Here are 6 "Newsletter" and "System: 2020" tips.
February 2020 - Simple Savings Newsletter
Simple Savings Newsletter - February 2020
How are you going this month?
In February we are focusing on de-cluttering. It is my husbands favourite month. I like to collect and hoard, he likes to throw things out. This month, we will be working together to make our home a nicer place. (Don't ask what happens other months!)
We have good news about our Leg Up program. It is now officially up and running. Here are some of the stories from people we have been able to help by giving them a Vault Membership so far:-
"I had unplanned twins in 2019 and now need all the $ help I can. (They are cute though)"
"I'd love a leg up subscription please!! I was a vault member a few years ago and loved all the info and the community. Had to stop working and become full time carer to my youngest son (special needs) while he is undergoing chemo. Just had to cut out the extras I'm afraid."
"I'm in need of financial assistance as I'm going through a very difficult time currently (messy divorce) that is financially crippling myself and my children."
In case this is the first time you have heard about our Leg Up Program, from now on for every full price Vault Membership purchased we are giving one away to someone who could do with a helping hand. If you would like to apply to the Leg Up program, click here.
And, if you are interested in decluttering, keep reading.
All the best
Fiona
Challenges: De-cluttering month
This month we want you to read through the newsletter, take a look around your house and set yourself some challenges. You can choose from the calendar challenges below or set your own.
The calendar challenges for this month are:
- Easy: Find new homes for 50 items
- Medium: Find new homes for 200 items
- Difficult: Find new homes for 1000 items
Read through this newsletter, have a look around your house and decide, what will your decluttering challenge be?
Guide on how to de-clutter from someone who hates de-cluttering
This is an "If I can do it, so can you" kind of guide.
Some people love cleaning, they really enjoy it. That person is not me. It will never be me. I doubt there is anything anyone can do to get me to enjoy cleaning or decluttering. But I enjoy the results. I like it when the kitchen is clean, I like it when I can find things in the garage and I like how it makes life easier.
If you like collecting things and hate throwing them out, if cleaning is something you usually have on the bottom of your to do list, then this is the decluttering guide for you.
The first step will be examining your house
The next, working out how decluttering could help you
Then making a plan
And, choose your challenges
Let's begin..
What parts of your home annoy you?
If everything is absolutely fantastic about your house and your life. If you have all the free time you need to do all the things you want, stop reading now. But, if there are days that you can't find the lid for a container, you can't remember what you own, your time is being wasted and the space in your home is being hogged by things you never use. Then it is time to turn those annoyances into a plan.
Grab a few sheets of paper and at the top of each page write down the name of each room, such as kitchen, kids bedroom, parents bedroom, hallway etc.
Then take a stroll through each room and make a list of things that bug you. They don't have to be enormous things. It could be a paint chip, a mess on the floor, a cupboard too full to be useful or kids always leave their shoes in that spot..
Another way to look at it. Write down all the things you would change about your house if you had $5,000 to spend and unlimited labour.
It could be things such as messy bookshelf, sad furniture, paint is tired, walls are dirty, screens need a wipe, unorganised, larger verandah, don't know what is in the garage, laundry pile is a midden, anything that is holding you back from enjoying your home.
The reason I want you to write those things down is because later that list is going to form the backbone of your plan. But, before we go there. Ask yourself the question...
What is your stuff costing you?
This is a really important question, because everything has a cost. The sooner you work out that cost, the sooner you can decide whether or you would like to keep paying the price. To work out the costs some questions to ask yourself are:-
- Is your stuff holding you back?
- What is it your clutter is stopping you from enjoying?
- Is it costing you a tidy house?
- Is it causing you to buy things you don't need?
- Is it wasting your time?
- Is it causing you to lose time?
- Is it stopping you from enjoying your home?
- Are you having to pay cash for storage?
- Could you rent out a room if you cleared away?
- When was the last time you used things you have stored?
- Is it costing you brain space?
NOTE: If you have any suggestions for other ways clutter creates costs. Come share them in this month's challenge Vault thread.
Have a think about the costs and and write down what you will be losing if you allow your life and house to remain the way it is.
After you have written it down, think about the next question.
What is in it for me?
This is a really important question. Why should you stop doing something else you probably love and make time to declutter. I want you to think about the list of annoyances you have made of your house and how changing the things on that list will improve your life.
- Will it make you feel happier?
- Will it free up your time?
- Will it make you more content?
- Will it give you more space?
- Will it help your budget?
- Will it give you more control of your life?
- Will it save you money?
Think about it and write down three ways improving your home will improve your life.
Getting the most bang for your buck
Going through your whole house has probably given you a long and very daunting list of annoyances that would take years to change. I doubt anyone can get through that list in one month and keep their sanity.
The good news is you don't have to do everything on your list, you only need to do a few things. But which things? Which things are going to get you the largest rewards for the least effort?
To find this out, I want you to sort through your list and rate each item on the list from 1 to 10. 1 being the easiest to do and biggest reward and 10 is the hardest to achieve and least impact.
For example, helping my boys sort their clothes is easy to do and it will reduce the time it takes them to get ready in the morning. So, it is high on my list. Let's say one.
Cleaning the entire garage will take some time, but it is affordable and being able to place my hand on the thing I need in ten seconds, would be heavenly. So this gets a 2.
Getting rid of the awful furnishings in our laundry that we don't really use and probably should have been thrown years ago. Isn't that hard to do and will make me feel good. But, I may need replacement furniture. It is a three.
Stripping and painting cornices in the lounge room. Is too difficult to do this month, but I'll feel so much better after they are done. So, it is getting a five.
Stripping and painting the cornices in the bathroom is easier. It got a 3.
New lino throughout the house is a dream of mine, but costly, difficult and it won't change the way our home functions. So, it gets a nine.
This ranked list is the start of your plan.
On a separate piece of paper write down everything you gave a 1 or a 2.
This is now your 'Improve your home, Improve your life' to do list.
Manageable chunks
The next step is to break any of the big items on that list to digestible two hour chunks.
For example, cleaning the garage is a big job and the idea of doing it all at once does my head in. So instead I have broken it into two-hour chunks such as:
- Sort camping gear
- Sort tools
- Sort wood stash
- Sort junk in corner
You get the idea.
Choose your challenge
Once you have read the newsletter it is time to choose your challenge. Will you gently dip your toe in and do an easy challenge or try something harder? I've chosen to challenge myself with 8 two hour decluttering/house improvement sessions.
What will your challenge be?
Help, Support and Guidance
If you would like more ideas and people to talk with about decluttering. Join in Claires' Monthly Challenge thread. This is where Vault members support each other on their challenge. If you can't afford a Vault membership at this time, apply to our Leg Up program.
Extra inspiration from the forum
Members have been helping each other declutter for years. Here are some information-crammed threads to help you declutter:
2009 - War on Debt: Nov - Decluttering Month
War on Debt 2010 - September: 100 Item Challenge
2014 - Calendar Challenge - September - Declutter
2018 October - CHUCK OR FLOG - SS Calendar Challenge
2019 July - CHUNK OR FLOG - SS Calendar Challenge
Kon Mari method of decluttering #1
Competition: Cook's Challenge
Often decluttering our pantry or fridge involves throwing out a big pile of food. This is pretty wasteful. Instead, I'm giving you a challenge to grab some ingredients out of your pantry, fridge, freezer or yard which you would not normally cook with or eat, and turn them into something special.
This month we are giving away 2 x $50 prizes to the best creations.
To enter the competition send the story of your food with before and after photos to competitions@simplesavings.com.au by 23rd February.
Decluttering tips from the Vault
The Vault is filled with 20,000+ money saving tips. Here are some to help you declutter your home. If you would like to read more tips from the Vault, buy a membership for $21 or apply to our Leg Up program.
