Its Christmas morning here and all is quite as most the children that live here are grow up or in their teens and only one small baby in our block.

I didn’t get temped to go shopping for marked down bargains or to go to get an extra present that I was told to get because DS thought my present wasn’t good enough for his SIL. I did fine an extra present that I got when I was selling Avon a few years back worth over $25.00 so that along with the family box of chocolates will have to do. It’s still in it bubble wrap so it hasn’t been use.

There is a salad bowl set to go with it but I am giving that to my friend along a re- gifting gift that I will never use. Her husband who does start my mover each time is getting a gift box card games.
My son’s MIL is get basket of toilettes worth $20.00plus $25 in cash for Christmas lunch. I don’t do any work so I put money in instead.

My DS & DIL are getting store gift vouchers each as I didn’t go to the trouble buying extra small gifts this year, I add that cost on to the voucher instead. I hope they like them.

As for the rest just a Christmas card exchange.
So far I have only received my cat’s gifts as its still early here.

It’s going to be a wet Christmas here but not as bad as some parts of the state.

Seeing that I didn’t have to go to my friend place for breakfast this morning I went to a Church Garage Sale instead. Not much in the way of things but I did find some craft books there so I bought what I bought I liked for $2.00 plus household items that I need for my project in the future at the price they were asking its buy now or never. I got metal napkin holder, metal plate, 2 bread & butter plates café style and placemat for $1.00.

Then I went to another section and pick up a beaded belt that I can use the beads for my craft necklace that I wear. I bought four books 3 medical ones and English text book $6.00.
Having spent my money I went home as I was walking I couldn’t buy too much then.

I went back to get some lunch but they were sold out of food. So I bought the balance of the craft books for $3.00 plus another kitchen garget that I didn’t see the first time around $1.00. Bought 7 craft books on the other stall $2. All up I spent $15.00 on both trips just one street over from my place and 4 houses as the crows.

I just did the RRP value of my bootie and I am in shock, the RRP on the books alone $538 and all up $590 on everything. That’s $575 saving. If I ever need some cash I could sell some of them as I will never use all of them, as I may have some of them in my storage boxes but at 20c each you need take it now and sell the extras later. I ask the Rev. if I could buy the balance of the craft books he said if I wanted too so I gave him an extra dollar for the balance so I had two pick then bought the balance as I didn’t buy lunch in the end.


Mommy cat helping me taking stock of what I bought


Some of craft books


The pile of craft books 21mm high, most are cross-stitch patterns

Today I went shopping with my elderly Italian neighbour, the one I have breakfast with each morning. First off it’s a trip to the doctor’s then off to a big shopping centre, I am the driver. Trying to tell her that the two winter nightgowns that were to big for her will not returned at full price was impossible without a docket so instead of getting $29 each for them you only can get the refund on the last price registered in the store so she got a refund slip of $19.57 for both. Off to the sleepwear department no winter nightgowns only summer ones. She bought three them and had to pay an extra $33 for them after the refund slip.

Next stop, looking at drinking glasses that were 25% off we found nice ones for $50 less 25% =$37.50 for six. Not good enough I like crystal ones so off we go to the major department store. Found the ones that she liked @$32.95 EACH. Oh she wanted to buy SIX of them, help I wanted to go home. So we went looking for the item that we went in there for but they didn’t stock it. Then we go back to look at the crystal glasses again after being told it would cost her almost $200 she decided not to buy them but buy the other ones instead later. Her glasses get broken often and I think she has too many anyway but that’s another story.

Next stop to buy the cleaning product she asked me to buy yesterday. I thought that is all she wanted but no she did a full shop and we are here to buy bulk stuff at the last store near the car, help I want to go home. So $140 later we exited the supermarket. Then I had to take the grocery to the car as with a walking stick and elderly neighbour I couldn’t handle a second trolley too!

