At times I am called over for morning tea with my Greek neighbors. I always get a plate food put in front of me, they rarely eat but you have to eat it! Then I am given a parcel of food to take home. The wife loves to cook and making fancy Greeks treats for her visitor’s so as both are diabetics they don’t eat it! I do, do odd jobs for them at times. Today it was Greek Honey Puffs, she went and cooked them just for me too! I try not to eat too much and make it last for whole week. I will never get to make any muffins at this rate! Third plate of Greek treats in a week.

Well it’s about time that I did a Freezer Inventory, as I don’t know what’s lurking at the bottom of my chest freezer. Just living off the top half! I will defrost while I am at it too! Not that it too bad, but a little more than wants recommend ¼ inch I think it is. All three freezers (2 fridge freezers & 160L chest freezer) that I have are now full. As this morning, I got 4 loaves of free bread & 2 whole Pumpkins homegrown one’s to go with the 2 whole pumpkins that I have grew myself, when I cut up each one I will share it out with the others that have given me food gifts at times. The bread I packed into half loaves then froze in my downstairs freezer.
Free bread RRP $2.20 x 3 + 3.20 = $9.80
20kg pumpkin @ $1.60 kg = $32.00 (av.5kg each x 4)
Value of free food $41.80

I will not be buying much in the way of food in the next few weeks. I will be costing my meals that come out of bulk food assets so that I can put aside that amount for replacements later. Now it’s on to the next step Grocery Inventory. Then it’s menu planning. This is my project for this weekend.

Today’s Full price Tally $ 41.80
Today’s Savings - $41.80
2006 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $938.40

This DF-M is old enough to be my mother. So I am the driver & trolley pusher etc. It’s part of our local block community barter system. (See below.) As we were doing banking, chemist, thrift shop drop off, & grocery shopping in one go, it took over 2½ hours. She always gives me her ‘4c off fuel voucher’ plus a cooked chicken & little cash for fuel. So I am not out of pocket only thing is time & my energy level and whether I can do anything else for the day.

Did some shopping today also, I was to buy eggs but there were none that at the price, I wish to pay & they price has gone up by 12c per dozen too! I looked at the bargain areas again it had some good buys, so I bought some items that I can use or try! Spent $6.90 full price $20.67. So my meal tonight will be part portions of the free chicken & fresh mushroom and Garlic Focaccia Bread which were all part of the bargain areas markdowns today. I drop off some Avon that I pick-up for someone else and with given ¼ of chicken & stuffing, for my trouble. I am well feed in this community.

Our Local Block Community Barter System.
We exchange garden produce, tools, cook meals, ironing, house sitting when tradesmen are coming, water gardens, putting out & returning Trash bins, feeding pets, doing errands for others, shopping, checking on one’s living alone each day. As well driving around, (including to airport (50 km trip), which the fuel & parking is paid, doctors visits, shopping, take them visiting friends etc or taking bulk trash to the dump) time in involved is free, over 8 hours each week, I am doing this for others. As my most valuable asset is that I have a car & time. With this barter system, you do something for someone, then they give you something in exchange and pay any the cost involved as you may be paying bills or doing shopping for them.

Today’s Full price Tally $32.67*
Today’s Savings Tally $25.77
2006 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $383.15

*Full price includes items bought & value of free items or bulk assets storage.

That’s 2 household worth of ironing DF-D plus odd pieces for DF-M. & mine who doesn’t like doing any fancy stuff. I like to iron in very early the mornings around daybreak, when everything is very still and you can hear very little traffic on the main roads near by.

Today DF- D and I went grocery shopping together, it's her grocery shopping day. I also have to go as I get a discount there! When we go I always buy something in the way of specials.

Today we got 75% off salad greens; I got 2 packs of them. In the Meat Dept. we got Chicken Kebabs 50% off, I got 2 packs x 6 of them, I freeze want I don’t eat today, that’s 6 meals there. Grocery items are on super special prices this week at this one supermarket.

So a few things for storage, plus my generic cat food for next two weeks that I get from this grocery chain.

Everything I bought but for the cat food was on markdown or on super special and I saved $18 off the regular prices then got 5% off on top of that too!

We don’t have coupons here. How much did I spend you may ask, only $22.45 in total. It should have been $41.57. I didn’t go over aboard.

Today’s Full price Tally $41.57
Today’s Savings - $19.12
2006 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $80.48

I got my pin money of $50 .00 for the odd jobs that I do for my friend D today until next time, when the tally of jobs goes in the red again! I get this in advance so it gives me a better feeling that you are not wondering if you are going to get paid or not! You do odd jobs for some people that take hours of your time then they don’t want to give anything for it. Just saying like ‘You're not doing anything /going anywhere!’ or ‘Will you just do or buy this for me, just this once I don’t have the time’, so they can go watch TV or go to work and get $100,000 a year! Then say I am broke; I’ll pay you back soon! 'In Ten years and counting.'

D is OK and this system works best for us both. I’m the one doing the tracking. We have a unit value system as one item is storage, or buying stuff for her or doing her ironing which she hates or watering her garden when they are away overseas as well as other things.

It does have some perks too! They buy expensive coffee that I can not afford, and have this when I go over to their place or when we go out together. As D is a better haggler than I am too! I do remember to take her with me; when I need to haggle at times! Often we go grocery shopping together.

And she appreciates me too!