget When There's Nothing Left To Cut - Part 2

Cutting the family budget can be a challenge.  Sometimes there's just nothing more to cut - or is there ????  Here are some budget busting tips that can save you small or large amounts of money.  Combined,  they could really make a difference to your hip pocket.  I personally use all these tips in my everyday living.

*  Dry your clothes on the line or clotheshorse.  This might seem obvious but so many people tell me they still use the dryer for everything.  I also know lots of people who dry their towels in the dryer to make them soft.  An alternative is to partially dry the towels on the line and finish them in the dryer.

*  Avoid buying bin liners.  Use grocery bags,  fruit bags and bread bags to line your bins. These bags are free and can save you a few dollars each month.

*  Cut your gift giving budget.   Do you need to give presents to your great aunts,  aunties and uncles and other friends and family you don't see too often ?  It's wonderful to bless others but not if you can't make ends meet.  Maybe send a card instead.

*  Put a timer in the shower and set it for 5 minutes.  Play a game and see if you can beat the timer.

*  Revise your grocery shopping list before you leave home.  You might be amazed at how many items can wait for another week / fortnight or month.

*  Make your own fish and chips at home for under $2 a serve. Crumbed fish can be bought quite cheaply and making chips is as simple as cutting potatoes into desired shapes and sprinkling with a little seasoning or olive oil.  This could save a family of four $10 - $30 a meal.

*  Give up renting dvds and dig into your own collection at home.  Cook up some popcorn using the stove, microwave or popcorn maker and you'll  have a wonderfully frugal night for about 50 cents.

*  Instead of buying plants for your garden,  take your own cuttings from what you have or ask family,  friends and neighbours to take cuttings for you.

Stay tuned for more budget savings tips throughout the year.

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 9th April 2016

During the week I got the de-cluttering bug again.  With all the extra time on my hands I've been digging into cupboards and donating items I don't like or use.  Megan went through her room again and donated clothes she doesn't need. Here's what else I got up to this week -

*  Made a double batch of fruit crumble topping mix.

*  Made a double batch of peanut butter choc chip biscuit dough.  Some of the dough was made into biscuits to sell and some for us to eat.  The rest of the dough was rolled into logs and frozen.

*  Made four loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness.

*  Saved the washing machine water for each next load.

*  Darren and I went to the movies to see My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.  We used a movie gift card given to us last Christmas and I bought water and chocs from home.

*  Dried all the washing on the clothesline.

*  Gratefully received a bag of limes from a next door neighbour.

*  Made a batch of yoghurt using a packet from the pantry.

*  Mended my work sneakers.  The sole was starting to come away so I used some shoe glue to put it back together.  Hopefully they will last a lot longer.

*  Continued decluttering and donated items to Savers for a discount stamp.

*  Received some wrapping paper from my friend and blog reader Anne.  The wrapping paper has little Christmas trees on it that will be great for making Christmas cards.

*  Darren emptied the compost bins in to the veggie garden. He also started the next lot of compost by emptying bags of coffee grinds into the bins.  I've now planted the seedlings I bought last week.

*  At the moment there's nothing much on tv on Thursday nights.  Darren has decided to make this movie night.  We have so many dvds in our collection and like to make the most of them.  This week we watched Blast From The Past.  No money was spent and I enjoyed watching the characters  "shop " from their 35 years worth of groceries.

*  Defrosted our 120 litre freezer.  I was able to stack things better when I put them back in.  I saved the hot water used to defrost the freezer and watered a few plants once the water cooled down.

*  I diluted some Dynamo laundry liquid into another bottle.  We bought about 12 bottles of Dynamo about 6 or 7 years ago at a bargain price of $2 per bottle.  We only use it on the odd occasion for smelly washing or work uniforms.  Some people in our house ( who will remain unnamed ) are a bit heavy handed with the liquid.  To get around this I half filled an old squirty laundry liquid bottle with water,  poured some of the Dynamo in and gave it a good shake. Then I topped it up with more water.  This will be great for hand washing and when others feel the need to put a load on.

