In Our Garden July 2020

Just for something a little different I thought I'd show you what we have growing and blooming in the garden right now.  We have lots of flowers to enjoy and a few veggies still in their early stages.

Snap peas

Broccoli.

We also have lemons,  silverbeet,  cauliflower,  snow peas and lettuce growing in our garden.

What do you have growing in your garden at the moment ?

My Sewing Machine Is Humming.....

I had planned on putting a post up on Wednesday as well as my usual Saturday Frugal Tasks List.  My week started out on Sunday with lots of sewing of hanging tea towels to put in my blog shop and for future presents.  Later that day our State Premier announced from Thursday,  Melbourne residents would need to wear a face mask at all times in public to help reduce the rising number of Corona virus cases.

Monday morning started with a trip to our local material store for supplies to make face masks.  Unfortunately many other crafty ladies had the same idea and the queues to buy material were about 1 -  1 1/2 hours long.  I grabbed some pipe cleaners for the adjustable nose wire then headed to the big shopping centre to hunt for elastic.  I encountered the same problem as the material.  Everyone had the same idea.

So home I went to make face masks with what I already had on hand ( material wise ).  Other than two big cleaning jobs that took me away from home,  the rest of the week has been spent at the sewing machine making or at my laptop taking orders.  It got so hectic I had to employ Darren to answer messages and take orders.

So I'm terribly sorry for not posting a Frugal Task List.  There just hasn't been time to be thrifty this week.

I'll post again as soon as things settle down here.  In the meantime,.....

What was on your frugal list this week ?

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 18th July 2020

We've had a quiet week at the Gower Abundant Cottage.  I haven't had any cleaning work this week and it was lovely to stay home and clean my own home.  Megan and I did spend some time in the supermarket stocking up on essentials just in case we go into hard lockdown ( which is a real possibility ).  I've also taken some time to make greeting cards and watch some tv every afternoon.

When I look back on my week I can't really think of any terribly exciting frugal tasks I've completed.  Everything has already been diluted,  portioned,  saved or reused.  The pantry,  fridge and freezers are full to the brim and everything else around our home is as organised as it can be with two babies in the house. 

Here is my VERY small frugal list for the week -

*  Darren picked lettuce from the garden for a lunch he was preparing.

*  Megan and I wrote a menu plan for the next ten days.  We'll be eating chop suey,  silverside,  carbonara,  tacos,  fried rice,  beef curry,  tuna casserole,  chicken pie and spag bol.

*  Froze any leftovers from our dinners.

*  We kept the curtains mostly closed or the colder,  overcast days.

*  Cleaned the dishwasher with bi carb,  vinegar and miracle spray.

*  I recycled one of Megan's dresses she was going to donate to the op shop.  I've cut it up and used it as the topper for some hanging tea towels I'm making.

*  I received 10% off a grocery shop I did at Woolworths.  I think it's because we have an insurance with them.

*  Bought 2 x 5 kg bags of washed potatoes.  Lately the price has been around 8 - 9 for a bag of brushed potatoes.

Lots of goodies in the pantry

Pretty tea cups I love to use.

Are you taking time out for yourself each day ?

What was on your frugal list this week ?

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 11th July 2020

This week has been a busy one for me.  I had two days of work plus travel which kept me out all day.  Another two days was spent helping my Dad get to and from medical appointments and a bit of food shopping for both my parents.  On Friday Megan and I did the grocery shopping. We tried to think and buy ahead in case we go into complete lockdown.

So my frugal list is a short one today.  Here's what I managed to do when time allowed -

*  Made plain,  dried bread crumbs from saved bread crusts.  When my container is running low I'll make them into seasoned bread crumbs for crumbing chicken drumsticks and salmon patties.

*  Picked our first lot of lemons for the season.  Darren heavily pruned the tree two years ago to get rid of the gall wasp.  This is the first time we've picked lemons since then.

*  Cut out some dinosaur pictures from a gift bag Megan was given.  The bag was a bit battered but I was able to cut out quite a few images.  They will be used in card making shortly.

*  Megan stocked up her freezer with so many discounted trays of meat from Australian Butchers.  I think we were there at the right time for a change.

*  I made a trip to Hindustan Imports on the way home from work.  I've stocked up on a few nuts and bread making supplies.