Get decluttering help from a 'friend'
I have found the cheapest and easiest way to declutter is to enlist the help of a friend - an imaginary one, that is! Sometimes when cleaning out your wardrobe, it's easier to let a friend help - particularly if that friend is very honest and harsh at culling old clothes. While clothes aren't a problem for me, I have a huge collection of CD's, books and DVD's and was finding it really hard to part with them! Books especially were a problem - I couldn't bring myself to let them go, even though I knew I would probably never read them again.
So I decided to pretend I was someone other than myself! Sounds silly? Maybe - but it allowed me to detach myself enough from the emotional side of me that wanted to keep all the books. In doing that, I was very fast (not giving myself time to think) and went a lot on intuition. I threw out over 200 books! I then closed the door, rang my friends, told them there were a heap of books on the floor in my office and they would be there till 5pm if anyone wanted any. Any that remained I then took up to the Salvation Army at 5pm, so I was not tempted to go through the pile later in the evening. It's definitely been the most successful decluttering method I have ever had!
(Vault members are discussing this hint here.)
Save the important things in life
I live in an area that was recently hit by floods. While we rushed to try to save everything from the water, I was amazed as to how much 'stuff' we had that we just didn't need. Being surrounded by all these items actually made saving the 'important' stuff so much harder. I thought I had already decluttered my home, but I was wrong. The flood has made my whole family more aware of how we accumulate 'things' through our lives - some of which are important and others which are not. As people we tend to hold onto things that we 'might use one day'. I found, however, that it was these items that just got in the way in an emergency. When disaster strikes you need to be able to save your family, then if you have time, the important 'things' in your life. In the coming weeks, we will be having a massive garage sale to clean out our home and sheds and we won't be keeping anything that has not been used in the past two years. Not only will we be able to clear out the unused, non-essential things, we'll also be able to make some money to replace some of the important items that we lost in the flood. Decluttering for me came in the form of a flood - don't wait for Mother Nature to help, she'll only make it harder. Be proactive and start sorting the things that really matter from the things that don't.
(Vault members are discussing this hint here.)
Tears turn to triumph for happy declutterer
My new love of decluttering has finally got me on the road to a house deposit! For years I have had a budget and was very money conscious but still couldn't control my spending habits. I felt as though I had tried a million different things to stop impulsive purchases but hated not getting what I wanted. This led me into frustration and a hate towards everything involving money.
I finally found the answer when my partner expressed his concern with our lack of wardrobe space in comparison to the rate of growth of my wardrobe items. He made a rule that if one thing was to come in, I also had to take out one thing to donate. I had a rocky start and there were many tears but once I decided on a couple of items I seemed more inclined to get rid of more and more and I continued on to declutter ALL my possessions. Going through each item in my house I got rid of a lot of things but before I tossed them out, I first laid them out on my bed and just thought about how much money I had thrown away. How many hours had I had to work to pay for all these things that I didn't even love?
It hit me hard that I had blown all this money on impulse purchases and trends that I got over very quickly. Hundreds of hours of hard work, for me to essentially throw my money in the bin. I printed all my banking transactions for the 12 months prior to my breakthrough and highlighted all my purchases that I probably could have gone without. It all added up to over $8000, over 300 hours of hard work, the cost of my first two cars!
Now when I see something I want to buy, I stop and think back to how much money I've wasted already. And I can feel content in my decision not to purchase. I love fashion, I love shoes and I love bags. But I LOVE my new found freedom and the control over my finances that decluttering has given me even more!
(Vault members are discussing this hint here.)
Toolshed a goldmine for scrap metal
While recently decluttering my husband's tool shed, we were amazed to find he was harbouring a small goldmine! The shed was overflowing with stuff that he didn't use but said he could not do without. After a quick tidy up he discovered he had two or three boxes of wire and cable from a previous job. He took all the unwanted cable off to the scrap metal yard and was handed $101.30 for his trouble. We got paid $1.30 a kilo for stuff that was doing nothing but taking up much needed space! Apparently, they strip the copper out of the wire and then sell it to other companies. So, take a good look at what unwanted items are cluttering up your tool shed - you too could be harbouring a nice little earner!
(Vault members are discussing this hint here.)
Audit your medicine cupboard
Auditing my medicine cabinet stops me from buying unnecessary products. I decided to check the expiry date of all the medications in my medicine cabinet and do some decluttering while I was at it.
To my horror, some prescription medicines had been in there for so long I didn't remember what they had been prescribed for in the first place. As I removed these products, I thought about how much money had been wasted on these expired medicines. Some had cost over $40, so there was literally hundreds of dollars worth of useless medicines clogging up my cupboard.
To avoid further wastage, I wrote up a list of all the still-valid medications along with their expiry dates. I now carry this list around with me and when the doctor recommends certain medications, I can check the list before I head to the chemist and see if we already have that medication at home. This list will also ensure that I can keep track of staple non-prescription medications, such as Nurofen or Infant Panadol. There is nothing worse than having a sick child in need of Panadol late on a Sunday night when the pharmacy is closed!
As you can see, taking 10 minutes to check the medicine cupboard at home will not only benefit your health, but also your bank balance!
Editor's note: All medicines should be safely disposed of by taking them to your local chemist.
(Vault members are discussing this hint here.)
Makeover your property without spending a fortune
It doesn't have to cost a fortune to give a property a real makeover. I can recommend the following:
- Set aside $10,000 or so for renovating the bathroom/kitchen. Many houses are sold with dodgy old bathrooms or kitchens. Of course, if you find a house without this problem, you'll still have this money set aside to use on other things!
- When we bought our property, the gas hot water system was 25 years old. Because of the money we had set aside as above, we could buy a solar hot water system for about $3,000 (no solar rebates at the time).
- Paint is the cheapest facelift.
- I have never met anyone who was satisfied with the job done by a professional painter. A careful amateur can do the job very well. Borrow a home handyman book from the library and all it will cost you is for the paint, sugar soap and equipment. Take it slowly and a room at a time.
- Decluttering before you move makes it cheaper.
- A few good possessions (instead of quantities of junky knick-knacks) will make the space look bigger, even if it's not!
- Take the time to research the history/period of your house so that your decorating is well-informed.
- Do up the front of your house last. An expensive 'look' encourages thieves.
(Vault members are discussing this hint here.)
Sell your unwanted stuff and achieve your dreams!
Simple Savings and Gumtree have changed my life! Whilst at uni as a mature age student, my then partner (now husband) and I bought our first home together. Although excited, I was also slightly terrified. I was a full time student commuting to a university two hours from home using public transport and now we had a mortgage!
This is when I found Simple Savings and started to use as many hints as I could. I also implemented everything my grandmother had either taught me or I had seen growing up. We started a vegetable garden, we collected rain water, we sold plants on Gumtree and everything we did helped us to live a comfortable life. The best thing I did was follow the advice from a uni friend and join Gumtree. It's been almost four years since I graduated and we have decluttered our home, been to Bali FIVE times on what we have earned in sales and are heading off to Bali again in November whilst I'm currently selling items to fund that trip too! It's the best thing we've done; some people find it time consuming but I've made it a part of our life. I love seeing someone getting an item that is of use to them rather than it ending up in landfill and we have a spacious, clean clutter-free home as a result!
There are plenty more decluttering tips in the Vault.
Kon Marie Method
In this newsletter we have talked about my methods of decluttering. But we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the god of decluttering: Kon Marie. Many of our members have been following Kon Marie's methods for some time and Beth is the best person to explain Kon Marie's genius to you.
