Frugal Measures Indeed

Hallo Folks...this is my 400th post and it's back to the very basics after a tough federal budget was announced this week.
I'm taking time to reflect on all I've learned at the forum and through my life and jot a few things down that may help you as well as me.

A good place to start is in the kitchen.
 Cooking from scratch is usually cheaper and has the added benefit of you knowing just what you are eating to a large extent.
Reduce the amount of meat we eat, it is costly and un-necessary to eat the huge amounts of meat we do in the Western world.
Less meat...what then?
More beans, lentils and legumes in general. Cooked from scratch they are a very thrifty alternative to meat.
Here is a great chart for pressure cooker users.
Eggs are great main meal staple too.
Eat more soup! We love our soup and it's a great way to use up little bits of left-overs and what-ever is in season and becoming 'boring'. It takes 5 minutes of prep and 5 minutes of pressure cooking to have a hearty vegetable soup ready. For variety use different vegs each time, vary the size of the pieces and puree it occasionally. Rose's soup with a cup of chick peas added...

Nothing is wasted in our house, small amounts of left-overs are added to the next days' meals or frozen until needed.
Next step is to shop as seasonally as possible...that means buying what is being grown in your area as it will be fresher and hopefully cheaper. Here is a link to what's in season in Australia, I'm sure your country will have a similar site...
http://seasonalfoodguide.com/

Perhaps you can keep some chickens or ducks?
Even the smallest gardens can produce some vegetables or fruit. I planted Rainbow Chard, chillies and sage in the front garden here as well as my lemon tree. A neighbour has 7 paw-paw trees heavy with fruit that she has grown from seed...we both grow a wide variety of herbs to add taste and nourishment to our meals.

Let it be known that you would love to receive any-one's glut of zucchinis, tomatoes or what-ever they have and use them up! Juice citrus fruits and freeze the juice in Winter when they are at their peak and fully ripe.
Join 'Ripe Near Me' and share the bounty!

Around the house you can save money by making your own green cleaning products, gifts and toiletries, clothing, soft furnishings...there are so many links out there that I won't bother sharing any; come and join the forum if you are stuck for ideas. Leave the car at home when you can or do as many errands as you can when you go out. Use the op-shops and libraries, have friends over for coffee or a meal instead of going out to restaurants. Can you put on a jumper and socks instead of turning on the heater? Check with Centrelink to see if you are entitled to any extra payments or a health care card. Before you re-new any insurance policies etc phone around and get quotes...you can save $100s at times.

Do remember to have some treats now and then though!

I know we don't have children at home now and that many families will be worse off if the budget gets through the Senate but let's start by making changes at home, let's be pro-active as Becci says.

Let's keep our chins up, our grand-parents and parents went through far harder times, we are still very fortunate to have so much here in Australia.
Love from Sue
xx

there is light at the end of the tunnel...

My Nana's Brasses

I have a few things that belonged to my Nana Gardner and I think that her brass ornaments are my favourites. They sat on the corner of her fireplace and I was always welcomed to get them down and play with them as a child 50yrs ago. Here you can see that they have not lost their charm to young girls...Olivia about 5 yrs ago...

They were looking rather dull yesterday so I checked on-line for a 'natural' or green way to clean them, Brasso is very toxic and I haven't bought any for many years. The easiest way I found was to make a paste of bicarb of soda and fresh lemon juice and it worked very well with an old toothbrush... below are the twin ducklings and you can see the difference the polish makes...

This little bell was bought by Auntie Jessie when she was a girl over 70 yrs ago and given to Nana...

the whole family...

I've tried soaking the 2 swans I bought at a car boot sale in a bicarb and water solution overnight~this is a great way to clean coffee cups etc but it hasn't worked on the brass so I'll have to make some more lemon paste.

Do you have any pieces of brass like these? How do you clean yours?
Bye bye for now,
Sue
xxx

Still Here

I'm sorry to have been away for so long. 8 days ago Twitch was unwell when I went to let him out in the morning so I watched him for 2 hours, he was not eating, not pooping and sitting hunched up, and it became obvious he had a blocked bowel or what the vets call "gastro-intestinal stasis". We popped him into a box and drove to the nearby Warnbro Veterinary Hospital where Dr Laura was doubtful he'd survive. She suggested leaving him there for an x-ray and intravenous fluids plus some pain medication. Later that day it was decided that he stay overnight on fluids and then we'd decide his fate...surgery is rarely successful in these cases.

I think Joe and I cried for hours on end, Twitch means so much to us both. With trepidation I phoned the clinic on Wednesday morning and he'd survived the night so would continue to be treated with fluids. At 4pm Dr Laura phoned and said, "I am so impressed with your little bunny!" He'd passed the blockage been eating the celery tops she'd bought on her way home on Tuesday afternoon and was ready to come home and get back into his normal routine. It was just awfully stressful and as a result I have a yukky cold and feel so tired all the time! This too shall pass.

Twitch was so hungry for several days after his ordeal and he seemed to be eating non-stop..here he fell asleep at the table lol Remember rabbits can sleep with their eyes open?

Today I've made up another batch of Rhonda's laundry liquid, I scent it with tea tree oil and these 10 litres will last us many months for very little cost. Have you tried it yet, here is the recipe. I don't use borax as I know it can be dangerous but I still get great results.

I took this photo on Sunday in a nearby suburb, a giant chess board set up and ready to play at the primary school...it must be delightful to watch the children play and they can you know. Joe teaches children as young as 6 and 7 and they have a good grasp of the game, unlike yours truly!

The Christmas Decoration Swap is winding up at the forum, the variety of crafts used and posted across the world has been delightful as always. I'm still waiting for my parcel, it takes longer for parcels to come across Australia than it does to come from the USA! I will show you both Marnie's and mine when hers arrives.

35C is forecast for today with a possible thunderstorm so I got everything done early on...this house seems to be keeping cool which will be a blessing as there's no air-conditioner here.

Hope you are well and enjoying your week,
Love from Sue
xxx

Homemade Laundry Powder and Liquid

For over a year now I've been making my own laundry powder from the following recipe:

2 cups of soap flakes(LUX)
1 cup washing soda
1 cup of borax

Just 2-3 teaspoons does one wash but I have to dissolve it in hot water first as I only ever use cold water in the machine.

Rhonda blogs here about making the laundry liquid and I find this works much better for me.

Nana Gardner is also a recent convert ;)

ETA I now use a cup of bicarb in place of that cup of borax...it's less damaging to the environment and therefore us.