Next stop to buy the Glasses we first saw for $37.50 for six, not happy with just six but eighteen of them. So $112 later, we are off to get the stuff we came for large box of laundry powder on special, two trigger hose nozzles, and 81L plastic container now I am worried that I will not get it all in my small 2 door car. So $88 later we are out of there. I got it in by putting the groceries on the back seat and box and glasses etc in the boot. I had a good NO SPEND DAY as I was just the driver there was no room for anything that I would have bought anyway.

Yesterday I went out with a friend and her Asian student to the local sport club. I had to pay my annual membership again. All of two dollars but it does have a lot of discounts that you can get too!

First up we had lunch as it was pension day, with a special menu for pensioners @ $6.90

Roasted Beef or Pork with Vegetables
Fried Fish, Chips and Salad
Spaghetti Bolognese
All served with a Steam Ginger Bread Pudding and Custard

I had Roasted Pork & Vegetables and dessert

If you weren’t a pensioner you paid $10.90 + $5.90 for the dessert but you do have more choices.
So I saved $9.90 with senior %.

Afterwards we went to coffee shop there and had coffee and muffin or raisin toast for $5.50 instead of $7.50 with our membership cards, it looks like with a member card you can pick up a lot of deals but it can be expensive if you are not careful as they have poker machines there.

$2 membership, $5.00 pokers, $12.40 food, I spent in total $19.40 and saved $11.90 by having the right cards.

All these come out of daily living part of my budget. So along we don’t do this to often my budget will still work.

On the weekend DS took me to see the Dam spillway of our largest dam here are some of the pictures.


The drive into the spillway along fire trail as the main loop road in and out was used for the way out only and walkers, it took 45 minutes to get in.


Flow of flood water along side of the fire trail


Spillway

Driving over the spillway


1. Spillway from top of dam wall


2. Looking back at flooded area


Dam from the picnic area

Don’t you love water leaking somewhere at least I could pinpoint where this time. About nine months ago just before Christmas, I had my street redone while they were doing it the workmen cut the water pipe to my house and had to fix it. A few weeks ago now I found water leaking on my footpath so much that when I put my finger into the grass the water was up to my palm deep I rang the local water utilities and finely they came out to fix it up the new join had given way. After that was fixed a few days later I found I had rusty water leaking in my laundry down the wall. I had a hole in one of my pipes; a plumber came to fix it up yesterday this cost around $90 after a pensioner discount through a pensioner group I had joined. This is not bad after all the water leaks over 20 years I only had to pay for 2 repairs all the others were on the street side of the fence.

Four major water pipe bursts on street side and two minor pipes on my side costing me under $150 to repair over the past 10 years. If I have to replace the old pipes, this will cost around $1000 they are over sixty years old so I know that at some point they will need to be done. I will now budget for them and have this money ready for if or when that happens. All is working well at the moment so I am not in any hurry for it to be done now!

Our water bills are still going up whether we use to much water or not as the power to be are charging like a Bull in a China Shop, we now have to pay for all infrastructure of new dams and recycled water plants and Desalination Plant that doesn’t work after 2 years yet!

Update

desalination plant

Put extra photos in Pic posts while it's working!

I have added more photos to some of my posts that I have photos in.

Look up pic for quick look.

Some ramdom photos from Ekka


Quail & Pheasant


Bark painting


Start of main Sideshow Ally


Cermic plate


wombat

I got very tired last time I was there, so I went again to look at some of the place that I missed then.

I found out that Showbag pavilion, horse stables and Dog show pavilion are the ones getting pull down next to start their makeover it will take over 15 years to do and many areas will be moved around as they progress in this makeover. So each year some thing will be in a new place and it may be a temporary home only for a few years. I may never see it finished in my lifetime. They are planning to have open it all year not just for the 10 days at EKKA show time. The grounds has it’s own railway station which they are hoping have open all year around but it on a bypass ring loop so if they get a new line underground built that in the pipeline they may link in with it and its next door the major hospital which has a bus station running pass it. Major roads bypass and tunnels have been built near this site so it a site ready for big development but lucky for the show grounds, they are ones doing the development for next 100 years plan which includes the Show (EKKA) only 3km from CBD. It you take up and buying into any of the building sites planned its taken as granted that you can’t complain about any noise or people in the area as it’s in a special noise zone area. Parking will be another issue too with only 1.5 car spaces for each unit only.