Keep only what brings you joy
I am saving more than ever before thanks to a brilliant book which has helped me declutter and totally review my spending and shopping habits. I am using the KonMari method of tidying. The author gets us to review what we own, picking up every item and thinking about whether it 'sparks joy'. If it does, we can keep it, but it must have a place, a home where it lives. If it doesn't, then get rid of it.
She recommends that you learn how to do this by starting with your clothes. Find every top (excluding hanging blouses at this stage) that you own in the whole house and work out which ones 'spark joy', get rid of the others, then stack the kept ones nicely in one or two shelves or drawers (one for summer tops, one for winter tops).
Then do the same for all your 'bottoms' (trousers, jeans and so on). Try them on. If they don't fit nicely, donate them or chuck them.
Next is all your hanging space including every coat you've stored somewhere around the house, then socks, then underwear, then handbags, then extras (scarves, belts, hats), then special items like swimwear or ski gear (I think I did my pyjamas at this point because I had them stored with my swimmers), and lastly shoes.
Take your time, but be thorough as you process each category. By the time you have finished your clothing, you'll have a new sense about just how much money you waste on impulse buying. It becomes embarrassing to think about how much money you didn't need to spend, how much we get fooled into thinking something is right for us, but then we never wear it.
After that, she recommends searching the house for all the books you have. Some of us have way too many, but I have found that I can have sections of my house for the different types of books, and as I go through them, there are quite a few that get discarded along the way. Most have just gone straight into the recycling bin, as unless a book is less than three years old, or an absolute classic, even op shops can't sell them.
While you are hunting through the house, you'll find other stashes of things which embarrass the heck out of you. For me, I had to get a great big plastic storage bin and as I stumble across face creams, deodorants, shampoos and makeup, it all goes in the bin. I'm not trying to sort them yet, but it is obvious that when I finally get to that category, it is going to be much easier to sort through them and think honestly about which ones still 'spark joy' and which ones are so old that I'd never want them on my skin.
I will stop writing this novel at this point but if you have read this far and are still interested, please find 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying' by Marie Kondo, a young Japanese lady. There's also a second book applying the philosophy, entitled "Spark Joy".
Since I started on the process, my spending has dropped dramatically. I can suddenly see how many magazines I have bought and never read, how many items are in my pantry waiting for me to apply the $21 Challenge to make them into scrumptious healthy meals, how many art supplies I have bought and hidden in various cupboards around the house, how many jumpers I really didn't need...
I feel clearer, healthier, happier and richer in so many ways. I am so thankful that I stumbled on these books. Slowly the word spreads as my sister and friends become affected by my enthusiasm and start working through their cupboards as well. Life changing stuff!
Competition Winners: What is your best water-saving tip?
Choosing the best water saving tips for this month's competition was a real challenge. I love reading everyone's stories and learning something new for each and everyone. This month's winners are Carmela B, Lorraine S, Margaret M, Susan T and Jane T. Each won $20.
If you missed out on this month's prizes, we are giving away two $50 prizes this month. The information is above.
The never ending water can
Keep a watering-can outside the backyard door.
- If you empty the kettle every morning to refill it with fresh water. Empty the kettle into the watering-can.
- If you boil eggs in a pot.When the water cools, empty the pot into the watering-can.
- If someone leaves a glass of water from, say, the night before; empty the glass into the watering-can.
You'll be surprised how this so-called 'waste-water' piles up. You'll never have an empty watering-can. It beats throwing the water down the sink!
By having the watering-can just outside the backyard door, you won't get put off by having to go out far on a cold winter's morning.
You can power the planet on waste!
Catching the overflow from your hot water tank
Did you know that hot water systems automatically expel water from their overflow pipe. We questioned the plumber who installed the unit only to be told to read the unit information about our hot water system and we found that many, if not all tanks, pass out lots of water as a natural process. We have now removed our outlet pipe from the invisible system where the water just disappeared down the drain and we catch the water in an ice cream tub and put it on a rose tree which is close to the tank. We have been amazed at just how much water we are recycling.
Living in a camper
We live in a slide-on camper travelling Australia so we use water frugally.
Just some of the many things we do:
- I make my own sprouts and the rinsing water is used for cooking potatoes, rice, dried legumes, soup base, etc.
- We don't shower every day and when we do we heat water in an old 10litre saucepan, that showers both of us easily.
- Dirty dishes get wiped off with cut up old clothing rags, before washing, so less water is needed.
- A spray bottle with a bit of detergent, sprayed onto non-greasy plates etc and then wiped with a rag works wonders.
Stretching every drop
We live on a property with no connection to town water and are completely dependent on tanks for our domestic water supply. I learned very quickly that there's nothing like watching the water level drop below half to make you aware of water usage! Because of this, we've always been careful with how much water we use, but after no rain for six weeks this summer I've started to get creative in how we reuse water.
My very handy hubby plumbed in a grey water system made of an old plastic drum for our washing machine (which only runs full loads on water saving cycle) and he's diverted the water from our bath/shower and basin through a pipe directly onto the lawn (check with council before you do this, in town grey water must be treated or bucketed out).
Inside, I leave the plug in the basin so my small daughters only use one sink of water to wash their hands all day and their very shallow bath water is used to clean the worst of the farm grime before we shower. Rinsing toothbrushes provides enough water to clean the basin at the end of the day.
My newest (and simplest) change is a 4L icecream container in the kitchen sink. It catches water from washing hands, rinsing cloths or cooking utensils, etc, and I then tip it into a 20L bucket to go on the garden. Some days I can fill the bucket 2 or 3 times! And all that water was running down the sink… Just seeing the wastage makes it so much easier to curtail.
Sucking water from the air
With the recent bushfires near us, we have noticed a significant increase of wildlife, particularly birds, in our garden. It took a little while to realize they were increasing in numbers, and in need of water.
Our bird bath is filled by rain under normal weather patterns and takes around a whole good sized watering can of fresh water to fill it. I cannot justify filling it from the tap each time because of the cost and the drought.
However since dehumidifying our bedroom each day, we have a 10 litre bucket of water every 2 days, which we now use to fill the bird bath. We get a good sleep, and they get their thirst quenched. On the days when rain is available, we save the bucket water to pour into the watering can.
Til next time...
I hope you enjoyed this newsletter and if you know someone you think could do with a Vault membership, encourage them to apply to our Leg Up program.
If you have anything you would like to say or ask us please write to info@simplesavings.com.au
All the best,
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
March 2020 - Simple Savings Newsletter
Simple Savings Newsletter - March 2020
How are you doing? Well, I hope. I hope your family hasn't been harmed by the floods, fires or the Coronavirus. So far our family has been lucky. But, our luck could run out. So we are also making sure we are covered in case of an emergency.
This month we want you to make sure you are covered as well, so the challenge for this month is "Emergency Prep." To help you get prepared we have waded through masses of information, created some basic plans and found some wonderful experts to help you.
But before we go any further, I thought you might like an update from our new Leg Up program. The program is going really well and we were able to help some wonderful people this month. Here are some of their stories:
"We are unable to work at the moment due to all that is required to look after a severely disabled child. We live on a tight budget. A free membership would be a big help."
"My six-month-old son is currently going through treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma (cancer) - we're three months into it, and expect he'll be about 18 months old by the time it finishes. We need to be as frugal as possible to allow my husband to take unpaid time off work during the tougher parts of treatment and to look after our 2.5 year old daughter when we can't make other arrangements - so a membership to the Vault would be such a huge help to me in figuring out how to make this all work! Thanks for the opportunity :)"
"I lost my full time job in December. My Centrelink has finally been granted but I am struggling so much to adjust. I've done everything I can think of to cut expenses but would be so grateful for the ideas and wisdom contained in the vault. Hopefully I find employment soon but in the meantime please consider me for your leg up program. Thank you."
