Shoestring Sunday Reworked

It's been a while since I did a shoestring Sunday, but this week I finally have something important to write about.
Don't let your freezer get like this...

I'm loathe to admit that my freezer has been like this before and instead of getting the seal replaced then, I just defrosted it and started again...meaning to get it done at some point!
Right now I am enjoying 2 weeks annual leave so one of the jobs on my list was to defrost and get the seal replaced, BEFORE I turn it back on. I am also fortunate to have a friends fridge/freezer stored in my garage at the moment so I am using that space to store what was in my freezer. Tomorrow mornings job then is to find someone to replace it and at a reasonable price. Yes, it will cost me money to replace it, but at the same time it has been working very hard producing all that ice so in the long run it will save me money on my electricity bill and cut greenhouse gas emissions by replacing it.

Do you have something that you have procrastinated about that has cost you money?

As an added bonus http://www.momadvice.com/blog/ has a great article about running an energy efficient freezer. Amy also has lots of other great articles on her site as well as some yummy recipes on her other blog The Aldi Queen.

Three Gifts Challenge

Rhonda @ down to earth started this challenge last week and here is my contribution.

1. Always taking my bags with me to the supermarket (I also carry a small zip up bag in my handbag) - for those who forget their bags - PUT YOUR SHOPPING LIST IN THEM! That way if you get inside the supermarket you will have to go back for the list and the bags too :) If you leave them at home I can't help you with that one :)

2. Trying to buy items with the least amount of packaging, in recyclable packaging or buy in bulk where possible if it has to be in plastic.

3. Making myself some of the net produce bags and putting them with my grocery bags in the boot of my car (Immediately after I have unpacked them)

I'll also be continuing to try and use more public transport to work and riding my bike for errands. i haven't been doing this as much as I would like, but I have been trying to combine multiple errands when I am out and about :)

It's not too late to join up and spread the word - click the link and go join -oh and leave me a comment to let me know you have joined :)

Decluttering & Smiley Saturday

Weight loss is a form of decluttering...It won't happen overnight, but it will happen. After all in reality it didn't appear overnight so it won't disappear overnight either. Life would be so much simpler if we could lose weight as easily as we put it on, but that is not the case. It takes hard work, discipline, commitment and a great support network. Can I just say I have a fantastic group of family, friends and workmates, who are supporting me and some are joining me in my weight loss journey! One of my best friends & I are both following the Kate Morgan Plan, she has already lost quite a few kg so I am hoping to also do the same. I have been doing a little bit of exercise, but I have to say the excessively hot weather we are having right now has not really given me the enthusiasm to want to do too much.
In the mean time I have also been working on decluttering and cleaning up various parts of my house. Yesterday I totally cleaned my bathrooms (yes, I have two!) following mostly Rhonda's instructions for Green cleaning over at her blog Down to Earth. If you are not already a huge fan like I am, after one visit and reading her beautiful words you will be .
Yesterdays other mission was my dressing table/dresser top.
I started by taking everything off and giving it a good wipe over to remove allt he bust bunnies and everything else on it. I also changed the cover I have on it from a Thai woven purple and gold one with cute fringing to a white batternberg (sp?) lace one. Then I looked at all the items I had taken off and decided which ones I wanted to remain. The criteria was, is it something I either:
(a) use regularly
(b) love to look at or
(c) belongs with its friends who are on of the above.
My camera seems to have gone AWOL, but I will add a picture to this post of the finished product when I figure out where it is! Suffice to say it makes me smile each time I walk into my room, as does my semi-sparkling and decluttered bathroom. Hence I have linked to Lightening's Smiley Saturdays. Go here to see more!
Today list of things to do:
(a) declutter and re-organise my scrapbooking supplies
(b) make ice-cream using excess cream from Christmas
(c) make more beetroot relish - this is seriously good stuff if you haven't tried it you should! The recipe I used last time is here, but this time I am going to omit the cinnamon.
Okay enough blogging for today, off to have my breakfast and tackle the above list!
If anyone needs a bit of weight loss motivation I am happy to email support, just leave ma comment :)
Any other questions, thoughts etc...I love reading them :)
Take care of you.

