Being frugal doesn't take up a lot of our time. Our days can be as busy as the next person with work, running our home, working in the garden and for me writing this blog.
By completing a few simple tasks each day, we can see a real difference in our utility bills. We don't suffer from bill shock. Yes our gas bill is a little higher in Winter due to heating our home but it's nothing extreme.
Here are a few simple things we do each morning before we start the day or leave for work -
* I take the solar lanterns from the loungeroom and place them outside in the sun.
* The shower warm up water bucket is taken outside and a quite a few plants are watered. Before I had a front loading washing machine, I would pour the water into the machine.
* I double check that all electronics not being used are turned off at the wall.
* I charge phones, laptops, shavers and the 2 in 1stick vacuum if needed and only if the sun is shining on our solar panels.
* Check the weather to see if it's going to be suitable for hanging washing outside on the line. If not, the washing is hung on clothes horses either over a ducted heating vent or outside on our covered deck.
* Darren fills our thermos with boiling water for cuppas throughout the day. Each day this can save boiling the kettle 2 - 3 more times.
* We have a breakfast of toast made from my homemade bread, homemade jam and a cup of tea. There are no expensive cereals or cooked breakfasts. The toast has lots of fibre and keeps us full for at least a few hours.
* The kitchen water bucket is also emptied on a few plants outside.
* I open the curtains is the sun is shining. If it's overcast and cold I only open them a little. Just enough to see where I'm going.
Dear Wendy, I am much encouraged by your website. We used to bake bread but supermarkets were selling them very cheaply and after factoring cost price for ingredients we still worked out that store bought bread is cheaper. What was your rationale for baking own bread? Is it really cheaper than store bought bread or was it for health reasons; eg. home made had no preservatives.
ReplyDeleteDear Wendy, thanks for your tips. Is baking own bread really cost saving? I bought breadflour eg. Laucke before to make own bread but after calculating in ingredients etc, store bought bread at major supermarkets is still cheaper. How did youmake your cheaper? thanks
ReplyDeleteHi Julia. I use the generic branded flour from Woolworths. It is much cheaper than bread flour and still gives a great loaf. This is how I make it so cheap. The price of supermarket bread has risen over the last few years and now costs $2.70. I can make 3 loaves for about the same price.
DeleteHi Wendy. Where did you buy your solar lanterns? They look nice!
ReplyDeleteI got them from Bunnings. They have stocked them for about 4 years that I know of.
DeleteThat is a good idea about the solar lighting. I think I will get some nice solar lanterns for the winter to bring inside in the evening.
ReplyDeleteIt really is the little things done often that add up! From Cheryl
ReplyDeleteOur frugal morning routine starts with unloading the washing machine if there was a load timed to finish before breakfast time. Using it earlier in the morning doesn't save me anything in electricity costs, but it maximises drying time outside if the weather is nice. During Winter it maximises drying time when the heating is on, as we don't have a tumble dryer. Breakfast for my husband and son is home-made sourdough bread with home-made jam. I have supermarket own brand branflakes to which I add dried fruit (much cheaper than buying branflakes with dried fruit already added) or fresh fruit, if I have it. In the Winter it is porridge, made from scratch, with local honey. If we are going out somewhere we take time to pack our own lunch. Like you, I open or close the curtains depending on what the weather is doing. I have also noticed, since my husband took early retirement a couple of years ago, that our routine varies according to the time of year. In the Winter we get up later and clean out our log burner & bring in logs after breakfast. In the Summer we are up early and often tackle a few jobs around the house or garden before breakfast. Living in the season seems natural and calming.
ReplyDeleteTracy, I love the way you describe ' Living in the season '.It gives purpose and meaning to our lives.
DeleteI get up about 30 minutes before everyone else and I do a 15-minute workout from Dutch public television which I record every episode of ('Nederland in beweging'/The Dutch are moving); it's aimed at seniors and has no ground exercises (youtube has a few episodes). I add some ground exercises like crunches and push-ups.
ReplyDeleteWe take sandwich lunches to work and school, and I take out the components for everyone to make their own. I also put homemade snacks in individual snack boxes for everyone to take. The bread is often purchased through the Too Good To Go app, for a steep discount. For instance, yesterday I got 10 assorted buns, 9 croissants/chocolate croissants/etc, 1 baguette, and 1 wholemeal loaf for €3,99, from a proper bakery.
I have my breakfast of fruit with yoghurt and homemade granola, and a cup of good tea. The fruit is often from our own garden, and the granola is made with honey I buy from a lady in church whose husband has several bee hives. The tea I get for St Nicolas, my birthday or mothering Sunday.
My daughters (13 and 16) are home before my husband and I, and every morning I leave them a small note with tasks (hang out or take in laundry, unload the dishwasher, cut the veg, etc.).
Where did you get your lovely lanterns?
ReplyDeleteBunnings
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