This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 18th February 2017

Frugal living doesn't seem frugal at all when I look around my home.  Fresh produce picked from the garden,  newly laid free range eggs , clean clothes,  tasty meals,  delicious baking  and handmade gifts for any occasion..  These are just some of the delights I enjoy each day.

Here are some of the other delights that filled my week -

*  Emptied the little hotel bottles of shampoo,  conditioner and body wash into our own bottles.  I gave them a good shake to combine.

*  Dried the washing on clothes horses and the line.

*  Made a bottle of lavender air freshener.

*  Made another 2 litre bottle of Miracle Spray.  I keep one big bottle in the laundry and another in the kitchen as well as numerous spray bottles around my home.

*  Bought lots of Blue Grenadier fish from Coles.  It was half price at $6.49 kg ( from memory ).

*  Froze four single serves of leftovers.  After loosing the contents of one of my freezers,  it feels good to make a start on my freezer meal stockpile.

*  Refilled two foaming hand wash pumps with diluted shower gel.

*  Picked lots of raspberries and froze them.

*  Bought a Country Road cardigan from Savers op shop for $8.50.  While I was there I donated some household items and received a discount stamp.

*  Made a Valentines Day card for Darren using supplies I had on hand.  We had a lovely dinner at home then went to the movies.  The tickets were bought with a gift card given to us.  Darren got the tickets at a discounted price because we are Telstra  Big Pond customers.  Our movie snacks were chocolates and bottles of water from home.

* Cleaned the exhaust fans in both bathrooms.  I'm trying to to this on a regular basis to keep them running efficiently.

*  Saved the shower and washing machine water as per usual.

*  Megan made a batch of giant choc chip biscuits ( cookies ).

*  Made 14 jars of plum jam.  Some will be given as presents.

*  Defrosted  our 25 year old 120 litre freezer.  I try to do this 2 - 3 times a year to keep it running efficiently

*  Made a batch of pita chips for snacking.

*  Picked our first tomato of the season.  YAY  !!! No more store bought tomatoes for quite a while.

*  Our strawberries are fruiting again.  I picked a good handful in one day.  

Fresh strawberries

Megan's Mexican rice dish with potatoes

Megan's giant choc chip biscuits

Pretty flowers from Jessica

The raspberries continue

A simple handmade Valentine's Day card

Homemade plum jam

From the garden and our first tomato.

  .  What frugal delights filled your week ?

Goals For 2017

Over the month of January I've had time to think and plan our goals for 2017.  I always feel more at peace when I know where we are heading for the year.  Planning ahead gives me a better chance of succeeding and prolongs the enjoyment of reaching our family's goals.

Garden goals -

*  Plant the grape plants when the time is right.  We'll need to nurture the plants with the hope we can pick grapes next year.

*  Prune and nurture our mandarin tree.  It's been in the ground for 5 - 6 years and just doesn't seem to grow.  We feed it when we are meant to but to no avail.  Thankfully we have a few mandarins that look like they've set ( for the first time ).

*  Grow a few more veggies and plan succession planting.

*  Get the front garden into order.  It tends to be left for most of the year because we don't look at it as often as the back garden.  Plants need to be pruned and new plants need to be bought or struck to fill in the gaps.

*  Plant out the boysenberry bush in front of Darren's garden shed and put up a trellis of some description.

House goals -

*  Install canvas awnings on a few windows before next Summer

*  Paint all the timber door trims to match the new skirting boards.

*  Continue decluttering.  My goal is 500 items by the end of the year.

Budget goals -

*  Save for the canvas awnings

*  Continue saving for a new car.  Mine will need replacing in the next 5 - 7 years.  I'd like to pay cash when the time comes to buy.

*  Save for our next holiday.

*  Reducing our spending in a few areas without feeling deprived.  For example - finding ways to have free outings instead of spending money.

*  Investigate ways of increasing our income.

Craft goals -

 *  Research new craft items to make and sell in my Etsy shop.  These items need to be fairly light and flat so that postage is kept to a minimum for the customers.

