20 Groceries We Don't Buy And The Cheap / Free Alternatives - Part 2

 The supermarket is filled with brightly colored packaging,  designed to catch your eye.  Before you know it that grocery item is in your trolley and you wondered how you ever lived without it.   Chances are your parents and grandparents managed just fine without it .

The next time you go shopping,  have a look at what you are buying.  Are you buying mostly whole foods or processed foods ?  Are you working long hours to pay for your expensive grocery bill ?

Here are another 20 grocery items we DON'T buy and how to save money on them -

Microwave rice pouches -  They are so expensive compared to buying a bag of rice.  Some are flavoured but I don't need flavoured rice when the rest of the meal is tasty.  I cook extra rice and freeze.

Creamy pasta packets - I've make my own with pasta,  milk,  butter,  flour and seasonings.

Marinated meat.-  It never tastes as good as it looks. I use ingredients like soy,  honey,  garlic and herbs.

Herbs and spices in little jars - I buy in bulk from a herb and spice wholesaler.  Extremely cheap.

Sweetened condensed milk - I make my own from butter,  sugar,  water and milk powder.  The recipe I use makes 2 tins worth for less than the price of one.

Evaporated milk - I don't have recipes that use it.  If I did I'd make it from milk powder and water.

Fresh herbs in plant form or pastes -  I use dried or grow a few.

Iced tea - If I wanted it I would make it from a teabag,  water,  sugar and a squeeze of fruit.

Porridge sachets - I make porridge from quick oats.  If I need flavour I can add cinnamon,  brown sugar,  maple syrup or dried / tinned fruit.

Avocado / grapeseed / almond / peanut / coconut oil etc etc - I use rice bran oil for cooking and baking.  It's cheap compared to the fancy oils.

Bread flour - I use plain generic flour.

Salad dressings - I only buy balsamic glaze.  A little bit goes a long,  long way.

Tinned veggies - I only buy corn ( for soup ),  tomatoes ( in case my harvest is poor ) and beetroot.  Fresh is cheaper for other veggies

Salad kits -  We grow some of our own salad ingredients and buy the rest as whole foods and make the salad ourselves.    Cheaper and fresher.

Serviettes -  We just don't eat sloppy food to need serviettes ( except for hamburgers with dripping sauce or tacos ).  The rare times we do eat takeaway we are always given too many serviettes.  Those that are not used are brought home for when we do need them.  It seems like a waste to throw them out.

Pancake shakers -  I make pancakes from scratch using milk,  eggs and flour.  How easy and cheap is that?  I think we've only bought them once or twice as a treat when the girls were little and we were on holidays.

Meal kits - They are just too expensive and you still need to add meat and veg.   Just use the herbs and spices you already have and add your own ingredients.

Rice cream in tins - I make creamed rice with rice,  sugar and milk.  My recipe would make four times the amount in a tin for the same price.

Meals in a can -  If we were camping people we might buy them.  I remember doing a tv story years ago where the husband liked spag bol meat sauce in a tin.  I didn't even know you could buy it in a tin.  I showed the family how to make a big pot of meat sauce for the same price.  All you need is mince,  tinned tomatoes,  Italian herbs and tomato paste

Frozen potato chips -  I never understood their appeal.  I think they have an artificial taste about them and I've been served a variety of brands over the years.  I have a Nicer Dicer and a chip machine ( present ) that makes chips in just a minute or two including seasoning.  Since buying an air fryer this is how we cook them.   They are a healthier option too.

 

I buy herbs / spices in bulk and fill my own jars

homemade pancakes

Picking our own lettuce

Do you  make and bake from scratch as much as possible ?

How many of these items do you make cheaper ?

20 Groceries We Don't Buy And The Cheap / Free Alternatives - Part 1

 We are all battling rising grocery prices right now.  In recent years it's never been tougher to feed our families and still keep control of the food budget.

Sometimes we buy certain groceries just because we always have.  Maybe we didn't know we could make them from multipurpose ingredients.

