Well it’s almost two week since I lasted posted here.

I have been to EKKA again this year, which is on now. I wrote about it in last year August 2006 blog. I spent around $40.00 this time and $20 was on books.

Today I went to the second hand bookstore near my home and bought all the back dated copies of Australian Gourmet Travellers, which I collect. I bought around 35 copies this time. 5 for $2.00 which is good buy as they are new $7.95 each.

I got a free coffee again today - saving $2.45

Today’s Senior Card Savings - $2.45
Add to total $20 Challenge $89.95
My Spending today $54.00

In the city today, paid my credit card off again in full and paid another bill too!

We went to the Sizzler’s again, just having the salad bar & drinks today $11.95 as they have put the price up again. Saving $2.80 with my senior card. Even though I went to five other places to buy things on my list not one had them anything I wanted so I just walked out again.

Lucky I did as when I left this morning, I was having trouble with hot water system, it over 13 year old so it a replacement job. The thermostat is gone I think, and the $200 to fix it for around 2 years is not worth it. As it only will cost about $600 –700 to replace it for next 10 years plus. Life span is around 10-15 years for an electric hot water system. It not economical for me, to buy solar hot water system at $4000 and only $1000 rebate with about same life span.

Why I know it needs to be replace is for the last few weeks it been just eating the kWh big time. I have been reading the meter every few days, have use 68 kWh since Saturday, and had NO hot water when I went to shower this morning and I used so little hot water in that time too! It took over 20 minutes to fill the tank until it overflowed, then I read it and check the meter box was on too! When I came home this afternoon I read it again I had use 13 kWh in 7 hours which means that thermostat is not turn off when hot and all I am getting is the laundry full of steam instead. I rang the energy company and found when the next power reading is and as I am 100kWh over now and still 4 weeks to ago before next reading. I spoke to a plumber, we will buy one and replace it on Saturday. In the meantime the power tariff that is on 24/7 used only 12 kWh in all this time since Saturday with 2 large refrigerators & chest freezer as well all the lights, TV’s & computer etc. So another Major project expense this week, lucky I bank that $1000 rebate a few weeks ago.

Today’s Senior Card Savings - $2.80
Add to total $20 Challenge $87.50

I went shopping this weekend, and bought heaps of fruit & vegetables as the Granny Smiths Apples, brown onions, sweet potatoes were only 79c kg. So I bought a lot of them as I have dehydrator with 10 trays so I will be over next few days, I took over 3 hours to cut and lay out seven trays today. I had to cut them up very finely for what I need them for, as I am making seasoning mixers. I have to do the onions on they own but the others can be done together. I also bought celery, peppers, & kiwi fruit. I will do the apples & kiwi fruit together then get around to them. Dried apple slices are 250g for $2.99. Before I went shopping, I went to Hungry Jack’s and got a free coffee and single cone 40c, with my senior card. Saving $2.45 here.

Weekly Main Meal Menu
Sunday ~ Ham Omelette with Tomato Salsa
Monday ~ Chilli Con Care & Corn Chips
Tuesday ~ Chicken Schnitzel with Tomato Salsa & Steamed Vegetables.
Wednesday ~ Pea & Ham Soup & Toast
Thursday ~ Spaghetti Bolognese
Friday ~ Poached Fish with Steamed Vegetables
Saturday ~ Thai Satay Chicken with Steamed Rice & Green tea

Adding Coins $20 challenge -$12.50
Today’s Senior Card Savings - $2.45
Add to total $20 Challenge $84.70
My Spending today $35.56
Any Savings today $12.45

I went to the city to have lunch with my ex-work friends today! We went to Sizzler’s as usual, I just had the salad bar. Saving $2.00 with my senior discount so that another $2.00 for $20 challenge.

I did pay my credit card balance off in full. But as my internet bill was not on this, I had to ring to fine out why and make sure that I wasn’t cut off at end of this month. They did as no I would be and I would be charged for last month & next month on the next bill. Not happy with that but it was they problem not mine!

I bought some markdown organic pasta 1kg saving $1.50 and bacon bones to make pea & ham soup to-morrow.

Yesterday it rained all day but only light showers, my tank is full again! I now have enough water to last for a few months if didn’t rain for a while. I will use only full recycle & tank water for the next month or so.

Today’s Senior Card Savings - $2.00
Add to total$20 Challenge $69.30
My Spending today $445.00
Any Savings today $3.50

I dropped into the antique store and had a look around and end up buying a $3.00 very old cookbook with lots of old style recipes in it. It’s instruction book for a refrigerator in the 1950’s.

While I was out, I walk up to Hungry Jack’s and had a free coffee $2.45 that’s add to $20 challenge. It not bad for a treat now & then for 40c for ice cream cone that I have with it.

Here one of my favorites that I still make. This recipe is from the booklet above.

