We're Doing OK, No Need to Panic

The nightly news preview flashed across the TV screen, and within minutes my inbox and Facebook had started to fill up with doom and gloom.

The Australian stock market had suffered the biggest losses in twelve months. Wall Street was going backwards faster than ever. Fortunes were being lost in the blink of an eye.

And I sat and watched and thought "we're doing OK, no need to panic".

I was grateful on Thursday afternoon that we are debt free. I was grateful that our savings are in Australian banks (not all in one bank, even I'm not that trusting!). I was grateful that the losses felt by stockmarkets around the world didn't have a direct, personal impact on our lifestyle.

I was grateful that we have a very comfortable roof over our heads.

I was grateful that we had food to eat for dinner.

I was grateful for a mother who kept a fully stocked pantry, and taught me to do the same, and to stockpile for times of trouble.

I was grateful for a backyard big enough to handle our veggie garden, and for the seeds and seedlings that will feed us through the summer.

I was grateful that we had learned long ago that there is no such thing as good debt, and that when you have debt, you own nothing; that we worked and scrimped and scraped and saved and went without luxuries (we never, ever went without necessities) to pay down our debt so we would own everything we have.

I was grateful that Wayne would come in from work, relaxed and happy; that we would be able to sleep that night, secure in the knowledge that those huge losses wouldn't hurt us.

But most of all I was grateful that, whatever the storm, we would face it together. And together we would come through it, we would be OK.

Friday!

It's Friday already. This week has flown by, and yet every morning when I've woken up, I've wished it was the weekend.

Not sleeping well really throws my energy levels out, and then I feel like I work all day and get nothing done, and that's disheartening.

So this morning, while I was drinking my coffee (yes, I've given in and am having one cup of coffee a day) I thought I'd make a list to see just what I've accomplished this week. Looking back, I'm stunned, because it sure doesn't feel like I've done all these things.

• Daily routines have been completed every day.
• All our meals have been cooked from scratch.
• Made a triple batch of Miracle Spray (it's red again).
• Refilled the vinegar decanter.
• Topped up all the canisters in the pantry. While I was doing this, I emptied each shelf and wiped it over. I did this a couple of weeks ago, but it doesn't take long for it to get messy if I'm not vigilant in making sure everything is put back properly.
• Took a bundle of text books to the op shop.
• Knitted four dishcloths for the Crafy Mums Christmas Garage Sale.
• Completed calendars for the Crafty Mums Christmas Garage Sale.
• Made a batch of yoghurt.
• Made a quadruple batch of MOO Condensed Milk and froze it, ready for Christmas baking.
• Made a batch of fruit cup cakes.
• Spent half a day with Wendy, packing pamper packs for the charity hampers and making cards.
• Visited Mum twice.
• Researched natural pain relief and made a tincture that will hopefully help with the pain in my feet, which in turn should help with my sleeping issues.
• Watched Pine Gap on iview while I was knitting - much better than I thought it would be, it has held my interest this week.
• Pottered around in the garden, picking strawberries and getting another two beds ready for planting.
• Sprinkled herb seeds around the potted fruit trees. If they grow the plants will fill the gaps and make mowing easier. And I'll have sweet basil and dill to pick fresh from the garden.
• Sowed more lettuce seeds and the first lot of radish seeds. I'm the only one who likes radishes, but I use them in coleslaw so I succession plant a row every couple of weeks.
• Picked oranges for the fruit bowl.
• And of course worked on the Cheapskates Club, especially the Own Your Christmas Challenge and the newsletters for the next few weeks.

I think where I went astray was in thinking I hadn't done anything major this week. I haven't, or at least not one big job.

Looking back, it was lots of little things that made up the week, so when I told Wayne I was just puddling around, I was. But I was puddling around getting things done!

Do you ever have days or weeks when you feel like you've accomplished nothing? Do you make a list of what you've done, just so you'll know?

Stretching the Food You have 'til it Fits Your Budget

Last week I challenged Cheapskaters, in the weekly newsletter, to trim 10 per cent from their grocery budget.

This week's challenge is to trim another 10 per cent from your grocery budget, but you're probably thinking there's no way you can do that without causing a riot.

Well there is, and it's simple: stretch food the food you have; and I don't mean by pulling!

Think about the food you have on your shopping list, and the food you have on hand. Now think about how you can stretch those foods, and still eat well, and enough.

I always start wiht meat. Meat is the most expensive component of most meals, so to me it's the obvious place to start with the stretching.

Then think about vegetables and fruit. Do you use all the fruit and veg you have? Or do you find, come garbage day, that you're dumping fuzzy or slimy or stinky or hairy fruit and veg? Because if you're buying it, and then dumping it, you may as well just put the money straight into the bin!

 Some simple ways to stretch food to produce more serves are:

1. Add an equal quantity of TVP, rolled oats or cooked rice to mince when making rissoles and meatballs. You'll get double the quantity, giving you and extra meal for less than half the price.