They are planning to build on out side of the showgrounds and go up in the centre for the pavilions

Enough rambling on for now until next year!

Some pictures

CBD in the background


Planning

These displays are some of interesting ones this year.

We have coming up a MasterChef series with children cooking soon! After watching three series of MasterChef, 2 full series and Celerity Masterchef now all the children wanted have ago too!

If these photos are anything to go by the next generation will be able to cook or not kept out of the kitchen and may be less obese children too!


This one is a mini-masterclass for 5-10 year old. It’s a taken on day when primary school children were taken to the show as class lesson.


This one is a picture of some cake icing in a new category for 6 -10 year olds. Only very best were shown and won by two 8 year olds who mothers are cake- icing teachers.


The entries on the bottom of this picture were done by next age group 11 -15 year olds.

Heres A few more Pictures

Childern School Work Competions

I went to the first day of

EKKA as it’s commonly known around here for the last 135 years. The showground are on prime real estate, just a few kilometres from the CBD. They are changing it a bit and putting in a few apartment blocks, shopping area & restaurants which will become part of the EKKA when the show is on. They will have to put up with a full EKKA show each August as the EKKA is not moving at all and any extra events during the year as it’s hired out for events too! It will take time to make everyone happy but they will not kill the show. I didn’t see the new plans for the grounds as yet! I do know that I wouldn’t travel to another area if they did move it.





This picture is of the show bag pavilion which was to be pulled down this year so it may not be around much longer.


This one is of one the streets at show time. Only one main road is closed during the show. Others are more like side streets within the showgrounds.


Looking up the closed Main Road


This one is antique farm machines with the small children sideshow ally in the background.


Start of Main Sideshow Ally
The main one takes up a quarter of the showgrounds and can be expensive. So far I haven’t ventured into that area and some years I never get that far!

Sugar

Another go at keeping these photos here.

Both my fridge and freezers are full as my friend as cleaned her freezer out and we went shopping today and she bought me a cooked chicken and 2 T-bone steaks as well buying her self the same. I got 4 x 1kg each bags of frozen fresh broad beans & large bag another kind frozen fresh bean. I did give two kilos away of broad beans and re-bag the balance into 200g portions which will give you about 3 servings when cooked. I found an interesting recipe that I liked for them. I will post the recipe later.

Broad Beans Provencale

I had one of the T-bone steak for dinner tonight now I can’t let go to waste can I! I had fresh mushrooms in butter, grilled onions slices, cabbage, an egg to go with it along fruit salad & ice cream.

I need to think about my meals for next few days as I will eating out twice in the coming days. Its EKKA time here again I did post about it a few year’s back now in August 2006.
Ekka -August 2006

I ended up in the city again, and did some shopping too! I had to go the Chiro for my monthly visit. The other day I found a pair of walking shoes on sale 50% off, so I ended up getting a pair as the ones that I am wearing are over eight years old so are coming to the end of they life as going out pair.
Cost just under $70.00 as they are leather uppers and with a descent sole.

Had lunch and coffee while I was there, I got senior discount coffee, getting a larger size for the same price as regular size $3.50. Bought $6.50 special deal on the Japanese Teriyaki Chicken with Vegetable and Rice it was the large size for the same price as the small size saving $2.40

So my savings on regular prices was $74.00.

It’s up and running just waiting for my rebate to come back. So after waiting 110 days for a team to come an install it for me! Why so long, a lot of red tape as someone (Federal & State Governments) didn’t do they job right the first time around, no safety checks were done that everyone was working on installing solar hot water and ceiling batts had the right certificates to do the jobs. Four young workmen died in the ceilings here installing ceiling batts which is the other option you could have had done. I had ceiling batts so went with the solar hot water option.