*  Sold a couple of handmade cards.

*  Made shortbread biscuits for having with a cuppa,.

*  Cooked all meals from scratch and froze leftovers when I could.

*  Megan bought a few baby Christmas presents on sale from the supermarket.  With shopping for gifts being quite limited right now,  these were a great find.

Our lemon tree is looking very healthy.

Homemade shortbread biscuits

Do you have a stockpile ready in case of a hard lockdown ?

What was on your frugal list this week ?

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 4th July 2020

My frugal list is not as long as it usually is this week.  I've spent time pottering around our home,  cleaning and watching Hoarders the tv show with Megan.  This show really gets me in the mood to declutter all over again.

Here's how I saved money this week -

*  Made dried seasoned bread crumbs from saved bread crusts.

*  Made a jar of mixed herbs from herbs given to me that I dried myself.

*  Saved a few glass pasta sauce jars.  These will be used for future pantry storage when needed.

*  Took a couple of bags of unwanted items to Savers and received a 20% off discount coupon.

*  Sold a greeting card.

*  I made shortbread biscuits for the first time.  I was surprised at how easy it was.  Some were given to Jessica as a treat and the rest were enjoyed by Darren and myself at morning tea times.

*  Hung lots of wet washing on the shower door rail to dry.  We have a ducted heating vent in both our bathrooms.  The vent is in the floor which is great as hot air rises.  We just close the door and the washing dries in 24 hours.

*  Picked silverbeet from our garden to put into a large lasagne I made.  My lasagne serves 12 people so any leftover portions are frozen for future meals.

*  Stocked up on Campbell's tinned soup for 97 cents a tin.   I occasionally use a tin when making tuna casserole,  chicken curry and chicken pasta bake.  Otherwise I make soup from scratch.

*  Saved a couple of gift bags to reuse in the future.

*  My local op shop had a 50% off store wide sale.  I purchased bars of soap to make laundry powder and shampoo,  conditioner and toothpaste for my stockpile.

Enough for the next 12 months

Have you enjoyed watching any tv shows lately ?

How did you save money this week ?

Keeping Busy When Stuck At Home

So many of us are spending more time at home than we ever have.   While some are extra busy juggling home schooling,  working from home and running a house,  others might have too much time on their hands.

I've personally had more time at home due to the loss of some of my cleaning jobs and Darren had no work for eight weeks.  Each day at breakfast we made a plan of what we were going to do that day.  We knew we had to make the most of this unusual situation and use our time wisely.

Here are some ideas to keep you busy,  organised and motivated -

*  Clean out your pantry and make an inventory.  Are there items that need using up ?  Do you have too much or too little of an item ?  Once you've done an inventory,  write out a shopping list for the next few weeks or months.  Being prepared and shopping ahead of time gives you peace of mind knowing you can feed your family no matter what.

*  Take up a craft or hobby  YouTube is a wonderful and easy way to learn something new.  Do you have a craft or hobby already on the go that you could finish ?  If you have free time on your hands,  now could be the time to complete something.

*  Declutter a cupboard or wardrobe.  How many times have you wished you were more organised or had more space ?  Op shops are starting to open up again and would love your unwanted items.

*  Write out your Christmas present list. No matter what's happening in the world,  Christmas is still on the 25th of December and presents will need to be bought or made.

*  Search for new recipes and expand your repertoire in the kitchen.  Megan has cooked a few new dishes for us.  Tuna mornay,  curry beef casserole and chicken pie are now regulars on our menu plan.  I've just made shortbread biscuits for the first time.

*  Start a veggie garden or expand on what you already grow. Veggies can be grown in pots,  polystyrene foam boxes,  old shoes,  icecream containers,  old guttering,  timber pallets or in your garden beds.

*  Watch a tv series you haven't seen in a long time.  With free to air channels expanding their catalogue,  you are sure to find something you like.  I've been watching A Country Practice,  Homestead Rescue,  Hoarders,  Packed To The Rafters ( I've just finished )  and Tiny Homes.

*  Get your filing in order.  Record all your bills onto a spreadsheet to keep track of how much it costs to run a home.   Make copies of important receipts before they fade.  Gather your receipts for tax time.

*  Start your Spring cleaning a little early.  How often do you wish there was more time to get your home really clean before the hot weather arrives ?

