Free Meals from the Freezer

Even a small stash of freezer meals can reduce the grocery budget. Single serves of spag bol, chicken soup, lasagne, fried rice, moussaka all in my small freezer, waiting to be used.

Freezer meals, put together from leftovers are free food - it's already paid for. I love freezer meals, and not just because they're free food, but because they give me a night off from cooking, or save buying takeaway when my day gets beyond crazy and dinner is the last thing on my mind. I love them because they can be self-serve too. The meals are already cooked, they just need to be thawed and heated and that can be done in the microwave in just a few minutes.

You may be wondering how you build a stash of freezer meals so that they are free. It's simple really - portion control. We're a family of five, so most of my recipes make at least six serves. I dish up five when the meal is cooked, and as I'm dishing up I put the extra serve straight into a container and put it into the fridge to cool. Then after tea I put the lid on it and pop it into the freezer. One free meal added to the freezer meal stash. If the recipe makes more than six serves, I have more than one free meal to put into the freezer.

Hint:  Use some masking tape and a marker to label the containers. Strangely enough chicken soup looks a lot like vegetable soup when it's frozen, as does bolognaise sauce and vegetable pasta sauce. Labelling the containers also stops everyone from pulling them all out, opening them to see what's in them then putting them back in the freezer.

Sometimes there are no leftovers or extra serves. That's OK. But when there are I take full advantage of them. I think it's far better to put a single serve into the freezer for a freezer meal than stash it at the back of the fridge until garbage night then toss it out - that really is just putting money in the bin.

Take a look at your recipes. Are there any you could perhaps stretch to an extra serve or two? If so, those extra serves could become freezer meals. I have a couple of recipes that serve four. I add a few extra ingredients (grated veggies or rolled oats or rice or even water or stock) to stretch them to make six serves. Then they feed us all and give me at least one freezer meal.

There are a couple of tricks to using free meals from the freezer though:
1. you must pay for them and
2. you must use them.

I budget $5 a dinner. When we have freezer meals I take $5 from my grocery budget and put it straight into the grocery slush fund (you could add it to your Emergency Fund or pay it off a bill or similar) because the meal is already paid for. That $5 is a lot easier to find than the $30+ that takeaway costs too - think about freezer meals next time you're tempted to dial for pizza!

Not everything freezes so plan your freezer meals around dinners that will freeze. Things that freeze well are pasta dishes, rissoles, stews, casseroles, soups, pies, pasties, sausage rolls, fried rice, cooked sausages (great for a quick curry) and quiche.

Then write "freezer meals" into your meal plan at least once a month. We usually have them on a Saturday night. I always plan a meal for Saturday night, just in case we don't have any freezer meals, but usually it's a GYO night. Sometimes we're all home for tea, sometimes there is only Wayne and I, sometimes it's just me.

It doesn't matter, if there are freezer meals then Saturday night in our house is simple - go to the freezer, choose a dinner and enjoy it because who doesn't enjoy a free meal.

How we are going to Live on a (Really) Tight Budget

Morning and afternoon tea is always something homebaked, like this Fruit Salad cake

A few weeks ago Joy posted some statistics in the forum pertaining to how much money is needed to live in retirement.

The following was taken from the ASICS moneysmart website.

"The table below will give you a rough idea of how much money you need to support a modest or comfortable retirement. It applies for people retiring at age 65 who will live to an average life expectancy of about 85."

Those figures stunned me, and not in a bad way!

We live on a tight budget. We don't carry any debt. If we want something we pay cash for it. If we don't have the cash we save up until we do, then we buy it.

Our lifestyle isn't extravagant but it's not stingy either. We don't go without anything we need. We mostly don't go without anything we want either. We do think about our purchases and our spending, and rarely have any spontaneous spending. That is mostly because there's not much we need or want that we don't already have.

Our clothing budget stays low because we take care of our clothes, making simple repairs immediately so clothes don't sit in a pile until they're thrown out.