Gifted limes

Our lemons are ripening

In the garden

Biscuit ( cookie ) dough

Ready to eat.

Diluted laundry liquid on the right.

Defrosting the freezer

Feijoas are growing.  

How did you save money this week ?

Grocery Specials Wednesday 6th April 2016

Here are this week's best grocery specials -

COLES -

*  Peters Drumstick Ice Cream 4 Pack-6 Pack 475mL-490mL1/2 PRICE Was $7.99, Save $4.00 Now $3.99 each

*  Dove Body Wash 1 Litre 1/2 PRICE Was $13.70, Save $6.85  Now $6.85 each

*  Handee Ultra Paper Towel 4 Pack1/2 PRICE Was $5.20, Save $2.60  Now $2.60 each

*  Golden Circle Tetra Fruit Drink 1 Litre1/2 PRICE Excludes Pineapple, Tomato & Nectar.Was $2.05, Save $1.03  Now $1.02 each

*  Maharajah’s Choice Basmati Rice 5kg 1/2 PRICE Was $17.50, Save $8.75  Now $8.75 each

*  Gold Choice Oil 4 Litre or La Española Rice Bran Oil 3 Litre 1/2 PRICE Was $18.00, Save $10.00
Now $8.00 each

*  Kraft Peanut Butter 500g1/2 PRICE Was $5.68, Save $2.84  Now $2.84 each

*  Always Fresh Olives Kalamata Pitted 200g 1/2 PRICE Was $4.75, Save $2.38  Now $2.37 each

*  Almond Breeze Unsweetened Milk 1 Litre 1/2 PRICE Was $3.29, Save $1.65  Now $1.64 each

*  Lavazza A Modo Mio Minu Caffe Latte Coffee Machine 1/2 PRICE Was $169.99, Save $85.00
Now $84.99 each

*  Creative Gourmet Frozen Fruit 300g1/2 PRICE Was $5.65, Save $2.83  Now $2.82 each


*  L’Oreal Excellence Hair Colour 1 Pack1/2 PRICE Was $17.49, Save $8.75  Now $8.74 each

*  L’Oréal Préférence Hair Colour 1 Pack1/2 PRICE Was $19.30, Save $9.65 Now $9.65 each

*  L’Oréal Elvive Shampoo or Conditioner 250mL 1/2 PRICE Was $5.95, Save $2.98  Now $2.97 each

*  Lots of Dove products are on 1/2 price sale.

*  1/2 PRICE off all Maybelline Cosmetics

*  Vaseline Intensive Care Aloe Soothe Body Lotion 400mL1/2 PRICE Was $8.50, Save $4.25  Now $4.25 each

*  Palmolive Naturals Shower Gel 500mL Was $5.39, Save $2.39  Now $3.00 each

*  Pine O Cleen Disinfectant 1.25 Litre 1/2 PRICE Was $5.00, Save $2.50  Now $2.50 each.  Worth stockpiling as we head into the cooler months.

*  White King Bleach 2.5 Litre Was $4.25, Save $1.75  Now $2.50 each

*  Continental Cup a Soup 2 Serve 40g-75g BETTER THAN 1/2 PRICE Was $2.00, Save $1.10 Now $0.90 each.  Worth stockpiling at this price.

WOOLWORTHS -

*  Pantene Shampoo or Conditioner 350ml Now $3.94 each 1/2 Price, Save $3.95

*   Fantastic Delites 100g Now $1.00 each1/2 Price, Save $1.00

*  Green’s Puddings 260g Now $1.40 each 1/2 Price, Save $1.40

*  Tip Top Raisin Toast 520g or Tip Top Wholemeal Raisin Toast 600g Now $2.70 each1/2 Price, Save $2.70

*  Tip Top English Muffin Varieties Pk 6 Now $2.45 each1/2 Price, Save $2.45

*  Lux Bodywash 400ml Now $3.07 each1/2 Price, Save $3.08 Great to add to a present

