Stockpiling For Summer And The Holidays

As you probably know,  I love having a stockpile.  It comes in handy for many,  many reasons.

Last year,  Cath from The Cheapskates Club shared a wonderful stockpiling idea that I now implement in my home.  The idea is " Stockpiling for Summer "  and here's how it works -

Starting about August or September,  work out what grocery items you would need to buy over the Summer or Christmas holiday period.  Divide that list into the months you have left to buy before Summer / Christmas. 

Every time you go grocery shopping,  add those extra items to your  supermarket trolley. This is where your grocery slush fund comes in handy for the extra costs involved.  In August / September I start buying non perishables like toilet paper,  toiletries,  pasta,  sugar,  rice,  cat food and tinned items

During October and November, I stock up on cheese,  butter,  frozen veg,  flour,  breakfast cereal,  spreads,  sauces and anything else that's heavy. I freeze some of the butter as I don't have the fridge space.

When December hits,  I only need to top up on any items I've forgotten plus any foods needed to celebrate Christmas.

In Australia,  January,  February and part of March are well known for their heatwaves.  During this time,  I'm hoping the only grocery items I'll need to buy are milk,  fruit and veg on a weekly basis.  By stockpiling ahead of time I won't be battling the crowds or sweating it out pushing a heavy trolley through the shopping centre car park.

If you are in the northern hemisphere,  stockpiling ahead of time takes on a whole new meaning.  Floods,  snow storms and extreme weather conditions could make it impossible to leave the home.  By planning ahead and having a good stockpile,  your Winter could be easier to deal with.

At the moment,  all my cupboards,  pantry,  fridge and freezers are chock a block full.  It's such a good feeling to be ready for the holidays.

Do you stockpile for the holiday / Summer / Winter season ?

A monthly grocery shop

A full and organised pantry

Everything in it's place.

This Week's Frugal Tasks 28th November 2015

The weather allowed me to get into the garden a couple of times this week.  We've had a good amount of rain too.  Here's what we got up to this week -

*  Bought a punnet of Cos lettuce seedlings from Big W for 50 cents.  They were on clearance because they had a few dry leaves on them.  I picked a punnet with 10 seedlings

*  Picked a couple of  raspberries per day.  It doesn't sound like much but in the middle of the season I'll be picking handfuls twice a day

*  Continued to pick a handful of strawberries each day.

*  Picked silverbeet for two meals.

*  Made a double batch of raspberry and white choc muffins and sold most of them

*  Sold excess eggs.

* .Jessica made a double batch of chocolate choc chip muffins for snacks.  Most were frozen straight away.

*  Darren cooked up some beetroot he'd been growing.  He's even pickled it to be eaten in sandwiches and with salads.  Thankyou to Annabel for the seeds.

*  Watered the veggie seedlings with saved shower warm up water.

*  Hand washed the dinner dishes a couple of nights this week.  There wasn't enough to put the dishwasher on.

*  Unplugged the Wii to keep the standby light off.  The girls don't use it too often these days.

*  Picked a bunch of hydrangeas from the garden for a friend who was in need of a " pick me up '.

*  Darren used shredded paper in the chicken coop instead of hay.

*  Made chocolate cakes for a church morning tea

Strawberries and raspberries

Darren's cooked beetroot

Muffins

Cakes for church morning tea.

What's on your frugal list for the week ?

Grocery Specials Wednesday 25th November 2015

Here are this week's best grocery specials -

COLES -

*  Nestlé Block Chocolate 118g-200g 1/2 PRICE Was $4.50, Save $2.25 Now $2.25 each

*  Nescafé Gold 190g-200g 1/2 PRICE Was $17.99, Save $9.00  Now $8.99 each

*  Cheezels Cheese Snacks 110g 1/2 PRICE Was $2.00, Save $1.00  Now $1.00 each.  Great for school class parties etc

*  Golden Circle Tetra Fruit Drink 1 Litre1/2 PRICE Was $2.05, Save $1.03  Now $1.02 each

*  Fantastic Delites Rice Snacks 100g 1/2 PRICE Was $2.00, Save $1.00  Now $1.00 each

*  Pepsi or Solo Soft Drink 2 Litre 1/2 PRICE Was $3.10, Save $1.55  Now $1.55 each.  We don't drink soft drink very often but this seemed like a good price for a large bottle.

*  Lindt Lindor Gift Box Chocolate Balls 150g-154g 1/2 PRICE Was $12.00, Save $6.00  Now $6.00 each

*  MasterFoods Marinades 350g-375g 1/2 PRICE Was $2.99, Save $1.50  Now $1.49 each.  I don't buy these but they are a good price.