We eat well. I cook from scratch (real scratch, not packet scratch). I grow a lot of the vegetables and some of the fruit we eat. I have a strict budget for meat and poultry and shop once a quarter for those foods, timing the shop around the best sale prices.

Chicken pot pie from scratch, a delicious and frugal family dinner

I am a bit of a power warden, reminding the family to turn lights, appliances and power points off (if they're not powering something essential like the fridge or freezer).

We catch water in buckets in the showers and I have a tub I use to catch water from the kitchen sink. This water is either tipped into the washing machine, used to water the pot plants, wash veggies or for cleaning. It doesn't go to waste.

So why was I happily stunned with those figures?

Well because as a family we're living well under them. We have started living on our 2016 budget (yes, it's kicked in a couple of months early) and according to those figures we are living on the Single Modest retirement income of $454 a week!

I love flowers in the house, but they're expensive. Just a few blooms from the garden in a vase makes me happy and saves $12! These Daphne sprgs smelled divine and scented the whole house, and they cost nothing.

Our weekly budget is $454.81! And that covers everything we need to survive and a few non-essentials too. Now bear in mind there are five adults living in our house. I am feeding five adults, there are five computers, three TVs, five people showering every day. And yet we can manage on less than a single modest retirement income and we are not going without and we don't feel deprived at all.

Here is our current Spending Plan:

As we are and will be living off our stockpile, the grocery budget has shrunk considerably.
There is wiggle room in this budget. I've factored in haircuts for both of us, pin money and a craft allowance. These are all flexible and non-essential. I can cut Wayne's hair and if push comes to shove I can either stretch my monthly trip to the hairdressers to every second month or just let my hair grow (or act as a model for Hannah so she can practise cutting!).

Making soap is another way I keep costs down. It makes a lovely gift too.

I've included an entertainment allowance. We rarely (maybe once a year) eat out so it's covered if we do, but the main purpose of this category is to give us time out when we need it. We tend to go camping (usually free camping) or on day trips and this amount will pay for petrol and camp fees so we can have at least a few days away during the year.  Entertainment also covers expenses birthday celebrations, anniversaries and any other fun things we do during the year.

There is a separate Holiday category. We are saving up for another big trip so steady, regular saving will help us get there in 2017. It's flexible, again if for some reason I've miscalculated our expenses I can shift  this money to another category.

Camping is our favourite type of holiday - find a pretty spot, set up the tent and then kick back and relax. Once you have all your gear your holidays are virtually free!

The one thing that isn't flexible, that is set in cement, is our Emergency Fund category. An emergency fund is essential and even on a tight budget we will continue to build ours. I've been asked if we'll be dipping into our emergency fund next year to cover any shortfall in our income. The short answer is no.

Our budget has been re-worked, we've gone over the figures and double checked them and unless there is a major emergency i.e. the washing machine blows up and there's not enough in Household Maintenance to cover replacing it, then we won't be touching it.

We will thrive on our current budget because we don't live extravagantly. We live a modest lifestyle and we are happy.  The bills will be paid, we have food to eat, clothes to wear, a roof over our heads. The present box is bulging with gifts for 2015, 2016, 2017 and I've started on 2018 (we have a couple of weddings in 2018 and the presents are ready and waiting).  There are veggies growing in the garden.

So yes, those figures for a retirement budget have made me very happy. I know we'll manage next year and I'm reassured that when we're ready to retire we'll be able to manage on a "retirement" income too.

Make a Vintage Rose Tote

Everyone uses totes for something. I use them for shopping, as a knitting bag, to store my seed packets around, to tote craft materials around and as wrapping for extra-large or oddly shaped presents.

I like calico totes. They're strong, washable, cheap to buy or make (and really they're easy to make) and they are easy to personalise.

I've made two this week, using bought totes (40% off at Lincraft, brought them down to $2.30 each). One I decorated with an iron on transfer I made and one I decorated by embroidering a picture onto a piece of fabric and attaching it to the tote as a pocket. They were both easy to do. Obviously the tote with the iron-on transfer was the fastest but the embroidered pocket only took about an hour to do all up (the sewing machine did the embroidery).

