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January 2013 - Simple Savings Newsletter

"Secrets to Saving Money in Australia" Free Newsletter - January 2013

This issue includes:-

Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Sally Kicks a Goal!
January: See it, Be it!
Hidden Gems: Mills Markets, Daylesford
Best Members' Blog: Out With the Old, In With the New
Best of the Forum: 2013 is the Year To...
Best of the Vault: Inspire Me!
Cooking with Mimi: Barbecue-Ready Stuffed Marshmallow Aliens
Claire's Corner: Chapter 2013
50c Indulgences: The Gift Called Christmas
Rob Bob's Gardening Blog: Planning Out the Year to Come
Homeopathy Corner: 'How to' for Cough and Flu
From Last Month: Starting a Non-Profit Organisation
This Month's Help Request: Yeast and Wheat-Free
Savings Story: Well Done, Briget!
Goodbye, Goodbye

Hello,

Happy New Year! We hope you have had a wonderful Christmas and a great rest. We have been having fun travelling from beach to beach and relative to relative. It has been a lovely holiday. Now we are getting ready to leap into 2013 by sending January's newsletter early ;-)

This year we are following the 2013 Simple Savings calendar. If you haven't already gotten yourself a copy, click here.

There are some new monthly challenges our Vault members wanted to try, and look out on the Forum and Facebook for our daily dose of inspiration.

It's been a big, big year at Simple Savings and we thank you for your support and fantastic feedback. Here are a few of our favourite messages:

"We had our first street party here last Saturday night after using your encouragement and invitations. We printed off 15 and delivered them to the surrounding houses. Seven households ended up attending and so many said, 'Thank you for organising this! It's great!' They are all really keen to do it again next year and block off the cul de sac (this year we had it in our side yard)." (Kath Olliffe)

"I would like to take this opportunity to express my love for your site and the difference it has made to my family and I. Thank you. Each day I learn something from this site. I believe I also have become a better person because of all the giving and sharing that takes place in the Forum. You cannot but feel inspired and also not want to be involved in some way by support, suggestions or in helping others once you start reading the Forum. This is such a wonderful outreach for the whole community, not only in the savings area. Thank you and merry Christmas from a grateful subscriber." (Jan B)

"Thank you for all you do with Simple Savings. I'm still learning and slowly making changes. I feel well supported and the response to any of my queries is always helpful and gracious. I take every opportunity to promote SS as it is an important part of my life now. Wishing you a very merry Christmas." (Jane, ACT)

"Going to have a 'Simple Savings' Christmas this year!" (Elise)

Have a great month!
All the best,
Fiona Lippey

P.S. Please note Ye Olde Shoppe will re-open 21st January.

1. Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Sally Kicks a Goal!

"Detail Sally - you need lots of detail to give you as much inspiration as possible," Hanna enthused as she and Sally glued pictures on their already cluttered vision boards. "I think I've got the hang of it," said Sally, "Look, I've even found a picture of my perfect bathroom sink for our renovations!"

Pete couldn't help himself any longer and sidled over to look over their shoulders. "What on earth are you two doing? Aren't you a bit old to be doing school projects?" he laughed. Sally rolled her eyes at Hanna and said to him very patiently, "Pete, we are setting our goals for next year by making visualisation boards. We look for pictures of how we want our life to be and stick them on the board." Pete couldn't contain himself now and guffawed out loud, "Seriously? Does that work?"

Hanna held up her board. "Of course it does, Pete. That is how I lost five kilos this year." Sally looked excited as she showed Pete her board. "Yes. And, I want to do the same. See, here is a picture of me when I was skinny." Pete laughed. "But, Sally you were only 17 in that picture." "Yes," smiled Sally "AND, soon I will be 17 again. I can already feel my wrinkles disappearing."

2. January: See it, Be it!

If this is the first time you have ever heard of a vision board, sit down and let me tell you ALL about it. They are a tool to help you STOP and THINK about things. The way they work is they encourage you to look at all different areas of your life and choose the direction you want your life to take. For example:

If you want to be thinner, you would stick a photo of your thinner self on your vision board.
If you want your bank account to be fatter, write down how much money you would like to have in your bank account and stick that on your board.
If you would like a new bathroom, place a photo of your dream bathroom on your board.
If you would like a different job, place a photo of the job you truly want on your vision board.
If you want to learn to cook, stick photos of the dishes you would like to learn on your vision board.
If you want to learn to knit, put photos of the items you would like to make.

It is that simple, and that is what we want you to do this month. This year we are following the themes of the calendar. If you haven't downloaded yours yet, here it is...

So let's get started.

Write down a list of ten things you would like to improve about your life.
Find some pictures online or in magazines that will remind you of your goals.
Stick them on a piece of cardboard, in a Word document or in a book.
Then tadaa! You are done. You have made yourself a vision board which will help steer you towards your goals in 2013.

Your vision board is the ultimate memory trigger. So place it somewhere you will see it every day to make 2013 a great year!

3. Hidden Gems: Mills Markets, Daylesford

Our Hidden Gems directory is designed to help members source the best deals in their area. This month's Hidden Gem is Mill Markets, Daylesford, Victoria as nominated by Lynne M.

"The Mill Markets at Daylesford is a huge second hand shop in the back streets of Daylesford. It's open seven days a week from 10am to 6pm. The Markets are filled with multiple stallholders selling an enormous array of goods. It is the best place for quality recycled clothing, shoes, bags, jewellery and so on for the whole family, from vintage to modern styles at very low prices. There are household goods from every era including vintage and retro furniture, old tools, boxes and tins. There are also antiques and collectables at far cheaper prices than major city antique shops (and the shops in Daylesford's main street!). You can browse at your own pace with no pressure and there are friendly staff walking the floor if you need assistance - they even ask if they can carry your selections to the counter so you can keep browsing in comfort! I have been there a number of times and it is always changing. There is even a small cafe and restrooms. You can often catch a great special if a stallholder is closing down - crazy prices just to clear their stall. It's a great place to bag a bargain - I love it!"

Where: 105 Central Springs Rd, Daylesford Vic 3460
Contact: (03) 5348 4332 daylesford@millmarkets.com.au
Information: http://www.millmarkets.com.au/locations/daylesford

Well done, Lynne on locating such a fantastic Hidden Gem and thanks so much for sharing.

4. Best Members' Blog: Out With the Old, In With the New

One of the many benefits of being a Vault member is that you can win a cash prize of $100 each month for your Simple Savings Blog! Starting your own Blog on the site is easy. All you have to do is log into the Vault, click on 'My Desk' at the top left, then 'Your Blog'. Then get writing! We love reading all your money saving trials and tribulations and really appreciate the effort that goes into each one.

This month's winner is Bruce/Tracey D for this insight into female shoe shopping!

Miss2 was hell today, very whingey and demanding, and Tracey thinks this was somehow my fault. It all started because a school shoe of Miss9's blew out yesterday, leaving her with one sole flapping about like a fish on land. Meanwhile I was home sick today, nursing myself back to good health curled up on the lounge watching Toy Story 2.

Now you might see these two things as unrelated, but you would be wronger than a man in a marriage. Because of the shoe blow out, this morning Tracey made a mad dash to the shopping centre to buy new ones. Because there was a 'buy one pair, second pair half price' deal Tracey saw an opportunity to save money. Not. Tracey saw an opportunity to buy more shoes.

Gleefully checking her purse to see how many credit cards she had on her, she gave the girls their sizes and instructions and sent them hurtling through the shop looking for something suitable. Within a minute, Miss5 was back with her new shoes on her feet. They were pink with two inch heels and her little feet barely made it out of the toe box.
"Um, I don't think..."
"But they're my size!" screamed Miss5, teetering precariously.

And they kind of were - they were a size 9 in adults, and not children's. Not that Miss5 left disappointed. Tracey came home with five pairs of new shoes. My lack of high fives and exclamations of, 'Oh wow! Shoes! Yes!' didn't go unnoticed.

"You don't think I did well?"
"Why five?" I asked, as Tracey deposited box after shoe box onto the table. How do you discover you need more shoes at the shops? It didn't make absolute sense to me. "I thought we needed to replace one pair?" I don't know why I wasted my breath. I'll give Tracey this; she was able to explain the logic behind each and every purchase. Or I assume so. I drifted off to my happy place fairly early in the conversation. Although this lack of gushing and, let's face it, genuine interest might possibly be attributable to the fact I'm not well.

Tracey, on the other hand, was suddenly full of energy. Shopping can do that. "You watch the kids. I'm cleaning out their rooms," she announced, bounding off to the bedrooms. Now this bit does make sense - because Tracey had all these new shoes to somehow fit into their cupboards she needed to make space. So I put on a movie and Miss2 and I lay on the lounge together, with only occasional interruptions as Mum walked past the telly with armfuls of toys she expected to be able to throw out.

A little pointer for all you mums and dads out there - the Toy Story stories probably aren't the right movies to put on the telly when you're in the middle of throwing out old and unused toys.

Well I know that now. And fortunately it's a lesson I won't quickly forget because Tracey bought herself a new pair of shoes this morning with which she intends kicking me up the bum. :)

Congratulations Bruce/Tracey D and thank you for a great read! To read any of our members' blogs, click here

5. Best of the Forum: 2013 is the Year To...

See it, be it in 2013! As the year ends and a bright new one begins, now is the time to look at our lives and see what we might want to change or improve. Health, finances, family and friendships are examples of areas that might benefit from change.

Here are some great threads about making a difference in 2013.

Setting an intention for 2013

What are your intentions for 2013? Share them with other people and give yourself another reason to stick to your goals in 2013.
read more...

Am I lazy? Goal setting challenge

You are not alone - goal-setting is something we all struggle with! This great thread shares ideas on how to set and achieve your goals.
read more...

Goals and baby steps December

If you are in need of inspiration, these monthly threads are a fantastic place to start! Write up whatever things you want to achieve this month and soak up the support this wonderful group brings. Go on - what are you waiting for?
read more...

6. Best of the Vault: Inspire Me!

Sometimes, although you know what you want to achieve and you have a fair idea of how to get there, there is still something missing. It's called 'inspiration' and it's a bit like a key for your ignition - you just can't get started without it! Well fortunately, the Vault is crammed full of incredibly inspirational ideas to get you started on planning a wonderful 2013. Here are a few of our favourites.

Here's the plan for achieving your goals

Budgeting can be difficult and achieving goals can seem impossible, so I have designed a monthly budget to meet our obligations and to make a start on our goals. This starts each January and here's how it works:

List all the goals you want to achieve, for example, paying off the credit card, setting up an emergency fund or buying a boat.
Number the goals from the most important to the least important. Goal one is the most important, goal 12 the least important.
Go through the list and allocate a goal for each month. Put goal one into January, goal two into February and so on. That is your goal for the month but you can be flexible. For example, depending on the balance, you might want to focus on credit card repayment for two months instead of one.
Take a goal off the list once achieved and add a new one or bring the other goals forward. Remember, this is flexible, so if you need to re-prioritise a goal, simply place it in front of the others and continue on as before.

You might not achieve every goal by the end of the month but you will have made a start. This will give you great motivation to continue.

Contributed by: Miss A

Visualise then realise

I love the idea of visualising your dream purchase like a car or paying off the house.

Here's a practical way to make that dream come true.

Draw a picture of your goal, for example, the outline of a car. Draw a grid over the picture, maybe 52 squares, each representing one week or whatever number matches your savings plan. Then, allocate a dollar value to each square in the grid. Each week, fill in a square to represent how much you own or have saved towards your goal. Stick this picture where you can see it every day, so you can focus on your goal on a daily basis. This is great encouragement for the young and old alike.

Contributed by: Louise Mulqueen

Positive thinking lifts pressure

My husband and I are soon to become parents and our income has been cut in half. Now that we're on a tighter budget, I have realised how much we were caving in to outside financial influence from friends and family. From innocent dinner invitations to suggestions on 'must-have' products for the new baby, the dollars were being seduced right out of our pockets. At the same time, it quickly became uncomfortable saying, 'We'd love to, but it's not in our budget' in almost every conversation. It made me feel constantly deprived and I would actually end up spending money to make myself feel better. My husband stopped wanting to talk about our finances at all because he felt stressed out.

After thinking long and hard about our spending habits, I decided there were three main ways that outside influences were sabotaging our budget: social invitations, gift giving and pressure to buy. Once I specifically identified these influences it became so much easier to combat them.

Instead of declining every dinner invitation and feeling bad about constantly telling our friends we didn't have the money, we organised a monthly dinner party for the entire group. We rotate hosting duties and guests just bring a bottle of wine. Instead of eating out once a week with one or two friends, we now have a festive gathering once a month with everyone all at once - but only pay for a home-cooked dinner a couple of times a year! It puts us back in control of how much we spend. I've also realised that people essentially just want to spend time with you, so you can feel free to counter suggest a cheaper and more creative option than going out to dinner. Instead of, 'it's not in our budget', I now say, 'Would you be up for a picnic on the beach instead? The weather is supposed to be beautiful'. If the plans are set in stone, I say, 'We already have a commitment for dinner, but can we meet up with you all for a drink afterwards?'

I also noticed that giving gifts was really adding up. It was so simple to start making my own gifts instead. My favourite is to make chocolate covered strawberries and wrap them up in a beautiful gift box.

To stop caving in to pressure to buy, I've had to change the way I go shopping. It used to be a leisure activity to go with friends on the weekends, but I know I am too easy to influence. It's just inevitable that they will say, 'You look great in that, you should buy it' or 'I had this with my first baby, you definitely need it'. Now I shop alone, with a list! I've also stopped taking the bait in conversations. If someone is recommending a $700 mountain buggy stroller, I ask if they know of a more economical brand of similar quality.

The most important way I've stopped outside influence from wrecking our budget is to talk openly about things with friends and family. Through this I've learned that most people are in the same situation. A friend confided that she was deeply in credit card debt and didn't know what she was going to do. Now instead of meeting her for a weekly manicure and lunch date that costs at least $60, we have opened up and become a real support system to each other for reaching our financial goals. It's often perceived as taboo to talk about money with people, but I think our friends have been just as relieved as we are!

Contributed by: J.C.

Poetic inspiration

A while back a friend gave me a little poem that helped me stay within my budget as a single mum. 'Eat it up, wear it out, make do or do without!' The first encouraged me to be 'creative' with my cooking skills and use what I had in the cupboard, substituting ingredients where needed instead of running to the supermarket. The second gave me inspiration to create my own 'fashion' wardrobe and the last taught me that we could survive, and quite happily, without all the latest gadgets and expensive outings and so on. We stayed a close family, enjoying the simple things like picnics, walks in the parks, riding our bikes together, things that don't cost a cent but mean a million dollars! Making this my motto, I was able to put aside $5.00 a week (a lot of money back then!) and each school holidays we would have a day in the city and enjoy a nice lunch, a trip to the zoo or chips at the beach. At the beginning of each season I would go to Target or Kmart and layby new clothes for the children as they outgrew last season's and with my weekly savings, my children had at least one or two new outfits each year to complement the trips to Vinnies! All in all, learning to live within my budget kept me worry free, allowing my little family to enjoy the simple things in life!

Contributed by: Ute Pettigrove

Here are a few more ideas for our valued Vault members:

Combine weight-loss goals with financial goals Contributed by: Melanie Reddaway

Don't lose sight of your goal Contributed by: Mookiyum

Make your savings goals your screensaver! Contributed by: Kieran Booth

Set goals, find support and trust you'll get there! Contributed by: Minister of war & Finance...

7. Cooking with Mimi: Barbecue-Ready Stuffed Marshmallow Aliens... Invading Your Home Soon!

Are you sick of the same old desserts and treats? Cream of this, flour laden that, butter soaked thingos drizzled with cardiac arresting other stuff. Who needs it? For me, a toasted marshmallow, done in the fireplace in winter, and in the barbecue in summer, and I'm happy. Even under the grill will do in a pinch. Especially now that I want to be the new me. The me that's slender, fit, healthy and here for 45 more years.

Alien looks aside, these belong in everyone's dessert repertoire, and untoasted and lined up in a box, make the perfect gift. The girl child took one look at this baby and in her usual, gracious and ever respectful 12-year-old manner said, 'you don't expect me to eat THAT, do you?' Thus challenged I thrust one at her, straight from the grill and cradled in a spoon. 'Try,' says I. Eyes widened at first melt-in-mouth sensation, then closed in bliss as taste buds found warmed cinnamon sugar on the base. A swirl around the mouth released the salty popcorn kernel, along with the craisin and soft gooey choc chips. The final tang of just a couple of crystals of gourmet salt lingered for a second or two, whereupon she didn't even ask for another, but headed straight for ingredients on bench to make several for herself.

Did she ask Fabbo Mother whether she'd like some? No. Did it keep her out of my hair for a few hallowed moments? Yes. Therefore worthy of repeat performance.

Following is the ridiculously and mercifully short ingredients list which will make a hideously bountiful number of Aliens.

1 bag marshmallows
1/2 cup popcorn
1 tbsp craisins
1 tbsp chocolate chips
1/4 cup water in a shallow cup or lid
1/4 cup cinnamon sugar, hot chocolate or latte mix
Gourmet salt flakes if you wish
Choc hazelnut spread or peanut butter to secure the popcorn kernels if giving as gifts

If you're making these as a gift, have a box ready to hold them. You will not be toasting them ahead of time. This would look ugly, not taste nearly as good and elicit response similar to that from the girl child, above. This also means that you need to include instructions for elevating to heavenly status. Something short and sweet like, 'Grill, barbecue or toast in the fireplace for 20-60 seconds' would about do it.

Take marshmallow, cut a deep cross into the top with a sharp, pointy knife. Ease an opening into marshmallow with fingers, being careful not to totally destroy marshmallow.

Into the little pocket, squeeze a kernel of popcorn, a couple of choc chips and a craisin. If you're gifting these, do it the other way around. Craisin - choc chips - popcorn on top. Secure the popcorn with your choc spread or peanut butter. This just holds it all together. We prefer the choc chips on top if they're going straight from bench to grill to mouth, but it really makes little difference. Heck, once you get a run on these, entire communities could spend a weekend trying to decide which way tastes better.

Dip the base of the marshmallow into the water quickly, then dip it into the flavoured sugar, hot choc or latte mix.

Set aside, 'cause this alien is done.

Consuming is easy. See directions for gift giving and off you go.

For the gourmet type a last minute touch of a couple of salt flakes after grilling, barbecuing or toasting in the fireplace is a new kind of devilishness.

Warning: Consuming more than ten Marshmallow Aliens in one sitting is critically unfair to thighs waiting to become slender. Watch out! Merry Christmas!

You can discover more of Mimi's UFOs (Unique Food Odysseys!) in our Members' Blog area.

8. Claire's Corner: Chapter 2013

I love this time of year! The silly season gives way to some well-earned end of year relaxation and the weather here in New Zealand is at its best. After a long, dark and cold winter it seems as though summer has arrived with a bang! The pohutakawas are in full bloom, the Auckland harbour is sparkling and there is a renewed sense of positivity in the air!

At about this time every year for the past four years, I've promised myself I'd make a serious start on writing a book. I've spent countless hours thinking about said book, I've pondered over plots, created a few characters and have tucked away a few clever lines. Starting 'The Book' is one of the many things I want to tick off my 'to do' list in 2013. Actually, when I think about it, it's probably more like seven or eight years that it's been in the planning stages! I can't really put my finger on why I haven't started it. I love writing, I love reading and I love coming up with characters and plots. But there just seems to be a bit of a block when it comes to sitting down and actually starting! But this year, while the sun is shining and the days are long and beautiful, I hope to progress from 'planning' and actually start writing!

One of the reasons I love writing is because it's a nice little escape from some of life's more pressing realities such as budgeting, dieting, parenting and other such joys! I can create my own characters and give them a life of my choosing - triumphs or tragedies, joy or despair, passion or grief... or a roller-coaster ride involving all of the above! Wouldn't it be nice if we could write our own story and decide exactly how our own stories would pan out? Hmmm... could be interesting?!

Of course, we can be the authors of our own story to some degree... with just a little careful planning along the way! And while getting that book underway is definitely a priority on my list for the year ahead, there are also a few other goals I want to achieve this year so that my own life story tracks along in the right direction! Here are a few of the key areas I'm planning to focus on this year:

Kill the credit card debt! For many years I was proudly able to state that we didn't have any credit card debt, mainly because I refused to have a credit card. But over the past year or so, for all the usual reasons, we have amassed some stomach-churning debt that has reached ridiculous levels. Hubby has cut up his card and we've paid it off this month; next month we'll begin tackling mine! I want it completely paid off by the end of the year. I've sat down with our budget and have decided that it is possible. It won't be easy, there will be sacrifice, there will be tears, there will be shops that will be wondering where I am... but it will be done!
Get the bathroom sorted! Approximately 19 years ago (I remember because I was pregnant with our son), we started renovating the bathroom. This year, the plan is to finish! It's laughable I guess, but it's just one of those projects that kept slipping down the priority list. But we are now at the stage where our bathroom is embarrassingly awful, I cringe when friends come over and need to use it. My goal is to have it finished by April. Again, it won't be easy... mainly because it costs money! We've had a few professional quotes and we simply can't afford to get someone to do it for us. So it's going to be a good ol' DIY jobbie!
Shift that last stubborn seven kilos! About six years ago I lost 25kg. But I've managed to put about 10kg back on. I've slowly lost three kilos but the last seven are proving very difficult! But this year I turn 40 (in May), so I'm determined to get back down to my goal weight before then! And because I've spent enough money in my life on trying to lose weight, I want to do it myself without spending a cent. My plan is to start journaling what I'm eating and to make the most of the great weather by doing plenty of walking. Watch this space!

I think that's enough to go on for this year. All being well, by this time next year I'll once again be credit card-free, I'll be at my goal weight of 74kg and I'll have a bathroom that I won't be ashamed of! And maybe, just maybe, I'll have written the first three chapters of my book!

So what are your goals for the New Year? How will the next chapter of your life unfold? I'd love to hear what hopes, plans and dreams you have for 2013!

DECEMBER QUOTE: Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.

You can discover more of Claire's Corner in our Members' Blog area.

9. 50c Indulgences: The Gift Called Christmas

Our Indulgences Under 50c thread this month was "The Gift Called Christmas". We focussed on enjoying Christmas without being overwhelmed with too many demands or expenses and working out what's most important to us so that we make the most of this special season. I find Christmas a good time to reflect, to be grateful for what we have and to help others. This year several of our beautiful regular contributors have come into the Christmas season with serious illnesses and heartache in their families. This reinforces just what is important - simply being with our family and friends.

As usual we came up with lots of inexpensive ways to make Christmas special. For me, hand-made gifts and decorations cut the expense but increase the joy of Christmas! All year round I knit, sew and craft for Christmas. My little tip for crafters is to watch for materials in op shops - almost all my materials come in at under $0.50c a metre this way. I purchased images for the front of some of my pot holders on eBay very inexpensively. When I finally bring out all the things I've made over the year, I am amazed at the choice of gifts I can give people! I sat my sewing under the tree before I began wrapping and it was lovely to see it all! My advice would be start in January and it just works out!

In our home one of our favourite ways of creating a lovely atmosphere is to light lots of candles. I tend to just group what we have on a pretty tray. You can make them look much more dramatic if you place them in front of a mirror or use a mirror as your tray.

A second fail-safe way to make your home feel special is with flowers. Mine are just from my garden and the vase was $0.50c in the local op shop. I painted it to match my decor. Even if you just have greenery or some bottle brush, once a big bunch is in a vase it just looks lovely - and is free!

An evening drive to look at all the beautifully decorated homes is always part of our Christmas. We pack a picnic and thermos and make a night of it!

We hope you had a very happy Christmas everyone and thank you for your contributions of wonderful recipes and beautiful ideas. The New Year is very exciting and we have so much planned for 2013. Come and join us in January!

10. Rob Bob's Gardening Blog: Planning Out the Year to Come

Long-term goals for food production in 2013

Our long-term goal has been to become as self-sufficient as possible with the space that we have here. So far the focus has been on the back yard and I think the time has come that we develop a plan for turning our front yard into a more productive space. I would love to be harvesting from there by this time next year. The very front of the yard has a retaining wall that is unfortunately made from treated hardwood, so I'm not too keen on growing food directly in soil next to it. We have some tin left over from making the beds out the back and I'm thinking about making up some more wicking beds along the retaining wall. The only cost involved will be for soil and sand as the rest of the materials have already been stockpiled, which will help us out financially.

I would love to try out growing in a Hugakulture bed and am thinking about how we could incorporate one into the front yard. Hugakulture beds are constructed with a row of stacked timber of different sizes that are then covered with a soil and compost blend. The resulting mound is then covered with thick layers of mulch and planted out. The idea behind it is that the timber will slowly rot down in the base of the bed releasing nutrients and while it is decomposing it will act like a sponge, soaking up water and storing it for the plants to use. There are a number of sites that can explain it better than I with www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur being one of the better ones.

I would like to build the bed as a hybrid between the Hugakulture and a keyhole garden-style bed. I saw this version of a keyhole bed, 'African-style raised bed', and can see how the two different types can be brought together. A stockpile of fallen branches and a few small logs have been started in anticipation of starting the bed. Now we just need to find an old unwanted rainwater tank or something similar to act as a surround.

I would also like to add another 1000L fish tank and three more grow beds to the aquaponic system but this may be a bit of a tricky one with the limited space we have. Some of the IBC wicking beds that were placed next to the set up during the year may have to be relocated but that will only take a weekend to do.

I think with the new gardens out the front and the addition of more fish and grow beds we will be moving much closer to our goal of having the majority (60%+) of our own vegies grown on site.

Goings on in the patch

I decided to tidy up a few bits around the patch in anticipation of planting out some new seeds that arrived this week. I tried out a new seed supplier called "The Seed Collection" after seeing a post on the Share the Seed wall on Facebook. The prices were fair and they had a few seed types that I've been chasing for a while, like white beetroot. These will hopefully be planted out sometime this weekend along with some short 'Kuroda' carrots that I want to try out in the aquaponic grow beds. A few of the other seeds we got will be sown into seedling trays and coco peat pellets for planting out in the patch once they have put on a bit of size.

A decision was made to remove the bull's horn capsicum from the aquaponic system to allow more sunlight into the small barrel bed at the rear. Hopefully it will help some of the water chestnuts bounce back. I plan on removing all the strawberries from the aquaponics to make room for more leafy greens.

The fruit fly baiting stations will also be put up this weekend. I have made up five boards that will have the eco-naturalure applied and wired/tied up around the patch. Hopefully we will see a result from them fairly quickly as I have a few tomatoes that could really do with planting out in the patch, as well as a few capsicums and chillies that are not in the hoop house.

Harvests from the patch

Have had some great harvests from the patch this week.

The first Kakai pumpkin was picked this week. It hasn't been opened yet, but I'll show some pictures of the seeds and flesh once we do. I will be saving some of the seeds from this one for next year's crop me thinks! The bell chillies are also ripening up nicely and I have harvested about one third of the bush so far. There is a long list of people who want to have a go growing these, so I have already put some seeds to one side. We have continued to use up a lot of the greens in vegie stir-fries and were very happy to be able to include some of the brown seeded snake beans...

The size of these beans were a bit of a surprise. We are used to growing the shorter black seeded variety that only grow to about 300mm/1foot in length. A few of these beans grew to over 600mm/2foot in length. We have also been adding the eggplants to the stir-fries as we have been picking them along with sweet potato leaves. The sweet potatoes don't appear to be too badly affected by losing a few leaves here and there, so we will be using them a lot more often as greens from now on.

We also harvested another two spaghetti squash and cooked up our first one last night.

The squash was cut in half lengthways and then roasted in the oven for half an hour. The seeds were then removed and the flesh scraped out into fine angel hair pasta-like threads. I must say that we were all very surprised by the flavour. Bianca and I were expecting a bland zucchini like flavour but our taste buds were greeted with a sweet, almost buttery flavoured sensation. I will definitely be growing these squash again and am glad to see the vines slowly rebounding after receiving a good feed of seasol and molasses from last weekend.

That's about it for this week. Temperatures are set to reach 36°C here tomorrow and 38°C by Monday so think I should pop out and fill up the beds and barrels.

Have a great one all!

**: )»**

Rob Bob

Read more of Rob Bob's garden blogs in our Members' Blog area.

11. Homeopathy Corner: 'How to' for Cough and Flu

While we are looking at things we would like to improve this year, one of my goals is to spend more time working with Fran to teach people how to prescribe homeopathics. A couple of months ago I went to the Australian Homoeopathic Associations Convention and the things I learned were incredible. The amount of money our government could save itself by encouraging homeopathics is phenomenal. When the Swiss government taught their doctors how to prescribe homeopathics they cut the per patient costs by 15%. THAT IS A HUGE SAVING!

I truly believe Australia needs to follow Switzerland's example and this year I am going to work with Fran to help make that happen. As part of this Fran has been writing a Homeopathic book for beginners and here is a section of it. It explains the sort of things you need to look for when prescribing remedies for coughs and flus.

Well done Fran. You are doing a great job! Here is a link to the article:-

homeopathyplus.com.au/homeopathy-made-simple-treating-family-and-friends-part-2

12. From Last Month: Starting a Non-Profit Organisation

Bea Davidson asked for help last month:

"I am looking at starting up a non-profit organisation for youth in my area. I would love to hear ideas about getting a business off the ground with as little outlay as possible. I need to know about everything from finding a premise, outfitting, setting up and then day-to-day running as cheaply as possible. We need to save as much money as we can so we can pour our profits back into the youth activities. Thanking you all in advance!"

Thanks so much to everyone who wrote in to share their wisdom with Bea. Here are some of our favourites!

Local councils can help with non-profit set ups

When starting up a non-profit organisation, try your local council and/or councillor as a first point of contact. Most councils have community halls available for minimal rent for NPOs, they may even have other buildings that are available for permanent lease. Councils also have a community services department that can help you find or get funding and assist you in setting up the group properly. For youth services, they may have a youth officer who can help you with activities and funding. Last but not least, councils often have good furniture such as tables and chairs available free of charge to community groups.

The local church is also a good place to get a permanent place to meet if it is only once or twice weekly and often, they can help you with activities or food during the activities. If you need additional funding, try looking on your local government website.

Contributed by: Deb Manendis

Six tips for non-profit success

If you're planning to start a non-profit organisation, here are a few tips to help things go a little smoother!

The most important thing is bookkeeping. If possible, use a computer program such as MYOB or Quicken, or get yourself a volunteer. Meticulous account keeping shows integrity and honesty, and every supporter can get a 'profit and loss' report at the press of a button! Using a computer program is actually very speedy once it has been set up to reflect all your needs.
Insurance (personal and public liability, property and so on) can be a huge cost but is vital. You will not be able to rent a place without this.
Your local service clubs such as Lions can be of great help.
Your 'must have' office needs are a computer, a three-in-one printer and up-to-date office software. This is all you need at the outset. You can design and print your own logo, letterhead, business cards and more with this basic software. You do need to look professional.
Make sure the name you choose for your organisation is unique. Go to ASIC to lodge your business name. If there is another group using the same or a similar name, they will let you know.
And lastly, keep plugging away - it can take up to a year to get everything in place!

Contributed by: Jane Stranger

Try Salvos for youth group start-ups

If you are keen to start a youth group in your area, you may find your local Salvation Army church a great help. You may be able to use the facilities of their hall and kitchen and so on. They very often have all sorts of youth-oriented things they can offer too. They often don't charge for the use of their facilities to help you keep costs down and as a way of donating to your cause.

Contributed by: Evelyn Wall

Approach bigger businesses for donations

If you are starting a non-profit organisation and need furniture, supplies, equipment or materials, try approaching businesses in your area. Many companies and businesses will donate to a good cause. The bigger companies like Bunnings usually require a letter on an official letterhead outlining what you are trying to do and what you require.

Our local Bunnings has a community liaison officer who approaches companies on your behalf asking them if they will donate materials to charities and community groups. Local groups like Rotary, Lions, Mens Sheds and so on will often also help. We also have a local community radio that does free advertising for charities and fund-raising. It also pays to talk to the local newspaper and get them to a write-up on what you are doing.

Contributed by: Isabel T.

Seek out skills from your community

Well done for wanting to help the youth in your area. My suggestion is to approach the council for any assistance they can give you - they might have an area available for use. They might also be able to give you information about government grants you could apply for. You could also try approaching organisations in your community for support with donations or sponsorship.

Get friends and family on board - everyone knows someone who knows someone that may be able to help - from providing help with running the program, providing goods and services and volunteering, even business planning.

There may be some elderly people in your community who have certain skills they'd like to utilise or pass on to the youth such as carpentry or cooking. If you're looking at incorporating sports into your youth centre, local sporting clubs might be able to help with coaching and tips.

Ask for help and assistance from everybody. Put posters up around town asking for help and ideas. Perhaps hold a meeting to gauge support and interest from the local community. Good luck and I wish you every success!

Contributed by: Leanne Matthews

Check out Glen Gerreyn's story

A fantastic guy called Glen Gerreyn did just what you want to do with only $2.00 in his pocket! He is very successful in what he does and I honestly think that rather than 'rethink the wheel', sometimes it is great to ask for help and borrow someone else's ideas. He is a great believer in asking for help and has been very successful in gaining sponsorship for his organisation, all in the interest of the kids. You can find out more at oxygenfactory.com.au/glen-gerreyn.

Contributed by: Mandiii Bonnett

Low-cost computers for non-profit organisations

Here are a few tips for saving on the costs of computers if you plan to start up your own non-profit organisation:

Low-cost refurbished computers are available for non-profit organisations from ItShare South Australia www.itshare.org.au, Computerbank www.computerbank.org.au (Victoria), www.computerbank.com.au (New South Wales) and www.cbq.org.au (Queensland).

If you already have a computer you might consider using free and open source software such as Open Office for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations. You can find out more at www.openoffice.org. You may also like to check out the Mozilla Firefox web browser and Mozilla Thunderbird email program at www.mozilla.org

Another tip is to enquire at your local council as they may have a grants program you can apply to. Approaching your local member of parliament is another good idea as they often know about grants available and may write support letters to help with your grant applications.

Contributed by: KW

Visit Our Community website

Try visiting ourcommunity.com.au. They may have some people there who could help you out with advice.

Contributed by: Tania Belletty

Great websites for non-profit organisations

If you are planning to start a non-profit organisation, here are a few helpful links with heaps of information on grants, licences, OH&S, tax, applications, hiring and more.

www.business.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx

www.business.gov.au/BusinessTopics/Grantsandassistance/Pages/default.aspx

deewr.gov.au/help-available-and-eligibility-neis

www.ato.gov.au/nonprofit/

For more about non-profit sponsorship, try: nonprofit.about.com/od/fundraising/fr/sponsor.htm

And for information about starting a non-profit business, try these two links:

search.newtabking.com/?search=starting+a+nonprofit+company+australia&search=starting+anonprofit+company+australia

http://startpins.com/search.php?q=companies+who+sponsor+youth+charities+and+nonprofit+organisations+australia&type=Web+Search

Contributed by: Lynda H

13. This Month's Help Request: Yeast and Wheat-Free

Sue Izard has emailed with this cry for help:

"My daughter has just been told she needs to spend a few months yeast and wheat-free to give her adrenal glands time to recover from a whole range of foods they were reacting to. I've looked in the Vault but most of the dietary info is about gluten-free foods. Does anyone have any ideas about yeast-free?"

If you have any pearls of wisdom you'd like to share with Sue, please send them in to us here.

14. Savings Story: Well Done, Briget!

When emailing to thank us for the 2013 Calendar, Briget told us a bit about her savings journey and we wanted to share it with you. Well done, Briget - we hope you enjoy your well-deserved retirement!

"Thank you very much for another wonderful calendar. 2013 will be our first year of retirement and Simple Savings will be even more important to me now as I try and stretch our savings as much as I can.

"I have been a member since 2003 (I just realised it's nearly 10 years) and you have seen me through trying to be a SAHM for the last years of my son's schooling (successfully achieved) and then through saving so my husband could retire a few years earlier (achieved three weeks ago).

"I feel so glad I found your wonderful site that has helped our family achieve these goals.

"I hope you and your families have a wonderful Christmas holiday and look forward very much to whatever 2013 brings for us all."

15. Goodbye, Goodbye

Well that's our first newsletter for 2013! We hope you have enjoyed it and have been inspired by all the money saving tips. Our members are hugely important to us and we love hearing from you all so get in touch on the Forum or on Facebook and say 'G'day'! Let us know what you would like to see more of in our newsletter or any suggestions you have for something new to try. We love hearing from you.

Don't forget to spread the love around to your family and friends too by forwarding them our newsletter or letting them know about our website. Help make their lives easier and save them money too! Or tell them about us on Facebook by clicking the 'like' button on our Simple Savings Facebook page.

We are looking forward to sharing a fantastic 2013 with you.

Till next time...

All the best,
Fiona

January 2015 - Simple Savings Newsletter

"Secrets to Saving Money" Free Newsletter - January 2015

This issue includes:-

Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: I Love a Man in an Apron
January: Meat and Two Veg
Penny Wise: Three's Company
Best of the Vault: Best Value Bargain Hunting!
Best of the Forum: Making the Most of Your Two Meat and Veg!
Best Members' Blog: Looking Forward to 2015
Mimi: Mango Sweet Chilli Turkey Breast
Rob Bob's Gardening Blog: Container Gardening and Update on the Patch
From Last Month: Help Me Plan 2015
This Month's Help Request: Recipes Using Non-Perishable Ingredients

Happy New Year!

We hope 2015 is going to be a fantastic year of savings and success for you! Things are busy in the Lippey family with Sam starting high school and Elora starting Prep - our family is growing up! We've got some great plans for the Simple Savings family as well - stay tuned!

Thank you for your Christmas wishes and your wonderful emails - I love hearing your savings ideas and stories and tips! Here are some of my favourites this month:

"I just want to add my thanks to the thousands you must receive. About seven years ago I found Penny Wise in a magazine and joined the same day. We are not spendthrifts but not entirely frugal either, so the whole package of tips and good living philosophy was very welcome and a couple of years later when DH was retrenched we were quite comfortable that we could manage and we did. Three years later and after a few false starts, DH at 64 found good employment in his field and I was able to retire. SS again became my favourite reading and I am applying lots of ideas and getting ready for when DH finally decides to retire too. Not all SS stories are dramatic but there are very few people who have not improved their lives after being in contact with your site. Thanks again." (Glenda)

"Thank you Simple Savings - I received a membership for Christmas and am on here every day. I just know that 2015 will be MY year to start saving." (Candice)

Have a great month!
All the best,
Fiona Lippey

P.S. If you haven't downloaded the 2015 Calendar, you can download it here.

1. Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: I Love a Man in an Apron

"Hey Hanna, do you have time for a quick coffee during lunch?" Sally asked, tidying her desk. "Sorry Sal, I'm off to do some grocery shopping," said Hanna, grabbing her bag. "I found the BEST butcher, just around the corner from here - he's wonderful!" she sighed, staring into space.

"Um, let me get this right - you're doing GROCERY SHOPPING during your lunch hour?" Sally quizzed. "That's right, Sal," Hanna smiled smugly, "I got so tired of paying huge prices for poor quality meat at the local supermarket. Then a few weeks ago I found Fred, just around the corner from work. So I just buy my meat, put it in the work fridge and pop it in the car after work."

"That's great, Hanna - can I come with you and have a look as well?" Sally asked, getting excited at the idea of some good bargains. "Good idea, Sal! Then we can visit Stan at his fruit and veg shop, and then Steve at the deli while we're out." Sally stopped and looked wide-eyed at her friend. "Hanna, I have to ask, have you been shopping for groceries or boyfriends?!"

2. January: Meat and Two Veg

Everyone has a brilliant butcher in their neighbourhood - but most people never go to him. Instead they convince themselves that it is easier to buy their meat and fresh food at the supermarket when they do their normal shop. But it really isn't easier - it is costing you time and money and leaving you vulnerable.

What is easier is to find the best prices in your area and shop there from now on. Then you can save yourself money every time you shop.

There are two ways to find the best places; you can do the leg work yourself or you can ask around. This month we want you to do both.

First we are going to give you some tips on how to do the leg work. Then, we will look at 'phoning a friend', SS style.

Finding a good butcher

Grab your phone book and ring each one. Ask for the prices of your favourite cuts. Make sure to ask if they do bulk discounts. Write down all the prices and hang on to them.

Next, go to your supermarket and compare similar quality meats. Then ask the supermarket employees what times of the week they discount their meat. Check those out and compare the prices. Buy meat from the places that have the two best prices to find the best value.

Finding a good fruit/vegie shop

When searching for the best fruit/vegies you are going to have to get in the car and drive around. The quality can vary from store to store so you will need to use your own eyes. Aim to visit three fruit/vegie stores and two markets. Compare the price and quality and then ask the staff if they have discounts.

If you can find a good place to get your fruit/vegies and your meat you will easily save yourself $50 a week, which adds up to $2500 per year.

'Ask a friend', SS style

The other way to find the best deals, shops and prices is to ask your frugal friends. Your frugal friends will have already worked out the best spots. And, this month we are focusing on sharing those tips and special spots and asking you to help us grow the Simple Savings Directory to cover as many areas as possible. So by the end of the month, we will all have a list of the best shops in our area so we can save money all year.

Earn a six month membership

Please have a browse through the present Directory and add any shops which deserve to be included. If we include your entry, you will have earned yourself a six month membership to the Savings Vault.

P.S. Don't forget to join in the "January: Meat and two veg challenge" thread in the Forum.

3. Penny Wise: Three's Company

Sometimes I swear my life is crazier than a soap opera. Which is why I haven't written anything lately, I just can't keep up! The last month alone has seen me perilously close to losing my house before bouncing back in the nick of time, then before I could recover from that I went from being given the opportunity of a lifetime - an all-expenses paid trip around Asia - to having it pulled from underneath me less than 24 hours before I was due to check in at the airport! That's a story that's too long to share and it's neither here nor there anyway; the wonderful thing to come out of it was that instead of whizzing halfway around the world at breakneck speed, I got to instead spend a leisurely extra couple of weeks preparing for Christmas with my boys and as I realised almost immediately with the cancellation of my trip, that was where I truly wanted to be.

Ah yes, my boys. As you can see they are rather large these days. And biased though I may be, they are pretty fab. I remember when their dad and I first split up and people would pat my shoulder and say knowingly 'it's the first year that's the worst'. So I wasn't too impressed when that first milestone passed only to have people once again say in a knowing voice 'it's the first TWO years which are the worst!' Who knows what the future holds from here? The past two years have certainly been extremely challenging for all three of us but one thing is for sure, we have learned a truckload about people and about life. My boys are kind, they are empathetic, they are protective, they are grateful, they are incredibly strong, they are tolerant (especially of me!), they are pretty much completely unflappable and having had things as tough as they have the past couple of years, they take nothing for granted.

However, what I love most about them is their perceptiveness. They see and understand so much more than I give them credit for. For example, the other day Ali got paid $20 for mowing lawns. He had been without money of his own for longer than I could remember but when he came home he no longer had it. He told me that when he had finished mowing he went around to his friend's house, who lives just with his dad. 'He opened the fridge and they had NO food, Mum,' he said seriously. 'I mean, I know we don't have much but they had even less. So I hope you don't mind but I gave them my $20 and told them I didn't want it back. At least they can go and buy bread and milk now.' I was so touched and so proud of him I burst into tears. I'm pretty sure that back when I was 16 I wouldn't have even noticed what my friends had in their fridge and have gone and blown the whole lot on make-up and CDs no sooner had that $20 been put in my hand. But that's Ali for you, he just sees things.

As for Liam, my gentle giant, well he's gone and surprised us all lately! Whilst perfectly capable, he's never thought of himself as an academic. However, Liam's problem for some years has been that he has been unable to find his niche in life, something he's truly passionate about. It really troubled him greatly and affected his school attendance badly, as he truly had no idea why he was there, other than the fact that he couldn't find anything else he wanted to do either! Much as his dad and I loved him, we were starting to really despair of him EVER finding anything - and then three weeks from the end of school - his last few weeks of school EVER - he found it. And instead of finishing his 13 years of school on a mediocre note, he changed overnight and began working like a Trojan, staying late after school, working weekends and spending every spare minute doing everything he could to ensure he passed the year with the necessary qualifications he needed to study his dream course, a three-year Bachelor's degree in Creative Media Production.

You see what I and many others didn't realise about Master Liam is that he is actually a very creative soul. All this time everyone thought he was up in his room just wasting his life away playing Xbox, he wasn't. OK some of the time he was! But the rest of the time he was working on his artwork, his graphics, his movies and animation. And, his writing. I had absolutely no idea but he writes stories and poetry - and he's really good; what a dark horse! The only other people who knew about this were his classmates, where his comic talent is well known. So nobody was more surprised than me and his teachers when unbeknown to us, Liam - super shy Liam, who never says boo to a goose - suddenly got out of his seat at his graduation prize giving and took the stage in front of hundreds of people. And there, relaxed as anything and chuckling to himself as he went, he read out a poem he had written himself about every one of his class mates and what the future held for them next. It was hilarious, the whole place fell about laughing and he got the biggest cheer of the night! I was absolutely flabbergasted and as his teachers all came up and hugged me, it was obvious that they were too - even some of the men were in tears! And it was that night I realised that he had finally found his niche - and that he was ready to leave home.

So 2015 is going to be a very different year for us! Eight weeks from now Liam will be starting life as a uni student in Wellington and it will just be Ali and me here. Who knows what the year will bring but one thing is for certain, all three of us will be living off the smell of an oily rag! Everyone is conscious that the time we have left together is precious but for now everyone is working all hours coping with the summer influx here in Whangamata. Liam is working at one of the local motels as a jack-of-all-trades doing everything from ground maintenance and painting to laundry and stripping beds. It's a great way for him to brush up on all his domestic skills before leaving home. As for Ali, we're working together! I'm still at the Whangamata Club by night pulling pints but during the day I've taken on yet another job cleaning holiday homes for one of the real estate companies and the demand is such that Ali and I work together, doing as many as four homes every day before I can quickly dash home and get changed into my bar staff uniform. It's not glamorous but it's fun and I feel like all three of us are doing the best we can. Heaven knows it would be nice to start the New Year off on the right foot!

As you can probably tell, I don't get too much time to put 'pen to paper' at the moment! There are a million things I would love to say and will no doubt kick myself for forgetting to mention them but I couldn't end the year without thanking each and every one of you who has taken the time to read my ramble and support us this year. It's been a year of ups and downs to be sure, but for every down there has been more than enough ups to make up for it and the boys and I are truly humbled by the kindness shown to us, particularly by Simple Savings members. To those of you who used your super powers to make our festive season extra special, thank you so, so much. You know who you are, even if some of you insist on staying anonymous! I did say thank you via Facebook to my Christmas fairy who magicked beautiful new towels and a shiny new frying pan to my workplace but I don't know for certain if she (or he!) saw it so I do hope you see it here. Not only will Liam no longer have to take holey towels to uni, you have no idea how much of a lifesaver our new frying pan was when our oven was broken for three weeks! We are truly grateful. Once again this wonderful community of savers has helped us to survive the year in so many, many ways. From Liam, Ali and myself, we wish you all the very best for a prosperous 2015!

You can get updates on Penny's new blogs on the Simple Savings Facebook page.

...or in our Members' Blog section.

4. Best of the Vault: Best Value Bargain Hunting!

Your challenge this month is to find the best value butchers and grocers in your area. All you need is an idea of what you buy already and a sense of adventure! You just never know what you might find...

Ask butcher for discounts on bulk meats

I've managed to save an extra $10-$20 on the cost of my bulk mince just by asking the butcher for a discount! I used to buy my mince in little 500g packs from the supermarket, but as my family grew and started eating more, I began buying in bigger 3-5kg packs. However, this meant driving about 20 minutes out of my way to a 'discount' butcher. One day when I was out of mince and in a hurry, I called into my local butcher and asked if he'd knock down the price if I bought five kilos of mince. It was advertised at $7.00/kg but he said I could buy five kilos at just $5.00/kg! That's a saving of $10 and even cheaper than the 'discount' butcher! After about a year I plucked up the courage to ask if I could have the low-fat mince discounted too and managed to get it for $8.00/kg instead of $12 (for five kilos)! I divide the mince into 500g bags and pop them in the chest freezer. Since then I've tried other butchers and have always received a discount when buying bulk, anything more than two kilos is considered bulk!

Contributed by: Havva T

Cutting the cost of organic chicken

I've found a great way to save at least $20 on the cost of organic chicken! We eat a fair amount of chicken and like to source the organic, free range kind. It can get very expensive though, so I started hunting for reduced-price whole, uncooked chickens and started cutting them myself. One chicken turns into two chicken fillets, two thighs, wings and legs and a carcass for stock making or chicken soup. I generally will buy at least two chickens at a time to make them easier to use in meals. I cut them and then freeze the portions.

Contributed by: Sim1

Would you like fries with that?

I saved $26.45 on potatoes when I bought my spuds in bulk! I had seen potatoes for sale in my normal supermarket at $6.49 for 4kg, so my eyes nearly popped out of my head when I spotted a huge 20kg bag of potatoes for only $5.99 at my local fruit and vegetable shop recently! I couldn't pass a bargain like that by so I bought one of the bags, rolled up my sleeves and lugged it out to the car!

When I got home, my hubby took one look at the bag and said, "So I take it we'll be living on potatoes for the next month then?" But I had a plan for those spuds! The first thing I did was go through the bag and sort them into baby, small, medium and large potatoes. The weeny ones would be perfect to use whole as side dishes. The large potatoes were huge - just the right size for baked potatoes. I then peeled and cubed the small potatoes and put them into saucepan-sized bags to freeze and be used later for mashed potato which I also froze. Finally I peeled and sliced the medium potatoes lengthways to use for fries and bagged them into 1kg bags. I was delighted with my potato stockpiling! My $6.00 bought me:

1/2kg of baby spuds
4kg of baking potatoes
5 x 800g bags of cubed potato for mashing
10 x 1kg bags of fries

I worked out my basic savings by comparing the price of a 4kg supermarket bag of potatoes ($6.49) with my bulk bag, meaning I saved $26.45. However, buying ten 1kg bags of supermarket chips (at $3.50 each) would have cost me $35 alone, so all up I worked out I actually saved a grand total of $48.41 on potato products!

Contributed by: Emma K

Asian supermarkets for seafood bargains

Trying to feed my family on a limited budget can be a challenge but I have found that fish and seafood is cheaper than meat when I shop at large Asian supermarkets. Fish pieces, cleaned calamari, frozen prawns and fresh mussels are all sold in large packs which can be divided up over a number of meals. I use this seafood economically in spaghetti marinara, fried rice and potato-based chowders. Mussels are great when steamed open and then baked or barbecued with garlic butter.

It's nice to know the family can enjoy delicious seafood so look out for Asian supermarkets in your area. You'll be surprised at the variety and the low cost.

Contributed by: Leonie P

5. Best of the Forum: Making the Most of Your Two Meat and Veg!

The Forum is a wonderful place to get answers and ideas - you just never know what you'll learn! Here are some great threads about making the most of your two meat and veg... you may just be surprised...

2015 food shopping budget

Follow Loz's journey into cost-cutting in 2015 - we dare you not to learn something new along the way!
read more...

The perfect meal plan

Our SunnySarah discusses her adventure looking for 'the perfect meal plan' - definitely lots of food for thought here!
read more...

What to do with chicken drumsticks

Need some ideas for a great value chicken dinner? Look no further!
read more...

Grocery challenge - January 2015

Join Claire and forum members in their grocery challenge to cut costs as much as possible.
read more...

6. Best Members' Blog: Looking Forward to 2015

One of the many benefits of being a Vault member is that you can win $100 cash each month for your Simple Savings blog! Starting your own blog on the site is easy. All you have to do is log into the Vault, click on 'My Desk' at the top left, then 'Your Blog'. Then get writing! We love reading all your money saving trials and tribulations and really appreciate the effort that goes into each one.

This month's winner is Ebony C for starting 2015 with a bang!

"I am planning to be on top of things for the new year.

"I've begun by printing the Simple Savings calendar and putting it on the fridge. I've spoken with DH about the first few months and what we can do. This year we are saving for a holiday for our 11 year anniversary (I'm hoping for it to be a honeymoon, but not getting hopes too high). We wanted to be in Thailand now, but a dental emergency put a dent in those plans and our bank balance. Lucky (thanks to the tips from this site) we were able to use our savings for the dentist and not have to look elsewhere for the money.

"I got some mince in bulk last week and made some meals for the freezer. I was able to stretch 1.5kg mince into lasagna, shepherd's pie and spaghetti bolognaise. I added heaps of vegies to the shepherd's pie to make the 500g mince for it stretch into two pies. I'll top them with mash when I reheat them.

"I looked at March on the calendar and saw it was create-away month. I spoke with DH and we thought we could make mini pizzas, have little boxes for noodles or fried rice or even fish and chips. I'm a bit nervous about No Spend Month, but figure that we will learn to go without the items that are not necessity. I lost my job earlier this year and stopped buying paper towel (I clean with microfibre and Chux cloths instead) and we haven't really missed it (I lost my job in March).

"I'm looking forward to eating better and watching our bank balance not dwindle away.

"Here's to a Happy New Year!"

Well done Ebony - we'll be following your progress and cheering you on every 'step' of the way!

You can read more of our members' blogs here.

7. Mimi: Mango Sweet Chilli Turkey Breast

Post-Christmas there are always stacks of turkey breast marked down to next to nothing near me. Turkey breasts are huge and one can feed two to three people if you go about it the right way. I got a tray of two turkey breast fillets for just $6.00 on Boxing Day and it fed six of us.

I 'butterflied' the breast by cutting it as if to slice it into two thinner fillets BUT stopping about 3cm short of slicing all the way through. You then fold the top flap out and you have one huge thin fillet, connected in the middle. Now mash a soft mango or mix up some cream cheese and herbs or a cup of breadcrumbs, herbs and an egg. Then spread this thinly over the entire surface of the breast fillet.

Cut yourself a couple of pieces of kitchen string about 25cm long and slip them under the length of the breast, short edge to short edge. This will make it easy to tie the breast up once rolled. Carefully start to loosely roll the turkey fillet up Swiss roll style from short edge to short edge. That sounds weird but will make sense when you come to do it. :) Tie the string pieces firmly to retain the rolled shape. If any stuffing has squeezed out when you rolled, just push it back between the layers with clean fingers. Stab the whole thing all over with a sharp pointed knife to allow the sauce to permeate the breast as it cooks.

Sit the rolled turkey breast in a baking dish sprayed with oil and drizzle with a generous amount of sweet chilli or BBQ sauce. Bake, covered in an oven preheated to 180C fan forced or 190C normal, for 30 minutes. Remove the lid or foil and bake for a further 20 minutes. Baste with juices and sauce every ten minutes.

Remove from the oven, allow to sit for five minutes, then cut into neat circles, removing the string as you go. Serve with a crisp salad and crusty bread, steamed rice or baby potatoes. This is a super posh looking meal that's really inexpensive and so easy to do. :)

You can get updates on Mimi's new blogs on the Simple Savings Facebook page

or in our Members' Blog section.

8. Rob Bob's Gardening Blog: Container Gardening and Update on the Patch

Container gardening for small spaces or rental properties

Just because you live in a unit or are renting a house and are not allowed to have a garden, doesn't mean you can't grow some of your own food. Container gardening is a great way to grow a few herbs and vegies that doesn't take up a lot of room or require you to dig up any lawn. When it comes to containers to grow in, you are only limited by your imagination!

While Bianca and I were renting, we started out growing in garden pots, broccoli boxes and tree propagation bags then moved on to bathtubs, buckets, barrels and also got a tad creative with the larger 'container' beds that we built. ;-)

We have grown everything from thyme to pawpaw (papaya) trees in containers and haven't found many plants that don't do well.

Keeping the size of the pots under 60L will come in handy if you need to move house, especially if you don't live on the ground floor of an apartment building. ;-)

When we moved from our last rental we decided to gift the bathtub we had to the neighbour who turned it into a duck pond for his feathered friends. We thought it was a lot easier to manhandle it next door than to relocate it to the new house. ;-)

The first step towards a bountiful harvest from your containers really does start with the growing medium you will be using. Not all potting mixes are created equal so it is a good idea to shop around to see what brands are available in your area. I try to stick to reputable brands with blends that include compost and natural fertilisers like 'blood & bone'. A quick search on gardening forums and groups should be able to help you in sorting out the reputable brands from the dodgy ones. ;-)

When using potting mixes I still like to add a few extra goodies to make sure that they have good drainage, are packed full of nutrients and have a few extra micro-organisms in the blend. The last batch I made up consisted of two parts commercial potting mix, one part worm castings/compost and one part hydrated coconut coir. The worm castings will add some organic matter containing beneficial microbes as well as nutrients to the mix, and if you're lucky, maybe a worm or two. The coconut coir will help keep the mix moist as it has great water holding capacity. I have also added some course sand to other mixes in the past to aid in the drainage, but felt that it wasn't needed this time round as the potting mix looked to be nice and loose.

Another option is to investigate your local landscaping supply yard to see what sorts of garden soils they have available. If you are looking at starting up a sizable potted garden this may be one option you might want to look at to save quite a lot of coin.

If you are lucky enough to have access to compost and/or worm castings, you could always make some of your own with other goodies mixed in.

While the 'recipe' I use changes depending on what we have on hand, I think this is a fairly good all round blend to grow most vegies in:

2 parts compost
2 parts rehydrated coir
1 part worm castings
1 part course sand (can be bought in bags)
1 part aged mulched up horse manure

An important aspect in growing in containers is keeping them well hydrated without over-doing it. When we first started I really had no idea and drenched every pot twice a day which was far too much and looking back now, probably washed a lot of the nutrients out the drain holes. Over the years we have used a few methods to keep the soil moist for the plants.

The easiest would have to be a simple tray under the pot which allows for a small amount of water to be wicked up into the soil as the plant requires it. One down-side to having water laying around in a situation like this is that mosquitoes might breed in the still water. To stop this, it is a good idea to let the trays dry out ever few days to kill the mozzie wrigglers.

Irrigating with drippers or spray heads is another option if there are no restrictions on the amount of water available to you. In the past we have mainly used the Wetpot sub surface irrigation emitters, due to our climate and frequent droughts in SE Queensland.

Self-watering wicking containers are also another great low maintenance way to grow food that keep the plants well hydrated.

If you've read my previous blogs then it's no surprise that these would be mentioned. ;-) Wicking containers/gardens are basically a self-contained bed/container that has a reservoir at the base. From this reservoir, water is wicked up into the soil for the plants to use. This way they not only provide the plant with constant moisture but lessens the amount of moisture lost due to evaporation.

Over the past few years we've made small wicking buckets, a wicking bath, wicking barrels and larger wicking IBC container gardens. While the larger IBC beds would be a bit of an effort to relocate they are still technically a container so don't think a landlord could really complain. ;-)

Another form of container gardening we have been playing around with over the past year or so is air pruning. Air pruning is a great way of growing plants in containers without letting the roots of the plants become pot bound, allowing you to grow larger plants in smaller pots.

To start off with I transplanted a chilli plant into a reusable green shopping bag (that may be familiar to some). ;-) The idea behind planting into a fabric bag and air pruning is that the roots from the chilli plant will grow to the outside of the bag, hit dry air and die off. Further back on the roots a number of new roots will sprout to replace the dead one, allowing the plant more access to nutrients and moisture.

Another DIY version of this is our hybrid air pruning/wicking barrel that we are growing our pawpaw (papaya) tree in. The video below has a bit of an explanation on air pruning and how this hybrid barrel was made.

I am so happy with how the pawpaw has gone that I've decided to pot out some of our dwarf fruit trees into fabric Root Pouches** It will be very interesting to see how the air pruning effect will go with these trees and I hope they will be as productive as the pawpaw looks to be.

We are also using the cloth pouches in a self-watering/wicking style garden bed. I got the idea for this from watching Larry Hall's Self Watering Kiddie Pool Grow System on YouTube. The idea behind this system is to have the base of the bags sitting in a few centimetres of water.

Water height is regulated by drilling drainage holes where you want the 'high tide' point to be. The water can then seep through the bag and wick through the soil, keeping the plant well hydrated. To stop mosquitoes and evaporation being an issue, the base of the tray will be filled with small rocks to help insulate and stop the bugs from easily accessing the water. I also plan to set up a float valve to help keep the base topped up.

Just a quick mention too on hydroponic growing - while it's been 16 years since our last attempt at hydroponic gardening, I do think that it is one option that would appeal to folks that can't garden in the soil. It can be set up outside or inside under lights and plants can grow very quickly. If it does interest you, there are a few folks I follow on YouTube who are very knowledgeable in the ways of hydroponics. Both Brock Hughes and MhpGardener have impressive systems that could easily be scaled down to a small balcony or indoor system.

Harvests & update from the patch

Since the last update I have unfortunately had a hard drive crash in my computer so have lost a great deal of harvest and progress shots from the patch. I did post a bit of a round up clip of our small backyard farm if anyone is interested.

Harvest wise, we did get our best sweet corn harvest to date which made the girls very happy. :)

We have some seeds to plant out of another variety to see which we like the best. We might even try to squeeze in a 'Painted' corn crop at the end of the season. ;-)

The cucumber vines we had on the go have slowed down and we did lose the Armenian cucumber to mildew and 28 spot lady beetles.

We do have three nice, large fruit we will be saving seeds from. The largest weighed in at 1.8kg/4lb and we will be saving the flesh to add to our morning juices. If history is anything to go by, the plants grown from our saved seeds will hopefully have a lot more vigour. ;-)

The one eggplant bush is supplying all our needs at the moment which is fantastic. We have left a few of the fruit from both types of eggplants on the plants to mature so we can replenish our seed stocks with fresh seeds.

The lime tree is laden with fruit here at the moment, with a fair few fruit ready to pick now.

It is also now covered in flowers after the recent rain we have had here in SE Queensland. I finally managed to get a shot of the blue tiger butterflies that like to frequent the citrus trees.

That's about it for this month. I would like to wish everyone all the best for 2015 and hope you all get the chance at having a crack at growing some of your own food or trying to grow something new.

Cheers all & have fun in the patch,
Rob.

**Disclaimer - I have recently taken on the role of a retailer for Root Pouches in Australia. This blog post is in no way to be taken as an ad and I encourage folks to save their coin and experiment with DIY methods.

You can get updates on Rob Bob's new gardening adventure blogs on the Simple Savings Facebook page

or in our Members' Blog section.

9. From Last Month: Help Me Plan 2015

Last month Iris emailed us about ideas for planning and organising in 2015.

"I am so glad to say goodbye to 2014 - I have wasted so much money and time and energy because I CAN NOT get organised! It's almost the start of another year and I have some time to sit down and plan 2015. Can you please ask your members for their best tips on getting and staying organised? 2015 is going to be the year that I stay on top of things - please help!"

Thank you for your wonderful ideas for Iris, here are some of our favourites:

Keep things simple and delegate

If you want to get organised and stay organised, keep things simple! Use ONE system - such as an online calendar - and keep all your notes, appointments and so on in that one place. I was trying to use several and ending up in a muddle. Now I put everything onto the calendar which is part of my email program and I have suddenly stopped missing appointments and forgetting important things. If it is a busy day I just print that page and keep in my handbag for when I am out and about. Easy!

Most importantly, however, don't be afraid to DELEGATE. I always feel bad about mess in the house. Recently I decided just to change myself, put things away immediately and so on. That made a difference. When other family members ask 'where are my shoes/the remote/bag/book?' or whatever I now just ask them to recall where they were last and look there. The kids love it because I am empowering them more rather than taking over and best of all I no longer see myself as responsible for others' mess!