*  Make new greeting cards to sell in my Etsy shop.  I'd like a wide variety that appeals to everyone.  Maybe I'll concentrate on more children's / teen cards.

*  Dedicate  X amount of hours per week to crafting.

Would you like to share your goals for the year ?

   

Grocery Specials Starting Wednesday 15th February 2017

Here are this week's best grocery specials -

COLES -

*  1/2 PRICE Nivea.

*  Bulla Multipack 6 Pack-14 Pack1/2 PRICE Was $6.15, Save $3.08  Now $3.07 each

*  Real Foods Corn Thins 150g1/2 PRICE Was $2.00, Save $1.00  Now $1.00 each

*  Golden Circle Beetroot Slices 450g1/2 PRICE Was $1.80, Save $0.90  Now $0.90 each

*  IXL Jam 480gWas $3.50, Save $1.50  Now $2.00 each

*  Kellogg’s Sultana Bran 850g1/2 PRICE Was $7.89, Save $3.95  Now $3.94 each

* 40% OFF a wide range of Gillette products.

*  Radox Shower Gel 250mL1/2 PRICE Was $4.00, Save $2.00  Now $2.00 each.

*  Impulse Perfume In A Spray 75mL1/2 PRICE Was $5.00, Save $2.50  Now $2.50 each.  Great for Christmas stockings.  It's never too early to start buying.


*  40% OFF Pantene

*  L’Oréal Elvive Shampoo or Conditioner 700mL1/2 PRICE Was $14.95, Save $7.48 Now $7.47 each

*  Aveeno Daily Moisturising Body Wash 354mL1/2 PRICE Was $10.00, Save $5.00  Now $5.00 each

*  30% OFF Maybelline Make-Up

*  30% OFF L'Oréal Women's Skincare

*  Pine O Cleen Disinfectant 1.25 Litre1/2 PRICE Was $5.00, Save $2.51  Now $2.49 each.  At this price it's well worth buying a few bottles.  I use  a squirt in the washing machine for smelly work uniforms.  Much cheaper than buying expensive laundry powder / liquid for the fragrance.

WOOLWORTHS -


*  Old El Paso Mexican Meal Kits 275-370g Now$3.49 each1/2 Price, Save $3.50

*  Dove Body Wash 1 Litre Now $6.85 each 1/2 Price, Save $6.85

*  Heinz Baked Beans or Spaghetti 420g Now $1.00 each1/2 Price, Save $1.09

*  1/2 Price All Sistema To Go and Ultra Tritan

*  1/2 Price All Inspire Bedroom Manchester

*  30% off All Brunnings

*  1/2 Price All L’Oreal Mens

*  40% off All L’Oreal Womens Skincare

*  30% off All Ecotools ( make up tool brushes etc )

*   Dynamo Laundry Liquid 1 Litre Now $5.50 each1/2 Price, Save $5.50

*  Morning Fresh Dishwashing Liquid 900ml Now $3.47 each1/2 Price, Save $3.48

*  30% off Neutrogena Skincare & Suncare Range

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 11th February 2017

This week has been a busy one for me.  Our almost two year old freezer broke down on Monday morning just before I went to work.  I frantically tried to find room in my other freezers and fridge for some of the food.  Unfortunately we lost four supermarket bags full of food.  Then our evap cooling started playing up so we got it  serviced.   It still needs a part replaced so we are waiting on that..  I've worked four days this week,  cooked,  baked and tended to our garden when I could.

Here are the other tasks I managed to squeeze in -

*  Had two extra cleaning jobs this week.

*  Baked four loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness.

*  Sold two dozen eggs to a neighbour.

*  Froze two single serves of leftovers

*  Mended the corner of a fitted sheet.   The stitching was starting to separate so I used the sewing machine to reinforce it before it became a hole.

*  Made dried seasoned bread crumbs from scratch.

*  Stayed away from the shops as much as possible.  This week I only bought 2 litres of milk and a few salad items.

*  Sold Megan's high school calculator.

*  Picked a small handful of raspberries each day.

*  Kept the curtains closed on the hot days.

*  Did the usual water saving tasks and used the saved water on the garden.