Below are 20 groceries we don't buy either because we don't need them or make them from scratch.  This saves us so much money each month yet we still eat well and don't feel like we are missing out.

Brown sugar - I make my own with white sugar and molasses

Castor sugar - I grind white sugar in the food processor

Bread crumbs - I make my own using bread crusts.  FREE.

Jam - I make my own from fruit we grow.

Recipe bases - I make my own from basic ingredients ( I do buy Massaman beef curry base )

Muffin / cake / biscuit packet mixes - I make my own from flour,  sugar,  milk,  butter,  eggs etc.

Ready made cakes / biscuits / muffins -  Same as above

Grated cheese / slices - I grate and slice my own.  I add corn flour to grated cheese to prevent sticking.

Yoghurt - I make my own in an Easiyo maker.  I do buy natural yoghurt as a starter to portion and freeze.

Custard in box / packet / tub - I make my own from eggs,  milk,  corn flour and sugar or use custard powder.

Cordial - I make my own 50 / 50 cordial in Summer from lemons we grow and oranges bought cheap in Winter and froze.

Soft drink - We just don't need it and drink tea or water

Pasta salad / potato salad - I make my own for a fraction of the price.

Chunky tinned soups -  I make my own.  Here's the recipe   SOUP

Liquid stock - I make my own in the slow cooker with bones.  FREE

Fancy meat rubs / salts - I use the herbs and spices I already have.

Freezer meals - I freeze my own leftovers.

Bottled water - Our tap water is one of the best in the world.  We bottle it ourselves pretty much for free.

Pasta sauce - I use a tin of tomatoes ( the cheapest ) and add my own seasonings and tomato paste.

Chicken sauces like honey mustard etc- I make my own from scratch.  Here's the recipe CHICKEN 

.

Blueberry muffins

Homemade hot cross buns

choc chip biscuits

Freezer meals ( leftovers )

Making yoghurt

How many of these groceries can you do without or make yourself ?

I'm Taking Time Off And Need Prayer

 Just letting you know I'll be taking time off from blog writing for a little while.

We have a family member seriously ill in hospital and for the last week we've been spending time there.   This family member has been a prayer warrior for thousands of people over a lifetime but now they can't pray for them self.  

If you believe in the power of prayer could I please ask that you pray for them ? If you belong to a prayer chain / group or know of one in your church could you please pray ?  . 

We don't know what the future holds, but we do know that God holds the future.  We are hanging on to that.

Over the next 5 weeks you'll see my Wednesday blog post come up here and on Facebook.  I've been busy writing ahead of time but didn't know why I needed to.  Now I do.

PLEASE PRAY

If you already know who is sick could I please ask that you don't put any names here or on Facebook.      My family needs privacy right now.      Thankyou

23 Cleaning Products We Don't Buy And The Cheap / Free Alternatives

 As you probably know,  I've been a domestic cleaner for over 23 years and cleaning my own home for 26 years.  I've tried just about every product available in that time with varying results.  Sure,  they might work but I'm not impressed with the fumes,  cost and environmental impact.  

If you came to visit my home you'll find it clean at all times.  I don't use anything fancy and in the list below you'll see a reoccurring product or two that I DO use.  It's super cheap too.  Infact,  it costs me 99 cents per bottle and lasts almost 2 years.  Can you guess what it is ?

Here are 23 cleaning items I DO NOT BUY -

Foaming hand wash / liquid hand soap - I use a bar of soap or make foaming hand wash from cheap shower gel / shampoo.

Kitchen sponges - I knit my own or use old face washers.

Fabric softener - I just don't need it.  Vinegar is a cheap alternative.

Dishwasher air fresheners - I clean the dishwasher once a month with bi carb and vinegar and clean the seals and filters with dishwashing liquid

Bin Liners - I use bread bags and shopping bags FREE

Window cleaner - I use a microfibre cloth ( or any cloth ) and water.  If needed,  I use vinegar

Toilet cleaner -  I use diluted dishwashing liquid in a spray bottle and a cloth ( washed afterwards )

Disinfectant wipes - I use disinfectant sprayed on an old cloth / face washer.

