Saturday 15 October 2016

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 15th October 2016

The rain has finally stopped and I've been able to get outside into the garden.  I've pulled a few weeds,  fed the fruit trees and taken a tour of our garden each day.  Here' what else I got up to this week -

* Gratefully received some glass jars from a friend.

*  Redeemed a Flybys offer of $15 off your next shop at Coles.  So Darren and I went to Coles and picked out the ingredients to make white Christmas and rocky road for Christmas presents.  Darren likes to make this each year for his friends.  Some of the ingredients were 1/2 price.  I purchased two packets of microfibre cloths.  The total of our shop came to $15.24 so we only had to pay 24 cents.  Bargain.

*  Sold two dozen eggs to a friend.

*  Picked and juiced more lemons from our tree.

*  Baked four loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness.

*  Made pizza from scratch on Tuesday night using up bits and pieces in the fridge.  Very yummy.

*  Darren and I dug up three small raspberry plants.  We've potted them and hope to give them as presents when they grow.  Raspberry plants retail for about $15 each in hardware stores.

*  Bought a couple of pairs of Winter pj bottoms on clearance for $7 in Target.

*  Emptied everyone's water bottles into the watering can outside.

*  Saved the shower warm up water to use on the pot plants.  Saved the washing machine rinse water for each next load.

*  Used the carpet sweeper instead of the vacuum cleaner.

*  Listed a few cards and hand towels in my Etsy shop.

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

*  Combined multiple errands into one trip in the car.

*  Ripped up a few school notices for scrap paper.

*  Redeemed a supermarket rain check for kitchen detergent that was on sale a few weeks earlier.  It's a new fragrance that smells divine and can be hard to get.  I really don't need any more detergent after clearing a supermarket shelf a couple of years ago on tv,  but I don't know how long this fragrance will be available.  If anyone wants to try it, it's the Morning Fresh brand and the fragrance is Sweet  rhubarb..   

In the garden
Seedlings to plant
Raspberry seedlings we are growing from our garden
Pretty microfibre clothss
A card I'm selling in my Etsy shop
Kitchen detergent that smells divine

What was on your frugal list this week ?

15 comments:

  1. Hi Wendy. The flybys offer was great! I'm glad you have the sunshine again! here's what we got up to this week:
    - diluted fabric softener to make it go further.
    - used up left over veggies in my salads for work
    - used up excess plastic bags and bread bags for dirty nappies
    - dried clothes on the line all week
    - switched insurance companies again, saving us a huge $900 a year! It pays to shop around!
    - started using a night light in the hallway as opposed to a ceiling light. The night light hardly uses any electricity and automatically turns off when there is enough light.
    -gratefully received cheese and bacon rolls
    - Gratefully received some kale which we put as part of our salads and made kale chips
    - Only bought milk and a few pieces of fruit at the shops this week
    - mended a hole in a sock
    Our veggie patch has started to sprout which is exciting. Hopefully we can start harvesting a few things in the upcoming weeks. Have a great week Wendy!

    Amy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy, it certainly pays to shop around with insurance. We've been with Coles for a few years because they are the cheapest for us. If someone else offered a better deal we'd go with them.

      It's very exciting that your veggies are growing. Bring on the harvest.

      Delete
  2. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who bothers to empty the water bottle dregs out onto the pot plants!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheryl, it's better than pouring it down the drain.

      Delete
  3. The thing I love most about your weekly frugal tasks is reading how you and your husband do many things together and for the same goal. It's very sweet

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thankyou Sarah. Darren and I have always been on the same page when it comes to money, family and our goals. Because of this we've been able to achieve so much on a small income.

      Delete
  4. Hi Wendy. I redeemed a $10off FlyBuys discount at Coles too this week meaning I only had to pay $1.45 for my purchases. In my larger shop this week, I bought quite a few stockpile items, on special, that we had run out of. All meals and lunches cooked at home. I made a batch of gluten-free veggie muffins too for morning teas just using up what was in fridge. Was gifted more mulberries and so made one last mulberry and apple pie and froze those portions. I also saved a good amount on some fabric I bought on sale, 40% off, which I will sew up into two tops and (hopefully) a dress. We have a birthday to celebrate tomorrow and so have made own wrapping paper and own gift tag rather than buying those at shops:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well done on the wrapping paper and gift tag. How did you deoorate the paper ?

      Delete
    2. I used a stamp and a black ink pad to print onto recycled brown paper that I saved from a post parcel. My son drew a little picture on some art paper for a tag then cut around it with fancy scissors.

      Delete
  5. Our DS and GF visited us from Wyoming, so it wasn't a cheap week...but it could have been worse, LOL. Here is a recap of ways I saved money this week. (As the song goes, "I get by with a little help from my friends."

    (1) Gratefully received a Halloween costume and some extra costume items from a friend. My DD is developmentally disabled and this population LOVES Halloween.

    (2) My DS mentioned that he would love a robotic vacuum (not having any idea of how much they cost, I'm sure). We have one, graciously given to us a few months ago by another friend. I spent 15 minutes on the internet, discovered it only needs a battery and ordered one online for $26. Guess who is getting what for Christmas.

    (3) Forced myself to strip all of the meat off the bones of the turkey I cooked while they were here (a big, greasy mess). Today I am going to force myself to wrap the meat for the freezer and make turkey broth, also for the freezer. I'm turkey-ed out for dinner, but I am looking for something dead simple to cook. This bird was a cheap one bought last Thanksgiving and needed cooking.

    Best wishes, Maxine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maxine, you still had a great week savings wise. I have visions of you up to your elbows in turkey meat and bones. The meat can stretch even further in a pasta bake.

      Delete
    2. Although I removed one entire breast and froze it separately, I freeze 2 cups of the bits and pieces in zip-lock bags. Most recipes call for 2 cups (about one pound) but larger or smaller families could freeze their cubed turkey in the size they use the most often. I also do this with ham. As far as being up to my elbows...well, yes. My kitchen was a grease pit when I finished. Miracle Spray to the rescue! (I also hooked my future daughter-in-law on MS and sent a bottle home with her).

      Delete
  6. Hi Wendy. That's a great list. I haven't tried that Morning Fresh in the Rhubarb fragrance. I'll keep an eye out for it. I hope the raspberry plants come good for you. What a gorgeous gift they will make. And now I'm off to find your Etsy shop! Love, Mimi xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mimi, you'll love the rhubarb fragrance. The raspberry plants can be a bit fickle growing from a small plant. Once they establish, they can save you lots of money.

      Delete
  7. Hi Wendy,

    I also received the $15.00 0ff your next shop at Coles, although I haven't yet redeemed it. Good luck with your Raspberry plant as I know they can be "interesting" to transplant. Our "mystery berry plant" is finally coming out in a berry of some sort, I can't wait to see what it is as it didn't have a label on it when I bought it.

    I Mooed bread, bickies and most meals from scratch. Gratefully received Bread, scones and cake.

    Received lots of lovely things from the card making day and the swap table. I sold more cards this week also. Picked Capsicums and peas from the garden. Saved the water for the pot plants and did some sewing. The heater was off for most of the week and I was able to use the washing line outside instead of the clothes horse.

    Have a great week,
    Maureen

    ReplyDelete

This blog is designed to be a source of encouragement and inspiration.

Negative comments will not be published. Comments advertising businesses or goods for sale will not be published.

Please include your first name in your comment so that I can respond to you.

Comments are moderated manually. Please allow a few hours for them to appear.