Contributed by: GoGo Goanna

Exercise book keeps me on track

To help me stay on track with my busy schedule, I have an exercise book with a list in it. My list is quite detailed, but yours doesn't have to be. The list consists of daily chores arranged in a kind of timetable. Next to the list I have ruled columns for each day, and as I progress through my day, I put a cross in the box next to the completed chore for that day.

I now use this system for many things, such as my pantry where the pantry list has everything that usually is kept in the pantry, and then it is given a cross when used, and ticked when replaced. This is very helpful for budgeting and for doing those challenges. It would be easy to apply this method to many things.

Contributed by: Gusta T

Review last year so you can plan next year

My best tip on getting and staying organised is to get a really clear idea of where you are right now. Looking back through the year, I consider the things that I'm pleased with and what worked well. Then I make a list of what I didn't get to and honestly answer whether I'll get around to each one. While I'm making my 'wins' list and my 'procrastinated' list I get insights about what works well in my life and what I've moved on from or will never get around to. I make notes about these so I remember them later and stay on task. Somehow doing the review clears my mind so I have a much clearer idea of where I'm headed, than I had before the review. It stops me making the same mistakes over and over!

Contributed by: Judith

Getting organised is fun with Flylady

If you're serious about making your life easier and being more organised, I can highly recommend you pay Flylady a visit! Visit her www.flylady.net website for more information on loving yourself while getting things done effortlessly; getting organised with daily decluttering and following your own routines; saving your money, energy and your valuable time to enjoy life with your loved ones. Become a free member and you will be thankful you did. Just follow the instructions and you will be 'organised' before you even realise!

Contributed by: Mithila

Stay focused with visual reminders

I have found the best thing to keep your mind on target is a vision board. You can use paper or cardboard, draw or cut out the pictures you want and hang it in your bedroom so you see it at least twice a day. Also, make yourself a money thermometer to use for savings - put the total amount at the top and colour it in as you save until you reach your goal. You can also make one to help keep your goal with paying off debts too. Seeing it regularly can help keep you focused and see the financial changes happening. Great motivation!

Contributed by: Simone

Make each day a breeze with household calendar

You can help everyone in the household be more organised by getting a big calendar which has enough room for multiple entries for each day. Put it on a wall in the kitchen, somewhere that is close to the fridge or kettle so every day you are looking at it multiple times a day. Write everything on the calendar for everyone - appointments, birthdays, events, late night meetings, school dates and so on. This way everyone can see clearly what is going on. You won't be running late for anything and the kids will be sent to school with correct uniforms, forms, money, equipment and everything else. It also prompts you to pre-cook meals for any busy evenings. Also, make it a habit to spend 15 minutes each night planning the next day - pack bags, organise paperwork and so on. You'll find mornings are a lot smoother!

Contributed by: Kelly

Be organised but be realistic

To help me be more organised I have bought a five-subject notebook, in which I have made the following sections:

Yellow - to do list
Green - home business
Pink - personal
Blue - grocery and menu planning
White - financial

I look at my book every day and know what jobs need to be done, what personal matters I need to attend to, where my home business is at, what we are having for dinner this week and what I need to buy and my financial goals for the year, with what I need to do to achieve them.

When setting yourself tasks however, be sure to know yourself and your limits. A decade ago, I was able to save all the housework for the weekend and would stay up until 2am Saturday morning getting it done - but I wouldn't have to do it for the rest of the week and could focus on my full time job and part time study. These days I have medical conditions and run out of energy quickly, so little and often works best for me with house cleaning, I need frequent rests. Whatever works for you!

Contributed by: Living like noone else

Make a three-weekly menu plan

If you want an easier, more organised daily routine I can highly recommend making a three-weekly meal list. This means, write out seven dinners, then another seven, then another seven and label them week 1, 2 and 3. Next, write out a shopping list for all of the ingredients for each list for each week. No more brainstorming what to have when, and because there are 21 different meals, by the time you get back to week 1 you're not sick of the same old thing! You do just one shop per week with your permanent list for the relevant week and simply bring along a small list of toiletries, breakfast and lunch foods. Save time, energy and money!

Contributed by: Olivia S

10. This Month's Help Request: Recipes Using Non-Perishable Ingredients

Cherie has emailed asking for some help! She writes:

"A group from our church wants simple recipes for meals made from non-perishable ingredients to give to families who find it a struggle after Christmas. Some ideas we had were pasta bake and tuna casserole but we'd love some more."

We think Cherie's help request would also be a fantastic resource for camping and emergency kits! If you have any pearls of wisdom you'd like to share with Cherie, please send them in to us here.

11. Goodbye For Now

Well, that's your Simple Savings Newsletter for January and we hope you get a chance to find your best value meat and two veg!

Our members are hugely important to us and we love hearing from you all! So next time you're on the website, why don't you get in touch and say 'G'day'! Let us know what you would like to see more of in our newsletter or any suggestions you have for something new to try. We love receiving your clever ideas!

Till next time...

All the best,
Fiona

January 2018 - Simple Savings Newsletter

Simple Savings Newsletter - January 2018

This issue includes:

February is No Spend Month!
Tips for No Spend Month
Supporting Each Other in the Forum
Competitions, Competitions, Competitions!
We Are Seeking a Writer

Hi,

How are you going? I hope you had a great January and you are ready to take on "No Spend" February.

To help inspire you we have $200 in prizes this month with challenges for every level.

I hope you enjoy them and have a great month.

Many grins,
Fiona Lippey

PS. We have dropped the price of new vault memberships this month from $27 to the renewal price of $21.
Get your membership here.

1. February is No Spend Month!

Have you ever wondered how much money you waste in a week? Have you ever thought; "How little could I live off if I had to?" If so, Now is the time to find out, because February is No Spend Month!

What is No Spend Month?

This is where we challenge you to slash your budget and save as much money as you can by avoiding all non-essential spending.

The rules are as follows:
Your mission is to avoid spending money on ANYTHING in February other than the absolute essentials for your work, education or survival. Obviously there will be some things you cannot avoid, such as basic food and prior bills, but apart from that your mission is to make sure you don't buy anything that is not essential.

For example, this month you should NOT be buying:-

Takeaway food of any sort
Lollies or chips
Dips
Soft drinks
Magazines
Books
Frozen dinners
Movies or videos
Fancy brands
Bought cakes
Pre-made food
Ice cream (wait… What?!)
Clothing
Beauty products
Alcohol

Things you CAN spend money on:-

Rent or mortgage
Basic food
Utilities
Insurance
Petrol
Car
Health care
School essentials (meaning uniform, camps or stationery requirements, NOT money for the canteen!)
Other prior bills (we don't want you incurring late fees!)

Ooh, that sounds a bit harsh! What's in it for me?

Yes, we know it's harsh, but look at that list again... How many of those things do you currently buy each month? How much you would save by NOT buying them for a month? Go on, have a guess... Imagine how much headway you could make! Imagine all the things you could do to get ahead financially if you managed to keep all that money in your bank instead of automatically handing it over to shopkeepers for things you don't need. You could use it to pay off a credit card. You could pay some extra off the mortgage and save a heap of interest. You could use it to create an emergency fund to bring a little extra peace of mind. You could use it for a reward or holiday for your family. Put like that, isn't it worth the effort for a few short weeks?

Just in case you think going without for one whole month is too difficult. We have three challenges for you to choose from:-

The first is to go without 20 items you were planning on buying.
The second is to avoid 50 non-essential purchases.
The third is to go hard core and avoid all non-essential purchases for the entire month.

Pick the challenge that best suits you and grab a notebook to record your success. Every time you avoid spending money, write what it was and how much you saved. This way you can track your success and be proud of how well you're doing.

To help you on your journey we have some quick tips and some great prizes. Read on...

2. Tips for No Spend Month

Find a No Spend Buddy

During a No Spend Month, team up with a like minded buddy or family member and keep an eye on each other. There are so many things you can do in partnership, or on your own, including:

Raid each others pantry rather than make a trip to the shops
When heading out to run errands, make one trip for both of you
Pay bills online
Raid each others cupboards or gardens before buying gifts
Cancel the lawn-mowing for the month
When cooking, cook surplus and deliver to your buddy
Make greeting cards from household materials including card and glitter. Use downloadable images too

As you've seen, no spend is no problem!

Alcohol-free February

Being in your mid to late twenties and saving for a house is very tough these days. Most of my peers have given up on the idea of ever getting into the property market, as it's so difficult. This can make it hard for me to keep on track with my saving, especially when my friends often want to go out for dinner and drinks.

Going out for drinks all the time also takes its toll on your health, so to give myself a health kick and a financial boost I've decided to combine No Spend February with Alcohol-Free February. Not only do I save money by not buying drinks when I'm out; I also save on taxi fares because I'm happy to be the designated driver.

It's only been a week so far, but I already feel great and am amazed how much I've saved!

Contributed by: Rachy Bee

Beat the savings slump with a new challenge

Our family got its savings mojo back this month and reduced our grocery bill by 50%! Those of you who have been doing Simple Savings for a while and have paid off your mortgages know how it is easy to slip with saving. Whilst a mortgage is a drive for many people to save, since paying ours off I realised our efforts had waned. The motivation to save had gone. So our family took February's No Spend Month to the extreme and bought only half our usual amount of groceries. We spent $400 instead of $800 or more and instead of buying, we made biscuits and bread, ate everything in the vegie garden that could be eaten (lots of silverbeet!), used the stocks in the pantry and freezer, ate leftovers religiously and made presents instead of buying. The result was that my husband's hard earned wages were hardly touched for the month compared to usual! This has motivated me to save more and more each month to save for a caravan and nice family holidays, including a trip around Europe! Thanks Simple Savings!

Contributed by: Belinda Lansley

An idea with quirks that works

I know this hint is a little quirky, but it works for me so I thought I'd share it with you.

I used to love to buy things, just for the sake of it. It didn't matter what it was, who it was for or how much it cost. I just couldn't help going out, buying something and bringing it home. As you can imagine, this shopping habit got me into a lot of financial trouble. Even after cancelling my credit cards and devising a budget, I still had these shopping cravings. So I came up with this unusual plan:

I now borrow items from the library to curb my appetite for buying things!

I warned you it was a little crazy.

Instead of going to the shops and using my credit card or splashing out cash, I go to the library, (sometimes with a list!) and borrow things. Magazines, DVDs, CDs and books all come home in my recycled shopping bag, with my 'receipt' (return due date receipt) and I even use my 'credit card' (library card) to pay for them. It really does work. Now I just have to devise a plan to get them back on time and not pay overdue borrowing fees!

Contributed by: Roxy M

No Spend Month every three months

I have come up with a system that gives me a No Spend Month every three months! With just me at home I had become lazy with my grocery shopping; in fact I was grabbing takeaway or eating just a sandwich and was making myself ill from not eating properly. I discovered a weekly menu, complete with shopping list in a magazine. So I crossed off what I didn't like and headed for the supermarket.

It was not until I was on my way home that this aged brain suddenly realised I had bought enough ingredients for four of each meal. Out of stupidity and lack of thought I had actually hit on a winner. The next few nights I cooked the meals, made one serving for me and froze the rest in meal lots. Over the next few weeks I added to my meal list and ended up with a variety of meals from which to choose, plus I saved myself literally hundreds of dollars by stopping panic buying and takeaways. And of course I was at last eating in a healthy way.

Every three months I have enough meals to last me for the entire month, plus I can feed any unexpected visitors. I have made sure that it does not become boring and have now incorporated the same system into work lunches and every now and then breakfasts.

So, all in all the old girl has now become this very budget conscious, gourmet cook and I have to admit it has given me a real sense of achievement. Money is still tight, but I am not being strangled by the lack of it anymore.

Contributed by: Lynn Earley

If you like these tips and want more we have another 18,659 of them in our members area. If you would like a membership, it is a tiny $21 per year. Grab a membership here.

3. Supporting Each Other in the Forum

If you would like a helping hand with your No Spend challenges or if you are No Spend Master ready to guide others, pop into our paid members' forum.

In the forum you can start your own No Spend Challenge thread, similar to the one SalliMumof3 started or join the group thread started by the always magnificent Claire M.

The forum is for paid Vault Members only. If you would like a membership, it is a tiny $21 per year. Grab a membership here.

4. Competitions, Competitions, Competitions!

We want to watch you succeed at your No Spend Challenge, and we would like to share your success to inspire others. To encourage you to show us how well you are doing we are giving away $200 in prizes.

The winners will be the most inspiring story in each category. Please send your No Spend Challenge tales to competitions@simplesavings.com.au by midnight, March 1st. Here are the three categories:

Category 1: Show us how you avoided 20 non-essential purchases to win $25
Category 2: Show us how you avoided 50 non-essential purchases to win $50
Category 3: Show us how you avoided all non-essential purchases to win $125

Please make sure your emails states which category you are entering. The full competition rules are here.

Last Month's Winners: T-shirts and Dinners

The shirt competition was won by Janine Daniels she made her husband a T-shirt that would be perfect for my husband. Janine has won $50 for her great effort.

Mona won $50 in our Dinner table competition. Here is one of her delicious dinner photos.

5. We Are Seeking a Writer

Simple Savings needs a new writer. If you are a master wordsmith, love helping people and have a spare 4-5 hours a week, send me an email (jobs@simplesavings.com.au) and tell me why you would be perfect for the job.

Till next time...

Goodbye for now... I hope you have a fantastic month. I'm really looking forward to hearing how your "No Spend" Challenges go.

Many grins,
Fiona

January 2020 - Simple Savings Newsletter

Simple Savings Newsletter - January 2020

Greetings!

This year our focus is on helping the planet. Do you know, everything frugal that we do helps the planet? From growing your own food, buying less, using less, re-using items, fixing and mending, cooking efficiently - it all helps. Saving money and helping the planet go hand in hand.

I hope you are well and safe. The fires are scary and sad. When people are evacuated after the fires because towns lack food and water, it scares everyone because it shows how much we take for granted.

It is time to stop taking things for granted and do all we can to care for each other. At times like these, all the frugal knowledge we have, all the things we do not only help ourselves, they also help our neighbours. They even help people who haven't been born yet.

So let's make a difference in 2020. Let's do our best to be frugal and help the planet.

Happy savings,

Fiona

PS: Apologies for not getting this newsletter out at the start of January. Sometimes I get a bit overwhelmed. I'll do my best to make sure February's newsletter is sent to you by February 1st.

This Year's Challenges

This year, we have set a frugal challenge for every month. You will find the full challenges in the new 2020 calendar.

If you haven't downloaded your FREE Simple Savings calendar yet, you can do so here.

Here are the challenges for the year ahead. I'm looking forward to doing them all together!

January: Conserve Water
February: Decluttering
March: Emergency Prep
April: Waste Not, Want Not
May: $21 Challenge
June: Know Your Area
July: Get Moving
August: Tasty. No Skill Required.
September: Grow Your Own
October: Shopping Online
November: Low Impact Gifts
December: Take a Break

January's Challenge: Conserving Water

As you can see from the list above, this month's challenge is all about conserving water. It couldn't be more timely. To begin making a difference, we would like you to think about doing the following in your household. You can either start off gently, or throw yourself in at the deep end (yes, that pun was intended)!

Easy - Change one water wasting habit

Moderate - Change two water wasting habits

Difficult - Revamp your whole water usage

Before you get started saving every precious drop, we suggest you:

Read this whole newsletter. It is filled with tips and tricks to help you reduce your water usage, some of which you may never have considered before.
Do your research. While we have great tips and information on conserving water in this newsletter and in our Vault, we are not the only place to look. There are a number of great sites around, like this one for example:

https://wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/?view=list
Choose your challenge. Once you have sourced some ideas and had a think about some of the things you can do this month, set yourself some goals. Such as, do you want to change just one habit, or do you want to go all in?
Make a plan. Choose the habits you want to change, write down the new habits you would like to replace them with, make your old habit hard to do, make your new habit easy to do and create yourself memory triggers to help you on your way.
Take action. Get in there and do it! Be the change you wish to see in the world.

What can my household do?

When was I was trying to work out how we could lower our water usage, I ran into a huge number of problems. For example, I didn't know things like:

How much water do we use?

What is normal?

How are we using all this water?

Am I frugal or wasteful with water?

In case you are also asking yourself the same questions, here is how you go about finding out:

How much water does my household use?

There are two ways to work this out. If you get a water bill, it details how much water you use per day. Divide this number by the people in your household. This will give you your daily water consumption per person. If you don't receive a water bill, this website can help you work it out.

https://www.hunterwater.com.au/Save-Water/Water-Usage-Calculator.aspx

What is normal?

Our water consumption falls into two categories. 'At home' water usage and 'unseen' water usage. On average, Australians use 282 litres of water in the home every day. Across the country, this ranges from 100 litres in some coastal regions to 800 litres in dry inland areas. Most water used is not in the home. It is 'unseen' water which is used to grow food and in the workplace. According to Australian Bureau of Statistics we each consume 2520 litres per day.

To work out whether or not your household is above or below average for your area, Google the average usage for your water region with these search words:-

"(Your region name) average household water consumption"

For example, I live on the Sunshine Coast, where the average is 170 litres per person. So my Google search was 'Sunshine Coast average household water consumption'.

How are we using all this water?

Let's look at how we are using all this water in our homes and elsewhere.

At home water use:

Flushing the toilet (single flush cistern) = 12 litres
Bath = 100 litres
Shower (10 minutes) = 200 litres
Dishwasher load = 50 litres
Washing machine load = 150 litres
Brushing teeth with tap running = 5 litres
Drinking, cooking, cleaning per person per day = 10 litres
Hand basin = 5 litres per use
Garden sprinkler = 1000 litres per hour
Garden dripper = 4 litres per hour
Car washing with hose = 200 litres
Hosing the driveway = 100 litres
Total daily consumption per household = 900 litres

These numbers came from

https://www.rwcc.nsw.gov.au/save-water/average-water-use/

Unseen water use:
An apple = 70 litres
A glass of beer = 75 litres
A glass of wine = 120 litres
Bag of chips = 185 litres
Slice of bread = 40 litres
Cup of tea = 35 litres
Cup of coffee = 140 litres
A potato = 25 litres
An egg = 135 litres
Glass of milk = 200 litres
Hamburger = 2400 litres
Cotton t-shirt = 2000 litres
Leather shoes = 8000 litres
One kilo of beef = 16,000 litres

(This data came from Cool Australia)

Are we wasteful or frugal with water?

In case you are wondering, 'What about me? Am I wasteful or frugal with water?', here is a little quiz our magnificent long time member Claire M put together:

Are you guilty of doing any of these?

Running the tap while cleaning your teeth or washing your hands.
Spending too long in the shower, or having a deep bath often.
Washing up and rinsing dishes under a running tap with no plug or basin.
Handwashing clothes under a running tap.
Not fixing a leaking tap or cistern.
Boiling more water than you really need for hot drink, or making stock then tipping out the rest down the sink.
Using sprinklers and turning them on, then forgetting about it until next morning or hours later.
Filling a child's wading pool with the hose, then forgetting to turn it off, or allowing children to play with the hose while filling.
Allowing children to play under the hose, or using the hose to make a water slide in the backyard.
1. Leaving the hose running while you wash the car
2. Hosing the lawns to keep them green.
3. Watering gardens every day, or just the leaves and not the root area.

This quiz has come from Claire's Water Saving Challenge thread in the Forum, where she and some other fantastic members are supporting each other to save. They have done an amazing job of collecting together all the hints and Forum threads which will help you with your challenge!

NB: To access the Forum, you need to be a Vault - or paid - member. To become a Vault member and unlock thousands of saving tips on every subject, click here!

Our 100 litre daily target

In the Lippey household this month, we have been examining our water habits. In our house, we use 132 litres per person per day. While this is below the average for our region, it is not great. At the moment, the Southern Downs Regional Council are asking people to reduce their water usage to 100 litres per day.

To meet the desired target, our household needs to cut our use by 32 litres per person - 192 litres in total for our household - every day. This is going to be tough!

I thought the hardest part about reducing our at home water usage would be getting the kids on board. But they have been great. I'll tell you more about them later.

I have been looking at our water habits in this household and these are the changes we can make now.

Re-using towels

Some of my children have this really annoying habit of only using their towel once, throwing it in the wash and then going to the cupboard in the hallway for a fresh towel. Part of the reason it has gone on for so long is we didn't have enough towel rails. There wasn't really anywhere for the kids to hang their towels, so they left them in a pile on the floor. The other part is they are being lazy and short of becoming a towel Nazi, I have no way of knowing who is or isn't re-using their towels.

The first step in my plan is to add more towel rails to the bathroom. I bought them months ago, now we just need to install them! A few months ago I also read a hint about buying different colour towels and assigning them to a child. This way, you know which child is hanging up their towel. It is a great idea, but buying new towels is excessive, so I'm going to sew coloured tags on our towels, assign each child with two towels, then remove the rest of the towels from circulation.

This way, each child will have to look after their towel, or they will either not have a clean towel or have to try and pinch their sibling's clean towel. This will be entertaining!

We used to have a similar problem with tea towels in the kitchen. Instead of hanging up the tea towel and re-using it, they would leave it in a soggy mess by the sink and get a fresh one from the drawer. To stop to problem with tea towels I removed all but two tea towels from the kitchen and hid the rest. It worked.

(I thought the kids would argue and whinge. But on the contrary, they are all on board. They really want to help.)

Re-using cups

Some days we do three dishwasher loads and most of it is cups. My kids use a glass once and that is it. Part of the reason is our cups look the same, but mostly it is laziness and me allowing my kids to have wasteful habits. I'm taking the advice of one of the hints below and am going to put coloured elastics on each person's cup. That will be their cup for the day. Then I'll remove the rest of the cups from the kitchen.

(I thought this would be a battle. But, the kids are super keen on this idea too.)

Timing showers

When it comes to showers we are pretty decadent. It is probably our most wasteful water habit. The water is so lovely, we often forget that we are in the shower and only get out when someone bangs on the wall!

To curb this I have bought a waterproof clock and shower timer.

(I bought the timer from AliExpress. Which means it will take a bit of time to arrive. But already the kids have started reducing their shower times. Last night Tristan said to me, "Look how quick I was in the shower. Were you watching?" "No, I don't watch you in the shower." "Then were you listening? Were you? It was the quickest I've ever been!" I'll let you know how it goes with the timer!

Watering the garden with rainwater

At the moment, I water the garden with drinking water. Up until writing this newsletter I had never considered any other options. However, is time for that to change. It is time to be smarter and get a water tank. But, the problem is, I know very little about water tanks.

After researching tanks, their cost effectiveness, regulations and rebates. I have come to the conclusion. I still know nothing about tanks. Zip. Nada.

This means getting a rainwater tank to water my veggies and wicking bed will need to be a long term goal. If you are an expert on water tanks however, I would love to hear from you. Please send me an email to info@simplesavings.com.au

Unseen Water Usage

So already we have some solid and hopefully effective ways of reducing our at home water usage in place. But what about our unseen water usage? How can we lower that?

Lowering our unseen water usage is tricky because it is hard to measure. On the unseen water usage list above, it shows 16,000 litres of water is used to produce one kilo of meat. When we eat meat for dinner, our family of six has between 600g (bolognaise) to 1.8 kg (lamb roast). At the moment, we eat meat five or six nights a week. Reducing this to three to four nights a week will save an average 32,000 litres of water a week. It will also save a tonne of money.

Other ways we can reduce our unseen water use are:-

Grow more of our own food
Live a more minimalist lifestyle
Limit purchases
Buy second hand goods
Eat less processed food
Eat more vegetarian and vegan meals

If you would like some recipes for vegetarian and vegan meals, mobile minimalist Jackie Norman and her husband Gareth are giving away a free recipe ebook, called 'Easy Veganuary'. If you would like to download a copy, you can do it direct from here

Here is one of their latest recipes:

Summer Asparagus Salad

Serves 2 as a main, or 4 as a side

This is our favourite salad right now! So quick to throw together, only a few ingredients and we love the zingy lemon-mayo dressing. Vegan mayonnaise is available readily from most supermarkets, however you can also use regular.

Ingredients:

1 bunch slender asparagus spears
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
60g leafy greens, such as mesclun
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (one for cooking the asparagus, one for the dressing)
3 tbsp vegan mayonnaise (available from supermarkets, or you can use regular)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sunflower seeds, to garnish

Method:

First, prepare the asparagus by discarding the ends and cutting the rest into bite-size pieces. Put a splash of water in a frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat, along with one tablespoon of the lemon juice. Add in the asaparagus and cook gently for 6 - 8 minutes, until the stems are softened. Set aside and let it cool for five minutes.

Add the cooled asparagus to a large bowl, along with the celery, leafy greens, mayonnaise and the other tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix well and season with a good scrunch of salt and pepper. Serve, garnished with sunflower seeds.

For more delicious vegan and plant-based recipes, check out their Facebook page, 'Camper Van Kitchen'.

Water Saving Tips from the Vault

With so many fantastic water conserving hints in the Savings Vault, there is really no excuse for us all not to be doing our bit to help the planet right now! Here are some good ones to get you started.

Use less dishwashing water

Here's a great hint for saving water. It is especially helpful in water-restricted areas and with rising water costs. Buy a $2.00 wash basin that fits nicely into your kitchen sink and use it to wash dishes in. The basin holds less water than the sink so it saves on water usage. You use less detergent so that saves money also. Then you can pour the water on your garden plants outside, so you save three times over!

Contributed by: Valerie Blake

Saving hundreds of litres in water

Despite a lengthy drought in Brisbane, I have saved over 35,000 litres of water in our pool and haven't had to use any tap water to water the garden in two years! Two years ago I attached a hose to the spouting of our house, so that I could fill the pool with rainwater as it fell and I could capture water for our pot plants and herb garden. This has saved us hundreds of dollars. Even a light sprinkle fills my 48 litre container, giving me two weeks of free water for the pot plants! Also, during the summer months I encourage my family to take 'Norwegian showers', which involves wetting yourself all over, then turning off the shower, lathering your body, and washing your hair, then turning the shower back on to rinse off. We have dropped our water consumption from one kilolitre per day to .65 kilolitres per day!

Contributed by: Keith Treuel

Water saving tricks from way back

We saved over $100 on a new-fangled water saving device! Recently we saw a new type of garbage bin being advertised in the local paper. It had a tap screwed into the bottom of it and was being promoted as a water saving device for $140. We couldn't help chuckling at the hefty price tag as my handy hubby had made us one of these a long time before! He just went to Bunnings, bought an ordinary garden tap and fittings for around $15 and fitted the tap to our existing garbage bin. I just wheel it in the laundry when I do a load of washing and get 60 litres of grey water to use on the garden. The bin can still be used for the normal round of rubbish on a weekly basis. Much cheaper than paying $140 for the same thing. My dad even used to do this too, using an old metal drum tied to a golf cart buggy on wheels!

Contributed by: Karin

Saving water saves money

We implemented all these water saving methods and found it very easy to change our old habits with simple common sense.

Brushing teeth: One small glass of water, wet toothbrush in glass, after brushing rinse mouth with water from glass then rinse toothbrush in remaining water.

Showers: Purchase a large round bucket from Crazy Clarks or similar outlet, place in the shower and stand in it. Turn shower on, wet hair and body, turn shower off, shampoo hair, turn water on and rinse hair, turn water off, wash body all over with body washer and shower soap, turn water on and rinse. You will be amazed at the small amount of water used!

Bathing children: It is very easy to bathe a small child in the large round bucket under the shower - plus they think it is great fun!

Toilets: Transfer the water from large shower bucket into toilet cisterns, and use it to flush the toilet.

Night visits: Don't flush during the night after urination, one flush first thing in the morning is sufficient, or use saved bucket water.

Older dishwashers: Put an 'Out of Order' sign on the dishwasher and wash dishes

the old fashioned way! New models usually use less water than hand washing.

Taps: When running water from the hot tap from cold to hot, use the electric jug to save the cold water. Boil the jug and then transfer to vacuum flasks for tea/coffee during the day. When leftover water from the flask is cool, fill up water bottles and put in fridge for drinking.

Washing machine: Use the water from shower tubs for the first cycle wash and don't over use soap powder.

Contributed by: Margaret Both

How an elastic band saves washing up and the environment

Don't you hate it when someone uses a clean glass out of the cupboard every time they have a drink? Me too. So I came up with this nifty water saving idea. Everyone in my family has a different coloured elastic band which they put around their drinking glass, so glasses don't get mixed up during the day. Each family member keeps the same glass all day and refills when necessary. Really cuts down on the number of glasses we wash each day. By doing this we save water and teach the kids a good lesson about waste.

Contributed by: Claudia Frasca-jones

Hundreds saved with handy friends' help

My husband saved $500 - $1000 installing the plumbing for a rainwater tank with a friend. Although he is not a handyman, he has friends who are! One gave him four off-cut wooden planks (which would normally cost $130) at no charge, to make the base on which the tank stands and even trimmed them to the required size and supplied brackets. Used sump oil was painted on to protect the wood - again, no cost. Crusher dust for the base was $33 for a cubic metre. Piping to connect the tank up to the drain pipes was another $100. He and another friend spent a few hours over several evenings connecting it all up. In exchange for his time and use of his tools, my husband helped out at his friend's pizza stall at a local food and wine festival. So for the grand total of $133 our new tank is installed, saving a small fortune in plumber's fees and wood for the base. As my husband has always said, 'What goes around comes around!'

Contributed by: Jane Frederick

Digital timer reduces water bills

We have four kids, and found our first water bill after returning to Australia from living in New Zealand, was huge! One way we thought of reducing it was by buying a digital timer that the kids use when they have their showers. Normal shower - three minutes, which is plenty. Hairwashing nights - a bit longer! The timer beeps loudly when time is up, we can hear it in other parts of the house, so can also keep a check on whether they are using the timer properly! This is working well so far and it is amazing how much time they used to waste (and water and money!) standing under the shower.

Contributed by: Leanne Kitson

Bonus quick links for Vault members:

Digital timer reduces water bills (forum)

Put an end to water hammer for $8

Turn air into water

Use 50% less hot water, save 50% more!

Try some speedy washing

Turn the pressure down

Washing away excess bills

Set laundry days reduces water bill

Competition: What is your best water saving tip?

Hopefully the ideas and information you have read so far has already got you well and truly inspired to conserve water. Perhaps you already do some of them - good on you! What other things do you and your household do to save water? What other brainwaves have you come up with, which have worked for you? We would love to hear! They can be as wacky or as innovative as you like, as long as they work.

Send your entries to competitions@simplesavings.com.au by January 27th to be in the competition. The best five tips will win $20 each. Thank you for sharing your clever ideas and helping others.

Leg Up Program: Update

In our last newsletter, we told you about our exciting new Leg Up program. This is where we give one Savings Vault membership away for every full price membership purchased, so that we can help even more people.

Hopefully, this program will be up and running to launch in February's newsletter. If you would like to apply early and be one of the first people to get a membership, fill in our early application form.

Did you make a plan?

We hope you have enjoyed this month's newsletter and our focus on conserving water. I hope you have learned some useful tips and tricks. Now you are nearly at the end, have you made a plan for saving water? Do you have any questions? If you want to talk more on the subject, the best place to go is Claire's challenge thread in the Forum. Good luck!

Till next time

Many grins,

Fiona

July 2010 - Simple Savings Newsletter

"Secrets to Saving Money in Australia" Free Newsletter - July 2010

This issue includes:-

Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Going 'Cheep'
Which Came First, the Chicken or the Veg?
Naomi's 'Cut and Paste' Chicken Tractor!
Best of the Forum: Backyard Farmers
Best of the Vault: Get Your Garden Going!
$21 Challenge - Read Chapter 2 Free!
NEW! Cooking with Mimi
Penny's Blog: Too Much Like Hard Work
Homeopathy Corner: Snail Bait
From Last Month: Share the House, Halve the Cost?
This Month's Help Request: Affordable Office Furniture
Savings Story: Get off the Merry-Go-Round and Get Ahead!

Hello,

How are you going? Good, I hope! All is well here. I'm really excited about this month's 'From the Yard' challenge! This month, your mission is to lower your food bill by spending 16 hours of your time (four hours a week) transforming your yard from a useless space into a food producing asset.

Which leads to the question 'how?' If producing your own food is that easy, why haven't you already done it? I guess it is a bit like the $21 Challenge. It might sound hard at first, but once you have done your research, made a plan and given it a go, you discover it is actually easy and fun! So that is what we would like you to do this month - give growing your own food a go. Then you will be a able to share some of success these guys have already acheived:

"After being inspired by the $21 Challenge I have found a way to save a whopping $3120 a year on my groceries! I used to go shopping weekly and spend around $150 for my family of five. Regardless of how much I needed for the week I always managed to spend the same amount of money. I would then find myself throwing away unused fruits and vegetables and finding old tins in the cupboard months later.

"However, I decided that I would try to make my shopping last two weeks and do a 'mini-shop' on the second week. This involved buying only the bare necessities, such as bread, milk and a few top up vegetables. I now find I spend no more than $30 on the second week of shopping, I am being much more creative in the kitchen and spending less time at the shops. A win all round!" (Kellie)

"Not so good for the Simple Savings team but a saving for me - I BORROWED the $21 Challenge book from the library! I am unemployed at the moment and have really loved the tips. Also the children I look after love to choose which recipe to try. We have used up a lot of items from the freezer and cupboard which normally would sit there or be thrown out. With a house move imminent I now have less to pack too! Congratulations on a wonderful book and website, I have spread the word!" (Penelope Dawe)

"I would like to thank you for the Power Saving Calculator. Using this has helped our family save loads of money and be more energy efficient. I now apply this calculator to my other gas and water usage bills and it is starting to have the same effect on our savings." (Tracey Rowe-Tucker)

"Thank you Simple Savings. Six months ago I was informed my son would require braces. Although a payment plan was organised my first payment was to be a lump sum of over $1500. I am a single parent and was quite stressed at the thought of trying to come up with this amount of money in such a short time. After joining Simple Savings I used the Savings Diary to see where my money was going and how I could save. Using the helpful tips and recipes from this site, not only did I manage to make this payment, but I could also afford to move house after the units we were renting were sold and all tenants were evicted. Thank you again Simple Savings, I will continue to save with the help of your site." (Sharon Bennett)

"I really enjoyed the Double Dinner Challenge. It all started with me putting one pork hock into the slow cooker with three cups of water. Now our freezer is filling up and I never have to stress over meals. Tonight, we are having chops. I hope everyone is as successful as we have been." (Linda Stapleton)

All the best,
Fiona Lippey

PS: Simple Savings now has its own FACEBOOK page! If you would like your friends to be Simple Savers too, tell them about us by posting something nice on our Facebook page. We love compliments!

1. Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Going 'Cheep'

'Just look at these!' Sally grumbled to Pete as she was cooking breakfast. 'We pay through the nose for 'high quality eggs' and what do we get? Paper thin shells, washed out looking yolks - and as for the whites - they just splat all over the place! I refuse to pay $5.99 a dozen for eggs like these. I want eggs like Hanna has!'

'To get eggs like Hanna has you have to have chickens, dear,' Pete smiled. 'Then that's what we'll do!' Sally replied. 'Just think Pete, we could be eating delicious, perfectly formed, golden yolked eggs for breakfast every morning from our very own chickens - instead of THESE,' she stabbed her fork in her runny egg, eyeing it with disdain.

'I know what's coming next,' Pete said drily. 'You want me to build a chicken run? Sorry love but you're going to be waiting a while. You've already given me 101 jobs to do! Nice idea though!' He gave her a kiss and got up and left the table. Sally fumed as she finished her breakfast. 'I'll show him! We WILL have our own chickens. I'll build them a run myself! There must be some plans on the Internet or something. How hard can it be?'

2. Which Came First, the Chicken or the Veg?

Like Sally, once upon a time I craved fresh eggs with golden yolks so high that butter could fall off the side the way a mountain climber slides off Mount Everest. But I thought owning chickens was too hard, so instead I tried my hand at growing mouth watering vegies.

I trotted off to the nursery and bought punnets of seedlings and a box of Seasol. Then I took them home, planted and watered them, and waited impatiently for them to grow. Eight weeks later, I was rewarded with such a pathetic crop of vegetables that I came to the conclusion it would have been cheaper and easier if I had just bought them at the supermarket! The only plant that did grow beautifully in my garden was a cabbage. I worshipped that cabbage, my one true success like I had climbed Everest itself, without falling off. I was so proud of that cabbage! Until, (wheeee, over the side!) I found out it wasn't actually a cabbage, just an inedible weed.

It was very disheartening. The main thing I learned from the experience was how little I knew, because growing vegetables is hard - if you don't know what you are doing. Someone who really knows what he is doing, however, is Jackie's (Penny Wise's) husband Noel. He is a vegie growing dynamo! Over a three month period last year Jackie's family of four harvested and ate 50 kilos of vegetables Noel grew himself. That is brilliant! That is a real... Everest of vegies.

I want to be able to grow vegies like Noel can, so in order to be a savvy gardener like he is, I have been listening very carefully and doing what he does. For example, when Noel was planting his garden, he did something very clever. He didn't go to the nursery and buy seedlings first. Instead he put a temporary chicken run in the spot where he was planning to grow vegetables.

Then, he got the chickens to prepare the vegetable beds for him! He threw in mulch and food for them, then sat back and waited while the chickens weeded the bed for him, turned the soil over for him, fertilised the bed for him and brought the soil to life. All the while giving him fresh eggs too! (I think Jackie married a very clever man!)

You see, the thing Noel knew about growing vegetables that I didn't is, the key to growing vegetables is getting the soil right. And, the easiest way to prepare the soil is by building a mobile chicken run - or a chicken tractor, as many people call them.

Even though I had heard this several times, it didn't sink in until we finally got our own chickens . Only then did I discover a few secrets about chickens and growing vegetables! Here's what I learned:

Owning chickens is easy. I thought it would be really hard, but they are a lot like keeping budgerigars, albeit very big ones! If you have enough skill to look after a cat or a dog, you have all the skills needed to get your own fresh, golden-yolked eggs every morning.
Chickens are lower maintenance than vegies. I don't mean to put growing vegetables down, far from it! However, as beginner gardeners we found the time and effort required to get vegetables out of our garden to be huge, compared to the amount required to get eggs out of our chickens. The first year I tried growing vegetables we had more failures then successes and spent several hundred dollars but only ate about $20 of our own produce. In comparison, this is the first year I have been keeping chickens and already our six chickens have given us $1000 worth of eggs!
Chickens will reward you faster than vegies. The wonderful thing about chickens is you can build your chook tractor in the morning, buy a couple of 'point of lay' chickens in the afternoon and when you wake up the next day, you will have eggs waiting for you! OK it is not always the next morning; it may take a week or two if you are unlucky but when you get that first egg, it feels like you have just conquered Mount Everest.
Chickens get you out into the fresh air . They literally drag you out to the garden. Since our kids are noisy and our vegetables were silent, the vegies had a tendency to get forgotten for long wilting stretches while we were busy doing all sorts of things with our much noisier children. However, this changed once we got chickens! Chickens will not be ignored. Our girls are always so happy to see us, that their joy drags everyone out into the yard. Spending time in the yard has become much more fun and while we are out tending to the chickens, we now also use this time to tend to the vegie garden!
Chickens won't tie you down . You can still go on holidays. Often if you own livestock you are always bound to your home and going on holidays is a huge issue. Not so with chickens. Many people who are reluctant about minding a cat or a dog will happily care for your chickens, because they get to eat the eggs. Egg-cellent! Speaking of neighbours, I don't recommend you get a rooster.
Chickens reduce your food bill. Before we had chickens we ate 28 eggs per week. Now we eat 42 eggs per week! This means we enjoy virtually FREE eggs on toast for breakfast instead of having to buy cereal. AND virtually FREE egg based meals for dinner. AND the most delicious light and fluffy sponge cakes! Here is a link to a YouTube video of Miss Jacqueline demonstrating our gluten-free, dairy-free, sponge cake recipe, made with our own fresh eggs.
Chickens are environmental warriors. They are a great way for you to reduce your food miles and carbon footprint. When you have all the eggs you need in your own back yard you don't have to drive to the supermarket to get them. Home produced eggs require no trucking, packaging or other resources which are harmful to the planet. We have also greatly reduced our household waste since we started feeding all our food scraps to the chickens.
Chickens will even plant food for you! Not only are chickens great little workers in the garden, they are also great recyclers, turning food scraps into manure which fertilises the soil and in turn plants more free food for us! We have lots of tomatoes growing thanks to the chickens, not to mention pawpaw and pumpkins, and the banana plants went... er, bananas, when the chickens moved onto that patch and started their magic. If you don't have time to garden, get the chickens to do it for you!
Chickens are trendy! Hard to believe I know but they have actually become 'cool'! This was something I wasn't expecting. Our chickens are quite a neighbourhood attraction. All the kids stop to talk to the chickens and feed them. Even at dinner parties or mothers groups you will find that people with chickens have a certain 'street cred'.

It's true! It's quite common to hear people say 'I wish I could keep chickens'. The great news is, you CAN. Anybody can keep chickens. All you need are chickens and a chicken tractor. 'A chicken tractor! Where the heck am I supposed to get one of those?' I hear you ask? You're about to find out!

3. Naomi's 'Cut and Paste' Chicken Tractor!

For years I had wanted to keep chickens but every chicken tractor design I came across online was too hard for me to attempt to build with wee kiddies underfoot. I did try nagging Matt to make me one last year when I was heavily pregnant. Unfortunately I got the same response as Sally did in this month's story. Apparently, I had already given him a million jobs to do, such as programming some obscure money saving website and proofing a book! *mock sigh and an eye roll* In the end, I bought a VERY EXPENSIVE chicken tractor out of desperation. By the time we had bought a few books and read up on the subject, got our chickens and had our chicken tractor delivered I had spent $1100!

Naomi also wanted to keep chickens but had gone through a similar experience. All the plans she came across online were too complicated and hard to understand. She came to the conclusion it was going to be impossible to build her own chicken tractor so ended up spending $500 on a flat-packed chicken coop from eBay. It was disappointingly small, heavy and in the end she got rid of the chickens and used it to house guinea pigs instead.

We didn't want you to make the same very expensive mistakes we did. So Naomi has designed a simple, lightweight, durable, fully functioning 'Cut and Paste Chicken Tractor' that EVERYONE can make for around $300. We called it 'Cut and Paste' because there are no screws and bolts involved. If you can cut with scissors and a hacksaw and glue a few bits of pipe together, then you have all the skills needed to make this very light weight chicken tractor.

The design is so simple you can make it in a day. You only need to read through the instructions, print out the shopping list, get the bits home and stick it all together. How easy is that! For those who are near a Bunnings store, we have even included their product codes and written the shopping list so you can find what you need in order as you walk around the store.

The above version is intended for keeping two to four chickens. Later on down the track if you think four chickens are not enough then you can easily get some more! All you have to do is cut the wire ties and add an extension. Later you can also change the design to suit your yard.

Note - This design is NOT fox proof. If you need to make it fox proof you will need to use chicken wire on all sides or make it a lot taller.

For Naomi's full instructions with step by step photos, shopping list and chicken purchasing tips, click here.

We have made these plans free because we want everyone to be able to make a huge difference to their food bill, their family and the planet. There is enough information here for you to get started. You can learn heaps more about keeping chickens by reading some of our many Forum threads on the subject, or through talking to our Forum members. You do have to be a paid member to do this but when you join the Vault you will enjoy an almost instant return on your investment - just like your chickens!

You can join the Vault here.

4. Best of the Forum: Backyard Farmers

Whether you're a first time gardener or a seasoned 'green thumb' the Savings Forum is always an excellent place to talk about the great outdoors. Check out some of these discussions for starters!

The best way to learn self sufficient living?

Do you dream of living 'the good life' but don't know where to start? Help is at hand! In this thread you will discover some great tips how to live a thrifty, self sufficient lifestyle.
read more...

How many eggs did you get today?

A fun and inspiring thread about counting eggs! This thread is also a great place to talk about what type of chickens you have, how many and how good they are at laying beautiful fresh eggs for you, your family and friends.
read more...

Chicken talk for those who have/want chickens

Chicken lovers unite! Whether you need advice on keeping chooks, want to cluck along with other members about your chickens or learn from their tales, this is the thread for you.
read more...

What are you growing this year?

Read this thread and prepare to be amazed! You wouldn't believe the variety of fruit and vegies our members grow. This discussion will inspire you, as well as pass on some helpful tips, such as which plants are suited for the tropics as well as the colder climates.
read more...

Backyard sufficiency for renters/people on small blocks

You don't need to own a sprawling property to enjoy self sufficient living. If you are renting or living on a smaller block you will find some fantastic tips here. Some members are even using mini greenhouses inside!
read more...

5. Best of the Vault: Get Your Garden Going!

More people have turned to vegie gardening as a way to reduce their food bills in the last few years than they have in decades. Join the trend and get growing, with the help of some of these tips from the Savings Vault!

Meet a growing family

Our family does the best we can to help save the planet, and save ourselves money, by growing our own vegetables and trading with others who do the same. I have a few tips for growing your own seedlings which can reduce costs in the garden and help you recycle household waste.

Seed Trays - Reuse seedling trays you had previously purchased, or be inventive and reuse something you may have placed in your recycling bins such as toilet rolls or plastic milk bottles, punched with several holes for drainage. Use soil from your garden or worm castings - these are very good for seedlings.

Sourcing Seeds - We get our seeds from heirloom catalogues; these have greater variety, are cheaper than hardware or nursery seeds and as they're not hybrids, the seed is always viable. We always let a few plants go to seed and collect them. Last year, one broccoli plant provided enough seed to fill a brown paper bag; that will last several years and all for an initial cost of around $3.00. A year's supply of broccoli from the shops would cost well over $100 for a family of three.

Making markers - To mark out which seeds are which, make your own markers from recycled materials. We use the coated cardboard from heat treated milk containers. They cut easily and are water repellent so they can be used over and over again. If you use permanent markers, sunlight won't fade the writing.

Starting seeds - To get seeds started in cold weather you can keep them inside, on top of the hot water heater, or make mini greenhouses from plastic cartons and bottles. I was lucky enough to get a plastic greenhouse which is small enough to fit on a balcony or veranda but large enough to produce enough seedlings for our vegetable garden year round.

All this planting, marking and watering might sound labour intensive but it only takes about one hour a week.

Contributed by: Kristy Faris

Never buy lettuce again

I'm never buying salad items again! For $2.99, the cost of one store bought lettuce, I bought a packet of lettuce seeds containing approximately 50 seeds. Add to that a $4.99 bag of compost, and a bit of muscle to dig up a patch of garden, and I now have fresh salad every day for only $0.15c a lettuce!

I can't eat it all, so I'm giving some away to friends and family which means they are saving from my savings! So simple, fresh and tasty and a huge saving of $141.52!

Contributed by: Lisa

Pay yourself for home grown fruit and veg

I save by paying for the fruit and vegetables I grow in my garden! As I harvest what I have grown I put some money in a box. I don't charge much, for example $0.50c for a large cabbage and $0.10c for enough carrots for a meal, but it's enough so that at the end of the month I have a reasonable amount of money for something I really need.

Contributed by: Nanna Poddy

Plant rhubarb, grow savings

Save money by growing your own rhubarb. It's so easy to grow, lasts for years and you can use it all year round.

A small bunch can cost $2.00 to $6.00 in the supermarket, but one or two plants will produce plenty for a small family. If you know someone who has several crowns of rhubarb, ask if they will split one or two for you. Don't bury the crown when planting and give it plenty of compost or some manure to start with. For longer stalks, plant it inside a wide pipe about 30cm-40cm high. This will encourage long stems as the leaves reach for the light.

When the stalks are thick and red, pull them away from the crown to harvest, rather than cutting them. To freeze, wash and trim both stalk ends - don't use the leaves, which are poisonous - then cut into pieces about 1cm long. Put into a plastic bag, sprinkle a little sugar over and shake before sealing and popping into the freezer. It's then all ready for a quick rhubarb pie, crumble or whatever you fancy. Keep harvesting whenever it is ready and you'll never run out.

You can use rhubarb leaves for cleaning the inside of a saucepan too! Just boil up the leaves in the saucepan with plenty of water and stains seem to disappear. Be sure to rinse well afterwards.

Contributed by: Val Solomon

Plant tomato seeds and sprouting potatoes

When using fresh tomatoes, put the seeds into a pot and you will save money by growing your own tomatoes. You will find they not only look better but taste better too. The same goes for potatoes. When you have them a little too long they will grow little eyes in them. Just plant them in the ground and you will have your own fresh potatoes. They take around six weeks to grow. When they start to flower put some dirt over the base of the plants to cover the growing spuds. When the plant above ground is dead it is time to harvest and enjoy.

Contributed by: Teresa Bloomfield

Sweet potato all year round

Many people do not realise this, but it is possible to grow 'seasonal' vegetables all year round! For the price of a single sweet potato, our family enjoys its homegrown produce summer and winter. It takes very little time and effort. First you need some large, empty pots - old plant pots will do. Next, put some shredded paper in the bottom, followed by either compost or cheap potting mix. Then, purchase one small sweet potato and cut it into four. Let the cut quarters dry off for a week, then plant into your pots. In a small area, these will grow and trail and make a nice display of greenery; in a large area they will grow against a fence and cover the area.

After six months we take out and use a sweet potato and always cut a little to dry. Then we simply put the newly dried pieces back into the pots and start again! I have six pots going and these keep us in sweet potatoes all year. You can do this with other vegetables too, using pots or whatever else you can find. I have converted an old plastic baby pool into a vegie garden and use it to grow lettuces, just picking the leaves as we need them. Even an old tyre in one corner of the yard has been filled with shredded paper and soil and grows beetroot, which are delicious served cold in summer, and hot in winter with a dollop of sour cream!

Contributed by: Betty Threlfo

Tasty free rockmelons in your garden

I enjoy a fresh home-grown breakfast every morning! I love eating rockmelon for breakfast, but I didn't love the price, so I planted the entire seed ball of a rockmelon that I bought to eat back in the spring. I am now getting my own fresh and tasty, chemical free rockmelons at a fraction of the price!

Contributed by: Katie Chambers

A garden that grows and goes Contributed by: Shannon Dobson

Eggs-cellent idea for vegetable growers Contributed by: Jo Murphy

Four easy-to-grow herbs Contributed by: Julie Chissell

Nothing nuts about this home made pesto! Contributed by: Heather Mackay

6. $21 Challenge - Read Chapter 2 Free!

Just in case you haven't got round to reading Chapter 2 of the $21 Challenge book yet, here's another reminder! When we were writing the book, the second chapter kind of happened by accident. You see, in this chapter, families share their experiences of the $21 Challenge and why they love it. Once we read everyone's feedback, the many benefits were so varied and so great, we just had to put them all in the book - and you know what? It ended up being our favourite chapter!

It looks like we weren't the only ones who enjoyed it either! We decided to make the second chapter free because when Jackie was touring around libraries talking about the $21 Challenge, she discovered that people couldn't stop talking about the second chapter of the book. They said it really inspired them and made them want to save money. We thought that was fantastic but even more so, we thought it was really important that everyone could read that chapter, so that we can help as many people as possible.

So here they are! Both chapters are available to read on the Simple Savings site, or you can also read them on our Facebook page. Check it out and tell your friends too!

You can read Chapters 1 and 2 here: (Chapter One) (Chapter Two)

Oh - and don't forget (*shameless plug*) you can purchase the WHOLE $21 Challenge book here!

7. NEW! Cooking with Mimi

We are pleased to welcome a new regular addition to our newsletters. By popular demand, we proudly introduce one of our favourite savvy cooks from the Forum - Mimi!

For a long time now, Mimi has shared her delicious frugal recipes in the Forum; many of which have gone on to become regular favourites with members and their families. One of seven children, Mimi is a devoted mum and an unabashed 'foodie'. Having spent years in the catering business, she likes nothing more than whipping up new creations in the kitchen. If you can buy it in shops, or eat it in a restaurant, you can bet Mimi will come up with a way to make it - for a fraction of the price!

Each month from now on, we will showcase Mimi's recipes - and enjoy every minute sampling them too! Check out this month's yummy selection!

Creamy Egg Spread

My mum used to work at a posh city hotel. She learned this recipe from the chef, who used it for afternoon teas for the 'blue rinse' ladies. This spread is delicious on sandwiches with watercress (easily grown at home), toast or on crackers of any kind.

4 cups water
6 eggs
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp finely chopped onion
½ tsp Tabasco sauce
90g softened cream cheese or labna
Seasoning to taste

Bring your four cups of water to the boil. When it's bubbling, add the eggs, and cook at a rapid boil for eight minutes.

Remove from the heat, drain and run the eggs under cold water for a minute to prevent them discolouring.

Allow the eggs to sit in cold water for five minutes, then peel, and quarter.

In a food processor bowl or blender, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, onion and Tabasco sauce until smooth. Add the eggs, cream cheese or labna and pulse until combined.

You can also just mash this together, but you won't get the same creamy consistency.

Taste and season if necessary.

Transfer to a covered bowl. Keeps well, covered, for 24-48 hours.

Poor Man's Guacamole

This dip looks just like Guacamole - with one big difference. It's made with broad beans and not an avocado in sight! Broad beans are dead easy to grow but harder to convince the family to eat. They generally look unattractively grey once steamed, but pop them out of their little grey pods, and these ravishing little vivid green babies come to life. Their flavour is just as mild as avocado, and once pureed, the texture is similar too. The beans also retain their pretty green colour, unlike avocadoes which will brown once stored as a dip, so this is a great make-ahead recipe. These ingredients make the most enormous amount so this is a winner for those feed-a-crowd occasions.

Don't let your imagination stop at using this one as a dip either. Try it as a pasta sauce, a topping for baked potatoes, and as a sandwich or wrap filling with some crunchy carrots and sprouts.

If you don't grow your own broad beans, you can buy frozen ones for under $3.00 in the frozen vegetable section of your supermarket. You will need two 500g packets for this recipe.

6 cups water
1kg broad beans
60ml olive oil
60-100ml reserved cooking liquid
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tsp fresh or minced coriander
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ginger, grated, minced or powdered
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small chilli, diced finely

Bring your six cups of water to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add the broad beans, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until tender. Drain, reserving the liquid, and cool. Pinch the beans to pop them out of their pods if you wish, otherwise leave whole.

Add the steamed broad beans, lemon zest and juice, coriander, cumin, ginger, garlic and chilli to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until a thick paste forms. With the motor running, drizzle 60ml of the reserved cooking liquid and 60ml of the olive oil through the chute.

Check the consistency and flavour and add salt and pepper to taste. If the dip is too firm, add up to 30ml more olive oil and cooking liquid, checking after each addition, using the same method.

Use as a dip with vegetable sticks, or as a replacement for guacamole in any Mexican dish.

Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Almonds, Crispy Bacon and Feta

Think you don't like brussels sprouts? Think again! These little morsels are scrumptious as a side dish, or light lunch. We all know the benefits of eating cruciferous vegetables - they provide great roughage and have long been touted as a cancer preventative BUT - they are seriously in need of a makeover!

Luckily, this dish is so good, even people who don't like brussels sprouts will come back for seconds. It's about as un-sprouty as they come!

500g brussel sprouts
50g flaked almonds
2 rashers middle bacon, finely diced
100g feta cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 220C.

Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Remove the tough outer leaves of the brussel sprouts and rinse well. Roll in a clean tea towel or paper towels to dry. Cut each sprout into quarters. Pour the olive oil and balsamic vinegar into a large bowl, and season well with salt and pepper.

Put the prepared brussel sprouts into the bowl, and toss until well coated. Pour the brussel sprouts, and the excess oil and vinegar into the lined baking tray. Bake for around 20 minutes until they start to turn golden.

While the sprouts are roasting, heat a non-stick frypan over a medium heat. When well heated, add the flaked almonds and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, until they turn golden. This should take no more than a minute or two. Remove the almonds to a bowl.

Reheat the pan, and add the diced bacon. Fry the bacon until cooked to your liking. I prefer it a little underdone and soft, but the rest of the family prefers it very crisp.

Remove the brussel sprouts from the oven. Sprinkle with the cooked bacon, crumbled feta, and toasted almonds.

Return to the oven to heat the feta through, about 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve.

Silverbeet Coconut Curry

My mum used to grow silverbeet when we were kids. We ate it steamed with loads of butter and salt. Fortunately, I now know other ways to eat this beautiful leafy treasure! Curries are so popular these days and everyone has their favourite version. This one is full of iron. It's the perfect combination of healthy and deliciously flavoursome. Remember that the silverbeet shrinks down significantly with cooking so pile it in and let the delicious curry sauce weave its magic.

6 leaves of silverbeet, sliced down the middle to halve, then into shreds about 5cm wide
2 tbsp Thai curry paste
300ml coconut milk
300ml stock or water
3 bay leaves
2 tsp fish sauce
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp minced ginger
1 stalk lemongrass, finely sliced (or equivalent from a jar)
2 cups rice
3 ½ cups water

Put the rice and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, stir well, and cover with a tight fitting lid. Switch OFF, but leave on hotplate. Do not disturb and do not peek or the stored heat will be released and your rice will not cook. Leave for 20 minutes, then fluff the rice with a fork. Cover and keep warm while the curry is cooking.

Heat a large wok until smoking. Add curry paste, and stir fry until fragrant.

Add the coconut milk, stock (or water), bay leaves, fish sauce, sugar, ginger and lemongrass. Stir well until simmering.

Add the shredded silverbeet all at once. Stir to cover in liquid. Cover and allow to simmer for about 3-5 minutes until the silverbeet is tender. Serve with rice.

8. Penny's Blog: Too Much Like Hard Work

July 19th

Hooray! We have an abundance of broccoli in the garden again! Just in the nick of time too, as we had just run out of the stash we had frozen from the last crop and we absolutely refused to buy it from the supermarket, much too expensive! It's scary how expensive winter vegetables are to buy; it certainly makes you think twice about which ones you're prepared to pay for.

The latest statistics show the price of fruit and vegetables has risen by more than 9% over May and June so I was really impressed to see a couple of local places this week helping families to get more fresh produce for their dollar. The Glenview Fruit and Vege Market in Hamilton has been stopping traffic with their sign advertising their winter special. For $10 customers can get a broccoli, a silverbeet and a bag each of carrots, apples, onions, kumara, pears and potatoes. Or, you can buy $20 worth of freshly picked homegrown fruit and vegetables for $10 in Huntly, thanks to Kim Rangi; an enterprising Community Health Coach. Good on 'em and others like them I say!

Still, the cheapest way to save on fruit and vegies is of course to grow your own. I'm certainly grateful at this time of year for my little freezer full of broccoli, cauliflower, broccoflower, pumpkin and celery. I almost always freeze our celery as none of us like it raw but it's great in soups and stews!

Since his new job started, Noel hasn't had too much time for getting out in the garden but he's still been saving us plenty of money on our food bill - thanks to other people's vegetable gardens! He's been having a wonderful time pootling along the winding coastal roads and picking up all sorts of bargains from local roadside growers, saving at least 50% compared to supermarket prices. However, his best coup so far is the sack of about 60 avocados given to him by one of his new clients! Apparently they stay green as long as you want them; you simply put them in a warm place such as a hot water cupboard or by the fire and they will ripen over several days. We won't need to buy avocados for a VERY long time!

Because so many of the places he travels are in the back of beyond, we have to be really disciplined about making sure Noel always has plenty of lunch, drinks and snacks packed from home. It's great - he just pulls up at the nearest beach wherever he happens to be and tucks into his lunch, looking out over the sea. Mind you, almost wherever he goes on his travels his friendly new clients invite him in for sandwiches or home-made soup. How many jobs do you get like that these days?

It's a standing joke in our family that if the sky were to fall in tomorrow, Noel and Ali would survive quite comfortably, whilst left to our own devices Liam and I would undoubtedly starve. One of my favourite sayings, which I've said before and admit to pinching from Fiona is 'Give a man a fish and he will have food for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will have food for life'. Ali is definitely living proof of that! He can grow his own food, he can hunt it and he can catch it too. Only yesterday he singlehandedly brought home enough dinner to feed u have to do is pick it and eat it - where's the hard work in that? Or would you rather drive to the supermarket to get your fruit and vegies?'

Of course I don't actually say it - I just smile sweetly and bite my tongue but I find it hard to believe that so many people truly believe they don't have the time to eat the cheapest, best quality food that nature can give them - or stranger still, that they don't have the time to SAVE themselves time going shopping! I would hate to think that our years of planting and nurturing all this wonderful food might be left to rot or feed nothing but the birds and possums when we leave here. There must be other mad people like us out there who enjoy nothing better than 'too much hard work!'

July 2010

13th - Times like these

23rd - That's my boy!

9. Homeopathy Corner: Snail Bait

Snails hate homeopathy - or at least Helix Tosta, a remedy made from ground up toasted snail. Fran Sheffield has been doing some research into its effectiveness and surveying some of her customers who have been protecting their plants from snails with Helix Tosta, and the first set of results are in. 83.8% of people who used it to protect their plants said they considered the results good or excellent. That is great news for us, but sad news for the snails.

If you would like to learn more about Fran's snail experiments go to:-

http://homeopathyplus.com.au/snails-and-slugs-pack-their-bags-and-leave-with-homeopathy/

http://homeopathyplus.com.au/helix-tosta-survey-results/

10. From Last Month: Share the House, Halve the Cost?

Last month Sylvia asked:

"I am a widow and have had a male friend for three years. We live in separate houses and take it in turns to cook for each other every other night. We go away on holiday together and get along fine. We are both on a pension and finding it is getting tougher and tougher to stretch our money from payday to payday. My friend keeps suggesting that we should live together as it would basically halve our expenses but as well as the thought of giving up my independence, I am a little concerned with the legal aspect of setting up home together.

"His idea is to sell his house and move in with me. However, I'm not sure what would happen were I to pass away first (I am 67, he is 71). My own house is left to my family and I am worried that after two years, he and his family could legally be entitled to half of everything should I die before him. Although we would be living together, our friendship is only platonic and neither of us would dream of using the other's money or assets to our own advantage. However, the savings would be so great at around $1000 a month that I am starting to feel it is worth giving some serious thought. I would really love to hear any advice members could give on how we could make this living arrangement work legally, as well as anyone who has possibly been in a similar situation!"

We knew that we could rely on our wise members to offer plenty of savvy advice! Thank you to everyone who sent in helpful suggestions like these:

Platonic friends can have a pre-nup too

Any legal worries you may have about sharing your home can be solved by getting a prenuptial agreement - even though the relationship is purely platonic. It will outline what each party wants at the outset and then will be clear to everyone should either of you were to pass away during the time you are sharing the same house.

Contributed by: Diane Fawcitt

Consult a relationship lawyer

Even if you are not in a 'relationship' as such, you need to discuss exactly how this will work with your friend and then both discuss this with a relationship lawyer. It would be best to have a Contracting Out Agreement drawn up (both will need legal advice) and this will make it clear as to who is entitled to what in the event of going separate ways or one passing away. This also makes it clear to the families that you have attended to this and made provisions for them. Also, ensure your wills are both up to date and the Contracting Out Agreement is kept with the will. Good luck!

Contributed by: Shelley Turnbull

Better neighbours than friends

You can get along with a person really well on a daily basis - but living together is a whole different story, as I found out! My neighbour and I both had four year old boys. With both of us receiving single parents pension we decided we would share a house to save on expenses. One of the things we had to do early on was answer embarrassing and intimate questions from Centrelink about whether or not we were in a relationship, which we were definitely not! On the positive side it ended up being financially beneficial, however, just because we got along great as neighbours, living together was very different and we only lasted about 10 months.