Shower cleaner - I use diluted dishwashing liquid and a scourer.  Mould killer is used once every few months.

Air freshener - I use cooled boiled water and lavender water / essential oils in a spray bottle

Toilet bowl fresheners / blocks - I just keep my toilets clean

Floor cleaner - I use a dash of vinegar and dishwashing liquid in hot water.

Clothes washing disinfectant - I just put a squirt of regular disinfectant into the wash if clothes are smelly.

Surface spray - I use diluted dishwashing liquid in a spray bottle.  ALMOST FREE

Stainless steel cleaner / wipes -  I use diluted dishwashing liquid in a bottle and a cloth.  Buff dry

Oven cleaner - I wipe the ovens out on a regular basis with diluted dishwashing liquid.  I also use a little bi carb and vinegar on spills and a magic eraser on the doors.

Kettle de scaler  - I use citric acid and fill the kettle up then boil. ALMOST FREE

Grout brushes - These damage the grouting over time.  I use old toothbrushes FREE

Vanilla fridge spray - I clean the fridge out with soapy water and remove yucky food.  I put lids on all containers with leftovers.

Carpet spot stain remover - I use dishwashing liquid or Miracle Spray on a microfibre cloth

Laundry powder / liquid - I make my own with laundry soap,  bi carb and washing soda

Dishwasher rinse aid. - I just pour white vinegar into the rinse aid dispenser.  It seems to work fine for me and I've been using it for years.

Washing machine cleaner -  I use Epsom salts and run the machine on a long,  hot wash.  This piece of advice was given to my Mum by a washing machine repair man over 40 years ago.  

What cleaning products do you do without ?

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 23rd April 2022

 We had a lovely yet busy Easter at the Gower Abundant Cottage.  The girls ( plus a couple of friends ) and grandbabies came to church with us.  Luka and Bryson enjoyed an Easter egg hunt after church on Sunday.  Bryson wasn't sure what to do but Luka knew all about Easter eggs.

Darren worked most days at the hospital but enjoyed Good Friday morning and Easter Sunday off.  On Saturday I had a lovely craft day with Cath and Hannah from The Cheapskates Club.  We made lots of greeting cards,  talked lots and enjoyed lots of good food and cups of tea. 

Here's what else we've been up to -

*  Baked pumpkin scones using cooked pumpkin from the freezer.  These scones were eating for morning / afternoon teas,  taken to the card making day and some were given to Jessica as a homemade treat.

*  Fed the compost bin every second day with kitchen scraps.

*  Luka ( our 3 year old grandson ) and I planted more sprouting potatoes into our veggie garden.

*  Made up a bottle of shower cleaner and bench spray using diluted dishwashing liquid.

*  Picked beans,  pears and raspberries from our garden.

*  Baked choc chip biscuits using dough I'd made a month ago and frozen.

*  Made lots of Christmas cards using recycled old Christmas cards.

*   Gratefully received apples and bay leaves from a cleaning client.  I have the leaves hanging up side down to dry.  I don't think I'll need to buy any for years to come.

*  Picked a bunch of Chrysanthemums from the garden to brighten up the kitchen table at my parent's place.  I also picked a bunch for our kitchen bench.  They look so cherry and sunny.

*  Darren and I made 2 dozen hot cross buns from scratch.  We used the pears I grew and dried as one of the dried fruits in the recipe.  Next year I hope to added apples I've dried myself.  Some of the buns were eaten fresh,  a few given to my parents and the rest went into the freezer.

*  Picked spinach from the garden and added it to the spag bol sauce.  By doing this it gave us 3 serves instead of 2.  Bonus lunch for me.  

*  Darren cleaned out the chicken coop and put the old straw into the compost bin.

Chrysanthemums from our garden 

Homemade hot cross buns.

If anyone is interested,  I'm selling hand knitted dishcloths / face washers.  Below are two of the many colors I have available.  Please check out my Facebook pages for more details.

Did you enjoy your Easter break ?

