The weather continues to be cold and overcast here in Melbourne. 13 degrees Celsius seems to be the ongoing temperature each day. When the sun does come out, I try to get out in the garden to brighten my day.
Here's how we saved money this week -
* Donated some unwanted items to Savers and received a 20% off discount voucher. I then used the voucher to buy a Christmas present and a much needed craft paper container.
* Did lots of weeding in the garden and fed the weeds to the chickens.
* When I was out shopping with my Mum, we came across a Lincraft store ( material / craft shop ) that had a 50% everything in it's store. I picked up a few crafting essentials, towels for $5 each and a few coloring books for Luka and Bryson for Christmas / birthdays.
* Took up the hems on 4 pairs of Jessica's trousers.
* Baked and sold lots of chocolate choc chip muffins to a friend.
* Diluted the shampoo and conditioner by 50%.
* Darren combined a discount fuel voucher and an app to get 8 cents a litre off petrol when filling up our cars. So far we haven't paid over $2 a litre for petrol.
* Made and sold a bottle of Miracle Spray to a friend.
* Kept the heating vents closed in rooms we are not using on a regular basis.
* Saved the washing machine rinse water and shower warm up water. All of this is being poured back into the washing machine.
* Closed the curtains as soon as the sun gets low in the sky.
* Darren baked scones for a department meeting at church. He served them with cream and my homemade raspberry jam.
* Grated a 1 kilo block of cheese. I added a little corn flour ( to stop it sticking together ) and gave each container a good shake. I stored one container in the fridge and the rest went into the freezer. This eliminates any wastage.
* Dried all the washing on clothes horses over a ducted heating vent in the main bathroom. The only items that went into the dryer was Darren's work uniform ( needed the next morning ).
* Turned off everything we could overnight to help lower our electricity bill. We are trying to be more aware of when we use electricity and make the most of our solar panels. If we notice a drop in our bill I'll let you know.
* I made a thankyou card for the lovely medical professionals who looked after my Dad during his eye treatments over the last few years.
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| Homemade scones |
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| Handmade greeting card |
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| Making Miracle Spray |
Thank you for sharing your frugal week, Wendy. You continue to inspire me.
ReplyDeleteThe rain is back here in QLD so I’ll be drying the washing on clothes airers to avoid the dryer as much as possible.
We have had a busy week, organising some much needed work around our home. We used a sinking fund for this work to be done. Now more than ever we think it is important to have savings. Watch our spending and try to make responsible choices.
Your thank you card is lovely and I’m sure the team who took care of your Dad appreciated it.
Stay warm :) Rachel
Those scones look delicious, Wendy. Your handmade card is lovely and a thoughtful way to thank those who cared for your Dad.
ReplyDeleteIt is school holidays here now. We are going to the beach for a week. Not far away but a welcome break. I have saved money by:
* making a meal plan for week we are away and shopped for that
* cooking/freezing some meals ahead to take with us like spaghetti bolognese and chickpea &veg curry
* picking greens from our garden, including lettuce, to take with us and have in salads
* borrowing library books to read which is one of my favourite ways to relax on holidays
* used an app with a much cheaper, locked-in fuel price to fill our ute ready for our drive.
* I have been saving our $5 notes all year too - we don't really get many. There's enough saved up for a few icecream treats though so that will be nice.
Meg
I am plodding along and trying. Finally my missing light in the kitchen has been fixed..Two new fixtures had to be bought and it became abundantly clearway myson and son-in-law were unable to resolve the problem. Mum is in hospital and the 24 hour heating is turned off and I need far l less light overnight. So that will help just a little. Twice in the last few weeks I have had great finds with produce. It has been wonderful to buy avocado at 5 for 50 cents etc
ReplyDeleteWonderful price for the avocados! The cheapest I've seen in Belgium is 3 for €2.99.
DeleteSorry I didn't include my name. I have been running between three hospitals this week.
DeleteThe avocados were a brilliant buy as they have been known to go over $3 Sachin my part of Australia.
Thanks for the handy tips. I dry my washing over a heating vent too but I also drape a sheet over the top of the clothes horse which creates a tent like environment. Washing dries in no time. Give it a go. From Che
ReplyDeleteHi Wendy, Im interested to know about the vouchers and app you used for your fuel if you're willing to share?
ReplyDeleteThanks and hope you're staying warm.
Sarah at StrigidaeFarm.com
It was a Coles voucher and through our Linkt account ( for tolls on Melbourne roads )
DeleteWendy, I'd stopped checking your blog recently and was pleasantly surprised to find several new posts when I checked today. I was sorry to learn of your dad's passing. ((( Wendy ))) ((( Wendy's mum ))) I'll be checking in more often now that you are back.
ReplyDeleteThankyou Maxine. It's been a very difficult few months. Life is now super busy. I'll try to post often but I never know what my days will be like.
DeleteOur petrol here in NSW is close to $3 a litre !! Due to a third round of terrible flooding food prices are due to increase a LOT. We are experiencing a shortage of eggs now too. 50,000 people have been evacuated. I'm lucky I have not been affected . The mortgage rates are going up again.
ReplyDelete