Monday 11 November 2019

I'm Taking A Short Blogging Break.

Due to an unwell family member  I will need to take a short break from blogging.  At this point I don't know how my week/s will pan out and I cannot guarantee I'll have time to write any blog posts.

Darren and I believe in the healing power of prayer.  We are certain that God is in control of this situation and good health will be restored.  We would be blessed if you could join us in prayer

Hopefully I'll be able to return to you all shortly.


Saturday 9 November 2019

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 9th November 2019

Over the last two weeks Darren and I have spent lots of time in the garden trying to get it under control,  pruning,  weeding and most importantly - planting.  It's wonderful to see it coming together and the rain we've had has certainly helped the new plants along.

Here's our latest  frugal list -

*  Planted cuttings I took from plants I already have in the garden.  I'm hoping with all this rain they'll take off.

*  Mended a fitted sheet that keeps splitting on one corner.

*  Darren continued to pick the beautiful pink roses from our garden every few days.

*  Made lots of biscuit dough to freeze for snacks and present giving.

*  Cleaned the kettle with citric acid.

*  Made two reed diffusers with oils I was given to try.

*  Made a couple of bottles of air fresheners to use in the bathrooms.

*  Made a double batch of laundry powder.

*  Picked lots of rosemary from the garden.  I have it drying in a paper gift bag so it doesn't make a mess on the florr.

*  Made an orange cake from frozen oranges bought during Winter at a cheap price.  One cake was eaten fresh and the other went into the freezer.  This cake defrosts really well and you can't tell it's been frozen.

*  Made a jar of dried mixed herbs with the gifted herbs from a few weeks ago.

*  Planted lots and lots of bean seeds,  lettuce seedlings and the tomato seedling from my Dad.  The abundance of rain we've had has helped the beans seeds to pop up out of the ground within a couple of days

*  Picked silverbeet from the garden to bulk out a few meals including spag bol.

*  Baked ANZACs for snacks.  With our heavily reduced grocery budget,  I'm baking more so I can take morning tea with me when I'm out cleaning.  Before that I was taking muesli bars to eat.

*  Hemmed a dress for Jessica so she could wear it to the races.

*  Found a few brand new toys ( still in their boxes )  from a local op shop just near us.  They were at bargain prices and have been put away for our next grandchild.

*  Went through the present cupboard and allocated lots of goodies for next year's gift giving.

*  Made a big batch of pita chips for savoury snacking.

*  Cheap meals we ate this week were - fried rice,  chicken soup and spag bol

Orange cake for the freezer

Making mixed herbs

Bargain toiletries packaged up and ready to give 



How have you saved time,  money and energy this week ?


Wednesday 6 November 2019

Easy Holiday Meals When Travelling Part 2

Following on from last week's post,  here are more ideas for eating well while on holidays -

*  Meatloaf can be used many ways when at home or on holidays.  Take a frozen meatloaf with you wrapped in foil and a bread bag on the outside.  Once defrosted it's easily reheated in the microwave and served with steamed veg and mash.  If the weather is hot,  serve cold with salad and crusty bread.  Any leftovers make fantastic toasted sandwiches in a press or under the grill.  Just crumble the meatloaf,  spread it over buttered bread and add a good squeeze of tomato or bbq sauce.

*  Chicken curry can be served on toast for a quick and easy meal.  If you like it with rice,  then portion the dry rice into a snap lock bag to take on your trip.  I've been known to take an icecream  container of frozen chicken curry away with us.  It travels well and acts as an ice brick in our cooler bag..

*  Do you have any leftover sausages from a holiday bbq ?  Cut them up,  add a tin of tomatoes,  a packet of French onion soup mix and any veggies you have on hand.  This is great meal for cleaning out the fridge before you come home from your holiday.

*  Simmer sauces are not something I usually use but they can make super easy meals.  Add a handful of fresh beans and a diced carrot to the meat and sauce.  Serve with rice or mash.

*  A piece of cooked corned silverside can be used many ways.  Slice it thinly to go with a salad on hot days.  Slice it thickly and serve it hot with steamed veggies.  Cube the silverside to make corn fritters.  Just pack a tin of corn kernels  and a snap lock bag of flour and seasonings.



Do you take main meals or seasonings with you on holidays ?