*  Clean out and organise your garage, carport or shed.   Are you storing too much stuff that isn't used.

*  List and sell your unwanted items on Buy , Swap,  Sell ,  Marketplace,  Gumtree or Ebay type of sites.

Out in the garden

Being organised

How have you been using the extra time at home ?

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 27th June 2020

This week I took a break from gardening to concentrate on organisation and tidying inside our home.  I spent a couple of delightful hours tidying our pantry,  filling up herb and spice jars,  making mixes as well as making the most of the storage space I have    I just love spending time in my pantry because tit  holds so many possibilities for cooking and baking when it's stocked correctly.  Having Luka down for a long nap meant my little helper wasn't trying to pull out all the glass  Moccona storage jars I use.

Here's what else we got up to this week -

*  Cut the dish washer tablets in half.  They still wash the dishes really well.  Most of these tablets came from accommodation we've staying in over the years.  Some were also samples and the rest came from Megan.  I still use the Aldi powder for dishes that don't have baked on food.

*  Used old bread bags as bin liners in the bathrooms.

*  Bought brand new Spot and Pepper Pig Easter books for $1 each from a local op shop.  They will be put away as presents for our grandbabies next year.

*  Megan diluted her fabric softener by 50%.  She'd saved an empty bottle and halved the mixture.

*  Baked four loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness.

*  Purchased a few brand new DVD's from a local op shop.  They have been put away for Christmas and birthday presents.

*  Diluted a bottle of laundry stain remover by 50% that was given to us.  It still works fantastically.

*  Made butter from cream I'd purchased on clearance and froze a few moths ago.

*  Diluted a bottle of Windex window cleaner.  I don't use it but other family members do.  I'd already diluted it about a year ago but saw the bottle was getting a little low.  I'm sure no one will notice what I've done.

*  Fed the compost bins with kitchen scraps.

*  Mended a coat.

*  Made up a jar of homemade gravy powder mix using pantry staples.

*  Processed the rosemary I'd hung up to dry a couple of months ago.  I run my fingers down the sprigs to get all the leaves off.  This is done over a large deep bowl to prevent the mess it usually makes.  Then I give it a quick whizz in the coffee grinder until it's a coarse powder.  This helps it to stick to veggies I roast.

*  Made up a jar of French onion soup mix using a few store bought packets and pantry staples to stretch the mix out.

Making my own mixes and herbs.

Dish washer tablets cut in half.

Do you tidy your pantry on a regular basis ?

What was on your frugal list this week ? 

Supporting Aussie Made On A Budget.

In recent times there has been a call across Australia to support Aussie made to encourage more jobs and to stimulate our economy.   Our heavy reliance on other countries to fill our supermarket and department store shelves became very evident when our boarders were closed and production halted in many overseas companies.  This included Australian companies who relied on ingredients, components and / or materials from overseas.

While I would love to buy everything Australian made or owned,  my budget doesn't stretch that far.  So I did a bit of investigating around my home to see what Aussie made products I already have.  I will be the first to admit that I have the united nations living in my pantry and bathroom cupboard but  I was pleasantly surprised to find I had many Australian made products.

My trips to the supermarket have taken on a whole new meaning too.  I've found that Aldi stocks many Aussie made products with the symbol proudly displayed on the outer cardboard packaging on the shelf making it very easy to identify.

If you live in another country then I'm sure you'll be doing your best to support locally made products too. 

Below are some of the Australian made products I found around our home.  Please keep in mind that some were purchased a couple of years ago so the country of origin might have changed since then.  Also,  this blog post is not to be used as a platform to debate whether certain products should be consumed or used or how much they cost.  I'm budget conscience and always buy at the best possible price,

The dish washing liquid on the left is my latest bargain find. It comes from Aldi and costs 99 cents for one litre and works fantastically well.

The skin repair cream on the right is used to remove make up especially around the eye.  I just use a tissue.

All these shampoos were bought at rock bottom prices.  Tresemme often comes on a half price special.

Sukin products come on sale in the supermarket or can occasionally be found at clearance centres at rock bottom prices. Lynx products often half price in supermarkets.  Tilley soaps ( candle pictured ) is Australia's oldest 100% Australian owned soap manufacturer.

A few Aldi groceries.