*  .40% off All Olay Skincare

*  L’Oreal Excellence Hair Colour Now $8.74 each 1/2 Price, Save $8.75

*  Sard Oxy Plus Soaker & Inwash Gel 1 Litre or Powder 1 kg Now $3.49 each1/2 Price, Save $3.50

*  Energizer Eco Advanced AA or AAA Pk 10 Now $8.39 each 1/2 Price, Save $8.40

*  Tontine Supportive Pillow Pk 2 Now $11.00 each 1/2 Price, Save $11.00

                                    

  Please feel free to add any specials you find in the supermarket and department  stores.                                  

Growing Broccoli

One of my family's favourite vegetable to eat is broccoli. In the cooler weather we try to eat it about 3 - 4 times a week.  In Summer if I'm cooking a hot meal and I have some broccoli in the freezer,  then it's added to the plate.

Unfortunately broccoli can cost a fortune when it's not in season.  Prices can skyrocket to $8.99 a kilo.  That's when I leave it on the shelf and find another dark green vegetable on sale or dig into my freezer stockpile.  During it's peak growing season prices can drop to under a  dollar per kilo.  I've been known to buy up big ( 5 - 6 kilos at a time ),  blanch then freeze for future meals.

Another way to keep broccoli stocks up is to grow your own.  A punnet of seedlings can cost as little as $3 from hardware / plant stores.  Usually a punnet will have 8 seedlings growing.  I try to find a punnet with 10 or more seedlings to get better value for money.

When the punnet is bought home,  it's placed into a container with water down the bottom and left for a week or two.  This gives the seedlings a good drink and the chance to grow and strengthen a little before planting.

Late March is planting time for us.  The hot weather is behind us and March is a great month to get in the garden.  Usually Darren digs some compost into the veggie garden beds one week before planting.  This allows everything to settle.

I plant the seedlings in rows simply because I love neatness - even in my garden.  Usually I space the seedlings 30 centimetres apart to allow enough room for growth.  They also need full sun during the day and regular watering when it doesn't rain..

Pests and bugs love broccoli plants so you'll need to be on the look out.  Cabbage moths,  snails and caterpillars love to munch away on the leaves.  I don't spray any pesticides on my veggie garden so I need to check the plants everyday for cabbage moth eggs.  I squash them with my fingers and flick off caterpillars and squash them with a stick.   A few years ago I discovered a pet friendly snail bait. called Multiguard.  It's usually on the shelf next to the toxic snail bait and costs about the same.  This needs to be sprinkled around each plant every few weeks to keep the snails at bay.

Once the broccoli heads have grown to a good size,  cut them off underneath the head.  Within a week or two you'll have little florets growing on the plant.  Cut these off as they are wonderful to use in stir fries and pasta bakes etc.  The florets will continue to grow for another few weeks.

Of course you end up with a lot of broccoli all in one hit.  There's only so much broccoli you can eat within a week or two so I try to blanch as much as possible and freeze for future meals.  I blanch the cut up broccoli in boiling water for about one minute until the broccoli changes color to a bright vibrant green.  Then it's washed in cold water to stop the cooking process. The broccoli is placed on cooling racks until completely cold then spread out on biscuit baking trays and placed in the freezer for 2 - 3 hours.  This is known as flash freezing and it prevents the broccoli sticking together.

Once the broccoli is frozen I place it in small freezer bags that contain enough for one meal.  Then I place a few into a bigger bag to prevent freezer burn.

Growing in our garden last year.

Newly bought seedlings

Neat rows.

Florets picked from the plants.

Broccoli bought on sale to boost my stockpile.

Blanching.

How to grow instructions

Pet friendly snail bait.

.

