Berry nice savings to be had on blueberries!

I have found the answer to enjoying the health benefits of blueberries is in the freezer aisle! Blueberries are so good for you, but very expensive if you buy the punnets of fresh fruit. The regular price of fresh ones works out at well over $30 per kilo and while they look nice on a fruit platter, they don't have a lot of flavour. Instead, I now buy frozen blueberries at around $4 or $5 per 500g pack - less than a third the price! Simply throw a cupful in the microwave with a teaspoon of sugar and zap for a minute or two. Much tastier and are delicious with ice cream, natural yoghurt or just on their own!

Many meals from one rolled roast

I have found a way to get maximum meals and value from one single rolled roast. I bought a rolled pork roast which was way too big for just the two of us. Not wanting to be living on leftovers all week, I decided to cut it in half before cooking it. As I was about to place the uncooked half in the freezer, I decided to cut it into thinner slices and use the meat as pork chops instead. This has worked well! I also plan to cut the rolled roast into chunks in future, to use for stir fry, sweet and sour pork and so on. Normally you could never get pork chops or stir fry for $7.99 a kilo! There's no reason why you couldn't use this method with other rolled roasts too.

Watties microwaved mashed potatoes - the SS way!

When I see the new ads on television for Watties 'NEW HOMESTYLE MASHED POTATOES' for the microwave, I just about laugh myself of the couch. I have used this system for many years, for a fraction of the price! Using an ice cream scoop, put single servings on your baking tray and freeze. To remove, gently twist the baking tray and they will 'pop' off. Place the required number of servings in one of those 'recycled' plastic bags that all us Simple Savers have stashed away and place in freezer. When they are required there's no need to defrost, just put them in the microwave (covered) and 'zap' for one minute per scoop. My kids love them with an egg for breakfast! Quick, very low cost, no nasty preservatives and yummy. Not to mention a lot more convenient than going to the supermarket and spending your hard earned dollars on more prepackaged junk you and your family don't need. Enjoy!

Save a fortune with gift hampers

I came up with a great gift idea last year, which looked sensational without breaking the bank. I wanted to give families items that they really would use and enjoy, and that would not send my spending into overdrive! I created personalised gift baskets.

Each family member has their own personal likes so I decided to work with them. Most of the items were found in the supermarket, so I added them to my weekly shopping. A few dollars extra each week made little difference to my budget but provided excellent gifts for family and friends. For example, my brother likes hot and spicy food so I purchased minced chilli, hot salsa, oil infused with chilli and hot spices and presented them in a basket wrapped in red Cellophane. Two of my sisters-in-law love fragrance and candles so I made up baskets with different candles, incense, drawer liners, pot-pourri and sachets.

Others included:

• Garlic hamper - fresh garlic, minced garlic, garlic salt, garlic oil and a garlic mincer.

• Chocolate hamper - Jarrah chocolate, Cadbury, chocolate sauce, chocolate ice cream topping and chocolate curls.

• A herb bowl with 'boutique' herbs such as bouquet garni, cinammon sticks, oils infused with herbs and herb cook books.

• DVD hamper - a DVD, microwave popcorn, salsa, corn chips and jaffas.

• Gardening hamper - gloves, secateurs, Osmocote, plastic pot, hedge trimmers and Zero.

• Tea lover's hamper - a trivet, tea cup and saucer, UHT mini milks, tea bags, tea leaves and biscuits.

It is easy to pick a loved one's interest and tailor make a hamper/basket to match. Crazy Clints, $2 Shop and The Reject Shop have heaps of baskets and boxes to present your gifts in. Bowls, platters, saucepans and the like are ideal and useful containers for presentation. All it takes is some Cellophane and ribbon and you have a lovely (useful) hamper as a gift. It also works well for new baby gifts. Fill a box/basket with newborn necessities such as baby wipes, powder, nappy sacks, bibs, bottles, bootees, mittens, singlets, bath items and so on and wrap in Cellophane for that professional look. I saved a fortune last Christmas, yet everyone loved and used the gifts they received.