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.

Cath's Meal Plan 1st - 7th November 2015

I've been spoilt this year having a Tasman Meat store close by. The low prices at Tasman have really helped our grocery budget, but now even their prices are going up. $6.99 a kilo for regular mince is way beyond my budget, let alone anything like steak or a roast so things are looking grim here in the meat department.

I have plenty of chicken fillets (they've been consistently no more than $6.99 all year) but red meat is getting very low. I'll be going back to my favourite vegetarian recipes very soon if I can't find a decent meat sale.

This week we're having individual meatloaves (or giant rissoles!). I make individual meatloaves because the recipe goes further. I can get 12 little meatloaves from one rissole recipe, so that's two family meals and two singles serves for the freezer. If I were to make a single meatloaf from the recipe I'd get one family meal and maybe four single serves for the freezer.

In reality it is simple portion control. I could just cut the slice thinner and still get 12 from the one loaf, but aesthetically they'd look skimpy and mean.

Appearances are everything and a lovely little glazed and shiny individual meatloaf, browned and plump, surrounded by vegetables on the plate looks so much more. And so I make little meatloaves and stretch our grocery budget just a little more.

Individual Meatloaves

Ingredients:
500g mince
1 cup rolled oats
1 large carrot, grated
1 large onion, grated
1 large tomato, diced
1 large zucchini, grated
2 sticks celery, finely sliced
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Glaze:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Combine all meatloaf ingredients together well. Use your hands to mix, it's easier. Divide the mixture into 12. Grease a 12 cup mini loaf tin. Press the mixture into the tin. If you don't have a mini loaf tin, use a large muffin tin or shape the loaves by hand and bake them on a biscuit tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 15 minutes.

While the loaves are cooking make the glaze by combining all the ingredients. After 15 minutes cooking time brush each loaf with the glaze. Return to the oven and bake a further 15 - 20 minutes or until the tops are sticky and the loaves are cooked through. Baste with any leftover glaze during the cooking time.

I serve these with mashed potato and steamed veggies (carrot straws, broccoli, beans, corn etc.)

Sunday: Roast Lamb

Monday: Individual meatloaves, potato casserole, steamed carrots & beans

Tuesday: Spag bol, salad, garlic toast

Wednesday: Chicken tortellini

Thursday: MOO Pizza

Friday: Italian Vegetarian Meatballs in tomato sauce over thin spaghetti

Saturday: Muffin Surprise

Being Aware saves you Big Time

When it comes to grocery shopping being aware is the thing that will save you the most money.

• Being aware that specials are not always specials.
• Being aware that "bulk" buys are not always cheaper.
• Being aware that supermarkets only want to part you from your money.

I believe that the best way to save money on your groceries is to pay for the things that are most important to you and for everything else get the best quality at the lowest possible price.

For example you can save up to 50% on staples by being aware. Flour is flour, sugar is sugar. (Generic flour and sugar are both products of Australia, saving you money and helping to keep Australian jobs.) Don't be tricked into paying extra for a brightly coloured pack or for the cardboard box – you just throw them away.

What to do with potato water

If you boil or steam peeled potatoes, don't throw out the water!

Potato water is so handy and can be used for so many things - even cleaning stainless steel!

It's full of nutrients, which means it's good for you, so use it. I use it instead of milk in mashed potatoes, it makes them light and fluffy. I also add it to stock to make soup, or to make gravy. It's good for thinning a pasta sauce too.

You can use it in baking, especially breads (it is especially good in cornbread), to replace some or all of the milk.

If you boil peeled potatoes for any reason, don't pour the water down the drain. It's chock full of nutrients and potato starch, which means it's good food.

If you find you can't use it in cooking, use it to clean your stainless steel cooktop or fridge or pots and pans. Just dip a cloth in the potato water and wipe it over the stainless steel then buff with a soft, dry cloth.

Potato water will keep in the fridge for a two to three days before it starts to get slimy. It will freeze, and be perfectly fine to consume when thawed but it will go grey and look horribly unappetising so I don't recommend freezing.

And, if after all those ideas, you still haven't used your potato water up, use it to water you pot plants. They'll love the moisture and the nutrient boost.

The Week that Was

The first red strawberry this season - and it was so very good :)

Downloaded some free ebooks for my Kindle from hundredzeroes.com. I am loving being able to read to my heart's content without having to go to the library (although I still go to the library) and without having to buy books (although I'll still buy books - I love my books). The variety available is amazing - novels, biographies,  cook books, lifestyle books - and all free!

Dried the washing on the line.

Kept the heater off - I'm thinking we may be able to turn the pilot on the central heating off for the summer a little early this year.

Caught the water from showers and the kitchen and used it to water pot plants, in the washing machine and to mop floors.

The roses have started to bloom again along the driveway

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

Tidied the linen cupboard and put aside a bag to go to the op shop.

Spent an hour tidying our wardrobe and put aside a bag to go to the op shop. Rearranged some storage so it's easier to access.

Worked on Christmas cards (some for the card swap, some for Mum and some to send to my card list).