Contributed by: Russell Syme

Go halves on the house

I think it's a fantastic idea that you and your friend want to live this way, but you are right, it is almost impossible to protect your children's interests beyond the grave. Here is my suggestion. When your friend sells his home, get him to 'buy into' yours. By this, I mean give you half the money and put his name on the title. You then invest the money so that, if he dies before you, you are able to buy back that share and if you die before him, then he can buy your family out of their share. This way, you not only save by living together, but you can have a little investment on the side, earning you a small income. A win-win situation I think!

Contributed by: Janine Valbergs

Seek advice from Centrelink

Before committing to sharing a house, please seek information from Centrelink before making your decision. As your friend wants to live within your home, you would be best to set the arrangement up so that he is simply renting a room from you and you are simply sharing the household expenses as housemates. This protects your finances as he would have no ability to contest a will or have grounds for entitlement as he was simply a tenant within your home. The savings and the company would be well worth the effort of legally setting the situation.

Contributed by: Emma Beatson

For better or worse - or just better?

When two friends agree to share a house, you can make a legal contract to cover your worries, just as a married couple can have a pre-nup agreement. However, there are also other things you might want to consider. You would have to have a clear agreement about splitting the bills, especially the food bill - just in case he thinks you'll do all the cooking for him! Also, bringing two households together you will both probably have items to sell as there would be two of everything, so that will require some discussion. Yet another thing to think about is, if this man becomes sick, do you want to become his carer? This would need some careful thought and you would need to have an agreement between the two of you should this arise. However, if you get on well then you could do a lot to look after each other and live much more comfortably. Good luck!

Contributed by: Annabel Brinkworth

Sharing a home doesn't have to be complicated

Platonic friends can share a house and still retain ownership of their respective estates. Any good lawyer can draw up a will which still leaves each partner's estate to his or her own family and not revert to the more recently acquired partner. The second house could be rented and the income shared. Then, should the home owner of the house in which they live pass on first, the second can recover his or her own home and allow the deceased estate to be wound up.

Contributed by: Neville Crocombe

Both parties well cared for with legal agreement

I can vouch that sharing your home with another person can be a good idea. I was a carer for someone who lived with me. We were treated as separate people by Centrelink, not as a couple. I visited my solicitor and made an additional note to go with my will that stated we were living separately. I also made provisions for the person I was caring for to be allowed a set amount of time to continue residing at our shared home should I pre-decease them, and have made mention of items they were entitled to in order to re-establish themselves elsewhere.

By doing this I have made the situation clear, it is all legal and I feel I have been fair with the re-establishment clause and effects. This has also put the other person's mind at ease because they will not suddenly find themselves homeless should anything happen to me.

We have since had a change in our relationship and have married, however, I have still left these clauses in place as the home we have I had bought prior to our marriage, and upon my death goes to my children.

Contributed by: Glenys Gordon

Pay rent when sharing a house

I can highly recommend sharing a house! It really helps to keep the finances under control. My son and I currently share a house with a male friend and have done so now for several months to save costs. Our relationship is entirely platonic and he has a girlfriend. I moved in to his place and to ensure he was legally covered should anything happen, I pay him a small amount of rent ($100 per week) which he keeps in a log book. His accountant said that as long as I am a renter, my family has no comeback should anything happen. We both sign the rent book each week to say I have paid, so the evidence is clear. We go halves in all electricity and groceries and this has saved us both heaps. It is also great to have the household chores halved! I do the housework and he keeps the gardens and so on. He uses the rent towards his rates and house insurance/repairs so it benefits him as the home owner and it all works out great for both of us!

Contributed by: Rosemary Knights

11. This Month's Help Request: Affordable Office Furniture

This month Ros asks:

"I am looking for affordable office furniture. We have a small business that we run from a single bedroom flat, but we need to move for more room. Does anyone know where I can get good office size desks at great prices? Student desks are just not big enough for what I need."

If anyone has any suggestions or experiences which could help Ros, please send them in to us here.

12. Savings Story: Get Off the Merry-Go-Round and Get Ahead

I never dreamed that saving money and paying bills could be so much fun! At the start of this year my husband and I decided that we were sick of living pay to pay. It seemed like all we did was pay off the bills, only to have more to come in and not leave enough to go round. We always seemed to be juggling what to pay on what payday. One day, after having a nice long chat with my mum, my husband and I sat down and worked out a budget. We looked really closely at every bill that we paid and how much they were each month. We then divided all the bills in half and started to pay them every fortnight instead.

We also analysed all the bills to see where we could save. We bundled our home phone, Internet and pay TV together and saved ourselves more than $100 a month. We also looked into our mobile phones and saw that we were paying for a high cap plan that we were not even using! I changed them and this saved us at least another $100 per month. From then on I began going over all our bills with a fine toothed comb. In the last four months alone doing this has saved us at least $900 on various bills because the companies had our charges incorrect!

After doing this for few months the bills started to come in and to our joy we found we were in credit. It's a wonderful feeling to see a bill where you are in credit for $30, or that you only owe $3.00 on your mobile phone bill for the month!

We budget ourselves $400 for groceries each fortnight (including takeaway and so on). Anything not used goes into a tin to put towards the following fortnight. We have the same system with fuel too - we budget for it, pay it and whatever is left over goes into the kitty for the next fortnight.

We now also have an allowance for ourselves. Out of this comes our luxury items such as waxing, hairdresser, shoes, smokes, coffee, work lunches and so on. If we don't have the money for the things we want, we just have to save up until we do!

We are finally getting ahead of our bills instead of the bills getting ahead of us. There is no longer a panic if an unexpected bill comes in. Any remaining money is put towards paying off our credit card and any extra money we get (e.g. child care rebate, tax refund and so on) also goes straight on paying off this card. Once it is paid off it we will finally be putting our money where we want it - into a savings account, instead of paying off debt!

Contributed by: Kerri Shepherd-Ashby

July 2012 - Simple Savings Newsletter

"Secrets to Saving Money in Australia" Free Newsletter - July 2012

This issue includes:-

Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Switched Off
August is Switching Off Month!
Hidden Gems Competition Winner: MyFitnessPal.com
Best Members' Blog: A New Journey
Best of the Forum: Switched on Savers!
Best of the Vault: How Low Can You Go?
Cooking with Mimi: Dinner by Candlelight... Not Just for Romantics!
Fifty Cent Indulgences: Pantry Delights
Claire's Corner: July, You Sucked my Wallet Dry!
Rob Bob's Gardening Blog: A Pondering on Self-Sufficiency
Homeopathy Corner: Fighting Colds and Flu
From Last Month: Post Chemo Hair Care
This Month's Help Request: Fire Surrounds
Savings Story: Going for Gold!
Goodbye for now!

Hello,

I hope you are having a great month. Life in Simple Savings land has been fun. We have been preparing to open an online shop which will be devoted to goods to help you save. And, I mean SAVE!

If all goes well (as if!) the shop should be open with its first couple of products by the end of the month. So keep your eyes peeled. We have been very fussy selecting products because we want every item to help improve your lives. We want these products to be so good that when you receive them you will want to write us lovely compliments such as these ones:

"I just received The $21 Challenge for my birthday on the weekend and read it in one sitting - I love it. Your book has come into our house at exactly the right time as both my husband and I have been subject to pretty scary cuts in hours/income at the moment. I have written my 'streamlined' grocery list and I am ready to take up the challenge! Thanks again." (Kim M.)

"I love reading your fantastic newsletters. Over the years I have found the tips and tricks invaluable, and have turned my spending habits around for the better! Thanks for your wonderful service." (Karen Chapman)

"Love your newsletter! Makes for a positive start to my working day. Instead of thinking I need to earn more, which is a lie I tell myself after I spend and waste too much, your newsletter is a friendly reminder that I can make better aware choices with what I do with my money. Thanks for your newsletters, they are fantastic!" (Amy Dew)

"That was a very swift reply to my email and so lovely to get a proper personalised one as opposed to a computer generated one. My finances are very tight for the next eight weeks; getting together the last of the money I need for expenses to attend my brother's wedding in Sydney. I've got a daughter to pay for too, but with my skills of making a dollar stretch and knowing how to shop on the cheap I'll get there. I find the $21 Challenge book provides me with lots of inspiration! I shopped for just under only $10 this week and next week I have just $14 total to spend, along with what's at home in the cupboards and fridge, so even less than $21! I know I can do it as I have become very resourceful!" (Bridget S.)

All the best,
Fiona

1. Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Switched Off

"Morning! Fancy a cuppa?" smiled Chloe. "Love one - it's freezing out there!" said Sally. "Ooh - it's lovely and toasty in here though!" "I'll say!" agreed Pete. "Make mine a pina colada Chlo, it's like the Bahamas in here! What must your power bill be like?"

"Ugh, don't ask," Chloe grimaced as Sally smiled apologetically at her husband's lack of tact. "It was $600 last quarter. I can't believe how much it costs to keep this little place warm, especially when there's only me living here. It's just crazy," she grumbled.

"$600! That's crazy alright - ow!" Pete spluttered as Sally elbowed him. "Well if you have any suggestions on how I can make it less, do tell!" said Chloe. "Er - switch your heating off? Put on a jumper and some socks?" replied Pete. Chloe looked mortified. "Oh no - I couldn't possibly do that. I don't like wearing jumpers. They are so itchy!"

2. August is Switching Off Month!

Do you recognise Clueless Chloe? How many people do you know who claim they want to lower their electricity bill but are not prepared to put their money where their mouth is? Well, this month it is time to change that. It is time to take action. It is time to switch off the things WE CAN DO WITHOUT, such as the lights, TV and computer being on in every room of the house.

We are focusing on turning these off because it is a small and easy change that will make a huge difference to your life. It will not just save you money, it will bring your family closer together. And, that is very important.

With everything we gain in this world we also give something else away. When we gained the ability to light and heat every room, and be able to entertain ourselves in our own separate spaces, we lost something. We lost intimacy. We lost all the benefits of sharing the same room, such as entertaining each other and not just being entertained.

We lost the ability to tell jokes, to play games, to laugh and, in some cases, smile. We stopped reading to each other. We stopped learning how to resolve arguments. We lost all the wonderful things that being in the one room gave us.

So let's get them back. This month, switch off most of your lights after dark and only light one room so everyone starts hanging out together. And, only have one screen on at a time. This will help everyone relearn how to share and be intimate with each other. This won't just lower your power bill, it will bring the joy back to life.

3. Hidden Gems Competition Winner: MyFitnessPal.com

Our Hidden Gems directory is designed to help members source the best deals in their area. Whenever you come across a real gem of a business, enter it in our Hidden Gems directory and you could win our monthly prize of $100 cash! This is our way of saying thank you for sharing your knowledge and helping other members save. The more information you can give us about your special store or business, the better.

This month's winner is MyFitnessPal.com as nominated by Carmen Stobaus. Well done Carmen on finding such a great resource and thank you for sharing it with us.

MyFitnessPal.com

I never thought of this as a Hidden Gem before, because I don't pay a cent for it and it is all online, but after reading about Claire's story with Weight Watchers I was motivated to tell you about a 'Hidden Gem' that helped me lose a staggering 35kg in 10 months!

MyFitnessPal.com is a 100% free online site that provides tools to help you set weight loss and calorie goals. You can also use their huge database to very easily track calories and find answers to all those curly weight loss questions in the forums. Plus you'll get support from people all over the world trying to get healthier too!

I have 15 more kilos to lose, and with the support of this fabulous online community I know I will make it... and maintain it! As well as diet, there is also a large focus on exercise with tips for everyone, from those who like to walk the dog for exercise, to those who like to Zumba or lift serious weights! A lot of members have stayed on after reaching their goal, and are a source of great advice.

This site is for everyone. If you have specific goals developed by a doctor or nutritionist, you can change the settings to suit. Plus there are heaps of recipe ideas for those on a budget, or those with diabetes or other special dietary needs. You can use it to maintain your weight once you get to your goal (yay!) and you can make lifelong friends in your city and all over the world.

Last time I went to Weight Watchers it was something like $15 per meeting (weekly). With MFP you get meetings daily or more often and it is all free! Over the course of a year you would save $780, which is precisely what my gym membership costs!

I challenge Claire to sign up for free and try it, and all the other Simple Savings members looking for support to achieve and maintain a healthier lifestyle, I love it!

My Fitness Pal is completely free, all the time to everyone! The website is http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

If you know somewhere special you'd like to recommend, please write in and tell us. Send in your Hidden Gem here and you could be the next winner scooping the prize money. Thank you to everyone who entered and good luck for next time!

4. Best Members' Blog: A New Journey

One of the many benefits of being a Vault member is that you can win a cash prize of $100 each month for your Simple Savings blog! Starting your own blog on the site is easy. All you have to do is log into the Vault, click on 'My Desk' at the top left, then 'Your Blog'. Then get writing! We love reading all your money saving trials and tribulations and really appreciate the effort that goes into each one.

This month's winner is Colleen for sharing her commitment to her challenging and rewarding savings adventure in her blog 'A New Journey':

At the end of 2011 I was accepted into university to do a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology. I was thinking of working part-time and studying part-time. Then reality hit - it would be impossible to do three really tough things well. I couldn't work in a stressful job, be a parent to three kids and be a uni student. Something had to go and lucky for me it was the job. So from February 2012 we dropped to a one income family. I feel a considerable amount of pressure to perform at university because of the decision to leave work to study, but also pressure to pick up more of the family responsibilities. One of my personal goals has been to reduce expenditure to minimise some of the impact of the loss of income. So I stumbled on Simple Savings in June. I started reading Penny's blog and that inspired me to join this month. One of my little changes so far has been to add a set of cups to my car - now when we go out I buy a bottle of drink rather than five separate drinks. It can be a substantial saving. On Saturday I bought a 2 litre juice for $2.50 (on special) and the attendant scanned it at $5.00. I checked my receipt after paying and noticed it wasn't reduced so I went back to ask for a refund of the difference and was given my $5.00 back. Previously I wouldn't have bothered because it was only $2.50 but not anymore.

I am looking forward to finding new ways to save.

Congratulations Colleen on facing your challenge head on. To read any of our members' blogs, click here

5. Best of the Forum: Switched on Savers!

Saving money on your electricity bill can be as simple as changing one or two small habits. For some people it can be a satisfying daily ritual of checking power consumption meters and installing power saving devices. However you choose to save those dollars, here are some great ideas that might help spark a 'light bulb moment'.

Make your own Wonderbag... a stored heat cooking insulator

Here's a fantastic thread all about thinking outside the box and cooking up great electricity savings!
read more...

To solar or not to solar? That is the question

Solar savings are on the house! Our members shed some light on solar energy as they discuss their different experiences.
read more...

Simple steps will cut your electricity bill by $715

This inspiring thread shares some great ideas for switching off appliances and switching on to savings.
read more...

Here comes the carbon tax - ways to save on your carbon cost

Have a look through this thread for some simple but effective ideas to lower your electricity bills. How many of these hints could make a difference to your next bill?
read more...

Candles - how to make the most out of your candles and extend their life

Sometimes you need to stop burning them at both ends and just enjoy them! Candles are practical, inexpensive, ambient and romantic - and can save you money!
read more...

6. Best of the Vault: How Low Can You Go?

You probably do many things in your daily life to save money, and hopefully a wander through the amazing tips in the Simple Savings Vault will help add a few more dollars to your savings. We are continually surprised at the wonderful hints we get - some of them are so simple yet extremely effective while others are just downright inspired!

Set your mixer tap to cold and save

My father always had his mixer tap handle set to cold. This meant the gas hot water system didn't fire up and waste gas every time he turned on the tap. When he really needed hot water he used it, but when you think about it, most of the time cold water will suffice. The main problem is that when the handle of a mixer tap is set in the default middle position, it draws hot water whether you need it or not. So by setting the handle to the far right you only get cold water. Since doing this, we have used approximately 200mJ less gas each quarter, and of course produced less greenhouse emissions.

Contributed by: Elaine Killen

Power up your savings with single remote

I have saved nearly $100 on my power bill after purchasing a Kambrook remote control power saver from Bunnings. It has three adaptors which plug into the wall, then you connect your power board and set it to the remote control. I have one in the family room, one in the lounge and one in my bedroom. It's great because you don't need to switch the power off at the wall by hand any more, and is especially great when I have told the kids to get ready for bed and they just sit there watching TV and not moving. I just use the remote and the TV turns off! At around $30 I think it was a great investment!

Contributed by: Lynette G

Keep your shower head close and save

Here's a small but effective tip to save on hot water. When you have a shower, move the shower head close as possible to your head/neck. This will minimise the amount of heat lost from the water before it hits your body. The heat loss is particularly evident in winter which is the very time when you are craving a hot shower!

To test this theory all you need to do is set the water to the desired temperature with the shower head in the normal location, then adjust it closer to your body and you will find that the water is now too hot! We have solar hot water with a manual booster and find that sometimes this tip is sufficient not to need to turn the booster on.

Contributed by: Fairy

Save power when cooking rice

Simply put rice in the pot and add water as normal then bring to the boil with the lid on. After it comes to the boil, turn off the hotplate, leaving the saucepan on the plate. The rice will continue to boil for ages. It may take longer than normal cooking, but it saves power, as you do not have the stove on all the time. I even use this for cooking macaroni and spaghetti.

Contributed by: Veronica Wilesmith

Heat your bed without electricity

If you're considering spending money getting or replacing a costly electric blanket - think again. I have discovered a much cheaper alternative! During a recent stay with a friend, I woke up in the middle of the night wondering why my wheat bag was still hot. I soon realised that in fact it was the BED that was hot, the entire length of my body. On mentioning it to my friend, I discovered the answer. She had been concerned the camp mattress I was sleeping on might be a bit hard and didn't have any spare mattress protectors or blankets, so she lined it with an old curtain, which had thermal lining. The thermal lining radiated my body heat back at me all night long - and unlike an electric blanket it didn't cost a single cent to run! Be sure to use the curtain only as an under blanket and tuck it well under the mattress. Try sewing elastic to it and making it a fitted under blanket. Don't sleep directly on it, place a sheet over it first and sleep on that.

Contributed by: Susan Korrel

Stop heat from rising with portable winter curtain

We have saved hundreds of dollars on our winter heating bill with our homemade curtain! We live in a two-storey house and because hot air rises, whenever we heat the living area downstairs the heat goes up the stairs and heats the bedroom area instead! In order to keep the downstairs area warm we used two 'trouser hangers' (the clothes hangers which have clips on them for hanging skirts or trousers) and clamped them onto a long piece of cheap polar fleece. We then secured this to the top railing and draped it down over the stair entrance, so it blocks the stairs trapping the heat downstairs. Now we use much less heat to warm the now smaller space downstairs. A huge saver for us and so easy!

Contributed by: Grace Byrnes

A couple of extras for our valued Vault members:

'Spin the power meter' game for visible savings Contributed by: Maya Linnell

Car phone charger saves power at home Contributed by: Donna Apro

Sensor light saves all night power use Contributed by: Toni O'grady

Thermos flask keeps water hot for hours Contributed by: Lynne A

7. Cooking with Mimi: Dinner by Candlelight... Not Just for Romantics!

We often eat dinner by candlelight, in fact in this household, the earlier the sun sets, the better, as we adore our candles! Winter and summer alike, at around 6pm the tea light candles come out, housed in recycled jars and lanterns of all sorts.

My 12-year-old daughter and I make a little routine of getting them out, lighting them and placing them around the living area. The TV goes off, cups of tea are made (or the occasional glass of wine for us grown-ups!), and we enjoy a half hour of chat before dinner preparations take over. This time is so important to us as a family. It gives our 12-year-old an insight into the grown-up world of bill paying and running a business or having a job, and she gets to tell us what's happened in her day. In connecting as a family, we all let go of the aggravations of the outside world.

We don't always eat dinner by candlelight, but the addition of candles can certainly turn a very mundane meal into a bit of an event. It also encourages Miss Twelve to appreciate setting the table and having a jug of water on the table along with nice glasses, rather than the free-for-all of busier evenings. This costs nothing to do, yet is such an important lesson in life. I've had many very ordinary meals, served beautifully, and some expensive meals served without much thought, and I know which ones I enjoyed the most!

Tropicana Soufflé Pizza Omelette (serves 4)

Tonight we're having Tropicana Soufflé Pizza Omelette. But served by candlelight with a bit of Michael Bublé in the background, it will become 'Parmesan Soufflé with zesty barbecue sauce and honey roasted ham, garnished with tropical fruits!'

Equipment:

Non-stick frying pan and lid
Large mixing bowl
Small bowl
Fork
Electric beaters or balloon whisk
Large metal spoon
Egg slice
Serving plates

Ingredients:

4 large eggs (I recommend free-range organic - they're worth it!)
Cooking spray
½ - 1 cup diced ham
½ - 1 cup finely diced pineapple
1 cup grated cheese

Method:

Separate your eggs, putting the yolks in the small bowl and the whites into the large bowl. Using your electric beater or balloon whisk, whip the egg whites until they are light and fluffy. A pinch of cream of tartar will help them hold their form. Add a pinch of each of your herbs. Fresh ones are nicer if you have them, but dried are fine too.

Mix your yolks with your fork and dribble them into the whites. Using your large metal spoon, very carefully fold the egg mixtures together. You want to maintain the air in your whipped whites to give the best possible result.

Heat your non-stick pan over a medium high heat and spray it liberally with your cooking spray. Gently add your egg mixture into the heated pan, allowing the mixture to slide from your bowl into your pan. Spread it carefully and lightly so you have an even distribution. Allow the mixture to cook for about two minutes until it forms a firm base. Sprinkle your omelette with cheese and pop the lid on the pan for another minute or so. In the meantime, turn your grill to 'high'.

Lift your lid from the frying pan and sprinkle your other toppings evenly over your omelette. Add a little more grated cheese if you like - the cheesier the better here! Pop the frying pan under the grill and let it bubble away to lusciousness. Slice it up just like regular pizza and enjoy!

One Pot Thai Yum Yum

One pot cooking is a great, energy efficient way of preparing meals (for you and your power bills!). But it can be easy to get stuck in a rut with one pot meals and assume they're all about Mediterranean cuisine and stodgy comfort food, so let's dispel that myth here and now!

In the western world, we seem to consider it mandatory to have every pot, pan, dish and appliance, as well as a long list of expensive ingredients, to prepare our meals! Often, one pot, one knife, some serving plates and a few well-chosen ingredients are really all that's required. It's certainly an interesting and very Simple Savings kind of idea, isn't it?

My experiments with lighter flavours yielded this dish a few weeks ago. When I think of Thai food, I think heated spice, lush fresh herbs, lots of fragrant, yummy sauce to scoop up with rice or noodles, and that great feeling of being 'full', but not bloated to bursting! My daughter has dubbed this meal Thai Yum Yum!

To prepare your Thai Yum Yum, you'll need just one sharp knife and a big saucepan with a lid and your bowls for serving.

Ingredients (serves 4):

4 fresh fillets of fish
1 tin coconut milk
1 onion, quartered
2 tbsp Thai curry paste (use your favourite)
1 cup stock (made by dissolving a chicken or vegetable stock cube in a cup of boiling water)
A few handfuls of green beans, topped and tailed
1 tin of water chestnuts or baby corn (optional, but adds a nice crunch)
2 tsp dried or fresh coriander leaves or minced coriander
Cherry tomatoes to garnish
Steamed rice to serve

Method:

Turn on your hotplate and pop the saucepan on. Add the curry paste and the onion quarters, and stir until fragrant. Add your coconut milk and your stock and give it all a good stir. Turn the hotplate down to low and let your sauce simmer for about 10 minutes.

While your sauce is simmering, cut your fish into even sized pieces, drain the water chestnuts or baby corn and cut your cherry tomatoes in half. Add the beans and corn or chestnuts to the sauce and simmer for 3-4 minutes to heat them through and tenderise them slightly.

Finally, add your fish or calamari and stir through. Cover and steam for around three minutes - any longer and your fish can become tough and overcooked. Thicker cubes of fish may require an extra minute or two. If you're using tinned tuna or salmon slices, you're really only heating them through very gently, otherwise they disintegrate and become mush. For this reason, I'd also avoid using plain tinned tuna or salmon.

To serve, spoon some rice into your bowls and scoop a generous amount of Thai Yum Yum over the rice, garnishing with coriander leaves and halved cherry tomatoes. This adds the appetizing colour that one pot meals sometimes lack.

As far as one pot meals go, this is an absolute corker, and worthy of serving to guests. They'll never forget what they had either, as it is absolutely yum yum!

Here are links to Mimi's other blogs in the members' area this month:

8. Fifty Cent Indulgences: Pantry Delights

Charm and delight abound in our 'indulgences under 50c' thread (aka The 50c Army!) where our resourceful members share their inspirational ideas for home, friends and family. During July, 'Pantry Delights' was all about making the most of our kitchens, from stockpiling to storage. And to prove that a pantry makeover can be easy and affordable. Here's how I made over mine:

My husband found an old baker's stand on the side of the road which we re-painted and decorated with op shop tins and glass jars. I love glass as it's easy to clean and doesn't leach chemicals into your food or affect the flavour of ingredients. I often add a personal touch by painting the lid. You could also add a transfer or cut out to match your kitchen décor.

Once I'd put the bulk items into tins, I suddenly had room in my kitchen cupboards to build up my supplies. I then painted the interior of one cupboard door with blackboard paint and wrote up easy, quick recipes for those times when I'm tired or just can't think what to cook!

In the spirit of the 50c indulgence threads, the grand total for this entire makeover came to just $20!

Our thread is all about making each day special with small things that make a difference. For more inspiration and ideas, come and join us at 'indulgences under 50c'. We'll be talking 'Holidays and mini-breaks' in our August thread.

Hope to see you there!

Annabel

9. Claire's Corner: July, You Sucked my Wallet Dry!

I can't say that I will be sorry to say goodbye to July. It has been a long, cold dark month - and an extremely expensive one in our household! Household rates, water rates, a higher-than-usual power bill, dog registration, school holiday programme fees, school camp payment, school fundraising, winter jackets... it has been an onslaught! Oh, and on top of all that it was our youngest daughter's 11th birthday, and thanks to a couple of forgotten promises, I ended up spending far too much!

Firstly, she reminded me that, many moons ago, I agreed that she and a friend could go to Paint The Earth (where kids can paint cool ceramic ornaments). No problem I thought, I have a 25% discount voucher, so it will only cost about $45 all up. No such luck! We ended up taking an extra friend (thanks to some last minute begging!), and the discount voucher was for an entirely different shop (my brain clearly needs a tune up), so it ended up costing $90! I was also reminded that I promised we could go out for dinner on her birthday. I did try and talk her into some delicious home-made meatballs, but she wasn't wearing it. There goes another $90+, groan. Oh and did I mention that Hubby has been off work recovering from knee surgery for the past few months, and will be for at least another month. He's on ACC but it is well below his normal wage. We should not be spending like this!

I've realised that overspending is very much like overeating. Once you've had a few extra nibbles here and there it becomes quite hard to hold on to your self-control - the lines between 'need' and 'want' start to blur and before you know it... oops, you've done it again! Speaking of which, I have not lost an ounce of weight in the last few weeks. I've only got four weeks left on my Weight Watchers' winter pass, and now I'm starting to think that's been a big waste of money too!

But with the beginning of a new month comes the opportunity to try a few new tactics. And it's going to start with some serious planning. It has helped that I keep a notebook for all of our bills. Every single bill, from school trips to rate instalments, goes in the notebook as soon as it arrives. I have four columns: Creditor, Amount, Date Due, Date Paid. It's really helpful for looking back to see where the money has gone, and how much I'm regularly spending on what. This month has taken up an entire page! I've realised that I'm paying for a few monthly subscriptions that I don't need and that June/July are our most expensive months. If I'd spent a little more time planning in May, I probably could have kept a tighter rein on our outgoings.

On the upside, with our 18-year-old being away for the past five weeks, at least we have seriously saved on our food bill! He comes home this Saturday - I can't wait to see him! He's been on a six-week course run by the army and it's been pretty full on! This week they're meeting with prospective employers, including recruiters from the defence forces (he's dead keen to join the air force), so I can't wait to hear how that goes. And I'm expecting him to be pretty lean and fit; they've been getting up at 5.30am and doing tramps, obstacle courses and fitness training (in the middle of winter!). Apparently he's lost five kilos! Hmm... I wonder if I could convince them to take me on...

Righto, I'm off to scan the Vault for all your wonderful tips on meal planning. If I'm going to save anything this month, and keep ahead of the lad's appetite, I'm going to need them!

Before I go, here's a little quote on the subject of self-control, it seems quite relevant to both saving money and losing weight (my two goals for this month!).

"Discipline weighs ounces, regret weighs tons." (author unknown)

To read more of Claire's corner or any of our members' blogs, click here

10. Rob Bob's Gardening Blog: A Pondering on Self-Sufficiency

Last week I was asked what was I trying to achieve with our garden and to tell you the truth I was not sure what to say other than to produce as much food as we could from our yard... I have said before that we are trying to be self-sufficient; however, I don't think that is an honest response. Part of being self-sufficient means providing a continuing supply of food through the whole year, which is something I have not been able to achieve. There has never really been a long range plan implemented for the patch, instead we have only been focusing on the current growing season.

It appears that the subject has been on other people's minds of late as well. Last week Mankini started a great thread called 'Triple SSS - the Semi Self Sufficient thread' which for me has come just at the right time to help me reflect on where we are going with the veggie patch, as well as the other food production projects we have on the go. Add to this a post made in the SSS thread by Bev W, where she asked, 'And what is your main goal for this year? Is there something that you want to set up, learn, do... to help you with your SSS dream?' In order to get a continuous food supply for ourselves and the animals we care for, I realised that there is a fair bit of planning to do to make a decent system. There are some on that thread who are or are very close to living the lifestyle we yearn for and I think must be congratulated. As there is no time like the present, I have already made a start on it over the weekend by implementing one of the most overlooked planning methods... I grabbed a 'refreshing' drink and sat on my bum in the patch waiting for it to talk to me. Well, um, maybe not talk to me but I did sit for quite some time trying to see how I could arrange all the bits we have into an almost self-sustainable system where we rely on as few inputs from outside as possible. No doubt you will see some of these steps and projects as they are completed...

This is an excerpt from Rob Bob's wonderful gardening blog. Don't miss the full version which includes progress on his aquaponic project - you can read it here.

Switching off for August

One of the things I love about the end of the day is getting out into the patch and switching off from our everyday routine. On the weekends it is even better when the whole family gets out there to work or play without any of the electronic distractions that we sometimes tend to get caught up in. A favourite past-time on winter weekend nights is spending it with friends around a fire in the yard. It's nothing special, just a small brazier with some dried up bits of pruned timber or split logs donated by family and friends.

It is very easy to entice the gathered children away from their gadgets and the TV with a promise of sparklers and a marshmallow or two on a stick to roast in the fire. It is so easy to switch off when gazing into the flames with great company and the garden as a backdrop. Hours are normally spent talking, feasting and having a great time but it never seems to last long enough.

Another switching off we try to do as often as we can is the garden tap. Although we have not installed water tanks as of yet we try to collect as much fresh rain water as possible. We have many 15L buckets and a small 500L rain water tank that we fill with water collected from a tarpaulin shade cover off the back of the house. This is mainly used in the aquaponics as top up water or to fill up the wicking barrels. I know it is not much in the scheme of things but every little bit counts.

That's about it for now. Have a great one all. **: )»**

Rob Bob's full blog on 'Aphid update, switching off and some planting out' can be read here. To get your fill of Rob's news, projects and tips, you can read his other blogs in the members' area this month:

11. Homeopathy Corner: Fighting Colds and Flu

Wouldn't it be fantastic if everyone had a Fran! A person they can call on when someone is sick who can make your child better the way Fran has done so many times for our household. But, unfortunately it doesn't work that way. Good homeopaths are few and far between and Fran is so busy that even I am hesitant to ask her to help me choose a remedy unless I am desperate. So I have been busy harassing Fran behind the scenes to write a series of books to help people who want to be able to choose the right remedy but don't have the time or the many thousands of dollars to do a four year homeopathic course just so they can get rid of a cough or a cold.

And, here it is... Fran's first eBook teaching everyday people how to get rid of common colds - for the tiny price of $7.00. Yeh! Three cheers for Fran. Hip hip hooray! Hip hip Hooray!

Fran has even released a sample chapter of the book for free on her website. You can find it here.

12. From Last Month: Post Chemo Hair Care

Last month Sandra asked for our help:

"Hi Guys. I would love to put in a request to your readers/subscribers...

"I have recently finished 5 months of chemo and my hair is just beginning to grow back. It is only stubble at the moment but as it grows again I'd like to use a natural shampoo with less chemicals etc but I don't want to pay huge amounts for the privilege of going 'organic'. Any suggestions on a cheaper option that will be healthier for me and my hair?

"Any suggestions on skin care etc are also very welcome as my skin is extremely dry from the chemo and radiotherapy...

"I did look at using baby shampoo, but aside from the no-more-tears formula (simply the same ph as your eyes) it still had all the chemicals... "

This is a question we hear often but one with no easy answers. Thanks so much to everyone who wrote in to share their tips and hints with Sandra. Here are the best of the bunch!

You don't need shampoo!

Ditching shampoos and conditioners has not only helped my hair and my health, but has saved me thousands! I have a dear friend who had chemo and when her hair started to grow back, her doctor told her not to use anything to wash it but water. Her hair was soft, shiny and wonderful - it just made you want to touch it! To keep her company and honour her, I decided to do the same. That was at least five years ago and since then I have only ever washed my hair with water! When I go to the hairdresser, I wash before I go and they are happy to just spray it with water before cutting. A saving of thousands of dollars at the hairdresser! It has also meant a saving of hundreds of dollars on shampoos and hair products, I no longer have migraines and my hair is shiny and healthy. Occasionally I pick some herbs, such as rosemary and sage, from the garden and simmer them and rinse my hair with the herb water. For my skin, I now only use products from McArthur Natural Products. They are all natural and I find them to be very good. Their website is shop.mcarthurnaturalproducts.com.

Contributed by: Dianne Page

Coconut oil and green smoothies for chemo recovery

First of all, congratulations on completing treatment. We have been down the same path with my six-year-old son so I know how hard it can be. He has been off treatment for nearly two years and still suffers from dry skin. I have found massaging his skin with coconut oil very helpful. It isn't too greasy and absorbs into the skin. You can use it all over, even on your hair. I bought a 750ml bottle of Fijian coconut cooking oil for about $5.00 and this lasts over a year. In winter the oil does harden, but microwaving the bottle or putting it in hot water melts the oil. You can buy it from health-food stores and also Indian grocery stores that sell island foods.

We also found green smoothies (made using lots of green vegies blended up with some fruit) worked to help the skin. A naturopath told me they are very alkaline which neutralises all the acid in the body (chemo and all the other medicines can be very acidic). And they taste surprisingly good! You can search You Tube to find out more info.

Contributed by: Leanne Toia

Safe shampoo and post-chemo skincare products

I would love to give Sandra some help as I've been through the same thing. I used a brand of shampoo called Gaia. It's an organic baby shampoo which is available in major supermarkets. It works really well and you only need a tiny bit. It is more expensive per 100mls than other brands, but you need less so it is pretty good value. My bottle lasted over nine months!

For dry skin, I used aloe vera and/or paw paw ointments. They are both readily available, reasonably priced and they are natural and work better than any chemicals. Use it straight on the radiation exposed skin and you get less side effects. Congratulations on finishing the chemo and I wish you all the best.

Contributed by: Rebecca D.

Cutting costs and chemicals in the bathroom

I haven't bought shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser or facial cleansers for the last two years! I've found much cheaper, easier and natural alternatives, so I'm saving money and getting lots of comments now on how good my skin looks!

Baking soda is my 'shampoo' of choice! I simply dissolve about a teaspoon in a cup of warm water and pour through my hair, letting it sit, then rinsing well before finishing with a rinse of apple cider vinegar diluted in cool water. I do this once a week, or twice if my hair seems particularly dirty. It seems to keep my hair healthy and shiny without the need for any chemicals.

I also use warm oil on my scalp once a month to keep it moisturised, the oil I use depends on what I have. Olive or coconut oils are both good. I pour it on warm, massage it in then let it work its magic for at least half an hour before rinsing well followed by my normal 'shampoo' routine.

For my facial cleansing routine, I use a mix of olive and castor oils. I massage this into my face then use a face cloth with hot water laid over my face to 'steam' open the pores. I repeat the 'steaming' a couple of times then gently wipe the oil and dirt from my face, followed by a splash of cool water as a 'toner'. I find this leaves my skin feeling soft, supple, clean and moisturised. I do this about three times a week at night and also use a baking soda and sugar scrub once a week.

My three kids have never used shampoo or conditioner and the only thing I need to buy is a very mild chemical-free body wash, which lasts my family of five at least a month as we only use a tiny amount. I also use baking soda as my deodorant. Making my own toothpaste is my next project! Going 'natural' has saved my wallet big time and also the health of my family as I know I'm not putting any nasties into my kids' bodies! Buying baking soda and olive oil in bulk makes this even cheaper.

Contributed by: Toni L.

Hair care tips for sensitive skin

I have extremely sensitive skin and find that even baby shampoos react with my skin, but many chemical-free shampoos nearly break the bank! However, I have had huge success using goat's milk or olive oil soap as a shampoo, followed by rinsing with diluted vinegar to get the suds out. And you don't need conditioner as the vinegar will do that. It smells vinegary when you do it, but by the time your hair dries the smell is gone.

Contributed by: Haffygal

Clean shiny hair with egg yolk shampoo

When my daughter was little she was found to be allergic to 49 out of 52 things, which made her chemical intolerant. One thing I found that worked very well as a replacement shampoo and conditioner was egg yolk. The method is as follows: Separate one egg and whisk the yolk together with half a cup of luke-warm water. I used to put a shower cap on after applying the yolk mix and leave on the hair for a few minutes, then rinse very well to avoid an eggy smell. This leaves the hair conditioned and clean and very shiny.

Contributed by: Penny Hughes

Hair care ingredient guide

For a great guide to shampoo ingredients I can recommend Paula Begoun's book, 'Don't Go Shopping for Hair-Care Products without Me', it should be available from your local library. She has years of experience in the cosmetics industry and it is her job to assess ingredients and rate products. The basics are to avoid any ingredient that will cause irritation like fragrances, perfumes and essential oils, sodium lauryl sulphate (note that sodium laureth sulphate is fine), and also ammonium (because it reacts with some other common ingredients in products). I can recommend the simple old fashioned Melrose range from the health food store. They sell a fragrance free shampoo at a very decent price.

Contributed by: musicalsay

Try mayonnaise for healthy hair

Store-bought mayonnaise makes a great shampoo alternative for thin hair if you are recovering from chemo. Leave in your hair for a few hours and rinse well. For skin care, try using vitamin E cream or real honey. Try a small amount on your skin first if you are worried about reactions or allergies.

Contributed by: Tracy Walters

Chemical-free shampoos and more

I have MS and am very sensitive to perfumes and additives in products, here are some of my tips for economical chemical-free products:

The Nature's Organics range of shampoo and conditioners is available at Coles and Woolworths (Safeway), and is regularly on special for $2.00 each. The products have no parabens or mineral oils and the company is Australian owned.
Sorbent Hypo-allergenic toilet paper is free from dyes and perfumes. They are usually $10 for a pack of 12.
Redwins Sorbolene moisturising cream, soap and bodywash are fantastic as they do not have any perfumes or smells to them. I have been using these products for years with no reaction. When my mother finished radiation for breast cancer I also converted her to these products as her skin was very sensitive.
Coles Face Moisturiser with SPF15 is the only face cream I can handle as all others have oils/perfumes in them. At around $2.50 a tube, it is a real bargain.
Another suggestion is Bio-Oil. For scars, very dry skin or just a bit of pampering it is well worth the money as a little goes a long way.
And for make-up, Nude-By-Nature was recommended for my mum.

Contributed by: Annemaree Upton

Cheap, effective and safe shampoo

Here's my tip for a cheap, effective shampoo and conditioner! My four children and I wash our hair with bi-carb soda and vinegar. I use one tablespoon of bi-carb to one cup of water. I then use two tablespoons of vinegar to a cup of water for a rinse. The bi-carb is good for the scalp and roots of the hair. Just massage it in and make sure you rinse it really well, rubbing your scalp the whole time. The vinegar is like a conditioner for the hair, so you put it on and leave it as long as possible. For best results blast in cold water to close the pores.

To begin with you may need to wash your hair as frequently as normal until your hair gets used to the change, but I've gone from washing it every day to just twice a week, or twice every ten days. Regular shampoos strip your hair of their natural oils, but using bi-carb and vinegar restores it to its natural state and keeps it clean and with plenty of body. Aluminium-free bi-carb soda costs around $6.00 for 350g from a health food shop, but it lasts for ages because you use such a little amount.

Contributed by: Kerry Alexander

Look Good, Feel Better

If you are recovering from cancer, you may like to contact an organisation called Look Good Feel Better. It is specifically for those who are recovering from cancer and chemo and is in all major hospitals. You'll find details about basic skin and hair care and workshop dates on their website, www.lgfb.org.au. At the workshops you are given hands-on opportunities and a free gift of goodies.

Clarins and Phytomer are both distributed by Trimex which started the program, and fifteen years on is still their major sponsor. I recommend Clarins Santal oil (one bottle should last 18 months) and Phytomer shampoo (100% plant based).

Contributed by: Cheryl Roberts

Redwin Sorbolene for lush hair regrowth

I had chemotherapy and radiotherapy (and lost all my hair) in 2008 following breast cancer. I started using Redwin Sorbolene Sensitive Body Wash and haven't looked back. It costs about $11 for a one litre pump pack in the supermarket and lasts me about six months. When my hair was growing back I used it on my scalp too. My hair grew back curly and lush!

Contributed by: Shelley P

Michael's Olivara for dry, post-chemo or sensitive skin

If you need a great product for dry skin, I can recommend a range called Michael's Olivara. The range includes skin lotion, body wash, shampoo and so on. The founder originally made it for his brother, a cancer sufferer who needed skin products during and after treatment. I have suffered with sensitive skin for many years and truly love this range. It is available from pharmacies and is produced here in my home state of W.A. The website address is www.michaelsproducts.com.

Contributed by: Joyce Streeter

13. This Month's Help Request: Fire Surrounds

Kaylene McGrath has sent in this cry for help:-

"I live in Tasmania and most of us down here have wood combustion heaters (because it gets REALLY cold).

"I recently had some renovations done and have put my wood heater in the middle of the very large open plan living room so that the entire room heats evenly. Works great! My problem is that I can't find any four sided fire guard screens. The closest I have found was well in excess of $400 and I would have to buy two and connect them. I have cats, dogs and children and am clumsy so I'm constantly worried about someone burning themselves.

"I was wondering if maybe some of the amazing members might have some ideas I could try?"

If you have any pearls of wisdom you'd like to share with Kaylene, please send them in to us here.

14. Savings Story: Going for Gold!

Four years of cut lunches = an Olympic holiday!

By taking our lunch to work every day rather than buying, my husband and I have been able afford to go to every Olympic Games since 1984! We are both currently in London volunteering in the Olympic Village and visiting London. People say we must be rich to be able to afford to do this every four years, but by not buying lunch, we can afford it!

Here's how...

Let's say you each spend $15 a day (including coffees) = $30

... do that for say 50 weeks = $1500

... do that for four years = $6000 - enough for airfares and tickets to some of the Games!

We also stay with a homestay family (found through word of mouth or from the Internet). I am at present writing from my host family's house in London. We have free accommodation and just pay for any food we use. Because we are out most of the time we often take a banana and some water with us and take a sandwich or buy a sandwich (from our holiday money).

We get to see the city through the eyes of a local family and they get to learn about a foreign family and what our lives are like, so it is a real win/win. We have done this since 1984 and every time we get back to Australia our friends say 'next time we are coming with you!' So we say 'start saving now!' To date we have never had anyone join us.

Yes, it takes discipline but it is so worth it!

Barbara & Laurie Smith

15. Goodbye for now!

Phew! Well, that's a wrap on another Simple Savings newsletter. We hope you have enjoyed it and have been inspired by all the money saving tips. Our members are hugely important to us and we love hearing from you all! So next time you're on the website, why don't you get in touch and say 'G'day'! Let us know what you would like to see more of in our newsletter or any suggestions you have for something new to try. We love receiving your clever ideas!

We hope you have an awesome month and look forward to hearing how you 'switched off' in August!

Till next time...

All the best,
Fiona

July 2014 - Simple Savings Newsletter

"Secrets to Saving Money in Australia" Free Newsletter - July 2014

This issue includes:-

Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Just Like Mum Makes!
July: PowerCooking
Competition: Food Photographers Wanted!
Penny Wise: Life With Gilbert
Best of the Vault: I PowerCook... What's Your Super Power?
Best of the Forum: Tea on the Table in Two!
Best Members' Blog: The Best Thing in the World Has Happened To Me
Mimi: PowerCooking and Ten Things To Make With Flour and Eggs + Simple Ingredients
Rob Bob's Gardening Blog: Backyard Fish Farm and Pests in the Patch
From Last Month: I Smell a Rat!
This Month's Help Request: Help Me with the Winter Blahs

Hello,

How are you going? I hope you are not too cold, this cold snap is something else! I always feel guilty switching on the heater, so instead, I have been cooking cakes and doing some Power Hours to warm up the house. Now we have a stocked freezer and full bellies. If you haven't heard of Power Hours it doesn't mean I've been weight lifting at the gym! I've been PowerCooking using fantastic easy recipes from our sister website powercooking.com.au. These recipes have all been designed especially for cooking in large quantities so that they can be enjoyed fresh or frozen in portions for when life gets too hectic or you feel like having a night off from cooking. There's never been an easier, tastier way to cook! These beautiful recipes are all free for you to try out, so make sure you give them a go this month.

After last month's newsletter people sent in the most beautiful emails. Here are some of them:

"I thought we had done as much as we could to get our spending under control - and then I joined Simple Savings. The biggest change since I became a member hasn't just been saving a lot of money, it's actually been the way my husband and kids and I have started to look at our spending. We no longer hire DVDs, waste money on takeaway or quick trips to the shop to buy chocolates. I know I'm giving my kids a gift for life. Thank you SS!" (Layla)

"This is really just a thank you note from one happy pensioner. With your sensible suggestions on the site and in the newsletters, I am able to eat well. Thank you, Mimi and thank you Simple Savings for helping to make ends meet on a pension." (Margaret)

Have a great month!
All the best,
Fiona Lippey

P.S. All the recipes are now free at PowerCooking.com.au

If you would like to add Apricot Chicken, Beef Bourguignon and Mexican Style Mince to your Power Hour. They are now free!

1. Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Just Like Mum Makes!

Pete couldn't get in the door fast enough. It was freezing! He couldn't wait for dinner; hopefully Sally was making something hearty and warming after such a long, cold day! Speaking of which, where WAS she? All was quiet; there was none of the usual singing or chatter - and no comforting smell of dinner wafting through the air. Pete suddenly caught sight of a note on the table. 'Gone out with friends. Dinner on bench. Love Sal.' On the bench were three containers, each bearing a note. Was he seeing things? It looked like Sally wanted HIM to cook dinner!

"What are you doing, Dad? Hang on - are YOU cooking dinner?" the kids asked as they arrived home. "Yes, that's what it looks like, doesn't it?" replied Pete, as he popped the first container in the microwave. "But - do you even know HOW?" they asked, more than a little worried. "Of course I do! See, the sauce is done already!" he pointed out as the microwave pinged. "Right, now I have to add the rice. Why don't you two go and get cleaned up? Dinner will be ready soon," he told them. As soon as they were out of sight Pete sneaked a nervous taste and was pleasantly surprised. This was proving to be a doddle!

"Dinner's ready!" Pete called and the kids sat at the table in trepidation. "Let me present to you, Beef Curry a la Dad!" "Hmm, smells alright," the kids nodded to one another before taking a tiny bite. "Wow, this is really good Dad!" they grinned, "In fact - it's just as good as the one Mum makes!" "Oh really? I'll have to tell her that!" Pete chuckled. He had to admit, his first foray into cooking was a great success. "Where is Mum anyway?" Sarah asked. "She's out - I guess she'll be back soon," said Pete. "Oh no worries Dad," James piped up. "If all your dinners are THIS good, Mum can go out whenever she likes!"

2. July: PowerCooking

Sally taking the evening off and escaping is just what PowerCooking is all about. And, I love it! However, lately it has been a lifesaver for us more than ever. As you probably know, I was in a car accident three months ago and Matt had to hold things together for six weeks while I lay uselessly in bed. Fortunately our PowerCooking meals got us through. I had done three power sessions the weekend before my accident and all that food was already on hand to get us through the first two weeks. It was brilliant!

Easy to Make

You may wonder how I did three PowerCooking sessions in a weekend. Easy! The dishes are so easy to make, my kids do two-thirds of the cooking. Sam (aged 12) does one oven dish, Jacqui (aged 10) does the other and I do the stove dish and potter around cleaning and helping where needed. If you haven't given PowerCooking a try yet, please do! Aim to cook at least one of the oven style dishes from our PowerCooking range. They have been especially created to make life easier and are so delicious they will blow your mind.

Easy to Store

Once my freshly cooked meals are out of the oven, I pop most of them in single serve containers and put them in the freezer until required. A few more are put in the fridge so I don't have to cook for the next few days and some we enjoy straight away. Easy and so tasty!

Easy to Eat

With PowerCooking you can literally turn a freezer meal into a restaurant-quality meal! All you need to do is grab your pre-cooked rice, reheat your pre-cooked base meal, chop some fresh vegies and nuke them together. A fantastic meal from the freezer to your table in just a few minutes. You could never buy a ready-made freezer meal this good!

It Makes My Life Easier

...and it will do the same for you - so give it a go! All recipes at www.powercooking.com.au are free at the moment and we will be adding more to the system just as soon as we find ourselves a food photographer. See the competition below!

3. Competition: Food Photographers Wanted!

We have a big pile of great recipes we would love to add to the PowerCooking system, but we are lacking one thing - fantastic, mouth-watering photos to go with the yummy recipes!

Below is one of the PowerCooking recipes waiting to go onto the site at www.powercooking.com.au. Cook and photograph this. Make it look as tasty and inviting as possible and the winner will get $400 and may also end up a core member of the PowerCooking team.

Vegetable curry korma-style

(8 serves)

4 medium onions, chopped
3 cups of potato, sweet potato or combination, chopped into 1.5cm pieces
5-6 cups of mixed vegies, chopped into 1.5cm pieces. Choose from cauliflower, pumpkin, eggplant, spinach, tomatoes
8-10 tbsp Korma paste (Pataks is milder)
½ cup currants, sultanas or cranberries (optional)
½ cup cashews or almonds, chopped (optional)
4 tsp stock powder, vegetable or chicken
¾ cup water
2x400g tins of lentils or chickpeas, rinsed and drained

To finish:

Cream or yoghurt
4-5 tbsp beans or peas, fresh or frozen
Sauce thickener: mix 1 tbsp flour in ¼ cup cold water

Set oven to 180°C (or 160°C if fan forced) to preheat. Wash, peel and chop vegetables and add to casserole. Add rest of ingredients, except beans and cream, and stir well.

Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 1½ hours (8 serves). Remove the lid, add beans and cook a further 20 mins without lid to allow the sauce to thicken.

Remove from oven, add cream and sauce thickener. Stir.

Please send your photos to competition@simplesavings.com.au Competition ends 20th July. We will announce the winner in next month's newsletter.

4. Penny Wise: Life With Gilbert

My first anniversary as a solo homeowner is coming up soon. I can hardly believe it! More's to the point, I can hardly believe I've MADE it with everything that's happened over the past year but by some miracle I have and a huge part of that has been thanks to my SS skills. I can hardly believe how little I spend on food these days, maybe once every six weeks or so I might have to go and do a decent food shop but on the whole I get through most weeks on between $40 and $60. Which I don't think is bad at all considering I'm feeding two hulking great larrikins as well as myself! The funny thing is I don't think we have ever eaten better either! As well as a filling nutritious meal, the boys also enjoy home-made dessert each night, which we've never really done before and the baking tins are always full.

I have to admit, I'm a bit of a hermit these days. If someone had told me a couple of years ago that at the tender age of 41 my favourite way to spend an evening was sat in front of the fire watching Food TV I would have fallen over laughing. I don't really get it myself to be honest! With two largely independent teenagers and a circle of friends who love going out dancing and partying, you would think I would be itching to kick up my heels along with the best of them. Not so however, quite the opposite! I very rarely go out; in fact I don't even like going out; I would rather stay at home warm and toasty with my boys in my beloved Nawtypoo. I've lost count of the invites I've turned down in favour of spending the evening at home making double fudge chocolate brownies or some other homely delight. Besides, what's the point of going out when I'm yawning my head off by 9.30!

I do consider myself to be extremely boring - but the thing is, I'm happy! My life is very simple and I like it that way. And, independent as my boys may be, I know that they love having their mum at home, especially when she spends so much time making yummy food for them! I love the fact that every time they walk in the door the fire is lit and they are greeted by the smell of home cooking. I never imagined that cooking would keep me sane but it really does! It empowers me, makes me feel valuable, that I'm doing a good job. Good grief Penny, what a nana you sound! You'll be walking around with a hair net soon! Still, boring or not, my lifestyle has had some big changes over the past couple of months. Long-time readers of my blog may remember long periods of ill health over the years. I've been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, glandular fever, you name it, someone's clutched a straw at it and while I never felt in my heart that the medics had it quite right, it was nice to be able to at least put a name to the rubbish way I felt so I went along with it.

Over the past three or four months, however, I began to feel as though something once again wasn't quite right. I had no energy; it was a struggle every day to force myself out of bed. After suffering from insomnia for years, I had gone to the other extreme and could sleep for 13 hours straight and still feel I needed much more. I began to get nasty, burning abdominal pains most nights and extreme debilitating nausea during the day - but most frightening of all was my intolerance to alcohol. After a misspent youth, alcohol consumption was something I was always very conscious of and I tried hard to limit what I had and how often but the past six months had been ridiculous. My friends had long teased me for being a lightweight but gradually I had become worse and they would watch absolutely flabbergasted as just one glass of wine would cause extreme memory loss and if I had two, I literally couldn't stand up. I became very worried that something was dreadfully wrong and after the last episode, which saw me unable to get out of bed for two days following two glasses of wine, I went to the doctor in fear and trepidation. This was a different doctor to the one I usually saw but I didn't care who it was, I just wanted to know what was wrong with me!

First she weighed me and was surprised to see that since moving to Whangamata in 2010 I had lost 32kg - particularly as I had stopped running in 2011! I was surprised too, I knew I had lost around 20kg but I didn't realise it had been THAT much! Then she listened carefully to everything I had to say and when I had finished she asked 'Have you heard of Gilbert's Syndrome?' I most certainly hadn't, so she sat me in front of her computer and brought up some information. 'It's a genetic liver disorder. I think this is you,' she smiled. I stared at the symptoms on the screen in amazement. This WAS me - this was absolutely me. For the first time since I fell ill back in 2008, I felt that someone had finally hit the nail on the head. I was delighted! 'I've never known anyone to be happy about having a liver disorder before!' the doctor laughed. She immediately referred me for tests and over the next two days I had 13 different blood tests but we already knew she had the answer and the results confirmed it. What do you know - turned out my year-round 'golden tan' wasn't due to living at the beach but jaundice! I spent a few more nervous days waiting for nastier complications such as hepatitis and cirrhosis to be ruled out, then got on with living my new life with Gilbert.

My diagnosis was 51 days ago and I haven't touched a drop of alcohol since. I never will either because I know I just can't and I never, ever want to feel that way again. I have also cut out a lot of carbs from my diet, as well as red meat and fried foods and have come to recognise many of the triggers that make me feel bad or lack energy - it can be something as simple as a potato but it is nice to finally know what is going on with my body and make changes accordingly. I am very lucky compared to a lot of Gilbert's sufferers and I am extremely grateful for my health. I guess this has contributed somewhat to my hermit behaviour; not because I have the condition but because I am so glad that I found it and it has made me so thankful for everything I have, in particular the simple things but most of all my children. Now I no longer go out or spend my evenings in front of the TV with a glass of wine, I bake! Every afternoon or evening you'll see me poring through recipe books or scouring the Internet for something yummy to make. Nine times out of ten I end up making something from the Forum, such as Peach Cobbler or Marshmallow Chocolate Muffins. Whereas I used to be someone who tended to stick to the same old recipes, I'm no longer scared to try new things. I think a lot of people are scared to try new things for fear of failure, that it might go wrong or turn out yuck and I used to be like that but no more, now I'll give anything a go if it sounds nice and I have it in the cupboard!

Another great thing about my love and passion for cooking is that when there is baking in the house, the boys are never hungry and they never complain 'there's no food!' I remember Fiona saying this several times over the years and she's absolutely right. It seems a funny thing to say but life really is so much easier and less stressful when the tins are full! I can't believe I used to think that baking was so time consuming and awful when it only takes me 20 minutes to make enough lunchbox and after school goodies for a whole week. This hermit would much rather spend 20 minutes in the comfort of my own kitchen than brave the supermarket!

So seeing as I'm all domesticated and confident-like, I have decided it's time for a new culinary challenge. I looked out of the window the other day and all of a sudden a multitude of oranges, lemons and mandarins had appeared on the trees in the garden. Seriously, how lucky am I to have all this free stuff? I gave a ton away last year but this year I thought I should really make the effort to do something more with them myself as well. I wanted to make lemon honey and marmalade but I hadn't done any preserving since the kids were babies and had given away all my jars and seals and what-not. That was an expensive enough outlay the first time round, I didn't want to fork out for those again! Then to my delight I saw a lady on our local Facebook Buy, Sell and Swap page giving away a whole box of jars and seals for free! I went and picked them up and promised the kind lady a full jar or two in return, she was very happy with that! So now I have no excuse not to make marmalade. I can't wait to get stuck in and see how it goes! There's only one small problem - no one in our house likes marmalade!

You can get updates on Penny's new blogs on the Simple Savings Facebook page.

...or in our Members' Blog section.

5. Best of the Vault: I PowerCook... What's Your Super Power?

You might not be able to control everything else in your life, but you CAN have a nutritious and delicious meal from freezer to plate in a very short time. All it takes is a bit of preparation...

Chop your vegies in advance

On Sundays I go to the fruit and vegetable market and buy lots of vegetables in bulk. I then spend approximately one hour Sunday afternoon chopping up all the vegies and placing them in a huge Tupperware container lined with paper towel. This then provides our family for four nights (Mon-Thurs) with fresh vegies already pre-chopped. All I, or my husband, have to do is grill some chicken, cook some steak or fish and cook some of the pre-cut vegies with it. It saves on time during the week, money because I am buying in bulk, and the vegies do stay fresh and crisp. It also means I do not have to think or worry too much about dinner, especially with other commitments during the week.

Contributed by: Desley Spencer

Clever slow cooker meals

Here's a great way to save money and time. By buying your vegies and meat in bulk, you can peel and chop them all up, mix together with spices and marinades or just leave and divide into smaller portions. Then simply fill re-sealable bags with portions, label and freeze in preparation for future slow cooker meals! It's the perfect way to save time, money and energy after a hard day... especially if you set the meal to cook the night or morning before!

Contributed by: Breanna

Freeze cooked rice and pasta for quick meals

I always have plenty of cooked rice on hand to make quick and economical meals. Once a week I cook three cups of rice in my rice cooker. I then use re-sealable bags to freeze portions for the two of us. This way I save electricity, water and time. We are a pensioner couple, so tips like this add up to a big saving. You can also do the same with cooked pasta - it freezes well and is always on hand when you need it!

Contributed by: Marilyn

Mum's super roast vegies

My mum has a great hint for quick and tasty roast vegetables which are approximately 90% cheaper than the frozen variety you buy at the supermarket!

Buy a bag of potatoes when they are reduced in price, wash them and chop into pieces. You can do this with any other roast vegetables too, such as sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot and so on. Par-boil the vegetables and when nearly cooked, drain and tip onto a baking tray. Sprinkle with herbs such as rosemary or Italian herbs and cook in a very hot oven. Once crisp, remove and serve or allow to cool, then bag and freeze. To serve later, remove from bag and reheat in the oven at 200C. This recipe can also be modified for making potato wedges!

Contributed by: SunnySarah

6. Best of the Forum: Tea on the Table in Two!

The three most disliked words in the English language may well be 'What's for dinner?' Here's how to get a meal on the table with minimum hassle - and a smile!

Freezing stir-fry vegies?

Need a delicious and nutritious dinner in a dash?
read more...

Freezing uncooked bread rolls

Freshly baked bread rolls anyone... nom, nom, nom!
read more...

Meat and three veg style meals for the freezer

Forum member Little Red Engine gets some great ideas for instant meals from the freezer to you!
read more...

Menu planning

Forum members help Jan with some ideas about 'bulk' cooking for one - some great recipes and ideas here for everyone.
read more...

Ideas needed for organised fridges/freezers

Sometimes a little organisation saves a lot of money.
read more...

7. Best Members' Blog: The Best Thing in the World Has Happened To Me

One of the many benefits of being a Vault member is that you can win a $100 store credit in Ye Olde Shoppe or $100 cash each month for your Simple Savings blog! Starting your own blog on the site is easy. All you have to do is log into the Vault, click on 'My Desk' at the top left, then 'Your Blog'. Then get writing! We love reading all your money saving trials and tribulations and really appreciate the effort that goes into each one.

This month's winner is Catslave for sharing something a bit special!

No, I haven't won the lottery. I have something better; much, much better.

I have fantastic parents. I don't know if it's just my age (and the hormones are going haywire - I'm 48), but at least once a week, recently, my parents actions have reduced me to tears - happy tears, grateful tears, thankful tears, I am so lucky tears.

This morning, yet again, I have cried because my parents have helped us out. DH's car won't start (electronic key issue) and he has to drop it off into the dealership to get it sorted. I am at work and have no leave left. DH was at home with DD. DH can get the car to the dealership but it's 30 minutes drive away and public transport to where we live is almost non-existent.

A quick call to my parents and my dad has picked up DD to take her to his place (she goes every morning before school) and will pick up DH at the dealership and bring him home. Not a problem, no worries, not even a sigh from Dad. Just a 'yep, what time and where?'

When both DH and I were working I would drop DD at Mum and Dad's in the morning in her PJs. They would give her breakfast, get her ready for school, pack her lunch and take her to school. After school they would pick her up, help with homework, give her a bath and get her back in her PJs. If I was going to be even a little late getting home, DD would have been given dinner and I would have a dinner waiting for me as well if DH was on nights. For the first year DD was at school I never washed a school uniform. I could go home and relax and enjoy spending time with my daughter without domestic chores competing with our time.

We went on a cruise in January, pre-booked and paid for long before DH became ill. My parents looked after DD for a week and when I came home, my house was the cleanest it has ever been. All washing was done, food in the fridge and a big fruit basket on the kitchen bench.

Over the years they have loaned us money. When we were so broke I was searching the ashtray of the car for money. They have taken DD at the drop of a hat when we have had to go out unexpectedly or when DD would rather go visit Grandma and Poppy than go to a hardware shop. We have called them late in the night when DH was so ill that he had to go to hospital and Mum has come to our place and slept on the lounge so that DD wasn't disturbed from her sleep.

And they had no hesitations in offering for us to stay with them whilst we are sorting out trying to get our shed converted to a habitable building to live in. There are so many stories I could tell of how they have individually or together, gone way out of their way to help me.