2. Stretch mince based pasta sauces and taco fillings by whizzing a tin of baked beans per 500g mince in the food processor until the crumbs are the same size as the mince crumbs, and add to the dish. You're adding bulk, and fibre, and doubling the recipe for a fraction of the cost of the same quantity of mince . When the baked beans are whizzed, they can't be detected in the pasta sauce or taco filling. Mince is $7/kg (the cheapest around here right now), while baked beans are around $2/kg. The saving is obvious isn't it?

3. Add a tablespoon (or two) of milk to mayonnaise jars and bottles when they are getting low. Shake well to combine and no one will know the difference.

4. Add a little water or stock to pasta sauce jars, swish and pour into pasta sauces. You'll get every drop of sauce from the bottle and stretch it at the same time.

5. Use a silicone spatula to scrape out margarine containers, peanut butter, jam, honey, cream and Vegemite jars. You'll be shocked at just how much is left in the jar if you use just a knife to scrape it - easily two or three sandwiches worth, and that's money you'd be putting in the bin if you don't scrape. I bought a set of 3 silicone spatulas from Big W for uder $5 about 10 years ago and they're still going strong and have saved many times their cost.

6. Instead of serving whole chicken fillets, dice them into 2cm cubes. Two medium chicken breast fillets will then easily serve four (or five in our case!). The diced chicken can be used in casseroles, enchiladas, apricot chicken, sweet'n'sour etc. 

7. Don't pound meat to make it thin. Slice chicken fillets and steaks in half through the middle, creating two full fillets or steaks from each one. Cut larger steaks down so they're about the size of the palm of your hand - that's all that's required for a serve, anymore and you're just overeating and over-spending.

8. Always take the tenderloins off chicken breast fillets and use them for a separate meal. Save them in the freezer until you have enough to make crumbed chicken wraps or dice them use them in curries and stews.

9. When mashing potato use some of the water it was steamed or boiled in instead of milk. The potato will be lovely and fluffy, no added fat and no extra cost.

10. Always make stock from roast bones. Chicken carcasses and lamb bones make lovely stock which can then be used to make soup, gravies and risottos and cook rice or pasta.

These are just some ways I've managed to keep our food bill down over the years. It was a learniing curve, and  I'm still on it.  I'lm always looking for ways to trim the grocery budget, without compromising nutrition and taste.

If I can do it, you can too!

We've Eaten Down the Freezer

And now it's time to restock, so this morning I hit Australian Butcher in Boronia and bought some meat.

I spent $110.65 and bought enough meat for 24 meals, bringing the meat per meal cost down to just  $4.61 or 92 cents per serve. That's below my limit of $5 per meal so I'm really happy, especially as there are three meals of steak in that cost.

 $110.65 for 24 meals!

I bought sausages, mince, chicken fillets, chicken breast schnitzels (they were marked down) and steak. Yes, real steak. Wayne and the boys will be thrilled. We rarely eat steak, simply because it's expensive and rarely on a good enough sale to fit within my $5 per meal average meat cost.

As soon as Tom carried it all in from the car, I portioned it out and packed and vacuum sealed it, then it was straight into the freezer.

All packed into meals, ready for the freezer

With the three roasts and two silversides that were left in the freezers, there is enough meat and chicken for around six weeks (we don't have meat every night).

And that will take me into December, and I'll be ready to do the final meat shop for the year.

Fluffy Rice - Perfect for Frying

For plump, fluffy, clump-free  rice every time simply rinse the dry rice before cooking.  I worked with a lovely Chinese lady way before I was married (turned out her husband was one of my Year 12 teachers), and she used to give us single girls cooking lessons at lunchtime. This is how she taught me to prepare rice, and its never failed me. So thank you Mrs. Wong!

Rinsing takes the starch off the grains. Place the rice in a bowl of cool water and swirl around with a fork or your hand (make sure you wash first) until the starch makes the water cloudy. Drain and repeat until the water stays clear. Then cook as usual. The grains of rice will be perfectly fluffed and separate.  Excess cooked rice can be frozen for the future.

I cook rice in the microwave. It isn't any faster than on the stove, but it doesn't boil over and the pot is easy to clean. I simply measure one cup of rice to two cups of stock or water, add just a splash of oil and microwave on HIGH for 15 minutes.

The result is perfectly cooked rice. I fork it over as soon as it's cooked, and if it's to be used for fried rice it goes into the fridge overnight.

Easy!

After the grocery shopping yesterday (fruit and veg from Pellegrino's) Hannah asked for fried rice for lunches. That's why I was cooking rice, and what prompted me to share the how to and my recipe, or at least how I make fried rice.

I start with diced onion, sliced spring onion and sliced celery and some frozen peas, carrots and corn. They are sauteed in a pan with a little hot vegetable oil, until clear. Put them aside and cook 2 or 3 beaten eggs. Either cut it into strips when done (if you're being fancy) or shred with a fork.  Add the veggies back to the pan, along with some diced, cooke chicken. Now I season. I add ginger and garlic to taste and stir through the veg. Stir the rice through in stagesd, just so it all combines neatly. Heat through, watching so the rice doesn't stick to the pan. Just before serving sprinkle with a little soy sauce and stir.