How have you saved money recently ?

Reusing Doilies

I must admit,  I'm a fan of doilies and have used them around my home under vases,  lamps and frames for almost 25 years.  With the latest trends being minimalist,  doilies seem to be disappearing from view.  

Here are a few ways you can make the most of doilies in a delightful way - 

*  Doilies make delightful ' hats '  for jars of jam.

*  A doily bunting is a pretty and eco friendly way to decorate a room or table for a party.

*  An old fragile doily can be given a new lease on life mounted in a picture frame.  Make sure the background cardboard / paper has enough color to help the doily stand out.

*  Do you like a display of soap in your bathroom ?  Stand the soap up on end and wrap a doily around the soaps.  Threading ribbon or twine through the doily holes will keep the soaps together.

*  Doilies can be used as the outer layer of a lavender sachet.

*  Made delicate bowls and dishes by mixing PVA glue with a little water.  Turn a glass bowl upside down and rub a little Vaseline or oil over the surface.  Cover the bowl with your chosen doily.  Brush on the glue mixture until completely cover.  Allow a couple of hours to dry then peel the doily off.

Doily bunting for my birthday.

Do you use doilies in your home ?

If so,  how do you use them ?

How Much Food Did We Grow In 2021 ?

 Over the years we've relied more and more on what our veggie garden can produce to keep food on the table.  Now with rising grocery prices,  it has never been more important to grow as much as we can.

Our veggie garden consists of  2 main beds that measure  1.5m  x  3.0m.  We also have a raised garden bed that a family member no longer wanted.  It measures  0.9m x 2.7m.  Our backyard is not huge by any stretch of the imagination but we do have a small home on a 617m2  block.

We have fruit trees dotted around our backyard that we planted in 2014.  Our raspberry patch grows up the side of a garden shed and our grape vine grows along our fence. 

The costs for maintaining the garden are very minimal.  Most of the seeds bought cost about $2 - $3  each a packet and some will last us more than two years ( or two growing seasons ).  Some packets of seeds are given to us as presents.  My Dad usually gives us tomato plants each Spring and we give him spinach and zucchini seedlings.

We don't buy compost but make our own with all our kitchen and garden scraps.  The compost bins did cost money but they have lasted us many years.  

Garden stakes are bought every 5 years or so and garden ties are made from old cut up socks.  Occasionally we water the plants with Seasol and sprinkle pet friendly snail bait.  Other than that we don't use any pesticide sprays or powders.

Below is a listing or what we grew last year and the yields.  Some items were hard to keep a track of so estimates were used.

Sweet corn - 10 kg

Raspberries - 5.10 kg

Zucchinis - 3 kg ( we planted too late )

Tomatoes - 5.0 kg

Potatoes - 40.80 kg

Bush Beans - 4.7 kg

Lemons - 9.0 kg

Strawberries - 2.50 kg

Grapes - zero.  Too much rain and the birds had a feed while we were away.

Feijoas - 0.50 kg.  We'd pruned the tree the year before so it's still recovering

Pears - 8.0 kg

Mandarins - zero but the trees are young

Plums - 4.70 kg

Apricots 3.0 kg

Cherries - zero.  Too much rain that the fruit split and tiny insects are a problem

Broccoli - 2.50 kg

Lettuce - zero.  I think the seeds are a little old

Silverbeet - 3.50 kg probably more as we picked it all year

Cauliflower - 1.50 kg.  Will not be growing again

Sugar snap peas - 0.90 kg

The total amount of food we grew in 2021 is  104.5 kg.  Putting a monetary value on the food depends on how much it costs in the supermarket.  Prices generally vary from $3 to $9 a kilo with feijoas topping at $30kg and raspberries topping at about $40 a kilo.  So here are a few costings to give you an idea of how much we saved -

$3 per kg  x  104.5kg  =  $313.50 saved

$4 per kg  x  104.5kg  = $418.00  saved

$5 per kg  x  104.5kg  =  $522.50  saved

$6 per kg  x  104.5kg  =  $627.00 saved

$7 per kg  x  104.5kg  =  $731.50  saved

$8 per kg  x  104.5kg  =  $836.00  saved

$9 per kg  x  104.5kg  =  $940.50  saved

Was it worth growing our own ?  You'd better believe it.  Yes we saved money but most importantly we ate fruit and veggies fresher than any supermarket or green grocer can offer us.  They are also chemical free.