Vintage Rose Tote

You will need:
Calico or plain coloured cotton tote
A picture to fit the tote
Iron-on transfer paper*
Iron
Pillowcase

Step 1. Wash and dry your bag. I like to pre-wash the bags so that if they shrink they'll do so before the transfer is applied. Iron it.

Step 2. Find an image to use as the transfer. I found this image here:  http://www.freeprettythingsforyou.com/ Make sure it is going to fit onto your tote. I usually print the image then use it as a template to work out the placement of the actual transfer.

Step 3. Follow the instructions on your transfer paper to print then apply the transfer to your tote.

And voila - in around 30 minutes (more if you can't make up your mind about the image) you have a lovely and unique tote to use or give as a gift for around $6.

This is a tote with an embroidered pocket. I embroidered the piece of fabric for the pocket (it only took a few minutes using the sewing machine) and then attached the pocket to the front of the tote. You'll need a sewing machine with a free arm for this or you'll need to unpick the tote, attach the pocket and re-stitch the seams.

*Spotlight and Lincraft sell iron-on transfer paper, but it's expensive. Buy it on sale (at least 40% off to make it cheap enough). You can also get it at Officeworks, where the packs are bigger, bringing the price per sheet down. Again, wait for a sale if you can. I have found it in some $2 shops too and it seems to be just as good a quality for a fraction of the price.

The Week that Was

Marigolds - not just colour for the garden but pest control for the tomatoes. I love their bright, happy colours!

Looking back I've managed to get a lot done this week that will boost our coffers or stretch our budget.

Planted cucumbers, more tomatoes, more zucchini and some rainbow silverbeet. The older zucchini plants already have flowers - yay! We may actually get a decent crop this year :)

Picked the oranges and mandarins off the fruit trees for morning teas.

Diluted a bottle of dishwashing liquid 50:50 with water. It works just as well diluted as it does full strength, and I'm getting two bottles for the price of one.

Finished off the Christmas gifts I was making.

Stitched some buttons on a couple of shirts so they can be worn again.

Cooked all our meals from scratch using ingredients already in the pantry, fridge or freezer.

Queried a bill I was sure had been paid - it had - so gratefully accepted the refund. It pays to keep track of payments.

Collected the water from the showers and kitchen and used it for cleaning this week. We've had rain so it wasn't need on the garden.

The boys helped me put another set of shelves in the laundry so I can finally get the stockpile sorted into a decent order and have it (mostly) in the one place. Now I can do a detailed inventory and make a list of the last few grocery items we need to see us through 2016.

Had a wonderful day yesterday with Pamela, Joy, Wendy, Maureen, Anne, Meg, Lee and Mel. We went shopping for card making bargains (and I think everyone picked up a few) then spent the afternoon making lots and lots and lots of cards - our most productive afternoon since the group started. Stay tuned for the instructions to make a lovely boxed set, perfect for a gift (teacher, thank you, birthday, Mother's Day, just because) that will cost you under $2 to make - really!

Gratefully accepted some Grosse Lisse tomato seedlings - they're now planted in tomato bags.

Also accepted some chili con carne seasonings. I don't buy ready-made seasonings, but these are perfect for packing in our camping tucker box instead of decanting and packing a jar from the kitchen. Chili is a great campfire meal and we have it a lot when we're camping.

Was surprised with a beautiful card and an extra special surprise gift from a beautiful friend. Wayne and I are overwhelmed at your kindness and thoughtfulness and we can't thank you enough. It was the perfect end to a lovely week. Thank you :)

Cath's Meal Plan 8/11 - 14/11/2015

Tomorrow I'm hosting the November gathering of the Cheapskates Crafters card making ladies (doesn't that sound formal, it's really just a bunch who like to get together to chat and make cards) and I can't wait. As per our usual routine we all bring a small plate of something yummy to share for afternoon tea.

I've made this Simple Lemon Cake to share tomorrow afternoon. It's delicious, moist and really good.

