Emergency Numbers
Use your computer to print out the information 000 would need to find your house, phone and contact details of friends and family and names and phone numbers of trades people you use. Print off copies for the fridge, phone, office, car, your diary and your handbag. Slipping the fridge copy into a plastic sleeve and using magnets to keep it in place makes it easy to change details.
Saturday, 30 January 2010
Friday, 29 January 2010
Tip of the Day 29 January 2010
Air Bags
When you are packing delicate or fragile items bubble wrap or air bags are great as cushioning, but rather expensive to buy. A fantastic substitute for bubble wrap or packing material is ziplock bags. Simply gather some ziplock style bag and a plastic straw. Insert the end of the straw into the bag and seal the bag the rest of the way. Blow up the bag with the straw; then quickly remove the straw and seal the bag. Fill up your parcel with as many “air bags” as you need.
When you are packing delicate or fragile items bubble wrap or air bags are great as cushioning, but rather expensive to buy. A fantastic substitute for bubble wrap or packing material is ziplock bags. Simply gather some ziplock style bag and a plastic straw. Insert the end of the straw into the bag and seal the bag the rest of the way. Blow up the bag with the straw; then quickly remove the straw and seal the bag. Fill up your parcel with as many “air bags” as you need.
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Tip of the Day 28 January 2010
A Matching Set
Mark your bowls and their covers with the same number using a permanent marker. Then you won't be searching for the lid that matches the bowl when putting away leftovers. All you have to do is match the numbers. If you own Tupperware bowls, you'll find that the bases and seals are already marked to make matching easy. Simply match the letter on the base with the letter on the tab part of the seal to find a matching pair.
Mark your bowls and their covers with the same number using a permanent marker. Then you won't be searching for the lid that matches the bowl when putting away leftovers. All you have to do is match the numbers. If you own Tupperware bowls, you'll find that the bases and seals are already marked to make matching easy. Simply match the letter on the base with the letter on the tab part of the seal to find a matching pair.
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Tip of the Day 27 January 2010
Read, Read, Read
Want to learn more? Or become more proficient in a particular area? Then READ, READ, READ! Reading 30 - 50 books in a year is the equivalent of a year towards a PhD. So, if you want to become an expert on anything, read up on your topic. It doesn't have to be costly - borrow books from the library or friends (make sure you return them) or use the Internet. Keep a record of what you read in a notebook. This is especially helpful when you want to buy a copy of a particular book or refer back to it later on. Whatever method you choose, just keep on reading.
Want to learn more? Or become more proficient in a particular area? Then READ, READ, READ! Reading 30 - 50 books in a year is the equivalent of a year towards a PhD. So, if you want to become an expert on anything, read up on your topic. It doesn't have to be costly - borrow books from the library or friends (make sure you return them) or use the Internet. Keep a record of what you read in a notebook. This is especially helpful when you want to buy a copy of a particular book or refer back to it later on. Whatever method you choose, just keep on reading.
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Tip of the Day 26 January 2010
Pre-prep Saves Time and Stops the Takeaway Urge
I purchase lean mince in bulk quantities when it is on sale, usually in ten kilo lots, and prepare it to the cooking stage before freezing. I brown half the mixture and freeze in portions. This makes preparing tacos and pasta sauces a breeze. The other five kilos is made into a meatloaf mixture. Half of the meatloaf mixture goes into foil lined loaf tins so it is the proper shape. Then I take the foil and meat out, wrap it tightly and freeze. The rest of the mixture gets divided up into meatballs. I freeze it into sticks of 8 meatballs and then place in a plastic freezer bag. When I want to cook dinner, I can just pull a ready to cook meal from the freezer. On a busy night the time saving is huge, a freshly prepared and cooked dinner can be on the table in 30 minutes, faster than we can get a pizza delivered!
I purchase lean mince in bulk quantities when it is on sale, usually in ten kilo lots, and prepare it to the cooking stage before freezing. I brown half the mixture and freeze in portions. This makes preparing tacos and pasta sauces a breeze. The other five kilos is made into a meatloaf mixture. Half of the meatloaf mixture goes into foil lined loaf tins so it is the proper shape. Then I take the foil and meat out, wrap it tightly and freeze. The rest of the mixture gets divided up into meatballs. I freeze it into sticks of 8 meatballs and then place in a plastic freezer bag. When I want to cook dinner, I can just pull a ready to cook meal from the freezer. On a busy night the time saving is huge, a freshly prepared and cooked dinner can be on the table in 30 minutes, faster than we can get a pizza delivered!
Monday, 25 January 2010
Tip of the Day 25 January 2010
Borrow Appliances
You can save hundreds of dollars by borrowing appliances from friends and family. Most of us have a lot of appliances that aren't used regularly, and some that may not be used at all, lurking in cupboards. What a waste of good appliances! Make up a list of appliances you don't use very often, or wish to get rid of and ask friends and family to do the same. If one person decides to take up bread making, they look at the list and contact the person who has that appliance, and either borrow, buy or swap another item for it - rather than buying it. Think of the impact this would have on the environment and our pockets! Once you have the kitchen appliance swap working, why not start one for garden tools? This really goes back to our basic roots of community sharing.
This Cheapskate Started a "Borrow an Appliance" Scheme at Work
I mentioned to a girlfriend at work the other day that I was thinking about buying a slow cooker but really wanted to take on for a test drive first. She immediately offered to loan me hers for a week and in the conversation that followed we discovered that we both had a number of appliances cluttering our cupboards that we rarely used. So we made a decision to clear out a shelf in a cupboard at work and keep them there. They can then be 'borrowed' by whoever needs that particular gadget for the night. The only condition is that the appliance must be cleaned and returned a.s.a.p. Another workmate overheard us and we now have an appliance library of 8 kitchen gizmos ranging in value from $50-$200 and HEAPS more space in our kitchen cupboards. Reckon you'll have a better chance of getting this off the ground if your boss is a working Mum too!!