In the garden

A card my 7 year old niece made - with my help

Making pita chips

Dried seasoned bread crumbs

It's too hot for Princess.  Hiding under the coffee table..

     What frugal tasks did you complete this week ?  

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 4th February 2017

Health has returned to all of us and we are back in the swing on living frugally yet abundantly.  The weather has been mild in Melbourne and we've been able to get out into the garden to pull weeds and do a tidy up.  We try to do this as much as possible before it gets too hot.  Here's what we've been up to -

*  Gratefully received a grape plant and lots of grapes from my Dad.  The grapes are small but oh so tasty.  Now we can't wait until we can pick our own in a year or two.  I also received two glass jars.

*  Cleaned the dishwasher using bi carb and vinegar.  Wiped down the door and seals with miracle spray.

* Cleaned the kettle using citric acid.  I poured the kettle water onto some grass growing in the crack of the pergola concrete.

*  Saved the shower warm up water and washing machine water as per usual.  These water saving tasks have become a way of life for us.  We don't even think twice about it.

*  Dried the washing on the line.

*  Picked a few raspberries every couple of days.  The second batch of raspberries will be in abundance shortly.  These will  be frozen to make raspberry and white choc muffins throughout the year.

*  Fed the compost bin with kitchen peelings.

*  Diluted a bottle of white vinegar 50 / 50 with water.

*  Had an extra cleaning job this week.

*  Bought Nurofen headache tablets on sale in Chemist Warehouse.  Due to buying restrictions I had to go on two separate days to get two boxes ( they are large boxes ).

*  Sold a few cards in my Etsy shop. 

*  Made pita chips for snacks.

Raspberries almost ready to pick

If only the tomatoes would ripen

This rose smells divine

The feijoas are getting bigger

Megan made this cake from scratch.

A Sunday night dinner

What frugal tasks did you complete this week ?

Grocery Specials Wednesday 1st February 2017

I'm back with the grocery specials for the week.  I've had to review the way I post the specials.  Each week there seems to be the same items on sale like muffins,  crumpets,  olive oil,  rice,  chips,  lollies and some sort of shampoo.  So instead of posting these items week in week out,  I just post the best grocery specials on more basic / budget items, the percentage off items as well as the " stockpile worthy ' items.

Here are a few great specials -

COLES -

*    Kraft The Good Nut Peanut Butter 500g1/2 PRICE Was $5.68, Save $2.84  Now $2.84 each

*  Maharajah’s Choice Basmati Rice 5kg1/2 PRICE Was $17.50, Save $8.75  Now $8.75 each

*  Golden Circle Beetroot Slices 450g1/2 PRICE Was $1.80, Save $0.90  Now $0.90 each

*  Trident Coconut Cream or Milk 400mL1/2 PRICE Was $1.95, Save $0.98  Now $0.97 each

*  Dove Shampoo or Conditioner 300mL-320mL1/2 PRICE Was $6.89, Save $3.45 Now $3.44 each

*  30% OFF L’Oréal Excellence Hair Colours

*  BabyLove Nappy Pants 20 Pack-34 Pack1/2 PRICE Was $16.99, Save $8.50  Now $8.49 each

*  40% OFF Nature's Own Vitamins.

*  Seasol Concentrate 500mL1/2 PRICE Was $7.60, Save $3.80  Now $3.80 each.  Well worth stocking up.

*  Dynamo Laundry Liquid 1 Litre or Professional 900mL1/2 PRICE Was $11.00, Save $5.50  Now $5.50 each.  Dilute 50 / 50 with water.

*  1/2 PRICE Papermate & Sharpie

*  1/2 PRICE Sistema Klip It

*  40% OFF Australis Cosmetics

*  40% OFF Le Tan Sunscreen & Tanning

*  30% OFF Garnier Facial Skincare

*  Radox Antiperspirant Deodorant 250mL1/2 PRICE Was $5.99, Save $3.00  Now $2.99 each

WOOLWORTHS -

*  Greenseas Tuna 95g Now $0.89 each1/2 Price, Save $1.11

*  Uncle Tobys VitaBrits 1 kg Now $2.29 each 1/2 Price, Save $2.30

*  Real Foods Corn Thins 125-150g Now $1.00 each1/2 Price, Save $1.00

*   Filled Profiteroles Pk 8 Now $2.50 each1/2 Price, Save $2.50 Yes,  they are a treat !