Peach Melba
Open a can of cling stoned peaches halves.
Put a half peach in each glass dish.
Fill centre with a good ice cream, pour over some raspberry syrup toping, then pile whipped cream on top of all.
Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
Vary this by using fruit syrup (peach) from the can instead of raspberry syrup topping.

Weekly Main Meal Menu
Sunday ~ Homemade Hot Curry Chicken Soup & Toast
Monday ~ Spaghetti Bolognese
Tuesday ~ Spicy Pumpkin & Sweet Potato with Lentils
Wednesday ~ Scramble Eggs on Toast
Thursday ~ Garlic Chicken Schnitzel with Tomato Salsa & Steamed Vegetables
Friday ~ Poached Fish with Steamed Vegetables
Saturday ~ Curry Ground Beef & Rice with Sambal

Today’s Senior Card Savings - $2.45
Adding to total $20 Challenge $67.30
My Spending today $3.40
Any Savings today $2.45

As DF-M daughter is here for the weekend. We went shopping together again, and drop into Bond's Discount Factory Outlet Store. (Bond’s here is an underwear manufacture & supplier)
While the other bought underwear but I got 4 sweater top, all the same but in different colours as they also sell casual wear and nightwear too! I paid $5.00 each, regular price was $11.99 so saved $27.96 here. I had dinner with the family that night too!

I counted my charge today and I have $30.00 to bank.

Weekly Main Meal Menu

Sunday ~ (free)BBQ Fillet Steak with Tomato & Onion Salad, Italian Bread, cheese & Wine.
Monday ~ Scramble Eggs on Toast
Tuesday ~ Spaghetti Bolognese
Wednesday ~ Devilled Sausages with Mashed Potato & Peas
Thursday ~ Toasted Savoury Mince Jaffa’s
Friday ~ Pasta with Pasta Sauce & Tuna
Saturday ~ Garlic Chicken Schnitzel with Tomato Salsa & Steamed Vegetables

Adding Coins $20 challenge -$30.00
Add to total $20 Challenge $64.85

My Spending today $20.00
Any Savings today $27.96

I walked up to the shops today, and went first to Hungry Jack’s and got a cappuccino & a cone 40c spent here, as I got my cappuccino for free Senior Card Discount so that another $2.45 for $20 challenge. I drop into the supermarket and check the price on the eggs $2.85 so different of 56c between price for the same packaging & same company supermarket that I bought the other day. While I was there, that I had a look at the bargain bin, and found some spice markdown here our supermarkets are downsizing they stock so that they put in their own brand copying Aldi. You never know what they will be cutting out next at 60% off for items with a long shelf life I will not say NO, to thing that I can use. I bought Hoyt’s brand Cajun Spice Mix 125g @ $1.60, Oregano Leaves 60g @ $1.14 Hot Dried Chillies Crushed 100g @ $1.62, all normally priced in the $3.00 & over range. It looks like you will be only able to buy the 14g packets in future if they don’t cut them out too! They have bought a range of herbs & spices in they up market range store brand Select at over $2.00 -15g per bottle. I will be looking at Asian, Indian & Italian deli’s around the place. If I am to make my own mixer, I still need to base spices and some herbs that I don’t grow. So I will need to look outside the normal supermarkets for these. I saved around $5.00 here.

I did drop into the thrift shops on the away home. I pick up some more Gourmet Traveller magazines 5 for $2.00 and a Woman’s Weekly cookbook for $2.00. Along with some Tupperware containers 3 for $3.00, one was a large serving container with a lid, that is not in their normal range and two spice containers. Saving heaps here, all in good condition. Spending $7.00. RRP for this lot books $52.70 & add about $35.00 for Tupperware, you are looking $88.00 for $7.00. So not a bad day at the office.

I did go on line to today, banked some money in ING, I have started to bank some of my $20 challenge money. $120.00 of which $40 is $20 challenge.

Today’s Senior Card Savings - $2.45
Add to total $20 Challenge $34.85
My Spending today $11.76
Savings today $88.45

Today I did a big run around shopping and pay my bills, as I haven’t been out for a while. I went to thrift shop on the way up the street and bought a large plastic container, for $2.50 that is normal sold for about $12.95 new. I also pick up some more Gourmet Traveller magazines, 5 for $2.00 I now have quite a number of theses now. I bought some grocery $4.70. I want to get some film developed but no one does it any more but at large shopping centres. So I had to go the another shopping centre in my car. So as I need to pay some bills as well, first put the film in to get developed, $11.63 then I had wait for 3 hours but I needed to shop, have lunch and pay the bills. Going to Aldi spending $19.93, buy some underwear $11.94, having lunch for $1.65 saving $1.50 on coffee with my senior card. Paying my car membership $62.00, and another bill for $94.50. I did buy the book The Secret $20.94 so I will know want it all about. I still have a few more bills to pay via my credit card. I will pay this before I need to put my next annual Chiro bill on it. But I will have it paid off along before the interest is due on it.

