Tomato paste doubles as cheap puree

Tomato paste saves me valuable dollars on buying puree! Whenever a recipe calls for tomato puree, I just use a sachet of tomato paste and then add water to it to make it up to whatever quantity of puree is required. It works as well and tastes just as good. I like to buy the Delmaine concentrated tomato paste, which comes in four little tubs of 70gm each. It is so versatile, and compared to tomato paste takes up far less room in the pantry!

No more shopping lists with free app

We have eliminated paper shopping lists by using a free app called Our Groceries. You can link the app via entering one email address, so everyone who does the shopping at your house has the up to date grocery list at any time. The best thing is, you can customise the list to be very specific about what you want. There is a paid version of the app but we have been successfully using the free version and love it. No more wasted paper and no more forgetting things as the list is always with us!

Manual helps home and budget run like clockwork

I am a busy mum of two and my home manual helps my husband and I run our home efficiently, saving money and buying us both precious time to do things for ourselves.
The first section outlines the weekly and daily routines. The daily routine buys me 30 minutes to myself to exercise which makes me feel better throughout the day. My husband can also see when things get done, so he knows what to do if he is letting me have a sleep.
I let the girls watch TV until 9am so that I can complete a chore (clean the bathroom, dusting etc) each day. This helps me keep the house clean and tidy, and then I have the rest of the day to play with my children.
The next section covers dinners for the month. I have a weekly list of which dinners we will have and where to find the recipes for them. This saves time deciding what to have plus hubby or anyone who comes to stay can cook too.
The next section is shopping and supplies. I write all the ingredients needed for the month so I know exactly what I need. I keep catalogues in this section so when it’s shopping time I know where to get the specials.
I also asked for a floor layout plan of my supermarket so I don't need to walk down the aisles I don't need anything from. This saves time (especially when shopping with two young children) and money as I am not tempted by things in those aisles.
I also have a maintenance section with dates when items need maintenance done on them, eg. an oil change for the car. This means everything can be budgeted for and planned and it also helps prevent unexpected expenses, like changing gas bottles.
There is also a budget section of the manual which contains the monthly, weekly and annual budgets in it. We write down everything we spend in this section, so we can see where the extra dollars are spent!
Finally, I have an important numbers section such as insurance companies, medical centre etc so that everyone (including people who are staying) can get to them easily.
The manual doesn't always bring dollar savings, but its our way of making sure we don't waste time doing everyday household things so we maximise our family and down time.

A platter from 'nothing'

This hint was a saviour during our last $21 Challenge.

The girls were looking for lunch and complained there was nothing to eat, so I found a large plastic platter and put the following treats on it:

A leftover BBQ sausage, thinly sliced

Two slices of leftover bread, buttered and cut into quarters

A diced kiwifruit

Four strawberries

A small piece of cheese, diced

1/4 tin corn kernels in a lettuce leaf

A muffin, cut in quarters

Four leftover chicken nuggets, cut in halves

A dob of cream cheese with a little corn relish mixed in

Four cucumber slices

Four cherry tomatoes

One Vita Wheat, halved

I gave the girls and myself a saucer each, plus a cocktail fork and everything was eaten and enjoyed. Now we often have 'platter parties' for meals and snacks. A novel way to serve up a meal when you have 'nothing' to eat!