So today I have realised that I have something money can't buy, I have parents that would help out their children and grandchildren with their last breath. Even though I have a lot of worry and stressful things happening in my life right now, I wake some days and spend a couple of minutes being thankful of two things in particular. A child I thought I'd never have, born seven months after my 40th birthday, and parents who give me the greatest comfort knowing that no matter what life throws at me, they will be behind me to catch me if I fall.

Well done Catslave - we're pretty sure your mum and dad feel exactly the same way!

You can read more of our members' blogs here.

8. Mimi: PowerCooking and Ten Things to Make With Flour and Eggs + Simple Ingredients

I have just had a pantry cleanout and stocktake.

I have four bags of flour and a huge jar of milk powder.

I've also just been given four dozen eggs.

So it got me thinking. How many meals could I make using just those three ingredients as the base?

White sauce to which I could add any odds and ends of things; sliced boiled eggs or vegetables to make a mornay. A mornay could be served as a meal in a ramekin, as a filling in crepes, as a topping for pasta or rice or thickened to make croquettes.
Gnocchi. Fresh gnocchi is far superior to those little lead lumps you buy at the supermarket and only needs some butter and herbs or a simple tomato-based sauce and parmesan cheese to make it gourmet.
Scones would be on the list for sure. They're so trendy these days; we're paying $4.00 for them in interesting flavours from gourmet bakeries.
Crepes for certain too. To eat as a dessert with Nutella, jam or honey, as crepes stacked into a cake, as a meal with the mornay filling or other yummy stuff rolled in to them and as a substitute for lasagne sheets in a traditional or open lasagne stacked with a slow simmered ragout.
Hot cakes. Egg-free ones so we could save the eggs to make Impossible Pie.
Impossible Pie. An old favourite that makes a great lunch for school or work or a quick meal.
Old-fashioned dumplings for soup, especially at this time of the year. Such a great comfort food and tummy filler.
Spaetzle which my Nanna used to make for me and which are sort of dumpling, sort of pasta-ish and delicious served with a warming casserole or tossed with tiny chunks of diced bacon and thin ribbons of Kale, in a frying pan as a complete meal.
One bowl butter cake. A simple cake that can be iced or decorated dozens of ways to vary the flavour.
Rolled cookies. So easy. Three ingredients. Chill. Cut out and bake. Done.

So two and half hours today saw me whipping up the delicacies you see above, and a few more.

My refrigerator stash now includes a jug of crepe batter to use for dinner tomorrow. We'll use some of the batch of microwave white sauce I made to make a mornay with which to fill the crepes. I also have the gnocchi dough chilling for tonight. The gnocchi will go in to the black lentil and vegetable soup that I got simmering before I started baking.

So the schedule was:

Preheat the oven to 160C for the butter cake.
Make the bickie dough so it could chill.

Bickie dough recipe:
- 1 1/2 cups butter
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 3 cups plain flour
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
Mix the butter and icing sugar with a spoon. Add the flour and combine well. Tip on to a sheet of floured baking paper and fold the soft dough over gently four or five times to gather it together. Scoop in to a ball and chill for at least 15 minutes while you do other things.
Make the butter cake.

Butter cake recipe:

Preheat the oven to 160C if you haven't already done so.

To a medium bowl add:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups plain flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 cup milk
Mix well until combined.

Prepare a 20cm round cake tin by lining it with baking paper.

Pour into the cake tin and bake for about an hour. Test after 50 minutes for doneness. If it springs back in the middle when touched lightly, it's done.

Allow to cool, remove from the tin and transfer to a serving plate. Dust with icing sugar and edible rose petals or ice with a simple glace (icing sugar and liquid) icing.
Make the white sauce.

White sauce recipe:

In a large microwave safe jug, melt two dessertspoons of butter or margarine. Add two heaped dessertspoons of plain flour and mix well. In a separate microwave safe jug, heat two cups of milk (powdered or fresh) for two minutes or until steaming but not boiling. Add the hot milk to the flour and butter roux and whisk until smooth. Microwave on High for three minutes, whisking at 60 second intervals. Season to taste, cool and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Make the crepe batter:

Crepe recipe:
- 3/4 cup plain flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
- 1 cup water
Whisk all ingredients until smooth. Store in the refrigerator until ready for use. This needs at least 30 minutes resting time to improve the texture of the crepes. Overnight is even better.

Put a knob of butter on a square of paper towel and heat a non-stick frying pan. Rub the wadded paper towel over the base of the pan to grease it very lightly. Flick a few drops of water on the pan and if they sizzle it's ready for crepe making.

Pour about three tablespoons of batter into the pan and working quickly, swirl the pan to cover the base. Cook until the crepe dries out on top and the edges start to lift. Cook for thirty seconds on the flip side and slide on to a platter to cool.

Continue with the rest of the batter.

Fill these with the white sauce to which you've added ham and cheese, leftover chicken and vegetables, tinned salmon or tuna, corn kernels and shallots or anything else you have on hand. Fold them over, sprinkle with cheese and bake in a moderate oven until bubbling and hot. Yum.
Make the hotcakes.

Recipe in the February 2013 newsletter:
Rest the batter while you prepare the gnocchi dough.
Make the gnocchi dough.
Gnocchi recipe:
- 250g ricotta cheese
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 eggs
- Cracked pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, adding a little extra flour if necessary, to create a soft dough.

Tip the dough onto a well-floured bench and fold over gently four to six times to incorporate the additional flour. It should be very soft and pliable, not elastic and smooth like bread dough. Gather into a ball and enclose in cling wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

When you're ready to cook the gnocchi, dust the bench with flour and remove the dough from the cling wrap. Form it into a sausage shape and cut into short lengths. Press a fork into the surface of the gnocchi to make grooves to catch the sauce you serve it with.

Bring a pot of water to the boil and drop the gnocchi in. Once they float to the surface they are done. Toss them with butter and pan fried sage, a simple tomato sauce and parmesan or olive oil, garlic and chilli.
Make the soup (this was for our dinner tonight).
1 cup lentils
1 tbsp dried onion flakes or 1 onion, peeled and diced
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Pinch dried chilli seeds
1/2 tsp dried garlic granules or 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup tomato sauce
2 stalks celery, sliced thinly
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
2 chicken stock cubes
6 cups water

Pan fry the celery and onion in a little oil. Add the cumin and coriander and stir till fragrant. Add the other ingredients and simmer for one hour. Drop the gnocchi or dumpling dough in to the steaming soup just before serving.

Make the cinnamon stars with the bickie dough that's been chilling in the refrigerator.

Cinnamon stars recipe:

Halve the chilled cookie dough and keep half for another day. Roll the chilled dough out between sheets of baking paper. Use a cookie cutter in any shape to cut the dough into as many biscuits as possible. I got 35 small stars from half the batch of dough.

Line a biscuit tray with baking paper and transfer the biscuits to the tray. You may need to roll and cut the dough a second time and use a second tray depending upon the size and shape of your bickies.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or caster sugar.

Bake them at 180C for 15-18 minutes until firm to touch. These bickies do not need to be browned, they just need to be firm to touch. That way they'll be crisp and delicious. They're brilliant made with gluten free flour too.
Turn the oven up to 220C to bake the scones.
Make the scones. I do mine in a slab and cut them into squares. That way everyone gets a soft edge. We like the soft edges.

Scone recipe:
- 3 cups flour
- 6 tsp baking powder
- 1 tin reduced cream or 1 cup fresh cream
- 1 cup sparkling soda water
- 2 dsp sugar
Prepare a large casserole dish to bake the scone slab in. Mine is 25cm square. Just give it a generous coating of cooking spray and set it aside.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Do not over mix. A light hand means light scones. Tip out on to a well-floured bench and fold the dough half a dozen times, then ball it up and transfer it to the casserole dish.

Flatten it out gently, it doesn't need to be smooth. These are nice kind of rustic looking.

Bake them for about 20-25 minutes or until the middle of the surface is firm and it sounds hollow when tapped.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly, then use a very sharp knife to cut the scones into 16 neat squares.

Serve immediately with jam and cream or ice them with glace icing and enjoy later. Freeze any uneaten scones.
Make the hotcakes.

While the scones are baking, make the hotcakes according to the recipe, using the batter you've made and rested. One batch of batter yields 6-8 fluffy hotcakes.

Well, that was my 2 1/2 hours done. I didn't get to the Impossible Pie, the Spaetzle or the Dumplings for the soup, but I still managed to fill the fridge and freezer with enough goodies for the weekend and week ahead for mere cents per serve and a little bit of effort.

The more you tackle the idea of power cooking, the easier and more rewarding it gets.

Give it a try. :)

You can get updates on Mimi's new blogs on the Simple Savings Facebook page

or in our Members' Blog section.

9. Rob Bob's Gardening Blog: Backyard Fish Farm and Pests in the Patch

Fish Farm

I have spoken to a few folk online who loved our aquaponic set-up and the idea of raising their own fish and vegies but just didn't have the available space for the grow beds, and/or have a climate suitable to raise fish outside. Many did, however, have access to garages or basements where they had just enough room to set up a fish tank and some filters.

This led me to search YouTube where I came across one chap who had built a rather impressive indoor fish farm. Not long after that I went to a 'How to build a simple fish farm workshop' at a local community garden that was hosted by a leader in Aussie aquaculture design, Paul Van der Werf. After seeing how easily the system went together I decided to have a crack at it myself.

The system basically consists of two fish tanks, a Radial Flow solid waste filter, a biofilter and a sump tank.

The system itself may look a tad complicated with all the pipe work, but is actually very basic in its components. Here's a quick explanation of how they all work together.

The fish excrete two forms of waste; a solid which passes though the digestive tract and ammonia which is excreted through their gills.

The water flows out of the fish tank via gravity into the Radial Flow solids filter at the front of the system. The solids 'fall/precipitate' out of the water as the flow is disrupted and slowed down on its way through the filter. The clean water then flows through to the biofilter where the ammonia is processed. In this filter there are 85 litres of biomedia which becomes home to naturally occurring bacteria that process the waste ammonia.

One family of bacteria (nitrosomonas) transforms the ammonia (which is toxic to fish) into nitrite (also toxic to fish) and another family of bacteria (nitrobacter) transforms the nitrate into the more fish-friendly nitrate. The media we use in this filter is a commercial media used in water processing plants and I have also seen folks use nylon bird netting, plastic bottle tops and a few other recycled goods to help keep the cost down. From there the water flows into the sump tank to be pumped back up to the fish tank to make its journey around the system again.

There are a few things that need to be monitored while starting out, like the ammonia, nitrite and pH levels in the water, but once the system ages a bit and the bacteria colonies establish themselves and process all the waste ammonia, only fish feeding and minor maintenance is required.

In this system we decided to raise 50 plus Jade perch (25 or so in each tank) as they are a fast growing species and also have the highest omega3 levels according to CSIRO research. We hope to have them to plate size (600g) within 12-15 months and after that the fish farm will be turned into a second aquaponic system for the patch.

This update is a more in-depth look at how the fish and system are progressing.

Pests in the patch

One of the common pests folks have in the patch at this time of year is the white cabbage butterfly (Pieris rapae).

While they can be quite fun to watch dance through the yard, it is their progeny that we find ourselves declaring war on every autumn and winter.

You will find their eggs stuck to the underside of the leaves of your cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and other brassica plants, and when found are normally squished upon discovery. The caterpillars can be a bit trickier to find as their colouring lets them blend easily into the leaves. One thing that does give them away is their tell-tale balls of frass (insect poop). I may not have found the little blighter in the above picture if it had relieved itself elsewhere. ;)

The two best ways I have found to control these pests are by excluding them from the vegie patch using insect netting and by using the bacterial insecticide BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) on the plants outside the hoop house.

Vegie netting would have to be the best method for keeping the butterflies out of the patch and plants free of caterpillar damage. We have been using the current netting for three seasons now and it should quite easily last another three plus years. It also doubles as a light shade cloth come summer and I have read that it will help protect against light frost too. The first netting we used was the old mosquito netting from the girls' cot and, while this worked well, it only lasted one summer in the full sun. I have also seen folk recommend fabrics like tulle as it is cheap. The one down side is that they do deteriorate in the sun and will probably only last a season or two. I have also found that if you shop around you can get the proper UV resistant vegie net for the same price if not cheaper than the other fabrics like tulle.

Using netting can be as easy as pushing some stakes into a garden bed and draping the loose netting over the top.

Or you can go all out and make a basic hoop house to cover a few garden beds like we have. A semi-permanent structure like this comes in handy over summer as it only takes half an hour to throw a couple of lengths of shade cloth over the top to take the sting out of the sun.

A down side of having a vegie net hoop house is that it also excludes beneficial insects like bees, lady bugs and praying mantis. I find that I need to manually pollinate the tomatoes in the hoop house at the moment (tapping the flowers every day is my method) and I have also noticed that aphids tend to flourish in the hoop house with no predators to keep them in check. Nothing a quick liquid soap spray can't fix though. ;)

The BT insecticide is my weapon of choice for protecting the brassicas outside the hoop house. This powder is available from most garden/hardware stores and is very easy to make up following the directions on the packet. It is also safe for use around mammals, birds and fish and is used by certified organic farmers all over the world.

The one down side of BT is that it will also kill caterpillars that are not pest species, so I tend to only spray the plants I want to protect and not the whole garden. Another is that it needs to be reapplied every few weeks and can wash off in the rain, but as winter is traditionally our dry season that isn't too much of a problem up here.

Hope that give folks a few ideas on how they can control these nasty little beasties.

Well, it's time to do some landscaping for the new aquaponic system between the light showers of rain. Hope you've enjoyed the quick description of the fish farm and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Cheers folks & have a great one,
Rob

You can get updates on Rob Bob's new gardening adventure blogs on the Simple Savings Facebook page

or in our Members' Blog section.

10. From Last Month: I Smell a Rat

Last month Susan emailed us about ideas for getting rid of an unwanted smell:

"I need help getting rid of the smell of a dead rat. My husband has been up in the ceiling twice but cannot find its body. The smell is particularly bad in one of our bedrooms. We heard a rat in the ceiling above the bedroom, but now there is no noise, just an increasingly bad smell. I would appreciate any advice or tips."

We got some fantastic ideas - thank you for sharing your wisdom! Here are some of our favourite replies:

De-odour bags absorb smells

My husband deals with pest control and his advice is to get de-odour bags from your local pest control supply store such as Garrards or Globe here in WA. They cost about $20 per bag. Put them in the roof as close to the source of the smell as possible and they will absorb the smell. You can also get this type of bag from epestsupplies.com.au. Hope it helps!

Contributed by: Allison

Place toilet deodoriser blocks around problem area

When it comes to removing smells such as this in unreachable areas, there isn't much you can do except wait for the smell to gradually die down unfortunately! However, in the meantime you can try placing a few toilet freshener blocks around where the smell is. It might just help!

Contributed by: Melissa B

Check under insulation for the culprit

Having had the same problem I do sympathise, the smell is terrible! Have you tried checking under the insulation in the ceiling? My husband has always found the dead rats under the insulation in the ceiling. You just have to let your nose guide you to which section of insulation it may be under. Not a pleasant task but this immediately gets rid of the smell! Otherwise you just have to wait for the smell to eventually pass but be warned, it may take a month or two.

Contributed by: Binnie

Let home-made deodoriser mask and absorb odours

This home-made carpet deodoriser is cheap to make and is great for absorbing all kinds of unpleasant odours, even dead rats! I make this by combining bicarb soda with cornflour 50/50, say a cup of each. To this I then add a good sprinkling of lavender essential oil, enough to make the scent STRONG (use the pure stuff, not the cheap, watered down variety). Mix it all together using an egg whisk as this breaks up any lumps, then let it sit in a screw top jar with the lid on to ensure good distribution of the scent through the mix. Sprinkle this through the roof cavity that is nearest to the smell. If you don't really like the idea of the powder stuff floating around on loose surfaces, use takeaway containers or similar and place strategically in the roof cavity. Also keep some of this in a few small bowls and place them in the room that the smell is worst in. You can also do this with eucalyptus oil for a really clean smell, or lemon essential oil is another good one. Good luck!

Contributed by: Lyn

Check in walls and under floors

What a nasty problem to have! The smell of a dead rat rises so there is a good chance it is either under the house or in the wall cavity. Hope you are able to find it and put an end to the smell!

Contributed by: Margaret

Soak the area in bleach

Dirty rats! Whilst our problem wasn't exactly the same, it may help. We had a very bad rat urine smell and stain in the ceiling of the linen cupboard. My husband crawled into the roof space and found where the stain was. He could hardly move in the low pitched roof and I was tapping the location saying 'here it is'! He then poured a litre of bleach on the stain. I could see the bleach soaking through the underside of the ceiling, so I soaked my mop head in hot water with a good shake of eucalyptus oil and propped it up on the underside overnight. The smell has now gone and while we will need to seal it and then paint the affected area, hopefully that will be the end of it!

Contributed by: Shelagh

11. This Month's Help Request: Help Me with the Winter Blahs

Treena has emailed asking for some help! She writes:

"Please ask your members for some ideas for me! I get the 'winter blahs' all through winter. I hate the cold and the rain, and it is dark when I get up and dark as soon as I get home. I really need some ideas on managing this time of year and staying chirpy. I hate the winter blahs!"

If you have any pearls of wisdom you'd like to share with Treena, please send them in to us here.

12. Goodbye for Now!

Well, that's your Simple Savings Newsletter for July and we hope you have enjoyed it. We hope you'll do some PowerCooking of some sort this month and see just how much easier it makes life in the kitchen!

Till next time...
All the best,
Fiona

July 2016 - Simple Savings Newsletter

"Secrets to Saving Money" Free Newsletter - July 2016

This issue includes:-

Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Change of Scenery
July: Financial Weight Loss
Last Month's Competition: Brainwaves and Forehead Slaps!
Best of the Vault: Lighten the Load
Best of the Forum: Anything is Possible
Best Members' Blog: Coming Out of Crisis Mode
Best of SS Facebook: Decluttering the Pigsty!
Savings Story: Our Sea Change

Hi,

At this time of year it's easy to get stuck in the doldrums. If you're finding your usual money saving enthusiasm has been waning lately, this month's newsletter should help to bring it back! With plenty of tips and success stories to inspire you, we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we have enjoyed putting it together.

Wishing you a terrific month ahead,
All the best,
Jackie

1. Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Change of Scenery

"Sal, come and look at this," Hanna waved Sally over to her computer. "Ooh, very nice!" Sally said as she took in the property on the screen. "Nice bit of land, water views, not too far out of town" "We're thinking of renting it," Hanna smiled. "You're WHAT?" Sally almost dropped her coffee cup. "But you already have a perfectly good house! Good grief, first you're going on overseas holidays, now this - Hanna what's happened to you? I can't believe you're frittering so much money away!"

"I'm not frittering any money away! If we rent our house out, we can rent this one instead. We'll actually be lowering our weekly expenses," Hanna grinned. "What on earth makes you think that?" Sally said disbelievingly. "Look at the size of that place, the rent on it must be huge!" "Not at all, you'd be surprised," Hanna explained. "We've done some homework and we can rent out our house for considerably more."

"I don't get it - how can a place like that possibly be so much cheaper?" "Location, Sal!" Hanna smiled. "John and I may have to drive an extra 15 minutes to work living further out of town but it's a small price to pay compared to how much we'll be saving. Plus we'll have more land so we can be more self-sufficient. We really will be better off than before!" Sally still looked doubtful, then a thought suddenly occurred. Of course! What else could it be? She bent down and whispered furtively in Hanna's ear. "It's okay, your secret is safe with me. You've won the lottery haven't you! I won't breathe a word..."

2. July: Financial Weight Loss

Appearances can be deceiving. At face value, Hanna's idea may seem incredibly decadent - but it really isn't at all. She isn't thinking about a bigger kitchen or an extra bathroom, she's aiming for freedom. In a nutshell, Hanna wants to lose weight. Financial weight, that is!

Think of it this way. The biggest weight around most people's neck is their mortgage. Even thinking of the word 'mortgage' can automatically make us frown, or wrinkle our noses! After all, once you have one, you're stuck with it. We accept it as an unavoidable expense; something which is not flexible, not optional. Or is it? As with most things, there are always alternatives. You just need to step back, be open to ideas and think... maybe. That's exactly what Hanna is doing. Here are just some of the ways you can reduce that financial weight. Whilst some of them require major changes, others don't; but they can all be very worth it.

Consider selling your home and buying a cheaper one with a smaller mortgage. Instant weight loss!
Look at where you live. Can you relocate to a cheaper area? This doesn't have to mean 'less nice' or moving miles away; as Hanna demonstrates, you can find your own new patch of paradise relatively close to home. It may cost you a little more in travel, but if it means reducing your mortgage by $100,000 or more, it's well worth it.
Take in a boarder. Make that spare room in your home work for you! Another popular option is to take in an international exchange student. Many schools welcome the offer of a local host family and as a rule it is a well-paid role.
Rent out your spare room. Organisations such as Air BNB are great if you have a spare room but don't want a permanent visitor. Another option is to rent out your home when you go away on holiday. This is becoming increasingly popular and enjoys plenty of positive feedback.
How small can you go? Think you can't possibly fit everyone in a two bedroom unit? Think again. If you can live in a smaller space you can reduce the weekly pressure of a mortgage and/or really high rent. Over the years members have shared some fantastic stories of how they have used their existing space to create another bathroom or extra bedroom, rather than buying a larger home or renovating. The key is to solve the problem without increasing expense.

As you can see, that mortgage millstone around your neck doesn't have to be so heavy. You're not stuck with it - you CAN change it. You don't have to do what everyone expects of you; there is always a choice. Like any 'weight loss' plan, you just need to find what works for you. Then go for it!

3. Last Month's Competition: Brainwaves and Forehead Slaps!

Last month we asked you to share your biggest financial brainwaves and blunders. We had a feeling this would be a popular competition and you certainly didn't disappoint! We thoroughly enjoyed reading each and every entry. They made us laugh, they made us cringe and it made us smile to read of each triumph over adversity. Choosing a winner was extremely difficult but the cash prize of $100 goes to Irene Bird, who told us:

"The dumbest thing I ever did with money was to spend ALL of my FIRST EVER pay check, at 16 years old, on the most fabulous pair of black and white shoes. I was in heaven! The only problem was they had six inch heels and I couldn't walk in them! I never did wear them, but oh I thought I would be the girl with the most beautiful shoes in the whole wide world! Needless to say I was heartbroken, and my mum, well, she was speechless!

"But the smartest thing I have ever done with money was to remember that stupid mindless purchase and to never be seduced into such a mistake again with my hard earned money. I am now 69 years old and I can still remember how I felt that day, and now I think before I hand over my money for anything.

"A great lesson learnt very early in life that has stood me in good stead."

Congratulations Irene and good on you for learning from your experience first time around. A big thank you to everyone who took the time to enter, we loved reading all your stories!

4. Best of the Vault: Lighten the Load

If you love the idea of reducing the weight of your mortgage but don't know how or where to start, head to the Vault to check out inspiring stories like these and many more. This month we bring you a bumper selection of some of our favourites as they're all too good not to share!

'Old dogs' learn new tricks and save $60,000!

We saved almost $60,000 on the cost of building our new home! We are just about to move into the house we owner built. We are both in our sixties and knew nothing about building. Rather than take on a mortgage, I did an Owner Builders Course online and we got stuck into building our house with the cash we have. We bought heaps of things from Gumtree and soon discovered cash is a great bartering tool. It has ended up costing us $126,000 to get to the stage the builders were going to charge us $185,000 for, so we have pretty much saved a third of the cost with the added bonus of no mortgage! We have had some fun along with some drama but even though it was quite hard work, it has been well worth the effort. It goes to show, you CAN teach old dogs new tricks; especially if they are willing to learn, and if you have the time to resource things yourself, you can save a heap of money.

Here is a link to the course I did (in WA) but you should be able to find one for your state: Absolute Education

We also did a White Card course through Urban E-Learning

Contributed by: Yvette Summers

Downgrading will see us mortgage free

My new 'granny flat' addition will see me mortgage free! I currently have two homes; my owner occupied home and my investment property that my grandparents live in and pay me rent for. The houses are side by side and we enjoy this convenience.

I recently worked out that because one block has a huge back yard for suburbia (a quarter acre) and plenty of backyard, I'd actually be best to build them a granny flat, letting us move into the house they currently live in, and we'll sell our owner occupied home.

For a short period, we will be stepping into a smaller home, but we will be 100% mortgage free once we have sold our house. That gets me out of $375,000 debt and saves me all the interest that I pay each year!

We'll slowly do our own renovations and extensions as we save the money, which we will be better able to do without that massive debt hanging over our head. Sometimes it's better to downgrade a little.

Contributed by: Wishful thinking

From lows come great highs

Our story is a great example of how thinking outside the square has enabled us to get ahead, even through the toughest of trials. My husband is on a disability pension receiving $450 per fortnight and I work 20 hours per fortnight earning $397. I have chosen not to apply for Centrelink benefits due to the numerous requirements. Our uninsured home burnt down 10 years ago leaving us homeless (I went into premature labour and spent six weeks in hospital with complications so I had somewhere to stay but my partner lived in our car with our two dogs for this time). We were at the lowest point ever and could not imagine how we were going to survive. We were advised to go bankrupt, which we did but we were now unable to get finance (in hindsight an absolute blessing) to get another house.

We did what most people do and rented a house in the suburbs thinking this was it for us. After three years of this we decided to look elsewhere and found a house in 'woop woop' which was $6000 (pre-real estate boom). Using my first home owner grant we purchased our house and although it was two hours from anywhere good, it was ours outright. This in itself is a handy hint to look outside of the box - our 'woop woop' town had a doctor, a supermarket and a school so it was fine and we lived there happily for another three years. At this point the real estate boom happened and we sold our house for $48,000 and decided to look outside the box once again. We ended up 2000km away from home in a place two hours from Adelaide. We still live here happily and after four years the value of our property has gone from $35,000 to $95,000 (I swear getting our first home owner grant was like winning the lottery).

But we still couldn't save any money so two years ago I cancelled my fortnightly family tax benefit from Centrelink (approx $200 per fortnight). It was hard - very, very hard for the first eight months but then it was tax time and I was very surprised when I received a tax return of more than $7000 with my lump sum FTB part A and B. We paid our bills and bought a second hand car. This year I paid a little extra tax each week ($10) and was pleasantly surprised by an $8000 tax return. With this we bought a block of land 30 minutes down the road (in a bigger town closer to Adelaide). The value of this block is double what we actually paid! Some people say we were lucky but luck had nothing to do with it - we were just prepared to live in very yucky houses in areas no one wants to live. Three months ago a house in our town sold for $21,000 which is around the same as the first home owner grant now and there are still others which would be around the same price. We don't have sewerage or town water but we have a school and a pub so it was certainly a change in lifestyle.

Other people have asked how we are doing so well now and I just laugh! We are earning $845 per fortnight and I have chosen not to work extra hours so I can still be a stay at home mum to our diabetic 10-year-old. We have private health cover, Internet, insurance, power, phone, petrol expenses ($100 fortnight), rates, medical expenses and even private school fees to pay but we still have enough to go around and often support other people with food, even though they are making much more than us. This year we plan on buying a second hand relocatable house for our block with our tax return. It may be a form of forced savings by not getting a fortnightly benefit but when it comes in it is amazing. Thanks to careful budgeting and Simple Savings we easily survive!

Contributed by: Lee

Leaving temptation behind

A while ago, after clocking up more than six years in a city office, I was on a downward spiral. Working in the city exposed me to the temptation of worldly things that I thought I needed at the time, for example, expensive clothes, shoes, parties, after work drinks and so on. My credit card was on a knife's edge until I eventually came around. I changed my tactics and gave up my pride. I left the city lights, applied for a government job close to home and have never looked back.

I've been saving at least $3640 on yearly travel expenses, such as petrol and train tickets. My new job offers me free travel on all public transport around Sydney city and suburbs.
My annual pay packet has almost tripled, compared to the petty minimum wage I was getting at the office.
I can now get up later, and get home earlier. This allows me to prepare meals I can bring to work the next day, saving me at least $50 a week, or $2600 a year!
I've sold the 'worldly' things I accumulated over the years at garage sales I've held, earning me a couple of grand in total.
I've paid off my credit card and my car within a year of working at my current job.
I've just bought a house which I'm renting out. I hope to pay it off in 10 years.
Finally, the self-confidence I have gained from all of this is priceless.

Sometimes, we don't need to look very far for opportunities. Not everything can be offered by the bright lights of the city...

Contributed by: Corinne Tullao

Living with one bathroom

Our family of seven is living proof that a second bathroom is an unnecessary luxury. A simple shower curtain has saved us thousands. Many people can't believe that we cope quite adequately with a single bathroom, particularly with three teenagers in the household.

Our toilet is located out of the bathroom and often people need to wash their hands or brush their teeth in the bathroom, while others are using it. With a good solid coloured 'non see-through' curtain, even the teenagers don't mind the bathroom being invaded as no one can see anything.

It also helps to have mirrors in each of the bedrooms, particularly with teenage girls, so they can do their hair and makeup in their rooms and not at the bathroom mirror. Some of us shower in the morning and some in the evening. Planning this saves a rush for facilities all at once. Sharing a single bathroom also teaches family members valuable lessons in sharing, consideration and co-operative skills.

When you consider that, at the most, people spend perhaps half an hour in the bathroom each per day, having a second bathroom with all the extra facilities is costing thousands of dollars that perhaps could be saved and put towards other things you may require. Plus of course cleaning one bathroom is much more preferable than two!

Contributed by: Tenacious1

Making the most of living arrangements

We have saved thousands on accommodating our family (two adults and four children) into our small three-bedroom home. With four daughters ranging from two years to 13 in age, it is essential that they have their own space, but building an extension was not an option. Here in Tasmania we were looking at up to $12,000 per square metre!

A larger home (with a larger mortgage) was also out of the question, so some careful planning was needed. We managed the perfect solution for less than $1000!

We sorted out the sharing of bedrooms as best we could according to age and personality. We then placed two sets of second hand steel bunks in each of the girls' rooms. We took out the bottom bunk of each set and made an under bed study/privacy area for each of the girls.

We got material and made curtains to surround the study areas in colours of the girls' choices. They all love their bedrooms and appreciate the privacy this setup has given them.

Just as we got sorted, my teenage sister came to live with us! After a week or two of her sleeping on the couch, we had to re-assess our situation. We looked around our small home for any wasted spaces that were being overlooked and found one.

We were using the back end of the lounge behind the couches as a toy/play area for our small toddler, but with a bit of planning, we have turned this area into a small bedroom for my sister.

Instead of dividing the room with a permanent wall, we have partitioned off the room with cupboards, three facing the lounge room and one facing into the 'bedroom', to be used as a built-in robe, all backed with burnie-board to the ceiling.

We then put a cavity sliding door off this new room, which leads out into our hallway and runs along the wall of our lounge. The new bedroom is big enough for a single bed, computer desk and has a nice new white built-in wardrobe.

We now have a new wall of storage cupboards in our lounge/dining area that looks neat and tidy. The cavity door cost us $180 in kit form from our local building/timber store. The new plaster to put up after the door installation cost us $40. Installation cost us nothing because we have a handy brother in the family. The four pantry/wardrobe cupboards cost $180 each. Based on the prices of houses in our area, we have saved between $40,000 and $100,000 in mortgage debt and in excess of $80,000 in house extension costs, based on builders' quotes.

Our living areas are now a little cosier than before but as everyone has their own little areas to disappear into as the need arises, we are so far managing very well.

Long-term, as our finances allow and the girls need more space and independence we are planning a relocatable cabin for the back yard. Timberworld has a plan for a fully self-contained cabin (kitchen/ensuite/laundry) with two bedrooms fully insulated, plumbed and wired, available for around $39,000. Compared to the price of extending our home, it is a huge saving. The girls will never have to be in a rush to leave home due to lack of space and they will have the best start in life that we can give them.

The only problem we have right now is three teenage girls and only one bathroom - but I'm sure we'll think of something!

Contributed by: Angela Duggan

Own your house before you turn 30

I bought my first house at 22 years old, and had paid the mortgage in less than eight years. The key is to get flatmates!

I had two spare rooms and acquired two flatmates paying $60 each per week. This eased my financial burden of a mortgage and made all the difference - it allowed me to save money.

At the time, my mortgage was $800 per month but I was receiving $480 per month from rent - so I only had to pay $320 per month. In effect, I was paying just $80 per week for myself; only $20 per week more than my flatmates, for a house that was mine!

My flatmates were friends of mine, who appreciated paying me a lower rent than they would have to pay anywhere else. We did this for five years which amounted to $31,200. If I had continued to live alone, it would have been zero! Not to mention, the savings I made on costs of telephone, power and gas, which were all split three ways.

Sure, at times it can be hard sharing house but it is definitely worth the sacrifice. My focus was to pay my mortgage off as soon as possible, as it is a loan that is not tax deductible. I used an offset account so I could take advantage of saving interest, but in the event that should something break down I could access the funds.

I never purchased furniture or expensive cars - I drove a bomb that was reliable, I shared living expenses and rented rooms, enabling me to stick to my plan to pay off the mortgage within eight years.

My income was only average, and I was single. It is not what you earn; it is what you do with it that counts! The beauty of buying a house is that while you are paying it off, it appreciates in value. A great investment - unlike purchasing a car, which only depreciates.

Contributed by: Afina

We bought three homes while on a low income and Health Care Card

We bought three houses on a low budget income, still having a Health Care Card. Finance was the hardest thing to overcome. I love to look at houses in the papers and would always feel bad as I knew I couldn't afford to buy anything. When I spotted a two bedroom house for $59,000 five years ago, half an hour from the city, I withdrew our four children's savings ($10 each a fortnight for two and a half years). I told them they could make a lot more interest (predicting about 10%) if they invested in Mum and Dad's house.

We managed to convince Keystart (the savings was what convinced them). We did all our own work - even the children got paid to dig the trench for the sewerage connection. We turned the kitchen into a playroom and the back room into a kitchen (we bought a nice kitchen out of the Quokka for $350 from a rich suburb).

We enclosed the front verandah and bought and stripped four french doors to make a nice third bed/sunroom, stripped wall paper, pulled up carpet, sanded and lacquered the house. We painted the outside white with $100 of old paint. We paid $1.00 per metre for nice dress material and made lovely curtains throughout the house for $20 plus hooks and tape.

All up, our renovations cost $5000 (and I don't even know how we found that over 18 months!). The only regret is that we sold the house too cheap before the price hike, but three and a half years ago we sold it for $95,000 (remember we bought it for $59,000).

We bought our next house in a similar scenario. At $70,000 they thought it could only be bulldozed, but a bit of elbow grease can do wonders! Everything was dark brown inside - walls, ceilings, carpet and wallpaper. We spent very little and lived there for a year. We are still renovating that but it is tenanted for $140 a week.

I wanted to live back in Perth and searched for a low doc loan as I was not happy with the service with Keystart; very slow to get finance if you are in a hurry. After some research I found Morgan Brooks and got a 6.75% low doc loan instead of 12% and was able to borrow more. No papers required to prove income, just an estimated amount for the year.

We bought our first brick home in 2005 for $160,000 after lots of negotiating, 13km from the city. We saved $4500 on the previous offer because we had finance nearly approved and had no house to sell. We were able to get the loan because by that time, the other house had increased its value from $70,000 to $140,000!

Five months in our new home we are feeling a little tired of renovating but now need two more bedrooms for four teenagers. The main reason for this is their huge private school fees. What happened to their savings money I withdrew five years ago? The kids now all have $10,000 invested - I think that's a lot more than the predicted 10%!

Contributed by: Kathleen Smith

5. Best of the Forum: Anything is Possible

This month we asked some of our Forum members to share ways they had managed to reduce their mortgage and/or make it more manageable. For some it meant making major changes; for others it required little effort - but they all worked! Here are just some of their responses:

Shifting suburbs

"We have just bought a house in a different suburb, but still have our house to sell. So we haven't downsized our mortgage - yet. We will be moving from a four-bedroom, two-bathroom new house to a three-bedroom, one-bathroom 1960's house. We wanted to reduce our mortgage but also the house is in a more convenient area for our life 'at the moment'.

We have decluttered and are quite minimalistic. We don't have to have all the latest techno gadgets and have realised that we as a family don't really take up as much room as we thought. It will be different but not impossible and we are looking forward to the move. Financially, we have reduced our mortgage by about $70,000." Claire

Resisting peer pressure helps us reduce

"We have 'reduced' our mortgage by resisting peer pressure in inner Sydney to take on large scale renovations. Instead we repair and focus on small changes that make big improvements to our quality of life.

Big renovations with borrowed funds may turn out to be worthwhile in capital gains for others who have taken that route, but for us it's more important to be debt-free, work less (or retire earlier) and spend more time with our kids." Batsy

We moved across the street and saved $80,000!

"We moved to a cheaper house, which just happened to be directly across the street, and reduced our mortgage by $80,000. We haven't altered our repayments since interest rates have dropped, and use an offset account. I also rang and asked for a rate reduction, thinking we could get a loan with another lender (didn't work out) but we did get a 0.03% rate drop; better than nothing!" Penelope Pitstop

Lodgers helped me become mortgage-free

"I was committed to paying my home loan early so looked at the timeline, then got calculator out and did some calculations. The balance owing in the timeframe equals how much per fortnight I would have to pay to get there. My two sons also had to contribute their share even though they are on Centrelink so we all paid 33% of power and water and they paid all the Telstra bills.

"I live away from home as it was the only way I could earn enough money to reach my financial goals. I then decided with the house I rent in NT, having two housemates to share with me would mean keeping my actual costs minimal. I set up direct debits so I never saw my money and with this in mind I reached my goal a lot quicker than I thought possible.

"I do have sanity money and this makes me feel I'm getting small rewards immediately not just two, five or 10 years down the track. A budget/money plan is a must or you don't get a true picture of your financial situation.

"I think internet banking and rounding down whenever possible started me in believing I could do it. I am now mortgage-free and after a couple of months catching up on bills and topping up the emergency fund I will be using the same principle with my super." Fit & Trim

Relocate and reduce

"I moved from a small two-bedroom flat in Sydney to a three-bedroom house in a regional city. I still had a mortgage in Sydney, but I am now mortgage-free!" Sue P

'Making do' paid our mortgage in 10 years

"We started two years before we even got a mortgage - we lived in a terrible flat that had very cheap rent, and lived on one wage and saved the other. We had a large enough deposit to avoid mortgage insurance.

"We bought a house on the outskirts of Melbourne, as we wanted to be able to pay it back on one income.

"When my first baby was due to be born, my husband was offered a full time job, an hour's drive from our house, so we rented it out and found a rental for ourselves close by his work. He walked to work, so we went down to one car and one mobile phone.

"In this time interest rates were dropping, but we kept our repayment amount the same. The rent we got in paid the mortgage and we were able to claim a lot of expenses on tax. The rent we paid was quite low, and we were able to put extra on our mortgage.

"I used my sewing skills to make clothes for my children out of remnants and adult clothes. We were given or lent a lot of baby stuff, and I haunted the op shops.

"I learnt to cut my own hair.

"We went on holidays, but stayed with family members or went to a caravan park and made our own food (instead of eating out).

"When we got close to paying it off, we stopped buying anything unnecessary. I used broken washing baskets for at least six months.

"Our house was paid off in 10 years.

"I couldn't have done it without the wealth of knowledge and support I found here, particularly the threads 'Run My Freedom'." Shelstar

$20 a week is all it takes

"A friend of mine has paid $20 extra a week on top of her mortgage and this has reduced her loan by $22,000!" PlanB

Read the full thread here: How have you reduced your mortgage?

Another highly recommended thread is 'Home finance basics' from super savvy member Stephen Lake.

"This thread has some golden rules for quick mortgage reduction - basically they say it all! Over the years I've done almost all of the points Stephen has raised and have paid off in total five mortgages by doing these." Seachange

6. Best Members' Blog: Coming Out of Crisis Mode

One of the many benefits of being a Vault member is that you can win $100 cash each month for your Simple Savings blog! Starting your own blog on the site is easy. All you have to do is log into the Vault, click on 'My Desk' at the top right, then 'Blog'. Then get writing! We love reading all your money saving trials and tribulations and really appreciate the effort that goes into each one.

This month's Blog winner is Mona with her post 'Coming Out of Crisis Mode.'

"Much to my surprise I found that upon reflection I had been living my life in crisis mode. This has happened to me few times in my life; once when I separated from my husband and found myself a single parent to five. I was left with no assets and huge debt. From the day we separated I struggled to get through each day. With days merging into weeks, months would go by in a heartbeat and there was little joy in my life. This was a shock and a life altering event as was a vicious assault two years later that left me reeling and finding it impossible to manage. So how did I end up just surviving once again? I really cannot tell you and rather than one event, multiple occurrences built up and the proverbial straw indeed broke this camel's back. I had ill health, lost my job, family issues, the aging and poor health of my parents and the financial burden of being a low paid and aging woman. I looked up and there it was - I found that I had gone from a happy woman to a very sad lady struggling to get by.

"Supported by friends and my wonderful online team of virtual friends I have fought my way out. I have so very much to be grateful for and now that, God willing, I am recovered I am wanting to put things slowly back together again. The house that resembled a hoarder's haven is slowly getting back to the happy home it should be. A menu plan and home-cooked meals are replacing that last minute dash to buy takeaway. The insecurity of casual work has given way to permanent work, though at a lower rate per hour by a fair amount, it is regular and as safe as any work can be in our times. I am finding joy once more in the simple things; a drink in the garden and playing with the dog, even that one last child living at home is as delightful as it can be. How does coming out of crisis mode increase my financial security? Well the answers are numerous.

"I can now menu plan and on the days I have off I can cook several meals in advance and add them to the freezer. I am able to look for specials at the stores and go with a detailed shopping list. I have the time to keep an eye on the fridge and what ingredients need using up are used and not left to waste. My budget is done and stuck to. I no longer look to spend money to 'make myself feel better'. I am always reflecting on things I need to do and in ways reaching out to my children to keep contact up and to keep myself abreast of their lives. I am able to settle down and make gifts with the many craft items I already own.

"The most important thing is that I am living my life, not surviving it. I also was very much shocked to find that I, in my turn, am capable of making a huge difference in other people's lives. Twice in the past few days an elderly acquaintance told me I made all the difference to his life, and that he looked forward with great pleasure to see me walk into his room. The daughter of another elderly lady said that I always made her mother smile. Work colleagues began to remark that my happy countenance and joy in coming to work lifted their own spirits. My mother commented only yesterday that she looked forward to my phone calls and that my upcoming visit was the one thing in life she had to be joyful over. My youngest daughter's friends left me a note to say they loved coming to visit at my home because I was 'awesome'.

"We never know how our smallest word or deed impacts others. A simple smile or friendly word can make the lives of those we know or even just pass by, so very different. Without knowing it we can make or break the spirit of others. SO, from today on I am devoted to making each moment count and hopefully I can go on and bring a small ray of sunshine into the lives of those I pass on this wonderful journey of life."

What a beautiful and inspiring post, Mona, thank you for sharing!

You can read more of our members' blogs here.

7. Best of SS Facebook: Decluttering the Pigsty!

Love Facebook or hate it, the Simple Savers Facebook page is a great way to learn even more tips and enjoy reading of other members' successes. This month, Chels discovers the joys of decluttering and can't wait to share it with the rest of us!

"I just wanted to say how proud of myself I am. I got tired of seeing my house look like a pigsty. I had no homes for lots of stuff so this week I have gone through nearly everything (including linen, kitchen cupboards, bathroom cupboards etc). My kids' rooms were disgraceful, they were so messy. We managed to get rid of so much stuff and donated a lot of it to people in need.

"There was so much junk. So much material junk. Stuff I really didn't need but purchased because I wanted it. I have not had an urge to shop at all since because I am enjoying the space and downsizing.

"This has been a big eye opener for me. And I guess a big 'savings journey' because now I know how much money I have wasted over the years I don't want to spend a cent on things I no longer need again!"

Good on you Chels, great work! Joining our busy Facebook community is super easy. Either search up 'Simple Savers' on Facebook or click this link and request to join. Once you're in, let the fun begin!

8. Savings Story: Our Sea Change

Last month one of our members, Linda Stapleton, wrote to tell us how she and her hubby were working on downsizing their mortgage and preparing for their retirement. We wanted to share her story with everyone to show what can be achieved when you think ahead and think outside the square.

"I wanted to share the story of our 'sea change' with you. Some time ago we purchased our new retirement/investment home. It took a while and we had a few fumbles... some solicitors simply shouldn't be practising. We came out of the sale in a better position financially than we thought we would, having over-estimated the amount of 'emergency/fees back up money' we may need. We now have a nice nest egg, a small mortgage and are now landlords with enough rent to pay all of our expenses such as mortgage, insurance, rates and so on. It can be done if you research it and are realistic about your 'wants'.

"We had to adjust our perception on what we needed to retire. To begin with, we were judging what we needed on what we had now. Then we realised we would be a lot older, less agile and would have a completely different lifestyle, slower and less demanding. Our perspective on what we would 'need' changed dramatically. Downsizing our 'needs' changed our view on what sort of home we would buy and changed the price dramatically as well. It also changed the income potential, effectively increasing how much we would earn in relation to our outgoings. We had to weigh all of this up when looking at every property. Basically it was the bigger the property, the bigger the mortgage but the amount of rent we could get was about the same as what we could get for the smaller property in the same area - actually some of the cheaper places brought in more rent than a larger property could bring in. We found a place that brought in the same rent as a larger property and was half the price but of course half the size. However, there are only two of us so half the size and less outside maintenance actually suited us better anyway. It is an individual decision, of course.

"Thankfully this is now all in the past and we have our home. It is rented and we are ready to sort our belongings, weed out what we don't need and begin the process of preparing to retire. We have ten years to do this but have years of stored and accumulated 'stuff' to sort out. We are now decluttering and re-purposing our belongings to suit our future.

"I will start having garage sales and selling on eBay, which will be a new experience for me. I will be doing an inventory on my 'stuff' to see what I have and what I can make with it. I will also use techniques I have learned with Simple Savings to reduce my belongings and to make money on them.

"Our sea change is now inevitable. How smoothly this transition occurs depends on how much hard work I can pull off in the next ten years!"

Linda, you are one very organised lady! Congratulations, we look forward to hearing of your progress.

9. Goodbye for Now

That's it for another newsletter. We hope you have found it helpful and has got you thinking of ways you can reduce the weight of your mortgage or other debts. Don't forget you can enter our 'Hint of the Week' competition every week too! Simply send in your favourite money saving tip (you can enter as many times as you like) and you could win a 12-month membership to the Vault. We really appreciate each and every tip we receive. See you next month!

All the best,
Jackie

July 2018 - Simple Savings Newsletter

Simple Savings Newsletter - July 2018

Practically Nude
Scary Spices
Finding Ingredients
Competition: Ideas for Spinach and Pork
Quiz: How Nude Are You?
Thermomix, Bloody Thermomix!
Impress the Chef
June Winners: Warming Up For Winter
Puppies!

Hello,

How are you going? I hope you are doing well. Earlier this year one of my young and single girlfriends asked me, "How much time do you spend in the kitchen?" After looking puzzled for a bit, I replied "I don't know. Why?" "It is like you spend your whole life cooking. My image of you is a person who cooks all day and all night."

Her comment really surprised me and that night I worked out I was spending 25+ hours a week preparing food for my five humans, one teen and four dogs. Since then I have been on a quest to reduce the amount of hours I spend preparing food (Cooking, cleaning, shopping, planning) without increasing the costs or lowering the quality.

In this newsletter I'm going to share this journey with you.

I hope you find it handy.

All the best,
Fiona

P.S. The new site is even closer than it was last month. My husband, Matt, is hoping to switch them over while no one is looking.

1. Practically Nude

All this year I have been having fun with my own brand of Practically Nude eating which is high nutrition, low cost, convenient and low on plastic. Most people think this is impossible; that cheap food is unhealthy, time consuming and bad for the planet. They are wrong.

I'm going to show you how we eat well while keeping the costs and my time in the kitchen low. I do it by shopping smart, cooking large batches, loving my freezer and re-arranging my cupboards.

Shopping smart is the key

When I say 'shopping smart', I don't mean following the latest Coles catalogue or getting dragged into Surprise Buys at Aldi. 'Shopping smart' means doing your research and finding ways to consistently buy low priced high quality ingredients in your area.

For example, 18 months ago when meat prices skyrocketed I shopped around and found a place to regularly buy pork roasts for $4 per kilo. (Meat City, in Morayfield)

When we first moved to Buderim I found a brilliant place for fruit and vegetables. At the moment, they are selling their store grown silverbeet for $2 a bunch. (Erbachers)

Cooking Large Batches

Making double, triple or quadruple quantities of a dish saves time and energy. It makes life easier. I can make three night's dinner in little more time than it takes to make one. It is really satisfying.

Loving My Freezer

When eating meals from the freezer all you have to do is defrost, add some fresh veggies and herbs or seasoning and re-heat. It is so easy.

If a new freezer isn't in your budget, hunt around Facebook and Gumtree. Last month I bought a second hand 300L upright freezer on Gumtree for $150 and gave my small chest freezer to a friend.

Re-organising Your Kitchen

Making your kitchen more efficient is a great way to save time. This year I have re-arranged everything in my kitchen cupboards to make ingredients easier to find and reach, and reduced my time spent cooking. Read on for the details.

2. Scary Spices

My old spice box used to look a lot like this. Messy, unorganised and downright scary. Digging through it to find spices was a massive waste of time. The trouble is, my kitchen is really small and I couldn't think of a better way to store my spices.

One day I was staring at the blank space on the side of my fridge and thought; "If only I had magnetic spice containers. I could line them up in alphabetical order on the fridge and never have to dig through my scary spice box again."

After some searching (and a few fails), I found magnetic spice containers for $1.86 each including delivery.

I bought a pile of containers, made some quick labels and here is the result:

Woohoo!! Now I can find the spice I need in a couple of seconds and have reduced my cooking time for almost every meal. The only problem is the spice containers do not stay in rows for long. My kids like to move them around and pop things in them. Sometimes, they look like this:

But even that is far better than my scary spice drawer.

I love my new spice rack, it inspired me to attack my ingredients cupboard...

3. Finding Ingredients

The other way I was wasting massive amounts of time was in finding ingredients. This is how my ingredients cupboard used to look:

A massive wall of containers which all look the same. Every time I wanted to find something I had to hunt my way through. Pulling out and inspecting the containers was a huge time waster.

I have tried quite a few labelling systems over the years, but they all had problems.

The Decor 'tellfresh' are hard to read. They had a long chat with my bin.

My label maker was a fail because the labels were hard to remove and it lacked flexibility.

The stickers I found online were fails because they are all the same colour.

...or changed colour for no apparent reason.

Also the range of available ready-made ingredient labels was tiny. Our diet means I use lots of ingredients no one made labels for.

The system I had been using was to cut the label off the packet and put it inside the container:

This works, but is really inefficient and I was still spending ages looking for ingredients.

It was time to invent my own colour coded, flexible, efficient, long lasting, time-saving labelling system. It needed to be:

Easy to use
Easy to read
Easy to clean
Easy to remove
Easy to maintain
Flexible
Long term
Affordable

Most of all, it must reduce the overall time I spend in the kitchen.

I wanted something in which you can invest a few hours now which will reduce the amount of time you spend cooking each and every week for many years.

The solution is a laminated, colour coded, Blu-Tackable labels.

The lamination makes them long lasting, easy to clean and suitable for a whiteboard marker.

Colour coding them into the categories made the ingredients easier to find at a glance.

Now my baking ingredients are easy to grab at a glance. If I'm after flour, I skim the dark blue labels. If I want rice, I skim for bright yellow. If I want chocolate I skim for a dark brown label. Colour coding the labels makes finding the ingredient I need much faster.

The labels are attached and removed quickly with Blu Tack.

All the spare labels are stored in one box with the Blu Tack and a whiteboard marker.

The whiteboard marker is for writing new labels for unusual ingredients.

The system even has index tabs so labels are easy to find and put away.

I have been using and improving this system for a few weeks and I absolutely love it! It is saving me time every time I cook.

You can download the whole system to print out, laminate and install in your kitchen, it is free to download until the end of July.

download it here.

After that it will become a Members-only treat. If you are not yet a Vault member, it costs a tiny $27 per year.

4. New Competition: Ideas for Spinach and Pork

Buying pork roasts for $4 per kilo and silverbeet for $2 a bunch is fantastic, but I'm running out of ideas for new dishes. This month we are giving away $100 for the best pork recipe and $100 for the best silverbeet recipe. We are also awarding four $50 prizes for best tips for using silverbeet and/or pork.

To enter, send in your story by July 30th. Email your entries to: competitions@simplesavings.com.au

5. Quiz: How Nude Are You?

July is the perfect time to sit our nudity test. The nude food quiz takes only a minute and evaluates your shopping and eating choices to help you work out "How nude are you?"

Check it out, here.

6. Thermomix, Bloody Thermomix!

My friends have been nagging me to get a Thermomix for years. Even though these are my good friends, and I trust their advice and purchasing decisions for so many other items, I'm cynical when it comes to the Thermomix.

My resistance has been mostly to do with 'commitment bias'. You see, the more money, time and energy you invest in something, the more likely you are to think positively of your choices. Basically, a Thermomix is a huge investment and no one wants to admit they made a $2,000 error, so they would tend to shout its praises even if it sucked. The other reason I don't trust Thermomix praise is their business structure rewards people for saying nice things about them.

The upshot of this was that every time someone said anything nice about a Thermomix, I treated the information as untrustworthy. Or, as one of my other friends said: "Stop telling me about your bloody Thermomix!".

When my friends bugged me to get one, I would explain that I have a good blender, stand mixer, stick mixer, stove top, and plenty of helpers, I don't need or want a Thermomix.

Well, in the last six months my blender broke, my stick mixer broke and my stand mixer has been making frightening sounds. I decided it's time to try one of these blasted Thermomix things! I'll test it out for a month, I figured, and if it doesn't make a solid contribution in my kitchen, I'll sell it on. No real risk. If it is brilliant I'll keep it. If it's poor to average, I'll sell it.

Of course, there was no way I was going to pay full price! Are you kidding me?!

After a bit of shopping and quite a bit of research I concluded that a Thermomix is a very complicated machine, and fixing a broken one is not worth attempting. I found you can sometimes buy them unopened, with warranty, on Gumtree. A new one costs $2,089 from Thermomix. Unopened Thermomixes on Gumtree range from $1,650 to $1,900.

Four weeks ago I bought an unopened Thermomix for $1,700 with 17 months warranty.

You may not know this but I haven't eaten gluten or lactose for 20 years. Neither does my constantly hungry 16 year old son, Sam. This means I have endured awful or ridiculously expensive bread. I have tried every gluten free bread mix on the market. I paid $7.69 per kilo for brown rice flour and $25.26 per kilo for almond meal. If I'm feeling really kind I buy Sam's favourite Zehnder White Gluten Free Potato Bread for $12.12 per kilo.

Since getting the Thermomix that has all changed.

I now buy brown rice for $2.20 per kilo and make my own Brown Rice Flour. Saving $5.49 per kilo.

(We would have to eat 310 kilos of brown rice flour to recoup the cost of my second hand Thermomix.)

The other reason I'm so impressed with the brown rice flour is while brown rice is really easy to get, brown rice flour is one of those ‘difficult to buy’, ‘special trip’, ‘up to $17 per kilo’ ingredients only sold at health food shops. Being able to mill my own instead of making a special trip to the shop is a big time saving.

With the Thermomix I am now making gluten free bread which is tastier than Sam’s favourite $12.12 per kilo bread, for $2.40 per kilo. Saving $9.72 per kilo. (I'll tell you more about that in another newsletter.)

I'm saving $12.34 per kilo on almond meal by buying almonds (skin still on = more fibre) for $12.92 per kilo and milling them instead of buying blanched (skinless) almond meal for $25.26 per kilo. If you doubt the importance of almond meal, then you need to try my favourite chocolate cake recipe, in the next section. :-)

So the Thermomix can mill stuff. It does many other things too. For example, we have weaning puppies here at the moment, and making puppy food in the Thermomix is a heck of a lot faster than what I was doing before. The Thermomix is saving me money and time.

My friends were right and it is time for me to eat humble pie (made in the Thermomix, I guess). Our diet means I should have bought a Thermomix years ago when they suggested it. Not having one has been costing me money and time.

I'm keeping the Thermomix. It passed the test.

7. Impress the Chef

If you are wondering what I do with so much Almond meal, a lot of it goes into a cake my chef brother-in-law recently declared is "the best chocolate cake I have tasted in ages."

This cake tastes so good no one will suspect it is gluten free and dairy free.

Ingredients

1 tsp bicarb soda
100 grams cocoa
½ tsp salt
300 grams almond meal
400 grams caster sugar
2 tbsp vanilla sugar
300 ml olive oil
250 ml water
6 large eggs

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees
Grease and line a large cake tin or two medium cake tins
Grab a medium bowl, large bowl and a sifter
The large bowl is for your dry ingredients
Sift bicarb, cocoa and salt into large bowl
Add caster sugar, vanilla sugar and almonds to large bowl and mix
In the other bowl, mix olive oil, water and eggs
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well
Pour into cake tin and bake for an hour

(The cream on top of the cake in the photo is Lactose free. The chocolate on top of the cake is gluten and dairy free. This recipe has been adapted from Nigella's Olive Oil Chocolate Cake.)

8. June Winners: Warming Up for Winter

Last month's entries to our "Warm Up for Winter" competition were fantastic. Simple Savers are very clever, good hearted people. Our winner was Jenine, who has been on a mission to stay warm while lowering her bills, followed by Susan Z who is on the same mission, and forum regular Clutterhen whose story is so gorgeous it makes me wish I was one of her children. Congratulations Jenine, Susan and Clutterhen. Here are their entries. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did.

The winner is Jenine B

I have been on a mission to reduce our heating costs and have some great tips to share.

We have a wood heater and I looked at making paper bricks but it seemed too messy, labour intensive, time consuming and it is recommended that you buy a special brick making tool. Instead, I've come up with a simple and quick way to use materials around the house to make the wood go further. I cut up empty toilet rolls into mini tubes and then roll up old documents, office paper and newspaper (not glossy paper or paper with a lot of printed colour) and insert them into the tubes. The result is like this.

These mini logs don't last as long as wood but they can be made very easily and last much longer than scrunched up paper.

We have draughty old double hung windows. On the internet you can find a number of videos showing how to use plastic wrap and a paint scraper to easily stop the draughts by pushing the plastic gently into the cracks all around the window until the draft is sealed and the plastic cannot be seen. Instead of plastic wrap, I’ve been using waste plastic from packaging so it is completely free.

I also use bubble wrap on windows that I don't need to look out of. For bubble wrap double glazing, you simply cut the bubble wrap to the size of the glass, spray the window with water and place the bubble wrap onto the glass. It will usually stick and stay there - some of my bubble wrap has been on the windows for a couple of years now. It still lets the light in too. You can find detailed instructions on the internet by searching for "bubble wrap double glazing."

Our old house has a number of vents high up in the walls where a lot of heat was escaping to the outside. These vents were designed in the times where heating was usually from open fires and unflued gas heaters. If you don't have either of these types of heating it is worthwhile closing them off. To do this, I simply used an old bucket of plaster type filler I found in the garage and filled in the holes. You can still see the vents but I think they have a bit of character so I don't mind that.

A couple of years ago, I purchased Heat Saver Vent Covers from a Queensland manufacturer. These great covers are made to order and cover evaporative cooling vents during winter to stop heat from escaping. They attach using a white magnetic strip which is virtually invisible on the vent when the cover is off. You simply hold the cover close to the vent and it attaches and it is just as easy to remove. I have added bubble wrap into the covers to further increase the insulation value.

I hope these tips provide some ideas for Simple Saver members. They have certainly made a difference to our heating bills!

Jenine

The first runner up was Susan Z. She has these tips to drop her power bill by 70%.

Use electric blanket and electric throw blankets in the evening rather than heating the bedrooms. It uses less power to keep you warm.

Use power saving solar lights in the evening, they can be wall mounted or attached to a bedhead or even hooked on the current lamp, it goes in or near the window during the day to recharge, there are lots of types out there, and yes, they are bright enough to read with. Just make it a part of your going to bed or getting up routine to put them to charging. (this can be used all year, but it helps subsidize the extra electricity cost of heating in winter or cooling in summer)

Use sensor lights and the most cost-efficient globe for the purpose in such rooms as bathroom, toilet, stair well or hall. These lights can often be left on unintentionally, raking up a hefty power bill.

Making sure linen and bedding is appropriate to the time of year can prevent the use of heating overnight, using timers, sensors etc on heaters is a great way to only heat the house when you need. Most modern heaters can be set to come on and turn off at particular times. For example, if you don't like getting home from work to a cold house, set it for 20mins before you're due home and to turn off 20mins before 'bed time'.

Adopt a policy of 'if you are cold, have you got on a jumper/socks/slippers/dressing gown, shut windows/curtains/doors etc' before turning on or turning up a heater.

Turn it off at the switch, have electronics set up on power boards that can be turned off at the switch early when not actually in use, they drain a lot of power even when the appliance if turned off, anything with a light to show it has power to it, is using power!

My family has implemented these simple steps, here is our last power bill to show the difference it can make

The next runner up was forum regular, Clutterhen. I love the heartwarming way she keeps her bills low.

In the colder months when we get home from school and work we keep moving to get all of our jobs done as soon as possible. We cook dinner if it hasn't already been precooked. Baths and teeth brushed early so everyone can settle in Mum's bedroom which is the only room in the house where we use heating. Mum's room was chosen as it has the biggest bed but any room is good.

I warm the room about 30-60minutes before we head in there. Once in the room, homework, study, work paperwork, reading, TV, movie, crochet etc are done together in mum's bed staying warm under the doona. Sometimes chairs and trolley table are brought in if someone wants it.

I also make hot chocolate or tea and something warm like a toastie if supper is wanted.

This saves on electricity and encourages warmth among us by being closer together as a family.

9. Puppies!

Earlier I mentioned we are weaning puppies at the moment. Even though this has nothing to do with saving money, I thought you might like to see some puppy photos.

The first one is the little boy when he was four weeks old.

The next is of Elora keeping the puppies company. She is reading on the iPad while the puppies crawl all over her.

The last photo is of the puppy trying to bite Jacqui's thumb. He is teething.

Can you tell the puppies get a lot of love in our house?

Before anyone asks; these puppies are not for sale. They already have beautiful homes to go to. The children aren't for sale either. I'm definitely keeping the children... Unless I get a really good offer on my sixteen year old. Selling him would help me on this quest to drastically reduce the time I spend in the kitchen.

Till next month...

Many grins,
Fiona

June 2010 - Simple Savings Newsletter

"Secrets to Saving Money in Australia" Free Newsletter - June 2010

This issue includes:-

Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Houses of Straw
July is $50 Challenge Month!
Double Dinner Competition Winners
Best of the Forum: Stashing it Away
Best of the Vault: Hidden Surprises
$21 Challenge - Read Chapter 2 Free!
Savvy Cook Showcase: Tristan's Terrific Techni-coloured Taters
Penny's Blog: All Things Bright and Beautiful
Homeopathy Corner: Kitchen Cupboard Cures
From Last Month: Coping as a Carer
This Month's Help Request: Share the House, Halve the Cost?
Savings Story: Live Like Kings on Op Shop Budget

Hello,

Things have been going along well in the Lippey household. It's amazing how fast the kids are growing up. Sam was just one when we started Simple Savings. Now he is eight years old and so grown up! I often try to take photos of him, but he always runs off as eight year old boys do and I end up with a photo of the side of his head as he flees. However, I have discovered this is because I have been taking the wrong approach. The best way to photograph an eight-year-old boy is to try to take a nice photo of his sister. Then the eight-year-old boy will insist on being in the photo, so he can harass his sister! If only I'd worked this out sooner!

