Saturday 26 October 2019

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 26th October 2019

I will admit I had a much slower week this week.  I only worked two days and spent a few days just relaxing and doing nothing much but watching tv and having  Nana naps.  After the busyness of last week,  I really needed the rest.  Here's what I managed to do when I wasn't resting -

*  Gratefully received more Moccona coffee jars through Facebook.  I gave a handmade greeting card for each jar I received.  I've almost completed replacing the plastic in my pantry.

*  Made up a jar of dry crumble topping mix to make delicious easy desserts.

*  Saved the warm up water from the shower.

*  Fed the compost bin every second day with kitchen scraps.

*  Gratefully received dried parsley,  sage and thyme from our card making group swap table.  I also received some greeting cards to cut up and repurpose into new cards.

*  Went to Hindustan Imports to stock up on bulk herbs and spices.  They are so much cheaper than supermarket prices.

*  Gratefully received a zucchini plant from my Dad.

*  Made up a big jar of brown sugar using white sugar and molasses.

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

*  Made a double batch of ANZAC biscuit dough.  Some of the dough was baked for our snacks,  some was baked and given as a birthday present in a Tupperware container and the rest of the dough went into the freezer.

*  Jessica offered to buy a couple of groceries to help stock up the fridge.  Coles didn't have any roast chickens  left for sale so Jessica asked for a voucher for a free one.  Darren picked it up a couple of nights later and we had it  with salad while the weather was warm.  The bones were put into the slow cooker to make stock.

*  Cheap meals this week were - homemade pizza and the two meals with the free chicken.

*  Finished off 30= greeting cards that were started over the last year or so.  They have been put into cello bags ready to give as swaps for jars and for donating to our local op shop.

*  Darren picked quite a few roses from our garden to put on my bedside table  Their scent is beautiful.


From the garden


Some of the finished cards

How did you save time or money this week ?

20 comments:

  1. The cards and roses from your garden are beautiful, Wendy. I picked Gardenias from my garden this week. It's lovely to have free flowers to bring inside. I worked one relief teaching day this week for extra $ and have 4 days work next week.
    * my mother-in-law gifted us a batch of homemade pikelets :)
    * received half a dozen over-ripe bananas and made banana breads with them :)
    * made lemon butter, Anzac slice, choc-chip cookies and pumpkin scones. Froze some of these for morning/afternoon teas.
    * made a baked tomato risotto using rice (Woolies brand arborio), vege stock, tomato passata and herbs from our garden. Baked this along with tray of roasted carrots and banana bread so oven was full!
    * greased risotto dish and carrot tray with buttery wrapper from a garlic bread.
    * topped up petrol in cars when it was cheaper ... it's now well over $1.60 per L.
    * bought 3 bars of scented soap on special ($2ea instead of $2.70ea) to add to Xmas
    gifts.
    * turned off microwave, wash machine and TV at wall when not in use and stuck to
    2 light rule at night
    * ran dishwasher and wash machine when sun fully on solar panels during day
    Have a really lovely weekend, Wendy.
    Meg:)

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    1. I'm sure the Gardenias smell lovely Meg. I love the sound of your baking. All things I would eat.

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  2. I am glad you had a quieter week Wendy. We get to the point we need this. Those roses are divine. And that was lovely of Jessica that she is thinking of you and would get you a free chicken. We can do a lot with a whole chicken. I find them very handy.
    We had a big week and I am aiming for a quiet weekend as I am exhausted! And it has been raining which is the best thing. Have a lovely weekend. xxx

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    1. Annabel, I love a cooked chicken. I love a free one even better. I make it stretch so far that it really is a cheap option.

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  3. While shopping on Wednesday there were 50% markdowns on beef to be had. This particular store gives pensioners 5% off every Wednesday so it was little less. On Thursday we had a trip to Costco. I bought some meat at great prices and petrol was 41 cents a litre cheaper. I am always torn about shopping at Costco because you can find good deals around the place. However, I do have things I buy consistently as they do save me money and I try to keep trips to every few months or so. I have had some no spend days which is always a bonus.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Well done on finding the meat specials.

      I'm with you about Costco. I'm not convinced it's a cheap option for shopping considering the membership fee. I saw people filling their trolleys with toilet paper which is the same price on sale in the supermarket. It's even cheaper at Aldi.

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  4. Wendy I am glad you rested and had a slower week as it sounded like you needed to. The roses are divine and it would cheer anyone up and you got a lot accomplished for the week too :).

    Our savings added up to $98.62 last week :).