Simple Lemon Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups SR flour
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup water
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 pkt lemon jelly crystals
1 cup icing sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice

Method:
Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Grease and flour a 22cm x 33cm cake tin. Mix all cake ingredients, except icing sugar and lemon juice, and beating well. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes. Test cake is cooked by inserting a toothpick into the centre. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. While cake is baking, mix icing sugar and lemon juice. Spread over a warm cake for a crusty glaze or over a cool cake for a thicker glaze.

This week we will be eating:

Sunday: Roast Chicken

Monday: Fish with lemon sauce, salad, wedges

Tuesday: Spag bol, garlic bread, salad

Wednesday: BBQ chicken legs, fried rice

Thursday: MOO Pizza

Friday: Silverside, mash, cabbage, carrots, white sauce

Saturday: Spring rolls, fried rice

Proof of Prices When Shopping

Proof of Prices When Shopping

I love the price book which we have just started. When going through the junk mail I make a list of what we need from each shop and staple it to the front of the brochure. I make sure I add the size of the product and the price. This way when I get to the checkout if there is a price dispute I can refer to the brochure straight away, as I found today that some items advertised in the brochure weren't actually marked down. I found this saves time and hassles.
Contributed by Cheryl

A Welcoming Front Door Decoration

First impressions count, and a lovely entrance to welcome your visitors makes a great first impression. Cheapskater Patricia has come up with a really nice way to decorate your front door, and in true Cheapskater fashion, it costs virtually nothing and re-uses materials you already have. I love this idea, and can see greenery and gum nuts with some splashes of red from poinsettias for a beautiful Christmas decoration.

A Welcoming Front Door Decoration

These decorations can be used at any time e.g.: Christmas, Easter, birthdays. Collect some small glass jars, the small thin jam ones are good. I had some little glass jugs and maple syrup jars with a handle, the more rustic the better. Tie and knot lengths of string firmly a couple of times around the neck or handle. Make sure they are secure, then hang a various lengths from a sturdy hook near the front door. Adjust lengths by knotting string then fill the jars with water and a few pretty flowers and greenery. Don't over crowd. The colours depend on what is in the garden, daisy, herbs, lavender are lovely but berries are nice and bright in winter. I like to have odd numbers of jars, 5 is good. Cost: virtually nil. If you are a Cheapskater, you will usually have jars, string and a hook somewhere saved for 'just in case'!
Contributed by Patricia Cooper

Stocking Fillers That Make Kids and Mum Happy

It's that time of year, when we all start thinking about Christmas and presents and stockings. It's a bit hard not to really, when the shops are already all decked out with Christmas decorations and are already having sales. Tanya's tip is a great idea, it's what  used to do with our kids' stockings.

I'd put in character toothpaste and toothbrush, pencils, textas, gel pens, pads of coloured paper, a box of their favourite cold cereal (because we don't have cold cereals through the year), a small packet of their favourite lollies, shower gel, socks, pjs, and so on. It made the stockings special for the kids without hurting our spending plan.

Stocking Fillers That Make Kids and Mum Happy

I fill my children's Christmas stockings with useful things like novelty toothbrushes and toothpaste, reams of coloured paper, bubbles, play doh, bubble bath. I try and buy for example a large bottle of bubble bath for each of them so three big bottles of bubble bath lasts us the year. I don't give them these types of things during the year so they are a treat at Christmas time. I always check the clearance tables at the supermarkets and departments stores and find I can pick them up cheaply through the year. Their stockings are full and they feel like they have lots of presents and I am happy because most of it is consumables that we use!
Contributed by Tanya

Coconut Roughs

These are so easy to make, frugal and just delicious. They make really nice gifts. I like to bag them up and then team them with either a box of nice tea bags or coffee bags and either a tea cup and saucer or a coffee mug. The whole gift can cost less than $7 if  you shop around.

Coconut Roughs

Ingredients:
200g milk chocolate melts
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup desiccated coconut

Method:
Line a biscuit sheet with baking paper. Melt the chocolate, either in the microwave, or in a double boiler. Stir in the coconuts. Drop teaspoonfuls onto the tray. Work quickly so they hold their shape. Set in the fridge. Once set store in an air-tight container in the fridge or freeze them.

