DIY 'Cryovac' seals your food at home for free!

My savvy DIY food sealing method has saved me a fortune and is so easy! I like to organise meals ahead of time, and have at times thrown out food due to serve freezer burn. I researched Cryovac machines, but priced at anywhere from $400 - $500, not to mention constantly buying bags, it was out of the question. So I came up with a solution! I fill up a container, or the kitchen sink, and when I have the meals prepared in bags and ready to go, I slowly lower it into the water until it is almost level with the top of the bag. Then I just seal it shut. The water forces the bag together and pushes out the air. It works a treat and I have saved hundreds not having to buy a machine, replacement bags and also power!

Cheap phones, games and movies from CeX

If you need to replace a mobile phone, make sure you check out CeX for great deals! They are Sydney based, but you can order online also. My old Samsung phone was dying, so I decided to get a replacement. I ordered a Huawei, and it was locked to Vodafone for just $80. I am using the Telco "Lebara" which is bought by Vodafone. The software is up to date too, better than the old Samsung! So if you know which provider you are connected to, e.g. Telstra, you can order a phone which is "locked" to them. Locked means, you can only use that provider's SIM card, no others. They have a lot of cheap games and movies available too! For more information, visit their website https://au.webuy.com/

Unique and useful gift in a box

A fantastic and unique gift for under $25 is the 'Useful Box'. It makes an ideal Christmas gift but can be used for any occasion. Basically this comprises of a pretty box which contains lots of those little useful things everyone needs but doesn't always have in one place; such as extra pens, string, Blu-Tac and so on - all the sort of things you want now and again but don't usually have on hand when you need them!

By buying all the supplies at the supermarket and a beautiful gift box at a discount store to present them in, I was able to create an entire Useful Box for just under $25, but you could make it even cheaper depending on where you purchase your supplies. To make it extra special, I wrote a little poem to go with the package! Here is a breakdown of the items I bought and their prices:

Bag of rubber bands - $0.69c
Self-contained sewing kit - $3.98
2-hole pencil sharpener - $0.79c
Paperclips - $0.59c
2-pack of stickytape - $1.19
5-pack of blue pens - $1.99
3-pack of 2B pencils - $1.29
2-pack of erasers - $0.55c
Post-it notes - $0.99c
Permanent marker - $0.83c
Blu-Tac - $1.80
String - $1.99
4-pack of AA batteries - $4.07
Gift box to put it all in - $4.00

TOTAL - $24.75

Other things that might be useful to add include fridge magnets, staples and safety pins. I do recommend keeping everything in its original packaging, to avoid people being stabbed by pins or the erasers getting grubby. Just pop everything in the gift box (including the poem if you wish) and either wrap the box itself up, or simply tie it securely with ribbon.

I printed my poem out and taped it to the underside of the gift box lid, then wrote in the card 'be sure to look under the lid!' You are welcome to use the poem below to make your own 'Useful Box'.

'The Useful Box'

I am a box of useful things,
Gathered from across the land.
Inside me find those things you need
But do not always have on hand.

Next time you scratch your head and think
'I wish I had some Post-it notes'
Just open up my lid and find
The very thing you needed most.

When pencils break or pens run out,
When sticky tape just disappears,
When batteries fail or string is needed,
Let this box allay your fears.

So use me as your Useful Box,
And if you wish please add to me
Those things you like to have on hand
So wanting you need never be!

Skint but stylish

Skint but stylish. That's how I like to think of my lifestyle, because it is such fun to live on the smell of an oily rag without anyone else knowing! Eighteen months ago, although in recovery from depression, I found myself many thousands of dollars in debt and with several accounts having been sent to collection agencies. I was also 31kg overweight and at risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. The excess weight (not to mention the stress!) was also making my arthritis worse. I was no longer able to work in my former profession and, as I was in my early sixties, I wasn't able to find other work and was on Centrelink (Social Security) benefits. I have since been transferred to the Age Pension. I knew I had to make some drastic changes, and pretty darn quickly too! I had just a few things going for me:

• My Visa card was a debit, not credit, card.