If we have mushrooms, I'll add them. We don't often have bean shoots, but when we do I add them with the veggies. Sometimes we don't have chicken, so it's a vegetarian fried rice.

It's flexible and everyone likes it. It makes great lunches. It goes well as a side to grilled meat or chicke. It goes with stir-fries.

It's not at all authentic, but I never meant it to be. This was a made-up on the go recipe I created when money was tight and ingredients were few and basic. It's stood the test of time, still one of my most made recipes.

End of Year Spice Top-Up

With starting the Christmas baking, a trip to Hindustan Imports was on the to-do list for today. We were right out of glace cherries, slivered almonds, coconut and sweet basil. I also had vanilla beans and bay leaves on the shopping list.

The bay leaves and basil have been put away already!

The total came to $55.30 and I brought home:
2 vanilla beans ($2.90ea) $5.80
2 x 1kg shredded coconut $12.60
2 x 1kg glace cherries $24.00
100g sweet basil $2.20
500g slivered almonds $8.50
50g bay leaves $2.20

Well worth the 25 minute drive to keep almost $80 in my grocery budget!

If I'd bought them from the supermarket (I've just checked the price at colesonline.com.au) I'd have paid $133.78:
2 vanilla beans $8.00
2kg shredded coconut $30.24
2kg glace cherries $50.00
100g sweet basil $23.50
500g slivered almonds $17.39
50g bay leaves $4.65

For long term storage I keep the cherries, almonds and coconut in the freezer. It allows me to buy in bulk without worrying about losing quality while I use everything up. Mind you, most of the cherries and almonds will go in Christmas baking. We use a lot of coconut in baking and muesli so while 2 kilos sounds a lot, it won't last that long.

I've already put fresh bay leaves on the pantry shelves and in the flour canisters. Bay leaves help repel pantry moths, and therefore weevils and when I cleaned the pantry I composted the old bay leaves, so they needed to be replaced. I also have bouquet garni kits on the list for Christmas gifts and to go into the cooking hampers..

If you've ever wondered if it's worth either making the trip to Hindustan (if you're in Melbourne) or shopping online, it is. Shopping online is easy, and they do offer free delivery on Melbourne orders over $90.

If the thought of spending $90 on herbs and spices, flours, lentils and legumes is overwhelming, consider sharing an order with a friend or two to take advantage of the free delivery.

This will see us through to the end of the year, and I'll do a bulk shop as part of my once-a-year shopping in January to top up all the herbs and spices.

MOO All Year Round Air Freshener

We've had two glorious days here this week.

I've put washing out, washed windows, washed doonas ready to pack away for the summer and pottered in the garden.

And I've had the doors and windows open wide to let some clean, fresh, spring air through the house - at least until it started to cool down in the afternoon.

But it is spring in Melbourne, and that means the weather is more than changeable. Today it is blowing a gale, drizzling rain and quite cool, so the doors and windows are closed.

On days like this, or during winter when the heater is going, the house can get stale, no matter how clean it is. The air just gets stale.

The solution is an air freshener, but commercial sprays just don't smell right to me. I don't want fake ocean breeze or synthetic lavender; I like clean, natural scents all year round. That means of course that I like to MOO the air fresheners used in our house, and this is one of my favourites, especially at this time of year. I shared it as today's tip of the day to Cheapskates Club members this morning too - that's how much I like it.

All Year Round Spring Fresh Air Freshener

You will need:
6 drops eucalyptus essential oil
10 drops rose essential oil
10 drops lavender essentail oil
250ml spray bottle
Water

Half fill the spray bottle with boiling water (if your bottle is plastic, let the water cool a little first).  Add the oils and stir. Fill the bottle with cool water. Spritz the air throughout your home for a spring fresh scent whenever you need it. Warning: don't spray directly on furniture or soft furnishings.

White Chocolate Lemon Shortbread Bars

This is today's recipe from the Cheapskates Club. Hannah and I made it on Sunday for Father's Day afternoon tea and it disappeared in quick time. We all loved it, and it will go into my recipe book as a keeper.

I used lemon juice and zest from the freezer, and white choc melts bought earlier in the year on half-price sale, which helped to keep the cost down.

Author: Cath Armstrong

White Chocolate Lemon Shortbread

ingredients:

• 3 cups plain flour
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar, divided
• 2 tbsp grated lemon zest
• 375g butter, softened, cut up
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 90g white chocolate

instructions:

1. Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line two lamington trays with baking paper. Whisk flour, 1 cup of the sugar and lemon zest in large bowl.
2. With pastry blender, butter knife or the tines of a fork, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Divide dough in half, and press dough into prepared pans; sprinkle the top of each pan with 1 tablespoon sugar. Mark into fingers with a butter knife.
3. Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
4. Meanwhile, place chocolate in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until melted, stirring every 30 seconds until is melted and smooth. Drizzle over bars.

The Smart Stockpile

This topic was brought to mind earlier this week when I was listening to ABC radio and they were talking about food security, and just how little Australia really has. The drought was mentioned, as was the shrinking number of primary producers, and our reliance more and more on importing what we need. They also talked about the  nine meals from anarchy theory, and how our shopping habits are shifting from the big weekly shop to smaller, daily food shops.