Flour is flour and sugar is sugar.  No need to buy the fancy brands when even the home brands are made in Australia from Australian wheat.  Campbell's soup come on a half price sale especially during Winter.

A few more Australian made groceries I found in my pantry.  Lemon Crisp biscuits are the only store bought sweet biscuit I'll buy ( and only when on sale ).

What Australian made / owned products to you like to buy ?

Will you be supporting more Aussie brands if your budget allows ?

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 20th June 2020

Life has been quite busy at the Gower Abundant Cottage since the last time I posted about 4 weeks ago.  Darren and I have been in the garden every chance we get.  Our backyard makeover is almost complete with only a new shed for Darren and a new chicken coop to be installed late Winter / early Spring.

We've relayed garden edging that was looking a bit crooked.  Plants have been moved to better locations with some being ditched all together due to poor growth habits.  Lots of new plants are filling up the garden beds around our home.  Our Winter veggie garden  has now been planted.

Over the next few weeks we hope to tackle our front garden which has had little attention for many years.

Darren and I were blessed with an extra cleaning job that lasted 8 weeks while our friend completed writing her third novel.  This cleaning job helped to fill in the gaps left by other cleaning jobs that have been put on hold due to the lock down.

Our grandbabies continue to bring us great joy ( and busyness ).  Luka keeps us on our toes as he tries to get into everything he can.  He has enjoyed helping us in the garden with his own digger and watering can.

Here's what else we've been up to -

*  Grated lots of little hotel guest soaps we've collected over the last few years.  They will now be turned into laundry powder.

*  Cleaned the kettle with citric acid.

*  Made up a spray bottle of diluted dish washing liquid to use as a spray and wipe on the kitchen and bathroom surfaces.

*  Sold 2 bars of handmade soap,  a bottle of room spray and a bottle of Miracle Spray to a friend.

*  Froze lots of leftovers into single serves.  Some were given to Jessica to use when she's had a busy day at work.

*  Megan and I made a menu plan.  10 days at a time seems to work best with all the comings and goings in our home.

*  We filled up our cars with cheaply priced petrol just before it went up for the long weekend.

*  I received 10% off at Woolworths when I scanned my Everyday Rewards card.

*  Hung wet washing on the shower door rail to dry.  This works well for jeans and jumpers.  I just close the bathroom door and let the ducted heating do all the work.

*  Cleaned the shower with diluted dish washing liquid.

*  Picked silverbeet from the garden to add to a few dinners.

*  Planted broccoli and cauliflower seedlings.

*  Refilled the herb jars from bulk bags.

*  Baked two orange cakes.  The mixture was divided so we could eat one cake straight away and the other one was frozen for future eating.

*  Made chicken stock in the slow cooker then made a chunky chicken soup.  Some was frozen into single serves.  

*  Gratefully received lots of lamb chops from a friend who couldn't use them.

What do you do with the little hotel soaps ?

What has been on your frugal list lately ?

Abundant Cottage Adventures Tuesday 19th And Wednesday 20th May 2020

To be honest,  I wasn't feeling that good on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I'm not one to spend the day in bed or become a couch potato from sun up to sun down.  Whether it be ill health ( in this case ),  worries or stress, I find it best to keep my mind and body active.  I did take some time out in the afternoons to watch a few episodes of A Country Practice.  The hairdos and fashions from the 80's are quite fun to look at. Here's what else I got up to -

*  Megan and I wrote out a menu plan for the next 10 days.

*  I used Megan's stick vacuum on the carpets and used the dry mop on the bamboo floors   I mopped the floors as well.

*  I gave our bedroom a bit of a tidy up.  With extra family members in our home and a 14 month old who gets into everything,  our bedroom was becoming a dumping ground for household items in the way.

*  Cleaned our bathroom.

*  Did a load of washing.

*  Watered the plants that don't get watered from the rain.

*  Poured the shower warm up water into the washing machine.

*  Did a quick sort out of my wardrobe.  I now have a bag of donations ready to go to the op shop.

*  Roast chicken pieces was on the dinner menu for Wednesday.  We had Tuna Mornay for dinner on Tuesday night.   This is a new meal for us and Megan found a recipe on the internet she liked and changed it a bit to suit our tastes.  She did a fabulous job.

In the garden

Have you tried any new recipes while spending so much time at home ?