This week's frugal list is not a big one. I've kept myself fairly busy in the garden and had cleaning jobs everyday ( not all day ). I'm also recovering from a chest infection so there have been some days where just the basics are done to keep us clothed and fed.
We are enjoying the cooler weather and getting outside when time allows. Many bushes have been pruned to promote new growth for another year. Weeds and unwanted grass are gradually being removed from garden beds. I try to do this throughout Summer but on a smaller scale.
Here's my list for the week -
* Made a large batch of sausage rolls for the freezer. I was quite shocked at the increased price of sausage meat. Lets just say the sausage rolls are a real treat to have for the occasional lunch.
* Gratefully received tomatoes, passionfruit and a jar of jam from a couple of friends.
* Baked and sold lots of chocolate choc chip muffins and a bottle of Miracle Spray to a cleaning client.
* Planted a Hebe plant and two hydrangea plants we've grown for cuttings.
* Fed the compost bin almost every day with kitchen scraps.
* Baked choc chip biscuits for afternoon tea treats.
* Blanched and froze corn cobs from our garden.
* Made up 5 x 2 litre bottles of laundry liquid. This is the last of the laundry liquid I made up 6 - 8 months ago. I had it in a 25 litre bucket and it was double strength laundry liquid. I try to make the liquid in cooler months and decant to smaller bottles. I've had a couple of friends saving up their vinegar bottles so that next time I can decant the whole lot.
* Picked pears, beans, corn, raspberries and tomatoes from our garden.
* Made a big pot of soup using the gifted tomatoes, zucchinis from our garden, beef mince and lots of other veggies. We had it for two dinners and the rest was frozen.
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| In the garden |
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| Sausage rolls |
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| Bryson's birthday card I made |
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| Bryson opening his presents |
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| Princess taking a nap on our old mattress. |
Wendy, have you ever tried my sausage rolls? The recipe is very frugal and really delicious .
ReplyDeleteThe filling is similar to yours . 500gm sausage meat, 1 onion, 1 stalk celery, 1 carrot, I sometimes add a zucchini as well, the vegetables are all grated or finely chopped, 1 egg, 2 tsp tomato paste, sometimes I use pizza topping if it’s open, 1 tsp wet mustard, 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce, S+P, a good pinch of mixed herbs, 2 thick slices of bread soaked in a little warm water. I usually use a couple of cups of breadcrumbs from the freezer instead because my crumbs are crusts and stale bits so in effect free and saves me using good bread. Mix that all together and place in the puff pastry , makes a full packet of six sheets worth of sausage rolls. Sometimes to keep the cost down I’ll use sausages squeezed out of the skin instead of sausage meat because they’re on special or just cheaper than the loose meat. Let me know what you think.
The sausage rolls look beautiful. That is my job today. Your garden is such an asset! I hope you are feeling much better Wendy.xxx
ReplyDeleteGood morning Wendy, please take care of yourself and hope you recover soon. We have been gifted lovely tomatos and fresh eggs this week and I have been freezing passion fruit pulp in ice cube trays for the winter.I also made double batch of chocolate chip biscuits and froze some. Hope you get out to enjoy our lovely southern Victorian weather this weekend.
ReplyDeleteHi Wendy, sorry you're sick no fun at all and especially if you've got to work. Can you please write a post about coping with increasing food prices. Because of the recent floods here in Sydney, prices of everything has just skyrocketed. Mince is now $10 a tray and that's not even the lower fat version. I don't eat lamb, but that's up, even eggs and milk I can't believe how expensive everything is, and I am a ALDI shopper through and through. I only have to feed myself so I don't know how families are coping. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYes I'll write a post about food prices shortly. I did post a link to an old blog post on my FB pages just the other day.
DeleteHi Wendy.
ReplyDeleteThose sausage rolls sure look good! And I love the card you made.