I will not know if I will save any money for another three months as it was installed two days the last meter read. I am working on that I will save about 4 kWh on Hot water and third off my power coming down from 16 kWh & 4 kWh per day to around 9 kWh per day for both. Prices are rising for our power here in leaps & bounds, another price rise started on 1st July for electricity and water is going up too! I am still using around same amounts but the bills are still going up. I have budgeted for extra $200 but mine may stay around the same because of solar panels & solar hot water installed. I do sell back to the grid but now I will use most of this to run the solar hot water pump.

I do have a slit system where the 400L water tank is on the ground and the panels are on the roof the only drawback is they had to put the panels on west side of the house and my solar panels are on the east side of house. Ideally they should be facing north but I never had the room to put either there. But I do get between 10 to 14 hours sun per day 365 days of the year. It’s good to live in the Sunshine State.

Over the past few weeks I have been working my way though Garage Sale (Yard Sale) storage area. This is the area which I place anything needs to go at some time. I have had a few tradesmen here over the past year or so and have not got into that area for while. If any needed to be move they just move it out of the way and everything ended up in that area. So that I no longer know what’s there for certain anymore!

Very near my storage area for my bulk toilet paper and empty bottle stash. As I couldn’t get into this area without a clearout but I didn’t find any toilet paper so far but found 5 large boxes of empty bottles. I will cull them down to one box and give away or recycle all the others.



Two boxes in the front on left are to be culled further and all the others boxes to be recycled or given to a jar maker in the basket. They are just taking up to much room.

Update:- I will put up the photo again when crashing of photos stops.

I just found a copy of 300 Sensational Salads by Lucinda Hollace Berry - 1982 booklet of 46 pages in our local second hand bookshop for 50 cents for my Retro Cookbook collection. I found plenty of copies that anyone could buy online, as a great example of how not to set out a cookbook and it is by the looks of it, a study in some US collages too!

Why I am I so pique about this cookbook if I had to rate its layout, page numbering and picture details and index. I would give it a 0.5 /10 overall. Why give it 0.5 rating, it did fill every page with a picture or recipes. Some recipes were repeated again later in the book also. There is NO order in the layout, NO page numbering, NO picture details and NO index. Now the recipes themselves are interesting and I would rate recipes on they own at 7/10.

So set out to fix it for myself so I will put up two styles of index in My Pages on the side here for anyone to find if they wish to copy & paste. My own copy had been numbered in part by the previous owner so I finish it off and set out to make an index.

First by listing each recipe per page then separating the dressing from salads and alphabetical listing them into two groups. Any further can be done by those who need to do so.

Many of the recipes use fruits as ingredients in the salads and dressings.

I will just post one salad with dressing as example

Tangy Golden Apple Vegetables

1 Golden Delicious apple, in 3/4 in cubes
1 medium zucchini, in 1/2 in slices
1 medium carrot in 1/4 in, slices, cooked crisp-tender
2 tbsp chopped green onion
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Tangy Basil Marinade

Combine all ingredients; mix well.
Chill thoroughly.
Makes 4 -100 calories servings.

Tangy Basil Marinade

Combine 2 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tbsp oil, 1/4 tsp crushed basil leaves, 1/8 tsp salt & dash pepper. Mix well

300 Sensational Salads by Lucinda Hollace Berry - 1982

There would be away to update this recipe by changing the way you sliced the vegetables, may be in ribbons or baby matchsticks instead of slices. Both the zucchini and carrot could be done that way and the apple could be slice in a different way too!

Other recipes can be found

Marinated Mushroom Salad

5 recipes and copies for sale

In the past few weeks someone broke into my house and stole my handbag! To make matter worse I was a sleep at the time. When I work out what they took it was over $900 worth in value. As I had my new mobile and digital camera plus an expensive wallet in it!

I did claim on my insurance and got back over $600 with excess of $200, it does pay to have photos or receipts of your purchases what you keep in your handbag this did saved me from not being able to claim. I keep everything even the box that coin wallet came in which was lucky as I don’t think they believed me on that one as the price was on that box as well as the style name and worth $160.