Some of the Christmas cards made this week

Had a surprise weekend away from my darling husband. He used a gift voucher for accommodation and whisked me off to the new Mercure hotel in Warragul when I arrived home on Friday evening. He even packed our breakfasts, lunches, drinks and snacks. We bought a barbecue chicken and some bread rolls and some ice creams for our dinner last night.

Worked in the garden for a few hours this week. It's very therapeutic weeding and watering and mulching.

These are the peas when I last checked them - last Thursday

Had a quick business trip to Sydney and enjoyed a beautiful lunch on the Manly wharf, watching the ferries come and go before jumping in a taxi back to the airport. More about that and how it affects the Cheapskates Club soon.

Started using my 2016 diary! Already! Wow but time just flies by in this very hectic world we live in. I was dumbfounded when I realised I needed a new diary now. Thankfully I was able to find a school diary for $1.99. I always use a school diary - they have enough space to write appointments and jot down notes, they are a week to a   view, and have all the school and public holidays marked, as well as having space to note special projects, planning etc. But best of all they're sturdy and cheap, and fit neatly in my bag. So much better than any other diary I've tried over the years, and I've tried a few different brands and versions.

Used a 4c off voucher to fill the car with petrol on Thursday when it was $111c/litre. I'm finding that I'm driving less so I'm only having to fill up once every 16 days or so - our petrol budget is going down!

Reworked our budget for the rest of the year.

Dropped some unwanted clothes and doona covers we no longer need or use to the op shop.

And I've just put the roast in the oven for tea tonight, peeled the veggies and made an apple crumble to put in the oven later for dessert tonight.

And this is the week that was.

Cath's Meal Plan 25 - 31 October 2015

Over the last few weeks we've been eating out of the freezer, in the hopes of a decent meat sale. I'm still waiting, and freezer stocks are dwindling. There's not a whole lot of variety in there at the moment, so this week I've had to be creative and use what I have for dinner.

I found a piece of beef at the bottom of the roast bag, so it is scheduled for Wednesday night as a slow cooker roast because I'm busy all day Wednesday. The slow cooker isn't only for soups and stews, it does a great roast too - and not just in winter! It's also good for summer cooking - you get a lovely roast without having to heat the house up with the oven. I usually add the veggies to the slow cooker a couple of hours before the roast is ready and it becomes a one pot dinner. Can't get an easier roast dinner than that.

Slow Cooker Roast

I brown the roast on all sides, then cover it in a mixture of wholegrain mustard, garlic and ground pepper. I don't measure the garlic or pepper, but usually two cloves of garlic crushed is enough for our tastes. The browning gives the roast a nice colour (which it won't get in the slowcooker).

Put the browned meat onto a roasting or cake rack and pop the lot into the slow cooker. The rack out of my small roaster is the right size for my slow cooker. If you don't have a rack use an upside down bread and butter plate. This simple step keeps the roast up out of any juices and lets the meat actually roast rather than stew.  Pour a cup of water into the slow cooker. Cook on Low for 8 - 10 hours (depends on the size of the roast and the slow cooker - some cook faster and hotter than others).

After about six hours place your peeled and chopped veggies around the meat and let them cook while the meat is finishing.

When the meat and veggies are cooked remove them from the slow cooker. Remove the roasting rack or bread and butter plate and use the juices to make the gravy.

This week we will be eating:

Sunday: Roast Chicken

Monday: BBQ kransky, hot potato salad, coleslaw

Tuesday: Sweet-n-sour chicken, fried rice

Wednesday: Slow cooker pot roast, mashed potato, peas, corn, gravy

Thursday: MOO Pizza

Friday: Rissoles, mashed potato, steamed carrots & beans

Saturday: Haystacks

Sleep Like a Baby During a Heatwave

It's still spring and yet we've had record heat since the beginning of October, and that has meant some already very warm nights. This trip from Cheapskater Trudy is an easy way to keep cool on those hot, sticky summer (or spring!) nights, and it uses something most households probably already have.

Reverse Cycle Heat Bags

Sleep well at night by using reverse cycle heat bags. Put your wheat or rice packs in the freezer during the day and then use them to rest your feet on at night. You'll cool down really quickly and be able to sleep like a baby.
Contributed by Trudy

Wrinkly Stew

This meal idea was contributed by Cheapskater Gillian and I love it! It's a no waste recipe, perfect for we Cheapskaters who like to use every last veggie in the crisper. It's not a recipe as such, more a guideline on how to make a delicious meal using the wrinkly veggies lurking at the bottom of the fridge.

"At the end of the week before I go grocery shopping for fresh vegetables I take all the last week's vegetables out of the fridge. This way I start with a clean fridge. I chop up all the old bits and pieces of vegetables, add some spices and dried soup mix and let it all simmer in the crockpot for about four hours. Sometimes I will add curry spices, other times tomato and pasta, sometimes lentils and brown rice. This is then transferred into plastic containers, labelled and used for lunches. I save money on brown bagging my lunch instead of buying out. I save on time having to make up a separate lunch every day. My fresh vegetables seem to last longer and stay fresh since they are not mixed in with the old stuff from the week before."

Do you make a wrinkly stew (or soup)? What is your favourite way of using up the leftover veggies before your next shopping day?