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 2nd April 2016

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and spent some precious time with your loved ones.  I managed to get some rest over the Easter holiday and even spent a whole day in front of the tv watching the Royal Children's Hospital Appeal.  It was wonderful to sit and do nothing for a change.  Here's what I got up to on the other days this week -

*  Bought lots of Lindt bunnies in Kmart for $2.25 each which is half price. I stockpiled enough for all our birthdays,  Christmas stockings,  Mother's Day,  Father's Day and anniversaries for the next twelve months.

*  Made homemade pizza for dinner one night using the last of the tomatoes from the garden and some ham that was given to us.  Leftovers were eaten for lunch the next day.

*  Baked two loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness.  Usually I bake more but my freezers are choc a block at the moment.

*  I baked one dozen hot cross buns.  Each year Darren makes one dozen and I make another.  It's a bit of a bake off to see who can have the nicest looking hot cross buns using the same recipe.

*  Sold two dozen eggs and two jars of tomato relish to a cleaning client.

*  Bought a top from Savers for $5.40.  Megan bought a denim skirt and a top.  We used a 10% discount stamp to get an even better price.

*  Used leftovers from the fridge to make a chicken casserole.

* Our church is having a fundraiser on Sunday.  I was able to donate some jars of jam,  soaps,  cards and biscuits from what I had on hand.  I was given lots of different teas so I packaged them up in cello bags and put a cardstock header on the packet.  I'm hoping these will sell too and make great Mother's Day presents.

*  Picked two handfuls of raspberries.

*  Darren picked two pink roses from the garden.  They smell divine.

*  Cleaned the dishwasher with vinegar and bicarb and put it on a long hot cycle to clean the pipes.

*  Used the saved kitchen water to water the raspberry plants.

*  Mended a pair of socks and Megan's school jumper.

*  Donated a bag of household items to Savers and received a discount stamp.

*  Darren and Jessica filled up their cars when petrol was around $1.02 a litre just as other petrol stations were putting their prices up.

*  Dried the washing on the clothesline.

Have I bought enough bunnies ?

Jars of jam to sell.

Gift packs of tea.

From the garden.

My hot cross buns.

What was on your frugal list this week ?

Grocery Specials Wednesday 30th March 2016

Here are this week's best grocery specials -

COLES -

*    Arnott’s Shapes Crackers 160g-190g 1/2 PRICE Was $3.00, Save $1.50  Now $1.50 each.  At this price it's well worth stocking up.

*  Old El Paso Hard ’n Soft Taco Kit 350g 1/2 PRICE Was $6.99, Save $3.50  Now $3.49 each

*  Gold’n Canola Oil 4 Litre1/2 PRICE Was $18.00, Save $9.00  Now $9.00 each

*  Alfa One Rice Bran Oil 3 Litre 1/2 PRICE Was $18.00, Save $9.00  $9.00 each

*  Heinz Big Red Condensed Soup 420g 1/2 PRICE Was $2.20, Save $1.10  Now $1.10 each

*  Green’s Traditional Cake Mix 340g-470g 1/2 PRICE Was $2.65, Save $1.33  Now $1.32 each

*  Golden Crumpet Rounds 6 Pack 1/2 PRICE Was $3.30, Save $1.65  Now $1.65 each

*  Colgate Pro Clinical C250 Power Toothbrush 1/2 PRICE Was $60.00, Save $30.00  Now $30.00 each

*  Redwin Sorbolene Moisturiser Restoring with Vitamin E 1 Litre 1/2 PRICE Was $6.25, Save $3.13  Now $3.12 each

*  Playboy Body Spray 150mL 1/2 PRICE Was $5.80, Save $2.90  Now $2.90 each

*  Sunsilk Shampoo or Conditioner 750mL1/2 PRICE Was $10.49, Save $5.25  Now $5.24 each

*  Herbal Essences Shampoo or Conditioner 300mL1/2 PRICE Was $6.49, Save $3.25  Now $3.24 each

WOOLWORTHS -

*  Cinnamon Donuts Pk 12**Only available in stores with an in-store bakery.Now $2.00 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.00