Teaspoonfuls of coconut rough mixture ready to go into the fridge to set

I use the shredded coconut to give them the rough texture and the desiccated coconut to give them some body. You can use all of either if you prefer. I find the shredded coconut is more expensive so to keep the price down I mix it up.

I buy the chocolate melts on half-price sale during the year. I use Aldi desiccated coconut and I buy the shredded coconut from The Kitchen Pantry in Croydon.

Trying out some great Aldi products

Some of the Aldi products I tried last week. Lesson learnt: don't leave food out when I'm not home, it gets eaten!

Last week I was asked by A Current Affair to try some Aldi products. Now you all know that I am a big fan of Aldi, I do the bulk of all my grocery shopping at my local Aldi in Vermont South, so I was more than a little excited to try some products.

I had a giggle to myself when the list of products was sent, because the comment was "you probably already have most of these items" - how wrong the writer was - of the 10 items on the list I had one. And that one item was Blitz Mints. I love them. I buy them every month and keep them in my handbag, in my desk drawer, in the car - anywhere I spend a lot of time.

So I'll start my product review with Blitz mints. At $1.99 a tin they're cheaper than other similar mints on the market. They're nice and minty, without burning my mouth as the other brands do. And I like the tins - I recycle them into all sorts of useful things.

The other nine items, in no particular order were:

Cornflakes. 
You'd think cornflakes would be cornflakes, but I loved these, mainly because they didn't go soggy in the bowl (a big blerk to soggy cereal). They were a nice gold colour and on comparing the ingredients with other similar cornflakes on the market the main difference was the Aldi cornflakes didn't have added Vitamin E, otherwise they're pretty much the same. Now, while I loved them, my family weren't so fussed. They actually didn't like their ability to stay crunchy in milk. Would I buy these cornflakes? Perhaps once a year for a treat. We don't eat cold cereals other than wheat biscuits and bran, preferring porridge or a savoury on toast for breakfast.

English Breakfast tea bags 50 pack. 
Yes, I am a coffee drinker and I love my Aldi Expressi pods. But just lately I've started to enjoy a cup of tea now and then too. I buy and like the Aldi Diplomat tea bags, but I'd never tried the English Breakfast tea bags before. Wow! I loved the tea. It was strong and fragrant, with a distinct flavour that I quite liked. They definitely have a stronger aroma than the Twinings English Breakfast tea bags I've been using. Would I buy these tea bags? Probably, as a treat for me. I'll stick with the Diplomat tea bags for the family.

Just Organic Honey.
This one sparked a discussion on just what makes honey organic (with two suggesting that honey is organic by nature) and how can you tell if it truly is organic. Either way it is more expensive (as per the usual organic produce pattern) than the regular Aldi honey. To my untrained palate it tasted just like honey, and I wasn't alone - we all decided it was just as nice as our regular honey. Would I buy it? No, I don't think so. I like the 700g jar I'm buying now for flavour and price.

Ocean Rise Chunk Tuna Italian 95g
In small tins. What can I say? I don’t buy tuna in small tins, it is a waste of money to me but I understand why some folk do. Smaller individual sized tins are great for singles, to pack in lunch boxes, take on picnics, keep in desk drawers for emergency lunches. I tried this tuna in spring water on a cracker, straight from the can. I loved it. I'm a fan of tuna and prefer it to other fish, especially in cooking and salads. This tuna was enough for two crackers and it was a nice even colour and a lovely, flaky texture. Would I buy it? In the small cans no. I already buy the large cans to use in Tuna Surprise, Curried Tuna Slice, sandwiches and salads.

Chocoeur Hazelnut Block.
Yum! It's smooth, creamy and chocolatey and full of crunch hazelnuts. Would I buy it? Short answer: yes.