*  Golden Circle Tetra Fruit Drink 1 Litre Now $1.07 each1/2 Price, Save $1.08

*  1/2 Price Décor Microsafe & Match-ups

*  1/2 Price All Inspire Bathroom Manchester

*  30% Off All Arcosteel Cookware

*  30% off All Inspire Bakeware

*  30% off All Kleenex Travel Tissues

*  Morning Fresh Dishwashing Liquid 400ml – Excludes Eco Range Now $1.97 each1/2 Price, Save $1.98

*   1/2 Price All Scotch Brite.  Well worth stocking up on your favourite scourer or sponge.

*    30% off All Sabco SuperSwish Xtra Mop & Refills

                 

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 28th January 2017

My frugal list is quite small this week due to illness.  After recovering from gastro last week I caught Darren's cold this week ( sharing is caring ).  Combined with working three days this week plus organising food for an Australia Day bbq on Thursday, I'm suprised I had any strength left to do frugal things. Here is my oh so small list for the week-

*  Gratefully received three parcels in the mail from blog reader Eden.  In the parcels were some lovely greeting cards for me to repurpose in my card making.  Thankyou so much Eden.  Your thoughtfulness and kindness is appreciated.

*  Gratefully received lots of card stock from fellow Cheapskater friend Carol.  This lovely gift will certainly save me lots of money.

*  Gratefully received lots of egg cartons and a few glass jars from a friend.

*  Sold six dozen eggs to friends.

*  Made 9 1/2 jars of raspberry jam.  All this jam was made for free because I used raspberries and lemons from our garden and the sugar and jars were given to me.

*  Sold one school text book.

*  Made a batch of double strength Miracle Spray.  I dilute it when I fill up the spray bottles.

*  Did an extra cleaning job this week

*  Saved the shower warm up water for the washing machine.  Saved the washing rinse water for each next load of washing.

*  Washed the rubbish bins using recycled water.

*  Fed the compost bin with kitchen scraps.

*  Picked lettuce from the garden for a meal.   

Salad for a bbq lunch

Princess helping me sort my card making supplies

She loves to be a part of everything I'm doing.

Raspberries from our garden

Jam making

The final product

Free raspberry jam

What was on your fugal list this week ?

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 21st January 2017

Hi everyone.  We've had an eventful couple of week lately.  Two weeks ago Darren and I flew to Mooloolaba Queensland for a week long holiday.  The weather was just beautiful with daily temperatures ranging from 28 - 31 degrees Celsius.  The water temperature at the beach was 25 degrees - just perfect for swimming.  Our accommodation was three minutes walk away from the water's edge and two minutes from many cafes and restaurants facing the beach.

While we were in Mooloolaba we visited Australia Zoo where we saw all three of the Irwin family.  We even sat near Terri and Robert in the crowd.  Darren and I also went on an all day Fraser Island Adventure Tour.  We did lots of 4WD trekking in a purpose built bus,  drove along the beach, had a bbq lunch in the rain forest and  swam in the fresh water Lake McKenzie ( simply stunning ).

The same day we flew out,  our girls flew to Hamilton Island Queensland ( further up the coast ) with my brother,  sister in law and family.  They had an amazing time swimming,  kayaking,  snorkelling,  eating and driving a golf buggy.  Our cat Princess went on a holiday to the local pet resort where the workers love her.

This week we've spent time unpacking,  doing loads and loads of washing and tending to our garden and chickens.  It was back to work on Monday for three of us.  Tuesday I was baking and doing more washing.  Wednesday was spent in the garden pulling out bushes and pruning.

Unfortunately Thursday morning saw Jessica and myself  with gastro.  I spent the rest of the day sleeping and watching tv.  I was aching so much I felt like a little old granny every time I moved.  Darren came down with the gastro Friday morning.  By tea time he was up and about feeling a little better.  Megan is fine thankfully.