*  SunRice Basmati Rice 5kg 1/2 PRICE Was $18.00, Save $9.00 Now $9.00 each

*  Twinings Tea Bags 10 Pack 10g-25g 1/2 PRICE Was $2.49, Save $1.25  Now $1.24 each.  Great for puting in Christmas hampers

*  Golden Crumpet Rounds 6 Pack1/2 PRICE Was $3.30, Save $1.65  Now $1.65 each

*  Seasol Concentrate 500mLWas $7.50, Save $2.50  Now $5.00 each 30% OFF Seasol.Excludes clearance items.

*  TRESemmé Shampoo or Conditioner 750mL-900mL1/2 PRICE Was $10.50, Save $5.25  Now $5.25 each

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

*  Energizer Max Batteries AA 16 Pack or AAA 14 Pack1/2 PRICE Was $19.50, Save $9.75  Now $9.75 each

*  VIVA Paper Towel 2 Pack 1/2 PRICE Was $3.55, Save $1.78  Now $1.77 each

*  Cadbury Boxed Chocolate Favourites or Mini Blocks 320g 1/2 PRICE Was $12.00 Save $6.00 Now $6.00 each

*  The Natural Confectionery Co. Family Bags or Sour Patch 200g-260g 1/2 PRICE Was $4.00, Save $2.00  Now $2.00 each

*  Doritos Corn Chips 150g-170g 1/2 PRICE Was $3.20, Save $1.60  Now $1.60 each

WOOLWORTHS -

*  Nescafe Menu Pk 10 Now $3.29 each 1/2 Price, Save $3.30

*    Cadbury Boxed Choc Favourites 540g Now $9.50 each 1/2 Price, Save $9.50

*  Real Foods Corn Thins 125-150g Now $1.00 each 1/2 Price, Save $1.00

*  Heinz Baked Beans or Spaghetti 420g Pk 12  84¢ per can.While stocks last.Now $10.00 each

*  Cadbury Roses Silver 450g Now $7.50 each 1/2 Price, Save $7.99

*  Steggles Whole Chicken Family Roast – From the meat dept Now $2.99 kg Save $2.00 kg

*  Cottee's Jams or Marmalade 500g Now $2.00 each Save $1.40

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

*  Sorbent Facial Tissue Thick & Large Pk 95 Now $1.32 each 1/2 Price, Save $1.33

*  EasiYo Yogurt Maker – Excludes Mini Maker While stocks last.Now $11.49 each 1/2 Price, Save $11.50.  This is an absolute bargain price.  If you don't have one they are so worth it.  They make wonderful presents too.

*  Australian Iceberg Lettuce Australian Grown. $1.00 each

*  10% off Village Gift Cards~Limit of 10 per customer. Also available Star Wars $60 Gift Card.
May not be available in all stores. Colour, styles and sizes may vary by store. While stocks last.  This makes movie tickets a little cheaper

*  Pears Transparent Soap 3 x 125g Now $3.09 each 1/2 Price, Save $3.10

*  Pears Shower Gel 250ml or Pears Handwash Liquid 237ml Varieties Now $1.74 each 1/2 Price, Save $1.75.

*  Huggies Baby Wipes Pk 56 Now $2.00 each Save up to $1.60

*  Natural Chip Company or CC's Corn Chips 175g Now $1.57 each 1/2 Price, Save up to $1.68

BIG W -

40% off all cosmetics starting Thursday 26th Nov 2015

Making Oven Mitts From Pot Holders

Do you have a collection of pot holders that you don't use ?  If you're like me,  I prefer oven mitts to get cooking and baking out of the oven.  I also use chopping boards to rest hot food on.

Those pesky little pot holders are just annoying when they come in a pack with an oven mitt and tea towel. I tend to buy two of those packs so that I can have two oven mitts to use.  I'll admit that I've thrown out a few pot holders over the years and donated some to the local op shop.

Not any more.  One day a few months ago I was looking at my collection of pot holders and thought there has to be a way to use them.  Because I buy two oven mitt sets,  I end up with two matching pot holders.  So I got out my sewing machine thinking I could sew them together to form an oven mitt.  Unfortunately they were too thick to fit under the machine foot ( I think that's what you call it ).

I was a little annoyed but not deterred.  So I got out my collection of sewing needles.  After a bit of trial and error I found a sharp yet thick  needle to sew through all the layers.

I put the right sides out and sewed around the pot holders leaving enough room to slip my hand in.

Yay  !! They worked.  For about 10 minutes of my time I was able to make something useful for my kitchen.

Here's what they look like.

This Week's Frugal Tasks 21st November 2015

Over the last few weeks I've had to slash our family budget due to a big reduction of income from my cleaning jobs.  My frugal list might not have big or grand savings but everything I do helps our bottom line.  Here's what I got up to this week -


*  Made a batch of yoghurt

*  Picked a small handful of strawberries each day. 