I have taken steps so that it will not happen again. By replacing my security doors as they were getting old and the fly mesh is how they got in. So bought 2 new security doors the best that I could afford I will need now to save to replace the emergency money fund that I used. I put in Crimsafe doors as these are the best one here they cost almost $1600 fitted. I am a great believer in safety first and will spend money when my safety is in jeopardy.

I am now back to normal and feel a little safer now that the doors are in.

On last Saturday Morning, I end up going to a shopping to get the best deal at Jeweler store chain as they have their best sales around this time. I got some money for Christmas gift and a birthday gift voucher from this store of $25.00 so when I put the two together I can get some nice as I need to buy gift with the money and use that gift voucher before the end of the month. Its a show and tell kind gift.

So to upshot was that it was a 50% sale until Sunday then a new sales of some kind most unlikely on silver. I got a beautiful silver chain for Christmas so I wanted some extra silver locket to go with it. There were three lockets about the size I wanted there, priced at $149, $85, & $69, as I didnt like the design on $149 one and it was toss up between other two in the end I got both.

So RRP for both $154, less markdown of $76, less $25 gift voucher so cash outlay in the end was $53 of which $50 was gift money. Cost $3.00 out of my pocket. Saving of $151.00

Strategy - Know when the best sale may be on and be ready to go!

That was not all the bargains that I end up with either. I had just five items on my list and lunch there as its a very large shopping centre and can take you 20 minutes to walk from one end to the other without shopping.

Strategy - Park your car in a spot that you will get your daily walk done too!

Item two - New computer ink cartridges
I always buy twin pack cartridges for printer as it work out better in the end. Doing a price check in the last few weeks want everyone was selling it for. So I went to Big W store here as they has the cheapest price the one I came to buy was sold out but another one of two twin packs was even better buy. Top RRP for a single twin pack $44.88, but I got 2x twin packs that 2 color & 2 black ink cartridges pack for $69.88. Saving of $19.88 if you just believe the sale talk that they sell it for the cheapest price you can get. Not likely after my experience!

Strategy - Dont believe all the sale talk, do your own leg work.

Item three & lunch
As one of the items need to bought at the supermarket I went to one that I can get a retire staff discount from. Now as I didnt know what was on special it was nice to know everything that I got was but for the drink to with my lunch. Potato crisps, personal items, crackers, Xmas bows & drink RRP $ 25.67 costing $18.54 Saving of $7.04

I had only two items my list for the supermarket, one was on sale personal items so I bought two packets saving $2.15, potato crisps 50% off special again bought two saving $3.15, multi buy on crackers that I use all the time 3 for $5 less my % saving $2.90, then Xmas wrapping bows in sliver, gold & red colors saving $1.32 plus my drink buying the drink small bottle of ice coffee at supermarket not where I am planning to dine in open plan food court saved a lot of money as drinks are around $3.30 where I was dining.

Using the supermarket strategy for buying my drink that cost only $1.49.

Strategy - Try to buy drinks at the supermarket if dining in open plan food courts.
Strategy - Only buy what you will use when shopping without a list.

Lunch was another saving as I bought a small size meal that was on special for $4.95 instead of $6.80 of Japanese Chicken Curry saving of $1.85 plus saving on my ice coffee of $1.81 so saved total of $3.66 here.

I saved another $2.00 buying some green seedless grapes for $3.99 per kg instead supermarket ones at $5.94 kg.

Strategy - Price check other shops before going to the supermarket As both supermarket in this shopping centre have a fruit & vegetable store outside each other at opposite end of the complex.

Bargain Price rite store that beauty & chemist lines as chocolates & gift lines, I couldnt resist the bargain here Tim tams Mugs gift set pack only $4.00 saving $10.99 and tin of cookies for $3.50 saving $6.49 here. I have enough treats now until end of February at least.

Strategy - If you will use it and cheap enough then have a treat now and then!