Sam has also just hit that next stage where he is getting the hang of telling jokes. Last week when he yelped after stubbing his toe, he followed with a dead pan 'Don't worry, I get fatal injuries all the time'. I was in stitches! I don't know where he gets his dry sense of humour from, must be his father!

Matt is a great daddy. He is kind, he makes us laugh and does more than his fair share to keep our bills low. Like last week, when he needed new glasses. The lady tried her best to appeal to his ego so he would buy expensive frames. 'Do you want to try these $300 frames? They will look good on you,' she assured him. 'No thank you. I'll just go with the cheap ones,' said Matt. 'But - don't you want your glasses to make you look good?' the lady kept trying. 'No,' Matt replied. 'I'm only going to be wearing them in the car at night and no one is going to see me. I'll just get the cheap ones.' LOL! Well done my gorgeous hubby.

It is great that we are all in this together. And, we ARE in this together. Simple Savings exists because you support us and your support means we can afford to help people. When someone writes in to thank Simple Savings for their help, they are thanking you as much as they are thanking me. So when you read these thank you letters, pat yourself on the back! Thank you for helping us to help people.

"I love Simple Savings. I use a weekly menu planner and as a family we decide what we would like. That way, if I am not home in time from teaching or my hubby has been called out to work, the kids can see what's on the menu and put the vegies on for us. Saves us getting takeaway and the kids can also take the food out of the freezer the night before if I forget. Thanks for the menu planners, I love them!" (Joanne Sharp)

"I came across the Simple Savings website by accident only last week and already I'm hooked. I have subscribed to the free newsletter and just by reading the Newsletter Archives, I have been motivated to tighten the purse strings.

"I am currently on maternity leave so only on the one income at the moment. Although we have budgeted for my time off, it always helps to save on those everyday expenses, such as the grocery bills.

"I was intrigued by the $21 Challenge that I came across on your website. Although I have not yet purchased the book, I read the first chapter on your website and took it upon myself to have a $21 Challenge this week. My grocery bill this week came to $15.85 (that included eight litres of milk)! It is amazing just how much food we already have in our freezer, fridge and pantry.

"Your website has inspired me to check out our local weekend markets where I bought my fruit and vegies this week. Such a saving! It has also motivated me to make good use of the delicious navel oranges that we have growing on our tree in our backyard. I have been cooking up an orange storm in our kitchen this week!

"Thank you so much for an amazingly practical and resourceful website and newsletters. I'm sure it won't be too long before I subscribe to the Saving Vault! I'm hooked! Thank you again." (Lisa Whawell)

"Using the $21 Challenge principles I have managed to drop my weekly shop from $120 or so to around $50 which also includes adding $5.00 to my Christmas club account at our local supermarket. I have saved over $400 in six weeks! I now double check and have a new saying - 'do I really need that or can it wait until next week?' This is a very new way of shopping for me as I have always spent lots of money on food every pay. Instead of food my savings have been going towards my loan which is fantastic. A huge THANK YOU to the $21 Challenge for the big savings I have made so far!" (Stephanie Peehikuru)

"I just wanted to pass on my thanks for the smart person that created the Weekly Power Calculator. I downloaded it after receiving another exorbitant electricity bill and used it weekly to track our energy use for the last three months. To my surprise, it actually worked, and today when I received my latest bill in the mail it didn't come as a shock, as I already knew how much we had spent for the quarter. I was only out by $1.00 which I can live with!

"Thanks once again for all your great advice. We will be using this worksheet from now on!" (Natasha Bencich)

"Thanks to SS member Belsie, I have saved $140 in two minutes after reading her hint! Whilst walking my dog yesterday I saw a tree lopper's truck and mulcher parked in our shopping strip. I asked the driver if he was working in the area today. He was and now I have over two cubic metres of mulch delivered to the exact spot to 'mature' for 2-3 months for free! At our local Mitre 10 good mulch costs around $55 per metre, plus delivery charges of $30. If it wasn't for Belsie's Facebook hint I don't think I would have thought to ask. I am so happy with my savings! Now all I need to do is negotiate some free help in spreading it!" (Marg Stanton)

All the best,

Fiona Lippey

PS: VAULT SPECIAL NOW ON! You asked for it, you got it! This month you can buy a Vault membership for just $33 compared to the usual $47. $33 isn't much money and you will get much, much more than $33 back. Check out our Save-O-Meter, which shows our members have already saved over SEVEN MILLION dollars - and that's just the savings we know about! You can join the Vault here. Join now and find thousands of ways to help you with your $50 Challenge! Offer closes midnight 31st July.

1. Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

"Don't you dare point the finger at me, Peter!" Sally jumped down her husband's throat. "I have NOT been spending money behind your back! I might have made a mistake or two in the past but I've been trying hard to make up for it and you know it!" "Well if that's the case, where on earth has all our money gone then?" Pete demanded. "Can you tell me please, because I sure as heck don't know!"

"Yes I can! I can tell you exactly where it's gone!" Sally stormed. "The kids needed new winter clothes, my car needed two new tyres - and we spent $300 on YOUR new reading glasses, remember? It's been an expensive month. Have a look at the bank statement if you don't believe me and see for yourself," Sally waved it under his nose.

"No, no, there's no need," Pete grunted. "I'm sorry I had a go at you, I'm just angry. We're going backwards, still! What are we going to do about it Sal?" "What are WE going to do about it? On the contrary, I'd like to know what YOU are going to do about it!" Sally asked. "I've been doing my bit for months. We're saving heaps on the food bill since I started cooking in bulk. Heck, I even learned how to feed the four of us on $21 for a week! No, Dear, this time it's your turn for a change. I'm challenging YOU to find a way to boost our bank balance!"

2. Houses of Straw

Men and women often fight about money; who spends what, when, where and why. In newsletters gone by, it has always been Pete accusing his wife of sending the family backwards. Admittedly, Sad Sally was and still often is a Sad Sally, but Pete has his moments too. For their household to get ahead, saving money needs to be a team effort.

When we started Simple Savings, Australia was in a boom period. Everyone thought they had money; people swanned about showing off their pretend wealth. The people who enjoyed saving money were a fringe group. They were the boring ones, the sensible ones, making an effort to pay off their mortgages. The dull people, saving for a rainy day. The ones in the older houses driving older cars that everyone else looked down on. Like the third little pig in the famous fairy tale, they thought of their future and built their financial house out of bricks while the others played.

Everyone else built their homes out of straw or wood but it didn't matter. People had lots of money and the economy was buoyant for so long that everyone was fine as no wind ever came. The people in straw houses laughed at the people in the brick houses, who were careful and cautious. But then the wind blew. Credit dried up and the straw houses started falling down. People were no longer laughing.

In the last three months 33,000 manufacturing workers lost their jobs. This means 100,000 Australian manufacturing jobs have been lost since the start of the GFC. According to the latest Fujitsu Australia Mortgage Stress Report 40% of first home owners are currently experiencing some type of mortgage stress and at least 218,000 households are at risk of having to sell, refinance or foreclose their homes, right now. Things are pretty serious. Things are getting pretty grim behind closed doors. And, (sorry I had to say it) the wolf is at the door.

So what does this mean? If you built your financial house out of bricks, then just like the third little pig you can come to the rescue. You can help your neighbours who have built their houses out of straw. The easiest way is to lend them a copy of your $21 Challenge book. Don't buy them one - that could be seen as insulting. They have probably gone to a great deal of effort to hide their problems from the world and you weren't supposed to have noticed. Just say, 'I love this book! You have got to borrow it and try this recipe. It is so yummy.' Then let them keep your copy as long as they need it.

If, however, you didn't build your financial house out of brick, you will need to make some tough decisions. The first is, can you afford to keep your house? Not a hypothetical house but your real one, the one you are paying off or renting right now. Seriously, look at your finances and work out how long you can afford to live where you are. Then get yourself to a financial counsellor. Quick. Times are changing and the sooner you are prepared the better.

After you have been to see a financial counsellor, come back her and read through our old newsletters. Go in chronological order, starting way back in December 2002.

3. July is $50 Challenge Month!

This month we are challenging you to find a way to save an extra $50 for every week of July. We don't mind how you do it, just give it a go! After all, $50 a week is not just $50 a week. It's $200 a month or $2600 a year!

Think about what you spend each year on bills. Have you ever worked it out? Many Simple Savers are very efficient at working out their monthly and weekly spend, but have you ever tried working in reverse?

Check this out for an average annual bill tally:

$1300 - Car registration (two cars)
$2350 - Insurance (house, two cars and mortgage protection)
$1820 - Electricity
$520 - Water
$1700 - Phone (one mobile, house and Internet)
$460 - Council rates
$1800 - Fuel
$5000 - Groceries
$5200 - Cigarettes (two smokers - yikes!)
Total $20,150

If you could look at your own tally like this, you probably wouldn't wonder so often where your hard earned cash goes every year, would you? In fact you would probably want to take a darn good look at what you are spending and take a few steps to cut it down!

So here are our top 10 ways to start plotting your course towards saving some extra money each week.

Say goodbye to alcohol, cigarettes and junk food - Stop buying those everyday luxuries you take for granted - such as Coke, alcohol, cigarettes and junk food. Fact - you don't need them. They just take up a lot of the spare money you have and are things that you really can go without. If you can do this, you will soon find that you have money left over for emergencies or to put away in the bank.

Revisit your expenses - Keep yourself accountable each week for what you are spending to achieve your goals. These tools from the site will help you.

Get a piggy bank - You just can't beat the old fashioned piggy bank. This creates a visual reminder to capture those little handfuls of change you come home with. At the end of the year, you'll have a nice little savings fund for Christmas.

Pack your lunch - Don't go out for lunch every day. Pack your lunch instead! This can easily save you $50 a week.

Don't forget to ask - Ask for a discount. You might find that many places give unadvertised discounts. For example, paying in full instead of monthly installments or just asking the plumber next time he visits. Many things are negotiable if you ask!

Lower your meat costs - Meat is generally the most expensive source of protein. By cutting down on just one expensive meat meal per week you can save $50. Make a lovely quiche or vegetarian meal instead. You and your wallet will be better off.

Lower your interest rates - Call your bank and/or credit card company to negotiate a better interest rate on your loan or outstanding debt. This can save you hundreds in interest payments.

Use only one car - Get rid of the second car. Just trying to get by on one car may seem like a challenge, but it's well worth it if you are a two-car family. How does at least $1000 in insurance and registration savings sound to you? That's not even including the petrol savings!

Use your library more - Instead of buying books and renting movies, use your local library to check out books and movies for free.

Get excited about saving - Find a passion for saving money. Not because you want to hoard all your cash, but because you want to use it for you and your family's future. And don't forget about your own retirement. Enjoy watching your savings grow, safe in the knowledge that you won't have to depend on someone else for your future.

4. Double Dinner Competition Winners

Well done! This month's winners are Naomi D and Colin S. Both have won a cash prize of $200. Well done!

Naomi D.

Wow! Naomi D did a fantastic job cooking up a frenzy making a fantastic freezer stockpile. She sure earnt herself a week off from cooking. Here is her winning blog post.

"Well, only a week or two left till our new bub is welcomed home so I have been cooking up a storm filling our freezers. It is now jam packed with hundreds of containers (each shelf is a few layers deep) of yummy food ready to heat in a hurry and feed our hungry family!"

"I hope cooking an extra meal or two for the freezer is going well for everyone else this month :)"

Colin's recipe is:

Granny's old fashioned chicken and dumplings

This recipe is more or less a stew, but can be added to to make a soup. It is faintly British in style (i.e. the dumplings) but has become 'all-American' in style over the years. This recipe reminds me of my granny (who is still alive at 103!) because chicken is her favourite meat and she's always used the cheapest cuts to save money! She could give us all lessons on how to make a dollar stretch - she lived during the Depression and I think that taught her to be extremely resourceful.

Ingredients

Stock/soup

1-3 kg chicken, skin on (whole or parts)
3-4 L of water (to cover chicken)
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
2 cloves garlic
1 whole onion
1/4 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
1/4 tsp dried thyme
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 dried bay leaves
5-10 whole mixed peppercorns (if you don't like pepper leave it out)
1 cup frozen baby green peas
1/4 cup cream sherry
2 cubes chicken stock powder (optional)

Optional: The herbs are optional, but do make it taste better, as is the sherry. The alcohol in the sherry cooks out leaving behind a warm, rich flavour but if you don't have it, leave it out as well.

Dumplings

2 cups plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk (preferably full cream but any will do)
3 tbsp fat (copha, butter, or other - I use butter)

Optional: You may wish to add a few pinches of pepper, sage, thyme, and marjoram to the dough, but if you don't care for them, leave them out.

Equipment

Measuring cups and spoons
Large stock pot - holds approx 5 litres of liquid
Lid may be used but not necessary
Colander
Slotted spoon
Sifter
Large mixing bowl
Microwavable jug
Soup spoon for making dumplings
Large spoon or ladle for stirring

Method

Stock/soup

Wash your chicken and place into your stock pot.
Fill the pot with water to cover the chicken but leave a good amount of space (2 inches or so) between the lip of the pot and the water so it won't boil over.
Place onto stove top and turn on high. Add celery, 1 carrot, garlic, and your onion (unpeeled with roots cut off).
Add herbs, salt, pepper, butter, oil, and bay leaves to your pot. Bring to full rolling boil, and turn down to simmer (medium-low to low heat). You may place the lid on at this point to keep steam from escaping, but leave it ajar so the soup won't boil over.
Allow to simmer for 1 hour or a little longer. Turn stove top off for safety.
Remove all the chicken and vegies from the pot, placing vegies aside (see notes below). I do this over the sink in case there's any spillage and it IS hot! I place the hot pot in one sink and an empty colander in the other. I slide a slotted spoon into the chicken cavity to remove the chicken in one go, but it sometimes falls apart, which is where the slotted spoon comes in handy.
Plunge the hot chicken into cold water so you won't burn your fingers. Alternatively, leave it in the fridge to cool.
Debone your chicken by removing all usable meat and placing it into a separate bowl. Discard any bones.
Add the chicken pieces back to the pot - I usually shred mine, but you can leave it in large chunks if you wish.
Turn stove top to medium, add peas and your thinly sliced second carrot. Bring back to a boil and turn down to simmer again. By this time the water will have reduced by 1/3 to 1/2. You don't want any less than 2 litres left so add some water if needed to bring back to this level.
Add sherry.

Dumplings

These are simple drop dumplings so the batter will be thick and gooey, wetter than bread dough and will need to be pushed off the spoon into the pot.

Sift your flour into a large mixing bowl, add baking powder, salt and herbs if you wish.
Pour your milk into a microwavable jug and add the fat. Heat in your microwave for about 1 minute or until fat turns to liquid and mixes with the milk.
Pour slowly into dry ingredients and mix thoroughly with a spoon until all dry ingredients are incorporated and wet.

Combining the two

Make sure the stock is simmering well with little bubbles coming up all round - almost a boil but not quite.
Spoon up a spoonful of batter, push it off the end of the spoon with your finger into the stock. It should float right back up to the surface, if not, increase the heat a little. Continue spooning batter into stock until all batter is gone. You can adjust the size of the dumplings as you wish. Some like them large golf ball size and others like them smaller. It's your choice. If this is your first time, try a few of each and see which you like.
Once all the dumplings are in, stir well and continue to stir and cook over medium heat for approximately 20 minutes. If you want to be sure, cut a dumpling open with a butter knife. It should look fluffy on the inside, white and wet or slick on the outside. It should not taste like raw flour. If so, cook for another 10-15 minutes.
Taste the stock to see if more salt or pepper is needed. If it is too thick add some water - if it becomes too watery add another cube of chicken stock and cook until desired consistency is reached.

Notes

This is a 'taster's choice' type of meal. You make it to your own taste adding or subtracting when and where you like, but that also makes it quite versatile. If you like more carrots and less peas, do that! Or add other vegies to your liking. Just don't leave the chicken out! I tend to put this on early Saturday or Sunday mornings and it's done by lunch, takes little effort or watching, too.

You can get fancy and buy your stock, or make it for pennies if you wish. Making it takes a little longer but is well worth the effort in my book. If you already have chicken stock made you can use that for a much richer stock or you can add a chicken frame or two to the pot! Chicken bones render much more flavour to soups than does the meat. You can roast the chicken frames (not the whole chicken with meat) and vegies beforehand for an hour at 180C. Adding these to the pot makes it wonderful and adds a different depth to the flavour. So try it, experiment with it and see what you come up with that you and your family like.

This meal can be reheated on the stove or microwave and is usually better when eaten the second day after cooking! It can also be cooked in a slow cooker, adding the dumplings and cooking on high for another 45 minutes. It can be frozen too.

I generally mash up the celery and carrots to go into my dog food, but it could be used in baby food as it will be so soft. Discard the rest.

Trying to convey this dish for others is hard as I've always cooked by sight, taste, feel, and that ephemeral bit of intuition that grannies seem to imbue their apprentice grandaughters with. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to be able to cook it nor does it take much skill. It does help if you know how you like things to taste! This SHOULD taste like a warm, rich, chicken stew, with lots of little bits of soft bread to make it all the more filling.

*I did have to estimate the cost of this dish due to the fact that I buy chicken in bulk, but with pantry ingredients this should cost no more than $15! And generally around $10 or less.

5. Best of the Forum: Stashing it Away

We just love the way members are always ready to share their secret ploys to save money throughout the year! These clever ideas make saving money easy and painless.

50 cent holiday fund! Wow!

Wise Owl is one wise lady indeed! In just seven months she managed to save over $1230 for her holiday - all of it in 50c coins! Learn how she did it here.
read more...

Extreme money saving ideas story

Maria just had to share this story after reading of an incredible woman in the UK who successfully managed to live for a whole year on just one pound a day! Read all about it here and be inspired too!
read more...

What is your best money saving purchase?

Sometimes you need to spend out a little in order to be able to save a great deal more long term. LizzyLoo considers her chest freezer to be one of her best investments and asks other members to share theirs too in this fun and interesting thread.
read more...

I will not buy lunch in June

It doesn't have to be just in June! These members have discovered that taking your own lunch to work is saving thousands every year. Grab some handy ideas for lunch here.
read more...

Recession challenge #42

Don't let the recession get you down! Join this merry group of enthusiastic SS'ers for friendship, support and a good few laughs along the way.
read more...

6. Best of the Vault: Hidden Surprises

You never know where extra cash is lurking! These tips from the Savings Vault will soon have you hunting around for new ways to save!

The hidden cost of magazines

It took me only two years to save a deposit for my first flat - all because I stopped buying and reading magazines. The obvious savings came from the cost of the magazines; I was buying Cleo, Cosmo and New Idea. What I hadn't counted on were the follow-on savings, and I wish I had done it sooner.

I was no longer persuaded by the glossy advertising. I stopped buying make up, clothes and household gadgets that I simply didn't need but felt compelled to buy. The message I got from these magazines was that something in my life was missing, even though it was fine. Fifteen years later I am doing really well but my two friends continue to spend frivolously on make up and clothing - I wonder if it has anything to do with the piles of magazines in their homes.

Contributed by: Moo Moo

Save thousands with an empty wallet

The easiest way to save thousands every year is to avoid spending on your cards or using your EFTPOS savings. Instead, use a bus pass holder to keep your license and a few dollars for your day's needs (for example, transport, coffee and so on) and leave all your cards at home.

I have saved thousands of dollars with this strategy as I have a tendency to be an impulse shopper. If you do find an item that you really must have - just ask the shop to put it on hold for you. They should be happy to do this.

You will also find that when you walk away from a purchase and have to think about it for a day, you usually do not buy! The vast majority of purchases are impulse buys.

Even when you go to the supermarket, just take the amount of cash you want to spend on groceries that day. This forces me to stick to my budget. I do sometimes leave a $20 note hidden in my car for emergencies, but I make sure to hide it in the boot under the spare tyre so it is not easy to access except in an emergency!

Contributed by: Michael Philipou

Make money from your spare room with Crashpadder

A fantastic website has helped us pay an extra $800 off our mortgage! With rising interest rates we had been thinking about letting our spare room out to earn some extra money. We had previously rented it out to a friend for several months, but as it is also our guest room and we frequently have guests staying with us, this was not really ideal. I decided short term accommodation for travellers would be best, as we could charge a little more for the room (to cover such things as electricity, Internet and so on) and we could just do it when it suited us. We hoped to meet some interesting people, and make a little bit of money along the way.

A little online research later and I discovered the fabulous website www.crashpadder.com set up for exactly that reason! We registered, and have now rented the room for a whole month to a lovely English couple, earning an extra $800 to put towards the mortgage for that time. Crashpadder has a feedback system too, so you can rate places you stay, or people that stay with you. I can't wait to see it get as big here as it is in the UK!

Contributed by: Kelly Cloake

Do a $21 Challenge in your bathroom cupboard

Apply the same principle of the $21 Challenge to your bathroom products! Over the years I have received many little gift packs of body lotions, body washes and the like. I've always put them away, thinking 'because they are small, these will be good to use when we go away on a holiday'. However, the quantity I had far outweighed the amount I needed for any holiday! So I did a complete clean out and gathered all of the body washes, shampoos and such together. I used a clean, empty 250ml handwash pump bottle and poured all the little bits of body wash from the mini containers into it. I also did the same with other bottles for my shampoo and conditioner. I am saving heaps on buying body wash and shampoo by finally using what was just sitting around the house!

Contributed by: Kristy Dorrepaal

The 'better you' budget

I have stumbled upon the perfect budgeting tool which costs me nothing and helps me save a fortune! I had a huge mental block regarding frugality until I started using this mantra to help keep my money in my pocket. Before I make a purchase, I ask myself the following question:

WILL THIS MAKE ME A BETTER ME?

Will a new top make me a better me? Will an iced coffee make me a better me? If not, I don't need it. I have found this to be a great antidote to wasting my money. Now I can focus on what my values are, what my priorities are, on what is really important to me. I'm no longer feeling deprived and am spending my money wisely. Try it - it really helps!

Contributed by: Heather F

Saving money is all fun and games Contributed by: Dale Findlay

Sleep saves me money! Contributed by: Tracey D

Double up and double the savings Contributed by: Maria Vialle

Saving is easy from weekly indulgences Contributed by: Vicki Cochrane

7. $21 Challenge - Read Chapter 2 Free!

We thought it was about time we gave you a wee update on the $21 Challenge book! This month we have been enjoying some fantastic reviews. A big thank you to KiwiParent magazine and also The Sensible Sisters for giving us a plug and saying such wonderful things about The $21 Challenge! Click here to read the Sensible Sisters review, or here to read the KiwiParent feature.

Exciting stuff - but that's not all! For the first time, both the first AND second chapters of the $21 Challenge book are available to read online, absolutely free! Sharing them with your friends couldn't be easier, as not only are they available to read on the Simple Savings site, you can also read them on our brand new Facebook page!

The first chapter has always been available for preview but we decided to make the second chapter free because when Jackie was touring around libraries talking about the $21 Challenge, she discovered that people couldn't stop talking about the second chapter of the book. They said it really inspired them and made them want to save money. We thought that was fantastic but even more so, we thought it was really important that everyone could read that chapter, so that we can help as many people as possible. So check it out and tell your friends too!

You can read Chapters 1 and 2 here: (Chapter One) (Chapter Two)

You can purchase the whole $21 Challenge book here!

8. Savvy Cook Showcase: Tristan's Terrific Techni-coloured Taters

This month's Savvy Cook is none other than two-year-old Master Tristan Lippey! You would think after having four kids I would know better than to leave a two-year-old alone with a piece of flat bread, a bottle of tomato sauce and a jar of sprinkles while I changed Elora's nappy. While my back was turned, Tristan took it upon himself to make a sprinkle and tomato sauce sandwich. I almost growled at him, 'What have you done?!' Fortunately my brain kicked in and I said to myself, 'I want this child to learn to be independent. I want him to learn to cook, I want him to experiment!' So instead of growling, I applauded, 'Well done! Tomato sauce and sprinkles - very creative! Now, do you mind if I put those sprinkles away and come back with the camera?' As you can see, he was very proud of himself!

Tristan loves to cook. He particularly loves cooking with sprinkles and that is how we have ended up featuring one of his own original recipes in this month's Savvy Cook Showcase!

Tristan's Terrific Techni-coloured Taters

One evening, Tristan was helping me to bake potatoes. I asked him to sprinkle the salt - but all he heard was 'SPRINKLES!', so now we have a new favourite family recipe!

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil
1.5kg potatoes
1 tsp salt
Sprinkles (Hundreds and Thousands)

Equipment

Baking tray

Method

Turn your oven on to 200 degrees. Then grab your baking tray and pop your oil and potatoes in it. Roll potatoes around so they are covered in oil then sprinkle with salt and 'SPRINKLES!' Pop in the oven for an hour.

Keep sending your recipes in for your chance to win our monthly cash prize of $100! We know there are heaps of Simple Savers who enjoy cooking with their children. What are your kids' favourite recipes? What recipes do you cook with them and how much fun do you have? Send them into us here!

9. Penny's Blog: All Things Bright and Beautiful

Jun 22, 2010

Darn it, I can still barely squeeze a loaf of bread into my freezer, it's so full! I've decided I'm going to make a head start on July's challenge instead, to save $50 a week on our expenses. As it turns out, I'm already half way there this week! Even if it was by accident. Rugby season is well underway again and Liam asked me yesterday if we could please add the Rugby Channel to our Sky TV subscription. As it was being advertised for only $1.00 extra this month I agreed and rang Sky to request the new addition. I had been moaning about the increasing price of Sky for some time and to be honest it's always been a bit of a bugbear of mine. I hate paying so much money to watch TV - especially when we only watch a couple of the channels. As far as I'm concerned all it does is encourage people to waste their time watching more TV! However, the males of the house insist it is an essential, as otherwise we wouldn't be able to watch most of the live sport year-round. Oh what a shame that would be...

Anyway! So I rang Sky and got a very nice, helpful lady. I told her what I wanted and while on the phone I thought I would just check to make sure that we were only paying for the basic package and not paying any extra for things that we didn't want. Thank goodness I did - turns out we were paying almost $25 a month extra for two channels we didn't even know we had! The bloomin' cheek of it! 'So haven't you even watched the Country Channel?' the lady giggled at the other end of the phone. 'No we have not! Or the Rialto Channel either!' Needless to say she cancelled both of these for me quick smart but I was pretty miffed to think how long we had been paying for these via direct debit, blissfully unaware. It's not the first time this has happened either, so I urge any NZ customers to ring Sky and check you are only paying for the channels you want and actually use. Who knows, maybe it will help with your $50 challenge for July too!

It certainly hasn't been a good week for phones in our house. My trusty mobile phone died abruptly and was unable to be resuscitated and Liam's got stolen out of his school bag. This was precisely the reason why we have never allowed him to carry more than the most basic phone. All students know the risks of taking their phones to school but it's still a horrible thought to think that some lowlife has been ferreting through your stuff. Still there's always a positive I suppose. In Liam's case, he found a new phone which houses not one but two SIM cards, on Trade Me. This means that, no matter which plan his friends are on, he can always get the best deal when he texts or calls them! Whilst my replacement phone isn't as technically advanced as Liam's, it's actually helping me become more organised, which is of huge value to me! I borrowed Liam's old phone for a few days when mine died (before his got stolen!) and discovered it had a calendar / to-do list type function, which pops up each day on the screen. Being the type of person who would forget her own head if it wasn't stuck on, I found this absolutely invaluable! When I replaced my own phone I enquired if the one I was looking at had the same function and it did. As another bonus it also had $150 off the usual price - done deal! Since then, I haven't forgotten a single thing! Unlike a diary, notebook or pieces of paper, which I inevitably put down and leave somewhere, together with all my reminders, I carry my phone with me all the time. Now I can type in my appointments days in advance, as well as any chores, shopping items or whatever. Already I can tell this wee gadget is going to save me a fortune!

Also, I can't remember if I told you this already or not but I have recently given up wine. Yes, really! Hard to believe after all these years but I have finally cracked it. Which means I am doing even better than I thought on my $50 challenge! As with so many of these things like smoking or whatever, when you give them up you don't always realise how much you're actually saving when it's just sitting in the bank. However, even if I haven't noticed the difference in the bank balance yet, I've certainly noticed the difference in the recycling bin! I only have to go to the recycling station once every two or three weeks now, instead of every week! That's got to be good! I wonder where else I could save?

I could always be like Liam I suppose and not spend a single cent at all. At 13 he currently has over $2500 in his 'car fund' for when he is old enough to drive. Just the other day he put $500 into it from his pocket money account. 'I figured I might as well, there's nothing else I need,' he reasoned. That's after he bought himself a replacement phone too! Noel can't understand how he does it - to him it looks as though Liam's always buying things but on the contrary, he's only looking. There's nothing wrong with dreaming! On the rare occasion he does buy something, he usually goes and sells something on Trade Me to make up for it. He refuses point blank to buy anything he doesn't need and only buys things which he knows will have a good resale value. I reckon there are a lot of adults out there who could learn from this kid!

Mind you, he's not really that much of a kid any more. He might only be 13 but he is at least 15cm taller than me! I posted a photo of him on Facebook this week and a lovely member called Linda commented how nice it was to see the boys growing from toothless boys into young men. I realised that she was right - I've been writing my blog for over five years now and they've definitely changed a bit! This is how they looked at the start, aged six and eight.

And this is how they look now!

Liam, aged 13

Ali, aged 11

I guess you could call them my own hidden gems! And talking of gems (oh, Penny, you're so slick!), this is one gem which should never be hidden. Now usually I'm in no position to tell anyone to spend money but this one is special so I'm going to tell you all about it anyway. For a long time, Forum members have followed the courageous story of an adorable girl called Imogen, who was diagnosed with cancer when she was just a wee tot. Time and time again our hearts have gone out to Immie and her amazing family as they battled on and prayed for a happy outcome. Sadly, however, Imogen passed away in May, just a few days after her sixth birthday. Life can be so unfair but Immie will never be forgotten and remains in the thoughts and hearts of many members. I discovered by chance that Imogen has a very talented grandmother, who makes the most beautiful ladybird jewellery, inspired by Immie. Part proceeds of each sale go to the Children's Cancer Institute. Each piece of jewellery is bright and beautiful, just like Imogen herself! I treated myself to a cherry tomato coloured ladybird pendant and proudly wear it every day. I adore it and think it's worth every cent and much more!

June 2010

8th - Top of the world

11th - Salesperson of the Year - Part 2!

18th - Murphy's Law

10. Homeopathy Corner: Kitchen Cupboard Cures

Everyone loves good old fashioned cures from their kitchen cupboard. They're so cheap, easy and effective and you don't even have to leave the house! Fran Sheffield has added another installment to her Kitchen Cupboard Cures series. Before you go rushing off to the chemist, check out some of these tried and true quick fixes for everyday ailments such as: acne, cough, digestive upsets, bad breath, stomach ulcers, arthritis, cold sores, congested throat and diabetes.

http://homeopathyplus.com.au/kitchen-cupboard-cures/

11. From Last Month: Coping as a Carer

Last month Bianca asked:

"Hi everyone, I am a single mum with two kids aged 13 and 9. My eldest boy has recently been diagnosed with Asperger's and he is not coping at high school. I am facing the likelihood of becoming his full time carer and undertaking distance education to get him through. Does anyone have any experiences that they would be willing to share about managing financially as a carer?"

Sincere thanks to everyone for sending in your fantastic, helpful responses. It's great to know there is so much help and support out there for families like Bianca's! We received so many brilliant suggestions that unfortunately we are unable to print them all here, but here are a few of them. We wish Bianca all the best and hope that she - and others too - will find this information helpful.

Ask what your school can do for you

As the mother of a high school child with Asperger's I recommend the first thing you need to do is speak to the school. Your child will be entitled to funding support. Ask them what they can do for your child, speak to the counsellor. Have a plan drawn up with the year advisor, department representative and deputy. Identify the specific areas your child struggles with. If it is organisation, sensory, social or behavioural strategies, make them organise it. Consider breaks from class, dropping non-essential subjects and having a calm place to unwind. If you have no success, find another school. It is very hard for Asperger's children to integrate but they need that social experience, as painful as it is. They can learn to cope and the longer they are sheltered the harder it becomes. I can also highly recommend Tony Attwood (www.tonyattwood.com.au) and Sue Larkey (www.suelarkey.co.nz) for helpful advice, training and resources.

Contributed by: Amanda Pearson

Simple Savings will get you through

Pension and allowance are not a large amount for full time carers but you can get by if you live the Simple Savings way. My husband and I are full time carers for two very disabled children. Our boys don't sleep all night so we take it in turns to go without sleep but my hubby bought a boat (a small tinnie) so he can get out and enjoy a well-earned break when needed. My advice to any fellow carers is first and foremost, get rid of as much debt as possible. We sold our house and bought an older style home in a small town near a great special school. Any extra money was put into an account to help out in the future.

Contributed by: Sharon James

Savings and support for full time carers

If you are using distance education, make sure you apply for medical exemption. Here in QLD if your GP writes a letter stating that you have medical reasons for using distance ed, you can save thousands in fees.

Using home schooling can also help with food costs. I noticed when my daughter was home she only ate lunch and maybe one snack. When she is at school the luchbox is full of snacks and sandwiches! Leftovers can be reheated at home.

Get involved in your local support groups; you will be amazed how many others are in your situation and have some handy hints to get by. It also helps that these are friends who are in the same boat as you are and will do budget friendly things with you.

I meet up with friends in the park once a week for our takeaway treat. On my pension week I shout the $10 of chips for everyone to share, and on their week, (my off week) they shout. It's a cheap treat and we eat together and then play games on the beach.

Also, make sure you apply for a Commonwealth Carer's discount card. I save up to 20% at various retailers just by showing the card. Similarly when you need to get handymen or a gardener in just ask if they can give you a pension discount. You will be surprised how many will gladly oblige.

Contributed by: Bianca Nicholls

Create your own educational program

I am a full time carer for my adult daughter. I am a trained special education teacher and have created my own program for her. To source materials I often use the $2 store for workbooks, as well as various educational materials. With Asperger's it is important to establish a consistent program that builds as you go. Also, constant praise ('well done, good job!') is important. We live on a small amount of money and have found it beneficial to cook healthy meals at home, use public transportation, pay off debts and not create new ones save for emergencies, and find fun, free or low-cost entertainment. It is also important to get daily exercise. Look into Special Olympics and don't forget the great outdoors!

Contributed by: Trudy Cordes

Kinesiology can help with learning difficulties

If you have a child with a learning difficulty or condition such as Asperger's, it is worth looking into Brain Gym or Kinesiology as a form of natural treatment. My 13-year-old daughter was somewhat overwhelmed earlier this year as she commenced Year 8. After one session of Brain Gym the stress in her face was gone within 24 hours. She is focusing better in class and with homework. I also do the PACE exercises with my daughter, which you can learn about and much more at the website www.braingym.org. I wish we had found Brain Gym during primary school!

Contributed by: Nyree Rafton

Relax! It will be OK!

My biggest advice to carers of children with special needs is relax! I was a carer of two medically disabled children, one with Asperger's and both with life threatening issues. They had to be home schooled because they simply didn't fit; even in distance education. However, both my children did well. One is now a security officer and the other is married with a child of her own and working and doing her diploma in child care.

Distance education will supply most of what you need. Put money aside each fortnight for school items and shop at the cheap $2 style shops. Remember with no peer pressure it means you can use second hand and cheap stuff! Who cares what your things look like when you are at home with no one to see them?

Pencils and stationary can be shared. One pile of paper and one pencil case kept in a general study area means one expense for you. We are never given a problem we can't solve. It will be OK!

Contributed by: Linda Stapleton

Library can help with home and schooling Contributed by: Heidi Rose

Help for Asperger's families Contributed by: Corrine Phillips

Don't let the bills get on top of you Contributed by: Sonia O'Dea

Low cost computers for special needs families Contributed by: Lois Nethery

Best of both worlds for full time carers Contributed by: Elisa Hordon

Don't be afraid to ask for help Contributed by: Dianne Turner

12. This Month's Help Request: Share the House, Halve the Cost?

This month Sylvia asks:

If anyone has any suggestions or experiences which could help Sylvia, please send them in to us here.

13. Savings Story: Live Like Kings on Op Shop Budget

Our family is living proof that with a sensible outlook and good, honest hard work anything is possible. Our 'ugly duckling' house has gone from being the worst house to the best house in the street. Unfortunately the cost of renovating and extending it cut into our interior design budget. However, we discovered that we could still furnish our dream home beautifully on a reduced budget by settling for second hand items.

For example, our curtains are fully lined and are gorgeous! One window was not a standard size and the quote for its curtains alone was $1500. Instead I found a perfect set at the op shop to fit our huge window for only $40! We have now finished the curtaining for a total cost of $250, saving us $5000 on the original quotes. We have also bought stunning soft furnishings such as cushions, throws and floor rugs, again from op shops. Furniture we have picked up either second hand, from op shops or passed on from family. We have painted and scrubbed these pieces and now have a very up to date 'beach/country chic' look, all for little cost. The house is now finished and it looks stunning inside and out. We have Edwardian steamer chairs outside on the balcony bought for $2.00 each from the op shop. What a bargain! Our friends and family are amazed.

We now go to op shops first for all of our clothes. Our teenage kids really appreciate their 'brand name' bargains, such as polo shirts for $8.00 where the normal price would be $100 and many other items. I recently bought my husband a brand new dinner suit on 'half price day' for $7.50! When you buy from op shops you pay cash - no credit card debt for us!

Every spare cent goes into paying off our mortgage and the house is almost paid off. We have worked hard doing a lot of building and landscaping work ourselves, as well as the interior, to save money. We live like kings but our outgoings are carefully calculated. We have taught our kids the benefits of hard work, and sensible spending. We are very proud of our lifestyle and the happiness it has brought us.

Contributed by: Nanette Menzies

January 2014 - Simple Savings Newsletter

"Secrets to Saving Money" Free Newsletter - January 2014

This issue includes:-

Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Bring on the Bargains!
January: Get into Gear!
Ye Olde Shoppe: Simply Budgets Make it Simple
Penny Wise: What Are You So Afraid Of?
Best of the Vault: Hello 2014!
Best of the Forum: May the Forum Be With You!
Best Members' Blog: Loving My New Simple Life
Cooking with Mimi: Golden Dream (Vanilla + Orange) Cheesecake
Rob Bob's Gardening Blog: Air Pruning Barrel for Trees
From Last Month: Christmas Sales Savvy!
This Month's Help Request: Party Time!

Hello,

Happy 2014! How are you going? We hope you have had a wonderful Christmas and started the New Year with a bang - we can't wait to see what 2014 brings!

We love hearing from you - here are our favourite emails this month:

"Thank you for your fantastic newsletters. My Christmas present this year was a Vault membership for myself! I am loving the Forum and dipping into the hints." (Val)

"Please thank Mimi for her decadent coconut ice recipe in the December newsletter. It made a very special Christmas present for a lot of my friends and family who couldn't quite believe I made it. Thanks Mimi." (Bree)

Have a great month!
All the best,
Fiona Lippey

P.S. If all goes well, we'll be showing a great, funny, slightly scary (for me) way to save money on haircuts at the end of January. Keep your fingers and toes crossed.

1. Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Bring on the Bargains!

"I'm so looking forward to this! Thanks for keeping me company, Sal!" beamed Chloe excitedly as they got into the car. "You're welcome!" smiled Sally. "That's all I'm doing, mind! I won't be doing any shopping myself; I've got to be REALLY good this year if we're going to make any headway on our mortgage. But I'm happy to come and help you find the best deals - any idea what you want to buy?" "Not really," giggled Chloe, "but I'm sure I'll find something. You can't beat the January sales for a bargain and I don't want to miss out. Let's go!"

"Do you mind if we grab a quick coffee? My feet are killing me!" groaned Sally four hours later. "Of course! It's been such fun - I'm so happy with all my bargains!" Chloe smiled, laden with bags. "I could never have found all these without you, Sal; you know just where to look!" "Years of practice," grinned Sally. "You've been so good though - you haven't spent a cent!" Chloe pointed out. "I just want to pop into Henry Newman's before we go if that's OK. Last one, I promise!" "Come on then," groaned Sally, rubbing her feet. "I think I can manage ONE more!"

"Wow, these deals are unbelievable!" gasped Chloe as the pair of them wandered round Henry Newman's. Sally nodded. 50% off this, 40% off that - and no need to pay until February! Come to think of it there WERE a few things she needed. The vacuum cleaner had been playing up, she could do with a new phone - and that pink hair straightener she'd been wanting forever was a ridiculous price! By the time the pair of them left the store, Sally was carrying as many bags as her friend. "That was brilliant!" she said. "And we didn't even pay for a single thing!" "We do still have to pay for them though," pointed out Chloe. "Yes - but not until February," came Sally's laughing reply. "That's AGES away!"

2. January: Get into Gear!

Sally may not have to pay for her goodies until February - but does she even know for certain she will have the money to pay for them then? If her past form is anything to go by, we seriously doubt it! But that's not the only concern. In addition to paying for her splurge, she and Pete have a goal this year to reduce the size of their debt. The thing is, how do you know what you shouldn't spend if you don't know how much you have to start with?

Many people shop blindly like Sally. They see money in their bank account and think 'Yay, that's mine! I can spend that!' But if you're serious about getting/staying out of debt and reaching your savings goals, you need to know exactly where your finances are at. You need to know to the nearest few dollars what you can and can't spend. You need a budget.

The theme of our 2014 Wealthy Habits calendar is 'Show Us the Money!' and right here is where it starts. We want you to be able to see the results of your efforts at the end of the year and say 'Look at what we achieved! We did that!' But in order for you to be able to do that you need to work out where you are financially right now and that is what Get into Gear Month is all about. This month is for determining how much money you have and how much you need to get where you want to be. Trust us, it's easy! All you need to do is a little homework. It doesn't take long but the results are well worth it and as soon as you have done it, you'll be glad you did.

So let's start putting some wheels in motion! We would love for you to join us in the following tasks this month:

Work out a budget. There are countless ways you can do this; there is no right or wrong way! You can use a system recommended by a friend or fellow member, you can hop on your bank's website and use their budgeting tools or you can visit our Simple Savings shop and take advantage of the brilliant Simply Budgets software we have on offer. It doesn't matter which you choose - but make sure you do it!

Open a savings account. If you don't already have one, open a bank account dedicated solely to saving. Shop around for an account with the highest interest rate that will grow your savings and with minimum fees, or better still, no fees at all!

Print out and fill in our free Bill Payment System. Technology is brilliant for showing you where your money is at but so is good old-fashioned pen and paper! With our Bill Payment System you can see exactly which bills come out on which day, so you'll always know how much money you need to have on hand from week to week. Better still, you'll never get stung with late payment fees again! You can find this in the Downloads area here.

Start keeping your Savings Diary. Right now, today! This is a brilliant free tool that you fill in at the end of each day to keep a record of how much money you spent and what it went on. Don't worry about forgetting, we can even email you a daily reminder if you like! The great thing about this diary is that it makes you accountable for every dollar you spend. It asks you to fill in how much of your daily spend went on essentials - and how much got wasted on impulse buys and rubbish. It's quite an eye opener and you may not always like what you see! But it will keep you on track as long as you use it. This is simply your own personal spending tally, we ask for no bank information whatsoever and nobody can see your diary but you. Start filling it in here.

Stick up your Save-O-Meter. You'll find this in your free 2014 Wealthy Habits Calendar. Put it up in a prominent place and fill it in as your savings grow and you get closer to your goal. It's great for keeping the younger family members on track too!

The above may all sound like a lot of work but it really isn't. They are all very, very easy and while doing a budget may be hard for some people to face, even if the results don't fill you with joy, at least you will know exactly what you need to do to get out of that hole and start moving in the right direction. Whatever your situation, even if you have a mountain of debt, getting your finances in order feels GREAT! But it doesn't end there - you need motivation to stay on track. Especially if your budget has left you a little on the depressed side! So use us this month to help keep your spirits and your savings high. If you are a Forum member, follow our Get into Gear challenge threads. We will all be there to help you, supporting, advising, (and sympathising where needed!) and cheering each other on. Simple Savings is a wonderful community of like-minded people who all genuinely want and love to see each other succeed. Join us this month and let's get into gear so we can all enjoy a fantastic and prosperous 2014!

January 2014 Calendar Challenge in the forum: Get Into Gear

3. Ye Olde Shoppe: Simply Budgets Make it Simple

If you want to create a budget that will set you up for life (we mean it!) then this is the software for you. Simply Budgets software was created by David Wright who worked out that having a budget was the first step - the second was making sure you had enough money in your account on any given day to meet all your needs. We love it and we know it works. You can find out more here.

4. Penny Wise: What Are You So Afraid Of?

Greetings! My name is Penny Wise and I have an embarrassing confession to make. I am 40 years old (for two more days). I have been a Simple Savings member for nine years - and have never, ever done a budget. Why? Two reasons really, the first being it's all just too hard. I never seemed to find (or make) the time to get all that pesky paperwork together. I don't like spreadsheets, they're too complicated (or that's the excuse I make, probably because I am rubbish at using Excel myself so have always convinced myself I don't understand them) which leads me to the next point, understanding. I failed maths twice at school, therefore I have always believed I don't 'do' number crunching and hence am far too thick to possibly understand a budget. But the main reason I have never done a budget is due to something else - fear. I am Penny, Queen of Ostriches. I don't want to know how little I have in the bank. I don't want to know where all my money has gone. I don't want to know what a rubbish job I've been doing or face all the silly mistakes I have made. I mean, who wants to be depressed? For many of us, just getting through each day is hard enough!

But you can't put off the inevitable forever. There have been many times this year I've just had to pull on my big girl Bridget Jones knickers and deal with things I haven't wanted to. Even so, I have managed to successfully put off doing a budget since I bought my house back in July. Little old me, a solo home owner! Still can't believe it! But jings, what a big commitment it is. I'm stuck with this mortgage now until I'm 70! I find that rather a daunting thought but I love my house with all my heart. It's mine - well, mine and the bank's - and I will do whatever it takes to keep up that mortgage and provide a secure roof over my boys' heads. And that means finally doing a budget.

I had planned to procrastinate for just a little longer - after all, January is Get into Gear Month on the new 2014 Simple Savings calendar. Surely I could just wait until then and get stuck in to this budgeting lark along with everyone else? Unfortunately not, according to the bank manager. I gave in the other day and went to see her to ask for an overdraft - just a small one to get me through Christmas and the next couple of months. I didn't like doing it; I hate overdrafts with a passion as from experience I have learned that once you have one, you tend to live in one. But I wanted some peace of mind, just so I could give my boys a good Christmas. Hopefully I wouldn't need to use it, but at least I had it. I didn't even expect the bank to agree to give me one but they did - although it soon became clear to both me and the manager I had some work to do. 'I've got so many bills, there's just no end to them!' I wailed. 'There's this, and that, and then this happened and I need to pay this...' 'OK so what's your income?' the bank manager smiled, preparing to punch in the figures. 'Er... not entirely sure, around this much?' I told her. 'OK - and what are your outgoings?' 'Er...' I replied. Where did I start? I had no idea! All I knew was there were heaps! 'Penny my dear, you need to do a budget,' she laughed. 'OK, I'll go away and do one and bring it back to you,' I offered. 'Not for me - for you!' the manager replied. 'You can't just keep treading water and crossing your fingers, you need to know what you're dealing with. It doesn't take long,' she said, 'just use the one on our website'. 'You have a budgeting tool on your website?' I said. I had no idea! 'Yes we do, it's as basic as it comes but it will give you an idea. Have a go, when you get home.'

So I did. And she was right; it didn't take long, even with the mountain of bills I had to put in. Thanks to Internet banking the paperwork was minimal and I was able to track down all my monthly, weekly and fortnightly bills in minutes. Then I hit 'calculate', held my breath and waited. It came up that I was $200 a fortnight short of where I needed to be. I wasn't too phased by that, I had been pretty conservative on my income and some of my predicted expenses (she said it was better to underestimate income than overestimate) so I was pretty confident that the difference would make up the shortfall. What was a concern was that I had still left out at least another $600 worth of bills - all unexpected or leftover expenses from the house buying and selling, rates and so forth. I knew I was going to have these expenses for the next three months at least. And that was without any other expenses - no sooner had I finished my budget there was a knock on the door and the school bus driver presented me with a bill for $140 which he needed paying as soon as possible. I hadn't been expecting that for another month - all of a sudden I was very glad of that overdraft!

OK, so my first budgeting experience didn't exactly leave me wanting to throw a party. In fact it made me cancel my planned birthday party as I obviously couldn't afford it! But there was no point getting down about it. I couldn't help any of these bills and they weren't going to go away. There was only one person who could deal with the situation and that was me. I was proud I had finally faced my budget phobia and while it showed I was far from being in the black, at least now I knew for certain where I was at and what I needed to do. I now know that it's going to be a good few months before I start making any headway whatsoever and I'm prepared to deal with it because it's not going to last forever and I'm going to feel good about every single bill I clear. It also made me take a good look at where I could cut expenses such as my mobile phone and insurance by getting in touch with them and asking about how I could get a better deal. All in all, it was a very positive experience and I'm glad I finally did it; I won't be scared to do it again. My boys have both got summer jobs starting next week and that's going to be an enormous help now they'll be able to afford their own clothes, petrol and so on. Guess we've got an early start for Get into Gear Month! I may be late joining the legions of savvy SS budgeters but for anyone else like me who has been putting it off, or sticking their head in the sand, bite the bullet and just do it! If I can do it, anyone can!

You can get updates on Penny's new blogs on the Simple Savings Facebook page

or in our Members' Blog section.

5. Best of the Vault: Hello 2014!

We hope you had a Happy New Year! There is something wonderful about the chance to wipe the slate clean and start again and now's the perfect time to do it! We hope 2014 will bring you everything you want, but first you have to start planning, set some goals and get yourself organised. Here are some great tips to get you started.

Positive thinking lifts pressure

My husband and I are soon to become parents and our income has been cut in half. Now that we're on a tighter budget, I have realised how much we were caving in to outside financial influence from friends and family. From innocent dinner invitations to suggestions on 'must-have' products for the new baby, the dollars were being seduced right out of our pockets. At the same time, it quickly became uncomfortable saying 'We'd love to, but it's not in our budget' in almost every conversation. It made me feel constantly deprived and I would actually end up spending money to make myself feel better. My husband stopped wanting to talk about our finances at all because he felt stressed out.

Instead of declining every dinner invitation and feeling bad about constantly telling our friends we didn't have the money, we organised a monthly dinner party for the entire group. We rotate hosting duties, and guests just bring a bottle of wine. Instead of eating out once a week with one or two friends, we now have a festive gathering once a month with everyone all at once - but only pay for a home-cooked dinner a couple of times a year! It puts us back in control of how much we spend. I've also realised that people essentially just want to spend time with you, so you can feel free to counter suggest a cheaper and more creative option than going out to dinner. Instead of 'it's not in our budget', I now say 'Would you be up for a picnic on the beach instead? The weather is supposed to be beautiful'. If the plans are set in stone, I say 'We already have a commitment for dinner, but can we meet up with you all for a drink afterwards?'

To stop caving in to pressure to buy, I've had to change the way I go shopping. It used to be a leisure activity to go with friends on the weekends, but I know I am too easy to influence. It's just inevitable that they will say, 'You look great in that, you should buy it', or 'I had this with my first baby, you definitely need it'. Now I shop alone, with a list! I've also stopped taking the bait in conversations. If someone is recommending a $700 mountain buggy stroller, I ask if they know of a more economical brand of similar quality.

Contributed by: J.C.

Cash flow budget stops bill panic

I save the stress of knowing whether there will be enough in my account on the days my bills get paid by setting up a cash flow budget on an Excel spreadsheet. This is in addition to my normal budget. Across the top of the spreadsheet I allocated one column for each day of the month. The first row going down is the item, followed by a row for the cost of that item. You might need to create a few of those as you may have more than one outgoing in a day.

I filled in the cells, making sure to put a plus sign in front of every amount going in and a minus sign in front of every amount going out (for example, item: pay, cost: +$1500, or item: loan, cost: -$400). The last row indicates your balance at the end of each day.

I run my cash flow budget forward a couple of months ahead so I can see any potential hot spots as well as days when I will have extra money in my account that I can transfer to my savings. Previously I was caught out a few times and did not have enough in my account to pay that day's bill, so I had to shuffle money around my accounts or dip into my Visa card. Not anymore!

Contributed by: Sharon G.

Vision board achieves dreams

My husband was dumbstruck when I asked Santa for two whiteboards for Christmas! I explained to him how I hoped this unusual gift would help us all achieve our dreams.

The first board is for the pantry - it hangs inside the door and every time we finish something or take something out of the pantry/fridge that needs replacing we write it on the board and that is what goes on the shopping list. (Hence, I now have a shopping list - not just going to the supermarket without one and winging it which winds up costing a fortune and I come home without half the stuff I needed.)

The second is my 'vision' board - I have listed a few items that are my goals or rewards. This could also be a picture of something I'd like. The vision board can change as required but I believe we all need our dreams to keep us motivated and this is my way of being motivated. Things I have on my board are obviously - pay the mortgage off, a newer car, a holiday for my family and so on. To add to this I have diligently been filling out my Savings Diary daily so can see exactly where my money is going. I'm quite surprised how quickly everything totals up even when you are conscious of spending. Any extra overtime or additional pay my husband and I have been earning, we are putting into our progress saver account. We have provided ourselves with a nice little buffer now in case of tough times ahead.

Santa did bring me my whiteboards, he even hung them for me and the whole family is using them as they were intended!

Contributed by: Jodi Squires

6. Best of the Forum: May the Forum Be With You!

The hardest part of achieving goals, sticking to your budget and saving money is staying motivated. Look no further as the Forum is the perfect place to find inspiration, support and encouragement. Some of these threads have been running for a number of years but in true Simple Savings spirit, everyone is always welcome.

Home, Health and Heart - On the road to happiness January 2014

Nik C and her go-getting goal-setters know how to get what they want! New people are always welcome so jump in and start chatting.
read more...

Share your weekly menu plans (2014)

Planning your weekly menus is one of the best ways to curb your grocery and fast food spending. You'll find some great ideas here to help curb those expensive takeaways!
read more...

59 Sunbeams - Summer 2014

Join Lorax and members in their daily endeavour to 'get just one thing done'! Motivation, madness and milestones abound in this great thread to help get your life more organised.
read more...

Frugal '14

The title of this thread says it all! Chat and share ways to get the most out of your money in 2014 with Persephone and friends.
read more...

Grocery Challenge - January 2014

Start 2014 with a bang - and lots of savings - with Claire M and her amazing list of $21 Challenge ideas. Now is the perfect time to clean out those cupboards, freezers and fridges and get rid of Christmas leftovers.
read more...

7. Best Members' Blog: Loving My New Simple Life

One of the many benefits of being a Vault member is that you can win $100 store credit in Ye Olde Shoppe or $100 cash each month for your Simple Savings blog ! Starting your own blog on the site is easy. All you have to do is log into the Vault, click on 'My Desk' at the top left, then 'Your Blog'. Then get writing! We love reading all your money saving trials and tribulations and really appreciate the effort that goes into each one.

This month's Blog winner is Murazaki who is doing big things on a small budget!

It's been over a year since I was last on this wonderful site but as I'm a full-time student now and on a small budget, I found myself thinking back to all of the inspiration, advice and encouragement I used to get here.

Looking back at my previous blog posts, I realise how far I've come. Things really hit rock bottom around the beginning of the year when I had to move back in with my parents. Since then though, I've started full-time study and recently moved into a beautiful share-house with some great people in a location that is really convenient for me. Despite (or perhaps because of) my small income, I am feeling very blessed right now. I have great people around me and I get to work towards my goals every day. I think that having a limited income means that I appreciate and value everything that I have. I am back into the swing of budgeting and looking for ways to live well and spend less, and I'm really enjoying it! My earlier blog posts were very much cries for help, and now that my life is back on track, I hope that this blog can be uplifting and give me the chance to share the different things I'm doing to reduce my expenses, and the joy that this is bringing me.

One thing I do to save money is do my grocery shopping at the markets. I love going out on a Sunday morning and seeing all of the fresh produce and freshly-caught fish out for sale. I love cooking at home, so it really is a pleasure for me to come up with creative ways to use whatever whole foods I find at a good price. At the moment my budget for groceries is $80 per fortnight, which is challenging but manageable.

Since I've moved to my new area, I'm enjoying taking public transport too. There are direct buses to TAFE and the city and everything else I need is either within walking distance or a short drive. I am really appreciating the student concession rates, as I can now ride the buses or trains from as little as $0.87c per trip during off-peak hours! I know that these details may seem boring to some, but I am deriving immense satisfaction from these simple little actions I can take to spend less money.

Another area where I'm saving is on skin-care, hair-care and cosmetics. Since moving house, I've realised how much skin- and hair-care products, as well as fragrances and cosmetics I've accumulated - four full green shopping bags of product! I've decided not to buy any more of this stuff unless I've searched through my whole stock-pile and made sure that I don't already have something that I can use! It can be too easy to just relegate everything to the bathroom cupboard and buy something that you want instead of looking to see if you already have it!

Well done Murazaki - we look forward to following the rest of your adventures!

You can read more of our Members' blogs here.

8. Cooking with Mimi: Golden Dream (Vanilla + Orange) Cheesecake

Before Vodka Cruisers, there were fruity cocktails.

Before fruity cocktails, there were decadent creamy cocktails.

And the first creamy cocktail I ever had, was a Golden Dream.

A lush mixture of Vanilla Galliano, Cointreau and Cream, dusted with nutmeg, it was more of a dessert than a drink!

This cheesecake takes me back to those days of creamy cocktails and all night dancing, and is a truly beautiful dessert for Christmas or any special occasion.

It's a little expensive, but once you have the liqueur, you can make a dozen of these. If you don't want the alcohol, simply replace it with orange juice for the Cointreau, and vanilla essence... about 1 teaspoon.

Very special indeed :)

You'll need:

500gms cream cheese
1/4 cup caster sugar
500mls thickened cream
1 packet orange jelly crystals
1/2 cup Vanilla (Yellow) Galliano
1/4 cup Cointreau
1 packet plain biscuits
150gms unsalted butter
Springform cake tin

Then just:

Make up the orange jelly using 250mls of water, and put in to the fridge to make slushy, but not set, usually about two hours. Don't start the rest of the cheesecake filling until it's thick.

Make the crumb crust, by crushing the biscuits. We just do this by wrapping them in a clean teatowel, and bashing them for a few minutes with the meat mallet! But by all means use a food processor if you have one. Transfer them to a large bowl.

Melt the butter and mix it with the biscuit crumbs. Press them into the base of the springform pan, compacting them firmly with your hand or the bottom of a glass, and refrigerate it to firm it up.

Put the cream in one large bowl and the cream cheese and sugar in the other.

Beat the cream until firm peaks form and refrigerate it until you've finished with the cheese mixture.

Beat the cheese and sugar together until it's light and fluffy looking. About 3 minutes is right.

Add the thickened jelly and beat until smooth.

Add the Galliano and Cointreau and combine well.

Add the cream and combine well.

Pour the filling into the springform pan, and allow to chill and set overnight at least.

Garnish with cherries or toffee shards.

Cover with cling wrap, adhered gently to the surface to store. This will keep for up to a week, refrigerated.

You can get updates on Mimi's new blogs on the Simple Savings Facebook page

or in our Members' Blog section.

9. Rob Bob's Gardening Blog: Air Pruning Barrel for Trees

I have been interested in trying some air pruning gardening for a while now so decided to give it a whirl. Thanks to Better Days for starting the "Grow vegies in bags" thread on SS a while back & helping to get me started, Cheers :)»

Air pruning isn't a new idea & is used in the nursery trade to grow advanced trees for landscaping in relatively small pots. They are generally pots with holes all the way around the outside as well as in the base. Some are also made out of a thick polypropylene material, the same as the reusable shopping bags. In normal propagation pots the plants tend to become root bound as the roots slowly start to grow around the outer edge of the pot. These old roots are not very efficient at providing nutrients to the plant so the plant growth tends to become stunted. When the roots grow to the outside of an air pruning pot they hit the warmer, drier air from outside & tend to die off. This helps to prevent the roots wrapping around the pot becoming root bound & also sends a signal to the plant to send out more roots to replace the dying ones. These new roots will have more vigour & tend to be more efficient at absorbing nutrients, allowing the plant to grow larger in a smaller container.

I have played around with making up an air pruning bag out of a shopping bag before & it has gone really well so far although I don't think the material will hold up too long being exposed to the summer sun. I was also gifted some commercially available air pruning bags called "Smart pots" from a friend in the United States, Cheers Mr Dale, but unfortunately I haven't found the time to set these up as yet. I hope to have them set up around the "Simple Savings" bag shortly after the New Year and they will be home to some small bushes, veggies & herbs :)»

I decided to have a go at making up a larger air pruning barrel as a way to grow some fruiting trees rather than planting them in the ground. That way they can be moved around if need be in the future. The first guinea pig was to be our dwarf red paw paw/papaya. Here's my Youtube video of how it went:

I think that growing dwarf fruit trees in air pruning pots like this DIY barrel or a purchased version is a great idea for folks that only have a small yard or even only a balcony to grow on. It could be an ideal way for renters to grow some fruit trees as well I think.

You can get updates on Rob Bob's new gardening adventure blogs on the Simple Savings Facebook page

or in our Members' Blog section.

10. From Last Month: Christmas Sales Savvy!

Last month Sophie emailed us asking for ideas to get the most out of the Christmas sales:

"I have gone to a few Christmas sales in the past but stopped going as there seemed to be more hype than bargains. How do you get good deals at the Christmas sales?"

We got some fantastic ideas for Sophie - here are some of our favourite replies:

Wait until the sales are over

The best time to go to the Christmas sales is after they are over! After Christmas is when you can pick up wrapping, cards, labels, and things like plastic plates and serviettes. I put them away in a plastic bin with a lid, ready for the next year. I also buy my presents throughout the year, rather than at the last minute. I have a list of who I give to and write in what I have bought. This way you can benefit from any cheap buys you find, and also find something that the person will really love. My mum is 91 and hard to buy for - but she loves Panache talcum powder, so I picked her up a set when it was on sale during the year, then added a packet of six stockinettes because she can't wear pantyhose any more. Most of my presents come from bargain shops. The main thing to remember is to try and buy something that the person will love, not spend a large amount!

Contributed by: Lesley Forster

Keep a wishlist and grab a bargain

The post-Christmas sales are a great time to make great savings on my wishlist! I make a list that I keep specifically for the Christmas sales and haven't paid full price yet. I always buy towels and sheets during this time and save a fortune!

Contributed by: Dolly Mixtures

Do your homework and shop alone

My best hints for getting the most out of Christmas sales are-

Research - Check online and in catalogues first before buying so you know you're actually getting a good deal. It's easy to price check anything these days but is it really a bargain?

Make a list - I take a list of items I would really like to buy and stick to it, as I find in the crowds I get distracted without one!

Shop the sales alone - I find I have a lot more success if I go it alone and it's much faster too!