*  Continental Cup-a-Soup 2 Serve 40-75g Now $1.00 each 1/2 Price, Save $1.00

*  Moccona Mixers Pk 10 Now $3.00 each Save $2.59

*  Moccona Capsules Pk 16 Now $4.75 each 1/2 Price, Save $4.75

*  Aurora Coffee Beans or Ground 1 kg Now $8.99 each1/2 Price, Save up to $9.41

*  Fountain Sauce Varieties 2 Litre Now $3.00 each1/2 Price, Save $3.00

*  Sara Lee Cheesecake or Chocolate Bavarian 360-410g Now $3.07 each 1/2 Price, Save $3.08

*   Borg’s Puff Pastry 850g-1 kg Now $2.00 each1/2 Price, Save $2.00

*   Golden Crumpets Rounds Pk 6 Now $1.65 each1/2 Price, Save $1.65

*  Tip Top Cafe Raisin Toast or Cafe Style Breakfast Toast 650g Now $2.95 each1/2 Price, Save $2.95

*  Redwin Sorbolene Moisturiser 1 Litre Now $3.12 each1/2 Price, Save $3.13

*  Garnier Fructis Shampoo or Conditioner 250ml Now $2.72 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.73

*  Macleans Milk Teeth or Little Teeth Toothpaste 63g Now $1.00 each 1/2 Price, Save $1.00

*   Oral B Clinical Gum Protection Toothpaste 110g Now $2.49 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.50

*   Macleans Extreme Clean Whitening or Deep Action Toothpaste 170g Now $2.55 each1/2 Price, Save $2.55

*  BabyLove Nappy Pants Bulk Pk 20-28 Any 2 for $20.00 Save $13.98

*  Pine O Cleen Disinfectant 1.25 Litre Now $2.49 each1/2 Price, Save $2.50.  Well worth stockpiling.

*  Palmolive Dishwashing Liquid 700-750ml Now $2.74 each1/2 Price, Save $2.75

*  Canon Printer MG2965• Wireless printing • Fast mobile printing and scanning • High quality and efficient printing Now $39.50 each 1/2 Price, Save $39.50

*  40% off selected Bathroom Manchester

*  TRESemme Shampoo or Conditioner 750-900ml Now $5.25 each1/2 Price, Save $5.25

*  Sunrice Medium Grain Rice 10 kg Now $12.00 each 1/2 Price, Save $12.00

*   1/2 Price all Decor Match-Ups & Tellfresh

Please feel free to add any specials you find in the supermarket and department stores.
                         

Fish Cooked In Foil

Back in the day when my girls were doing swimming lessons,  I had to find simple things to cook on swimming night.  There was no point in cooking a roast as time was scarce.  After watching a few cooking shows,  I came up with this recipe that ticks all my boxes - simple,  tasty, can be prepared earlier and very quick to put together.

I've used a few difference types of fish for this recipe with Blue Grenadier being the cheapest to buy on most occasions.  Here's what you need -

Aluminium foil
Baking paper ( not waxed )
Canola or olive oil spray
Long oven tray
Fish
Butter
2 lemons - one sliced, one juiced
Seasoning to taste.  I use salt,  pepper,  garlic,  paprika and  parsley

Tear off a long piece of foil and lay flat on the baking tray.
Tear off a slightly smaller piece of baking paper and lay on top of the foil.
Lightly spray the baking paper with canola or olive oil.
Lay the fish in the middle of the baking paper length ways
Drizzle the lemon juice over the fish
Season the fish to taste with your choice of seasonings
Add a couple of knobs of butter to each piece of fish
Lay the sliced lemon on top of the butter.
Bring the long sides of the foil and baking paper together in the middle and fold over a couple of times.
Then fold the short ends of the foil to form a sealed parcel.
Bake in the oven on 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes then check to see if the fish is cooked.
Serve with rice,  steamed vegetables or a salad.
Use some of the juices from the fish to pour over the fish or rice when serving.