There's  no need to panic or become scared, but a good time to think about putting some kind of plan in place so if you do have a disaster (financial, health, weather related, whatever) it won't be a disaster but rather a hiccup.

If you are stockpiling for the long-term, to save money and to survive a disaster (of any kind), try to stockpile high protein foods first, then other dry goods. So aim to  keep a good stock of legumes - dried beans and lentils store well on the pantry shelf and are a high protein alternative to meat. A little serve provides a good whack of nutrients. Then look to stockpile flour - it does have a shelf life believe it or not, and it will go sour over time. Self-raising flour will lose it's ability to rise so keeping plain flours and baking powder (or the ingredients to MOO it) solves that problem. Flour can be frozen too. I pack it in 2kg lots, vac seal it and freeze it. Tinned tomatoes are always handy - even tinned they are good nutritional value. Dried fruits last just about forever, however they will lose freshness and become candied. For the long term they can be frozen too.

Now, the problem with freezing everything is that if the power were to go out for any length of time then that frozen stockpile is lost.

I still freeze a good portion of my food stockpile but I started bottling more about 7 years ago, and the last two years have preserved by bottling around a third. I'm saving up for a pressure canner so I can actually "can" soups, stews, casseroles, pasta dishes etc. for long term storage instead of relying on the freezer.

A good way to recession or disaster proof your grocery bill is to grow your own vegetables and fruit. I can't stress this enough; it will save you a fortune and if the supermarkets were to close you'd have food in the garden, not only to eat but to sell or barter for things you don't have. And homegrown is always best, being fresher and in most cases chemical free. It does not take a lot of time to grow food, it does take commitment. You do need to water, mulch, plant, weed, harvest, start seedlings and so on but none of these things is hard nor do they take a lot of time, they don't even need to take up a lot of space.

My stockpile is a little odd:

12 months cleaning and toiletries (soap, bicarb soda, borax, washing soda, eucalyptus oil, vinegar, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes)

I usually have 12 months of pasta, sauces (tomato, barbecue, sweet chilli are the main ones - I usually make them in Jan/Feb for the year - Worcestershire which I am about to make another batch of as I've just opened the last bottle and I like it to sit for 6 months before I use it), jam and marmalade (I make them all year round), salt, lentils, beans.

12 months canned goods: tomatoes, tomato soup, chicken soup, baked beans, black beans, beetroot, tuna, salmon, tinned fruit, pineapple

6 months baking supplies: flours, dried fruits, spices, sugars, molasses, golden syrup, nuts, bicarb soda, citric acid, tartaric acid, cream of tartar etc.

3 months of meat, chicken, frozen veg, hard cheeses, butter, weet bix, bran, ricies, peanut butter, vegemite, honey.  All these things could easily be stretched to 6 months if necessary (I know, I've done it before).

The only paper goods we use regularly are toilet paper and baking paper (which I buy from Aldi, same price per metre as the bulk pack).

I've been thinking about our stockpile, how we use it, and how we live now and plan to live in the future and next year our stockpile will grow a little, to hold 18 months worth of our "supermarket" supplies.

You don't need to go to extremes to build a stockpile. Most of you have seen my pantry, shelving and laundry cupboard on TV (they always seem to find a way to get it at its worst!). That's most of it. The toiletries are in the bathroom cupboards.

Smart people only stockpile the things they use regularly, buying them when on sale. Once you have a stockpile you'll never pay full price for groceries again, saving you even more money and helping you stick to your grocery budget.

A Homemade Remedy to Ease a Cough and a Sore Throat

AJ came home last night with a nasty cough and a sore throat.

Straight away I went to the cupboard and took the jar of Manuka honey, and gave him a big teaspoonful to suck. He whinged - it doesn't taste nice - but it works so being the mean mother I am, even though he's an adult, I stood next to him to make sure it all went down.

The relief to his sore throat was almost instant, and his cough eased a little, but still niggled.

Then I remembered this recipe for homemade cough drops I found on Frugal Farm Wife, and went straight to the kitchen to make a batch.

Because they're no-cook, and they use ingredients I always have on hand, it was quick and easy. We were blessed with four jars of coconut oil a couple of weeks ago so they didn't cost much to make either.

Instead of raw honey, I used Manuka honey, and the peppermint oil was a doTERRA oil (Hannah is a doTERRA consultant). Coconut oil and honey are both antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral - perfect for treating winter bugs. And they're safe to use as often as necessary, with no nasty side effects.

Before I went to bed AJ suffered another teaspoonful of Manuka, and I sat a dish of cough drops next to his bed for him.

They worked! I was expecting him to stay home today, he really was that unwell last night, but this morning his sore throat was gone and the cough was barely there.

He swallowed another spoonful of Manuka honey and packed a container of cough drops before he left for work, happy as larry and feeling fine.