I was gifted a queen size bed and almost new mattress. I will be passing this along to my eldest grandson who has just moved out of home. Another gift was a sofa bed, and table/chairs. Nothing flash but I'll pass that on to my daughter who is currently moving house.
I made sourdough bread, crocheted some goodies for my house to see how they turned out so now I will make some for gifts. I also mended a crochet table cloth.
I picked leeks, dragon fruit, tomatoes and strawberries from my veggie patch. Hubby collect more honey from our hives and our chickens supplied us with eggs.
I made homemade hoummus and soy yoghurt. I cooked up extra at meal time to add a couple of meals to the freezer. I brewed some jun/kombucha and water kefir.
I popped in my favourite op shop and found a very helpful survival book, an indoor brass watering can, and a piece of cotton sunflower print fabric.
Sorted through my seeds and put them in a box in alphabetical order. Dried and processed some thyme from my garden. Saved seeds from tomatoes, capsicum and dragon fruit.
Have a great week,
xTania
Wendy I pray you are better very soon.
ReplyDeleteFood has become so expensive. I am trying to eat from my stockpile again and buying to replace what is used when it is on a special. I have been buying our fruit and vegetables from the local green grocer. It is less than a kilometre there and back so I have walked. Last Sunday we ate at my daughter's and brought the lamb bone home. We had five very generous bowls of soup from that. I have found a protein dish I am happy to eat that is canned. I will buy this to have some to hand for busy days and dire needs.
I have filled in claim forms for my mother which should reimburse her around $250.
I have been picking and preserving cherry tomatoes from a volunteer plant.
Hi Wendy. Home baked sausage rolls are the best. Yours look delicious! I made a dozen ricotta and zucchini parcels this week. We had them for dinner and then lunch the next day. Other frugal things we did this week:
ReplyDelete* made several meat free meals - veg curry with chickpeas, minestrone soup, ricotta and zucchini parcels. Lots of leftovers!
* boiled eggs to make egg & lettuce sandwiches
to cut pack on amount of ham I'd normally buy for lunches.
* made choc- chip cookies and sweet potato brownies.
* found substantially marked down half-chickens in lemon marinade ($10 off each) and a small tray of discounted chicken breast strips ($7 off). All went in freezer.
* potted up some salvia cuttings from my garden. Free plants!
* mended frayed armhole seam on a dress so I could wear it again.
* sold son's old school sport hat.
* washed and vaccuumed car - no car wash
* filled up fuel at 7Eleven at locked in price per L. Much cheaper than $2.20per litre at $179.9
* combined errands to minimise driving.
* gifted two jigsaw puzzles to a colleague
Hope you feel better soon, Wendy, and that your week is a good one. Meg🙂
Another good list of frugality for inspiration Wendy, hope you are on the mend from the chest infection.
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking a lot about everything sky rocketing in price and I think it’s a real concern. It’s not a surprise, but it still hurts going to the supermarket at the moment and seeing the cost of items! I was reading an article that said by the end of the year a takeaway cup of coffee will be over $7.
Hoping to take some time to road test some new frugal recipes this week.
Spent most of the week at home and got stuck into some weeding in the garden which was much needed. Fresh air & exercise!
Have a good week Wendy
Hi Wendy. I too make my own liquid laundry detergent. However I am getting concerned as my box of Lux Flakes dwindles and I haven't been able to see Lux Flakes now for many weeks to buy at the supermarket. I could grate up sunlight soap but wondering what you use or anyone else out there. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteJillian
Hi Jillian. I use the generic brand of laundry soap. It's about $2 per box of 4 bars and looks exactly the same as Sunlight soap.
DeleteI will endeavour to buy the generic brand. Thanks. I found Lux Flakes so much easier than grating soap. It lasted some time. So I take it you grate the bar soap to make the laundry liquid.
ReplyDeleteI cut up lots of soaps at a time with a sharp knife. It is then placed in a food processor and blitzed. I keep it all in a small bucket and portion out for making powder or liquid. My theory is, if I'm going to make a mess then make it worth my while.
Delete