Do you keep track of how much you grow ?

Are you inspired to start growing your own ?

                                                         From Our garden

Our 2 veggie garden beds.

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 9th April 2022

 Our free time this week has been spent in the garden just pottering around and enjoying the fresh air.  The weather has been lovely and mild with cool mornings.  We've had our doors wide open to let the fresh air into our home.  No need for artificial air fresheners,  just the great outdoors.

Here's what we got up to when we were not busy with work -

*  Planted broccoli seeds and seedlings.

*  Planted a few sprouting potatoes from our pantry into the veggie garden.

*  Picked pears and beans from the garden.

*  Made chunky chicken and veggie soup.  I used stock I'd made and frozen last year and zucchini and potatoes from our garden.  There were other veggies added too.  The soup was enough for 2 dinners for 2 people and a lunch for 1.

*  Used a few leftover Christmas candy canes to make minty Easter chocolates.  Our grandson Luka had fun helping with the eating and sprinkling of the chopped candy canes.

*  Dried another batch of pears from our garden in the dehydrator.

*  Dried the washing on clothes horses outside.  The sky looked like there was rain coming so clothes horses were the best bet.

*  Saved washing machine water,  rinse water and drink bottle water to reuse around our home.

*  We bought potatoes for the first time in 10 months ( we've been growing our own ).  We picked up 2 x 2.25kg bags of potatoes one was reduced to $3.60 ( from memory ) and the other was $1.60.  The $1.60 bag went through the register as $7 so we got it for free.

*  Baked three loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness.  I used recycled bread bags to store it in the freezer.

Dehydrating more pears

A few Easter decorations

Our Easter tree

Drying the washing

                 More photos from the Melbourne Flower Show

Have you enjoyed the great outdoors this week ?

How have you saved money this week ?

10 Ways To Offset Rising Grocery Prices - Part 3

 There are so many ways to cut the cost of your grocery bill.  I ABSOLUTELY use all these tips I've been sharing over the last few weeks.  Yes our grocery bill ( including toiletries and basic cleaning ingredients ) is still $100 a month for 2 adults and a cat even with rising prices.  We've had to cut our shopping list to the bare basics but we still eat and the food is tasty and filling

Here are another 10 tips to help you save money -

*  I buy dried herbs,  spices,  nuts,  grains,  seeds,  wholemeal flour,  yeast,  corn flour,  icing sugar,  cocoa powder and dried fruit from an Indian wholesaler. They are FAR,  FAR cheaper than any supermarket.  If you live in metro Melbourne then Hindustan Imports is your place to shop.  You can shop online and get free delivery if you spend over $90 ( which is easy to do with such a great variety available  ).   Hindustan Imports offers a variety of packet sizes to suit your budget and usage.   

*  We don't waste anything.  We scrape out jars,  add a little water to get every last drop out and turn bottles up side down.   When I'm baking I scrap out the mixing bowl with a silicon spatula. 

*  We portion control our meals.  Just because there are leftovers in the pot doesn't mean we have to finish it.  Leftovers are put into containers then into the fridge.  Potato chips,  chocolate,  biscuits and other snacks are portioned onto a small plate and the remaining in the packet is put way.  We don't mindlessly eat straight from a packet.

*  I bake as much as I can from scratch and freeze excess.  This includes pita chips ( instead of buying dry biscuits ),  muffins,  sweet biscuits,  cakes,  slices, and scones.  There are very few biscuits I buy that I can't bake.  We don't like store bought cakes and other bakery items and never buy a packet mix.  Sorry,  but we don't like their artificial taste and they cost too much.  A packet mix takes just as much time to mix and bake as it does from scratch.