"I live on a farm under drought conditions and fire risk. We have been struggling financially for several years and out of the last 5 years I have only been able to afford my vault membership twice. I would love to continue accessing the Vault and all of the members information and experience to try and get back on my feet. Thank you."
Thank you for helping in a way that means I can help others. If you haven't heard of our Leg Up program, it is where we give away a Vault membership for every full price Vault membership sold. If you would like to apply to the Leg Up program, click here.
We had better get back to this month's theme: How to prepare for an emergency...
1. Challenges Emergency Prep
This month we want you to read through the newsletter and get yourself ready for your most likely emergency by setting yourself a challenge or two. You can choose from the calendar challenges below or set your own.
March - Emergency Prep
Easy - Find a waterproof box to store emergency supplies and/or documents.
Moderate - Start filling the your emergency box.
Difficult - Finish filling your emergency box.
My challenge for this month is to do the best I can to prepare in case any of my friends or family contract the Coronavirus.
2. General Emergency Prep
Before we move onto COVID19. There are some things that you should always do and have in your house in case of an emergency. These are:
- Do your research - Have a list of all the people you may need to call and websites with important information on them on your fridge.
- We have made this list to print out and fill in. You will need to log into download this list.
- Insure your house and contents - a modest amount is better than none
- Have spare cash - you should have a small, well hidden emergency cash stash in case you need to visit the shops and if internet banking is down. As well as $2000 Emergency Fund.
- In case of a blackout - have torches, fairy lights, lightboxes with a supply of batteries handy. Rechargeable batteries are even better
- Candles or tealights - in jars will light up a house or unit sufficiently if there is a blackout until power returns. Please use them safely especially if you have children or pets!
- Keep matches - for candles etc in a screw top jar to keep them dry and safely tucked away
- If your mobile phone is working - you can check your Energy Supplier for outages or to report them if your power is out, or if there are fallen trees or branches. These details will be written on your power bill or your power suppliers website
- Bottled water - is always a useful thing to have in any emergency from plumbing to interrupted water supply issues
- Especially if during - floods, cyclones or power outages or if you rely on tank water - in which case a generator is useful, but again don't use it indoors or in poorly ventilated areas
- Alternative ways to boil water - are to use your BBQ, a Butane Gas Cooker or a bottled gas cooker. Remember that some gas stoves still need electricity to start them. These are also useful - for heating or cooking food without power but again preferably outdoors undercover or somewhere well ventilated
- Portable phone chargers - or battery packs are a good option for mobile phones during extended blackouts
- Though remember - sometimes during emergency situations communications may be down
- Keep some petrol - in the car just in case you need to leave home
- Camping items or a caravan - can be useful during emergency situations, so don't forget to look at what you might already have
3. Start a $2,000 Emergency Fund
Everyone needs an emergency fund, but not everyone has one. If you haven't got an Emergency Fund you are going to love our "Save $2000 Emergency Fund" challenge by Freedom.
Long term forum members already know about Freedom and her legendary debt slashing challenges. With the support of the forum, Freedom paid off $140,000 of debt in 2.5 years while raising two small kids on a household income of only $70,000.
Enough from me. I'm going to hand you over to Freedom:
"I am so excited to be leading the Simple Savings March $2000 Emergency Fund challenge! I would love to have you join me on this month-long adventure as we work towards creating a stronger sense of security in your daily finances, help you to form better money habits, which will empower you to make better money decisions and support you in saving a mini money fund that will enable you to cover unexpected expenses in a timely and stress free manner.
Over the month of March, we will be focusing on:
- Creating the vision of achieving the $2000 goal.
- Tracking your spending to gain awareness in four main expense areas - Mortgage/rent, food/groceries, bills/insurances and fuel/transport.
- Creating a vision board, a spreadsheet or journaling in order to give form to the goal.
- Brainstorming ways to reduce these expenses.
- Brainstorming ways to increase your income.
- Deciding on 5 action steps to take each week in these 4 main expense categories, that will have the biggest impact on reducing your expenses and increasing your income.
- Reviewing and celebrating your weekly progress.
- Keeping you accountable and in alignment with the goal.
To join Freedom's $2000 challenge click here. (You need to be logged into the Vault.)
This a Vault Members challenge. If you don't have a membership it is only $21. If you don't have a spare $21 apply to our Leg Up program.
4. CoronaVirus: What to do?
Some days it feels like the media cry wolf every 30 seconds. It can be really hard to work out whether or not something truly IS an issue. Should we be worried about CoVID19 or is it a pile of hot air?
At this stage, we don't know. The thing we do know is some people have almost no symptoms. This means no one has any idea how many people have already caught COVID19, they can only guess survival rates and they can't stop it from spreading.
There is a real concern that hospitals and our health care system will struggle to cope with the influx of patients and people who would normally have lived, will not, due to a lack of resources and staff.
The best thing we can do is to take care of ourselves, our neighbours and loved ones as best we can. Prepare the best we can and support the front line workers as best we can.
This may mean putting yourself into quarantine and, since this is Emergency Preparedness month, we have made a quarantine supply list. This is free to download. Please read it, share it and do your best to help others.
<a href="/get/file/228" target="_blank"> <img src="/get/image/56930/orig" /></a>
5. Coronavirus and the Homeopaths
When the CoronaVirus first hit the media I got calls from my close friends asking "What are the homeopaths saying about the Coronavirus?" (In case you don't know I'm a closet homeopathy student. I have been studying it for 15 years.) My response was "Not much yet. But, I'll let you know if I find out anything."
You may be wondering why anyone would care what the homeopaths think about a pandemic. To explain this, I need to take a few steps back to the 1918 Bird Flu Pandemic. In this pandemic 30% of people who did not receive homeopathic treatment died. 99% of people who received homeopathic treatment survived.
(Reference <a href="https://drnancymalik.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/epidemics-and-pandemics" target="_blank"
https://drnancymalik.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/epidemics-and-pandemics/)
This is because homeopaths are great at treating viruses. Homeopathy evolved two hundred years ago before antibiotics when large epidemics were common and it was up to the homeopath to save the town or get run out of town.
Luckily for us, homeopaths got really good at saving the town and they wrote everything down so future homeopaths would know what to do during future epidemics.
Sharing information and writing stuff down is something homeopaths are very good at. The latest from the homeopathic world is this 2 and half hour webinar by Dr Robin Murphy ND:
https://www.cheonline.co.uk/Coronavirus
The webinar was created for qualified homeopaths. But I thought others might find it interesting. In it Dr Robin Murphy ND, discusses past epidemics and pneumonia treatments in preparation for treating possible CoVID 19 patients. Dr Robin Murphy ND has over 40 years of clinical experience. He has been working with colleagues in Hong Kong and said he will create another webinar in a week or two if he has any new information.
6. Tips: Preparing for an emergency
Here are some great tips from the Vault to help you get ready for tough times.
Bushfire Box protects your family
Every summer, I create a 'Bushfire Box' as a cheap and simple way to protect our family's irreplaceable items in the event of us having to evacuate. In the occurrence of a bushfire, many people are too panicked when one hits, to concentrate on what they need to get together in a limited time. Thanks to my bushfire box, I know I am always prepared! I have a big plastic box to put all our precious items into - old photos, kids trinkets, jewellery and other special things. I also add any important paperwork, such as birth certificates, insurance paperwork, wills and other documents. I also have several important items scanned on discs which are also included and keep the entire box in a place which is easily accessible. Keep this in an area so that it can be grabbed in a hurry. In the event of a fire I know that all I need to worry about is grabbing the pets and the kids and the box! I compile my bushfire box once a year, then put everything back in winter. It's a simple and low cost tip, which I know will prove priceless should we ever need to use it!