Karen Tatman
You can save hundreds of dollars by borrowing appliances from friends and family. Most of us have a lot of appliances that aren't used regularly, and some that may not be used at all, lurking in cupboards. What a waste of good appliances! Make up a list of appliances you don't use very often, or wish to get rid of and ask friends and family to do the same. If one person decides to take up bread making, they look at the list and contact the person who has that appliance, and either borrow, buy or swap another item for it - rather than buying it. Think of the impact this would have on the environment and our pockets! Once you have the kitchen appliance swap working, why not start one for garden tools? This really goes back to our basic roots of community sharing.
This Cheapskate Started a "Borrow an Appliance" Scheme at Work
I mentioned to a girlfriend at work the other day that I was thinking about buying a slow cooker but really wanted to take on for a test drive first. She immediately offered to loan me hers for a week and in the conversation that followed we discovered that we both had a number of appliances cluttering our cupboards that we rarely used. So we made a decision to clear out a shelf in a cupboard at work and keep them there. They can then be 'borrowed' by whoever needs that particular gadget for the night. The only condition is that the appliance must be cleaned and returned a.s.a.p. Another workmate overheard us and we now have an appliance library of 8 kitchen gizmos ranging in value from $50-$200 and HEAPS more space in our kitchen cupboards. Reckon you'll have a better chance of getting this off the ground if your boss is a working Mum too!!
Karen Tatman
Sunday, 24 January 2010
There's No Place Like Home
We are home! We were only away 10 days, but it seemed like forever and it's so good to be back in our own little piece of Australia.
It was great catching up with family and friends, some of them we haven't seen for a very long time. The whole family gathered to celebrate Granny's birthday, with lots of good food and even more laughter. At times the neighbours must have been wondering what we were doing, the laughing was so loud.
But it is good to be home, even if we came home to a disaster in the front garden. One of our big trees had split right through the middle on one limb and was hanging over the footpath. Most of our neighbourhood walks, and many of them are quite elderly, so getting it cut down (just the offending limb, not the whole tree) was top priority for this morning.
My brother called and asked to borrow the trestle table and some folding chairs, so we swapped them for his chainsaw. It sure made cutting up the tree easy. Now it's all nicely stacked in the woodpile, to dry for firewood. Wayne put the small branches and leaves through the mulcher and spread it over a new garden bed along the side fence and now it looks much better. I can't decide whether to put daisies (m favourite) or lavender in that spot, it would suit both. Decisions, decisions.
While we were away the tomatoes and cucumbers went crazy. I've picked two buckets full of lovely fresh vegetables. There are enough cucumbers to make ten jars of pickled cucumbers. The tomatoes I will cook into sauce and freeze. Tomorrow will be a busy day in the kitchen me thinks.
The good news is that we didn't spend over our regular budget while we were away. The petrol costs came out of our holiday budget and were covered. Food, treats, eating out and entertainment all came out of our normal household budget for 10 days so we came home with money over!
Now it's back to reality, getting ready for school and Uni. There are books to cover, hems to take up and let down and new uniforms to name. And of course the newsletter and website to keep me out of mischief. That should keep us all busy.
It was great catching up with family and friends, some of them we haven't seen for a very long time. The whole family gathered to celebrate Granny's birthday, with lots of good food and even more laughter. At times the neighbours must have been wondering what we were doing, the laughing was so loud.
But it is good to be home, even if we came home to a disaster in the front garden. One of our big trees had split right through the middle on one limb and was hanging over the footpath. Most of our neighbourhood walks, and many of them are quite elderly, so getting it cut down (just the offending limb, not the whole tree) was top priority for this morning.
My brother called and asked to borrow the trestle table and some folding chairs, so we swapped them for his chainsaw. It sure made cutting up the tree easy. Now it's all nicely stacked in the woodpile, to dry for firewood. Wayne put the small branches and leaves through the mulcher and spread it over a new garden bed along the side fence and now it looks much better. I can't decide whether to put daisies (m favourite) or lavender in that spot, it would suit both. Decisions, decisions.
While we were away the tomatoes and cucumbers went crazy. I've picked two buckets full of lovely fresh vegetables. There are enough cucumbers to make ten jars of pickled cucumbers. The tomatoes I will cook into sauce and freeze. Tomorrow will be a busy day in the kitchen me thinks.
The good news is that we didn't spend over our regular budget while we were away. The petrol costs came out of our holiday budget and were covered. Food, treats, eating out and entertainment all came out of our normal household budget for 10 days so we came home with money over!
Now it's back to reality, getting ready for school and Uni. There are books to cover, hems to take up and let down and new uniforms to name. And of course the newsletter and website to keep me out of mischief. That should keep us all busy.
Tip of the Day 24 Januayr 2010
Plant Food
Do you love corn on the cob? We do, and while we don't grow it in our garden, we do buy it direct from a farmer when it's ready and cook it in a huge stockpot full of water. After removing ears of corn from the pot I don't pour the water down the drain. Instead I set the water aside to cool and then use this to water indoor plants and my herb garden. The water has nutrients from the corn that the plants just love. And I love the idea of a free fertilizer.
Do you love corn on the cob? We do, and while we don't grow it in our garden, we do buy it direct from a farmer when it's ready and cook it in a huge stockpot full of water. After removing ears of corn from the pot I don't pour the water down the drain. Instead I set the water aside to cool and then use this to water indoor plants and my herb garden. The water has nutrients from the corn that the plants just love. And I love the idea of a free fertilizer.
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