This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 30th April 2016

I somehow seem to keep myself busy around my home.  I try to find a couple of frugal tasks to do each day that either saves me money or valuable time.  Here's what I got up to this week -

*  Gratefully received a few jars from my friend Bronwyn.  Thankyou so much  xoxo

*  Cooked 80 mini quiches for a catering job.

*  Baked mini muffins for morning tea at church.  The rest were frozen for school lunchboxes.

*  Made pizza scrolls with the leftover pastry from the mini quiches.  I used tomato sauce and bbq sauce mixed together then topped the sauce with mixed herbs and cheese.  Very yummy.  Some have been frozen for lunchboxes.

*  Gratefully received some scented drawer liners at a high tea.  They will be used to decorate birthday cards.

*  Made a double batch of ANZAC biscuit dough.  Some of the dough was made into biscuits and the rest was frozen for future baking.

*  Gratefully received lots of bread bags form a charity bbq.  I have de crumbed them,  dried them and stored them away for use.

*  Sold one dozen eggs.

*  Stocked up on toothpaste at $1.30 a tube and tins of soup for 99 cents a tin. The soup will be used to make chicken curry and tuna casserole.

*  Dried the washing on the line and clothes horses when it rained.

*  Rotated the tins of food in the pantry and restocked from my stockpile.

*  Picked a couple of raspberries here and there and froze them for baking..

*  Made a batch of dried seasoned bread crumbs using bread crusts I'd saved.

*  Darren gave one of our chickens an Epsom salts  bath.  She keeps getting a dirty bottom and this seems to help.

ANZAC biscuits

Some of the 80 mini quiches I made

From the garden

Gracie getting a bath.

Chocolate muffins

Hanging the bread bags out to dry

Pizza scrolls

Grocery special

What did you do this week to save time,  money or energy ?

Grocery Specials Wednesday 27th April 2016

Here are this week's best grocery specials -

COLES -

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

*    Real Foods Corn Thins 125g-150g 1/2 PRICE Was $2.00, Save $1.00  Now $1.00 each

*  Golden Circle Corn Kernels 410g 1/2 PRICE Was $1.65, Save $0.83  Now $0.82 each

*  Alfa One Rice Bran Oil 3 Litre 1/2 PRICE On sale for 2 weeks.Was $18.00, Save $9.00  Now $9.00 each

*  Spam 340g 1/2 PRICE Was $4.90, Save $2.45  Now $2.45 each

*  SunRice Medium Grain White or Brown Rice 5kg 1/2 PRICE Was $13.60, Save $6.80  Now $6.80 each

*  Dolmio Extra Pasta Sauce 500g1/2 PRICE Was $3.29, Save $1.65  Now $1.64 each

*  Kellogg’s Special K Gluten Free 330g 1/2 PRICE Available nationwide in the cereal aisle.

Was $6.00, Save $3.00  Now $3.00 each.  If you need gluten free cereal,  please stock up.  This sale price might be a promotion to get people buying it.

*  Moccona Café Classics 10 Pack 140g-150g Was $5.55, Save $2.05  Now $3.50 each

*  Don Footy Franks 375g-500g 1/2 PRICE From the Dairy department.Was $5.60, Save $2.80  Now $2.80 each

*  1/2 PRICE OFF all Olay

*  40% OFF all Australis

*  1/2 PRICE OFF all Decor Match Ups & Microsafe

*  30% OFF all Papermate & Sharpie

*  10% off Best Spas, Best Restaurants, Hoyts, RedBalloon Gift Cards While stocks last. No rainchecks

*  Cadbury Favourites or Mini Blocks Boxed Chocolate 320g1/2 PRICE Was $12.00, Save $6.00
Now $6.00 each

*  Pedigree Dog Food 1.2kg1/2 PRICE Was $3.69, Save $1.85  $1.84 each

WOOLWORTHS -

*  Cadbury Blocks 180-200g  NEW Flavours Now $2.50 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.50

*  Colgate Triple Action Mint Toothpaste 137g  While stocks last Now $1.49 each 1/2 Price, Save $1.50

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

*  Moccona Indulgence Freeze Dried Coffee 200g Now $9.50 each 1/2 Price, Save $9.99

*  TRESemme Shampoo or Conditioner 750-900ml Now $5.25 each 1/2 Price, Save $5.25

*  1/2 Price All Bonds

*  Morning Fresh Dishwashing Liquid 900ml Now $3.47 each 1/2 Price, Save $3.48
 

*  Campbell’s Condensed Soup 400-430g Now $0.99 each1/2 Price, Save $0.99.  Well worth stocking up at this price.