Author: Cath Armstrong

MOO Peppermint Cough Drops

These MOO cough drops ease coughs and sore throats quickly and effectivley.

ingredients:

• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup Manuka honey (or raw honey)
• 2 - 3 drops pure peppermint essential oil

instructions:

1. Stir the honey and peppermint oil into the coconut oil. Don't be tempted to melt the coconut oil, the honey will sink to the bottom and it won't blend.
2. Press into a small, baking paper lined dish, or use a silicone cake pan.
3. Mark into 1cm squares with a knife and refrigerate until firm.
4. Store in the fridge in an air-tight container.
5. Have one - two every 20 - 30 minutes to ease coughing. 

Making Meals Cheaper - One Pan Dinners

French Shepherd's Pie

When time is poor and the budget is tight, my go to dinners are simple one-pan meals. I love them.

Almost a whole meal is done in one pan - only one pan to wash! That really makes me smile. Only one burner on the stove = less gas used, a slightly cheaper bill and that make me smile too. Or just the slow cooker or pressure cooker is used - both of them pretty much set and forget cooking and I smile when I use these "handmaidens" because they free me up to do other things.

But what I really like about one pan dinners is that they make meals cheaper.

One pan dinners often use very little meat. Think Tuna Surprise is another budget winner, coming in at around 60 cents per serve (depending on which tuna you buy and whether you MOO the cream of chicken soup or buy a tin). It's simply a tin of tuna, a tin of cream of chicken soup (or the equivalent of MOO Cream of Chicken Soup), 3 cups of cooked rice or macaroni and then whatever leftover or sad veggies you have. I often add frozen peas and corn, grated carrot, diced onion, sliced celery, shredded silverbeet or spinach, and grated zucchini depending on what is lurking in the fridge or freezer. To keep the cost down, instead of grated cheese, the top is sprinkled with MOO breadcrumbs that have been mixed in a little melted butter. This is delicious with salad, hot or cold and it freezes and thaws well.

Tonight we're having French Shepherd's Pie for dinner. Yes, I've rearranged the meal plan yet again - it's not set in concrete. After a club dinner at the weekend we were gifted the leftover roast lamb, roast beef and roast chicken, as well as peas, corn, carrots and a big tub of gravy. There was enough for at least five meals for us, and that's an enormous blessing.

It was all immediately packaged into meal portions and put into the freezer, but when Hannah realised there was some lamb, she requested French Shepherd's Pie.

French Shepherd's Pie uses as little as 200g of leftover roast meat, some mashed potato and a few herbs and can easily feed six people for under $3 - that's just 50 cents a serve and a definite budget winner. And tonight's dinner will cost under $2, with leftovers for tomorrow's lunch.

I love one pan dinners, especially when they're almost free. Even when they're not, they save so much time and energy I try to have at least one on the meal plan each week.

Yield: 6Author: Cath Armstrong

French Shepherd's Pie

This dish uses the scraps of lamb left from a roast. You don't need a lot of meat to make a hearty dinner, full of flavour, that everyone will love.

ingredients:

• Leftover roast lamb or beef, about 200g OR
  200g mince
• 1 large onion, grated
• 1/2 tsp mixed herbs
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 large potatoes, peeled and boiled
• 1 beaten egg
• Olive oil for frying

instructions:

1. Oil a lasagne dish well. Cut lamb or beef into 1cm cubes or brown and drain mince. 
2. In a large fry pan heat a little olive oil and fry onion until transparent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
3. Add meat and herbs, mix to combine.
4. Mash potatoes and stir through the meat mixture. 
5. Pat the potato mixture into the lasagne dish. Run a fork over the top of the potato to rough up. Brush with beaten egg.
6. Cook in a moderate oven for 25 - 30 minutes until heated through and top is golden brown. Serve warm.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Re-building the stockpile - starting early

Having been away for six weeks earlier this year, and not doing any grocery shopping while we were away, then just doing the absolute necessities since then, the grocery slush fund is quite healthy.

But the pantry and freezer are looking a little thin, to be expected as we're almost three quarters of the way through the year.  I'll tackle the freezer later, but this week I decided to use the slush fund to re-build the grocery stockpile now, as much as I could, back to a 12 month supply.

Why? Well because the slush fund is healthy, and right now there are some great grocery bargains happening on things we use regularly.  I am looking forward and seeing price increases due to the drought.  Already butter and cheese have skyrocketed in price, and I can see flour and flour products going up and up and up in the near future as wheat crops fail.

And because the stockpile is like my security blanket - I can cope when I know I can feed my family, and keep them and our home clean and healthy.

It's important to me to be able to provide healthy, tasty meals for my family. It's important to me to be able to keep our home clean and comfortable. It's important to me to ensure our personal hygiene is exemplary. And it's very important to us as a family that all these things are done within our means. I consider these things to be a part of my job as wife, mother and homemaker. Having a stockpile makes my job so much easier, simply by reducing the stress of grocery shopping.