Time Poor

I can hardly believe it has already been a week since my trip to Melbourne, this time last week I was zipping up my bag and heading off to the airport. The weekend seems to go so quickly when you only have one full day off. Yesterday wasn't very productive, but was just a fun day. I spent a bit of it laying around reading a few of my overdue library items! In the afternoon we rode our bikes to the library to return my overdue items, as well as borrow some new ones. We also went into the local supermarket to pick a few items that I needed for dinner. I haven't menu planned or shopped for the week but I decided to try and use mostly what I had on hand to make dinner. I ended up making Lentil and chickpea burgers, I had frozen pre-cooked chickpea in the freezer and all the other ingredients on hand. At the supermarket I purchased a few mushrooms, an avocado and a bag of capsicums to make up a side salad/dish to have with the burgers. Given the prices of groceries keep going up I am going to try and cook at least one meat free meal per week.
Back to work this morning and I am not taking my car today or tomorrow. Bus to work and then train + a ten minute walk home. Must scoot as I have washing to hang out and need to put together some lunch!
Have a great day :)

Another Shoestring Sunday

Shoestring Sunday's are a way to review my frugal/green activities for the past week and to look forward to what I might try next week.

MAKING - still working on the apron and haven't yet made my veggie bags!

REMEMBERING - to carry my zip-up shopping bag with me at all times. It takes up a little room in my handbag, but saves me so many times from bringing home another plastic bag. Also to put my "green" bags back in my car boot (trunk) as soon as I have finished unpacking the shopping.

SAYING NO - to plastic bags at the supermarket, by a small amount of rearranging my groceries they did all fit in my "green" bags I had brought from home.

MENU PLANNING - including side dishes in order to avoid wasting food. It seems I was in the
habit of buying the same fruit and veg each week, only to have odd leftovers which sometimes went bad before they got used. (see menu plan in separate post).

INVESTIGATING - Places in Adelaide that I can buy bulk items, like flour and sugar as well as looking for suitable vermin proof storage containers (also working out where to put said storage containers). Any ideas?

PRICING/investigating - Ice-cream makers. Have been thinking about it for a while as I can never quite figure out what to do with the empty containers. I would have one a month, sometimes more in summer, but given my son's limited diet it is one of the few treats he gets to have regularly. My parents are going to purchase my chosen model for me for Christmas. YAY!
Any feedback on this would be welcomed from any Aussie readers who have one - also would anyone know if Choice magazine might have a recent article I can read at the library?

BORROWING - Magazines, Books, CDs and DVDs from the library. This week we are listening to Lily Allen and watching Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.

COOKING - New recipes for Muffins, Greek Salad & Avocado and Orange Salad.

Thank you to Artman for my fantastic new logo :) If you want to join in shoestring Sunday please feel free to take the logo and use it on your page :)

Shoestring Sunday!

Thought I might try something new and share of few of my frugal/green ideas for the coming week. Thank you to Towards Sustainability for the inpiration to do this!

- CUTTING tubes open when I think they are empty - like my toothpaste this week. It amazes me how much more you can get out of the tube, when you think you have squeezed out every last drop.

- USING wooden pegs on my clothesline - I had some old style "dolly" pegs in my craft supplies that have now made it into my peg bag.

- MAKING
- waffles for breakfast - Yes, I also own another "maker" that makes the most lovely buttermilk waffles - they also freeze well like the donuts (for those of you who are interested) and reheat nicely in the toaster :)
- aprons for the apron swap at Down--to--Earth
- fruit and veggie bags from some netting I have left from my daughters fairy costume days
- rice bubble slice (very similar to the commercial LCM's) will post recipe later today.

- MENU PLANNING - will also post later today

What frugal/green activities have you been trying or will you try today? Do you like the idea of us all trying to post about his each week?

Greener Living

Thank you to Rhonda and all the ladies who post on her blog, for reminding me of all the things we can do/are doing to help make our lives greener. In response to her post of what will you do here is my list:
- using fabric shopping bags @ the supermarket
- having a bucket in the shower to catch the water before it heats up (about 4l per shower)
- having empty cordial bottles in my kitchen that I fill with the 3-4l before the hot water comes through - this is used for drinking, rinsing and filling the kettle - if all 6 bottles are full it is used in the washing machine or to water plants.
- bucketing the rinse water from the washing machine onto the garden (today I purchased a diverter hose to make it easier)
- not owning a clothes dryer - I have a fold down line under my verandah that most of the washing gets hung on. In winter if it is too damp I hang it inside in the lounge room where there is a heater.
- from a young age I have "nagged" my children into turning off lights and appliances (tv, vcr, dvd) when they are not being used - and to not leave those little standby lights on either!
-replacing ordinary globes with energy efficient globes when they stop working.
- removing the diffusers from most of said lights so I can get more light from said bulbs, has also meant I can use lower wattage.
- recycling as much as I can.
- buying goods with the least amount of packaging.
- making my own liquid laundry detergent (see post here)

I'm sure there are a lot of other things I do which will come to me later. I'm posting this quote directly from Rhonda's blog...
"So today my friends, I want you to commit to your change. I want you step up today and decide that even if you haven't done anything yet for your planet, and especially if you have, today I want you to tell me in the comments box what small step will start or continue you along the road to a greener life. I want you to tell me about your change and how it will affect your life. Please don't close this blog down now and walk away. Today is the day when instead of just knowing that something needs to be done, you start doing it.
I want every one of you to email this post to a friend so we can get a million small steps happening. I want you to help me tell as many people as possible that we are doing this. And, most of all, I want to know what you will do."
My commitment this month is to make some re-usable mesh bags for my fruit and veggies to be weighed in and no longer take home the plastic bags. I am also going to try and use my new diverter hose as much as possible, which might mean I have to spend a bit more time in the laundry, but so be it.
So what will you do? Leave me a comment and send the message to all your friends!