*  Primo Chorizo – From the Deli Now $11.50 kg 1/2 Price, Save $11.50 kg

*  Cinnamon Donuts Pk 12*  *Only available in stores with an in-store bakery. .Now $2.00 each1/2 Price, Save $2.00.  Donuts freeze well too.

*  Tip Top Cafe Raisin Toast or Cafe Style Breakfast Toast 650gNow $2.95 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.95

*  Colgate Maximum Cavity Protection Toothpaste 147g  While stocks last..Now $1.30 each 1/2 Price, Save $1.30.  Well worth stocking up
.

*  30% off All Corelle

*  40% off All Adrenalin Gift Cards

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

          

Pumpkin Soup

With the weather turning slightly cooler,  Winter will be here before you know it.  In my house,  Winter means comfort food and soup falls into that category.  There's nothing like a big bowl of homemade soup and some crusty bread to fill an empty tummy and warm the soul.  Pumpkin will be coming into season shortly and prices will get cheaper.  Here's my pumpkin soup recipe for you to enjoy -


I smallish butternut or jap pumpkin
1 to 1 1/2 litres of boiling water
1 medium onion finely diced ( dried onion flakes can be used )
1 - 2 tablespoons of chicken stock powder
1 tablespoon of chives  fresh or dried
Pepper to taste

Scoop out the pumpkin seeds and cut off the skin. Cut into large chunks
Add the pumpkin to a large saucepan and pour in boiling water until the pumpkin is almost covered.
Add the diced onion.
Cover the saucepan and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft.
Add the chives.  Stir in well.
Using a stick blender,  blend the soup until smooth.
Add the chicken stock powder one tablespoon at a time and stir in well.

Serve with a dash of sour cream and chives.

Serves 4 - 6

NOTES -

*  This soup freezes well.

*  Butternut pumpkin can be bland in flavour.  If you use this pumpkin,  more stock powder may be needed.

*  This soup can be cooked in a vegetable steamer in the microwave.

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 23rd April 2016

I've spent most of the week pottering around our home sorting,  tidying,  de cluttering,  pulling weeds,  watering,  baking and cooking.  So much to do and so much fun doing it.    We might not have the grandest ,  biggest home but our home is our haven.  Mouth watering fragrances come from the kitchen and our girls love to guess what I've been cooking.  Fresh flowers cut from the garden bring joy to each day and elegance money can't buy.  Here's what I got up to this week -  

*  Made a batch of plain scones to take to the Cheapskates card making day.  I also took my raspberry jam to spread on top. Very yummy.  The rest of the scones were frozen for future morning teas.

*  Made a batch of pumpkin soup with a butternut pumpkin we were blessed with.  The leftovers were frozen in single serves for Winter lunches.

*  Gratefully received a shape punch and a couple of patterned papers from the swap table at the card making day.

*  Washed all the donated glass jars given to me over the last few weeks.  Now they are ready for use.

*  Ate homemade freezer meals two nights this week.

*  Baked four loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness.

*  I bought another $7.90 cooked chicken.  This time I was able to get 21 serves from the one chicken.  I made a pot of chunky chicken and vegetable soup using the stock I made and any meat left on the carcass.  This gave me nine singles serves of soup.  When I peeled down the chicken I portioned the meat into 4 single serves for a sandwich,  and two lots of meat that will be put into a pasta bake that can feed the four of us..  I don't think I can stretch the chicken any more.  I did have another portion of stock leftover that I've frozen.

.*  Saved the bank statement envelopes.  The inside of the envelope is patterned and can be used for card making.

*  Gratefully received a petrol discount docket in the mail.  Thankyou Tania  xoxo

*  Gratefully received a few more jam jars from another friend.

*  Stocked up on TRESemme shampoo and conditioner.  It's on sale at IGA for $4.99 which is better than half price.

*  Saved the washing machine water for each next load.  Saved the kitchen water and reused it to swish out the sinks,  soak the saucepans and water the raspberry plants.