How to save your emergency fund for real emergencies
We avoid letting last-minute unexpected expenses eat into our emergency fund by putting a little away in an envelope each week. We have an emergency fund in the bank for real emergencies but found we were using it for the everyday little expenses too. Now we save our emergency fund for real emergencies with an 'expenses' envelope. We put a little bit in the envelope each pay day and dip into it whenever necessary. Even if you can only manage $5.00 per paycheck, it will add up and come in useful!
Start a non-perishable 'Emergency Pantry'
This simple tip saves me a fortune when times are lean and I have extra people to feed! With extra family members coming to stay and only my pension to live on, I was worried how on earth I was going to feed five people. So I created an emergency storage cupboard to help ease the financial burden. Every fortnight I put several items in the storage cupboard; tinned tomatoes, pasta, long-life milk, a spare packet of biscuits, lentils - anything that won't 'go off'. I don't notice these few little additions in my usual grocery bill but it's surprising how it all adds up in my cupboard. Lo and behold I soon find that I have enough to make it through the lean days! It's important to remember to rotate and use the old and replace with the new but my storage cupboard is now well stocked and used only in emergencies. I don't worry anymore!
Crisis menu planning for others
If you ever need to help a friend or family in crisis with meals, consider drawing up an 'emergency menu plan'. I have one drawn up for both my immediate family and extended family which takes others' dietary needs and preferences into consideration.
I prepared a fortnightly menu plan for both my own immediate family and the extended family in a time of recent crisis. The total grocery cost for an online order less delivery was only $211.57. A huge difference from the money I had been forking out over the last month without a plan!
There are plenty more emergency tips in the Vault. (You will need to log in.)
7. Claire's Emergency Challenge
Claire has been helping members prepare in the forum by leading the charge and collecting together useful threads. To join Claire's thread, you will need to be logged into the Vault.
EMERGENCY PREP - SS Calendar Challenge
Climate emergency 2016
Emergency Prep and Checklists - Theme of Month Challenge 2019
What does your emergency bag have in it? 2013
Emergency kits 2014
Emergency food in the Car 2010
Emergency kit for the car? 2012
Latest news on - climate & survival topics - Mk 2 2010
What are they not telling us about the Corona Virus? 2020
Current Bushfires - Sharing and Caring 2019
How do you get smoke out of the house? 2019
Removing smoke smell 2009
8. Competition Winner: Dinner Pancakes
This month's Cook's Challenge competition was won by Erin Johnson. Erin has won $50. We only have one winner for this month's competition because - OMG! - only one person entered last month's competition!
Here is Erin's very cool recipe for Dinner Pancakes.
Dinner Pancakes
One of my pet hates is food waste; for a number of reasons.
It often goes to landfill, many people go without food and it costs me money!
I was hunting for a solution to use up all of our leftovers and foods that were a bit past their best and came up with a brilliant recipe idea. But to get the kids on board it needed a good name. That's where "dinner pancakes" came in.
Make a basic pancake batter:
- 1 cup flour (can substitute for gluten free)
- one cup of milk (can use dairy free)
- 1 egg
Then add:
- 1 cup grated cheese
- small diced onion
- 1 spoon of stock/stock cube
- salt / pepper to taste
Finally add any leftovers that need using, such as:
- corn, peas, carrots
- zucchini
- left over mash, potato, pumpkin
- meat (corn beef, roast lamb, tinned fish)
- capsicum, spinach, the list is endless
Give a really good mix (add another egg / more milk if too thick). Cook in a pan with a little olive oil, the same way you cook pancakes. They will keep for a few days in the fridge, and can be served hot or cold.
We like to serve them with salad :)
9. Win $20: Best money saving tip
We love helping people and we love it when you help us to help people. This month we are giving away five $20 prizes for the best money saving tip sent in by 21st March. Enter the competition here.
Till next month...
That is all for this month. I hope you have a safe, healthy month.
Take care,
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.
- Leaving the hose running while you wash the car
- Hosing the lawns to keep them green.
- 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!
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!
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!
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.
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.
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!'
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.
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
June 2020 - Simple Savings Newsletter
June 2020 Simple Savings Newsletter
- This Month's Challenge: Know Your Area
- Setting Yourself Some Challenges
- May Competition Winners: Isolation Tips
- Hints: Doing Things For Ourselves During COVID
- New Competition: Win $50 Cooks Challenge
Hello
How are you going? I hope you are well. We usually start this newsletter with something perky. But as this year wears on it feels like perkiness is 'inappropriate'. Even though the first wave of Covid has been and Australia's death rate was low, other countries are going through hell. Many people are still in immense pain and I'm finding it hard to know how to react or what to put in this newsletter.
But last weekend we went to a restaurant where the owner chirpily greeted us with an enormous smile, a cheery voice and asked, "How was your Covid holiday?". He was super perky, and he made me realise something very important: Smiles are contagious and now is the time to be perky.
That is why in this newsletter we are going to smile, be grateful and do our best to help others have a great life. For this month that means learning the best suppliers in your area, enjoy some great tips and start a new competition.
It is going to be fun.
Many grins,
Fiona
PS. In case you missed it last month, The $21 Challenge ebook is now on Amazon.
1. This Month's Challenge: Know Your Area
'Knowing the shops' in your area has always been a fantastic way to save time and money. But with the craziness of the last few months, we found it is also a really good way to buy supplies when mainstream shops are bare.
While the places most people shop were running out food and goods there was plenty elsewhere. Here are some examples:-
- When the Woollies shelves were empty of rice, the Indian Supermarket shelves were loaded with rice.
- When Woolies was running out of fruit and vegetables, the shelves in our local fruit shop were full.
- When it was virtually impossible to find toilet paper and there was none at the busy Aldi, the quiet Aldi 10 mins away had toilet paper most mornings.
- When Coles were out of eggs, the fruit shop always had eggs.
- When Woolies was out of mince, the bulk butcher still had plenty and continued selling in bulk.
- When Woolies limited the amount of tomato purchases to two jars, the roadside produce store was selling tomato passata by the crate.
Hopefully, the Covid craziness has been and gone and all the shops will be restocked soon. But, just in case, we have written you a list to help you discover the best places to shop near your home.
2. Setting Yourself Some Challenges
The best way to learn your area is to do so one challenge at a time. Below is a list of challenges to help you learn more about the products in your area. What we would like you to do is to read through the challenges and then choose five challenges to tackle this month.
Your challenges don't have to come from this list. Nor do you have to stop at five. This challenges are just the beginning:-
Fruit and Vegetables
- Investigate seasonal boxes delivered from local producers
- Check out local farmers markets
- Make a list of all the fruit shops near you and visit all of them
- Stop at road side stalls
- Swap produce and/or services with friends
Meat
- List and visit your local butchers
- Ask about buying in bulk
- Check out the specials patterns of butchers in your area
- Investigate chest freezers
- Investigate farm gate and/or abattoir sales
- Buy shares in a beast
Bread
- Find the freshest and best tasting bakery near you
- Source a factory outlet where you can buy baked goods
- Find the best value bread for your budget
Toiletries
- Hunt down all the places that sell toiletries in your area.
- Check out the value and range of toiletries sold in your area.
- Investigate ingredients to make your own toiletries
Cleaning Products
- Track down all the places that sell cleaning products
- Compare value of goods
Petrol
- Find the cheapest service station in your area
- Find the best value service station in your area
- Investigate petrol discounts. Are they economical?
- Investigate fuel price apps
Clothes
- Work out which stores stock which type of clothes. For example, Target for clothes/bras, Big W for shoes, Kmart for basics
- Make calendar of clothing sales
- Make calendar of product arrivals
- Quiet chain stores have the best discounts. Find the quietest stores in your region.
General
- Find a source of good local deals.
- Find the best places to buy your food.