Cranberry drink.
I couldn't tell the difference between the Aldi cranberry drink and the Ocean Spray. I do occasionally buy it, when it's on sale, to make pink punch. Would I buy it in the future? Probably, to make pink punch; it's cheaper than Ocean Spray.

Just Divine chocolate biscuits.
Oh boy these are good. I've decided I prefer them to Tim Tams simply because they're a different shape and so the actual biscuit is a little chunkier. They taste nice, the chocolate coating is delicious and of course, like all Aldi products, they're a great price.

40% Choc Chip Cookies
I liked them, the family didn't. The main complaint was that they "don't taste homemade". Hmmm. I guess that could be because they're not homemade. They were full of choc chips and again were a nice chunky biscuit. Would I buy them? Probably not, I can make 5 Minute Choc Chip Cookies for a fraction of the price and my family prefers homemade.

Dishwasher tablets.
Not a fan. Sorry Aldi, but I would do a happy dance if the dishwasher powder came back. Why? Firstly the powder did a great job, better than the tablets (I'm not sure my dishwasher likes tablets). Secondly it is so much cheaper - 1 kilo of powder costs $2.19 (Coles Savings brand) and I get 45 washes from one box. Yes, I measure the powder carefully (two teaspoons of powder in the dispenser - the teaspoon measure stays in the container of powder). The tablets save three seconds to measure, but in my dishwasher they didn't clean the dishes as well as the powder and I tried three different loads. Would I buy Aldi dishwasher tablets? No, but then I won't be buying any brand of dishwasher tablets.

And that's the ten products I tried.

Overall they were good and offer great value and good savings for shoppers.

Am I suggesting you try them? No. I was asked for my opinion on the 10 products, and that's what I've given. Nine of the products were new to me, they're not a part of my normal ingredients based shopping list.

It was nice to try them and I'm grateful for the opportunity. If any of those items are on your regular shopping list then by all means try them. If you love them you'll save some money. If you don't like them, then you can simply go back to buying your favourite brands (on sale of course).

You can see the A Current Affair story here.

How to Make Pretty Gift Bows for Just a Few Cents

I first saw these bows online a few years ago and fell in love with them (and I'm really sorry, I can't remember the website - when I find the original notes I'll put a link here). I just love to tizzy up gifts and make them look extra special for the extra special people I'm giving them too, and these are so easy to make and once you've done a couple really quick too.

You will need:
Thick wrapping paper (double-sided is nice if you have it)
Scissors
Thin ribbon

Step 1.  Take your wrapping paper and cut a strip approximately 30cm long. Fold it in half, then cut it into squares.

Step 2.  Now take a square and fold the bottom edge up, without creasing the paper, leaving about a 5mm space from the top edge.

Step 3. Cut from the bottom, up towards the fold, in 1cm strips. I don't measure them, I just eyeball it. You can measure if you want to. Don't cut right to the fold - leave about 1cm. Hint: Smaller, narrower strips curl better.

Step 4.  Open out the square. You should have cut ends, with a solid centre.

Step 5.  Fold the  strips accordion style, as if you were making a paper fan. Tie in the centre with a piece of ribbon or string or yarn to hold the strips in place.

Step 6.  Take your scissors and, on the wrong side of a strip, gently run the angled blade of your scissors towards you (angling the blade will give you a corkscrew effect - a flat blade gives a tight curl). If you've curled curling ribbon it's the same process. Just be very gentle or you'll tear the paper strips. If you do, don't worry, curl the others and they'll cover the gap. Repeat for all the strips in your bundle and your ribbon bow is done.

To stick your bows to your gift or gift bag use a dab of hot glue, or of strong craft glue or a couple of sticky foamies, a small piece of double-sided tape works too.

They look great on parcels and gift bags and cost just a few cents and take just a couple of minutes to make - it takes less than 5 minutes to make six or seven of these simple bows, they really are that quick and easy!

You can use the paper you've wrapped the gift in for matching bows or use coordinating paper for a more colourful look.

If you really love them, you can use them to cover a wreath shape for a pretty and unique decoration.

I've used them to cover egg rings, put a pillar candle in the centre and used them as candle holders on our Christmas dinner table too.