Now off the K-mart store another one that I can get retired staff discounts at. This was just shopping for the fun of it here. First off the only item left on my list was a Christmas Wreath that needs to be replaced for next year. Found on a Clearance trolley with someone there to mark them a further 50% off the mark price with another 50% off when you at the checkout. I got two wreaths for 75c saving of $14.40, Christmas Santa for $3.00 saving $16.95, two x Christmas empty tins set of 3 for $2.50 saving of $21.50 plus candy shocking for $1.25 saving of $3.50. as well some two x gifts sets that were price wrong RRP $9.00 checkout of price $5.00 but on shelf price for $3.00 so I question it and got it for $3.00 each. If they are $5.00 each I will have my money back please. I thought the shelf tag said $3.00 and there were a lot of them there!

Strategy - Check your dockets and ask for a refund If they pull a its in the wrong place or wrong code talk
Strategy - If you will use it and cheap enough then have a treat now and then!

Whats the moral of this story, I had planned to go shopping with gift money & voucher to get a few items on my list, namely silver jeweler, printer ink, personal items, wreath and have a look at sandals which I would buy if in my size. But subconsciously set myself amount to spend of around $200 including the $50 gift money plus the gift voucher of $25.00. What did I spend in the end was $203.30 but out of my pocket cost only $128.30 RRP price of items $418.31, saving of $290.01 on the day. Now if I went bought these items at normal times like pre-Christmas I would have been poorer by $290. Now that what I call is stretching ones dollars.

RRP cost $418.31
Out of my pocket cost $128.30
Saving of $290.01

(All in Australian dollars)

Well it that time of the year again, all the fireworks are on. I can see them from back door or at my neighbour house which does give you a better view.

But you also can view Sydney one on TV which is the best in Australia. We as a nation go all out on fireworks of some reason. I do remember when we were allowed to have own bonfires in the back yard or in large paddock as a kid. Mostly it was a neighhood ones where a number of family pooled together and took they own fireworks along that was much safer than everyones sky rockets off everywhere and setting houses on fire. Now days you cant do this anymore as you need a pyrotechnic licence here and only large venues can do it now, that is not to say people still get hands on some fireworks and let it of illegally too!

No spending day

Today was my monthly lunch with friends; we went the casino again but to a different restaurant this time. They have charged the rules there. Early on you could get a meal for $10.00 with Coffee and Cake with about 10 different meals to choose from with table service, now it has charged a great deal, it self service in that you get your own tray, cutlery and napkin tell the chef which meal you are having then you move on to get a cake if you are having that then to cashier.

Most of us a have members cards but different colours so if you white one which by the way most do have that one then you are classed a non-member and need to paid $14.00 for same thing as before but the menu for this meal now is a pick of two dishes only, all other meals are $9.00 or $12.00 and extra for coffee & cake of $6.90. Personally I was not happy with the meal today but our lot the majority wins!

So next month we may go back and see what the other restaurant has in store for us. They may be changing the rule there too!

So I had Chicken Kiev but I have seen the same piece of heart shaped chicken in the supermarket deli as Chicken Schnitzel pieces for about $2.50 each. I had to pay $14.00 less my Senior 5% off for it with small salad and chips along cake & coffee. It was better the two beef rissoles I would think!

Christmas has come and gone here, I had lunch with my DS in laws, White Christmas Dinner with turkey, chicken, ham off the bone, potato salad, pasta salad and coleslaw when you looked at the plate everything had tones of white. Including the desserts wine trifle and lemon meringue pie there was a plum pudding and fresh cream but no one wanted it! Its summer here so we went swimming between courses in my DS pool, sun was out but some light showers though the day.

As for the presents that I bought, they were happy with them! My DS still played billiards but never when I am around. My DIL gift was something she was looking at in the home catalogue this month.
As for the 3 year olds gift they were happy to have something that wasnt a toy and could put all the other bits into it. She got a Barbie pool for Christmas but left her Barbies dolls at her place, so my DIL end up digging up one of her childhood memory Barbies for her to play with she had 13 of them! Her Mum s plant was well received as she had killed the one she had.

As for my Christmas presents I got a beautiful long silver chain to go with a silver owl drop I got earlier in the year, CD of Susan Boyle I Dreamed a Dream, DVD Masterchef & cookbook , DVD Boxed set of Miss Maple with 4 movies, DVD Australia movie, Baking calendar for 2010, Dutch Pancake Maker plus Secret Santa present of some toilettes.