- Scout out the best places to shop.
- Evaluate grocery stores in your area. (What sort of goods do they stock? How are they different from other stores? What are their prices like? Are they busy?)
- Find a local Facebook group where you can ask about products in your area
Now it is time to write yourself five challenges.
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Once you have chosen your challenges and made your plans it is time to start taking action and knock each challenge off your list one challenge at a time.
As you work your way through your challenges, we would love to hear about your progress. Your successes inspire us to work harder and give more.
3. May Competition Winners: Isolation Tips
Last month Simple Savers sent in some great tips for thriving during Covid19. The best were sent in by Sonja W and Kerry S. Sonja and Kerry each won $50.
Isolation is a great way to get ahead
Over the last few months of avoiding everything except work and grocery shopping, I have smashed through all those things that we always put off until later. Here's some of my favourites:
- Get all those little sewing projects done, and save a bunch long term! Unpaper towels, family cloth, hankies, napkins, face wipes, cleaning cloths (I used an old flannelette sheet for most of these, just changed the thread colour so I have a code).
- Say goodbye to your mending pile, and do it all now. Darn those socks, sew those buttons, repair those holes (check out visible mending or easy embroidery techniques).
- Be a little crafty and organise those drawers and cupboards. You can do all sorts with cereal boxes and ice cream containers.
- Got some birthdays coming up? Check out book folding for a personalised, cheap gift.
- And of course, do all that spring cleaning. My go to all purpose cleaner is now equal parts vinegar and water, with a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid in a spray bottle. Yeah it smells for a bit, but does the job for a fraction of the price!
Isolation Audit
Besides staying home as much as possible, the best way to cope and thrive with COVID-19 (in the relative comfort of your own home, food etc) is to do an audit of what is actually already in your house. We were surprised at how much soap (of all things) we owned (in pretty shapes etc were under the bathroom sink). Squashing the toilet roll before putting it on the holder is a good visual reminder to use less.
The potential for many meals in the pantry. Thinking laterally - outside the square, all the cliches. Creating a new mindset - we even found some essential oils we got for Christmas that we had put aside - good for cleaning and refreshing the house.
I lent my $21 Challenge book to a friend to help her and her family. Sharing advice and being willing to receive advice can help us all, at any time.
4. Hints: Doing Things For Ourselves During COVID
Sometimes I forget how clever Simple Savers and our lifestyle is. But, then I read your fantastic tips in the Vault and it reminds me that the cheapest way is often the smartest way. Thank you for sharing your tips with us.
Backyard romance
Make a romantic date in the comfort of your own backyard! Set up the area with a canopy or similar, for example, a piece of material tied from tree to tree. Take your coffee table outside and decorate it with candles. Scatter large cushions around or take your lounge cushions out. Make your own food or order it if you don't know how to cook!
Take your date outside, maybe place some flower petals for them to follow to make it more interesting. Pour them their favourite drink and then bring out food and feed it to them!
Great tips for gluten-free families
Here are a few tips for gluten-free living.
First of all, grow your own food as much as possible. You'll not only be enjoying fresh, tasty produce, but you'll also be saving money which can be used to buy more expensive products that are gluten-free. Even a flat balcony can be used to grow veggies in pots!
Look at shopping online, but remember to factor in postage. Also, see if you can bulk-buy with other families with the same condition. You can even start a support group by posting a notice up at the local clinics, supermarkets and health food shops.
Finally, make your own food if you can. Bake your own bread, cakes and other delights. It's much cheaper! I recently enjoyed chocolate zucchini cupcakes made by a friend of mine with allergies. They were delicious!
Simple solution to keep kids happy
A simple and effective way to keep kids occupied is to drive to another suburb. Ensure it is not more than about 30 minutes away and take a picnic lunch. Find a really nice park with a fence. Have a picnic lunch and a play and then come home. It can take up most of the day and they feel like they have been somewhere fresh and different. A very cheap day out.
$21 Challenge style Lebanese feast
I whipped up a beautiful Lebanese feast for my daughter's birthday while barely spending a cent! I wrote up the menu and realised I could use up a lot of ingredients from my pantry, fridge and garden rather than buying everything. A quick stocktake showed I already had yoghurt, lentils, rice, two packets of falafel mix, beetroot, pumpkin, eggplant, Lebanese bread, parsley, silverbeet and mint, filo pastry, mince, lettuce, burghul, chickpeas, pita chips and lemons to make my daughter's favourite Lemon Syrup cake. I was able to create an impressive and delicious meal to remember almost entirely from ingredients I already had on hand! All these years of gathering tips and ideas from Simple Savings has really paid off for me!
A social way to save money
As a very social person who loves to go out, saving money has meant making some changes to the way I socialise. I've long been a fan of entertaining at home, but I also love to catch up with friends at a restaurant for lunch. This usually costs around $20 each time, but what can you do? A girl's gotta see her friends during the week!
Solution? Picnic lunch! Instead of going to a cafe or restaurant, my friends and I each bring one food item, get together on the waterfront or in the botanical gardens, and have a fantastic lunch date. Same cost as brown bagging it, and you still get great food and socialising.
'Fish and chip philosophy' curbs spending
Our family lives by my 'fish and chip philosophy' which helps us put our spending priorities into perspective.
Whenever anyone in our family wants to buy something, we check if it's on special and then think about whether or not we really need it. To help us decide, I point out how the money spent on this item could be put toward fish and chips at the beach. We only have fish and chips occasionally, but it puts a concrete thought in our minds about how the money could be spent - on something frivolous now, or saved up and spent on a special treat for the whole family to enjoy.
Also, if someone comes home with something that they could possibly do without, I ask - 'how many fish and chips would that have bought?' This reinforces the point about being careful with money, without having to give a lecture about it!
5. New Competition: Win $50 Cooks Challenge
We think everyone did really well over the past few weeks, discovering that we CAN all cook. What different things did you try to master? Please do write in and tell us or show us!
The two best entries will win $50 each. Submit your entries here by July 2nd.
Till next time...
I hope you enjoyed this newsletter and if you know someone you think could do with a Vault membership, encourage them to apply to our Leg-up Program.
If you have anything you would like to say or ask us please write to info@simplesavings.com.au
All the best,
Fiona
May 2020 - Simple Savings Newsletter
May newsletter: $21 Challenge
Hi,
How are you going? The last couple of months have been challenging. I hope you are doing okay.
With so many dramatic changes in such a short period of time, you may be feeling swamped with emotions like worry and fear. Rest assured, that's totally normal!
Whenever I find myself just a little bit scared, I think of my grandparents, three of whom came to Australia in difficult times. Two escaped the holocaust and one stowed away on a boat from Greece. My Jewish grandfather narrowly escaped the Gestapo, twice. The first time they missed him and his mate by 15 minutes. The second time a patrol picked them up as they were climbing the Alps to escape. The Gestapo tossed a coin, shot his mate, and let my grandfather keep climbing. Their feats remind me how resilient humans can be, and that we will overcome this challenge. The threat of Covid19 will only last a short time and our economy will regrow.
There have been a lot of changes in a short period of time. But we are adaptable. We live in a land used to trauma. We have a well-equipped, free healthcare system. We are good at looking after our neighbours and loved ones. We grow twice as much food as we eat. Our welfare system is struggling, but there is a determination to fix it and take care of everyone. And, pretty soon we will be on the other side of this (and preparing for the next heat wave / flood / fire / cyclone / bad hair day!).
In the meantime, I hope our May newsletter provides you with some inspiring saving tips and handy resources for the weeks ahead.
Fiona
PS. You may have noticed that we missed April's newsletter. With six of us working/studying at home over the last six weeks, we've had quite a bit of adapting to do! This month, we are merging April's Waste Not, Want Not challenges with May $21 Challenge newsletter.