Here's a list of our basic stockpile, broken down into categories:

Grocery stockpile:

Baked Beans
Baking Paper
Cereal - Ricies
Cereal - Weet-bix -1.2kg
Cereal -All Bran
Cereal -Rolled Oats
Choc Bits/Melts
Clingwrap
Cocoa
Condiments - Coleslaw dressing
Condiments - Herbs
Condiments - Honey
Condiments - Jam
Condiments - Mayo
Condiments - Nutella
Condiments - Peanut butter
Condiments - Peppercorns
Condiments - Salt
Condiments - Spices
Condiments - Stock cubes
Condiments - Vegemite
Cornflour
Cream of Chicken Soup
Custard Powder
Dried Fruit - Cherries
Dried Fruit - Dates
Dried Fruit - Mixed Fruit
Dried Fruit - Sultanas
Drinks - Coffee, Instant
Drinks - Coffee, Pods
Drinks - Cordial
Drinks -  Tea bags
Flour - Gluten
Flour - Plain
Flour - SR
Foil
Icing Sugar
Legumes - black beans (canned)
Legumes - soup mix
Legumes - split peas
Legumes - kidney beans
Molasses
Mustard - wholegrain
Nuts: almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts
Oil - Olive
Oil - Vegetable
Pasta - Noodles
Pasta - Spaghetti
Pineapple rings
Popping corn
Powdered Milk
Rice
Sauce - BBQ
Sauce - Soy
Sauce - Sweet Chilli
Sauce - Tomato 2L
Spaghetti - tinned
Sugar
Tinned fruit
Tomato Soup
Tuna
Yeast

Freezer stockpile:

Butter
Casserole/Stewing Steak
Cheese - Tasty
Chicken - Drumsticks
Chicken - Fillets
Chicken - Wings
Chickens - Whole
Corned Beef
Fruit - oranges, strawberries,  apples, lemons, peaches
Legs of Lamb
Mince
Roasting Beef
Sausage mince
Sausages
Steak
Vegetables - carrots, celery, onion, eggplant, capsicum, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, pumpkin, tomatoes

Non-Food pantry stockpile:

Oven bags
Freezer bags
Foil
Clingwrap
Vacuum bags (for the Foodsaver, not the vacuum cleaner!)
Baking paper
Patty pans of various sizes
Freezer paper
Paper bags
Foil trays
Serviettes
Plastic tablecloths

Cleaning stockpile:

Laundry soap
Borax
Washing Soda
Bicarbonate Soda
Citric Acid
Eucalyptus oil
Lavender oil
Ti Tree oil
Salt
Ocedar furniture oil
White vinegar
Dishwashing detergent
Dishwasher powder
Scrub buds
Matches
Spare gas lighters (2)
Bug spray

Toiletries stockpile:

Toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Toothbrush heads (for the electric toothbrushes)
Mouthwash
Dental floss
Shampoo
Conditioner
Hair spray
Deodorant
Moisturiser
BB cream
Mascara
Lipstick
Lip balm
Razors
Shaving cream
Bodywash
Soap
Dove bars
Body cream
Handcream
Sunscreen

First aid stockpile:

Bandaids of various shapes and sizes
Burn cream
Burn dressings
Betadine gargle
Betadine
Dettol
Antiseptic cream
Antiseptic wipes
Peroxide
Bandages
Elastic bandages
Paracetamol
Ibuprofen
Zyrtec
Immodium
Saline
Eye bath
Water purification tablets

Garden stockpile:

Lots of different types of seeds
Icy pole sticks to use as plant markers
Twine
Torn sheets to use as ties
Brass hose fittings (2 spare sets)

Clothing stockpile 

(these days I only stockpile for Wayne and myself):
Socks
Underwear
T-shirts
Long sleeved t-shirts
PJs
Nighties
Track pants (for Wayne)
Slippers
Gloves
Beanies
Scarves
Spencers
Warm winter jackets (bought at Aldi on half-price clearance - $9.95 each!)

Gift stockpile:

Wrapping paper
Gift bags (new)
Gift bags (recycled)
Cards & envelopes (birthday, thank you, thinking of you etc.)
Gift cards  & envelopes
Gift tags
Sticky tape
Double-sided tape
Ribbons
Bows
Curling Ribbon
And lots of things for presents, but because the recipients read my blog, I'm not listing them!

My list this week will had flour, sugar, butter, hard cheese, baked beans, tomato soup, pineapple, spaghetti on the Aldi list and use some of the slush fund to pay for them.

On the Coles list I had toilet paper, laundry soap and borax and I used Flybuys dollars to pay for them - which essentially made them free. I only collect Flybuys points on fuel and the few regular grocery items I can't get at Aldi, so it takes a while to build up but every little bit helps our budget so we soldier on until we have enough points to go shopping.

Happiness Homemade - MOO Fabric Softener

Vinegar is an amazing fabric softener, and it works to keep your washing machine clean too. But sometimes you want something more. Something with a little fragrance, that will remove all the detergent residue, keep the laundry soft and not damage your washing machine (and most commercial fabric softeners are not friendly towards your washing machine).

This fabric softener works a treat if you have sensitive skin, suffer from eczema, dermatitis or psoriasis or if you're sensitive to the ingredients in commercial products.

So here's a simple, frugal, effective and safe fabric softener you can whip up in under a minute.