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 26th March 2016

It's been another challenging week to get through.  I'm very grateful to family,  friends and my blog readers for their kind words,  prayers and support.  THANKYOU  xoxo  Time still ticks on no matter what comes our way and I managed to get a few frugal things done each day.  Here's what I got up to this week -

*  Dug into a bag of bits and pieces ready to donate to the op shop and found a pair of new sneakers Megan was donating.   I tried them on and they fit perfectly.  Their new home is in my wardrobe.  It always pays to check what your kids are throwing out.

*  Saved and washed the plastic wrap from some flowers given to me.  The plastic will come in handy for another present or bunch of flowers.

*  Cut up some old socks to use as garden ties.

*  Cut up a cereal bag to use as go between for burgers and crumpets.

*  Picked a good handful of raspberries.  I'm counting the days until the plants have finished fruiting for the season.

*  Bought one punnet each of broccoli,  mixed lettuce and silverbeet to plant in our veggie garden.  Of course I made sure I picked punnets with the most seedlings to get extra value for money.

*  Gratefully received a fuel docket from a blog reader.  Thankyou Tania  xoxo

*  Darren made one dozen hot cross buns for us all to enjoy.  So yummy and much better than anything you can buy.

*  Refilled the foaming hand wash pumps with shower gel and water.

*  Dried all the washing on the clothesline.

*  Saved the kitchen warm up water to use on the raspberry bushes growing in a pot.

*  Cooked up a leg of lamb on Thursday night and made it stretch for three meals.  We had some that night as a roast and tonight we having some of the meat in a shepherd's pie.  The rest of the meat has gone into the freezer for an easy meal in the future

*  Brightened up our home with Easter decorations we've bought over the last few years.  I resisted the urge to add to our collection.

*  Gratefully received an Easter bouquet from Cath's daughter Hannah at the last card making day.  Hannah had placed a bouquet at each place setting with a lovely Easter card.  I was having a tough week with the passing of my friend.  This bouquet cheered me up and gave me something pretty to look at in my kitchen.

Darren's hot cross buns.

Hannah's Easter bouquet

Just beautiful

Easter decorations in the lounge room

Entrance decorations

Bunnies in the kitchen

What did you get up to this week ?

Grocery Specials Wednesday 23rd March 2016

Here are this week's best specials -

COLES

*  President Double Brie or Camembert 200g1/2 PRICE Was $10.00, Save $5.00  Now $5.00 each

*  Peckish Rice Crackers 100g1/2 PRICE Was $2.20, Save $1.10  Now $1.10 each

*  New Zealand Blue Grenadier Skin Off Fillets Thawed Was $13.00, Save $3.00 kg Now $10.00 kg

*  Coles RSPCA Approved Whole Extra Large Chicken Australian Grown .From the Meat department.Was $4.70, Save $1.20 kg Now $3.50 kg

*  Tip Top Café Raisin Toast 650g 1/2 PRICE Was $5.90, Save $2.95  Now $2.95 each

*  Mission Mini Wraps 8 Pack 384g Was $4.79, Save $1.79  Now $3.00 each

*  Kellogg’s Just Right 460g 1/2 PRICE Was $5.59, Save $2.80  Now $2.79 each

*  Cottee’s Jam 500g Was $3.35, Save $1.35  Now $2.00 each

*  Espressotoria Vittoria Espresso Coffee Capsules 12 Pack 78g1/2 PRICE Was $8.39, Save $4.20  Now $4.19 each

*  Moro Pure Olive Oil 500mL1/2 PRICE Was $8.20, Save $4.10  Now $4.10 each

*  Continental Cup a Soup 2 Serve 40g-75g 1/2 PRICE Was $2.00, Save $1.00  Now $1.00 each.  Great for taking on holidays.

*  Patties Party Pies 12 Pack 560g1/2 PRICE Was $7.15, Save $3.58  Now $3.57 each   Handy to have for a holiday treat.

