The Week that Was 30/10/2022

I haven't posted for a few weeks for a number of reasons. Firstly, I've been busy. Secondly, I've been sick. Thirdly, we've had visitors. And there's only 24 hours in a day, and while I do my best to use them wisely, sometimes there is more to do than the hours allow.

This week I am grateful for
*rain, even though we have had a lot of it, the rain barrels are full and with summer coming, we will need the water
*a greengrocer that has had excellent prices on the fruits and veggies that we eat
*the energy this week to process a lot of food for our pantry.

Here's how we saved money, time and energy this week:
*dried the washing on the clotheshorses under the verandah except for Friday, when it came inside because it was just too wet to dry outside
*locked in a fuel price for my car, and used Wayne's phone to lock in another price for his car
*ate from the fridge and freezer
*bought legs of lamb on sale for $10/kg and put them in the freezer
*dehydrated two bunches of celery
*made strawberry jam from strawberries on sale for $4/kg
*bought 6kg broccoli for $2/kg, blanched it and put it in the freezer
*bought lemons for $1/kg. Some were juiced, some were sliced and put into the dehydrator
*bought mushrooms for $4/kg and canned them
*started on the yearly shop. It's early, but there are lots of things on my list that are missing, so I'm hoping that by starting now I'll find them somewhere between now and the end of the year
*bought mince for $9.99/kg and pressure canned it
*bought 25kg potatoes for 40c/kg. Some were pressure canned, some were par cooked and frozen
*started another six lettuce, three zucchini and three cucumbers for succession planting
*noticed one of the lemon trees has gall wasp so I took the veggie peeler and peeled back the two lumps. Hopefully that will solve the problem and save the tree.
*picked rhubarb from the garden and stewed it for desserts
*kept working on Christmas presents
*downloaded some free SVGs to use in crafting
*picked lavender from my garden and hung it to dry.

What did you do to save money, time and energy this week?

The Week that Was 9/10/2022

This week I am grateful for
*specials on fruit and vegetables that I could afford to buy to fill the pantry.

Here's how we saved money, time and energy this week:
*Filled the thermos each morning for my cuppas during the day.
*Bought lots of fruit and vegetables for $1/kilo and processed them to help fill the pantry.
*Stuff! I was able to sell some more unneeded items and add $40 to our budget.
*Cooked all our meals from scratch, using ingredients we had on hand.
*Warm days to dry the washing outside.
*Made all the salads for the week at once. One lot of prep, cooking and cleaning up saved a lot of time and energy.
*Used some free cutting files to make some gifts.
*Meal planned for our trip next weekend, using what we have.
*Used materials on hand to make labels for AJ's carry bags.
*Detailed my car myself. I think I did a better job than the detailing place and didn't spend $90!

How did you save money, time and energy last week?

The Week That Was 2/10/2022

This week I am grateful for
*Spring. The days have been beautiful.
*Food in the pantry. I've been a bit under the weather for a few days and eating, and cooking, have not been high on my list of priorities. Food in the pantry meant no one went hungry.

Here's how we saved money, time and energy this week:

*Switched the meal plan around and we had steak sandwiches with MOO wedges on Monday night. There were bread rolls, a piece of steak, and a tomato that needed to be used. One piece of steak cut in half, then sliced through the middle made four palm sized pieces just the right size for the bread roll. The boys thought I'd won the lottery!

*sried the washing on the clotheshorses on the verandah. The days were quite warm, but it was wet in dribs and drabs. Saved me running in and out to the clothesline.

*Found some free printables to use for transfers. To buy similar files was going to cost $20.99 (they were $6.99 each). Free fits my budget better.

*Shopped my stash to make a baby card and a little gift for a new baby boy. I have some fabric in the stash that will become bibs for him this week.

*Bought mushrooms for $4/kg, then the next day was able to get more for $2/kg! Bargain of the year! Washed, chopped, cooked and pressure canned, we have enough for the year.

*Bought 10kg onions for $5 - 50 cents a kilo is an AMAZING price for onions these days. Some have been diced and frozen in half cup lots for later in the year.

*Caught the shower warm up water and used some in the steam mop to do the hard floors, and put the rest into the washing machine.

*Filled the thermos each morning to make cuppas during the day.

*Filled up my car and the jerry cans using a 4c off voucher combined with a special offer to save 18c per litre off diesel before the price goes up.  $25.67 kept in our budget, and we have the fuel to cover our trip next week!

*Opened up the windows and doors on sunny days to let the breeze blow winter out of the house. So much nicer than using a room spray or air freshener.

*Worked on Christmas gifts; another three crossed off the list.

*Repurposed a small plastic bin to hold vinyl scraps. It's small enough to sit on my table, and I've found if something is in sight, it gets used, so all the vinyl scraps are in the bin and I have been "shopping" the bin before I reach for a roll of vinyl.

*AJ helped me make an overhead boom for the camera to (hopefully) improve my You Tube videos. We used what we had on hand so nothing spent. It's a work in progress, but better than what I was using and I'm learning lots.

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