You will need:
Epsom salts
Non-iodised rock salt
10 - 15 drops of your favourite pure essential oil

Simple put equal quantities of Epsom salts and sea salt in a jar, add your essential oils and shake like crazy to mix.

Then add 1 tablespoon into the washing machine (I add it in when I add the detergent) and let it do its job.

How easy is that?

You can buy Epsom salts from the supermarket and some pharmacies. It will cost you about $8.50 for a kilo box.
Rock salt is approximately $4/kilo.
Essential oils vary hugely in price, but I allow 10 drops costing 50 cents (most will be much less, this works for me and makes costing the fabric softener a little easier).

That equates to $6.50 per kilo, or 7.5 cents per tablespoon (working on 64 tablespoons per kilo average in an 8 kilo washing machine).

Use it Up - Day 2

Please forgive the terrible photo, I took it in a hurry this morning. I'll reshoot it later, for a better view of the Use It Up cards!

Yesterday I used up more scrapbooking paper, and managed to get cards and matching envelopes made. Each card also has a matching gift tag in the bag.

There was a little paper left from each set, so I very quickly turned those bits into laminated bookmarks.

So, 10 full sheets of DSP used, 11 scraps of Christmas DSP, some little bits from the scrap box and three A4 laminating sheets for the bookmarks.

The stash is slowly, slowly disappearing.

What did you use up yesterday?

IT'S TIME TO WASH THE WASHING MACHINE FOR JULY

There is an easy, cheap and energy efficient way to keep your washing machine clean and in tip top shape, and it works. It's the method I've been using for 26 years.

First thing you need to do is find out if your washing machine actually has a lint filter. My HE machine didn't, my new machine does, so check your handbook to find out if your machine has a lint filter.

If your washing machine is a top loader it should have a lint filter in the agitator.  Pull out the top of the agitator and it should have some kind of little bag or basket attached to it.

Gently take it off and give it a good clean. You may need to empty the lint out of it first. Then rinse it under hot water. If you use fabric softener then you will also need to soak it for a few minutes in white vinegar. Fabric softeners leave a film over the mesh that actually stops the water from getting through. You need to get rid of this build up.

Front loaders have different lint filters - check your handbook to find out where it is and how to get to it.

If you empty and rinse the lint filter after every wash you'll stop those black flakes of gunk that sometimes appear on your washing - that's the old muck out of the lint filter flowing back up into the bowl. Yuk!

While the lint filter is soaking, get a cloth and a bucket of warm water and add a splash of vinegar (about 1 cup). Use this to wipe around the top of the bowl, under the lid, over the outside of the cabinet etc. Don't forget the inside of the agitator and the fabric softener dispenser. If it's particularly grungy, sprinkle with bi-carb and use this as a scouring powder. Just watch your fingers - the edges of all those ridges and rims can be sharp (guess how I know!).

Put the lint filter back together and replace the top of the agitator. Then run your washing machine through a full cycle on the longest and hottest wash cycle (this is the only time I use a hot wash) and add a full 2 litre bottle of vinegar to it. Don't add any clothes or other detergents; let the vinegar work its magic. The vinegar will remove the scum and gunk and any hard-water build up in the bowl and hoses.

Wipe over the outside of the machine with a damp cloth and dry.

You washing machine will sparkle inside and out. Do this on a regular basis and you'll extend the life of your machine and save on costly maintenance calls.

My handbook suggests every 100 washes, for me that's about every two months because of the amount of washing I do. For my mother it's every six months or so as she only does two loads a week. If your family is larger you may need to do this more often. It may seem like a tedious chore but it is worth taking care of this most useful household appliance.

Think about what you'd do if you couldn't use your washing machine for a week - hand-washing, paying for the laundromat -and you'll see the benefit quickly.

Meal Plan Week 30, 2018

On Sunday we'll be eating the last of the roast lamb from the freezer. This means I'll be watching for specials. At the moment the cheapest I've seen legs of lamb is $9.99'kg - double what I'm used to paying! My brother tells me that it's only $8.99/kg at Costco, so I may use their membership to buy a couple, I'll have to see how the meat budget is holding up.

The silverside is also the last of a lot I was able to get on sale a few months ago. This one is a huge piece, so it will easily do two dinners and perhaps the scraps on the carving tray will be enough to make Corned Beef Pie for the weekend.

Thank goodness it's nearly time for a quarterly meat shop.

Next week we will be eating:

Sunday: Roast Lamb

Monday: Spicy baked chicken pieces, potato bake

Tuesday: Spaghetti Bolognese

Wednesday: Crockpot silverside, cabbage

Thursday: MOO Pizza

Friday: Mexican Meatballs

Saturday: Hamburgers, wedges

In the fruit bowl: mandarins, apples, bananas

Cath's Meal Plan

Next week we will be eating:

Sunday: Roast Beef

Monday: Mock chicken roast, baked veg

Tuesday: Refrigerator lasagne, salad, garlic bread

Wednesday: Stuffed chicken legs, baked veg

Thursday: MOO Pizza

Friday: Fish & Chips, coleslaw

Saturday: Hamburgers

Refrigerator Lasagne

Ingredients:
500g mince
2 tins baked beans
250g grated mozzarella
250g grated tasty cheese
250g cottage cheese
2 tins tomato soup
1 tin diced tomatoes
1 large onion, diced
1 tsp dried basil
1 clove garlic, crushed
Lasagne noodles

Method:
Brown meat, garlic, basil and onions; drain. Whizz baked beans until they resemble the mince. Combine baked beans, meat, tomato soup, diced tomatoes and simmer. Use 9"x13" cake pan. Pour just enough sauce to cover bottom of pan. Layer raw (uncooked) noodles, sauce, half mozzarella, half tasty cheese and cottage cheese until all used up. Cover with foil. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour. Can be frozen after overnight refrigeration.