*  Pantene Shampoo or Conditioner 350mL1/2 PRICE Was $7.89, Save $3.95  Now $3.94 each

*  Palmolive Naturals Shampoo or Conditioner 350mL1/2 PRICE Was $4.94, Save $2.47 Now $2.47 each

*  Morning Fresh Dishwashing Liquid 900mL 1/2 PRICE Was $6.95, Save $3.48  Now $3.47 each

*  1/2 PRICE OFF all Sistema Klip It.

*  40% OFF all Smash.  This is a brand for drink bottles and lunch boxes etc. Well worth stocking up for school next year.

*  Cadbury Dairy Milk Easter Bunny 80g 1/2 PRICE Was $3.70, Save $1.85  Now $1.85 each.  Stock up for Easter next year

WOOLWORTHS

*    Fresh Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon Fillets Skin On Australian Seafood. Tassie Grown.Now $23.90 kg Save $5.99 kg

*  Imported Smoked Cod Fillets Thawed for your convenience.Now $10.00 kg Save $5.00 kg

*  Woolworths Croissants Pk 3 or Pk 4 Now $2.00 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.00.  Freeze ahead for Mother's Day.

*  Cadbury Cooking Chocolate Melts 225g, Chips 200g or Block 200g Now $2.50 each Save up to $2.00

*  Woolworths Bake at Home Dinner Rolls Pk 12 White or Multigrain Now $2.24 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.25

*  Peckish Rice Crackers 100g – Excludes Peckish Brown Rice Crackers 100g Now $1.09 each 1/2 Price, Save $1.10

*   Cheezels Assorted 110g Now $1.00 each 1/2 Price, Save $1.00

*   Alfa One Rice Bran Oil 4 Litre Now $12.00 each 1/2 Price, Save $12.00

*  Tabasco Sauce Red Pepper 60ml Now $2.20 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.20

*  Patties Party Pack 1.25 kg Now $6.75 each 1/2 Price, Save $6.75

*  Four’n Twenty Traditional Pies 700g Pk 4 Now $4.00 each 1/2 Price, Save $4.00.  Stock up for the footy season.

*  Castello Blue or White Cheese 150g Now $3.59 each 1/2 Price, Save $3.60

*  Original Source Skin Quench 250ml Now $2.50 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.50.  I think this is a shower gel.

*  Garnier Fructis Shampoo or Conditioner 700ml Now $6.00 each 1/2 Price, Save $6.00

*  Oral B Pro Health Advanced Deep Clean Toothpaste 110g Now $2.49 each1/2 Price, Save $2.50

               

       

Please feel free to add any other great specials you find in the supermarkets and department stores.
      

Hand Made Card Ideas March 2016

During the February Cheapskates card making day,  Pamela continued to show us how easy it is to make impressive gift cards and gift tags for any occasion.  Here's what I made on the day -

This card design is great for using up scraps of any type of paper. I must admit,  I did cut up sheets of paper for this card as I don't have many scraps yet.  You could also put on a layer of lace for added texture.

This card was made with an embossing folder on the grey card stock.  The tape measure down the left side came from IKEA as a freebie.  The wording was typed up on a computer and cut out.

A very simple card using a balloon punch,  Gels pens for the strings and a scrap piece of ribbon tied in a bow.

Looks very simple on the outside

Look what's on the inside.  Balloon shapes were glued to strips of overhead transparencies and attached to a card stock insert that had folds in the middle to glue it all together.

Gift tags made from scraps of cardboard ( boxes ).  The one on the right had some of the top layer of cardboard ripped away to reveal the corrugation.  These tags are great for using up little bits and pieces of lace,  ribbon,  string and anything else that looks remotely crafty..

A card made for my Dad's 70th birthday.  It was made on a black square card with striped card stock attached.  The 70 was typed up on the computer ( thankyou Megan ) and mounted on a square of black card stock.  This was then mounted with adhesive foam squares to give a slight 3D effect.  I then glued on the silver stars ( bought from cheap shops ).  My Dad loved the card..