Home preserved

Well it seems it has been over a week since I last posted on here. It is amazing how one night of virtually no sleep can throw your body out of rhythm. I am finally starting to feel normal and get my household routines back in place. First on my agenda is to hang some washing, but my other task for today is to move my jars of preserved fruit to a new cupboard. Last year I was fortunate to get plums and apricots from friends' trees and some cheap nectarines from the local market. All these were dutifully "bottled" using my new Fowlers Vacola preserving unit (basically it is a large plastic barrel with a heating element in it). There are quite a few good websites out there with instructions on using them, so I won't bore you with the details. A few of the sites I refer to for help & parts are Bake and Brew and Green Living Australia. Rhonda is also going to be posting about preserving over the next few motns so keep an eye on her blog too! Or just use Google. I'll also post as I manage to do more preserving.
Anyway the washing machine is beeping to say it is finished so off I go to start my day! Hope you have a productive day and take care of you.

Homemade cleaning products

Thank you to Rhonda for posting the "recipes" for these wonderfully green and inexpensive cleaning products on her blog. I have to admit I was initially disappointed with the laundry "powder" I made up on the weekend. It was a very easy recipe, but obviously my washing machine water is too cold or it doesn't agitate enough to fully dissolve the soap flakes. Or it could be my box of soap flakes is old and a lot harder than they should be...I had to end up re-rinsing my first dark load to remove the soap flakes (No, I didn't use too much in fact I might have even been a bit stingy!) After my initial disappointment I found if I dissolved it first in hot or boiling water and added this to the machine it was fine.
But I am not the only one who washes in my house. So I decided to try making up the laundry liquid recipe instead. Given that I already had the ingredients mixed and in the same ratios I basically just scooped out 2 cups of my powder mix and dissolved it in hot water and brought it to the boil on the stove. Then I followed the rest of the instructions. I now have 10l of homemade laundry liquid ready to launch on my washing. I did the first load last night and it seems to have worked out okay!

I also have stored it in some recycled plastic bottles from milk and cordial. To me it will be more manageable that way. According to Rhonda's calculations it works out to $1.80 roughly for 10l - you can't argue with that price. In my mind the best part is knowing exactly the ingredients as well with no overpowering fragrances.

If you are game give the recipes a try...you might just be surprised!

Take care of you

Me time

Being a mum and a girlfriend and a workmate and a friend all takes time and effort. We all wear so many hats and try to do so much. I am ll for the slowing down and living in the moment. I don't want to be one of the people on their deathbed who regrets the life they had led.

Today I am having some me time. Time to do what I want to do. Admittedly I have a time frame in which to do but I can't totally neglect my responsibilities or my children. This morning after I finish my coffee I am heading off to the city. My first stop will be the Adelaide Central markets. I don't know how much I will actually buy today, more of an exploration of prices and the range of products available. I will be taking my price book with me as well as my own shopping bags so that I will not be carting home extra plastic bags or overpriced purchases.

After that I am dropping into my old workplace to say goodbye to one of the girls I have known there for a while. She is moving on to a new job. After that I am meeting my best friend for a quick lunch and will get a report on her latest visit to the ob/gyn. She only has 17 days till her delivery date. I am starting to get excited. After that I am off home to collect children form school.

Will hopefully report back tonight with my shopping adventures and any baby news!
Take care of you.

How hard really is it to be green?

Tonight I feel I need to stand on my sensible soap box for a few minutes. Today as I was picking up my reusable fabric shopping bag full of shopping I heard something that made me shake my head in wonder. The person behind me in line (who only had a small basket of shopping) was asked by the shop assistant if they would like their large 6 or 8 pack of plastic wrapped toilet paper in a plastic bag. See I don't get it...why do you need to put it in a bag in the first place? It is already in this case wrapped in plastic and I think easier to carry without a bag. After all if your hands are full with a bag each it is great to be able to tuck it under and arm. Even the paper covered recycled toilet paper I never find difficult to carry.

I've noticed a lot of people are generally thoughtless when it comes to things like this. I applaud companies like Bunnings and Ikea who actually charge you a nominal fee if you want your purchases in a bag. I look forward to the day that all companies do this. Unfortunately we may have to wait until 2009 before it becomes legislation, but until then we can all learn to say no.