Weekly Main Meal Menu

Monday ~ Chicken Mustard with Rice.
Tuesday ~ Beans Rissoles & Salad
Wednesday ~ Toasted Savoury Mince Jaffa’s
Thursday ~ Scramble Eggs on Toast
Friday ~ Poached Fish with Steamed Vegetables
Saturday ~ Spicy Pumpkin & Sweet Potato with Lentils
Sunday ~ Chicken Schnitzel with Tomato Salsa & Steamed Vegetables.

Today’s Senior Card Savings - $1.50
Add to total $20 Challenge $32.40

My Spending today $231.79
Any Savings today $11.95

There a few specials in the catalogues this week so I am planning to buy something in bulk or multiple buys. I normally buy between 2 to 12 items when bulk buying, 12 cans soup for meal bases this winter, 2 x 200g instant coffee until the next large can coffee goes on special, 2 kg powder milk, 2 dried macaroni. These will stock up my pantry up now to the point that I may not shop for a while now after done a inventory of my bulk areas. Unlike many of you who have snow in winter, I can walk to the shops all year round and seven days per week too! Keeping out of the shops or if do go with someone trying not to buy will be the challenge. Limiting to pet food and supply, fruit and vegetables, and the markdown dairy cases. I shopped at IGA & Aldi today. Today I used the car to go shopping. Spending all up $30.51

I had coffee & small burger today so another $1.50 for $20 Challenge.

Today’s Senior Card Savings - $1.50
Add to total $20 Challenge $30.90

What do you do when the heel of your shoe break’s and you just started a twelve hours shift and can’t go home to get another pair of shoes or get them fixed? You guess it! Ring mum as she the only one not working today. So I had over a 50km around trip to my DS place to get another pair of shoes then on to where he is working today. While I was out I had a McDonald’s meal and a free coffee, saving $1.50 here, as it was a Senior Card deal.

That’s what mother is for!

Today’s Senior Card Savings - $1.50
Add to $20 Challenge $29.40

We all meet today at our usual spot Sizzlers. They have put they prices up so I will now need to re-think what I buy in future. Today I had the salad bar & drinks with the manager’s special of fish. Costing $15.90 with the senior card off of $3.00. We put in $2.00 each for a lotto between all of us each time we meet up but never won a large prize, it would be nice to won! I bought my only magazine that I each time comes out for $2.60. Recipe + is the name of the magazine and I have never seen it 2nd hand. I paid my credit card so it's back to Zero again.

Today’s Senior Card Savings - $3.00
Add to $20 Challenge $27.90

Today I need to get some pet food & cat litter so as had to drive the car. So I went to Hungry Jack’s for lunch seeing that they had two for one deal vouchers on their Spicy Baguettes, I bought that and got single cone and 2 Free cappuccinos with my senior card. Saving $9.75 adding $4.90 to $20 challenges.

While at the grocery store I found some can pineapple chunks on clearance trolley with a good shelf life. At 40c a can instead of $1.73, so I bought 4 for my bulk assets pile. Saving $5.32 here.

Opening $20 challenge $20.00
Today’s Senior Card Savings - $4.90
Total $20 Challenge $24.90

As I have finish my Mirror Image Challenge and now it’s time for a new style format and challenges.

As the Major Projects are still on going and I need to find the money for these without taking any money from capital investments as there is not enough money invested for me to live into the future only a few just years not a lifetime. (Lifetime = 30 years more plus) I do need to get the compound interest working on this when I don’t have even six digits in my investments to last a lifetime. So I plan not to touch it and try to live without it for next few years if possible. Without any income (other than my pension) and keeping my house livable on my pension is my goal for now. - Major Project reports

$20 Challenge on Senior Card Discounts and loose change.
I am hoping to bank my entire Senior Card Discounts amount but not Government Pensioner Rebates that I get. Along with any loose changes that I get in the way of 5c –50c coins. ING –EF - $20 Challenge.

Adding to my EF –ING online account updating progress on this. - Money banked.

What I am keeping from last year’s format.
$$$ Strategy & useful tips found.
In the last 28 days
Bi-monthly Goals & Planning Ahead
Monthly Summary of how I am going (I may change the timing on this one) - Bill & Budget.
Weekly menu with Grocery Challenge on using my stockpile up. - All Food /Bulk Assets
Recipes from time to time. - Recipe
My Garden & Our Water Problems – Garden / $Saving on Utilities
Whatever – Small Stuff Challenge
Frugal Memories

I may not post everyday from now on but will still post a few times per week.

I’ll also add this post to my pages.

It’s another No spending day here.

Today is my blogoversary. 28 April 2007