Here's what else we got up to over the last two weeks -

*  Washed and reused a few snap lock bags.

*  Collected lots of pumice stone from a fresh water creek on Fraser Island.  Now we won't need to buy any for years and years to come.

*  Baked four loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness.

*  Saved the shower warm up water for the washing machine or pot plants.

*  Picked a couple of handfuls of raspberries and a few strawberries from the garden.

*  Kept the curtains closed on hot days and turned the cooling on low just before lunch.

*  Gratefully received a couple of fuel discount dockets in the mail.  Thankyou Tania.

*  Bought home the little shampoo,  conditioner and shower gel bottles from our holiday accommodation.

*  Darren emptied both compost bins into one of our veggie garden beds. 

*  Darren mowed all the garden clippings and added them to the compost bins.  The grass clippings went into the chicken run.  The chickens had fun scratching and pecking at the grass.

*  When we were in Mooloolaba we used our saved Flybuys dollars to buy all our groceries for the week.  We even had plenty of money left over.

*  We carried water bottles wherever we went on holidays.  This saved us approximately $60+ dollars for the week based on $3 a bottle and consuming three a day ( we probably consumed four between us ).  We also carried snacks with us on our outings.

*  Decluttered some of our clothes.  I took two big bags to Savers op shop and received two discount stamps.

 

Stunning Lake McKenzie.  It's a fresh water lake with extremely fine white sand.  The light colored water went up to my neck. Where the water darkens,  the depth increases significantly.

 On a rain forest walk on Fraser Island while our bus driver cooked our bbq lunch

 The purposed built 4WD bus for our Fraser Island tour.

The colored sands on Rainbow Beach

At Australia Zoo

Look what bloomed in our garden while we were away.

My garden work on Wednesday.  Yes I puled it all out.

   I'll post more photos of our holiday some time next week.

What did you do this week to save money ?

Frugal Reading Links

Here are a few links to articles that are relevant to this time of the year.  Happy reading

Saving money and getting the kids back to school
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/starting-school-year.html

Beating the heat in Summer
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/keeping-cool-in-summer.html

Saving money on water usage
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/februarys-theme-being-water-wise.html

Budget planning for a new year
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/getting-your-budget-in-order-for-new.html

Our family's menu plan
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/my-menu-plan-thursday-20th-nov-thursday.html

Easy card ideas
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/hand-made-card-ideas-january-2016.html

A favourite Summer salad
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/creamy-pasta-salad.html

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 7th January 2017

Here is my frugal list for the week -

*  Glued the soles back on my moccasin slippers.  One sole was half off and the other was just starting to come off.  I'll be getting new moccasins before next Winter so I just want them to last until then.

*  Fed the compost bins with kitchen scraps.  Darren used his special pronged tool to turn the compost.

*  Fed the chickens some old lettuce,  cantelope seeds,  weeds,  snails and grass.

*  Used an old suitcase to store my Christmas nutcracker collection in.  Their usual cardboard storage boxes were getting a little shabby ( also taking up too much space ).  Darren was going to buy two plastic storage tubs until we realised we had old,  small suitcases in my shed that we'd outgrown years ago.   We saved ourselves about $14.

*  Lined my bathroom bin with lots of recycled bread bags.

*  Cleaned the dishwasher using bi carb and vinegar. Wiped down the seals and door with Miracle Spray.

*  Picked lettuce from our garden for a salad to feed eight people.

*  Picked our first ever apricots.  We also picked strawberries,  raspberries,  boysenberries and two peaches.  I made up a fruit salad to feed eight people.  About 1/3 of the fruit came from our garden.

*  Made up a bottle of diluted Dynamo laundry liquid.  I have to keep all available bottles diluted due to a certain daughter liking the full strength liquid.

*  Cleaned the inside of the kettle using citric acid.

*  Gratefully received lots of little pavers from my Dad.  We plan on using them around the strawberry patch and outside our garden shed.

'

From the garden

Ivory

Rose bush in the chicken coop.

Our girls

Lavender in bloom

Recycled pavers

How did you save time or money this week ?