*  Made a double batch of pumpkin scones.  Most went into the freezer for morning teas

*  Made lavender room air freshener for about $1

*  Shopped for the first time with a reduced grocery budget of $200 for the month.  It was a challenge but I kept to budget by crossing items of my shopping list that were not really needed.

*  Watered my transplanted raspberry plants each day with saved shower warm up water

*  Bought two bags of mixed nuts in their shells for $5 a bag from Aldi.  Last year I bought them in Coles for $7 as I couldn't find them anywhere else.  Glad about the cheaper price.  These will be given as Christmas presents ( with other things ) to some of the men in my family

*  Picked and ate the first raspberry for the season.  So yummy and rich in flavour.

*  Dried all the washing on the line and clothes horses.

*  Kept the heater off all week.  I've now turned it off at the thermostat.

*  Only turned the cooling on when really needed.  I've kept the curtains closed on the hot days.

*  Bought a punnet of lettuce seedlings from Bunnings for $2.90.  I picked the punnet that had the most seedlings in.  Some had 10 but I found one with 14.  I've tried growing lettuce from seed twice this season but they just aren't growing.  I'll still be saving money with the seedlings because lettuces cost $1 - $3 each.

*  Ate out of the freezer a few nights this week.  Slowly,  slowly we are making room ( and saving money ).

*  Combined lots of little shopping errands into one trip

Homemade yoghurt and homegrown strawberries.

Picking strawberries each day

Lettuce seedlings

Our pears continue to grow

Pumpkin scones

Lavender air freshener

What's on your frugal list for the week ?

Grocery Specials Wednesday 18th November 2015

Here are this week's best grocery specials -

COLES -

*  Cadbury Family Block Chocolate 190g-200g 1/2 PRICE Was $5.00, Save $2.51  Now $2.49 each

*  Streets Magnum 4 Pack-6 Pack 360mL-468mL 1/2 PRICE Was $7.99, Save $4.24  Now $3.75 each

*  Gold’n Canola Oil 4 Litre 1/2 PRICE Was $18.00, Save $9.00  Now $9.00 each

*  Trident Coconut Cream or Milk 400mLWas $1.95, Save $0.95  Now $1.00 each

*  Vaalia Low Fat Yoghurt 900g Was $6.15, Save $2.65  Now.$3.50 each.  Although I make my own yoghurt,  this seemed like a good price.

*  1/2 PRICE on  Sistema Klip It.

*  Brunnings Pine Bark 1/2 PRICE On sale for 2 weeks.Was $5.00, Save $2.50  Now $2.50 each

*  Nivea for Men Sensitive Shaving Gel 200mL1/2 PRICE Was $6.00, Save $3.00  Now $3.00 each

*  Macleans Extreme Clean Toothpaste 170g 1/2 PRICE Was $5.00, Save $2.50  Now $2.50 each

*  Sunsilk Shampoo or Conditioner 750mL 1/2 PRICE Was $10.49, Save $5.29  Now $5.20 each

*  Duracell Coppertop AAA Batteries 14 Pack or Coppertop AA Batteries 16 Pack 1/2 PRICE Was $19.50, Save $9.75  Now $9.75 each

*  Handee Ultra Paper Towel 4 Pack Was $5.20, Save $2.20  Now $3.00 each

*  Nivea Aerosol Deodorant 250mL1/2 PRICE Was $6.59, Save $3.30  Now $3.29 each

WOOLWORTHS -

*   Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain 290g Now $2.29 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.30.  Great to put in a Christmas stocking

*  Ferrero Rocher 200g Pk 16 Now $6.00 each 1/2 Price, Save $6.50.  Makes a great Kris Kringle or stocking gift.

*  Moccona Coffee Freeze Dried 200g Now $9.00 each 1/2 Price, Save $9.39.  Don't forget to save the jars and  refill with baked goodies for presents.

*   Golden Circle Sliced Beetroot 450g or Corn 410gNow $0.85 each Save up to $0.95

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

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

*  Mildura Sunrise Fruit Drink 2 Litre Now $1.80 each 1/2 Price, Save $1.89

*  Cinnamon Donuts Pk 6 or Mini Donuts Pk 8**Only available in stores with an in-store bakery.
$1.00 each1/2 Price, Save $1.00

*  Inspire or Home Essentials 400gsm Bath Towels Now$6.00 each 1/2 Price, Save $6.00
Also available in 400gsm Bath Sheets $8.00 save $8.00, Hand Towels $3.00 save $3.00or Face Washers Pk 2 $3.00 per pack save $3.00

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

*  Nivea Deodorant 250ml or 152-163g Varieties Now $3.24 each 1/2 Price, Save $3.25

*  Queen Natural Vanilla Extract Flavouring 200ml Now $9.00 each Save $1.50.  This item doesn't come on sale very often.