One of my DIL presents from her mother was ideal for someone who loves going shopping on Boxing Day. A Small Christmas Tree with paper gift tags on it each gift tag had $50 note on it!

So my crazy presents were not that crazy after all but they were more lot more frugal than what the others had bought.

Well the local council finishing gang came yesterday and finished the road surface off. No dramas this time, but I am just leaving my car in its garage and will take it out on Christmas day as I dont need it until then. The road is still warm but driveable even after a very heavy storm today. The heat coming off the road this morming was hot.

I can walk or catch a bus to where I wish to go. In fact I did catch a bus today to the city so I could post a special letter that I need to make sure that it was posted and not lost. I posted it in the main post office as our postal workers are on strike and it on then or off kind of strike just before Christmas for the last few days.

While in the city I paid in full my credit card so I will start the New Year debt free but not for long as all my early January bills are starting to arrive. Its no big worry as I have the money ready to cover them.

Buying that extra little crazy or silly presents for Christmas is something I do all the time.

I give store gift cards as the main presents each year plus a crazy or silly present. I do have very practical view on gifts I just dont like buying rubbish. I am always on looking out for bargains when I shop.

So this year is no different I had just two gift still to buy when I did my wrapping up. Both token gifts one for my son and other his 3 year old niece. I budgeted around $20.00 for both gifts.

I was in the toy section of the Target store, looking at what was available for the 3 year old what is very spoilt and she likes DORA items. All toys were 25% off but the prices were still not in price range. I only do see her once or twice per year and she is on my DIL side of the family. I did pick out 2 cheap dolls but then I found a DORA laundry basket near the price I could pay, $12.88 markdown from $25.00. So I put back the cheap doll that I had my hand while walking back I came across the sporting department. In which I found my son gift that was practical and little crazy. Billiard accessories, table brush $3.48 to 65c, billiard chalk $3.52 to 66c, mixed piece care kit $15.65 to $2.51 and tip replacement kit $8.96 to $2.24 they were all markdown so some of the items were markdown by 50% off and further 25% off as they were classed as toys plus 5% retired staff discount off the total also. Not bad all up. In the end I paid $18.37 for both gifts thats $12.24 for laundry basket and $6.13 for the billiard accessories. I still dont know if my son still plays billiard but he does have a very large slate billiard table in his family room.

Saving (RRP $56.61 -$18.37) = $38.24 so my crazy gifts are not so crazy after all!

They finish doing the road base just now!

They did give up doing a normal job on it. When they got it dug up they found some of the White Clay was still wet. Yes potter clay no wonder it kept breaking up after heavy rain, so in the end they did main roads surface job on it, its something not done normally on side streets, only where heavy traffic past over all the time. The road base is now 100% asphalt road base surface to 200mm deep 40 tonnes of it with a felt sheet over the clay to start with then asphalt on top of that. No rain today. They were extra careful near the water pipe, it will be a nightmare to dig up if they ever have too! Now the finisher gang is to come early next week to put the final bitumen surface on top. Hopefully thats all for next 15 years or so!

Well the road gang is back today to dig up the road yet again! It rained while the water pipe was being fixed and as the natural surface is clay which becomes very soft when wet with over 20mm of rain in 20 minutes it did just that with the runoff. When the biggest machine drove over it the road base gave way under the 3 tons weight of that machine. So today they are digging up about 20 metres most in front of my house and over the water pipe again so here hoping that they dont break it again.

They are still working on my street at the moment; they have finished the kerbing & channeling. Today they started on the road surface; outside my stretch they needed to go down to 225mm not the normal 125mm of road base. So while digging out the old road surface they broke the water pipe to my house. This is while I was doing the washing today. So I never got to finish washing until seven hours later. Water board had to replace the copper piping for 6 metres of 9 metres wide street. While at it they put in a new washer for the water meter too!

This broken pipe put the road gang back by about 3 hours as they still had to finish the job to a certain point before they stopped for the day. Now they will do second half of the street tomorrow then when they finish the topping gang will come and finish the job on Friday or before Christmas I hope.