I've also seen them made from autumn toned papers and used to cover a wreath base to make a beautiful autumn wreath.

How would you use these pretty bows?

The Week that Was

Welcome to November! The year is almost over, where has it gone?

The past week has been quiet. I've not been 100% fit, Mum hasn't been 100% fit and Hannah hasn't been 100% fit. I think our illnesses are a reaction to the hectic and stressful few weeks we've been through, our bodies' ways of telling us we need to drink more water, eat better food and get more sleep (well that's what I'm being told!).

This bug we've all had is stubborn and lingering. We are treating the cough with lemon and manuka honey tea. The stash of lemon juice in the freezer is quickly shrinking, but thank goodness it was there. Lemons are 80c  - $1 each from the greengrocer at the moment and I'm using six, sometimes eight, a day at the moment. Juicing lemons and freezing the juice may not seem such a big money saver but this week the few minutes I spent juicing has saved us between $42 - $48! Lemon and honey is a great sore throat soother and cough suppressant, I'm so glad I've been able to make it for us.

I pottered in the garden on Monday afternoon for an hour or so, weeding and watering and checking mulch levels. I found a few vacant spots amongst the beans so planted more seeds to fill them in. Turned over a couple of empty beds ready for tomatoes, basil and cucumbers to go in. Stomped on a few ants - I hate doing it but they are just everywhere, even in the grass under the clothesline and hanging or bringing in the washing is horribly painful.

Picked my daily fruit portions from the garden. Fresh from the tree oranges, mandarins and grapefruit and a handful of juicy, sun warmed strawberries - nothing you can buy even comes close for flavour and juiciness.

Bought 6 huge bunches of celery from Bushy Park (99c a bunch) and diced and bagged it then put it all in the freezer.

Downloaded some more free ebooks for my Kindle.

Trimmed the bottlebrush that hangs over the clothesline. It's in full bloom and stunning, but it's also dropping blossom on the washing! I just cut back the few branches enough that they don't get the clothesline.

Made some white oil and sprayed the citrus trees and roses. Cost 75 cents to make, saved $12.61.

Watched the weather forecast and checked the BOM radar each day to work out if I needed to water or not. Didn't water Friday as rain was forecast. Listened to the thunder and then rain early Saturday morning and prayed my thanks for the showers - just enough to water without drowning my little plants.

Embroidered Hannah's initials on her towels for trade school  so she doesn't lose them. Apparently these towels have legs and go wandering from time to time, saves replacing them at $8 a pop when they do  :)

Gratefully accepted some samples of cornflakes, chocolate biscuits (which the kids didn't like, they said they're not as nice as homemade), tea bags, honey, mints, tuna, hazelnut chocolate, cranberry drink and dishwasher tablets, a nice boost to the stockpile and some treats I wouldn't normally buy.

Used leftover wrapping paper to make the curly bows for this year's Christmas presents. Saving? Depending on the type of bows you buy between $7 and $60. They're quick and easy, I did them while watching a free DVD of a trip Wayne and I have on our to-do list - the Madigan Line across the Simpson Desert. A girl can dream and plan.

Worked on some more Christmas presents using materials I already had. Made five gifts, saving the $50 that was budgeted for these gifts. The retail price is around $100.

Cooked our meals from scratch, using ingredients in the pantry, fridge and freezer.

Skipped my usual top-up shop on Tuesday and just stretched the milk and cheese to last until yesterday when I called in to Aldi after picking Hannah up from work - combining trips and saving a week's milk and bread money. I'll stretch this lot to last until 10th.

Used some donated card stock and some from my stash to make kits for the charity Christmas cards. Can't wait until next week to see if the card ladies can get them all finished, ready to hand over to Wendy's husband. What an effort that would be :)

Made a batch of simple soap, some for us and some to use for gifts. Scented it lavender (my favourite at the moment) and it smells lovely.

Saved the hems off some towels I'm crocheting around to use as ties in the veggie garden. They're strong, but soft so they won't damage the plants.