    In the kitchen -
    - Made a batch of condensed milk, a lemon cheesecake, a double batch of choc chip and coconut biscuits and a double batch of chocolate brownies saving $61.72 on buying premade commercially made items in the shops.

    Home spring cleaning -
    - Finished deep cleaning and spring cleaning the lounge room and it now sparkles.

    Internet listings -
    - Listed 20 homemade items on eBay on a free listing promotion saving $33 on usual prices.

    Free items -
    - Received a free 80 g sample of pine nuts for taste testing at a supermarket saving $3.90 on usual prices.

    In the gardens -
    - Weeded 4 garden beds and replanted some lettuce, beetroot, basil and corn seeds that didn't come up.
    - Dh spade edged some garden beds, I raked up dried leaves around the yard and DH ran over them with the catcher mower to shred them. We will use these in combination with dry glass clippings to mulch the gardens with.

    Water preservation -
    - We continue to use ours and the neighbour's grey water to water the mulberry, fruit trees and some lawns with to save on town water usage.
    - Our outhouse is also getting good use to save on town water usage as well.

    Wallaby feeding -
    - I continue to prune shrubbery to feed our swamp and other wallabies as well as give them bread ends. Our swamp wallaby is no longer dribbling as his face abscess has burst by itself and he has put on condition with all the shrubbery I have given him.

    Hope everyone has had a wonderful week :) .

    Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Lorna, your frugal list is always great to read. What are you listing on Ebay at the moment ?

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    2. Wendy listing table runners, journal covers, some antique cupboard handles and a bit of various other items.

      Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).

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  5. It was a much quieter week for us this week. Last week we were out every afternoon or evening after school before going camping on Friday for two nights. This week we have just had the normal after school activities!

    - saved most of the warm up water from the shower.
    - saved the warm up water from the mop bucket this morning for the garden.
    - last week we had a small load for the dishwasher and as it was such a busy week and Hubby and I were exhausted most nights, I used vinegar for the wash and rinse cycles. It saved us a dishwash tablet!
    - emptied the kids drink bottles on the berries.
    - ran out of cat food one day so she ate dog food and loved it! hahaha
    - made all our lunches and snacks for work and school.
    - used my points at my local chemist when I had to fill a script
    - spent $75 at an op shop. If I had paid for these clothes new, I would say it would have been more than double the total cost!
    - have been growing celery from the cut off. It now has enough roots to be planted in the garden.
    - the kids have been collecting and growing all their seeds from Woolworths.
    - sold some Tupperware online and used that money to start Christmas shopping
    - sold a camp bed this morning and have popped the money away for our holiday
    - kept my shower under 50 litres
    - used shampoo and conditioner that was in our camping gear rather than buying more

    I am sure there is more though! :)

    Have a wonderful week Wendy.

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    1. That's a great list Victoria. It's great saving to shop at op shops. I always go there first. If I can't find what I want after a few visits I then shop retail.

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  6. Those roses are truly beautiful. What a lovely display in a bedroom. Do you know the name? Thanks for the brown sugar hint.

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    Replies
    1. I'm sorry but Darren can't remember the name of the roses. We've had them in the garden for over 20 years. If the name comes to him I'll post it

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  7. I need one of those weeks where I can just rest. I feel like I have been on the go forever.

    I must try your brown sugar and the pizza recipe.

    Beautiful roses and cards Wendy.

    Have a lovely week xxx

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    1. We really enjoy homemade pizzas Tania. The takeaway options don't compare.

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  8. So happy you got to have a well earned rest this week 😘

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    1. Thankyou. It's unusual for me to spend a day doing nothing much.

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  9. I was given a large garbage bag of bread when the bakery was closing 2 weeks ago. I made bread crumbs, croutons, bread and butter pudding and froze loaves and rolls and used what we could. Mum and myself are both ill so it turned out to be a blessing. I went to the pharmacy with all mums medication receipts and she is now on the free list which turned out to be good timing.
    Friends did some shopping for me using their staff discounts and i saved $17. Picked up 2 free products from Coles on my Fly Buy card.
    We have a reasonable garden planted but not what i normally grow, hopefully we feel better soon. Writing lists for Christmas so i can get my gifts organised. Just really hoping mums health picks up shes 91 soon Ive been buying anything she feels like eating or drinking so really it hasnt been a cheap month. Hope everybody had a wonderful week. Leanne

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    1. Leanne, I hope both of you start to feel better soon. Even with your illness, your week has been a well rounded frugal one. Writing your present list will help you to feel more on top of things.

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  10. Your roses are gorgeous Wendy! How great is it to be able to line dry everything in this warm weather :)!

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