Around this time each year I get my eye tested and a new pair of glasses order as I am allow one pair each year on my health fund up to $250 worth. I go to optical store that bulk bills so that I am not out of pocket that much. If I left it a few more weeks I would missed out for this year glasses.

Today I pick up my new glasses, this year I got two pair ordered, one pair I provided an old frame so that I can replace my house glasses as they were so old and brittle that they needed replacing ASAP. I am luck that I have had no change in the lens prescription so that I can use all other ones for different jobs.

Last year I got sunny & glasses that I got were not as good as they should have been when driving so now I will need special pair in the car in both sunny & clear glasses for day & night driving. If I am not wearing glasses I can not drive as I can't see past the bonnet clearly! I do have enough pairs to do this and to keep them in the car at all times. So today costs for value $418 plus with extra special discount were $115 for two lots of lens and one very nice Italian frame. Not bad when you can get it. I am getting back what I paid into my health fund each year so I come out even when I add some dental work and chiro refunds onto it.

Saving today $303

If you read in an earlier post I said that I still have a $100 worth of vouchers that I need to spend by the end of the year at one shopping center.

Well I did manage to get my son to take me there, but by the time I got to his place because he was coming off night shift and needed to sleep first, I got to his place around 2.30pm after getting caught up in Friday afternoon traffic with all the semi trailers (18 wheeler trucks) some doubles coming to the warehouses or depots near his house.

We changed cars and head off to the shopping center which he works at too! This is about 20 minutes from his house as he hadnt had any breakfast let alone lunch we first stop in Lunch hall, just leaving me one hour to shop. So the first shop that used the vouchers as not all stores did. I bought there.

Restocked my underwear & nightwear as I was 20% ahead with my vouchers in the first I think I did pretty well, 2 night gowns, 4 bras that fit, 10 pairs of pants all for $82.69. Now you know me, I like a bargain and yes they were all on special at 25% off for bras and nightwear and 50% off pants.

I end up with $15 worth of voucher left so as I was going out for dinner with son & DIL, I end up giving them the vouchers as part of my share of our meal plus the extra cash to make up the different. We had a Chinese Banquet for 4 but as only there were 3 of us, I got to take home any leftovers now I can see a least 3 meals this weekend will be Chinese leftovers, Chicken & Corn Soup, Fried Rice, Sour & Sweet Pork plus mixture of the chicken dishes. Its not everyday that I have Chinese banquets but I do like them. Normally my son would the leftovers for his next days meals but they are not working this weekend and have a party to go to Saturday.

As for using these kinds of vouchers again, I would not buy them again when you take in the gas and the time to get there. It wasnt worth gas to go back and spend that extra $15 worth of vouchers when the others go there 5 days a week.

As for saving on the day

$20 off the cost vouchers (paid $80 for them)
Underwear & nightwear save $34.50 of RRP
Paid $30 for the meal but took home $30 worth of meals
Snack 2.45 with coffee save $2.45 on free coffee (Senior%)

All up spent $115.14 for the day
Value RRP $152.09 plus $20 off vouchers & leftover food to take into account.

Its time to think Christmas again so all my Christmas storage areas got raided today and things that I will use this year have come out to be used yet again! All my decorations are reused from year to year as I have stopped buying them now!

I have just finished putting up my decorations, two small Christmas trees one is Advent Christmas tree and other one is two feet Christmas that I bought over 11 years ago when I gave up on large trees and all work that goes with it. I put out some things to remember the past generations and memory of years gone I have put the plastic wreath on the door and hand made one in a fixed window plus out the angels that people have given the family over the years. Now it down to doing my Christmas card which I have enough to last a lifetime as a lot are now sent via email instead. As for wrapping paper now with not having a lot of people to give gift to its now enough for lifetime too!

Now its down to look at my gift list and last of my Christmas shopping before the shops are fill with children and people buying last minute gifts. I now dont walk fast enough for them so I avoid this time of the year in shopping mall if I can!