"It is estimated that it takes the average Australian family four shopping trips to accumulate 60 plastic shopping bags. If everyone accepted one less plastic bag every time they went shopping, the number of bags used would be reduced substantially. " Go read some more about saying no to plastic bags here.

I'll stop now before I get too carried away, but I feel better for having said something.

Thank you for all the thoughts on my recovery. I can safely report I have not vacuumed, mopped or swept anything. Tomorrow morning I am going to catch up with a friend for coffee, before I start work at 1pm. The coffee thing is something I don't do as often as I would like, so I guess I really enjoy it when I do. While I am at the shopping centre I will also look for a doona/quilt for Sarah's soon to be queen size bed, although I will most likely get her a king size as I know I enjoy the extra width when it gets really cold. I also hopefully will spend the money I was given on Mother's Day on a new jacket/cardigan. I am hoping they have my size in the store tomorrow as I ordered it 10 days ago, but they never called to say it had arrived.

Friday will be busy as well but I will post more about my activities tomorrow.

Take care of you.

Inspiration

Certain major events in your life always make one think about how you are travelling. Going in hospital last week scared me a little and made me realise how much my family means to me. I guess there is always a risk with any anaesthetic and I did make sure I told my children that I loved them as well as my boyfriend and tried to spend lots of time with them the few days prior to my day surgery. Of course I came through with flying colours but it made me think about how I am living my life and what I would change given the opportunity. Being a single parent has made me frugal in a lot of ways, but I guess I still have things I like to splurge on. I have spent more time reading more blogs about people who are living simpler, more sustainable lives. I guess this is a path I am exploring and may eventually want to head down.

One person who really inspires me is Rhonda and her Down to Earth blog. I loved her post today about "convincing the family" and these words in particular summed up what I am trying to achieve with my family:
"It's more about giving up what you can do without so you have money for things that are important."

I have to say though that on the whole my children are great, they remember to turn off lights and since my son did a unit at school last term on sustainable living we have had a bucket in the shower. I mostly make a lot of our food from scratch, due to my son's food intolerances. I am taking baby steps to achieve my long term goal.

Other things I am trying for the first time are :
-growing my own veggies my spinach and bok-choy are growing very slowly, but given the prices of green vegetable right now i will start to give them a little more TLC to see if I can harvest the young leaves soon.
-a compost heap, which has been somewhat neglected, but as I have a few days off on the weekend I am hoping the weather will co-operate and I can mow the lawn (i.e. weeds) and fork over the compost heap!

Wish me luck !
Take care of you.

Carbon Cops

I watched the first episode of this new ABC TV series last week, but seems I missed it this week (my TV watching is minimal). Tonight I went surfing to check out the website to see what I had missed.
I stumbled across the Carbon Emissions Calculator so decided to give it a go. According to the website "Australian households generate almost one-fifth of Australia's total carbon emission - an average of 14 tonnes (14,000 KG) per household each year." I thought as a family we weren't doing too badly as I have probably gotten my kids well trained into turning things off when they leave a room (TVs, lights etc) and i was somewhat pleased to see that we are below average in this category. Our calculation showed 8370kg...still a lot I know but I must say just over 40% under the average makes me feel okay about how we are lessening our carbon footprint.
take care of you.

Home Front

Four Corners - Home Front - Jonathan Holmes explores practical ways for energy-guzzling Australians to cut their power consumption.

Four Corners has always been in my opinion one of the newsmakers....I wonder what impact this story will have on the average Australian or on our Government policies. Will people start listening, will they look at he energy efficiency of their new flat-screen TV before they purchase it? It needs to be driven by government to make it work, the Californian model was very interesting to see.
Just one quote:
"JONATHAN HOLMES: It's hard to avoid the conclusion that on policing the MEPS system, as in so many other areas of greenhouse policy, the Federal Government reacts - to industry, or media, or public pressure - rather than setting a pro-active policy."

Okay, now that I have that off my chest...what did I get up to today? I cooked, cleaned and washed and even shock horror ironed!! In case you didn't know, I hate ironing. It is one of my least favourite chores. I try to avoid buying clothes that need ironing.

I also had a bit of reality check. I made a phone call to Planning SA to enquire about the costs/processes involved in sub-diving my block. A lot of it seems to be happening in my area and as it stands no-one really uses my back yard. Just the government fees on the transaction are around the $5k mark...that doesn't include your own surveyors fees or the registration fees on the change of title, plus any additions/alterations to your property required by your council + SA waters charges to re-do the plumbing for a second allotment. Looks like I won't be moving on that plan for quite a few more years. So be it.
take care of you.