May - $21 Challenge and Waste not, Want not
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 the planet. This month's challenges are:
$21 Challenge:
- Easy - Halve your weekly bill.
- Moderate - Do a $50 Challenge.
- Difficult - Do a $21 Challenge
Or
Waste not Want not:
- Easy - Reduce your waste.
- Moderate - Cut your waste by half.
- Difficult - Use everything you buy.
$21 Challenge eBook: Crisis Edition
A few weeks ago, while wandering through the shops seeing empty shelves and dazed faces, I thought back to previous disasters like Cyclone Yassi and the Christchurch earthquakes. Many people wrote to us to say thank you, and told us that when they could no longer buy food from the shops or eat the way they normally eat, the $21 Challenge became their lifeline.
Crises demand great resourcefulness. The $21 Challenge contains the resources people need to eat well in a disaster and make every shop count. It does this with:
- adaptable recipes
- teaches people how to stocktake
- how to make a menu plan based on food you currently have.
- how to substitute ingredients.
- how to creating accurate shopping lists.
After thinking on this, I called Jackie Gower and together we revised the $21 Challenge book. Now it can be used two ways. If you want to save money, start at the beginning. But, if your ability to move and shop normally is restricted by floodwaters, an earthquake, cyclone, pandemic or whatever else, then chapter four onward has everything you need to eat well until the disaster has passed.
We have also made the latest edition a Kindle eBook. This way it can be downloaded in a hurry by every and any device.
If you would like to check out the revised version of the $21 Challenge. Here is a link to it on Amazon.
Make every shop count
Until things are back to normal, we need to make every shop count. This means being organised and following these 3 simple tips:
Before you leave the house to go shopping, do a stock take. Know what you have in your pantry, freezer, fridge, and garden. You can do this in a notebook or use our free $21 Challenge printables:
Make a plan
Plan out your week or fortnight's meals based on the food you already have in your home. There are loads of ways to menu plan. Jackie likes to keep it simple whereas Fiona's needs to nut everything out or things fall apart.
Write a shopping list
While you are writing your menu plan,list any ingredients you will need to buy. This will become your shopping list. Here's a handy shopping planner to make it easy
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.
"I was a member several years ago and loved Simple Savings. I have the cookbook and try to save money whenever I can. This year more than ever we are struggling with our finances and need to get an emergency fund together. Not having one causes stress living from paycheck to paycheck. I thought of renewing my membership to assist in helping me and my family save money. Due to finances being so tight I put it aside for when I can afford it. So it's a vicious cycle. I would love to be a part of the Leg Up program and know it would be a valuable tool in helping us stop treading water and start swimming. Also am very happy to pass on any tips I have learned while living frugally."
Mel
"We have been financially crippled after my breast cancer diagnosis in October 2017. The following two years of chemo, surgery, radiation and now lifelong drug treatments have taken all our savings and we desperately need to learn how to live frugally so we have a change to build up some savings. We have no savings left and I really want to build an emergency fund. We are all too aware of what life can throw at you unexpectedly."
Jean
"I've been sole parenting twins plus one, as well as studying towards a master's degree for the past couple of years so you could say money's been tight. When my Vault membership lapsed I wasn't able to renew but would love the chance to access it again as it's full of the good stuff!"
Katy
If you would like a Leg Up, apply here
Growing Veggies: Wicking bed update
Do you remember last year, we put in two wicking beds? The great news is, in the past 12 months, we have eaten something out of those garden beds nearly every day.
How exciting is that? At one stage it was 500 grams of snow peas a day. We have also eaten kilos of parsley, coriander, basil, beans, mint, lettuce, tarragon, chives, shallots, bok choy, and climbing spinach.
All the information you need to start your own is here.
$21 Challenge Hints
We have collected some choice hints from the $21 Challenge section of the Savings Vault:
$21 Challenge focaccia/pizza
Here's a yummy (and forgiving!) recipe for pizza or focaccia, it's great for lunches and dinners!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 cup shredded or mashed veggies
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup grated cheese
METHOD
Rub the butter into flour and salt then add veggies. I use grated zucchini, shredded silverbeet or whatever is left in the fridge. If the mixture is too dry, add a splash or two of milk until you have a dough. Press the dough onto a baking pan, I make it as large as needed to accommodate the toppings I have. Next spread on some tomato paste (I have also used dips such as olive or hummus, just use what you have). Finally, add your toppings and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 160 for about 15 minutes and enjoy.
$21 Challenge is just the beginning
I paid off my credit card, thanks to the $21 Challenge book! I read it, filled in the sheets for the pantry, fridge and freezer inventory, planned my menu and was so excited to spend only $22.65 during my first challenge. No wonder people are rapt with the book! I love the recipes in the book, as well as my neat and tidy pantry, fridge and freezer. I adore the curry recipes and the weekly life planner. Sophie's Peanut Chicken and Rice is a real favourite, as are the bulk biscuit recipes. In the first month alone I reduced my food bill from $447 to $276, a saving of $171.
Feeling inspired, I cut up my credit card, paid off what was owing and cancelled it! I have a debit card which I can still use like a credit card, but as it uses the money in my account, I have to think twice before I buy something in case I overdraw the account and have to pay bank fees. Without the use of a credit card, I have a more defined limit which makes saying no easier. It is very exciting and liberating to know that I can have more control over my finances with a bit of forward planning!
Cooking with your favourite drop
I have just discovered The $21 Challenge, and after doing an inventory of the fridge, freezer and pantry, I was amazed at how much food we had stockpiled. I was also surprised to discover how much alcohol was sitting at the back of the cupboard. To use up all this liquor, I have been searching for recipes that require a drop or two of alcohol.
A dash of chocolate or coffee liqueur adds a decadent touch to a batch of choc chip muffins. Rum, brandy or whiskey, as well as port or sherry, can be added to fruit cakes. Sherry can be substituted for rice wine in stir-fries, while red or white wine is great in sauces or casseroles. Beer makes terrific batter, adds so much to casseroles or gravy and, of course, is an essential in beer bread. Or, when making up mustard, mix the powder with beer instead of water. Lovely!
Labelling makes life easy
I recently purchased 'The $21 Challenge', and was so impressed that I emailed my family and friends to tell them about the Simple Savings website! I've been using the tips from the Vault for months; however, I've come up with one of my own.
After unpacking my shopping, I divided 750 grams of diced bacon into portions to suit the recipes I'd chosen for our menu plan. I put the bacon into small resealable bags and then labelled them, for example, 200g diced chicken for Chicken and White Wine Pasta Sauce or 125g diced bacon for Impossible Pie. This makes it so much easier to find the right bags in the freezer, plus my husband knows exactly what to do when I have a night off from cooking!
No-spend recipe scrapbook
I've been trying really hard not to spend money this month and one way I've been doing this is to create my own recipe scrapbook.
I let all my friends know that I wanted their old magazines - I was given about 20 and I'm still receiving more! I go through the magazines and cut out all the tasty recipes that have few ingredients or ingredients that I already have in the house. I then put all these recipes into a scrapbook, categorised according to the dish. My partner and I now look through our recipe book and in the cupboards to see what delicious snack or meal we can make at home, rather than going to get take away! This is saving us at least $100 a month!
Our type of Challenge
When I first looked at the $21 Challenge, I thought there was no way it would work for our family. However, I do find a challenge irresistible, so my kids and I have devised a type of challenge that we think might work for us. We turned a one week $21 Challenge into a four week challenge, which would be more sustainable and work better for us over the long term.
On week one, we aimed to cut our food bill by $25. In week two, the goal was to reduce the bill by another $25. We'd reduce it by another $25 in week three, and in week four we'd actually try to live on $25 for the week! Our usual food bill is around $200 per week, so over four weeks, we'd save $325. We have almost completed week three and are on track for week four. Wish us luck!