*  Saved the ribbon wrapped around a blanket Jessica bought.  Saved a couple of rubber bands wrapped around the junk mail.  Also saved a couple of bells and ribbons from the Lindt bunnies we are working our way through from Easter.

*  Organised my jam and relish jars stored in the shed.  I now have the jam jars separated into another box.  Relish jars smell quite strong even after they have been washed many times.  I don't like to use them for jam for this reason.  Now I won't have to dig around for jars when I need them.

*  Found a few more items to donate to the op shop.  Over at The Cheapskates Club I've set up a " De cluttering Tally Game "  Quite a few of us have the de cluttering bug again.  I thought it would be fun to keep a tally of how much we can remove from our homes and donate.  It's not a competition but a great way to keep track of the numbers.  I'm up to 33 items for the month.

*  Darren picked a pink rose for my bedside table.

*  I made potato cakes for lunch one day using about 2/3 of a cup of leftover mashed potato.  Very yummy.

 

Scones for morning tea

Chunky chicken and vegetable soup

In the garden

Potato cakes

Grocery special

Saving the envelope.

Jam jars ready for use.

What frugal tasks did you complete this week ?

Grocery Specials Wednesday 20th April 2016

Here are this week's best grocery specials -

COLES  -

*  Cadbury Large Block 270g-350g1/2 PRICE Was $6.30, Save $3.15  Now $3.15 each

*  Uncle Tobys Cheerios 570g-580g1/2 PRICE Was $6.29, Save $3.15  Now $3.14 each

*  Mars Maltesers 360g, Celebrations Boxed Chocolate 300g or M&Ms Peanut 440g 1/2 PRICE

Was $10.00, Save $5.00  Now $5.00 each   Stock up now for Mother's Day and Father's Day

*  Vittoria Mountain Grown Coffee Beans or Ground or Organic Beans 1kg 1/2 PRICE

Was $36.70, Save $18.35  Now $18.35 each

*  Bonne Maman Jam 370g1/2 PRICE Was $5.00, Save $2.50  Now $2.50 each  If anyone eats this jam,  I'd be more than happy to receive the empty jars.  They are so pretty.

*  SunRice Medium Grain White Rice 5kg1/2 PRICE Was $13.60, Save $6.80  Now $6.80 each

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

*  Continental Pasta & Sauce 85g-115g1/2 PRICE Was $2.09, Save $1.05  Now $1.04 each

*  MasterFoods Tomato or Barbecue Sauce 920mL1/2 PRICE Was $4.69, Save $2.35  Now $2.34 each

*   Tip Top English Muffins 6 Pack1/2 PRICE Was $4.90, Save $2.45  Now $2.45 each

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

*  Imperial Leather Body Wash 1 Litre 1/2 PRICE Was $9.00, Save $4.50  Now $4.50 each

*  Norsca Anti-Perspirant Deodorant 150g 1/2 PRICE Was $5.99, Save $3.00  Now $2.99 each

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

*  Chux Heavy Duty Scourer Scrubs 3 Pack 1/2 PRICE Was $3.15, Save $1.58  Now $1.57 each

*  Morning Fresh Dishwashing Liquid 900mL1/2 PRICE Was $6.95, Save $3.48  Now $3.47 each

*  Cold Power Laundry Liquid 1 Litre 1/2 PRICE Was $9.49, Save $4.75  Now $4.74 each

*  1/2 PRICE OFF all Sistema To Go

*  Continental Cup a Soup 2 Serve 40g-75g 1/2 PRICE Was $2.00, Save $1.00  Now $1.00 each

*  Mars Medium Funsize 144g-216g1/2 PRICE Was $4.60, Save $2.30  Now $2.30 each.  This is a fantastic price and well worth stocking up.  Great for birthday parties.

*  Lynx Body Spray Deodorant 96g-100g 1/2 PRICE Was $5.99, Save $3.00  Now $2.99 each.  Well worth stockpiling at this price.