Contributed by: Margaret Bell

Top tips for getting the best from sales shopping

Christmas sales are a great place to pick up a bargain if you do it right! Here are some tips I have learned:

List what you NEED from the sale.
List what you MAY LIKE (not need) from the sale and consider carefully - do I WANT this? Will I USE this? Will I WEAR this? Is this the PERFECT gift?
Do the research on the Internet, ask friends, check the sales brochures, visit the store before sale time and ask questions. Know the prices, sizes, colours, measurements of furniture and so on and take the tape measure or photo to match colours or other requirements.
Know additional charges such as delivery fees.
Do not buy anything unless you 'love' it or unless it truly will do the job or fit the purpose and you can afford to buy it.
Do not fall for sales pitches - know your stuff and ask the right questions.
Shop with purpose. Remain focussed; there's no point paying for a bargain that you will never use or because your friend loves it but you are not sure!
Wear comfortable shoes and clothing. This way your energy is sustained and you think clearly and remain focussed on the job. Make sure you have the time to shop so decisions are not rushed.
My rule now is if I bring something to the house something has to leave the house to keep clutter out, but then I am 59 years old and find I need less 'stuff' in my maturing years!

Contributed by: Anne H.

Keep a post-Christmas price book

There are heaps of places you can get good deals after Christmas. I go to the supermarket and buy two or three rolls of Christmas paper which I use for the coming year and to make gift tags from too. Check out the second hand shops for goodies as well. If you live in the city and have time to check prices a price book is good to have on hand. Also check your junk mail for good specials. Ask your friends to keep an eye out for good deals on their travels too!

Contributed by: Zellie Wills

11. This Month's Help Request: Party Time!

Petra has emailed asking for some help! She writes:

"My Dad's 60th birthday is coming up and although I don't have a lot of money to spend, I want to put on a really unique birthday party for him. I'm not very creative and would love some ideas about where and how to cater for about 50 people. We have a bit of money put aside to hire a hall if necessary but all the invitations, decorations and food will be 'home-made'. I really want this to be something he'll remember so need your help!"

If you have any pearls of wisdom you'd like to share with Petra, please send them in to us here.

12. Goodbye for Now!

Well, that's your Simple Savings Newsletter for January 2014 and we hope you have enjoyed it. Don't forget to check the Forum and Facebook for challenges and inspiration to help you get there - we want 2014 to be YOUR year!

Till next time...
All the best,
Fiona

January 2017 - Simple Savings Newsletter

Simple Savings Newsletter - January 2017

Happy New Year!

I hope you had a great New Year's Eve and a wonderful 2016.

Here at Simple Savings, 2017 is going to be a year of change and trying new things. We started by playing with our newsletters. Instead of one big long newsletter each month, we are going to try smaller newsletters every few days.

I hope you like the new format. As always, if you have any feedback - good or bad, please write in and tell us. What would you like to see in your Simple Savings emails?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Many grins,
Fiona

Sally and Hanna: How much an hour??

"Dinner's ready!" Pete called. "Cool!" the kids ran excitedly into the kitchen. "What? I thought we were getting pizza tonight?" frowned James. "What do you call this, chopped liver?!" laughed Pete, gesturing at the pizzas on the table. "We thought you meant TAKEAWAY pizza," said Sarah. "It's not the same." "You're right there," agreed Pete. "Pedro's Pizzeria is much better! Delicious homemade pizza in the comfort of your own home - and I get to earn $80 an hour as the chef!"

"Er - how did you work that out? Nobody's paid you any money," James scowled. "Yeah, you haven't earned anything!" agreed Sarah. "Ah, that's where you're wrong!" grinned Pete. "I whipped these pizzas up in an hour using ingredients we already had at home. This saved me buying four takeaway pizzas at $18 each, plus time and petrol going to get them. That's $80 I get to keep in my pocket and three days I didn't have to work to buy dinner. Win!"

James and Sarah looked confused. After a long silence James asked, "THREE DAYS!?! As if, Dad! It doesn't take you 3 days to earn $80... does it?"

Next Newsletter:

In our next newsletter we will show why it takes poor Pete 3 days to pay for takeaway pizza.

Savings Tip: Home Laundromat helps pay the power bill

Our home 'Laundromat' makes paying the power bill much easier. When my now husband and I first moved out of home, we lived in a big block of units that had a communal laundry. It was $1.20 to wash and another $1.20 to dry our clothes. We had an ice cream container to put our $1 and 20c pieces in so we would always have money for washing.

Now we live in a big house with two children, a washing machine and dryer of our own! Because the cost of electricity to run both can get high with a family, I now pay myself $0.50c for a load of washing and if I have to use the dryer on a wet day I pay myself $0.50c to dry the clothes. I put the money into an ice cream container in the laundry to stop the temptation to spend it, and when the power bill comes in the money is put towards it. I do at least one load a day so this works out to $182 a year!

Contributed by: Rebecca Howard

Facebook Story: Self Sufficient in Suburbia

"Don't ever think a small house block is useless for growing your own fruit and vegetables. I live on a 405 square metre block in suburbia. Take away the 250 square metre house and 40 square metre shed then 40 square metre driveway and that leaves very little space to grow anything - or so you'd think. However with a degassed fridge, nine medium size beds, seven large pots and 12 wall mounted herb pots (so far) and six chooks, I grow around 15 to 20% of our daily fresh food needs and collect 4 to 5 eggs a day!"

Awesome stuff Mark! Thank you for sharing. Joining our busy Facebook community is super easy. Either search up 'Simple Savers' on Facebook or click this link and request to join. Once you're in, let the fun begin!

$21 Challenge Books

We only have a small number of $21 Challenge books remaining and we will not be reprinting them. If you want one, follow this link.

See You Soon!

Once again, I hope you will enjoy the new format. You will hear from us again in a few days.

Many grins,
Fiona

January 2019 - Simple Savings Newsletter

Simple Savings Newsletter - January 2019

Save $10,000 in 12 Months
Do You Have 'Poor Habits'?
How Much Will You Save by Changing Just ONE Habit?
Your 12 Month Habit Changer is HERE
The Save-O-Meter is BACK, Baby!
Competition Winners: Inspiring Wealthy Habits
New Competition: Get Growing
Best Gluten Free Bread Ever!

Happy New Year!

2019 is going to be a great year, I'm really looking forward to it!

Let's get straight into it!

Fiona

1. Save $10,000 in 12 Months

Yes, you read right! We challenge you to save $10,000 in the next 12 months by swapping your wasteful 'poor habits' for clever, frugal 'wealthy habits'.

Before you dismiss that as being impossible, first have a look at the numbers and our list of poor habits. These are some of the possible savings you can make by switching from poor habits to wealthy ones.

Habit Savings

Poor Habit	Cost	Wealthy Habit	Cost	Week	Year	10 Year
Buying meat	$50	Becoming Flexitarian	$10	$40	$2,080	$20,800
Over fuel budget	$30	Car pooling	$15	$15	$780	$7,800
Kmart addiction	$23	Visiting Garage sales	$5	$18	$936	$9,360
Buying lunch	$80	Making food at home	$20	$60	$3,120	$31,200
Drinking alcohol	$80	Not drinking	$0	$80	$4,160	$41,600
Smoking (3 packs/wk)	$96	Not smoking	$0	$96	$4,992	$49,920
Ready made groceries	$180	Food from scratch	$90	$90	$4,680	$46,800
Takeaway once a week	$30	'Leftover night'	$0	$30	$1,560	$15,600
Pokies	$40	Candy Crush	$0	$40	$2,080	$20,800
All clothing brand new	$40	Clothes from Op Shop	$10	$30	$1,560	$15,600
Buying coffees at work	$40	Box of coffee bags	$7	$33	$1,716	$17,160
3 bottles of wine a week	$30	1 bottle on Friday	$10	$20	$1,040	$10,400
Buying fresh milk	$15	Using powdered milk	$4	$11	$572	$5,720
Drinking Coke	$14	Drinking water	$0	$14	$728	$7,280
Total savings				$577	$30,004	$300,040

Good grief, how quickly do those numbers add up? And we've only listed 14 of countless poor habits. But, no worries. We have made a second list! This one is FULL of them.

2. Do You Have 'Poor Habits'?

There's an easy way to find out - simply click here to download our list! We've made it a free printable resource, to help keep you on track all year round.

3. How Much Will You Save by Changing Just ONE Habit?

What sort of difference would changing one habit make to your life? The answer may blow your mind. To give you an idea, we have made a free printable for you to work out how much money you can save:

Full members get the full package!

Our entire Wealthy Habits program is available to paid members. If you aren't yet a full member it costs just $21 a year to become one and you can save much, much more. You can upgrade your membership here.

4. Your 12 Month Habit Changer is HERE

Here at Simple Savings, we really do want our members to be happy. That's why we have a 365 day refund policy. So if you aren't sure whether or not you are going to like the program, you can become a paid member and download the full version. If you don't like it, simply ask for your money back. How easy is that? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

5. The Save-O-Meter is BACK, Baby!

Do you remember our beloved Save-O-Meter? Members used to use this feature to track their saving successes. As well as keeping track of your individual saving, it also added up everyone's collective saving. Together, we saved an astounding 46 MILLION DOLLARS in the few years it was running.

The great news is, it's back! Better still it's absolutely free to enter in your savings as they happen, all year round. No personal information is required, only the savings you make for your own satisfaction and to share the joy with others. So pop over, check it out and have fun saving with us!

6. Competition Winners: Inspiring Wealthy Habits

Last month's entries for our 'Inspiring Others to Adopt Wealthy Habits' competition were fantastic. So good in fact, we had to increase the number of prize winners! Here are our five favourites:

A whole day's work for just one meal

'My husband is a spender, but I am a saver. To curb his wasteful spending I suggested he think about how many hours he would have to work to earn the money he wanted to spend. For example, if he wanted to take our family of five out to dinner, that would cost about $100 to $120 at our local club, which is equal to approximately one day of work, just for one meal. That was a few years ago now and his spending habits have changed dramatically. He no longer wants to frivolously spend money he worked so hard to earn and has become a real bargain hunter!'

Contributed by: Jacquelene P.

Let your spending reflect your values

'The best piece of advice I was given is to ask "Is this in line with my values? Is buying this what is important to me?" I find that asking myself this with all my purchases and expenses means that I spend my money in a way that more accurately reflects who I am and what matters most to me in life. Therefore I am less likely to get hooked into brand names, or cosmetics, or fashion, or trends, or mindless spending because these things do not matter to me. Removing the spending that doesn't fit with our values gives us the freedom to put money into the things that mean the most. In turn this increases our joy and sense of fulfillment in life.

It's all about choice - and the choice is yours

The advice I would give to someone who is wanting to save but is extravagant is to say "You get to choose. It's your money, and you get to decide what's important to you. If these habits such as buying new clothes and eating out each week, fine, spend on them. But if they aren't what you really want; if there are things that are more important to you, then it's your choice. When you spend money in one area of your life, you are choosing not to allocate it to another. If you are choosing to live beyond your means, then you are choosing debt. It's up to you."

I am all about choice, and freedom. I know I can choose to spend my money on things that won't last and won't ultimately bring me happiness. They may even bring misery (debt) or regret, or I can choose to spend on things that enhance my life, and the lives of others and bring peace of mind and joy. It's all about choice'.

Contributed by: Nicki C

How much is your time REALLY worth?

'There are two things people have said to me, which have helped me to change my mindset around spending. The first was to consider my hourly wage when making a purchase. To ask myself how much time I would be paying for this item, and if I would really be prepared to work that amount of time simply for whatever I was about to purchase - or look for a more cost effective alternative.

The second tip applies to clothing. I try to keep a wardrobe of clothes that I love, and to only buy new clothes to replace those that have been worn out. I was told when purchasing clothes to consider the cost in the amount of time worn. If I imagined that I was hiring the item and had to pay per use, the total cost of hiring the item each time would be the cost of purchasing it. As a result, I allow myself to look for higher quality (and perhaps more expensive) clothing which are staples and are worn daily/very regularly, and to be much more careful when looking at "special occasion" clothing that may not be worn very often (as well as to make sure that I avoid any "fads" that will only be worn for a short time!).

Contributed by: Gillian Richardson

From daily coffee to early retirement

'That takeaway coffee you buy every day adds up. So does the bought lunch, that cute top you saw that was on special while you were in your lunch hour going for a walk, that extra drink after work - there are lots of things we do daily that eat up our money and make it disappear slowly through the week. If we only think about every dollar we save as money we don't have to work for!

When you write down every cent you spend you can soon see where your wages go. Just imagine all that money redirected into your home loan instead of being frittered away - it could amount to thousands and enable you to pay your debt off quicker. Every dollar saved is like $1.30 after tax in your pocket - and that could even mean earlier retirement, yay!'

Contributed by: Emma K

What IS your goal? Make sure you know!

My advice to others to help with their savings goals is to actually HAVE a goal. It can be as big or as small as you want, but if you have a goal and a direction it will give you purpose and is easier to work out a plan. I find it also helps to make that goal visual. Write it down. Put it up on the wall. Fill in a savings tracker, whatever. Anything you can do to see your progress as you go!

Contributed by: Salli M.

7. New Competition: Get Growing

February is get Growing Month and we are challenging readers to invest in themselves. Some examples of the kind of self-improvement goals we have in mind are:

Easy: Borrow/buy and read a self-help book and do the work contained in it. (that last part is the tricky bit!)
Moderate: Enrol in a short course online or at a local vocational college and pick up a skill you've always wanted
Difficult: Enrol in a diploma or degree qualification in a field you'd like to get into

This month's competition is to inspire others to Get Growing. Tell us about something you've done to improve yourself, and inspire others to follow in your footsteps. What did you do? What did it take, and what impact has it had on your life?

We have four prizes of $50 to award for the winning entries. To enter, send us your entries by January 26th. Email your entries to: competitions@simplesavings.com.au

8. Best Gluten Free Bread Ever!

A couple of months ago, when I mentioned I had found a way to make gluten free bread for $2.40 per kilo, many members wrote in asking for the recipe. Before we get started, I'm going to tell you some of the pros and cons about this recipe.

The good things are:

Taste. It tastes divine. This is my kids' favourite gluten free bread, better than store bought
Size. It makes a big enough loaf to make a Breville toastie
Satisfying. It feels like a real slice of bread
Texture. Soft enough to wrap around a sausage

The not-quite-so-good things are:

Equipment. You will need to buy new bread tins
Time. Making this delicious bread takes a good part out of your day. Twenty minutes to make and mix dough, two hours for the dough to rise, two hours in the oven, two hours to cool before slicing.

The recipe we use originally came from Quirky Cooking and Artisan Bread in Five

While I really liked the taste of their recipe, it was inefficient. I didn't want to spend any more time cooking than necessary. And, I wanted big slices of bread. Big enough to make a jaffle.

The first problem I had was finding a deep loaf tin. Gluten free bread does not rise the same way regular bread does.

If you want big slices of GF bread, I recommend you invest in two GF bread tins. Mine cost around $25 each.

If you are using a Thermomix, make two batches of dough following Quirky Cooking's method.

If you are using regular cooking methods, make two batches of dough using Bread in Five's recipe.

Once your bread has risen, turn your oven on to 200C and place the dough into your lined loaf tins.

Let the dough rise again till the oven is heated, then cook the bread for two hours.

Remove the bread from the oven and trim the edges to remove it from the GF loaf tin.

Let the bread cool completely before cutting it into very thin slices. I usually store the slices in four containers. The first we eat and the other three go in the freezer.

Ta-daa! You have two beautiful GF loaves.

That's all for now!

I hope you're looking forward to 2019 as much as I am. Stay in touch and let us know what inspirational things you have planned for the year.

All the best,

Fiona

January 2021 - Simple Savings Newsletter

January 2021 Simple Savings Newsletter

Happy New Year. Welcome to 2021!

Are you ready for a fantastic, frugal New Year?

This is Sandra and I will be helping with the newsletters this year.

I have been a Simple Saver for a very long time and I'd like to share with you some ideas about how we save money.

This month is 'Use it Up' month. We are going to be giving you tips and recipes to use up ALL of your food. Especially Christmas leftovers. As well as talking about the most exciting things that have been happening in our Forum and Facebook this month.

A week ago you should have received an email from us with your calendar. Just in case the SPAM filters caught it or you haven't downloaded it yet. Here is a link to it.

/p/Simple-Savings-Calendar-2021

I hope you have a happy, healthy and frugal month and year.

All the best

Sandra

PS. Using up your food doesn't mean 'make yourself sick'. If food hasn't been stored properly or has gone off. Throw it out.

January - Use it up

This month we want you to stretch your money by stretching your food. Which means using the food you already have before going out and buying more.

Most people only eat their favourite food and ignore the rest of the ingredients in their kitchen. Leaving sad and lonely tins in the back of the cupboard and science experiments in the fridge.

This month we want you to turn that around. We would like you to eat every scrap of food that can be eaten before buying more. What does that mean?

NO more buying fruit and veggies until you have eaten or cooked all the veggies.

NO more buying snacks until you have eaten ALL the snacks and used up the ingredients you have to make snacks.

NO more buying meat or protein until what you already have is gone.

NO more buying carbohydrates until all the rice, potatoes, bread, etc you already have has been eaten.

This means eating the fridge bare before restocking it.

AND, with the money you save. Stash it away because no one knows what is around the corner.

Just in case, that sounds too difficult. Here are some tips:

Go to your pantry and fill up a small box with food you don't normally cook with and find some recipes which use those ingredients.

Re-organise your fridge. Move all the rarely eaten food to the front.

Stock take your fridge, freezer and pantry. Re-introduce yourself to food you may have forgotten is even in there.

Make a checklist of quick ideas from the following things that you might have on hand.

Read or re-read the $21 Challenge. It is a great way to use up ALL your food. Just in case you don't have a copy. It is on Amazon as a Kindle eBook. https://www.amazon.com.au/21-Challenge-Crisis-survival-disaster-ebook/dp/B086J87CD4

Be flexible, creative and fearless in the kitchen. Here is an example of Fiona pushing her boundaries and making something tasty out of almost nothing.

Curried French Toast

Yesterday Fiona went hunting through the fridge and found half a stick of french loaf that everyone was avoiding. The bread was asking to be thrown out. But Fiona was hungry and craving something savoury. So she decided to whack a few things together and it was so delicious her daughter Elora called it, Curried French Toast

1 tb Curry paste

1 egg

1 tsp sugar

1 dash vinegar

Pinch salt

Stale bread, sliced thin

Oil

Start heating the fry pan to medium-low.

Whisk curry paste, egg, sugar, vinegar and salt together in a shallow bowl.

When the frypan is heated, put in a splash of oil.

Dip bread in egg mixture. Put bread in the frypan. Repeat till the frypan is full.

Brown bread on one side and then turn.

When cooked. Serve up.

Ideas for Christmas leftovers

People usually have too much food left after Christmas, so what things can you do with your leftovers?

Freeze the turkey for salad

Do you have some leftover cooked chicken or turkey? Even a little of each, carefully wrapped and frozen can be reused later to make a meal or two. Thawed out in the fridge and served with a salad, it will help you to keep the heat out of the kitchen.

Hot chicken rolls

Defrost some chicken, or turkey and make up some hot chicken or turkey bread rolls with the leftover, reheated meat. Add a little instant gravy and they are good to go, just like the takeaway chicken shops sell.

Freezing leftover sauce

Do you have any Cranberry Jelly, Mint Jelly or Apple Sauce left over? If there's just a bit of those things, don't waste them. You can put them into ice cube trays or small containers and freeze them for use later. If you manage to bag a bargain lamb chop or sausage somewhere along the line to BBQ, you can pull those things out and use them then, to make the lamb or sausages a little more special.

Reviving old Christmas Cake

Christmas cakes last a long time but they can get a bit dry. Here is a handy trick for bringing back and making cake taste even better than it did when it was fresh.

Single serve

1 Knob Butter

1-2 tb brown sugar

1 slice cake

Add butter and sugar to a small frypan.

Stir and heat gently.

Add cake.

Heat for 5 minutes or so.

This will give you a moist cake coated in a yummy caramel sauce to serve for a morning or afternoon tea treat for one.

NOTE: If you would like to prepare two or three slices of cake. Double or triple the ingredients and heat up in a larger frypan.

Biscuit Crumble

Do you have any leftover biscuits in those fancy tins or gingerbread cookies, but they are a bit stale or have lost their crunch? Use them to make Biscuit Crumble by putting them in a food processor with some cinnamon, cocoa and/or coconut.

You can use it as a topping on ice cream or a cheesecake base, or layer the crumbs with some chopped up summer fruit. You can also freeze the crumbs for later use too.

Potato Salad Melt

Have you ever tried a potato salad melt? If you have some leftover potato salad turn it into a toastie.

Butter the 'outside' of two slices of bread, spread the inside with potato salad and add a slice of cheese. Then toast in a sandwich toaster. It's devine! Try it and see.

What to do with all that Ham?

We have put together some tips and some recipes for you, just in case you still have left over Christmas Ham.

Ham and Cheese Pie Maker Puffs

150 gm ham

1 tb butter

1 finely chopped onion

½ cup tasty grated cheese

4 eggs

200g Greek or natural yoghurt

Extra butter for greasing

Chop ham into small pieces and put it into a mixing bowl.

Heat butter in a small pan and saute onion.

Cool a little, and add it to the mixing bowl.

Add cheese.

Add eggs and mix well

Mix in yogurt.

Preheat your pie maker and grease the holes if you need to.

Fill them to the three quarter mark, with the ham and egg mixture.

Sprinkle a little cheese on top and close the lid.

Cook in the pie maker for 20 minutes.

Serve with salad, crusty bread or chips

Freeze the Bone

If you bought ham with a bone, and you would like to save it for later, make sure that you have wrapped your ham bone up really well, so you can freeze it. If you save it you'll be able to make some nourishing pea and ham soup for our JUNE Winter Challenge.

Make Stock

Another thing you can do is to make some stock out of your ham bone. A lot of people make chicken stock and we can use the same method and make ham stock. It is super easy to make.

You could use the bone by itself, or add some onions, carrots, celery or parsley. Just don't add any more salt. You can add peppercorns if you like and add some water to at least cover the bone.

We have written you a quick "Use it Up" style Ham Stock recipe.

Dash of Oil

1 chopped onion

Ham bones

Veggie (Scraps or leftovers or whatever is in the fridge)

2-3 litres water (Enough to cover bones)

Herbs (Anything you like)

Lightly brown onion in frypan. Throw in a pot.

Lightly brown ham and bone. Throw it into the pot.

Lightly brown veggies. Throw into the pot.

Add 2-3 litres of water. Enough to cover ingredients.

Throw in a tablespoon of dry herbs or a cup of fresh herbs.

Bring to boil. Cover, turn on low and simmer for 1.5 - 3 hours.

Check regularly so it doesn't boil dry.

Strain Stock. Allow to cool. Freeze it, in suitable sized containers for later use.

NOTE: The longer you boil it the stronger the flavour.

Chop and Freeze

Another ham idea is to chop up any leftover ham and use it, or wrap it well and freeze it into small serving sizes. When you are looking for a quick, cheap meal, instead of buying takeaway you can put some ham onto a homemade pizza base, and add some other healthy toppings for a yummy quick pizza.

Baked 'Microwave' potatoes

Leftover chopped ham makes a great topping on hot baked potatoes. But, roasting a potato in the oven on a hot day is too difficult. So here is a cheat recipe.

Potatoes

Chopped Ham

Sour cream or left over dip

Grated cheese

Wash potatoes well and dry. Poke with a fork all over.

Microwave a potato or several, for about 5 minutes, and then flip potatoes over with a pair of tongs, check for doneness with a fork and cook for a few minutes longer if they aren't quite cooked.

When the potato is cooked. Add chopped, toppings and cheese.

Serve with salad for extra goodness.

Grab and go sandwiches

Other ideas are to slice some ham, add to some bread, or Panini or Turkish bread, and butter the slices to make a sandwich. Add some sliced cheese. You can freeze them and there's a 'brown bagged' lunch ready to go, or a toasted sandwich ready to put into a sandwich toaster.

A scrap of leftover Camembert or Brie will make it even more special if you want to eat a melty toasted sandwich straight away. Not forgetting that ham also makes the best bacon - there's a yummy family breakfast right there!

Ham salad

Small pieces of ham taste delicious mixed with lettuce, onion, cherry tomatoes and avocado drizzled in dressing.

Facebook: Best post

This tip by Kylie Anne King has been travelling around the world this week. When writing this newsletter this tip had been viewed 5.4 million times. It is so good I had to share it with you.

Advertising on Facebook

Facebook approached us to ask if we would like to include paid collaborations in the Facebook group. Such as, arranging discounts for products. We have always had a very strict no advertising rule. But, we are genuinely considering it and would like to know how you feel about having advertising in the Facebook group.

Do you think it is a bad or good idea?

If we could arrange discounts on products for everyone. What sort of discounts would you want? And, are there any companies you would like us to approach?

Can you please have a think about it and tell us what you think in an email?

Mortgage Smashers 2021

Just a reminder. The mortgage smashers will be at it again in the forum this year.

Here is a link to their thread if you would like to join in.

/fora/4347261

The forum is part of our Vault members area. IF you click the link and it doesn't work it means you are either not logged in or it could be time to buy or renew your membership. To buy or renew go to www.simplesavings.com.au/order

Bye for now

Thank you for joining us for another newsletter.

I hope you have a great year.

Sandra

July 2011 - Simple Savings Newsletter

"Secrets to Saving Money in Australia" Free Newsletter - July 2011

This issue includes:-

Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Going Bananas
August is Free Food Month!
Last Month's Competition: One Good Turn
Hidden Gems Competition Winner
Best Member's Blog: This Month's Winner
Best of the Forum: Your Garden's Bounty
Best of the Vault: Home-grown Produce
Cooking with Mimi: Zucchini with Zing
Penny's Blog: Social Whirl
Homeopathy Corner: Fixing Fingers
From Last Month: Washing Coming Out of My Ears!
This Month's Help Request: Old Fashioned Floor Polish
Savings Story: From Pipe Dream to Reality
So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye :-D

Hello,

How are you going? I have a confession to make. When we started Simple Savings my thumbs were so brown I can't even think of an analogy bad enough to describe them! But, things have changed. Since last year's "From the Yard Challenge" we have eaten 'something' from our yard almost every single day.

Often that something was just a sprig of mint, some eggs or a pinch of basil. But some weeks it was 50 kilos of bananas or 20 kilos of mulberries. And, my favourite part is all that food was free. Free from preservatives, free from additives, no food miles and it was grown on land I was already paying for. The food was free, free, free, free, FREE!

I would love for everyone to be able to achieve the same goal. So please join us in this month's Free Food Challenge. Please put in the effort and learn how to get produce from your yard. Keep reading this newsletter and you will see why it is so very important.

This month's newsletter also contains some incredible stories from members which are guaranteed to warm your heart and make you smile - just like your wonderful emails make me smile!

"Can I just say how much I love your website. People always say they are amazed by how well we live considering I am a part-time teacher and my husband works for the church, so no big wage there. Your site has been invaluable changing the way we think. I have now gotten onto the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps Forum thread and that is the most awesome thread. It is so nice to see people telling their 'inner brat' to shut up and be responsible, live within their means and then get ahead. Truly wonderful! Just wanted to share with you." (Melissa Harris)

"Woohoo! Your tips helped me get into the Vault. This new member (courtesy of a kind cousin giving an early Christmas present) is sitting at the library and drooling with excitement at all the brilliant ideas in the Vault. Folks, anyone who hasn't yet joined needs to start saving their loose change. I was working towards it, but my cousin beat me to a very practical, 'suits absolutely everyone with no worries about fit or colour choice' present. Pensioners need all the help they can get to stretch their money. Simple Savings on the job! (Elizabeth Sims)

We really appreciate every single tip we receive every week, so keep sending them in. As well as helping other members to save money, you could also win yourself a free 12 month Vault membership (value $47) in our weekly Hint of the Week competition!

All the best,
Fiona

1. Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Going Bananas

Must be time for a break, my tummy's rumbling!' Hanna announced. 'Great minds think alike! How about I make us both a cup of tea?' smiled Sally. As she was filling the jug Sally saw Hanna reach into her bag and pull out a banana! She got such a start she nearly dropped the kettle! 'Oh my goodness!' Sally thought in amazement. Since when did her frugal friend develop such expensive tastes?

'Woah, did you win the lottery at the weekend or something?' Sally couldn't stop herself from asking. 'No! Why do you say that?' smiled Hanna cheekily. 'Er you have a BANANA! Don't you KNOW how much they cost? They're exorbitant!'

'Yes, they are expensive. That is why... Hanna reached into her bag and magically pulled out a big hand of bananas. 'I brought some for you. We've got masses of them on our plants at home! Would you like some?' Sally's eyes lit up as if all her Christmases had come at once. 'Wow, I knew you grew vegies Hanna, but I never realised you knew how to grow your own bananas!'

2. August is Free Food Month!

This year has been a really tough one for fresh fruit and vegetables. Freak weather has wiped out crops time and time again. This has pushed up prices and made it hard for everyone. It would be fantastic if this was just a one off. But, climate change means 'freak' weather events like we have experienced this year are going to happen more and more regularly. And, with the effects of 'peak oil' following closely behind it, it is going to get harder and harder for us to 'buy' fresh produce. So this means we really have to change the way we do things. We need to start learning how to get our produce for free.

The reason this year's weather pushed up the price of bananas is that we grow 90% of the nation's bananas in one small region in Northern Queensland. This area is small enough that one cyclone can take out the whole crop.

This is a real shame because even though bananas grow nicely as far south as Newcastle, it is not economical for farmers to grow bananas there. Bizarrely, bananas grow so beautifully in Far North Queensland that with oil at its current price it is actually cheaper to grow them up north and transport them thousands of kilometres than to grow them down south.

Most of the time this seems to work for everyone. Things only fall apart when a big cyclone hits or when the effects of peak oil arrive and prices SKYROCKET! In case you have heard people toss around the phrase 'peak oil' but never really known how it relates to you, peak oil is when the earth starts running out of cheap-to-extract oil so the price of oil begins to climb and production starts to decline. It happens slowly at first and then picks up speed.

No one is really sure when the full force of peak oil is going to hit, but it will be a lot like a cyclone. At first we will just get a few whisps of wind, oil prices will go up a little bit and then go back down again. We will have several false alerts and many will start to ignore the reports. Some will get cocky and others will be well prepared. Then the storm will hit land. But unlike a cyclone it will not just hit in one small area. It will hit the whole country at once.

When the effects of peak oil really kick in, banana farmers will still be able to grow and pick their crops, but they won't be able to pay for the petrol to put in the trucks to ship the bananas to market. So the harvest will be left on the farms to rot. Then, as the high oil prices continue, farmers will stop planting bananas because they are losing money. The only people left eating bananas will be the mega rich who can afford to pay $50 per kilo and the Happy Hanna's who established bananas in their yard years before the crisis happened.

It would be lovely if this problem applied only to bananas. But, as everyone has seen this last twelve months, it doesn't. Many of our crops are grown intensely in small vulnerable areas and then transported thousands of kilometres. The cost of producing food this way is going to SKYROCKET!

Suddenly, everyone's food will have to be grown locally. There is a major problem with this; we have lost the skills, the trees and the land to grow our food locally. How many people do you know who could grow fruit and vegetables for their family if they had to? How many people do you know who could milk a goat or make their own cheese? What would everyone do if the price of food went up 300% in a month and then stayed there?

I wish I knew the answer to that question, but I don't. I wish I could stop cyclones and peak oil from coming, but I can't. (Heck, most mornings I can't even get the kids to school on time.) The things I can do is put plants in the ground now, keep chickens now and make sure my family have the skills to get free food from their yard the way my grandfather used to.

What you do is your choice, but just in case you want to learn how to grow your own food this month, we have masses of great gardening tips, advice and information for free so you can learn faster. Here are some links to previous articles to get you started:

And for those of you who would like to learn how you can keep chickens safely and easily in your own backyard, our specially designed 'chicken tractor' has been a huge success with members! Download your instructions for free here.

3. Last Month's Competition: One Good Turn

Wow. Wow, wow, WOW. Reading your competition entries from last month has been quite an eye opener, not to mention an emotional experience. We always knew our members were a caring bunch but the 240+ entries we received really take the cake! Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their 'good turns' and volunteering stories with us. You are all wonderful people and choosing a winner was extremely hard. Our first prize winner is Rebecca Aziz. Rebecca is an amazing lady who has turned her own heartbreaking experience into something positive to bring comfort and support to countless others. Here is her story:

"On the 26th of March 2009 our second child, our first daughter Yasminah, was stillborn. I have been a member of Simple Savings for many years and during my pregnancy and after my loss, my SS family were there for me. It was and still is a devastating moment in my life that has changed my world forever. Not a day goes by that I don't miss her.

"There were so many things I didn't get to do with Yasminah and many services I found out about weeks later. I knew from the moment I lost her that I wanted to make a difference and make her life count. She needed to leave her footprints on the world. I started developing my idea of a gift for families who leave the hospital without their child. It would be something similar to a bounty bag.

"A few months after we lost our daughter we discovered we were pregnant again and with twins! My idea was put on hold, because I wanted to concentrate everything on this new pregnancy and taking home two babies. At 28 weeks we were told that our twin girls had twin to twin transfusion syndrome where one baby receives more blood flow and nutrients than the other. Every day was a gift and we needed to get them as close to full term as possible.

"At 31 weeks and 5 days I started bleeding and went into preterm labour. I arrived at the hospital at 9:30pm and by 11:53pm and 11:55pm our beautiful, but tiny, identical twin girls were born. Aisha and Aaliyah. They spent four weeks in intensive care before finally coming home on my 29th birthday.

"After we were settled in at home, I wanted to keep my promise to my daughter Yasminah to make a difference. I have always kept a journal throughout my life. My journals through Yasminah's pregnancy, after we lost her and then when our twins were born eight weeks premature are some of my most treasured items.

"I have always been 'creative' and love to scrap so decided that I could decorate plain lined journals for other families to help them through their journey - either when told there was something wrong with their baby during pregnancy (like we were told during Yasminah's pregnancy) in NICU or after they lost their child in pregnancy, birth or infancy.

"The first journal was donated on the 26th May 2010, exactly one year and two months after we lost Yasminah. In June 2010, Yasminah's Gift of Hope became an official registered DGR charity. To date we have provided close to 1500 Gifts of Hope to families across Australia and even a few overseas. Sadly we have donated Gifts of Hope to many Simple Savings families too.

"Yasminah's Gifts of Hope Journals are a very special keepsake that allows families to keep ultrasound images, photos, cot cards, arm bands and foot and hand prints as a cherished keepsake of a precious life. Each journal contains a special page that the family can fill in about details of their child, like name, date of birth, place of birth and details of the funeral or memorial service if their child has passed away. We encourage families to write about their journey. The family may like to keep it as a diary during their pregnancy after being told their child has a congenital abnormality, a journey through the roller coaster ride of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit when their child is born premature, or life after the loss of their child. Some other uses are to write about the birth of their child, write poems about how they are feeling, write a letter to their child and keep any cards or messages received from family or friends.

"Most importantly, families can write down details and memories about their child to treasure forever. A Gift of Hope.

"I dedicate my time to running the charity, as well as managing a household, raising my three beautiful children and being a wife and friend. I am the president and am supported by a wonderful team of volunteers, many of whom are my friends or friends I have made through my journey. We even have a few SS volunteer members. I really enjoy decorating the journals and can say I have probably decorated a few hundred on my own. It is so therapeutic and I feel close to Yasminah when I do them - it helps me heal. The most important thing for me is that families know they are not alone and they can create beautiful memories and with the aid of their journal have hope to heal.

"There is so much more involved in running a charity than I ever thought, but I wouldn't change any of it! I decorate journals, have single handedly created most of the content on our website www.ygoh.org.au, visit hospitals, support families and love what I do. They say find a job you love and you will never work a day in your life. Because of SS I have been able to stay at home and be with my children and run the charity."

Rebecca wins $100 for sharing her beautiful story. Well deserved, we're sure you will agree!

Congratulations also to our five runners-up - Megan McGowan, Philip Baker, Leigh-Ann Hargreaves, Mandy Garters, Louise Spaulding - who each win $50.

Congratulations to all our winners. You are truly inspirational!

4. Hidden Gems Competition Winner

Our Hidden Gems directory is designed to help members find it easier to source the best deals in their area. Whenever you come across a real gem of a store, enter it in our Hidden Gems directory and you could be in to win our monthly prize of $100 cash! This is our way of saying thank you for helping other members save by sharing your knowledge. The more information you can give us, the better your chance of winning. This month's winner is The Lebanese Loaf as nominated by Lorax. Read her entry to see what makes them such a great example of a Hidden Gem.

The Lebanese Loaf
41 Ryedale Road, Denistone NSW 2114

In this little Hidden Gem of a store the Lebanese owners spoke English with me and treated me as if I was part of the family. They treat my kids with indulgence and tolerance just like we ARE part of the family, which is a very rare thing indeed to be made to feel like that in a store. It's not because I'm a 'regular', it's just the way they are with everyone. It is apparently something of an institution and people come from far and wide to go there.

So, what do they sell? The BEST Lebanese bread, fresh from the oven, piping hot and sooooo soft. Just delicious. Worth the trip for that alone! You can also get baklava and biscuits to die for (not all swimming in honey and soggy like many places). They also sell nuts and legumes and pulses and all manner of flours and dried fruits. They apparently make a mean coffee (although I can't vouch for that myself because I don't drink coffee)!

The staff are fantastic, so friendly and helpful. If I'm getting baklava and say that I am just going to grab some bread they won't hear of ME walking the two metres to get it, they go and get it for me or have someone bring it to me! They encourage me to sample things and tell me the cheaper way to buy things. For example, when buying single pieces of an item (I wanted four at $1.50 each) they advised me to buy ten pieces instead because then they were sold by the kilo and the ten pieces cost just $5.80. They didn't have to tell me that; as shopkeepers they were going to get more money for less produce if they stayed silent but I was 'family' and they shared their knowledge with me.

Price-wise they are excellent value, especially considering the quality of product that you receive. In summary: Fantastic foodstuffs, friendlier than friendly staff, great value. It's a gem for sure.

Congratulations on being this month's winner Lorax and a huge pat on the back to The Lebanese Loaf for providing consistently outstanding customer service and value for money! You can enter your own Hidden Gems into our monthly competition here. Thank you and good luck!

5. Best Member's Blog: This Month's Winner

This month's winner is Rob n B for this extract from their blog "Picture of the Day." If these photos don't make you want to get out in the garden and grow your own food, we don't know what will!

Harvest time & Fishy Bits

Have started to get a bit of a glut of certain veggies at the moment so am after different ways to try and store them. Have searched the forum for a Minced Ginger recipe but SIGH have not been able to locate one BUT, that's all good as I haven't been able to locate it on the Web either so my faith in SS is still intact :)»

I did find a thread with some tips on freezing carrots so did up a trial run of them yesterday before we pulled out the row. We had them steamed as a side with our pasta tonight and they were a tad soggy so will try them in larger chunks next time as well as a raw bag to see how it goes...

Some of the other pickings lately have been purple cauli, purple kohlrabi, beetroot, broccoli, snowpeas and buckets of sugarsnap peas. The mangle's greens have been picked a few times and used as a Lettuce replacement in a few meals..

Aquaponics...

We have been wanting to get more self reliant with our food (hence the ever expanding garden) for a while now and have taken the plunge into Aquaponics with a small trial Aquaponic/Barrelponic system made from as many recycled bits as we could scrounge/buy..

Well, it's not really a trial as we already have 3 X 1000L IBC tanks that will be turned into a Jade Perch Aquaponic system giving us fresh fish... We will be trying to produce as much food for the fish by feeding them home-grown worms, Black Soldier Fly larvae and duckweed grown in troughs (with some Yabbies, Thanks for the idea L208). Hopefully it will turn out to be a very SS venture.. We already have some freebies and bought some VERY cheaply purchased parts for the two systems. The smaller one will eventually be turned into a herb system that we will put on the deck (if/when it gets built) as a bit of a water feature..

There is a You Tube clip on our blog of the set up
http://bitsouttheback.blogspot.com/2011/07/aquaponic-start-up-with-barrelponics.html

Have a great one all...: )»

Congratulations Rob n B! To read more from them, or any of our other members' blogs, click here

6. Best of the Forum: Your Garden's Bounty

Does 'free food' sound like a dream to you, as you look down upon your not so green fingers? Never fear, our helpful members are here! There are so many fantastic threads in our Forum to inspire and inform that even the novice gardener can get something set up and growing in no time at all. Read on for home-grown food made easy!

Winter vegie garden - What's in yours?

This is thread number 9 in a fantastic series where members have been discussing everything a person needs to become a dab hand in the garden.
read more...

Mushroom kits - are they good value?

Here, member Shamaroo inspires everyone with a cheap, home-made mushroom kit.
read more...

Compost for your vegie patch, dos and don'ts

Onions in or out of the compost bin? Eggshells or not? Meat? Dairy? What CAN we safely throw into our compost bins? Find out here!
read more...

Growing fruit and vegies from store-bought produce

In this thread you can learn how to make those store bought herbs and vegies work double shift for you. From basil to shallots, tomatoes and pumpkin - don't throw out that less than perfect produce, plant it up for some bonus home-grown free food!
read more...

Renting - what vegies are good to grow in pots?

With just a little know-how and energy, even those of us with limited space can grow our own delicious and nutritious food. Our members show you the way.
read more...

7. Best of the Vault: Home-grown Produce

The Vault is just jam packed with ideas on how to get your hands on cost effective, home-grown produce. So come on Simple Savers, let's get those gardening gloves on!

$29 vegie patch

I'm growing cherry tomatoes, big tomatoes, cos lettuce, iceberg lettuce, baby carrots, cucumber, silverbeet, bok choy, spring onions, basil and coriander in my own back yard and the whole thing only cost me $29 to set up. Here is a photo.

My budget garden was simple to put together and I am very proud of my effort! I used:

An old tin water tank, obtained through Freecycle. I cut it in half, ending up with a big pot, 1.5m diameter x 0.6m high: free.
Cutting blades for the grinder to cut the tank up: $5.00.
Mulch from the tip: free.
Soil, from a landscape supplier. The machine drivers weren't there on the weekend so we shovelled a ton of it ourselves and got a discount. We split the soil with family: $10.
Garden hose from yard sale to cover sharp edges (not in photo): $2.00.
Plants, I grew some from seed and bought some seedlings: $12.

Along with our chooks and making my own yoghurt, I'm on my way to running a self-sufficient, healthy, budget conscious household.

Contributed by: Amy Corrigan

Vegie gardening for beginners

If you're daunted by the thought of growing your own vegetables, try these simple steps to get started.

Find a spot in the garden that gets plenty of sun.
Dig compost into the soil. Make your own compost by using a plastic garbage bin with a lid. Cut a big hole in the base so when the bin is full and has had time to compost down, you can simply lift the bin, wait for the compost to fall out and start again.
Save the seeds from pumpkins, tomatoes, watermelon and so on.
Buy reasonably priced seeds from gardening websites including: www.diggers.com.au, www.greenharvest.com.au, www.edenseeds.com.au and www.greenpatchseeds.com.au
Use a planting guide to know when to plant. Get one free at www.globalgarden.com.au/ggplantguide.htm
Prevent moisture from evaporating by using mulch. Keep a bucket in the kitchen and bathroom to recycle water for use in the garden.
Fertilise! I made my own worm farm using a cheap plastic garbage bin from The Warehouse and two round plastic bulb savers from Bunnings. For $45 I had a small bag of worms delivered from www.wormsdownunder.com.au. I dilute the worm casting liquid until it looks like weak tea and pour onto the vegies - they love it.
Keep pests away by companion planting. Visit http://www.sgaonline.org.au/?p=207
Don't plant the same thing in the same spot. Rotate the crops to prevent diseases growing and enjoy eating your cheap, fresh produce!

Contributed by: Alessandra Winfield

Fruit trees pay their own way

My avocado and mandarin trees have paid for themselves this winter! Both trees were purchased already grafted so I didn't have to wait years for them to bear fruit - my avocado tree cost $40 eight years ago and fruited after four years. This year, I picked over a dozen avocados from the tree which is now four metres high. The mandarin tree cost around $17 two years ago, and this year has provided up to 50 mandarins.

Both trees have the yummiest fruit you could imagine, even though we were told they wouldn't grow where we live because of frosty winters. In fact, the fruit is so good, my colleagues steal my lunch just so they could try it!

My other trees, including apple, lemon and pear, are doing well and next year I hope to be able to tell a similar success story about my young peach and orange trees. I love fruit trees because they provide every year and I never have to garden - just mow and water!

Contributed by: Karyn Howard

Grow two tonnes of food for $19.50!

The Diggers Club has a Low-Income Vegetable Offer which is a collection of their highest yielding varieties of vegetables and is available to Health Care Card holders.

The Diggers Club phone number is (03) 5984 7900. Their web address is www.diggers.com.au.

I don't have a Health Care Card, so I spent $46 on seed. With 13 packets of seed, you can grow:

120kg pumpkin
21kg beans
824kg tomatoes
560 lettuces
268kg cucumbers
42kg carrots
22kg peas
115kg parsnips
247 broccoli heads
60 bunches of silverbeet
840 onions

I have a vegetable garden only 10 metres long and four metres wide. I spend an average of four hours a week on the garden, which includes the time to blanch and freeze surplus produce. We are a family of four on only one wage as I stay home with our three and five year old children. I now spend only about $7.00 a week on fruit that is in season and on special. I save a minimum of $40 a week which, after our initial outlay, is a saving of $2034 a year of healthy, pesticide-free produce.

I didn't know how much produce I could grow with our cold frosty winters, but I managed to grow a lot. I am more limited in summer as we are on dam water.

Happy gardening!

Contributed by: Karen Fairbairn

Layered and compact vegie patch

I grow container vegetables very successfully and for next to no cost using this simple method. I recommend getting hold of some fairly large polystyrene boxes; usually the green grocer has plenty to get rid of. Next, add drainage to the bottom of the box; you will really need great drainage as your vegetable plants don't like soggy roots. I have found the following works best:

First I put fly screen over the holes at the bottom of the box so I don't lose soil. Next, I add a layer of newspaper and wet it, then a layer of manure, followed by layer of compost, cut lucerne, and repeat each layer (except the newspaper) wetting each layer as you go, until you reach the top. Then you are ready to plant!

As the soil drops down, simply re-layer on top. I have found no need to use pesticides and over time have discovered that most things grow successfully this way. I have found that carrots and beetroot really prefer growing in the ground, but have had great crops of tomatoes, basil, capsicum, snow peas, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, radishes, cos lettuce and parsley (seriously, I had such a good crop I had to use hedge trimmers!).

Contributed by: Helen Heinjus

Extra tips for Vault members

Thanks so much to all our members for keeping our Simple Savings site just bursting at the seams with handy hints and tips on just about anything! Here are some extra ideas to inspire you to grow your own food.

Let your lettuce go to seed! Contributed by: Tamara Holland

Meet a growing family Contributed by: Kristy Faris

My no-dig vegie patch Contributed by: Kelly Hoppe

Our chooks help us save $20 a week on vegies! Contributed by: Philip Beauchamp

Pot up vegies in winter to give for Christmas Contributed by: Betty Threlfo

8. Cooking with Mimi: Zucchini with Zing

What a great feeling it is to be able to provide for your family from your own backyard. I love the thrill of just ducking out the back, to snip a bit of this and a few leaves of that, for dinner or lunch. Even better is the look on our guests' faces, young and old alike, when you tell them it's from your own garden. Their eyes grow wide with admiration, and they seem to enjoy the meal all the more. To be truthful, most of my friends and family look at me with blatant disbelief because my green thumb runs more to the black, fungi and bug-ridden in my garden, rather than the lush and edible.

Nonetheless, I persevere, and one of the vegetables which have actually rewarded my efforts, however haphazard, is zucchini.

I hear you groaning already. Yes, Mum used to serve them up as translucent blobs with butter, or even more hideous, try and hide them in white sauce, but WE KNEW, I tell you. Their zucchini-ness still shone through, no matter how she tried to disguise them.

In more recent times, however, I've come to appreciate zucchini. You can eat them raw, baked, stuffed, grated into salads, cut into julienne strips for stir fry or sliced and pickled like cucumbers, and with just a little TLC, the plants reward you with a bumper crop.

Our new favourite is 'zacos'. What is a zaco? It's taco filling inside a zucchini! Crisp like a taco, smoky flavoured like a taco, but unbelievably, even better than a taco. Why? Because you can't grow tacos in your own backyard! Try them. I bet you like them!

Zacos

Equipment required:

Large baking dish lined with baking paper or well oiled
Sharp pointed knife
Apple corer or teaspoon to hollow out the zucchini halves
Large, non-stick frypan
Large spoon
Teaspoon

Ingredients:
For four people

1 (or two for big fellas) large zucchini per person
1 tbsp oil
300g mince
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaped tsp smoky paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 dsp corn flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes (only if you like it spicy... ariba!)
Taco sauce or salsa
1 cup cheese, grated
Steamed rice, corn chips and salad to serve if you like

Method:

Line your baking dish and heat the oven up to 200C.

Grab your zucchini and lop off the ends. Then carefully, with the pointed knife, slice them right down the middle lengthwise so you end up with two long halves. Now the next trick is to give the zacos a hollow in which to spoon your yummy, fragrant Mexican mince. I use an apple corer for this and make my hollows simply by running the apple corer straight down the middle of each zucchini half, creating a little channel. You can do it just as easily with a small teaspoon. Just scrape it down the middle, forming the channel with the rounded end of the spoon. Save all those bits you just dug out, because they can go into the Mexican mince. Just dice them up roughly.

Line all your little zucchini dug outs up in your baking tray.

Now it's time to make the filling.

Heat your hotplate up to full power, and put your pan on top. Drop in the onion and stir fry until it's sort of see-through-ish but not brown. Then add your mince. Cook that for about 3-5 minutes until it's all golden brown and crumbly. Very carefully remove from the heat and pour off any liquid or fat left behind in the pan.

Return the pan and the crumbly mince to the hotplate, and get the mince smoking and steaming again. Now let's add our sweetly fragrant spices; the garlic, smoky paprika, cumin, coriander and chilli (if you're having it). Get the mince all coated in the spices. It should smell pretty darned good now. The neighbours will be thinking there's a Mexican Cantina next door.

Add the corn flour and mix well to coat everything then add the water. Now add the bits you've cored from the middle of the zucchini. Stir until the mixture bubbles and thickens.

This is the bit where you become a culinary legend.

Spoon the scrummy mince into the little tunnels in your zucchini. You shouldn't need more than about two teaspoons of filling to each half. That makes this a wonderfully inexpensive meal. Now finish them off with a sprinkle of grated cheese and pop them into the oven.

We like our zacos crisp, so I just give them enough time to warm through, which is usually about 20 minutes. If you want yours soft and gooey, leave them for another 10-15 minutes. The crispness does make them more taco-ish.

While your zacos are baking, prepare your serving plates. A bit of salad and a few corn chips maybe gives it a touch of authenticity.

When the zacos look all bubbly brown and heated through, remove them from the oven, spoon over a little taco sauce or salsa and some sour cream or guacamole, and serve on your waiting plates. We love ours just topped with sliced fresh avocado.

Deliver to El familia and bow to many muchas gracias!

Right, so that's a few zucchini socked away. Whaddya do with the rest? Because they'll just keep a-comin'!

How about this one? Nice as a light lunch with some home-made bread, or as a yummy side dish with a difference.

Wok Tossed Zucchini Ribbons

Equipment required:

Large bowl
Large wok or non stick frypan
Stir frying tools like a spoon and an egg spatula
Sharp knife
Kitchen tongs
Serving platter

Ingredients:

4-6 zucchini
2-3 tbsp cooking oil
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 clove garlic, crushed or 1 tsp dried garlic granules
1 red chilli, finely sliced (optional)
2 chicken stock cubes, crumbled

Method:

Have the sesame oil, sesame seeds, stock cubes, garlic and chilli all measured out and ready to go, next to your hotplate.

Slice the ends off your zucchini.

Very carefully slice them lengthwise into long ribbons. You should get 4-6 narrow strips from each zucchini. Then slice each ribbon in half lengthwise again. This is a task older children from about eight upwards really enjoy. The precision of it fascinates them. You won't hear a peep out of them for ages!

Plop them all into the bowl and add the oil. With clean hands, give them a good toss.

Now this last bit only takes mere minutes, so make sure the rest of the meal is almost ready to serve and your plates or platter are laid out waiting.

Heat your hotplate right up to high and pop on the wok or frypan. You want it literally smoking. Once it's really hot, drop in the zucchini ribbons. They should sizzle like mad! Grab your spatula and spoon and get in there and toss them around, keeping them moving. After about a minute, add all the other ingredients. Keep tossing; making sure the zucchini is well coated with the sesame seeds and other flavours.

After about three minutes of tossing they should be starting to soften and go a little translucent. You can serve these crispish or soft and curly according to what your family prefers, so give them a little longer if you'd like them soft and curly.

When they're steaming hot and smoky and the smell of garlic and sesame is wafting through the house, they're ready.

Use the tongs to pile the ribbons onto your plates or platter and enjoy a new era of zucchini eating at your place!

9. Penny's Blog: Social Whirl

July 20th

Hard to believe but as of this Friday I will be the mother of two teenagers! Yes, my littlest baby is about to turn 13. Although I'm not quite sure how we're supposed to celebrate it as it seems my children have a party pretty much every week! Well not exactly a party but we certainly have enough people staying every weekend to hold a party! School holidays are here again and by yesterday I think the tally was up to seven kids staying at our place; most of which have been staying for the last five days or more. I don't mind at all though, I think it's brilliant! Although I did stop baking after day two when the last batch of muffins were scoffed in less than two hours!

People are always asking us how we manage to feed so many people ALL the time and the answer is quite simply smart shopping, smart cooking and making the most of whatever fruit, vegetables and herbs we have in the garden. If we didn't have our SS skills we just wouldn't be able to do it but through shopping around and snapping up specials when we see them, we manage to keep everyone well fed without making too much of a dent in the food budget. Which is just as well because one of them alone can eat up to 12 Weet-Bix in one sitting. Yesterday while I was working they decided to make breakfast and had toast, cornflakes and Weet-Bix followed by chicken soup, fish cakes and sausages! Noel's chicken soup is a huge hit among the teenage tribe and we've been asked for the recipe so much I thought I would copy it here. Perfect for this time of year with so many colds and sniffles going around!

Noel's Chicken Soup

1 - 2 cooked chicken carcasses (or cooked chicken pieces, whatever you have)
Approximately two litres water
2 chicken stock cubes
1 packet Kings Country Chicken soup mix
About 1/3 cup Pam's soup mix (for those outside NZ this is just a cheap and cheerful basic soup mix)
1 large onion, chopped
About 1 1/2 tsp mixed herbs (essential!)
1 tsp minced garlic (or two cloves, crushed)

All or any of the following winter vegies (you can only usually fit in 4 or 5):

1 potato
1 large carrot
1 reasonable sized piece of pumpkin
1 - 2 celery stalks
1 parsnip
1 kumara
1/2 a swede or turnip

Throw everything together in a large pot or slow cooker and bring to the boil. Cook slowly for as long as you want or until the vegetables and pulses from the soup mix are softened and cooked through. Remove all the chicken bones and enjoy, no need to thicken or blend. Makes a super thick, chunky soup. Yum!

One of the boys staying said the other day 'You must feel like the local orphanage!' I guess it does feel a bit like that but it never fails to make me smile when they all drag their mattresses down to the lounge and camp out together, watching the rugby and scoffing pizza. Eventually we run out of mattresses but that doesn't bother them, they just sleep on the couches or in chairs as well! I'm not sure what the neighbours must think sometimes; just the other day a lady walked past and asked Noel if we were selling bikes as there were so many parked outside our gate. Last weekend Noel and I returned from an evening out to find them all leaping around the lounge with guitars. Apparently they had been watching MTV and decided to have a huge and very noisy Karaoke session, followed by a haka competition. For those of you who don't know what a haka is; it's that very loud chant that the All Blacks (and these days it seems the world and his wife as well) always do before a game to intimidate the other team. Fortunately they decided they had better stop that around midnight before they got a visit from noise control. I so would have loved to be a fly on the wall!

Still, it's all good, free fun and at least we know where they all are. And the best thing of all is that after years of struggling we seem to have found the cure for Liam's anxiety - lots and lots of friends! He simply doesn't have time to worry about anything any more, he's too busy playing sports and having fun! When we first moved here Noel and I did wonder if we were being a little selfish. We told the boys it would be wonderful and that they would have a fabulous time but really it was our dream, Noel's and mine, and there was a time that we wondered if we had done the right thing by them after all, dragging them away from everything and everyone they knew. I think, however, we can safely say that we have; they are both thriving in so many ways.

It's not only the boys who are thriving either. For the first time in longer than we can remember Noel and I have a social life! In fact it's so busy it's hard to keep up! I confess years of farming and being surrounded by other farmers had turned Noel and I into homebodies. It's pretty hard to have a social life when most of your mates have to get up at four o'clock in the morning to go and milk cows! In addition Noel's job means he is on the road all the time so often the last thing he wants to do at the end of the day is go out, particularly when his phone doesn't stop ringing with work calls. But that was before we met a wee dynamo by the name of Kiri and her husband Nigel. Like us, they had been coming to Whangamata for years and decided to take the bull by the horns and move here six months ago. Their enthusiasm and love of socialising is infectious and before we knew it lo and behold we had things to do on a Saturday night! And Monday night, Tuesday night, Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon! Fortunately there are plenty of free things to do, such as a weekly quiz night (which I'm very bad at as I get so excited every time I know the answer I burst it out too loudly and tell all the other teams in the process) and the Karaoke every Saturday is entertaining to say the least! Through them we have met so many lovely people already and what with them and the rugby we really feel like a part of the community. I think you could say that our whole family has found its very happy place in the world!

The only problem with having so much fun is that ultimately other things tend to go by the wayside, such as the vegetable garden. At the moment we have red peppers and bok choy coming out of our ears but not an awful lot else. Noel has been talking about building another raised vegetable garden since we moved here nine months ago and not a day goes by when I don't look at my hanging baskets and pots and borders and think 'good heavens, I really must do something about those!' For me at least, running is going to have to come first for the next few months as I can't get behind with my training but I am determined to try and do my bit in the garden before the end of the school holidays. After all, August is 'Free Food Month' and with the amount of people always under our roof, we're really going to need it before too long!

July 2011

10. Homeopathy Corner: Fixing Fingers

Few sounds are as bad as the scream of a child who has jammed their fingers in the door. The sound seems to go right through to your bones. And, it is not a five second scream, it continues until the pain relief kicks in. If you are using Paracetamol like many people do, the screaming goes for about half an hour. But, if you have a homeopathic kit handy and have learned how to use it you can relieve their pain in about 30 seconds and the screaming stops. Well - that is what happened when I jammed my two-year-old's fingers in the bathroom door.

Remedies work faster than any other form of medicine I have ever witnessed. So this month we are showing you how to use the remedies to help people when they have damaged their fingers. To read Fran's article, click here.

11. From Last Month: Washing Coming Out of My Ears!

Last month Kim asked:

"Help! We are a family of four with two teenage boys and I am at the end of my tether with the amount of washing we make each day. I have an 8kg washing machine and we would wash on average two to three FULL loads a day. At this time of year it is hard to get washing dry outside - we live in a very sheltered area with no breeze and the washing can literally hang there for a week and not dry. I have three clothes horses which I use where ever possible and the outside lines are always hung with washing. The tumble dryer has been going constantly for months just trying to keep on top of things and keep everyone clothed. My husband has a work uniform, my kids each have school uniforms and we are a very sporty family so always have a lot of muddy, sweaty sports gear to wash. Hubby and I try to make our own clothing last as long as possible between washes but the kids are something else! Does anyone have any suggestions for some sort of solution, routine or habit that we can all get into to help reduce the load? Thank you in grateful anticipation!"

Wow Kim, you are definitely not alone! We received a massive response to your request! Thank you to everyone who sent in your helpful solutions. Unfortunately we are unable to print them all here (they would take up the whole newsletter!) but here is a bumper selection. Hopefully they will help Kim and others to lighten the load!

Make them do it for their own good

When my boys, now 28, were teenagers I decided that they needed to be made responsible for their own washing, since I did not want their future wives blaming me for not teaching them to be helpful in the home. Doing their own washing made them appreciate the value of keeping clean and making their clothes last longer. They are both married now and help their wives because they know how to operate a washing machine and hang clothes on the line. This helps the stability of their young families, especially given that today's young women expect their men to help around the home. When you know you are doing it 'for their own good', it is easier to enforce and put up with the initial complaints when they are learning to make sure they have that favourite top washed for Saturday night!

Contributed by: Liesa Hancock

Washing-friendly tips

Make sure that your children are wearing their garments more than once if they're not dirty. The same goes for towels - they can be used more than once and make sure they are re-hung to dry after use and not left wet and smelly on the bathroom floor.

Get the kids involved in the whole washing/hanging/sorting process. Nothing will encourage them to be more careful with their clothes than putting the responsibility for their washing back on their shoulders. After all, they are teenagers and it's not too early to learn!

Whoever is doing the washing, make sure they're scouting around to ensure they've tracked down all the dirty clothes, then sort them into loads - darks, whites and so on. Don't do a load until you have a full load. Hang smaller garments in the garage to dry on your clothes horses, keeping your outside lines for larger items like sheets or towels that really benefit from drying outdoors. Have a cover over your clothes line (I have rigged a cheap tarp over my line) and then, even if it rains, your washing will still dry, albeit taking a bit longer. It could be my imagination but, since I installed the tarp, the washing is drying quicker, so I think the tarp is also protecting the washing from night dew as well!

Relocate your dryer to a warmer area - the warmer the room, the shorter the drying time. Also, make sure you're keeping your dryer lint filter clean as a dirty filter can slow down drying time.

Most sports gear is only worn for matches once or twice per week so make sure they're washed as soon as the match is over to ensure they dry in plenty of time.

Finally, with regard to sorting, buy only one colour of socks for each child. It's easier to sort socks out if they're all one colour/style. No more missing socks - yay!

Contributed by: Barbara Hodge

Laundromat could be cheaper option

I find dryers at the laundromat are a good saving. They are large and cheap, if you only use them when you really need to. I find I can get two machine loads in one dryer and it costs only $2.00-$3.00, so four loads of washing dried for $5.00 is worth it. Plus you can fold and put it all away on the same day!

Contributed by: Helga Collins

Iron as you go

When I was first married 36 years ago, I lived in the UK in a small town house. Getting washing dry, especially in the long freezing winters, was very hard. My new neighbour taught me this trick, which I still do even now. When the washer is finished, start the ironing, on the soaking wet clothes. Shirts respond very well to this; put them on hangers and other washing on a clothes horse carefully as not to crease them. They have already started the drying process, they iron much better, as they are not creased yet, and best of all, when they are dry they can be hung up in the wardrobe done!

Contributed by: Susan Theobald

Do the maths on laundry

Kim,

14-21 loads of washing per week? 61-91 loads per month. 182-273 loads per quarter. 728-1092 loads per year? Are you running a house or a hotel?

Your water bill and electricity/gas bill must be horrendous, not to mention the exhaustion from putting through all those loads of washing, drying, collecting, folding, ironing, and putting away in drawers and wardrobes. You don't specify who does all of this, but let's assume it is you.

Put another way, if each load is an hour of your time (we know it's more when all is said and done), if you were to divide all those hours by a 7.5 hr work day, you are looking at 97.06-145.6 days per year, or 19.41-29.12 weeks per year. That's over a work month a year in the laundry!