Use it or lose it
As part of my $21 Challenge to use all the food in the pantry, I have set up a 'use up soon' basket containing items getting close to their use-by date. This way, I will remember to use things before I have to throw them out.
Turn dried beans into ready-made meal extenders
Don't leave valuable packs of dried pulses sitting in the pantry! It's easy to put them to good use. First cook the bag according to directions e.g. soak overnight (or during the day if you are working), then change the water and simmer in a pot for an hour for between 20 minutes and an hour depending on the size of the bean. Once cooked, simply divide into serving size batches (e.g. one or two cups) and put into the freezer. You now have instant cooked pulses without having to pay for the cost of canned. I love having lima beans, chickpeas, and adzuki beans all on hand as ready prepared meal extenders for soups, salads, stews and curries. Perfect for $21 Challenges too!
Many ways to meet the Challenge
There are so many small things you can do to make your $21 Challenge week a big success. Here are just a few:
- Limit shopping trips and make do with what you already have.
- Google for ingredient substitutes if you can't think of any.
- Plan your meals so that you don't overspend or waste food.
- Give your pantry and freezer a regular clear out and use up what's in there.
- Look for recipes that use leftovers.
- Learn how to joint a chicken on YouTube instead of buying individual pieces.
- Buy a side of lamb, instead of more expensive individual cuts.
- Hot water with a drop of detergent and some white vinegar cleans a lot of surfaces.
Just imagine the dollars you'll save by doing these simple things!
Three meals from five chicken breasts
I purchased five skinless chicken breasts on special. From these five breasts I managed to make three dinners!
On the first night, I was able to feed five of us by simply cooking all the breasts and cutting them in half to leave 10 pieces. Some of the pieces went in the fridge for later use - we used the other pieces, plus fresh rolls and salad, to make lovely chicken burgers.
On the second night, there were three of us to feed so I chopped up one piece of chicken, fried some bacon and mushrooms, and stirred this through some pasta with half a tub of sour cream. Yum!
On night three, I had to cater for four hungry mouths. I placed a sheet of puff pastry in the bottom of a pie dish, threw in three pieces of diced chicken breast and some bacon, along with mushrooms, capsicum, broccoli and corn. I topped this with dobs of sour cream and covered with a second sheet of pastry. Voila - another dinner! We even had a few pieces of chicken leftover for lunch!
Homeopathy and Covid-19
There has been a lot going on in the world of homeopathy in response to Covid-19. While mainstream scientists are hunting for a vaccine, homeopathic doctors are hunting for a successful Covid-19 prophylactic. The race is on and I'm looking forward to seeing who wins. The homeopaths have already started four large prophylactic interventions. Three are in India and one is in Cuba.
The first was by the Kerala Government who gave 4.5 million people Arsenicum Album 30c as a Covid-19 preventative in their state.
The second is by Dr Ranjan Sankaran and billionaire engineer Rajiv Bajaj in Pune, India. There they have prepared 1 million vials of Camphora to protect six million people. Here is an interview between award winning journalist Barkha Dutt and Rajiv Bajaj about homeopathic treatment and prevention of the coronavirus in Pune, India:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTQrNwGvh38
The third is by Dr Kushal Banerjee in New Delhi. Where they have given homeopathic preventatives to 15,000 people and are busy collecting the results. Here is an article on Yahoo discussing his work:
https://in.news.yahoo.com/time-bring-homeopathy-fight-against-113700063.html
The fourth is by the Cuban Government who are giving 11.3 million people the homeopathic preparation Prevengho-VIR starting with nursing
https://www.homeobook.com/cuba-supplies-homeopathic-medicine-for-covid-19/
Of these four trials the one we can 'kind of' watch is Cuba. Their virus statistics are published daily on https://www.wo rldometers.info/coronavirus/country/cuba/
From these statistics we can see Cuba's active infections are dropping which could be because the Prevengho-VIR is working or it could just be that isolation is working. The real test for the Prevengho-VIR prophylactic will be whether or not the numbers stay low when life in Cuba returns to normal. If it does, it is excellent news for everyone because the Prevengho-VIR combination is already available in Australia. The only trick is those wanting it will have to hunt it down themselves, because those who can provide it are not allowed to advertise their services.
WIN $50: Isolation tips
This month we are giving away 2 prizes of $50 to the best tips sent in for surviving Covid19, isolation and post lockdown period. Enter the competition here.
Competition Winners: Best tips
This month's winners of of tip competition are Jan, Shirley S, Kathleen McGregor, who each won $20.
Less paper with spray bottle
Was getting low on loo paper with no shops in sight to replenish supply so thinking outside the box I made my own portable bidet by using a simple spray bottle followed up by a towel dry. I have not used a bottle that previously had chemicals in it but one that I bought a while ago that has not had anything stored in it. I have thus halved my loo paper consumption.
I've come to the conclusion that if you are in short supply of anything there is always an alternative it may just not be as convenient.
Help others and save big with movie vouchers
We don't normally go to the movies because tickets cost $22. But, at the moment Event Cinemas are selling advance tickets redeemable till Jan 2021 for $8 each.
We bought some to help the cinema and will celebrate by watching movies when isolation is over. To get the vouchers you need to be a Cinebuzz member.
https://giftshop.eventcinemas.com.au/Category/2020MovieVoucherOffer
Turn meaty leftovers into pizza
DH loves meat lovers pizzas. So each week now I make our own on a Friday night. The pizza bases which I buy from Countdown are 2 large ones from the bakery department for $3.20 but I wait until they are on special for $2. Then during the week any leftover meat I save and use it to top the pizza along with mushrooms, tomato paste and grated cheese. I have even put a little bit of raw mince aside when cooking the dinner to make spicy meatballs with them by adding a bit of BBQ sauce and seasonings. One week we had meatballs, bacon, salami and a little bit of roast lamb along with the grated cheese and mushrooms.
Pak n Save sell meat lovers pizzas using bits and pieces from the deli and they charge $14.99 for their pizzas. So our homemade ones are definitely saving us money each week and I feel they are nicer too.
Citric clean makes loo sparkle
I recently discovered how valuable a simple little container of citric acid can be for saving me lots of money on useless cleaning products. Over the years, I've been watching both of our toilets getting worse with a disgusting yellow and brown build up covering the base. No amount of cleaning ever worked. I've even got all the water out in the past and scrubbed and scraped at it to only have it come back. This morning I've discovered that scrubbing is overrated and so are all of the other cleaning products for toilets for this kind of build up. Instead grab yourself some citric acid from your local grocery store, tell your family to do their last business in there and let them know you'll be leaving a substance in the toilet overnight. Pour the whole contents into the toilet. Have a good night's sleep cos you'll be cleaning without even working hard lol! In the morning, be prepared for it to look and smell like someone's peed in there overnight. That's the breakdown of the gunk in there. I seriously didn't realise this would work. Simply scrub with the usual brush, use a little bit of elbow grease and whala! A sparkling clean toilet bowl again! For only $2.50!
Freezing your own Beef Wellingtons
I make individual beef wellingtons (mainly because I live on my own but is also great for just 2 of us).
When I am having a steak for dinner, I will cook up an extra 2 or 3 steaks. Allow the extra steaks to cool down then make the wellington and wrap in store bought puff pastry. I use the thin blue sheets that divide the puff pastry in the packet, to put between the wellingtons before putting them in Tupperware to freeze.
When I want to take just one wellington out, I find they have not stuck together and makes it so much easier (and I haven't used additional separating stuff).
Till next month...
That is all for this month. I hope you have a safe, healthy month.
Take care,
Fiona.