*  We buy the largest packet,  bottle,  tube or tin of anything providing it works out cheaper.  This includes toiletries,  disinfectant,  flour,  sugar,  bags of fruit,  sauces and meats.

*  We eat homemade soup for dinner ( sometimes twice a week in cooler weather ).  My soup is chunky,  tasty,  filling and SUPER CHEAP at approximately 20 cents a serve.  Here's the recipe to the one we eat the most  Chunky chicken and veggie soup   

*  I don't buy cleaning products ( or at least rarely bought once every few years ).  I use diluted dishwashing liquid in a spray bottle to clean just about everything around our home.  I do use disinfectant when I've cut up raw meat.  I only use bleach in the shower once every few months and cream cleanser when the dish liquid doesn't work on stains.  I've been a domestic cleaner ( as a paid job ) for 24 years and have used just about every product on the supermarket shelf.  They cost too much,  they smell too much and dishwashing liquid does the same job.   Even a bar of soap will clean your home.  Please don't be fooled by the ads on tv.

*  I use containers instead of cling wrap,  plastic bags and foil for lunches,  leftovers,  snacks and freezing.

*  I use unit pricing to get the best deal on everything.

*  I buy 1 kilo blocks of generic brand tasty cheese instead of slices,  grated or sticks.  I grate the cheese myself and freeze most of it to use later and to prevent spoilage.  By adding a little corn flour to the grated cheese,  it doesn't stick together.

Growing our own

Baking from scratch

Homemade soup for dinner.  20 cents a serve.

How many of these tips do you use to save money on your groceries ?

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 2nd April 2022

 We have had another busy week at the Gower Abundant Cottage.  Darren continues to get plenty of work with his new job.  It seems the more he works,  the more shifts he gets offered.  He also started a new job at our church as Pastoral Care Director.  He's so excited with this new role and looks forward to helping care for the needs of others.  Darren also continue to help with most of my cleaning jobs.  God is good and we are blessed to have all this work.

We took a much deserved day off on Thursday to attend the Melbourne Flower Show.  We enjoyed a beautiful Autumn day with a light breeze as we viewed all the displays and stalls.  There seemed to be a big focus of native plants ( not my cup of tea ) this year and a florist friend revealed that there is a rose shortage in Australia.  I did wonder why the displays indoors were not as spectacular as usual.  Still,  it was wonderful to have a day out.  I did take lots of photos and I'll share a few below.

Here's what else we got up to this week -                                                                                                                                                                                                   

*  Made a quadruple batch of choc chip biscuit dough.  I baked 2 trays of biscuits and the rest of the dough went into the freezer.

*  Gave Megan a haircut,  then Luka ' helped ' bake bread with me.

*  Baked 3 loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness.

*  Gratefully received a bunch of parsley from my Dad's garden.  I used my dehydrator to dry it.

*  Refilled all the foaming soap hand pumps around our home with diluted shower gel.

*  I made 2 hand towels from an old towel.  It was looking a little dirty in the middle of the towel and I couldn't shift the dirt no matter what I sprayed on it.  So I cut off each end of the towel and sewed new hems to make hand towels.

*  Darren picked another bunch of hot pink roses from our garden.

*  Made 1 kilo of brown sugar using white sugar and molasses.

*  Saved the shower warm up water,  kitchen water,  washing machine rinse water and water from drink bottles.  All was reused to water plants and pour into the washing machine.

*  Reused old bread bags to line bathroom bins and double wrap food to go into the freezer.

*  Planted broccoli seedlings and seeds into one of our veggie garden beds.

*  Dehydrated lots of pears from our tree.  Some of these dried pears will be used in the hot cross buns we will be making shortly.  We are not fans of mixed peel and sultana hot cross buns.  Instead we use dried apricots,  cranberries,  pears,  peaches and a few sultanas.

Parsley from Dad

Making hand towels

My dehydrator

Drying pears

Lots of biscuit dough

Making brown sugar

                    Photos from the Melbourne Flower Show

How did you save time,  money or energy this week ?