WOOLWORTHS -

*  Kelloggs Nutri-Grain 290g or Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes 380g Now $2.29 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.30

*  Peters Drumstick 475-490ml Pk 4-6 Now $3.99 each 1/2 Price, Save $4.00

*  Moccona Freeze Dried Coffee 200g Now $10.00 each Save $8.39

*  Campbell’s Real Stock Varieties 1 Litre Now $1.99 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.00

*  Imported Barramundi Fillets Skinned/Boned. Seafood may not be available in all stores. Now $13.00 kg Save $6.99 kg

*  Golden Crumpet Rounds Pk 6 Now $1.65 each 1/2 Price, Save $1.65

*  Tip Top Raisin Toast 520g or Wholemeal Raisin Toast 600g Now $2.70 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.70

*   Nivea Deodorant Varieties 250ml/151-162g Now $3.24 each 1/2 Price, Save $3.25

*  Johnson’s Body Wash 1 Litre Now $5.00 each 1/2 Price, Save $5.00

*  1/2 Price All Libra, Tena, UBK & Poise

*  20% off All Inspire Bakeware & Jamie Oliver Kitchen Gadgets.

*  Energizer Max AAA Pk 14 or AA Pk 16  .Now $9.74 each 1/2 Price, Save up to $9.76

*  Fairy Dishwashing Liquid 433ml  .Now $1.99 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.00

Feel free to add any great specials you find in the supermarket and department stores.

5 Ways To Reuse Bread Bags

Have you been known to throw out those bread bags and not given them much thought ?  I was guilty of doing this for many years. Then one day I had a light bulb moment.  Surely there must be a way to repurpose them to reduce my cling wrap and freezer bag use.  After all,  they are a perfectly good plastic bag.  Here are five ways to reuse your bread bags and save a little money -

*  Use them to line your bathroom bins.  If your kitchen bin is small enough use them there too.

*  Keep a few bags in your car glove box.  They make great rubbish bags and sick bags, 

*  Use a bread bag when scooping out the kitty litter.  Tie a knot in the top of the bag then deposit it in the bin.  By doing this you won't have a yucky smell leaking out.

*  When storing food in the freezer,  use a bread bag as a double layer against freezer burn.  I use cling wrap or a freezer bag to wrap the food then a bread bag as the outer layer.

*   Use instead of cling wrap to cover a bowl in the fridge.  If the bowl is small enough just slip it inside the bag and fold the excess plastic underneath.  If you need to cover a large bowl,  cut the bottom of the bag off.  Then cut the bag length ways to get a wider piece of plastic.  Cover your bowl and secure with a large rubber band.

Drying the bags out

Bin liners.

NOTE -  When you've finished eating the loaf of bread,  make sure you turn the bags inside out,  brush the crumbs off and dry for a couple of hours.  This will avoid mould growing in the bags

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 16th April 2016

I've had a mixed bag of experiences this week.  I helped my sister move,  spent a day recovering,  had two days of cleaning work,  did my usual housework,  decluttered and had an outing with Darren ( the highlight of the week ).  Here's what else I got up to this week -.

*  Gratefully received two bags of jam jars from my sister.  I give lots of jam as presents so I'm always needing more jars.  I also received a bag of jars from a cleaning client.

*  Did the usual water saving tasks in the laundry and dried the washing on the line.

*  Made chicken curry with two chicken fillets and it fed us for two meals.

*  Cleaned the kettle.

*  Jessica went through her make up and gave me a blusher and brush she doesn't want.

*  Did an extra day of cleaning work.

*  Bought a $7.90 cooked chicken and got 14 serves from it.  We had some in rolls for lunch x 4,  I made chunky chicken and veg soup that gave us 6 serves and enough meat for the freezer that will be made into a pasta bake or chop chicken ( like chop suey ) x 4 serves.  I also used all the bones to make chicken stock in the slow cooker.

*  Darren and I had an outing to Mornington on Wednesday.  We took our own lunch ( chicken in rolls )and bottles of water to save some money.  We did treat ourselves to morning tea.

*  Fed the compost bin with kitchen scraps.

*  Made a batch of Miracle Spray and sold it to a cleaning client.

*  Dug down to the bottom of my lipstick to get every last bit out.  Avon has decided to discontinue my favourite color ( yet again ).  Thankfully I have a few spare tubes and I'll be making them last as long as possible.

*  Over the last couple of weeks I've stayed home as much as possible.  I've only used 1/2 a tank of petrol since the day before Good Friday.

*  Gratefully received some stamps for card making and a set of craft drawers from my Mum.