What do you think is a reasonable amount of washing per family member per week?

1 x light load

1 x dark load

Per fortnight: 1 x bed linen and towel, face washer, and so on.

This reduces to a much more reasonable 10 loads per week, 20 a fortnight, 30 a quarter, and 520 a year. But how to make this happen? There are two kinds of incentives in life: the positive kind and the punishing kind.

I believe that your problem will be halved by familiarising each member of the family with the workings of that mysterious machine in the laundry. He who has to wash, dry, collect, fold, iron, and put away his own clothes, may think twice about sending so many dirty items to the laundry, thus saving water, electricity/gas, wear and tear on the washing and drying machines and exhaustion. Should they go over their allocation, fine them $5.00 for every load in excess or make them do everyone's ironing for a week.

A positive incentive involves not just looking at where you can make savings beyond time, money, and the laundry slave's sanity, but how this can benefit your family in other ways: a meal out, a day out, a weekend away, treating a beloved long-distance relative or family friend to a stay at your place, bolstering your emergency fund, or something else that your family would enjoy. Including more time with Mum!

Contributed by: Kylie Lawrence

Basket system works for us

I thought I'd share a system I use to make washing more efficient: I have four washing baskets in the laundry for darks, whites, coloureds and delicates. Every member of the family sorts their own washing into the respective baskets. If a basket is full, every member of the family is expected to tip it into the machine, add powder and turn the machine on. If when they open the machine there's a finished load in it then they're expected to hang it out or put it in the dryer. I still need to check the machine every morning for 'forgotten' loads but this system has saved time and money because everyone contributes. Best of all I have reduced the total number of loads because every load is a full one, and this saves on power and water too.

Contributed by: Megan McGowan

Family routine eases the pain

I feel your pain! I too have been overloaded with washing but from two reflux babies and two teenagers and my washer is 8kg as well. This is how I dealt with it.

I hung removable hooks up in all of the bedrooms, either behind doors or on walls, wherever I could. The kids were going through many changes of clothing but often unnecessarily so I told them to hang clothes they wanted to wear again or that weren't dirty but were worn on the hooks.
I gave the teenagers their own washing basket and they were given priority on alternate days to put a load of their own washing on before school. I would hang it or dry it when they were at school and then they were responsible for folding and putting it away after school. I know it seems like hard work to implement and we had a few times where they were complaining about not having the appropriate uniform but they smartened up very quickly when they realised they were going to have to bear the brunt of their own inaction. They also came to appreciate the time it takes and later when I took up the responsibility again, I did not have unworn or barely worn clothes being stuck back in the washing or the dreaded only-put-it-in-the-basket-the-night-before-it-is-needed.
Once I took the responsibility back on myself I still made the teenagers responsible for folding and putting away their own clothes. Every bedroom in the house had its own basket and I would just throw them into the appropriate basket. Clothes that needed to be ironed I would drip dry and only iron if I really needed to but teenage boys only wear a shirt one day and it looks creased 10 minutes after they put it on so I didn't bother, except on special occasions.
I always put a load in the washing machine just before I went to bed. If your machine has a delay start that works out well and in winter I didn't even bother with the delay start. It means I started the day with a load already washed and so was one step ahead to begin with. Some machines don't have a delay start but they do have a soak option and initially (before my machine broke and I bought the 8kg one) I used to load up the machine, put it on soak and let it fill. I would open up the lid (which would pause it) and then in the morning I would close the lid which would finish the cycle (spin) so by the time I had had my tea I had a finished load and the teenagers could put theirs in or I could do another before I had to take the kids to school.

Contributed by: Chenoa Mcdonnell

Start a penalty system

I recommend you have a family meeting including your teenage sons. Discuss the problem, pointing out as they wear the sports clothes they should wash them. Set up a roster and a penalty/reward system. For example, if they don't take their turn at doing the washing they lose their mobile phone/internet; whatever they 'need' the most. Also try to impress on them that if they keep their school shorts/pants clean, take them off when they get home from school and hang them up, they can be worn more than one day. You might have to remind them a few times to change out of their school uniforms but it will be worth it in the end!

Contributed by: Gloria Cashman

Make the most of ceiling space

We live in a very wet, cold part of the country - a temperate rainforest in fact - and I find the only way to dry clothes at this time of the year is on a clothes drying rack that is suspended from the ceiling. We have a double storey section so the clothes rack hangs in the stairwell and as heat rises to the highest point, the clothes dry over night, as opposed to taking three days if they were on ground level. We just used an old baby's play pen, some rope and two pulleys and screwed them into the ceiling joists. I can fit a load of washing on the rack and have it dry by morning!

Contributed by: Susan Langridge

Let your car help dry the washing!

I've found that putting washing on a clothes horse in the garage dries in no time. During the day, whenever there is a small rise in temperature, it is amplified by the metal garage door and placing the washing closer to the garage door helps it dry even faster. At night, we park a vehicle in the garage that has usually travelled at least 30 minutes and the heat from the engine is trapped inside the garage and helps dry washing overnight!

Contributed by: Zoe Crook

Don't let it get you down

The way I manage my laundry is not to worry about getting it all done. I do one load a day, and that's enough to keep it moving through, and there'll be days when the pile is huge and days when it starts to decrease. I do the load that is the most urgent and it means there's room on the clothes horse/clothes line to get it dry and the folding pile doesn't get out of control either. Sometimes it feels like I NEED to do more, but the clothes are still there the next day and they get washed eventually, and it has been a huge sanity saver!

Contributed by: Annie Regan

Bumper Bonus Tips for Vault Members:

Fine the kids and the power bill will be fine too! Contributed by: Tj A

Bartering system keeps the washing pile low Contributed by: Anne-Marie S

Cut down on washing for regular guests Contributed by: Karen Cornford

Make kids the solution to washing woes Contributed by: Melinda Rau-wig

Save time, money and ironing by part-drying Contributed by: Nadine W

Hang the washing! Dry it faster Contributed by: Leisha M

Easy ways to end the washing nightmare Contributed by: Caro K

Pin down those washing savings! Contributed by: Beryl D

Follow our system and your washing will be sorted Contributed by: Mary-Anne E

Easy savings on washing and drying Contributed by: Jenny E

12. This Month's Help Request: Old Fashioned Floor Polish

This month Denise asks:

"Does anyone have a good old fashioned recipe for floor polish?"

If you have any tips which can help Denise, please send them in to us here.

13. Savings Story: From Pipe Dream to Reality

In just a few months my husband and I have managed to save money, pay off some debts and generally increase our standard of living by making a couple of lifestyle changes. We both work as caregivers for the same organisation, working with intellectually disabled people. Earlier this year he was working some 40 minutes' drive from where we live, in a residential home and I was working for a nursing agency travelling all over Christchurch, sometimes up to 45 minutes' drive away.

Just before the devastating February earthquake I made the decision to work for the same organisation as my husband, even though it meant a drop in my pay of $3.00 per hour, but when I applied for my job I negotiated to work close to home, the furthest residential home I work at being 20 minutes' drive away, and the closest at which I am based being five minutes' drive from home. My husband also got a transfer and now works 12 minutes' drive from home.

The difference to our fiscal and physical health is amazing. I would estimate that between us we have saved $300-$400 per month on petrol. We could afford to buy ourselves bikes for Christmas and sometimes, weather permitting, I cycle to work, 20 minutes each way, saving petrol and giving me a good workout at the same time. My husband was recently able to buy himself a second hand motorbike which he is currently tuning up, satisfying his enthusiasm for saving money as he estimates that when it is up and running he will be spending around $20 a week to get him to work and back, saving our household budget approximately $60 per week in transport costs, and it satisfies his urge to relive his youth!

When I was working all over the place I was physically tired from the extra hours added to my days from driving and I frequently had to ask my boss for advances in my pay just to put petrol in my car to get to work. Now, despite being on a lower hourly rate of pay, a tankful of petrol lasts me for a month or more instead of a week or less, and because I am less tired and close to work I can take on extra shifts as and when required. We both feel good mentally and physically and this satisfies our desire to live a greener lifestyle and cut our carbon footprint.

As we are now able to pay off debts and are getting ahead financially, we are excitedly planning an overseas trip next year, which is no longer a pipe dream but becoming a reality!

Janice Given

14. So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye :-D

Congratulations on making it this far through the newsletter! I hope you have really enjoyed it. If you have any suggestions for things you would like us to include or exclude from future newsletters, please drop us a line. Good or bad, it doesn't matter. I love feedback and your input helps us to keep improving. If you have enjoyed this month's newsletter, why not forward it to your friends to help them save money too? Or tell them about us on Facebook by clicking the 'like' button on our Simple Savings Facebook page?

Best of luck with your Free Food challenge. See you next month, if I don't bump into you on the Forum first!

All the best,
Fiona Lippey

July 2013 - Simple Savings Newsletter

"Secrets to Saving Money in Australia" Free Newsletter – July 2013

This issue includes:-

Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: You've got the Power!
July: Cook Smarter
Competition Winners: Making a Difference
Penny Wise: Eating My Words!
Best of the Vault: Be a Smart 'Cookie'
Best of the Forum: Recipes for Success!
Best Members' Blog: Doing it Differently
Hidden Gem: MicroGram Computers
Cooking with Mimi: Putting PowerCooking Through its Paces!
Claire's Corner: Inventive Meals from Bare Cupboards
50c Indulgences: The Thrill of Thrift
Rob Bob's Gardening Blog: Feeding the Beds and our Bellies!
From Last Month: Natural Shampoo
This Month's Help Request: How to Secure my Home?

Hello,

How are you going? Guess what – it is HERE! We finally made it and I thank you for your patience. It's ready for you and it's called PowerCooking!! PowerCooking is a great way to save money, save time and avoid needing takeaway. I hope you really love it!

We love receiving your emails and Facebook messages. Here are some of this month's favourites:

“I have just renewed my subscription after debating as to whether I could really afford it. I have come to the conclusion that I couldn't afford not to! I am excited that I can once again access the Vault. Keep up the good work.” (Pamela)

"Thanks for The $21 Challenge. The recipes and hints in the book are fantastic. The first things I made were the curry puffs - amazing to think they came out of 'nothing'! My husband nearly ate the lot and said, 'Don't lose that recipe'!" (Lyn)

"Thanks for the change in the Blogs (on the Facebook page). You all do a marvellous service for anyone who is open to your help. I have enjoyed being a member for years now, I wonder how long I have been part of your incredible membership? Thanks for all you have done. Hugs all.” (Glenys)

Glenys, you have been a member since 2004 – thank you for your support!

Have a great month!
All the best,
Fiona Lippey

P.S. If you want to jump to the new PowerCooking site without reading the rest of the Newsletter, here's the address www.powercooking.com.au

1. Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: You've got the Power!

“Wow, it smells good in here!” said Pete, following his nose to the kitchen as he arrived home from work. “I'm starving too – good grief, what on earth's going on here?” Sally's kitchen was a hive of activity. Pots bubbled, timers beeped and recipes and Post-It notes covered the bench tops. Music blared and Sally was singing at the top of her voice as she stirred. She jumped as Pete tapped her on the shoulder.

“Oh hello, Love!” she grinned, still holding a dripping spoon. “I'm PowerCooking!” “Is that right?” chuckled Pete. “Looks like total chaos to me!” “Not at all, I know EXACTLY what I'm doing,” Sally told him loftily. “I am cooking ALL of this week's meals in just one hour! Our whole Savings Group is doing it. It's brilliant!” “I'm sure it is,” Pete said drily. “I still remember your last cooking splurge. We ate spag bol for six nights in a row!”

“You can tease all you like!” Sally poked out her tongue at him. “For your information, I am indeed making spag bol – but also beef bourguignon AND beef stroganoff. All in one hour!” She said proudly. “Really? OK, well we’ll see,” chuckled Pete. Sally scowled and turned her back on him. “Honestly, some days you really do bug me.” “Sorry, Dear, what was that?” Pete asked. Sally spun around and beamed at him. “I said come over here and hug me!”

2. July: Cook Smarter

Pete is right to be afraid, very afraid, of Sal's rampant enthusiasm in the kitchen! Most of us have flirted with bulk cooking or once-a-month-cooking and ended up with a freezer full of spag bol and nothing else! But Sal is actually on to something that will fill her freezer with a VARIETY of delicious meals for her family. And it will take her just one hour. Pah you say, can't be done! Well, we'd love to introduce you to a clever new concept we have called 'PowerCooking'. This little life saver will let a single person cook up to 24 single serves, a couple 12 serves or a family up to six main meals in just one hour. But we can't tell you any more until we introduce you to Kate.

Hi Kate! You have met Kate Andrew before in our newsletters and now she's back! Kate helped Fiona and the team with ideas for the $21 Challenge – she is a fantastic and clever cook. After the $21 Challenge hit the shelves, a lot of single people kept asking about a cooking system that would help them save money. Kate volunteered to help out and devised a system so single people could cook a batch of meals on the weekend so dinner would be 'ready' when they came home from work tired or were busy or just couldn't be bothered cooking. Fiona started talking to people about Kate's cooking system and EVERYONE else wanted it. Everyone wanted to be able to cook lots of delicious meals in one quick session! Kate started modifying the system for couples and families and so began ‘PowerCooking’.

But what you really want to know is... how? Well, it is magic! I'm sure aliens are involved. What? You don't believe me? OK. Here’s how it works - Kate has designed some incredibly clever recipes which can be cooked concurrently on your stove top, in the oven and so on. All these recipes taste fantastic right away; or a couple of days later from the fridge or after you have frozen and reheated them. Kate has also created cooking schedules for you to follow during your Power Hour and shopping lists so you can buy all your Power Hour ingredients in the ONE shop.

The recipes' freedom and versatility is beyond clever. But, instead of me going on about it here, go over to our new site www.powercooking.com.au.

(This system is so clever it deserved its own site.)

3. Competition Winners: Making a Difference!

In our June newsletter we wanted to hear how you made a difference to someone's life during June. We were overwhelmed with your wonderful stories of giving and caring. These are the three stories we chose to each win $50 credit to spend in Ye Olde Shoppe.

I donate my breast milk to the Mercy Hospital breast milk bank. This is for the babies in intensive care whose mums haven't got enough milk for them. Each week I express, freeze and deliver breast milk to the hospital's milk bank. I know I will never meet the babies or mums who are the recipients of my pasteurized breast milk but just knowing that the babies have a chance is good enough reason to be an anonymous helper.

Contributed by Jenny Gee Wah

I walk along Swanston Street Melbourne three mornings a week and there is a homeless woman who lives there with her little dog, Roxy. She has rejected attempts to place her in more suitable accommodation as she cannot take Roxy with her. I bring her a small item each day I pass, such as some dog food, packs of wipes, a polar-fleece throw, a packet of biscuits, some fresh fruit and so on. I always chat for two or three minutes. I realise my actions don't solve her difficulties, however, I always chat for two or three minutes unlike the majority of passersby who just avert their gaze. And she has commented that Roxy likes me, so I must be OK!

Contributed by Carol Woolcock

It was just on three years ago when I spotted a stall outside my local supermarket. They had beautiful coat hangers and other sewn goods, for which I am a sucker, and a brochure promoting their community program. I signed up and was matched with a resident of a local aged hostel who has no friends or family to visit her.

My friend Dorothy is about to turn 93 and I visit her at least once a fortnight. In the beginning I was a volunteer doing community service for a cause which I am passionate about (aged care). Lucky me - I am now proud to call Dorothy my friend and she has taught me so much. I am constantly engaged and inspired by the stories Dot tells me. She has led such a life and I am so lucky that she chooses to share her stories with me.

Contributed by Christine Anlezark

Thank you for all your wonderful contributions.

4. Penny Wise: Eating My Words!

I admit, I am a bit of a stubborn sort. When it comes to all things Simple Savings I am more than happy to give most things a go but there are a few things I still haven't quite managed to get my head around even after all these years. Buying in bulk has never been my forte; to me that always looks as though it requires far too much organisation and thinking ahead and somehow I never manage to think ahead too much further than a few hours, let alone a few weeks! Once A Month Cooking just SOUNDS too darn massive a mission for me to investigate, let alone contemplate and I am ashamed to confess that even though it has been a Simple Savings calendar challenge for several years now, I have yet to give Double Dinners a go.

Not so Fiona. She LOVES to shop in bulk. Her pantry is insane. I don't know if anyone has ever envied a pantry before but I do. Maybe one day she will give in to my nagging and share a picture of it because you have to see it to believe it. Fi also loves to cook in bulk. Double Dinners is one of her favourite challenges and for some time now she's been trying to convince me to get excited about a new concept she likes to call PowerCooking. While I liked the name from the start, she has really had her work cut out getting me to give it a go. You see, PowerCooking not only involves cooking meals in bulk; it asks you to churn them all out in the space of an hour! Whilst Fiona insisted this was a total breeze, my instincts all immediately screamed “Eek! Too hard, too hard!” I mean honestly, my kitchen is the epitome of chaos most of the time as it is, without trying to cook up a week's worth of meals as well!

Fi even sent me through my very own PowerCooking Plan to try, with three perfectly delicious sounding recipes - but being the stubborn sort I am, I don't like being told what to eat. You see, menu planning is fine with me because even though you have to plan your meals in advance, I get to choose what I want to eat. Not that I'm a control freak or anything. I tried several thinly veiled excuses – I couldn't go food shopping, I'd already been food shopping for the week and couldn't go again, I didn't have any dishes big enough, blah blah blah. But something kept nagging at the back of my mind – what if this PowerCooking lark was actually any good? And there was another major draw card – Kate's recipes. Kate is one of these people who just 'gets' food. She contributed several recipes to the $21 Challenge book and I've lost count of how many times I've made them. Her recipes are always amazing and in the end curiosity got the better of me and I had to try some more of them out.

So, even though I had been given three recipes not of my own choosing and was grumbling inwardly about HAVING to make Beef Bourguignon, Apricot Chicken and Asian Chicken and Corn Soup, I duly trundled off to the supermarket with my list of supplies to get, including all the meat and red wine needed for the beef recipe. The total came to $78 and I grumbled inwardly about that too – until I realised that I was getting 24 meals for my $78. And we're talking complete meals here, with vegies and rice/pasta – even bread rolls for the soup. Even so, I was struggling to get enthusiastic about cooking Apricot Chicken. I've never liked that dish in my whole life. And how was I going to go with the Asian Chicken and Corn Soup when I don't like corn and there were two whole cans of the stuff in it?! But there was nothing else for it – I had the food and now I was going to have to cook it.

I had all my instructions and recipes set out on the bench. First I had to make the Beef Bourguignon as it had the longest cooking time, then the Apricot Chicken and finally the soup. I stood there for all of five minutes throwing onions, mushrooms, bacon and so on into a big pot and then covered it in foil and put it in the oven. Was that really it? That couldn't be right – it seemed too easy! Did I really have to just chuck everything in like that and then forget about it? Apparently so. And then I spied a problem. At the end of the recipe it said to thicken the sauce. But I didn't have any sauce! Well, kind of but you could hardly call a cup of wine much of a sauce in a massive pot full of beef! I was a bit worried – something must have been left out, surely? I told Fiona my concerns but she seemed unfazed and assured me Kate would have known what she was doing. I had no choice but to stew for a couple of hours along with my beef.

A few more onions chopped, this time along with some apricots, sweet potato and other goodies and wham bam, my Apricot Chicken was done and in the oven in a matter of minutes. This time I didn't have to worry about the sauce, there was heaps! I just had to worry about how on earth I was going to get the kids to eat sweet potato where I had failed miserably for the last decade and a half. Still, by now I was two dishes down, just the soup to go! As I had now done twice before, I threw everything into a big pot, including the two tins of dreaded corn and then sat down and read a magazine while I waited for everything to do its thing. This alone is worth a mention because I never have time to sit down and read a magazine, let alone when I'm cooking dinner, but here I was! And as an extra bonus I still had a couple of glasses of Pinot Noir left over from the Beef Bourguignon, what decadence!

After a while I popped back into the kitchen and there was no denying, the smells wafting out of the oven were spectacular! Before I knew it, the Asian Chicken and Corn soup was done and I tested it nervously. I was particularly curious about this recipe as Fiona had told me how wonderful it was but I had never had this type of soup before – and it had CORN in it to boot! Still, I took a sip – and then handed Ali a spoon. “You HAVE to try this soup, it's amazing” He agreed – and the two of us scoffed a whole bowl each just like that. Well who would have thunk it!

Thirty minutes later the Apricot Chicken was ready and I had to admit, it looked and smelled divine. I was planning to serve this up for dinner and in hindsight I should have probably stashed the extra portions safely away in the freezer first because I hadn't counted on Liam to like it quite so much. As it was, I just put the whole enormous dish on the table and let everyone help themselves. Which Liam certainly did – he helped himself to three enormous platefuls! I'd never seen anything like it! This is the kid who does not 'do' apricots or sweet potatoes. But this dish totally won him over and by the end of the meal I only had enough left to fill one container for freezing!

By the time the Beef Bourguignon was finished we were all way too full to try it but Fiona was right, a tonne of rich, dark sauce had magically appeared for me to thicken. And we were done! My very first PowerCooking experiment was complete – and you know what? It felt really, really good. It felt good that night to open the fridge and the freezer and see all this glorious, really good food stacked in it. It felt really good the next morning to know that I had delicious soup waiting for me for lunch that day and any other day I wanted. It felt really good to go away for the night and be able to tell the boys they had Beef Bourguignon and pasta already cooked for their dinner, not crummy takeaways or a frozen pie. And it still feels good to know I have all this yummy food ready to scoff whenever we feel like it!

At first, I thought to myself that while my PowerCooking experiment had definitely been a resounding success, I probably wouldn't do it again. One thing WAS for sure, I was going to keep making the recipes as we enjoyed them so much there was no doubt that we would make them a part of our regular family dishes. But as for the whole shopping/cooking/freezing in bulk thing? I still wasn't sure how much I would realistically do that. I'm the sort of cook who wakes up in the morning and thinks “Right, I want to eat THAT today” and goes and does it. But in the days that have followed I think this PowerCooking lark might just have won me over! For starters, the boys and I all have such different schedules. Ali works several nights a week and gets fed there. This is technically a good money saver for us but isn't so good in the way that Liam and I usually end up eating rubbish because we think “Oh stuff it, it's only the two of us tonight, we can't be bothered going to too much trouble!” From that perspective, PowerCooking would actually be a better, healthier option for us. Liam also gets home late from rugby training two nights a week and this is about to increase even more as he has just been selected to represent Thames Valley U18's. Having PowerCooking meals easily available to him means he will always have good food available to him fast when he comes home starving! It also means that on the rare occasion that I DO go out or am away from home, I know that my boys are very well provided for and I will no longer come home to '”MUUUUM! There's no food in the house!” It could just be that PowerCooking suits our household perfectly!

So there you have it. Fiona's biggest PowerCooking skeptic has been converted. But I had to try it myself to see, taste and understand why it is so good. Maybe you will too, but the great thing about it is that there is something in PowerCooking for everyone. If you are already a super organised shopper and cook, try it out for the recipes if nothing else; they really are awesome! And if you're hopelessly disorganised like me and have previously put all thoughts of bulk cooking in the too hard basket, give it a go. Because it's actually very, very easy and can really help make your life easier. Which is what Fiona's been trying to tell me the whole time, funny that! Did I mention I was stubborn?

You can now read Penny's blogs on the Simple Savings Facebook page or in our Members' Blog section

5. Best of the Vault: Be a Smart 'Cookie'!

You're tired and just want to put your feet up after a long day. You are fighting very hard not to drop by the takeaway or buy a frozen meal or something else 'easy' on the way home. All is not lost! Here are some fantastic ideas from the Vault to help you be a smart 'Cookie' and save those dollars, save that waistline and put something quick and delicious on the dinner table!

Double duty foods

My 'double duty foods' save me time and money in the kitchen because they have several uses. I make up a large container of shredded cabbage, carrots, capsicum and spring onions which can be used to make a quick coleslaw (take out what you need and add dressing or mayonnaise) and can also be used for adding to a quick stir-fry. This will last in the fridge for at least four days. Another 'double duty food' is an Asian dressing that can be made up and kept in the fridge for up to two weeks, and can be used on coleslaw, grilled chicken, as a marinade or as a vegetable dip. To make it, mix together the following ingredients:

2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp peanut oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
3 tbsp sweet chili sauce.

If you have any leftovers at the end of the week, they can all be thrown in together to make a pot of soup!

Contributed by: Kellie M.

Cook two simultaneous meals in one crock pot

We are a family of only two adults who cook often with a large crock pot. However, we do find ourselves with a heap of leftovers after cooking a pot full of food. So, instead of filling the crock pot with enough food for one meal several times over, we now take two oven bags and divide our meat/chicken/fish between both bags. We add different flavourings to each bag then arrange both bags in the slow cooker and cook on low for eight hours. I have just made Chicken Korma in one bag, using drumsticks that were on special with an extra pinch of cinnamon and some chilli, and Mediterranean Chicken with olives in the other bag. The conflicting smells are surprisingly delightful and the final result is two delicious meals both cooked with the same amount of power I would have used for one. Any extras we don't consume straight away I simply freeze and save for a later date.

Contributed by: Linda P.

Save money, have fun with fake-aways

We're saving about $30 a week (more than $1500 a year!) just by changing one meal a week! We've ditched the expensive takeaways in favour of a much cheaper, more fun option… fake-aways! Here's how you can do it too...

List every takeaway option your family loves (for example, Subway, pizza, burgers, fish & chips and so on).
Each week on a ‘danger night’ (when you know you won't feel like cooking and cleaning up) choose a 'fake-away' option.
Include in your shopping list, all the items you'll need to achieve this fake-away meal so you have them ready to go.
When making your fake-away meal, get everyone involved so the meals are ready as quickly as possible.
Important: Wrap or package your food in paper bags, serviettes, or paper plates to give the authentic feel of takeaway. This also means minimal clean up afterwards.
Important: Take your meal somewhere other than your normal dining table - outside in the backyard, in the cubby house, on the front steps for example.
Enjoy your fake-away knowing that you're saving loads of dollars, and having fun with family at the same time!

It's a fun challenge, and I'm inspired by how excited my family gets about fake-aways!

Contributed by: Kathy L.

Make your own cake mix

Craving cake during the Challenge? Don’t waste your limited funds on buying a packet mix – make your own cake mix and stay on track during the week!

Ingredients:
6 cups self raising flour
3 cups sugar
1 cup powdered milk
1/2 tsp salt
250g margarine, softened

Method:

Combine first four ingredients and then rub in margarine lightly until the mixture has a fine texture.

Keep in an airtight container in fridge or freezer. When it's time to make a cake, add one egg to two cups of mixture, plus 125ml of water. Add dried fruit, spices, essences, toppings, coconut or chocolate. Pour into greased, papered tins and bake in a moderate oven.

Contributed by: Elaine Spence

6. Best of the Forum: Recipes for Success

The Forum is a wealth of information because there are people from all walks of life sharing ideas and experiences. Here are some great discussions about doing things just a bit differently in the kitchen...

Cooking with pearl barley

Not sure just what to do with that packet of pearl barley in the cupboard – here are some great ideas!
read more...

Have food processor, will use it...

Time to get out those clever contraptions and USE them! Here are some ideas that will get you cooking.
read more...

Green tomato recipes

They don't have to be ripe to use them – time to think outside the square!
read more...

Query on freezing home-made Bisquick

Here's a fantastic shortcut to making beautiful pancakes, muffins, cakes and so on.
read more...

Weet-Bix recipe collection

Think the 'cupboard is bare'? Think again! The wonderful Claire M. has catalogued an amazing number of fantastic recipes made with the humble Weet-Bix. Think truffles, cakes, savoury slices, sausage rolls and even drinks!
read more...

7. Best Members’ Blog: Doing it Differently

This month's winner is Kim H for her blog on making important choices and balancing the budget!

How many times do we hear the word budget, or financial plan and run in terror at the thought of enforcing the 'rules' like some sort of dictator. I had to live like that for a while, when DH was studying and I was at home with DD, from birth to two years (with some very sporadic work ) we had very little money for anything other than essentials. We had one car, our sanity and luxury.

I don't want to go back to that life. It was one that spoke of deprivation and going without. What I love about being frugal though, is that one size doesn't fit all. We could buy bread very cheaply from the supermarket. Something like $1.00 per loaf. But it makes us sick, and does not nourish our bodies. Eating no bread, well that is also challenging, and costly, ‘cos you don't have a filler (we did it for 12 months). Our compromise is that we buy rye sourdough twice a week... it costs $7.00 per loaf, but we don't have any negative health impacts (that we know of at this stage).

The expense is insane. Today I started our rye sourdough culture from a bag of organic rye flour. The flour was $23 for 5kg, I imagine it will make quite a few loaves. I used to make bread that was 50/50 wheat and rye flour years back using commercial yeast. It is quicker, but the fermenting process is what helps the grain flours be better digested and less damaging to our gut. So sourdough attempts will be starting next week.

Also we have started taking raw apple cider vinegar daily, for me I take some a few times a day, before meals. This costs $7.00 for a 300ml bottle! Eeeks. However, I bought a bag of organic apples ($8.00) cut half of them up and used the cores and peels for apple cider vinegar production. You also need chlorine-free water, so I bought some water $2.00. Then you need time for fermentation. I'm guessing I will have 1.5L of apple cider vinegar for $6.00... big saving.

Every shift counts, every time you do something, ask yourself am I doing this the smartest way? Could I save money and have a satisfactory result? It's all a cumulative effect. From little savings big savings grow!

On the budget front, well school holidays saw me derailed. Bills were paid, but sadly I lost my footing, and money was spent, and sometimes frivolously! One look at bank account today, less than $10 put any daydreams I had of taking the family to the cinema today in the can. Instead we will have a DIY movie night, to celebrate the end of the school hol’s, and how lucky we are to have each other.

Well done Kim – keep up the great work! You can read more of our members' blogs here.

8. Hidden Gem: MicroGram Computers

Our Hidden Gems directory is designed to help members source the best deals in their area. This month's Hidden Gem is MicroGram Computers as nominated by Leanne Rose.

After being told I would need a brand new computer to replace my nine-year-old computer, I visited MicroGram Computers to obtain a second opinion. Keith at MicroGram had a look at my old computer and worked out what needed replacing and what needed upgrading. He had the quote ready within the hour and my computer upgraded and working within a day. His after sales service was exceptional as was his communication throughout the quoting process.

I had a budget to stick to and he stayed within my budget by asking what I used the computer for. As I love to produce home movies I needed lots of memory and faster processing but I didn't need advanced or professional programs so this eliminated the need to purchase parts I just wouldn't use.

MicroGram Computers is a Hidden Gem! Just a small shop but BIG on service!

Where: Unit 3 / 7 Tumbi Creek Road, Berkeley Vale NSW 2261
Contact: (02) 4389 0200

Well done Leanne on locating such a fantastic hidden gem and thanks so much for sharing.

9. Cooking with Mimi: Putting PowerCooking Through its Paces!

I have a special place in my heart for a big cook-up. Being from a European background means that a kitchen buzzing with activity equals love and caring in my books. So naturally, it makes me all warm and fuzzy when there's a fridge, freezer and pantry full of goodies, available for my family. So I'm no novice to the concept of an afternoon preparing meals ahead of time, to make our week run more smoothly.

PowerCooking takes all this to new heights though. I have my own patterns and habits and have refined them well over many long years of use. But this idea has just helped me tweak and refine those routines to really make the most of my time and my budget.

In just one hour, I was able to prepare three significantly different dishes, from which I was then able to generate nine completely new meals. Not only did I have dinners and lunches nailed for a week, but we never got bored either.

Using my own routines, and following The PowerCooking idea is like the difference between going for a stroll with the dog on a lazy afternoon, and donning the headphones and really getting stuck into walking up and down hills to make the walk worthwhile. Nothing wrong with either one, but whilst the former is cosy and comfortable, you get more noticeable results with the latter.

My adventure with the Asian Chicken Soup from the PowerCooking library, yielded a delicious soup for dinner, lunch for The Musician Husband and I the next day, and a fresh and lush rice noodle dish a couple of nights later.

A flirtation with Honey Mustard Pork fed us like kings one evening, made tortillas another night, and saw us licking our fingers over pork skewers on a bed of coconut rice for Saturday lunch. The lamb shanks, which were eye poppingly meaty, made dinner, sandwiches and a to-die-for lamb and vegetable soup. The combinations are only limited by your imagination.

Give it a try. I bet you like it as much as I do.

You can read more of Mimi's blogs on the Simple Savings Facebook page or in our Members' Blog section.

10. Claire's Corner: Inventive Meals from Bare Cupboards

I love the fact that some of our best meal ideas have been created in hard times. I guess there’s something about just having to use whatever you have available that results in some amazing meals! Often, a meal idea is sparked by the leftovers of whatever we had for dinner the night before. Although, in all honesty, we don’t often have leftovers (given the appetites of my hubby and teens!), so it’s a matter of thinking ahead and cooking a little extra (and then hiding it away before it’s found and scoffed!).

A few weekends ago, we had a huge pot of mashed potato and corn left (DS didn’t come home for dinner – hence the plentiful bounty of leftovers!). So come Saturday, I wracked my brains trying to think up a tasty way to use them for lunch. The cupboards were a little bare, but we did have a small tin of smoked tuna in the pantry which inspired me to make tuna and potato fritters. I’d never really made them before, but I figured they couldn’t be that hard. I threw in a few tablespoons of flour, an egg and some chopped herbs from the garden and fried them up with a salad on the side. They were totally delicious, and the cost of the tuna was about $1.60! I’ve since used the same recipe but with chopped mussels instead of tuna (a bag of frozen mussels from the supermarket costs about $5.00 – you get heaps!). Also totally delicious! The fritters are really filling and the kids love them too. I’ve now decided that whenever I cook mashed potato, I’ll make a little extra and pop it in the freezer for weekend fritters.

Another ‘leftover’ meal maker we’ve been having a lot of lately is frittatas. I usually do a roast chicken with roast vegies on Sunday night (I always cook up two chickens for our family!). Before I serve up dinner, I put aside half a chicken for the kids’ sandwiches, plus a bowl full of pumpkin, potatoes, kumara and whatever green vegies we’re having, to make a frittata. Then it’s just a case of chopping them up, adding a few extras like chopped tomato, pouring over some mixed eggs, cooking it all up in the frying pan and voila! A healthy, hearty lunch for work the next day!

One of my absolute favourite ‘creations’ is one I came up with about 18 years ago, when my son was just a baby and we were living on $80 a week. I discovered that our local supermarket sold meaty chicken frames for a few dollars (and they still do!), and wondered what I could make with them. The result was a meal that has become a family favourite, especially during winter or if someone has the flu. It’s so simple, so tasty and costs just $5.00 to feed our family of five for dinner (with seconds) plus lunch the next day! The chicken does need to cook for an hour or so, but I promise it’s just so tasty that it’s worth it!

Claire’s Chicken Noodles

5-6 chicken frames (we get meaty frames with the necks (these add lots of flavour) from the butcher or supermarket for about $3.00 a pack)
1 onion, chopped
1 pack spaghetti noodles
Plenty of pepper (this is the ‘secret’ ingredient!)
Salt to taste

Put your frames in a large pot with the onion, salt and pepper. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for at least an hour, until the meat falls off the bones.

Here’s the fiddly bit – once the frames are well cooked, you need to pull the bones out of the water, allow them to cool and pick off the remaining meat. You’d be amazed at how much meat you’ll get – especially if they have meaty necks. The meat and stock is super tasty – don’t be tempted to try the easy route and use breasts or thighs – the flavour just isn’t the same.

Bring the water back to the boil (I sometimes top the water up a little if needed). Add the spaghetti noodles and boil until cooked. Add your chicken meat back in with a little extra salt and pepper if desired. I like plenty of pepper!

If you leave it overnight, the noodles tend to soak up the stock, so be sure there is plenty of stock. Delicious the next day!

I recently showed my mum how to cook this dish – it’s now one of her favourites. And because it’s just her to cook for, she freezes the rest in batches which means she has loads of lunches and dinners for the weeks ahead.

You can read more of Claire's warm and wonderful words on the Simple Savings Facebook page or in our Members' Blog section.

11. 50c Indulgences: The Thrill of Thrift

The Thrill of Thrift has been our topic this month on the Under 50 cent Indulgence thread and what a joy it's been as so many have shared ideas on how to save a penny or two! We wanted to honour that great army of women - our mums and grandmas – who lived through two world wars and the Great Depression. We know they knew a thing or two when it came to living well for less, but it's not just about saving money, it’s also about saving time, simplifying life and reducing things like nasty chemicals from our lives.

This past few weeks, I have been digging out my cookbooks as well as haunting the op shops looking for old recipe books. You know the ones, those cookbooks that have been put out for school fundraisers, community groups and the like. There are such treasures in there such as recipes for 'Spotted Dick', a simple pudding with breadcrumbs, dried fruit, milk, eggs, sugar, salt, flour and butter. There are those other well remembered treasures such as Golden Syrup Dumplings and Creamed Rice that are low on cost yet warm and filling and send the hunger pangs packing!

Another thrifty idea is one we often do on days we are busy - enjoy breakfast for dinner! Let me introduce you to the wonderful concept of breakfast casseroles! The beauty of these is that you make them in the morning and then let them sit in the fridge throughout the day, and they are ready to pop in the oven for a tasty, easy dinner. Of course, if you prefer them at breakfast, you simply assemble them before you go to bed, and it's an easy breakfast that can be cooking while you are all getting things done at the start of the day.

A favourite in our home is Mexican Breakfast Casserole. It's made with pantry staples and is easy on the hip pocket as well.

Mexican Breakfast Casserole

Serves 4

1 cup cooked rice
1 tin kidney beans
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup grated cheese
4 large eggs
Herbs or spring onions for garnish (optional)

Method

Cook the rice or use leftover rice.
Grease a pie plate and mix the rice and salsa together.
Sprinkle one quarter cup of the grated cheese over the rice and salsa mix.
Drain the kidney beans and rinse them well.
Spread evenly over the top of the grated cheese.
Sprinkle another quarter cup of grated cheese over the beans.
Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate to cook later or continue cooking!
Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
With the back of a spoon, make four indentations in the mixture and carefully crack your eggs into the indentations.
Sprinkle the dish with the remaining half cup of cheese.
Bake for 35-40 minutes.

You should be able to tell if the egg whites are set by giving the dish a little shake.

Garnish with spring onions or herbs if you have them.

An easy breakfast for the weekend is French Toast Breakfast Casserole. The beauty of this is that you can use up bread that you might throw out.

French Toast Breakfast Casserole

1/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown or raw sugar
1 loaf of bread, cut into 1 inch pieces
8 eggs
1 cup full cream milk or you can part substitute some cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Method

Combine the butter and brown sugar and pour into the base of a greased 9"x 13" baking dish.
Layer the bread on top, overlapping if necessary.
Mix the eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon and pour over the bread.
Sprinkle nuts on top.
Cover the baking dish with cling wrap and chill overnight in the fridge.
In the morning, preheat the oven to 180 degrees and bake the casserole until bubbly and brown.
Let it stand for 5-10 minutes.
Serve with maple syrup or a favourite home-made syrup and enjoy!

You can adjust the quantities to suit your family.

You can drop in and join Helen, Annabel and the Under 50c Army here.

12. Rob Bob's Gardening Blog: Feeding the Beds and our Bellies!

Feeding the beds for spring

Made a bit of a head start on getting the main beds ready for the warmer season's crops this week. After trying this method on a few beds for the cool season crops and being pleased with the results, I thought I would use it on the larger beds.

It is a very basic no-dig method where the soil is fed from the top using manures, compost and mulches. This also makes it a very economical way to build up nutrients in the soil, as you just can't beat bagged manure for the price. Feeding the beds this way is thought to be better for the different microorganisms that live in the soil as they are left undisturbed. When soil is tilled and left bare you can risk losing valuable soil/nutrients from wind and water erosion which is never a good thing when trying to build up fertile beds. The layers of compost and mulches on the surface provide food for worms and help to reduce evaporation of moisture from the soil as well. It also means I don't need to do my back in again digging all the goodies into the soil. But that's not the real reason … Honest ;)»

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For this bed I thought I would go with straight horse manure topped with cane mulch. Other fertilisers, like worm castings and compost, will be added when the seedlings are planted out and will give them an extra boost. The horse manure we have been buying comes in two different 'grades'. We have the choice of stable scrapings, containing a lot of sawdust/shavings, or straight manure that is collected from the yards. This time we bought the straight manure and were very happy to see some healthy looking mushrooms growing in a few of the bags. To me that's an indication that there is a healthy level of microorganisms, like bacteria and fungus, in there that will help in breaking the manure down into plant available nutrients.

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I would have liked to run over the manure with the lawn mower to mulch it up quickly but it just wasn't to be. The bags are being stored in the open and have unfortunately soaked up a bit of moisture from the rain. Screening can be a bit time consuming but I think it's worth it in the end, as it allows the manure to break down faster on the garden beds, releasing its nutrients quicker.

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I decided to start off at the end of the large wicking bed. The few weeds from the area were pulled and fed to the chooks. The 'market' chilli plant was also cut back to just above the lowest point of new growth, so I think it will really appreciate the feed. The manure went straight on top of the left over mulch from the previous crop and was laid about 75-100mm thick.

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While weeding the bed I noticed that the worm population wasn't as dense as I would have liked, so thought it best to add some more. A few small handfuls collected from the worm barrels under the lime tree, and any small cocoons found were spread over the top of the manure. I am sure that they will be most happy with all that fresh food and start to multiply quick smart.

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The top of the manure was then covered with a layer of mulch about 75-100mm thick to help keep the moisture in. It also helps to suppress any weeds that might shoot from seeds that are nearly always present in the manure.

I'm waiting for the broccoli at the other end of the bed to finish being harvested, before I give it the same treatment but with one added extra - Biochar will be added at that time. I've got a 25 litre bag of it and because it needs to be activated before being used I decided to wait so I can use it all at once.

Getting the most from your vegies and patch

Making the most of what we grow has been something we have always strived to do. When we first started to garden at the last house, we were not very adventurous and only grew what I call the 'meat and three veg' vegies. Peas were grown for the fruit, broccoli for the heads and beetroot for the root. All the vegie 'scraps' like leaves and stems went to the chooks or into the compost heap. We didn't know any better because that is how vegies were prepared for us when we were young.

Over the past 10 or so years our tastes and wallet led us to explore different vegies, as well as alternate uses for bits of vegies we would normally toss to the worms or chooks. It started off small by buying fresh whole beetroots and adding the leaves to salads, while the roots were roasted the next night. We started adding the stem and leaves of cauliflower and broccoli to stir fries, at first to bulk out the meals and save some money.

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Later it dawned on us, that we were doing our bodies a favour by eating more vegetables. We have taken this further and are now looking at other ways we can prepare the plants we are already growing.

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Green manure crops like peas can have their growing tips snipped off then added to salads. We add the new growth on sweet potato vines to stir fries and fried quinoa dishes. The stems and leaves of the broccoli and caulies have been added to vegie smoothies for breakfast and morning snacks. Brassica, pea and bean flowers are also a great addition to salads and have the added bonus of being jam packed with nutrients. We were rather pleased with the flavour of the wing bean flowers we tried this season as they had a slight mushroom flavour. We are really looking forward to using the turmeric leaves to cook with as well. We plan on wrapping some fresh harvested whole Jade perch in the leaves before putting them in the steamer. It is said to add a nice flavour to the fish. Pumpkin leaves are another green I have been told about but am actually yet to try. When I do so I shall be sharing how it went.

I think being able to get as much food from the patch as you can by trying to utilise normally unused portions of the plants is a great way to stretch the weekly shopping budget and save you a few $$ while providing you with healthy nutrient-rich foods. While it may not make a huge difference all at once to your bottom line, over time the savings will add up.

That's about it for this week. Was planning to go out and screen some more manure for the beds today but the bags got a bit wet with the rain this morning so that didn't happen.

It was good weather for walking the fish though...

Have a great one all.
Rob : )»

You can read more of Rob Bob's gardening adventures on the Simple Savings Facebook page or in our Members' Blog section.

13. From Last Month: Natural Shampoo

Last month Victoria emailed us about ideas to help her with ingredients for natural shampoo:

“I'm Hoping someone can help me! I am looking for a recipe for shampoo from ordinary cupboard ingredients. I have tried baking soda and water but got a terribly itchy scalp. I also tried a recipe with a small amount of coconut oil in it and my hair was soft but really greasy. I have a very sensitive scalp and am at a loss as to what I can use and I'm sick of paying supermarket prices! ”

We got some fantastic ideas – thank you for sharing your wisdom! Here are some of our favourite replies:

Try shikakai for soft, silky hair

I've discovered a great, natural ingredient that leaves my hair soft and silky without costing the earth! I've tried many shampoos made using pantry ingredients but find they often strip my hair and irritate my scalp. But I now use a totally natural hair cleansing product called shikakai - a powdered herb from the acacia plant. The cheapest place to buy it is the Indian grocer where it costs about $2.50 to $3.00 for a 100g box.

You simply mix as much as you need with really hot water (at least a tablespoon) to make a paste (to a yoghurt-like consistency) and massage it into your scalp well. It doesn't foam up like shampoo but I promise it does a lovely job of cleaning the hair. It's a bit gritty and hard to rinse out but the results are soft silky clean hair. I used to suffer from dandruff and hair loss but using shikakai over time has made a noticeable difference to my hair. My hairdresser commented on how healthy my hair is now!

Contributed by: Caroline

Keep hair healthy with home-made herbal rinse

It's easy to make your own shampoo - it costs pennies per use and leaves your hair feeling great! I buy soapwort and make a herbal rinse. Soapwort contains saponins which are similar to soap in the way they lather when agitated. This infusion can also be used as a skin cleanser if you wish to avoid soap altogether. In this recipe I have included lemon verbena (or lemon balm) for a nice fresh citrus fragrance, and if you also include some catnip this will promote healthy hair growth.

Ingredients:

500ml distilled water
3 tbsp dried soapwort root
1/2 tbsp dried lemon verbena or lemon balm
1/2 tbsp dried catnip

Method:

Boil the distilled water and then add the soapwort root. Cover and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the other herbs and replace the lid. When cool, strain into a bottle and keep refrigerated.

Contributed by: Marta

Soft, shiny hair - without shampoo!

I haven't used shampoo for over four years, saving myself around $100 a year on shampoo and conditioner - and eliminating my dandruff problem!

It isn't really necessary to use shampoo. By rinsing your hair thoroughly in the shower every day, the natural oils in your hair will keep it soft and shiny. It does take about six weeks for the balance to be restored, during which time it will get rather 'manky' - but if you need to keep it looking tidier, you can 'wean' yourself off your ordinary shampoo by going a few days longer between washes each time until you no longer feel you need it.

Contributed by: Claire L.

How to shampoo with bi-carb and vinegar

If you're getting an itchy scalp after using bi-carb it could be because you're using too much or you're not following it with a rinse of apple cider vinegar. You really don't need much of either ingredient. I put a teaspoon of baking soda into an old one-litre yoghurt pot, add warm water to the top, rinse this through my hair and give it a good massage, then rinse well with water. Next I mix up a tablespoon of the vinegar with water up to the top of the container and rinse this through my hair, also giving it a good rinse with fresh water. I find my hair is actually more manageable with baking soda and vinegar than with shampoo and conditioner - these seem to make my hair too silky and it loses its bounce. I love the ease of using the baking soda and vinegar and can't believe how much I save by using this mixture!

Contributed by: Mary

Castile and coconut milk shampoo

I've recently started to make all my own bathroom and household products such as shampoo, conditioner, hand creams, cleaning products and so on. My hair is thick and long, so I have experimented quite a bit and have found a winning natural shampoo recipe!

To start with I bought a bottle of liquid castile soap ($10 from a health shop) and a small tin of coconut milk. I mix two tablespoons of the soap with two teaspoons of coconut milk and apply it to my hair. It's a little runny but it lathers up really well and feels thick and creamy. Once you've massaged it into your scalp and hair, just rinse it out and you'll have very healthy, squeaky clean hair!

Contributed by: Kabby

Shampoo success with apple cider vinegar

I haven't used shampoo for over a year and a half! After talking to a client's mother who had been using vinegar for years, I swapped to using vinegar. At the time I was using bi-carb and water. I have dark hair so I put half a cup of apple cider vinegar in a bowl of warm water, I then lean over a big basin and tip the vinegar water over my scalp. I repeat this 8-10 times massaging it through my hair and into my scalp. It helps with dandruff and itchy scalp as well. If you have blond hair, use white vinegar. The smell goes once your hair is dry.

Contributed by: Isabel

Try nettle tonic for shiny hair

Nettle tonic is a great way to get your hair nice and shiny and help control dandruff and other skin conditions!

To make it, simply take a bunch of fresh nettle (at least a cup) and boil for 10-20 minutes. Strain the leaves and let the remaining nettle water cool. Add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and store in the fridge. Spritz on your hair and scalp after shampooing. Let it sit on your head for a few minutes while you wash the rest of your body. Once your hair dries you won’t smell the vinegar. You can use it on your hair every other day or as needed.

It has also been suggested that this will return your hair to its original colour. I have only started using it so can't confirm that yet!

Contributed by: Rods

Home-made coconut milk shampoo

Here's my recipe for home-made coconut milk shampoo.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut milk (see note below)
1/3 cup liquid castile soap (such as Dr Bronner's)
1/2 tsp (or several capsules) of vitamin E oil (optional)
20 drops of essential oil (choose your favourite - I've used peppermint, lavender, rosemary, orange or a combination of these)
For dry hair, add 1/2 tsp olive or almond oil (optional)

Method:

Combine all ingredients in an old shampoo bottle or jar of some kind (pump dispensers and even foaming dispensers work well for this). Shake well to mix. Keep in your shower for up to a month. Use about a teaspoon every time you shampoo (shake before each use). If you use a foaming dispenser, it also makes a great shaving cream - just dilute with 1/4 cup distilled water!

Note regarding coconut milk: My preference is an organic and BPA-free variety. A couple of readers mentioned that the tinned variety did not work well for them, but that home-made coconut milk worked great, so depending on your hair type, home-made may be better for you.

Contributed by: Mi C.

Shampoo secret from yester-year

After having a few issues with perfumed things like toilet soap and shampoo, I switched to using Sunlight Soap to wash my hair. I remembered that it was all I ever used when I was young - shampoo was unknown until the late 1940s. My hair is in the best condition it's ever been in, no itchiness or dandruff! Plus, the soap is easy to pack if you're traveling. Hairdressers often comment how good my hair is!

Contributed by: Toots

Pantry products for healthy hair

It's possible the bi-carb-only method was leaving your scalp too alkaline. Try washing with bi-carb and water and then adding a rinse of diluted apple cider vinegar (a splash of vinegar in a cup or two of lukewarm water). This balances the pH and is good for the scalp (and the face!). If that doesn't fix the itchiness, try one of the following:

Wash with a beaten egg (rinse with lukewarm water so it doesn't cook into your hair).
Rub mashed cooked lentils through your hair then rinse out.
Try a strong infusion of soapwort (a herb containing high levels of saponins, which lather in water). For a conditioner, beer works wonderfully and contains lots of B vitamins. Pour it over after washing and wring out your hair without rinsing.
Strong rosemary tea is also a great fragrant post-wash rinse. Just pour boiling water over a few sprigs of rosemary before showering. Add cold water if necessary before scooping the rosemary out and tipping over your head.
You could also try using water only. Unless your hair is very oily or dirty, your scalp should balance itself out after a few weeks to produce enough natural oil for shiny hair.

Contributed by: Rachel

Home-made witch hazel shampoo

Here's my recipe for a natural herbal shampoo:

1.75 litres boiling water
1/2 cup witch hazel
1 tsp chamomile oil
450g pure soap, grated or chopped
1 tsp rosemary oil

Combine the boiling water and grated soap in a large non-aluminium saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and leave the mixture to simmer gently for a few minutes until the soap has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir through the witch hazel and essential oils. Pour the mixture into a jar or bottle while still liquid. When cool, the mixture thickens like toothpaste, so you should be able to squeeze it out of a soft plastic squeeze bottle.

Contributed by: Virginia

14. This Month's Help Request: How to Secure my Home?

Rachel has emailed asking for some help! She writes:

“I have moved to a different area and am living by myself. I would love some ideas on how to inexpensively secure my house. I'm happy to spend some money on window locks and the doors already have good deadlocks. Besides getting a big guard dog, what other things could I do?”

If you have any pearls of wisdom you'd like to share with Rachel, please send them in to us here.

15. Goodbye for now!

Well, that's your Simple Savings Newsletter for July 2013 and we hope you have enjoyed it. ;-) Don't forget to think about how you can do things a bit differently in the kitchen to save yourself time, money and sanity! Give PowerCooking a go and let us know what you think!

Till next time…
All the best,
Fiona

July 2015 - Simple Savings Newsletter

"Secrets to Saving Money" Free Newsletter - July 2015

This issue includes:-

Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Sally Gets Tough!
July: Cash from Trash
Best of the Vault: Love Your Leftovers!
Best of the Forum: Waste Not, Want Not!
Best Members' Blog: Training the Troops
Cooking with Mimi: Home-made Toasted Coconut Marshmallows
Rob Bob's Gardening Blog: Favourite Plants and Happy Harvest from the Winter Patch

Hello,

I hope you are having a lovely month. Things have been busy in the Lippey household. Six weeks ago our dogs had puppies. Well... one puppy, and we have been having a ball caring for it. Here is a photo.

How cute is she? If you would like to see more photos, here is a link to her forum thread.

We love hearing from you - here are our favourite emails this month:

"I have just renewed for another year – I just love my SS community!" (Rowena)

"Thank you, Fiona and Matt for such a fantastic website. You have saved my family so much money." (Lou)

Have a great month!
All the best,
Fiona Lippey

P.S. The Savings Vault now has 18,000 money saving tips in it. To read the tips and hang out in the forum with us. Grab a membership for $27.

1. Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: Sally Gets Tough!

"Psttt, Dad," whispered Josh, sidling up to Pete. "There's something wrong with Mum. Something REALLY wrong." Pete looked up from his afternoon tea. "What do you mean? What's happened?"

Sal was standing in front of the kitchen bin jiggling a jar of coins. She pointed at the half eaten apple Josh was holding. "She won't let me throw my apple out!" Josh whined. "She says I have to give her money! Dad, Mum has flipped."

Pete laughed, "Josh, it's because you've only eaten half your apple. We are sick of the waste of food in the family so we brought in a 'Swear Jar'. Any time someone throws out food, they have to put a dollar in the jar!" Josh gulped, "ONE DOLLAR?! Are you BOTH mad? Alright, alright, I'll eat the apple." Josh frowned, "Wait...what about my lunch box?"

2. July: Cash from Trash

Wasting food is a habit we all need to break. A great way to do that is to bring back the old-fashioned swear jar! This will get you thinking. It will make you aware of how much food you are wasting and inspire you to improve your habits so you don't throw food out.

This month we want you to put a jar near the bin and every time you go to throw out food, you need to put a coin in the jar.

If you empty uneaten food from school lunch boxes in the bin, put a coin in the jar.
If you are cleaning out the fridge, put a coin in for every item of food wasted.
If you are clearing half eaten plates from the table, put a coin in for every plate.
If you are throwing out vegie scraps instead of composting them or turning them into stock, put a coin in the jar.
If you are throwing out leftovers, put a coin in the jar.
If you are throwing out fruit instead of freezing it for smoothies or baking, put a coin in the jar.
If you are throwing out crusts instead of freezing them for breadcrumbs and coatings, put a coin in the jar.

Any time you throw out food that could have been eaten if you had been more organised or did things differently, you need to put a coin in the jar. This will make you aware of what you are doing and how you can improve your habits and save a big pile of money.

How do you think you'll go? Let us know on the Forum or the Facebook Group.

3. Best of the Vault: Love Your Leftovers!

Here are some great ideas from the Vault to help you look at your 'rubbish' just a little bit differently!

The pie's the limit for leftovers

I no longer waste delicious cooked leftovers since I learned how to turn them into a whole new meal! I was regularly throwing out leftovers which had gone uneaten and past their best. In the past week alone I had thrown out bolognese, left over lamb shank and some roast chicken, plus the vegies I'd made with them! It made me cringe with every disposal and I knew I needed to find a solution. After racking my brains I found a gift card with $25 spare, so I invested in a pie maker! So far I've made curry pies and left over chicken pies and they are going down a treat instead of being thrown away. It may not be great for the hips, but perfect for the hip pocket!

Contributed by: GenY

No more wasted vegies!

In the last year I have saved over $300 on my vegetable bill and have increased my family's health! As a busy working single mum I used to find some of my vegetables would rot before I got around to using them. When I started to examine this waste of food, I realised I was wasting vegetables all the time!

So, I purchased a box of super-large resealable bags ($1.39 on special). I pop an empty bag in the freezer, and every night after dinner, any left over vegies go in the freezer bag. Also, every Wednesday I sort through the vegies in the fridge. Any that are looking 'dodgy' get used for dinner or chopped up and put in my bag in the freezer. When I'm making sandwiches, all of the ends of the tomatoes go in my bag. When we've had salad, and it has sat in the fridge for a few days and gone limp, in the bag it goes, lettuce and all.

Then, when the bag is full - it's time to make vegetable lasagne! I saute a sliced onion, add a tin of tomatoes and chuck in the contents of my vegie bag. The lettuce cooks down to nothing and the kids think it's spinach, the bits of broccoli are lovely and colourful, the carrots add sweetness and the mashed potato thicken the sauce. Most importantly, my children are getting a vitamin-packed meal! Everyone asks for my vegetable lasagne recipe, but of course, I can't tell them because it's a secret!

Contributed by: Rachelle J

No more wastage with this 'End of Days Meatloaf'

I have a recipe that I use every month or so, which I call my 'End of Days Meatloaf'! It effectively costs me nothing to make as it uses up scraps and leftovers that would have otherwise been thrown away - but it tastes delicious!

Whenever I cut up vegies for dinner I throw any bits left over (the stub of a carrot, mushroom stalks, broccoli stalks and so on) into a blender. I also regularly look through the fridge for other 'sad vegies' that are past their best but are still fit for human consumption, such as half an onion, bendy carrots and celery, dried out mushrooms, squishy tomatoes and so on. I chop them all up and add them to the blender too. I also add any left over cooked rice and bread that's gone a bit stale. I blend everything until it's finely chopped and transfer it all to an empty ice cream container that I keep for this purpose in the freezer. Once the ice cream container is full (usually after about a month or so) I mix the blended frozen vegies in a large bowl with an equal amount of mince, a couple of eggs, seasoning and some sauce of choice (this is a good way to use up the half-empty sauce bottles in the fridge). Normally I add BBQ or tomato sauce, soy, chutney and perhaps left over apricot jam or marmalade as well. The mixture should be moist enough to stick together like dough.

I then transfer the mixture to a baking tin. I usually get enough for two meatloaves or I fill up a muffin tin and make mini meatloaves which are good for lunch boxes. I cook the mixture in a hot oven for about 40 minutes, depending on the size of the tin(s), and check it regularly to see if it's cooked all the way through. After cooking, I freeze one of the loaves.

It's very cheap and easy to make, it's delicious and gives us a big whack of vegies. The muffin-sized mini-loaves make a good snack, and the meatloaf will normally last two people about three dinners, if we have it with vegies or pasta. As a bonus, our fridge gets a regular clean-out and we avoid much unnecessary food wastage.

Contributed by: Rae Doble

4. Best of the Forum: Waste Not, Want Not!

The hardest part of starting something new is keeping yourself motivated. The Forum is the perfect place to find inspiration, support and encouragement - it's what we do best! Here are some great ideas to get you started.

Pie maker

Turning left overs into tasty, delicious sweet or savoury pies is as easy-as!
read more...

Freezing raw vegies

Stop throwing out wilted vegies - here's a tip or two about freezing them for later.
read more...

Mountain bread for sausage rolls

Thinking outside the box creates delicious meals!
read more...

5. Best Members' Blog: Training the Troops

This month's Blog winner is Patricia A. who did a great job 'training the troops'!

"The newsletter for June 2015 reminded me of when I was Training the Troops. Argh, such lovely memories now that time has flown by.

My eldest son learnt to cook when I had RSI and I couldn't stir a pot of water, never mind a pot with food in it. He was such a great help to me then. When I found that I couldn't cook tea for everyone safely and he offered to help, I decided to use the opportunity to teach him the 'secrets' of cooking.

We would discuss what ingredients/food was available and then pick the recipe he would attempt. He would take out the recipe book for me, it was heavy. Then we read the recipe together and started the prep work. While he cooked I rested my arms on the cook book ready to tell him how to do the next step. He did all the work, I just supervised and trained. When we came to sauté the onions I explained what that meant and how to do it. Each little step was followed with explanations for some of the cooking terms. So instead of having to order takeaway or subsist on Vegemite or jam sandwiches we had lovely dinners every night. And my DS received a wonderful education in cookery. The younger DS wanted to have a go too so we did some simple meals that were suitable to his age at that time.

My arms recovered and I took up the evening meal cooking fulltime. Five years later, we hit the time when the older DS was working and the younger one was now the age his older brother had been when he cooked for the family. And I was once again in the position of not being able to do all the evening meals without a great deal of trouble. I hit on the idea that we would have a roster for meal making. The DSs were not too happy and the DH was not at all thrilled. I persisted and 'won' the day. I still did the majority of the cooking and I had to be on hand to train the boys. I did seven nights of the fortnight while the DSs did three each and DH did one (he was a shift worker, so I figured that he didn't need to cook every night that he was home for tea).

I quickly learnt that having a DS who was working meant he had money to buy takeaway. But I didn't want him using all his cash to buy us meals when there was food in the cupboard. So takeaway was restricted to once a month only and with parental approval. A list of meals that we liked was posted on the notice board along with the roster of who was on for which night. The list came about because the cry, "We don't know what to cook!" was driving me to distraction. The list contained meals that I had already taught both boys to cook. Though, I will never forget the night that we had a tuna alfredo meal where one DS used three cups of water plus one can of evaporated milk when it was supposed to be one can of evaporated milk made up to three cups. That was the first time he flew totally solo for the cooking process for that recipe. Boy was that one soggy alfredo! And he tried to repeat that mistake a few weeks later. My quick action and questioning of his measuring saved the day and luckily he learnt what 'make up to' meant. Thankfully, that was the only term that he had real troubles with.

Both DSs are fully grown men now. Both are fabulous cooks - that is the best reward for teaching them how to cook."

Well done, Patricia - you've certainly done a great job training your troops!

You can read more of our members' blogs here.

6. Cooking with Mimi: Home-made Toasted Coconut Marshmallows

Those big fat squishy marshmallow cubes coated in stalks of lightly toasted coconut are one of the best of my childhood memories.

Mum used to buy them from Darrell-Lea on a Friday afternoon, and it was sheer bliss to cozy down on the couch and pass the bag around.

I make my own now and they're still a melt-in-the-mouth treat and, even better, gluten-free so my daughter can have them too. They're so much nicer than the pink and white ones we've come to expect marshmallows to look like, and they're really well worth setting aside 30 minutes to whip them up.

To make these you need:

2 cups desiccated coconut, lightly toasted in a dry frypan and set aside
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
2/3 cup hot water
2 tbsp gelatine
2/3 cup cold water
Optional: 1 tsp flavoured essence such as coconut, vanilla, peppermint, lemon, orange flower, rosewater and so on.
A small shallow pan about 20 x 16cm, lined with baking paper, with an overhang at each end to enable you lift the set marshmallows out.
An electric mixer
A deep bowl and two forks
Large bowl for mixing

Then just:

Put the sugar and hot water into a small saucepan, and place over a medium heat. Stir constantly till the sugar dissolves.