IT'S TIME TO CLEAN THE DISHWASHER FOR JULY

We're almost home, but the kids are still in charge of cleaning the dishwasher for this month. 

It's a simple household chore, that only takes a few minutes, to keep your dishwasher running properly, and that could potentially save you hundreds in repair and service costs, if not a new dishwasher before needed.

How to clean your dishwasher:

Step 1.  Place a dishwasher-safe cup filled with plain white vinegar on the top rack of your empty dishwasher. The vinegar will help to wash away the loose, greasy grime, sanitizes, and helps remove the musty odour.

Step 2. Sprinkle a cup of bicarbonate soda around the bottom of the dishwasher. The bicarbonate soda will help freshen the smell of the dishwasher as well as brighten up the look of the inside of your appliance by removing stains.

Step 3.  Using the hottest water available, run the dishwasher through a cycle – except for the cup of vinegar, the dishwasher needs to be empty.

Now that the dishwasher is clean and running right here are a few tips to keep it that way until the next cleaning.

Run a bit of hot water in your sink before running the dishwasher. You will get cleaner dishes if the water starts hot. You can collect the water you run and use it to fill the kettle or for watering plants or other purposes. Run the water until what comes out of the tap feels hot.

Make sure your water starts hot enough. Set the thermostat on your hot water service to 50 degrees Celsius. Water that is cooler than this won’t be hot enough to clean properly and water that is any hotter could scald.

A routine dishwasher cleaning is a good habit to get into. Mark it on the calendar to do regularly each month, the same day you do the drains and the washing machine.

IT'S TIME TO WASH THE WASHING MACHINE FOR JUNE

There is an easy, cheap and energy efficient way to keep your washing machine clean and in tip top shape, and it works. It's the method I've been using for 26 years.

First thing you need to do is find out if your washing machine actually has a lint filter. My HE machine didn't, my new machine does, so check your handbook to find out if your machine has a lint filter.

If your washing machine is a top loader it should have a lint filter in the agitator.  Pull out the top of the agitator and it should have some kind of little bag or basket attached to it.

Gently take it off and give it a good clean. You may need to empty the lint out of it first. Then rinse it under hot water. If you use fabric softener then you will also need to soak it for a few minutes in white vinegar. Fabric softeners leave a film over the mesh that actually stops the water from getting through. You need to get rid of this build up.

Front loaders have different lint filters - check your handbook to find out where it is and how to get to it.

If you empty and rinse the lint filter after every wash you'll stop those black flakes of gunk that sometimes appear on your washing - that's the old muck out of the lint filter flowing back up into the bowl. Yuk!

While the lint filter is soaking, get a cloth and a bucket of warm water and add a splash of vinegar (about 1 cup). Use this to wipe around the top of the bowl, under the lid, over the outside of the cabinet etc. Don't forget the inside of the agitator and the fabric softener dispenser. If it's particularly grungy, sprinkle with bi-carb and use this as a scouring powder. Just watch your fingers - the edges of all those ridges and rims can be sharp (guess how I know!).

Put the lint filter back together and replace the top of the agitator. Then run your washing machine through a full cycle on the longest and hottest wash cycle (this is the only time I use a hot wash) and add a full 2 litre bottle of vinegar to it. Don't add any clothes or other detergents; let the vinegar work its magic. The vinegar will remove the scum and gunk and any hard-water build up in the bowl and hoses.

Wipe over the outside of the machine with a damp cloth and dry.

You washing machine will sparkle inside and out. Do this on a regular basis and you'll extend the life of your machine and save on costly maintenance calls.

My handbook suggests every 100 washes, for me that's about every two months because of the amount of washing I do. For my mother it's every six months or so as she only does two loads a week. If your family is larger you may need to do this more often. It may seem like a tedious chore but it is worth taking care of this most useful household appliance.

Think about what you'd do if you couldn't use your washing machine for a week - hand-washing, paying for the laundromat -and you'll see the benefit quickly.

Cath's Meal Plan

Fried Rice - a truly frugal Cheapskates style meal

Next week we will be eating:

Sunday: Roast Chicken

Monday: Curried tuna rice slice, tossed salad

Tuesday: Veggie pasta bake, salad, garlic bread

Wednesday: Wellington loaf, baked veg, gravy

Thursday: MOO Pizza

Friday: Fried rice, satay vegetables

Saturday: Fried rice, rice paper rolls, dipping sauces