• My account was with a credit union, rather than a bank, and fees are much less.

• I was knowledgeable about nutrition.

• I was willing to face unpalatable facts about myself and make lifestyle changes.

With this small armoury, I prepared to do battle! The first thing I did was to sit down with all the paperwork, and list all the accounts, personal loans and the total. I nearly had a heart attack right there and then, but with the information, I was able to draw up a projected payments schedule. I contacted all the collection agencies and told them how much I proposed to pay each fortnight until all were paid. I did the same with private lenders. Nobody turned my proposal down; it really is true that, if you get in contact and show willingness, most lenders will give you time to pay. They would rather have their money than you in jail!

Step 2 was to organise payment of my electricity account by direct debit from my pension - what you never have, you never miss. Once the phone bill was paid off and reconnected, I did the same with that too. In all, my debt reduction program was going to be about $200 per fortnight, or roughly 34% of my pension and Centrelink allowances. Since my rent costs another 34%, the remaining 32% had to stretch to cover food, cleaning materials, clothing, pharmacy costs over the pharmacy allowance, fares for trips outside walking distance, presents, postage, life insurance and credit union fees (direct debit from my credit union account), occasional small charitable donations and the occasional small treat.

Step 3 was to go on to a sensible eating program (not a fad diet) that would help me to lose weight, bring my blood glucose and serum cholesterol levels into the normal range. A low GI, high carbohydrate, moderate protein, low-fat pattern fitted the bill in all respects. The challenge was: could I do it on $50-$75 per fortnight? The answer is yes! I make my own wholemeal bread, soups, skim milk yoghurt and lots of interesting dishes from many countries, based on grains and vegetable proteins, and stock up on tinned oily fish for essential fatty acids when on special. I have red meat and poultry only once or twice a fortnight and the rest of the time my proteins are derived from legumes, eggs and low-fat cheeses. It's just as well that I like oats! I drink two litres of water a day and make my own herbal teas from homegrown herbs. I don't buy soft drinks and buy leaf tea rather than tea bags, as it's better value per unit serving. I find whole fruit better all round than juice as a rule.

Step 4 was to get mobile! I walk, because I can't afford gym membership, and walking can be done by those who can't jog. Being out in the open air blows away the blues too. Having won a free pedometer, I wear it and try to reach 10,000 paces a day. I also started a vegetable garden and this saves me money where it counts, on vegetables, as well as being another source of fresh air and exercise.

Is it working? Is it what! In the last financial year I paid off $5000 in debts on the pension alone, and am on track to achieve the same amount this financial year. I lost 13kg in the same period - a nice, sustainable rate. My blood glucose level is normal, my serum cholesterol almost so, although because of familial hypercholesteraemia, I need some medication to help with that. I am continuing to lose weight slowly but surely and have much more endurance and less pain. My GP is nearly as stoked as I am. I take care of my clothes, believing that 'well-pressed is well-dressed', so my appearance doesn't give me away either. Occasionally I earn a little money from magazine contributions and this usually goes towards seeds or something else for the garden, but occasionally I restock the pantry with staples. I make my own cleaning products with such simple substances as vinegar, bi-carb of soda, washing soda crystals, soap scraps, eucalyptus oil and - wait for it - Worcestershire sauce (cleans brass and copper a treat, and one nearly always has it handy). I turn my appliances (apart from the fridge) off at the wall when not in use and have noticed a difference in my power usage. All my incandescent light bulbs have been replaced with long-life fluorescent ones, and by crafty use of acrylic-lined curtains I keep my house cooler in summer and warmer in winter. I pile on the clothing layers in winter and wear cool clothing in summer. If I'm watching TV in the winter, I cover my legs with a woollen rug and put on another cardigan if necessary, rather than turn up the heater.

Because I can't afford much for presents, I give of myself. A nice present is a 'book of vouchers', made attractively and containing such redeemable coupons as: 'This voucher is good for two hours' ironing... or an evening's baby-sitting... or... whatever!' Very few people say no to home-made goodies either. It makes me feel truly wealthy to give someone a loaf of bread still warm and fragrant from the oven, or a jar of chutney.