Mix the gelatine and cold water with a fork and pour it into the hot sugar syrup. Stir this over the heat until the gelatine dissolves.

Remove the mixture from the heat and set it aside to cool for about half an hour.

Pour the cooled mixture into your large bowl and beat on high until thick and voluminous. This can take up to ten minutes.

Add the flavoured essence if you're using it and beat for one minute further.

Pour the mixture into the lined pan and spread evenly, smoothing the surface.

Allow to set at room temperature for about an hour.

Once set, use the overhang to lift the marshmallow out onto the bench. Use a large wet knife to cut the marshmallow into large cubes.

Put the toasted coconut into your deep bowl and using two forks, pick up each marshmallow and toss it in the coconut until it's well coated.

Set the coated marshmallows aside on a platter and allow them to dry out for about an hour.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Like that's gonna happen... lol! Ours disappear in about two days!

Enjoy!

You can get updates on Mimi's new blogs on the Simple Savings Facebook page

or in our Members' Blog section.

7. Rob Bob's Gardening Blog: Favourite Plants and Happy Harvest from the Winter Patch

What's the best thing growing in your garden?

I came across a great thread from Little Miss Wonka on the Forum called What's the best thing growing in your garden? where she asked what other members were passionate about growing, so thought I'd run through some of the favourites we like to grow here.

As it's winter at the moment I thought I'd start with some of our cool weather plants.

Brassicas would have to be one of my favourite vegies to grow but we can only plant out some of them here in the cooler months due to our subtropical climate. From this broad family I would have to pick broccoli as my all-time favourite for a few reasons.

First of all nearly all of the plant can be eaten, depending on when it's harvested. The stem, cut thinly, makes an excellent addition to stir fries and salads just like the head. The flowers make a great addition to salads and the seeds they produce can be sprouted then added to salads, stir fries or juiced. The leaves can also be eaten raw, cooked or juiced. We don't eat a lot of the leaves here but have added them to juices and vegie smoothies a few times. I think the chickens would get jealous if we ate too many. ;-)

My favourite part of this glorious plant, like most folks, would have to be the crunchy mass of underdeveloped flower buds referred to as the head. I really like the small raw florets added into a Thai-style curry or pour a hot wonton soup over them just before serving. My favourite way to eat broccoli would have to be raw in salads with other seasonal vegies like cauliflower, beetroot and peas and garnished with some flowers if available. I also like to add some lightly toasted macadamias or pine nuts and honey mustard dressing. Mmmm, hungry now.

Second place would have to go to wombok/Chinese cabbage. I think the only way you can truly do justice to this vegetable is to use it raw in salads. I like to shred half a cabbage then toss with thinly sliced or julienned vegies and shredded greens. Toss in a few roasted cashews then dress with a soy, honey, vinegar and sesame oil mix.

We eat this either as a stand-alone salad or topped with some roasted pork belly or chicken stir-fried in garlic, ginger and chilli.

Sweet potatoes are another crop I love to grow. We're very lucky that our climate allows them to grow as a perennial, allowing us to bandicoot out small harvests year round.

Sweet potatoes are a plant you can eat from the roots all the way up the plant to the flowers. We mainly eat the leaves in salads but you can also add them to stir -fries and I am interested to see how they would go in a palak curry. We have only just started to use the flowers in salads and find them to have a mild sweet taste. I love the root roasted, mashed, pan-fried and dehydrated as chips, but my favourite way to eat it would have to be in a Japanese sunshine curry. Something about the sauce makes it a perfect pairing to the sweet potato I think.

One thing I like about growing sweet potato is that they grow really well in containers and the vines will happily grow up a trellis, making them a great plant to grow in small spaces. We grew three slips in a 100 litre plus container at the base of our back stairs and allowed it to grow up a wire trellis onto the hand rail. This made it very easy to quickly collect greens when we needed some extras to fill out salads. Only two of the slips we planted produced a decent amount of tubers (3.5kg/7.7lb all up) but when you add in the many salad greens we picked they actually provided us with a great deal of home-grown food. For those that are interested in a closer look at how the plants grew and the harvest we got, you can see a clip of it here on our YouTube channel.

One of our favourite greens and a great warm climate spinach substitute would have to be Warragul greens/New Zealand spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides).

This awesome looking and tasting native ground cover is found growing wild on the coastlines of Australia and New Zealand. I have found it to be very hardy here and it will bounce back well if allowed to die off from lack of water (tries to look innocent). A few years ago the bed in the picture above was planted out with a single plant. It has slowly taken over the bed with the help of dozens of self-sown progeny. The plant can become quite invasive with runners stretching out quite a distance from the mother plant, so it is a good idea to keep an eye on it and prune back when necessary. We didn't and now there are dozens of young plants sprouting up in a barrel a few feet away from the main bed. The greens do contain high levels of oxalic acid so it is suggested that you steam or blanch the leaves before consuming. I like to pick too much when we're after some for dinner and once blanched, I add the excess into a container in the freezer so we have some on hand to help fill out a meal quickly.

My favourite plant at the moment would have to be Okinawan spinach (Gynura crepioides). This plant is said to be a native of Indonesia and as a tropical plant it does love the warmer subtropical and tropical regions. Apparently it will also grow in warmer temperate regions, as long as it's kept in a nice warm position. We purchased a small plant and had it growing in a wicking barrel over last winter and weren't really impressed with the slow growth rate. As soon as things started to warm up last spring the plant exploded into life, sending out new branches every which way. Propagation is really easy. All I've done is pop in the left over stems we've picked the leaves off for dinner, straight into either jars of water or the grow beds in the aquaponics.

They set out roots within a few days and have leaves ready for harvesting within a few weeks. For folks with aquaponics systems I would recommend setting some grow bed space aside as we've found it grows extremely well in our system, giving us much faster growing plants with larger leaves than their mother plant growing in soil. Nearly everyone who has come to see our garden and aquaponics has left with at least a few cuttings to plant out in their own patch. ;-) Like most vegies, I prefer to eat it raw but have added it to a few stir-fries, as well as curries. I find it tastes like a cross between a lettuce and carrot with different undertones (no, I'm not a hipster foodie) depending on how mature the leaves are. I find the flavour very refreshing and would quite happily replace all our salad greens with this one plant, but Bianca won't let me. ;-) My favourite meal with it would have to be a basic salad filled with fresh picked herbs, veg, olives and diced fetta mixed through. I personally don't dress mine but Bianca and the girls like to add some red balsamic vinegar onto theirs at times. I must say that this plant has exceeded our expectations and gone on to provide us with so many meals that it now will be a permanent fixture in the patch.

We do have a few more favourites like the gingers, asparagus, eggplants and water chestnuts but if I don't stop now I will be here for hours. ;-) Bianca would slap me if I forgot to mention honey pod peas. This is one of Bianca's wintery demands and I always ensure there is space for a few plants in the patch.

Happy harvests

I thought I'd leave you with a bit of a look at what we're picking from our early winter patch. The large tomatoes have been coming in thick and fast with a few being picked every other day. So far my favourites flavour-wise would have to be the Summer Time Gold Dwarf tomatoes. We have only taken the two off so far but have been very impressed with their sweet flavour and the amount of flesh.

This was the second one to come off the plant (after I knocked it and cracked the skin) and it is one of the largest tomatoes we've grown. There are many more fruit to come off that plant and on the other one we have growing in a wicking bed. I have also been picking a few of these interesting looking 'brain' tomatoes. They do have a nice rich flavour but the plant isn't in the best position. I have started to save some seeds from a few fruit and will definitely be trying this variety again.

We're still picking loads of the small yellow currents and red cherry tomatoes too. This lot was very tasty alongside some chocolate capsicum, chillies and basil on a pizza made by the girls and Bianca.

The eggplant has slowed down a lot with the cooler weather but we're still managing to pick a fruit here or there. I did notice there are some more flowers developing but am unsure if they will stay on the bush and form fruit, as we are expecting the temperature to drop a bit over the next few weeks. Bianca's honey pod snap peas are also producing a nice little harvest every few days. Most have been eaten as late night snacks if they make it into the house. I think we've only had two small lots chopped up and added to salads so far. ;-)

The carrots in the wicking barrel are being harvested as we need them. These were grown from seeds we saved ourselves, so it makes them all the tastier in my book. ;-) We have also harvested our first round of Chinese/wombok cabbage. I do have one small plant left to pick and if I can beat the grubs to it, I might harvest it tomorrow. The next lot were only just planted into the aquaponics yesterday, so it might be a while before we have another wombok salad. :-/

graphics48

That's about it for this month's blog, folks. Next time I'll include a bit of a walk around the garden clip for those interested in a wander through the patch and aquaponics. I hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather and that you're lucky enough to be getting some great harvests from the patch.

Have a great one all.
Rob.

You can get updates on Rob Bob's new gardening adventure blogs on the Simple Savings Facebook page

or in our Members' Blog section.

8. Goodbye, Goodbye!

Well, that's your Simple Savings Newsletter for July 2015 and we hope you have enjoyed it. We can't wait to hear how you go with your 'swear jar'! Don't forget to check the Forum and Facebook for challenges and inspiration to help you get there.

Till next time...

All the best,

Fiona

July 2017 - Simple Savings Newsletter

Simple Savings Newsletter - July 2017

Hello,

How are you going? Thank you to everyone who has listened to our first podcast and taken the time to send us your feedback. Our mission is to help as many people as possible to break the cycle of having no money. If you like what you have heard so far, please let others know about Simple Savings and what we do.

We love making these podcasts for you and aim to provide listeners with good, honest discussion on as many money saving topics as possible. So if you have any suggestions of what you would particularly like us to talk about, please let us know and we will do our best to fulfil your request!

We've had some fantastic new hints coming in lately, so if you haven't done so already, be sure to check them out on the Simple Savings website. There's always something new to learn there!

All the best,
Fiona

New Podcast! Keeping Up with the Joneses

Decades before any of the Kardashians had even been born, unsuspecting consumers were aspiring to keep up with the Joneses - an imaginary 'perfect' family who had it all. These days, you can find examples of the Joneses everywhere, from TV to Facebook and Instagram. But how much do they influence your spending? And what can you do about it? In this new podcast, Fiona and Jackie discuss how to see the reality below that perfect veneer and find ways to put yourself first.

To listen, click here.

Bonus Podcast Printable - Vault Members Only

Our podcast is free for everyone to listen to but we wanted to add a little something extra special for our loyal paid members. So we have created a printable worksheet to be used in conjunction with our podcasts, to help you identify any of the sinkholes we talk about in the segment and to encourage you to stay on track when it comes to protecting yourself from future hiccups. If you are a paid member, you can access your copy from the Downloads area, here. Enjoy!

Best of the Forum

Suffering from the winter doldrums? Head to the Simple Savings Forum! You'll always find a warm welcome here and plenty of inspirational discussions to rekindle your 'get up and go'. Here are some fun and interesting chats we've got going on at the moment - there are lots, lots more!

Teenager allowance

JellyBeanMamma wants advice on setting up an allowance for her almost-15 year old. How much should it be? What should it cover? Should she increase the amount with age? All these questions and more are answered here.
read more...

No money - but I have bread and eggs

Poor SKM has been having a rough time in her household with surgery and medical bills. Money is short - can the members help her to come up with ways to stretch the food she has on hand? You bet!
read more...

Year 2 of our 5 year plan

Martha and her hubby are one motivated couple! With a wedding already paid for, a new home and debts to pay off, they have a lot of goals - and they're going great guns at ticking them off! Keep up with their progress in this enjoyable and heartwarming thread.
read more...

Winter garden challenge anyone?

Mary L has been keeping green fingered Forum members motivated through the winter by getting them to share updates and photos of all their gardening plans and crops. This thread has stacks of helpful information to get your garden growing through this challenging time of year!
read more...

Not a paid member? Become one today!

The Simple Savings website has two areas - one for free members and another for members who pay an annual subscription. Being a paid member entitles you to heaps of additional whistles and bells, including printable downloads and resources and thousands more money saving tips, all neatly categorised for ease of browsing, as well as 24/7 access to our Savings Forum, affectionately known as the Savings Super Highway! Membership costs just $27 to join, and $21 for each year thereafter. We also offer a 365 day 'no questions asked' money back guarantee, so you have absolutely nothing to lose by joining and seeing what we're all about! Becoming a paid member is easy, simply click on this link.

Best Members' Blog

One of the many benefits of being a Vault member is that you can win $100 cash for writing your own money saving blog! Getting started is easy. All you have to do is log into the Vault, click on 'My Desk' at the top right, then 'Blog'. Then get writing! We love reading all your money saving trials and tribulations and really appreciate the effort that goes into each one.

This month's Blog winner is Nikki C, who has learned an unfortunate lesson on the perils of credit cards!

Oops! Mastercard is not my friend...

Until last year I had never had a credit card. And then I saw those daggy characters on the Coles Mastercard ads on TV. "$100 off a shop" - yes please! And Flybuys every time I use it? Sounds great. As long as I'm only using it for things I was going to buy anyway, and pay it off straight away, there's no problem, right? Seasoned SS'ers will recognise how dangerous, and insidious this thinking is. But I'm not seasoned; and I really was having fun going "tap, tap, tap" in cafes and shops, and ordering things online.

Twelve months later, I haven't had to pay any interest, and I have been making payments every week, but this is what I've learnt: 1) being good with money in the past is no guarantee that I will continue to be good with money (kind of like sobriety for an alcoholic, you really only do get one day at a time) 2) that without a savings goal it is easy to let my money get frittered away. 3) having access to credit for the first time is a rather heady experience- I found myself feeling rather powerful (I consume, therefore I am) and much more prone to impulse buys. 4) there's a reason why so many of the threads and blogs here talk about credit card debt, and how difficult it is to get out of, and that's because it's a common experience, and so easy to get into.

I had been congratulating myself for beating the system and getting my free groceries, and I just didn't pay attention to the hundreds of dollars I let slip away. Yesterday I realised that this credit card just isn't my friend. I've taken it out of my purse and put it away, grateful that I'm getting off so lightly. I'm conscious of having to learn all over again the importance of being loyal to my budget, and staying true to my values, not those of business and consumerism. So here I am, a little red-faced, poorer than I might have been, but hopeful that I can learn how to save, and spend mindfully, again. If I keep paying attention, and ask questions, and learn from others here, then this credit card lesson will hopefully soon be behind me.

Thank you for sharing your experience Nikki, we love your honesty!
You can read more of our members' blogs here.

Hint Competition Winners

Thank you to everyone who has sent in their favourite hints. We love reading them all! We have received so many terrific ones lately, it's been impossible to choose just one winner! The following ladies each win themselves a year's free Vault membership for their fabulous mindset and resolve. As these tips show, saving money really is fun!

I'm no poverty stricken pensioner - I'm a Money Magician!

Living on a pension can be miserable or fascinating, choose your preferred option! Since I prefer fascinating I play a game with myself. How many days can I go without spending anything? My records so far is five days but I'm working to improve that. This means really judicious planning when I make out my grocery list! It means thinking very, very hard before a purchase, do I really need it? Do I have anything at home that I could use instead? Is it something I could borrow? Could I trade for it? I retired two weeks ago, having decided at 69 that I didn't want to sell one more day of my life, so it's game on! I'm currently on day three of my challenge looking to beat five days and set a new record. I'm planning on being a Money Magician instead of a poverty-stricken pensioner! Don't wish me good luck though - it's not about luck, it's about planning, determination, and finding frugal fun!

Contributed by: Coral C

Relive that 'brand new' feeling - with the stuff you have!

I have accidentally discovered I LOVE living with less stuff! It all started when I packed up my house to move, however the move was delayed. Rather than unpack I just left out enough stuff to last what I thought was a month, including clothes. Doing this soon made me realise that many things I had previously thought necessary were not! Since I began living this way I have so much time on my hands as I don't have stuff around. I'm also not buying anything new as the move could happen soon, so whenever I need something, I go 'shopping' in my boxes! It's made me see how much I already love the clothes I own and has got me thinking, rather than buying new clothes, what if we packed things away instead, so that we 'forgot' about them? That way, when you want something special, you can just go shopping in your stash, without spending a cent! We don't often really appreciate what we have - but when you take it away and then 'find' it again after living without it, it's like having that same good feeling you had when you first got it, all over again! Works great with children's toys too!

Contributed by: CC

Got a great savings tip? Send it in to us and you could win a 12-Month membership for FREE!

At Simple Savings, we love to hear of all your ingenious ways to save money. Don't be shy, send them in to us and your tip could win a spot in our newsletter! The winner receives a full 12-month membership to all areas of the site, valued at $27 and giving you access to thousands of fantastic money saving tips to help reduce your costs in all areas of life. To be in to win, send your tips to us here

Simple Savers Facebook Group - 85,000 Members and Growing!

Love Facebook or hate it, the Simple Savers Facebook group is a great way to learn even more tips and enjoy reading other members' successes. It's absolutely free to join and is a terrific source of friendship and knowledge, with over 85,000 members and growing by the day!

Joining our busy Facebook community is super easy. Either search up 'Simple Savers' on Facebook or click this link and request to join. Once you're in, let the fun begin!

Savings Story: $3900 saved for two days work!

Renovations need not cost the earth. We just bought our first home and it had a hideous old kitchen with brown contact, broken stove elements and musty cupboards that had seen better days. We wanted a new kitchen but it was going to cost $4000. It was money we didn't have, so I used my brain instead and renovated our entire kitchen for under $100.

I bought:

Two bottles of oven cleaner at $3.99.
One second hand element from the dump for FREE!
Two tins of paint from Kmart for $17.99 and $36.99
Curtains that were faulty and discounted to $20 for two pairs.

I stripped off all the contact, cleaned the cupboards and painted the inside with flat acrylic paint. They are now white and clean inside. Then I cleaned the oven and fitted the element from the dump. It looks great. Now the oven will do us until we get that mortgage out of the way! I then removed the cupboard doors and gave them a coat of enamel paint. I took the door handles off, cleaned them with oven cleaner and refitted them - they came up like brand new! Finally I hung my bargain curtains and my new fresh, white kitchen looks lovely.

My husband was very impressed. All it took me was two days' work and $82.96 of supplies. Best of all, I saved $3900 on a new kitchen.

Contributed by: Aspiring

Bye for Now

That's all for this newsletter. Should you have any further questions or need help with any other money saving matter, please drop us a line. We are here to help!

Until next time,
Fiona

July 2020 - Simple Savings Newsletter

July 2020 Simple Savings Newsletter

July - Get Moving - Move it or lose it.
How to get active
Making masks
Money saving tips from the Vault
Cooking Competition Hint Winners
Leg Up Program

Hello,

I hope you are well and 2020 has been an OK year for you. Life in Simple Savings land has been trotting along. The kids were able to get back to karate and soccer this week. At Jacqui's first karate class her instructor looked at her, grinned and asked for 60 push ups. Her arms, abs and back muscles were very sore.

For everyone that can get out and about July is a great month to get active. Our bodies need movement to stay healthy. In this newsletter we are focusing on Covid safe ways to get active.

Let's get to it :-)

All the best,

Fiona

P.S. Leg Up Program - Every time someone buys full price 12 month Vault membership we give one to someone who would like a Leg Up. If you would like a Leg Up, go here to apply.

If you would like to buy a Vault membership, click here

1. July - Get moving - Move it or lose it

If you are new to this newsletter, each month we set some challenges to help inspire you to improve your habits, help your budget and to help everyone save the planet.

These follow along with this years theme - Save the Planet

We would like to help you to think about the best ways that you can stay healthy.

Our challenges for this month are set at -

E = Easy - Find time to exercise for 15 minutes a day
M = Moderate - Exercise for 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week
D = Difficult - Exercise for 30 minutes everyday

To our gym lovers and sports enthusiasts - set your own cracking pace!

2. How to get active

There are many creative Simple Savings ways to make do and exercise with what we have at home.

A few gentle stretches in the morning are a great place to start, it costs nothing but a few quiet minutes.
No equipment required exercises - do 5 of each one of the following for a minute, when you find a quiet five minutes later in the day. Squats, burpees, sit ups, planks, push ups

Then you could repeat those 3 to 5 times each.

Look up exercises online. There are some great apps and loads of YouTube tutorials.
Squish exercise into your day by wearing wrist, waist or ankle weights while you clean and/or fold clothes

Enjoy some music if you can, while you are doing exercises. It's a great distraction.
If you live in an apartment choose to walk down some of the stairs, rather than taking the lift. The same goes for your workplace, even if it's only part of the way up or down the building or to the train station or the bus stop. Or go for a quick walk at lunch time to stretch those legs and clear out the cobwebs.
Gardening is a great way to exercise and grow your own tasty food.
Get outdoors, go for a bike ride, even a stationary exercise bike will do very nicely, dance around your lounge/ living room, or run around your backyard, or have a run around in the surf or along the beach if there's one nearby.
Lots of places now have designated walking places for people to enjoy. Can you find one near you? Take a friend or if it's a safe area, go alone during the day.
Don't forget that even if you are working, you can always get up, get out of your chair, stretch, have a drink and go look out of a window for a few minutes.

If you have some great tips on getting active you would like to share with others send them in here

3. Making cloth masks

It is great to be prepared and have a mask or two in your bag. To help you make some we have sorted through mountains of online tutorials and found the best 'No sew', 'Low sew' and 'Need a machine' mask making methods.

DIY Face Mask | NO SEW | Upcycled T-shirt | 5 Minutes

If you need a mask in a hurry. This is a great video. It shows you how to cut up a t-shirt with a pair of scissors and turn it into a three layer mask. This is the best of the "No sew" mask tutorials. The good part about this method is it is easy and has three layers of fabric. The downside is that because there isn't any stitching. You may need to spend a lot of time adjusting and re-adjusting your mask.

Upcycled T-shirt | NO SEWING MACHINE | 5 minute mask

This "low sew" mask is better than the "no sew" masks. It has wire across the bridge of the nose for a better fit, has four layers of fabric, it's straps go around the back of your head which will stop your ears from getting sore, and doesn't need constant adjusting. All you need is some wire, an old t-shirt, needle thread and scissors.

Quick explain sewing machine mask

If all you want are the instructions to make a basic mask on your sewing machine. This is a good tutorial.

Detailed explanation, sewing machine mask

This tutorial was made by a retired medical professional helping people make masks for her former colleagues when the hospital ran out of disposable masks. If you would like to learn the difference between different types of masks. As well as, how and why they work. This is a great tutorial.

What we've learned after making 167,000 masks!!!

This is the follow on video and goes through some of the problems they had with various mask designs and how they improved them. Such as placements of straps, types of materials, etc..

4. Money saving tips from the Vault

With 20,000 money savings tips in the vault is a great place to spend the day and learn how to free up your cash. Here are some of our favourites for this week.

Guilt-free day of pampering at home

I saved a fortune on a day's well-earned pampering! I had a rare day to myself and was wondering how I could best spend it. My initial plan was to go to a movie, buy a coffee and some chocolates and then get myself some lunch, maybe a neck and shoulder massage - money, money and more money!

So instead I pulled some home-made chicken and vegetable soup out of my freezer and put on a DVD which I had been given for Christmas and hadn't ever made time to watch. I got out the foot spa, essential oils and foot cream, put on a face mask and made myself an extra big coffee in the recently bought coffee maker (bought for half price). The total cost for my treats? A few dollars. This was for a whole marked down wedge of Brie, with two days before it was due to expire. I had a wonderful day of peace and quiet and pampering and I didn't have to leave the house!

Contributed by: Annette White

Aerobics and yoga for free on YouTube

I found free aerobics and yoga shows on YouTube which means I can do my workout at home when I want to, and the variety is amazing!

Contributed by: Spud

Get on your bike!

I saved on expensive gym fees and got on my bike instead! I used to be a member of a gym but found that I wasn't able to get there as often as I liked as I have a young daughter. Instead I bought a mountain bike on special and bought a good quality child seat for the back on special, plus a couple of helmets.

Now my daughter and I enjoy a bike ride everyday to a few different parks around our area. The bike has already paid for itself, I'm getting more exercise and my daughter and I benefit from the fresh air and time spent together. It makes for a cheap family outing by just throwing in some sandwiches and fruit to eat.

Contributed by: Karen

5. Cooking Competition Hint Winners

This month's winners are Jeanette Shaw with her family's Yorkshire Pudding recipe and Helen Blemish's clever take away calculations.

How much does Homemade take-away save?

Working out how much I save by making take-away instead of buying it opened my eyes. Not only the monetary cost, but also the "working time" cost and the environmental cost.

After seeing the queues of cars on the last night before lock down, and the first morning out of lockdown at the heavily marketed takeaway stores. I started to think about the costs of takeaway food.

Take away Pizza Meal for 2

$5 from franchise pizza, 2 garlic bread ($8), 1.5L drink ($2.50)

15-20 min wait time. Total: $20.50

Homemade Pizza meal for 2

$2-3 for basic ingredients. Soda stream $0.50 , Garlic bread $5.

Time 20 minutes. Total:$8.50

**Money Savings - $12.00

Environmental Savings - cardboard boxes, plastic bottle**

Sometimes the amount of time it takes to make homemade takeaway means it is more economical to buy takeaway. But, sometimes the "work time" or "environmental cost" or "wait time" or "health value" means it is better to make it yourself.

Before, you buy fish and chips... burger a franchise... pasta... Thai takeaways.... Indian takeaways... franchise sandwich/roll... pie... your favourite takeaway. Work out how much you meal is going to cost and how long it will take you to buy it. Then look at what it will cost you and how long it will take you to make it. Then make an informed decision about whether or not you want takeaway.

Don't judge yourself (or anyone else), just raise your awareness of the real cost of those takeaways.

Contributed by Helen Beamish

Covid cosiness with Grandma's Yorkshire puds

With the challenge of Covid 19 we have all been on a steep learning curve and to assist in my own "Learning Curve" I set myself the challenge of making delicious and healthy food with ingredients I already had in the pantry.

I collect recipe books, the older the better. The C.W.A. Is a good basic cookbook, so I started with that. My granny Lucy was a Yorkshire lass so I made Yorkshire Puds in muffin pans. Easy peasy.

A glass of eggs, a glass of milk, and a glass of self raising flour. Good pinch of salt, whip into a batter like consistency and pop the jug or bowl into the fridge for half an hour.

After half an hour stir in an ice cube or some ice cold water into the batter and whisk again.

I cheat a little and pop my jug of batter into the freezer compartment for 15 minutes as I can't wait to eat them

Pour a little virgin olive oil into your pans, and place in your hot oven until they are smoking hot. Pour batter into each one, about one quarter of the depth.

Into your hot oven they go for about twenty minutes.

Without opening the door check on your Yorkshires visually.

When ready they should be risen, light golden and crispy.

Make some thin gravy and pour over your cooked Yorkshires. This makes a meatless lunch. I like to add a brown sauce, Daddy's Favourite, H.P. Sauce or even BBQ sauce will do.

I promise you they are heaven on a stick, well not exactly on a stick, but you get my drift.

Contributed by: Janette Shaw

6. Leg Up program

For every full priced Vault membership purchased from Simple Savings we give one away to some who could do with a Leg Up. Here are some of the incredible stories from people you have helped us help in the last month.

If you would like a Leg Up, apply here.

June 2011 - Simple Savings Newsletter

"Secrets to Saving Money in Australia" Free Newsletter - June 2011

This issue includes:-

Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: The Kindness of Strangers
July is Volunteer Month!
Last Month's Competition: The Dog Ate My Dinner...
This Month's Competition: One Good Turn
Hidden Gems Competition Winner
Best Member's Blog: This Month's Winner
Best of the Forum: Lending a Hand
Best of the Vault: Helping Others and Yourself
Cooking with Mimi: Black Forest Slice
Penny's Blog: Legging it for Louis
Homeopathy Corner: But Wart, There's More!
From Last Month: Home-Made Dairy Products
This Month's Help Request: Washing Coming Out of My Ears!
Savings Story: Life Lessons
So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye :-D

Hello,

How are you going? I'm afraid this month has been a sad one for our family. Matt's grandma passed away just a few days short of her 98th birthday. She was a wonderful woman, always helping people. She did Meals on Wheels right up until she was 94, when she was one of NSW's oldest volunteer workers. She was a lovely, caring person - and I want to be like her. I want to still be helping people well into my nineties, just like she did.

Simple Savings is all about people working together to help one another. Every time you send in a money saving tip you are helping someone else get ahead and make their lives easier - as these fantastic letters show!

"Well... you guys have done a great job on me! I read that in your new competition we have to give our reasons why we go and get takeaway. I can't enter and it's all thanks to you guys. We don't buy takeaway, unless we are having a day out and decide to treat the kids, but even then we usually try and plan it so we are home for lunch and go out either in the afternoon or morning. We possibly have takeaway two to three times a year. I always make sure we have easy meals in the freezer and always cook in bulk (sometimes enough to feed us for another four or five nights, that's how slack I am). When I know I am running low on food I make sure I'm organised and make my 'leftover' meals for the weekends. We spend all weekend renovating and working hard so the last thing you usually feel like is cooking but by the time we get organised for takeaway and go and get it and they mess up the order and we finally get to eat, we could have re-heated something twice over. Seeing as we have 11 takeaway shops within a two minute drive I think we are doing pretty well, don't you?" (Debbie Drakeley)

"Thanks for your latest competition; just by entering it I can see how slack I've been and vow to pull my socks up! We live 30 minutes out of town and find that on days when the kids have after school activities, we use the excuse that we need something quick and easy for dinner. Grabbing a takeaway on the way home usually costs about $50 for our family of four. This ends up costing us at least $100-$200 a month or more! How crazy is that! As I type it, it looks so incredibly outrageous, but we justify it to ourselves by saying we have no time! I know that's rubbish though because we have always got some frozen leftovers and a microwave! Thanks for the hints every month. I really look forward to them. Will let you know how I go!" (Leisa Tolhurst)

"I have been receiving your email updates for a number of months now (thank you!) and had been meaning to buy the book. Am SO GLAD I did! It arrived promptly on Monday and I had read the whole thing in less than 24 hours, I couldn't put it down (and I am a busy wife and mum to a six and four-year-old). I also work outside the home on nights and weekends, in hospitality. Your book is FANTASTIC! I have always been pretty thrifty and organised, have always meal planned and had a recipe folder even before I was married. But there's such a treasure trove of hints and tips in this book, it's incredible. I have a $9000 credit card debt (eek!) - but since reading the book my goal is to have it paid off by Christmas, which I know I can do now by working hard and doing a few $21 Challenges along the way, once a month or so. Once that's paid off I am saving for our next family holiday and our first BIG one - Hawaii in 2012! What a reward to look forward to. My main motivation is to clear the fridge and pantry; at the moment my pantry is tidy but I have no room for even a jar of anchovies! I look forward to trying out all the gorgeous recipes, they look so yummy. The first one I tried out was the artichoke dip (with parmesan, olive oil and chives) and it was SO DELICIOUS, my family loved it! I showed Mum the book and she wishes it was around when she was a struggling single mum. I'm going to be sharing this and I can't thank you enough for what it's done for me already and what it's doing for mums everywhere." (Rosie Toonen)

You see what an amazing difference we can all help make to each other's lives? We really appreciate every single tip we receive every week, so keep sending them in. As well as helping other members to save money, you could win yourself a free 12 month Vault membership (value $47) in our weekly Hint of the Week competition!

1. Sad Sally, Happy Hanna: The Kindness of Strangers

Sally was rugging up in her gloves and scarf getting ready to catch the bus home. "It's so cold and dark on the bus on my own at night - and it's freezing!" she moaned to Hanna. "Tell you what - I can give you a lift home as I'm going your way tonight but I've got an important detour I have to make first!" grinned Hanna.

Sally accepted gratefully. She didn't care what the 'detour' was - she was getting to ride in a nice, warm car AND save her bus fare too! Half an hour later, however, Hanna pulled up outside an old warehouse. Sally started to feel really nervous. What on earth were they doing here? How well did she really know Hanna after all?

"Hanna, what is this place? Why have you brought us here?" Sally asked, looking around suspiciously. Oh heck - what had she agreed to! "This is my secret, Sal - I come here every week." Hanna smiled mysteriously. Sally's alarm bells really started ringing! Hanna took one look at her nervous expression and burst out laughing. "It's a women's shelter! We could really do with an extra hand, come on!"

2. July is Volunteer Month!

Sally was really surprised to discover Hanna had been helping out in a women's shelter after work. How did she possibly find the time? Once there was a time when volunteering was common place. Nowadays, however, everyone is so busy sitting in front of various screens that we only help each other when we are in a crisis.

It is wonderful that humans still do help each other in a crisis, but ONLY helping out in a crisis is not enough. The human body needs constant movement to stay healthy and volunteering your time to help others is a great way to stay active. Grandma Jones had a magnificent long life, because she was always active.

When the Brisbane floods and the Christchurch earthquake happened everyone immediately pitched in to help. People nearby left their screens in droves to help out and get the job done. And, while doing it, the helpers found out something very surprising. Helping other people is a lot of fun. It gives you a huge BUZZ!

But natural crises are one-off events. After everything settled down people went back to being still. At the moment, we sit still for 30 hours per week on average watching TV and another 18 hours per week surfing the web. Instead of keeping active we are surfing and sitting ourselves to an early grave.

So this month I want you to turn this around. Be inspired by Matt's grandma Dot Jones and volunteer some of your 48 'still' hours to help someone else. Let's spend some time away from our screens and spend some of the time enjoying the BUZZ of volunteering with other good-hearted people. And when you do, don't forget to share your experience in this month's competition!

3. Last Month's Competition: The Dog Ate My Dinner...

It's not often our members reduce us to tears but you have this month - tears of laughter that is! Last month's competition 'what's your best excuse for not cooking dinner?' attracted a record number of entries and many of them were absolutely hilarious! Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter our competition. Our grand prize of $100 cash goes to Brenda Winchester. Brenda had us all falling about laughing as we pictured her disastrous evening!

"I came home from work early and it was chilly so thought I would light a fire. It was the first fire of the winter and as I lit it a bird fell down the chimney, into the just-started fire. I quickly flicked it out on to the carpet, but its feathers had started to smoulder. Whilst I was busy trying to put out some sparks from where it fell, it flew up and perched on the wire of my net curtains. Unfortunately the shock proved too much for the bird and it fell to the floor - whereupon the cat pounced on it - but because the bird's feathers were still hot it burnt the cat's mouth and it started wailing! I then noticed to my horror that my curtains were on fire from where the bird had perched on them! I rushed to pull them down and the smoke alarm started going off but I was too busy getting the curtains down to do anything. However, my neighbour heard the alarm going off, saw the smoke and, knowing I worked late, promptly rang the fire brigade. I was just dowsing the last of the smouldering on the curtains with water when there was a bang on the door. In rushed a fireman in full rig and holding a fire extinguisher, which he immediately used, covering curtains and carpet with foam. What a mess - soggy, blackened curtains, a soggy carpet, foam everywhere, a cat still wailing and a fire engine in the drive! At this point my teenage son arrived home and said, 'Had a problem with dinner, Mum?' Shortly after my husband arrived. Upon surveying the scene he shook his head and said 'You really didn't need to go to those lengths to avoid cooking dinner.'"

Congratulations Brenda - we hope your house, the cat and your nerves have made a full recovery! Well done too to each of our five runners-up, who all win $50 cash each:

Lee Elwood - Poor Lee had a very understandable excuse not to cook dinner after an eventful trip to the airport!

"I confess - I bought dinner the night my husband took my car keys on an interstate flight in his pocket, leaving me stuck at Adelaide airport with four kids under seven and my visiting sister. He was heading for China, but luckily realised en route to Melbourne that he had them! As soon as he realised, he organised for the airline to send them back, but it couldn't be until that night.

"I rang the automobile association, who burst out laughing; they couldn't get us started as the car had a kill switch, but unlocked it for us so at least we could get to the nappy bag - phew! I also found a packet of ham lost in the car from the previous week's shopping - urgh! I tried to get a taxi to nearby Glenelg Beach to keep the kids occupied until the keys arrived but there were six of us so we couldn't fit. We waited an hour until one taxi took pity on us on his third return to the rank and jammed us all in (as long as we didn't tell anyone - whoops)!

"We then walked everywhere looking for a McDonald's but there wasn't one. More walking found us a KFC but suddenly my two-year-old son started to look ill and threw up all over me in the middle of the restaurant. I staggered back to the beach nursing sick son and hoping to occupy remaining children; the two older ones went paddling and got completely wet. By now I had one bag of vomitty clothes, two bags of wet clothes, one invalid and two half-naked children. Luckily the baby was happy!

"Time passed. We tried to get a taxi back to the airport to wait for keys; but again six of us so couldn't fit. Eventually the same taxi driver took pity on us again! After eight hours, my keys arrived back at the airport (eternal gratitude to the now defunct Ansett Airlines); we paid the exorbitant parking fee, started the car (hooray!) and staggered home, which was an hour away on the other side of Adelaide. Bathed everyone, cleaned all the clothes.

"One stiff Scotch and some Chinese takeaway, thank you!"

Marilyn Nixon - At least Marilyn TRIED to cook dinner. However, her careful organisation didn't quite go to plan!

"The family had arrived back late from a trip and I grabbed an unlabelled package out of the freezer and threw it in a pot to heat. We'll have a quick casserole with instant potatoes I thought. The cats were around my feet demanding food as the casserole heated. I grabbed a spoon and dolloped a spoonful onto hubby's plate only to discover it was casserole cat food I had frozen prior to going away! Hence, that night we all got takeaway and the cats got a nice, heated dinner!"

Patricia Conman - Patricia also had the best intentions of cooking dinner. Unfortunately for her, so did her toddler...

"My two-year-old son thought he would help Mummy make dinner by washing the potatoes. The only trouble was he used the toilet. After that takeaway was the most appetising option!"

Tara Sinclair - Tara had us all nodding our heads in sympathy at her poetic account of life as a busy wife and mother!

"Here's an account of a day I had recently that caused me to order takeaway.

Off to the shops for more food,
Get the medicines, pay the bills.
Laundry sink overflowed,
Cat wouldn't take her pills.
Kids home from school complaining non-stop,
Oh my, I'm going to blow my top.

Six o'clock has come and gone,
Husband home late,
But wait, he's mowing the lawn!

Forgot to thaw out some meat,
Take a deep breath.
Cooking dinner right now seems
A fate worse than death.

Phone
Credit card
Order
Wait
Ding-dong

*SIGH*"

Carol Woolcock - 'If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen' so the saying goes - and after this tale of woe we sincerely hope that's where Carol's son stays!

"Our 16-year-old son was left at home alone for the first time while we went to a movie matinee. We had given him money to buy a pizza, however, as he was a keen saver he decided to cook himself chips. He was eating them and watching TV when he smelled smoke and ran to the kitchen to find the pan of oil alight - so he carried the pan to the kitchen sink and turned on the tap, igniting the curtains. He then had the good sense to get out of the house! We arrived home soon after to find the fire brigade hosing down the charred remains of our kitchen. I turned to my husband and said 'Sorry Darling, can't cook dinner tonight!'"

4. This Month's Competition: One Good Turn

This month is Volunteer Month and we want you to share your good turns with us. How have you, or someone you know, given up your time to help someone else? Big or small, we want to hear about it! There are cash prizes up for grabs for the best stories, with $100 for the grand winner and five prizes of $50 for the runners-up. Closing date is July 25th. Enter the competition here - we can't wait to read your entries!

5. Hidden Gems Competition Winner

Our Hidden Gems directory is designed to help members find it easier to source the best deals in their area. Whenever you come across a real gem of a store, enter it in our Hidden Gems directory and you could be in to win our monthly prize of $100 cash! This is our way of saying thank you for helping other members save by sharing your knowledge. The more information you can give us, the better your chance of winning. This month's winner is Healthy Hampers as nominated by Jade M. Read her entry to see what makes them such a great example of a Hidden Gem:

Healthy Hampers Co-op

150 Brisbane Street, Ipswich, Queensland

"Healthy Hampers is an amazing store and the backbone of my weekly shop. It is a co-op so you do have to be a member to shop there, but anyone can become a member for $25 and in your first shop you get $10 back! $15 for the first year, it is definitely worth it, especially when you save more than that in your first shop! It is truly great.

"The shop firstly sells very heavily discounted stock to help assist those who are struggling. They are a not for profit organisation and are truly just there to help everyone. Last week I bought $40 worth of groceries that would have normally cost me towards $100 elsewhere. Last week I got a whole big bag of apples for $0.50c, a whole bag of onions for $0.50c, a huge lettuce for $0.50c, three bundles of bok choy for free, a pre-made salad mix for $0.50c, 1kg of bacon for $4.00 and lots of non-perishable items such as rice, biscuits and chocolate!

"Their stock changes weekly so there is always something new and the store is so fun to go into as you never know what amazing goodies you will find. It also helps that the staff are so friendly and remember me by name and always take the time to ask me about my week, help me with my basket if it is too heavy and are always smiling.

"My husband and I got married three months ago and are trying to save to buy a car. We have to watch every dollar we spend and having the Healthy Hampers co-op as our main shopping supplier has been a godsend. This store is really a hidden gem in the middle of Ipswich and truly deserves some type of reward for all they do for the community.

"They are only open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11am to 4.30pm I think, but it's worth taking the time to go there. The staff don't need to be charmed to give you the best stuff as they are just so willing anyway. However, the best time to go is in the morning when they open as you don't want to miss out on any of the best stock that will sell first. They do put out limited amounts at the start and refill as the day goes by so I guess it just depends on the luck of the customers."

Congratulations on being this month's winner Jade and a huge pat on the back to Healthy Hampers for providing consistently outstanding customer service and value for money! There are some fantastic charity organisations out there so if you know of any good ones do write in and tell us about it so we can share them with others. You can enter your own Hidden Gems into our monthly competition here. Thank you and good luck!

6. Best Member's Blog: This Month's Winner

This month's winner is SuperSaver for this extract from her blog 'Careful Saver':

'What Goes Around Comes Around'

I don't know about you but at this time of year do you receive letters in the mail from charities asking for much needed funds? I think we have received about a dozen of these letters and I generally have a quick read and put them in the bin. But one such letter I received really hit a note with me and I want to share this experience with you. Firstly, before I begin this story, I believe you should have one or two charities that you support. It's hard when you are on a tight budget but remember that it is a tax deduction and the blessing of making your payment before June 30 is that you can claim it in this year's tax return. I also believe it's a good habit to give and be generous. We really don't realise how blessed we are as a country.

Anyway, back to my story (I should warn you that it might be hard to read for some). I received a letter that explained about a charity that does surgery on women who have become incontinent due to having a traumatic birth. In a Western country, if the mum was having difficulty giving birth, an emergency c-section would be done for the health of the mum and her baby. In third world countries, however, they have no such luxury, often giving birth in their hut with no medical help. Sometimes they have a long and stressful birth, when the baby is born it is dead due to the trauma, and the woman becomes incontinent due to the pressure of giving birth. This story brought tears to my eyes because I am a mum of a 10 month old baby girl and I had to have a c-section because she was in breech position (head the wrong way around). I already support two charities and I knew that we were on a tight budget but I felt led to give a small amount to this charity. They basically do an operation on these women so that they are no longer incontinent and can live a life without embarrassment.

The minimum amount was $35 so I sent my details and felt good that I might have been able to help at least one woman. The next day when I was looking over our accounts I looked at our ING savings account and low and behold the interest I had made that month which had been added to my savings the day that I sent our donation was $35! I wish I had given a bit more now ;). But the moral of this story is the fact that I do believe that when you feel led to give, you should give because you will receive in return in one way or another.

Congratulations SuperSaver! To read more from her, or any of our other members' blogs, click here

7. Best of the Forum: Lending a Hand

Got the volunteering bug? Good on ya, you've come to the right place! Our caring Forum members will show you how easy it is to get a 'money-free high' whilst lending a hand in your community.

Where do you volunteer?

Stumped for ideas on where to offer your help? From school tuckshops to community aid abroad, soccer clinics to assisting with the Red Cross or SES; there is something for everyone to get involved with!
read more...

Volunteering for young kids

Kids love getting stuck in helping others! How about involving the whole family in volunteering their time?
read more...

Friendship and community a cure for shopping

Simple Saver Rebecca shows you how helping others can bring joy and meaning into your own life too.
read more...

Get crafty with your time

Can you knit or sew? Why not share your lovingly hand-made items with local charities and help make a difference?

Knitted 'little boy' pattern for charity/emergency care?
Sewing/crafting for charity

Volunteer to walk a dog

Don't forget our faithful, furry friends when it comes to volunteering your time!
read more...

8. Best of the Vault: Helping Others and Yourself

Volunteering is for EVERYONE! Your selfless giving of time reaps wonderful positive rewards such as building friendships and feeling part of your community. But did you know that volunteering can often save you money as well? All the proof you need is in the Vault!

Volunteers get first dibs and savings on school books

Volunteering at our school's second hand book sale saves me around $1200 a year! I normally spend close to $1500 on school books for my two boys, who attend a nearby private secondary school. By giving up a few hours of my time to help at the school's end of year second hand book sale I get first pick of the books the boys will need the following year, and I got all of this year's books for just $300! This also takes the stress out of January as all the books are bought before Christmas.

Contributed by: Kezza

Adopt an elderly neighbour and save

I recently noticed my elderly neighbour was unwell and no longer able to drive or leave the house; relying on taxi services to deliver food (often expensive pre-packaged items), or he would have home delivered takeaway. Being a fussy eater, he was reluctant to consider 'Meals on Wheels', so I volunteered to shop for him and cook him three different meals a week. Each week he gives me enough money to cover the costs of his meals (soups/stews/freezable casseroles) and I make up bulk amounts of each dish. I deliver half to him and keep half for myself, as suggested by him for payment. Not only is he saving money on taxis and home delivery, but he is eating healthy food and my family is also provided with three meals a week as a bonus for giving up a little of my time. Often cooking for one is not inviting, but cooking for others encourages healthier eating habits and helps regain social contact. Often a lonely person will gain a new lease on life to boot. A great savings all round, and using recipes from the Vault saves me even more!

Contributed by: Laree Thorsby

Gym creche volunteer sees budget $1000 fitter

I am saving over $1000 in gym fees by volunteering at the gym's creche. I'm not sure about other gyms, but I learned that my local gym is always looking for volunteers to do a few hours looking after the children in the creche. In return, volunteers get unlimited free use of the gym, as well as a 10% discount for the creche. Volunteers need to provide a police clearance letter, must undergo a Working with Children check and be interviewed by the gym's management. What a fantastic way to save money and get fit!

Contributed by: Rinnie S

Have a pet for free

Save on the cost of owning a pet by adopting one at your local animal shelter instead! Many people would love a dog or cat but can't afford to have one or can't have one because of where they live. However, that doesn't need to stop you from having a special animal in your life! If you ask to volunteer at your local dog pound or animal shelter you will be able to help look after and socialise an animal for free. You'll also meet some other animal lovers and you'll be helping to save an animal's life.

Contributed by: Amie Etheridge

Volunteering saves me money

Not only do I buy clothing and household items at half price by volunteering at my local op shop, but all the profits go back to the local clubs and other volunteer agencies. My clothing costs me $1.00 or $2.00 per item, it's a great social opportunity to mix with other people and you feel good to be helping others!

Contributed by: Bev Jackson

Extra tips for Vault Members

Here are some extra tips and information to say thank you to our Vault members for joining and helping us make Simple Savings such a fantastic site. Happy volunteering!

Dramatic savings for theatre volunteers Contributed by: Donna-lee Greaves

The spirit of co-operation Contributed by: Jannine Ord

Volunteer your time and reduce club fees Contributed by: Catherine Magraith

Cheap seeds online Contributed by: Alison Bruce

Helping others in need Contributed by: Heather Davies

9. Cooking with Mimi: Black Forest Slice

I reckon Volunteer Month is a great time to join in the fun and celebrations at your local school fete. Even if you don't have children still at school or children aren't yet on your agenda, you can still indulge your inner child by joining in at the animal farm, side show alley and making something special for the home-baked goodies and sweets stall. Maybe you could offer to take the children of a neighbour or friend and give them a day off, giving your volunteering efforts a double whammy!

There's nothing like the wind singing through your hair on the Whip It ride, churning your insides straight after a burger with the lot, made by the parent whose child sits next to yours in class, who hasn't got a clue about food presentation, and has probably burned the meat pattie, forgotten to toast the bun and neglected to add the BBQ sauce. Yep... the school fete... ya gotta love it.

Here's a yummy slice that's bound to be a big hit. I bet it sells out in the first hour or two. You'll be a legend!

Black Forest Slice

Equipment required:

Baking dish lined with baking paper
Large bowl
Electric mixer
Large mixing spoon and big muscles
Spatula
Knife
Dessertspoon
Cooling rack
Small microwave-safe bowl
Sharp pointed knife
Small glass of hot water to use when slicing
Egg spatula
One or two large airtight containers

Ingredients:

3 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups milk
1 cup coconut
3/4 cup plain flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla essence
425g tin pitted cherries, drained well
1 cup chopped dark chocolate or chocolate buttons
1/2 cup cream
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

Preheat your oven to 170C or 160C fan forced.

Grease and line your baking tray.

Beat your eggs and sugar on low until well combined

Add the milk and vanilla essence and beat on the lowest speed until mixed. Don't do what I did and beat on high or you're going to end up with a new attractively fragrant hair treatment!

Add the coconut, flour and cocoa and stir with your big spoon. The mixture will be a lot thicker now so you'll need to really get into it. My daughter always proudly shows me her pumped biceps after hand mixing this one. Who needs the gym when a good bake-up will do the trick?

Pour the mixture into your lined pan, and no licking of fingers yet please.

Spread the drained cherries across the chocolate mixture and press them gently into the mixture.

Put the tray into your oven for around 25-35 minutes, remembering that ovens vary. It's done when you touch it lightly in the middle and it springs back. NOW you can lick your fingers.

When cooked, cool for about 15 minutes before running a knife around the edges to loosen it. Keep it in the tray for now.

Make the ganache by putting your cream, vanilla essence and chocolate or chocolate buttons into the microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on full power for 30-45 seconds. Stir and continue to microwave on high for 15 seconds at a time, stirring well. When it's all smooth and satiny, it's ready.

Pour the ganache over your Black Forest Slice and chill for an hour or so to allow the ganache to harden slightly.

Use your sharp pointed knife to slice the large rectangle into smaller squares or fingers, dipping the knife into a glass of hot water intermittently to allow it to slice cleanly through the ganache. Remove the slices or fingers with an egg spatula and store in an airtight container.

Deliver to your eternally grateful Fete Convenor with a big 'aren't I clever' kiddy grin, making sure you include a list of ingredients and your phone number.

10. Penny's Blog: Legging it for Louis

I'd like to introduce you to a very special friend of mine. His name is Louis and he's seven years old. His mum Tara and I went to primary school together in England and purely by chance ended up together on the opposite side of the world decades later. Funnily enough it was Simple Savings who brought us together! Tara and her husband Greg became Simple Savers three years ago when they took part in the first No Spend Month for NZ current affairs show Campbell Live. In typical fashion they threw themselves into the challenge and even though Valentine's Day and Louis' birthday party fell during the same month the pair of them was not deterred from their mission and by the end of the month they had saved a whopping $1000. Just goes to show what you can achieve with a little conscious effort doesn't it!

It's just as well this family is good at saving money because boy, do they have some saving to do. You see, from the outside Louis looks just like any other seven year old boy. He has a wonderful, caring personality, heaps of friends, is bright as a button and has a gorgeous smile as you can see. He can chat away happily to anyone about anything - I've learned heaps about caring for pet rabbits from Louis! However, if you look closely at his picture you'll see he is wearing a rather important bracelet. It's his Medicalert bracelet which tells people he is a severe diabetic.

Louis was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was just five. It turned the whole family's world upside down and from then on life became a constant routine of monitoring food, monitoring blood sugar and administering medication. But like many people I didn't understand the implications of this condition. I remember when Tara first announced Louis' diagnosis. 'Oh no, that's terrible!' I said - and meant it - but in all honesty I thought it was a bit of an inconvenience, nothing more. I was one of the countless people who confuse Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes with being one and the same, when in truth they are very different. When you are a seven year old with Type 1, every day you are faced with a barrage of needles. When you are a seven year old with Type 1, everyday childhood illnesses and injury is far more traumatic and prolonged. Just keeping a little fella like Louis well from day to day is a mission. You never know what each day is going to bring and planning anything can be very hard.

When I first started spending more time with Louis and his family I thought it was cute how, when Tara and I went out anywhere, she would give Greg a quick rundown of exactly what Louis had eaten, his last blood sugar reading and exactly what else he could eat and how much if needed before kissing him goodbye. 'How organised they are! How easy they make it all look!' I thought. But I was wrong. It's not easy, not at all.

They say 'there's no friend like an old friend' and Tara is one of life's true gems. She is one of the funniest people you could ever hope to meet and has me falling over my desk with laughter on a daily basis. She's been the same ever since we first met at nine years old and is good at putting on a brave front but the more time I have spent with her these past few months, the more I get an insight into what a massive weight diabetes is on any family's shoulders. When Louis has a bad day, Tara feels totally responsible, like it's all her fault. Of course it's not - but you try and tell any good mum that! I've been lucky - when I see Louis he's always placid, happy and talkative. I don't see him on the days when he's trying to resist his insulin or is just plain over it. I might not see Louis, but I see his mum and when she cries it just breaks my heart.

Do you know what the worst thing is though? If we lived in pretty much any other country this family's life would be so much easier. Louis would have his own insulin pump, which would hugely reduce the amount of finger pricks and injections, he would automatically receive the required amount of insulin he needed whenever he needed it and would be able to eat pretty much what he wants, when he wants, taking a huge amount of stress off Greg and Tara. No more mercy dashes in to school! But we live in New Zealand and our clean, green country is one of just a handful in the world which does not receive government funding for insulin pumps. For Louis to have an insulin pump his family is going to have to raise at least $8000. That's for the pump alone and they only last six years, meaning they are going to have to find this amount again when he is 13 and again when he is 19, for the rest of his life. In addition, these pumps cost around $350 per month to maintain with all the necessary bits and pieces. See what I mean about a giant savings goal?

Louis has been through so much already but every time I see him he has that same gentle smile on his face. It's not his fault we live in one of the only countries that doesn't receive funding. He has a long road ahead and he deserves that bloody pump. So do his parents. So I'm going to make sure he gets it. On October 31st I am running the Auckland Marathon to raise money for my little mate. The support I have received already has been huge - and I haven't even done it yet! Louis isn't the only one with a long road ahead - between now and October 31st I will have run over 1000 kilometres but it will be worth every step if it helps make that little guy's life easier. So if over the next few months there might be the odd lengthy gap between SS posts, you know where I'll be - pounding the pavements. If you would like to learn more about Louis and follow my journey, you can keep posted through this special blog http://leggingitforlouis.wordpress.com/ See you at the finish line!

June 2011

11. Homeopathy Corner: But Wart, There's More!

I bet you thought a wart was just a wart, didn't you? These pesky little blighters affect people of all ages and as anyone can vouch who has ever suffered with them, once you have them, they can be VERY hard to get rid of. However, all warts are not created equal! The size and shape of the wart makes a huge difference to how you treat them. The great news is that homeopathy is terrific for treating all kinds of warts, fast and pain-free as Fran explains to us in this month's article. Read more about it here:

homeopathyplus.com.au/warts-treating-them-with-homeopathy

12. From Last Month: Home-Made Dairy Products

Last month Wendy asked:

"We have a house cow. I am interested in discovering any recipes for yoghurt, butter, ice cream and milk soap that people may have. Would your members be able to help or point me in the right direction?"

They sure can! Thank you to everyone who wrote in with yummy recipes and helpful suggestions like these ones:

Google search will bring the answer

You can find some terrific home-made dairy recipes by doing a simple Google search. I just Googled home-made butter, yoghurt, cheese, milk soap and ice cream and I found MANY links to information, plus demonstration videos. Enjoy your cow!

Contributed by: Jan Silk

Fun with fresh milk on tap

I recently invested in a milking goat and it's great to have fresh milk! We use it to make the following:

To make yoghurt: Simply heat one litre of milk to just before boiling and allow to cool to 43 degrees C. Whisk in two tablespoons of plain natural yoghurt from the supermarket (as a starter). Keep warm for eight hours, e.g. in a sink full of warm water, next to the heater, or in an Esky with a heat bag wrapped in tea towels. Then place in the fridge overnight. It is ready to use the next morning; you can eat it plain or flavoured with honey, jam, fruits or maple syrup. This yoghurt will last approximately 7-10 days. You can then use this yoghurt as a starter for your next batch. It will be runnier than store-bought yoghurt as it is completely natural and has no stabilisers. If you prefer creamier yoghurt add 1/3 cup powdered milk before mixing in the starter.

To make cream: Chill your milk in the fridge overnight. The cream will rise to the top and can be skimmed off. Or, if you are lucky enough to have a milk separator, put it through this twice for an extra thick and creamy cream.

To make butter: Allow cream to come to room temperature. Put the cream in a food processor or electric mixer and mix until the cream 'seizes' and forms clumps of butter and separates from the buttermilk. Pour off the buttermilk and pour one cup of very cold water over the remaining butter. Keep mixing for about one minute. Pour off more buttermilk and continue to wash the butter until the water stays clean. If you like, add a small amount of salt to taste. Using two spoons, press the butter in to shape. Home-made butter can be stored frozen for three months.

Contributed by: Rebecca Tapscott

Get back to Grass Roots

A wonderful source of this type of information is Grass Roots magazine, available at most newsagents. The library may have a copy. The production team is very helpful; you could ring them and they will send you a back copy that has the recipes you're after. I love this magazine as it is always full of helpful, practical hints on everything from spinning and knitting to farming, gardening, cooking, building and so on. Another excellent magazine is Earth Garden which may also have these recipes; they have a website and you may be able to email a request. Good luck with your quest!

Contributed by: Liz McBride

Use up your cream with help from Nigella

This recipe for bitter orange ice cream by Nigella Lawson uses over half a litre of cream. You can substitute the bitter oranges with another type of citrus, whatever you have on hand.

Bitter Orange Ice Cream

3 Seville oranges or 1 orange and 2 limes
175g icing sugar
Large pot (584 ml) double cream
Wafers, to serve

If using Seville oranges, grate the zest of two of them. Squeeze the juice of all three and pour into a bowl with the zest and sugar. If you're going for the sweet orange and lime option, grate the zest of the orange and one of the limes, juice them and add to the sugar as before. Stir to dissolve the sugar and add the double cream.

Whip everything until it holds soft peaks and then turn into a shallow air-tight container, approx. two litre capacity, with a lid. Cover and freeze until firm (3-5 hours). Remove to ripen for 15-20 minutes (or 30-40 in the fridge) before eating. Serve in a bowl, in cones, with wafers - however you like!

Contributed by: Seana Mallini

Take a cheese making course

A friend of mine didn't have a cow to milk but she wanted to make her own cheese so took a cheese making course. There are quite a few courses advertised on the Internet. I thought cheese making would be quite difficult but the way my friend described it, it wasn't super hard and she really enjoyed the fruits of her labour. I even think she managed to make a Brie!

Contributed by: Beverley Cull

Enjoy the health benefits of Kefir

Kefir is a culture made with milk and is so easy to make; just add the milk to the culture and it grows. It is not as particular as making yoghurt, to get it to the right temperature. I just take milk out of the fridge and add it to the culture sitting on the kitchen bench. In warm weather it is ready to use in 24 hours and in the cold months two to three days. Kefir is a probiotic and has many benefits to health. I have been making Kefir for over 20 years!

Contributed by: Aleisha Stewart

Bonus extras for Vault members

No house cow? No problem! Contributed by: Julia O'Connor

Dairy products made easy with Green Living Contributed by: Judith M

Home made yoghurt less than $2 per litre Contributed by: Chrissy G

Home made cottage and Cheshire cheese Contributed by: Pam W

13. This Month's Help Request: Washing Coming Out of My Ears!

This month Kim asks:

"Help! We are a family of four with two teenage boys and I am at the end of my tether with the amount of washing we make each day. I have an 8kg washing machine and we would wash on average two to three FULL loads a day. At this time of year it is hard to get washing dry outside - we live in a very sheltered area with no breeze and the washing can literally hang there for a week and not dry. I have three clothes horses which I use wherever possible and the outside lines are always hung with washing. The tumble dryer has been going constantly for months just trying to keep on top of things and keep everyone clothed. My husband has a work uniform, my kids each have school uniforms and we are a very sporty family so always have a lot of muddy, sweaty sports gear to wash. Hubby and I try to make our own clothing last as long as possible between washes but the kids are something else! Does anyone have any suggestions for some sort of solution, routine or habit that we can all get into to help reduce the load? Thank you in grateful anticipation!"

If you have any tips which can help Kim, please send them in to us here.

14. Savings Story: Life Lessons

Back when I first discovered your wonderful site, I was essentially working to support my useless boyfriend. Five and a half years later I left him (with $30,000 of accumulated debt that I have still not received back from him) and vowed to enjoy life for a change. I had lost 45kg through good (self-taught) nutrition and walking and had a new lease on life. Moving back with my grandmother allowed me to pay off my credit cards and consider formal nutrition qualifications.

Fast forward to today, past another boyfriend, STACKS more life experiences including my first international travel. I am now a Registered Nutritionist with the Nutrition Society of Australia (having completed my Master of Human Nutrition), work in diabetes prevention and have a wonderful boyfriend who loves to get out and experience life as much as I do. Plus, being English, he's got a lot of Australia to explore! But I still have debt and given that his occupation pays double mine (and we live 250km apart), I find that my debt has been gradually accumulating. A major part of this is making up for lost time from when I was 18-24 with that initial boyfriend, working full time and essentially working as an eBay seller full time also, just to pay for us both. Don't get me wrong, being a musician is cool, but you need to also be realistic when it comes to living costs (or just find yourself a girlfriend who is willing to pay for you)! The other part is that because my current boyfriend earns so much more than me and I've always been the 'breadwinner', I feel like I have to keep up with him.

Anyway, the start of 2011 for me was celebrated on a backpacker tour of the Red Centre, specifically Coober Pedy by this stage, and an accumulated debt of just on $14,000. To put this in perspective, I don't drive, have no car, rent and live approximately 8km from the CBD of Melbourne. My job pays better than it used to, but I've only been on this rate for about 10 months. I vowed that 2011 would be the year that I slash my debt and have been working steadily at this. I did some research, applied for a loan to consolidate my debt, budget and spend very little on food to get by. I try to walk as much as possible and have a very vegetable-based diet. I do like meat but I don't have it as the feature of my dish - it is just another component. I've essentially been completing the $21 Challenge now for months and rarely spend more than $10 a week on food. By relying on vegetables and healthy cheap meals, your health naturally improves which will not only make you feel better but also reduces medical costs. Couple this with active transport and it's a bonus!

Getting back to the debt, I have now got this down to $7000 and, having intensified my repayments, I will have this paid off in full by the start of September. I have graphed it all out and have regular payments and if I have a little bit more left over, that goes into the debt too. But don't think I haven't enjoyed my year either - I've been on a trip from Cairns to Brisbane (via Airley Beach and Fraser Island), to Perth, back to Sydney on the Indian Pacific and back and forth to the country town that my boyfriend lives in too!

Kate Delley

15. So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye :-D

Best of luck with your Volunteer challenge. See you next month, if I don't bump into you on the Forum first!

All the best
Fiona Lippey