*  Made a bottle of air freshener for the ensuite.

*  Used the watering can to water my veggie seedlings.  This is more water wise than using a hose.

*  Mended a hole in a pair of socks.

*  We had our movie night at home on Thursday.  We watched " The Help " and even our girls ventured out of their rooms to watch most of it with us.

Plants we bought in Mornington

Jessica's Christmas present now has flowers.

In the garden

Lettuce seedlings are growing

Lavender air freshener

Chicken curry

Making Miracle Spray

How did you save money this week ?

Grocery Specials Wednesday 13th April 2016

Here are this week's best grocery specials -

COLES -

*   Campbell’s Real Stock 1 Litre 1/2 PRICE Was $3.99, Save $2.00  Now $1.99 each

*  Nivea Deodorant 250mL 1/2 PRICE Was $6.59, Save $3.30  Now $3.29 each

*  Cadbury Bubbly or Green & Black's Block Chocolate 100g-155g 1/2 PRICE Was $4.00, Save $2.00  Now $2.00 each

*  Cottee’s Jam 500gWas $3.35, Save $1.35  Now $2.00 each.  Well worth stockpiling at this price.

*  Campbell’s Condensed Soup 400g-430g 1/2 PRICE Was $2.00, Save $1.00  Now $1.00 each.  Well worth stocking up at this price.  I make sure I have a year's supply for casseroles like Chicken curry and tuna casserole.

*  Tip Top Raisin Toast 520g 1/2 PRICE Was $5.40, Save $2.70  Now $2.70 each

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

*  1/2 PRICE OFF all Covergirl

*  1/2 Price on a wide range of Nivea products.

*  Buy any 2 and get the 3rd FREE on Colgate Dental, Palmolive Soaps or Body Wash.
Lowest priced item free.

*  Brut Original Long Lasting Deodorant Body Spray 150g1/2 PRICE Was $6.49, Save $3.25  Now $3.24 each

*  Brut Original Shower Gel Fresh 400mL1/2 PRICE Was $6.29, Save $3.15 Now $3.14 each  Combine this with the deodorant and you have a great Father's Day present for a fraction of  the price of a gift pack.

*  Head & Shoulders Shampoo or Conditioner 350mL-400mL1/2 PRICE Was $12.50, Save $6.25
Now $6.25 each

*  Dynamo Laundry Liquid 1 Litre 1/2 PRICE Was $10.00, Save $5.00 Now $5.00 each.  This product dilutes really well and still retains it's fragrance.

*  Ansell Handy Disposable Gloves 100 Pack1/2 PRICE Was $9.98, Save $4.99  Now $4.99 each

WOOLWORTHS -


*    Dynamo Laundry Liquid 2 Litre Now $8.24 each 1/2 Price, Save $8.25  Works out cheaper than the Coles price.

*  Old El Paso or Stand ‘n Stuff Dinner Kits 295-370g Now $3.49 each 1/2 Price, Save $3.50

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

*  Sakata Rice Crackers 90-100g Now $1.00 each 1/2 Price, Save $1.40

*  Kraft Peanut Butter 500g Now $2.84 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.84

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

*  Fountain Squeezy Tomato & BBQ Sauce 500ml – Excludes Salt Reduced Sauce Now $1.25 each1/2 Price, Save $1.25

*  Continental Standard Pasta & Sauce 85g-105g Now $1.00 each 1/2 Price, Save up to $1.10

*  Continental Cup-a-Soup 2 Serve 40g-75g Now $0.90 each 1/2 Price, Save $1.10

*    Tip Top Cafe Raisin Toast or Cafe Style Breakfast Toast 650g Now $2.95 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.95

*  Golden Crumpet Breaks Pk 6 Now $1.99 each1/2 Price, Save $2.00

*  Sunsilk Shampoo or Conditioner 750ml Now $5.24 each1/2 Price, Save $5.25

*  Dove Shampoo or Conditioner 320ml Now $3.49 each1/2 Price, Save $3.50

*  Energizer Max AA Pk 16 or AAA Pk 14$ Now 9.74 each 1/2 Price, Save up to $9.76

*  40% off Inspire Premium Bathroom Manchester

*  Morning Fresh Dishwashing Liquid 400ml – Excludes Eco Range Now $1.75 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.20

                        

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