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Home > Archive: May, 2007

Archive for May, 2007

Shopping & Menu for this week.

May 27th, 2007 at 09:17 am

I did a big shop at the fruit shop ‘n’ grocery store. Getting some apples, mandarins, broccoli, shallots, tomatoes & some canned goods. Spending around $20. I went to the Deli there and got some ham off the bone & gypsy ham, just two slices of each, $3.50. I will not need to get any more fresh food for a week or so.

Weekly Main Meal Menu

Monday ~ Garlic Chicken Schnitzel with Tomato Salsa & Steamed Vegetables.
Tuesday ~ Ham Omelette with Tomato Salsa
Wednesday ~ Minestrone with toast
Thursday ~ Spicy Pumpkin & Sweet Potato with Lentils
Friday ~ Poached Fish with Steamed Vegetables
Saturday ~ Spaghetti Bolognese
Sunday ~ Devilled Sausages with Mashed Potato & Peas

In the last 28 days I have

May 25th, 2007 at 10:25 am

Gone shopping or bought something. 10 times

Went to the city by bus 2 times

Drove my car only. 5 times

Had food bought or had for free away from home. 7 times

And had 17 No Spending Days.

Lets see what next 28 days tallies will be.

Bargain in spice mixes

May 24th, 2007 at 09:48 am

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

Well I have done it!

May 22nd, 2007 at 10:44 am

I just paid off, the last payment for my doors of $400 as my handyman friend has returned from his holiday this week. Call in to do a little bit of work around the place too! Hood cover for my tank’s motor. He also put extended the pipe into my sunken pit area in my yard. All excess rainwater heads there before sinking into the ground. It’s nice to have such a good friend and all these small jobs he did today, I had in my workshop the materials for each job I never spent a thing. It's great when you can do a job and not have to run to the hardware for this screw or that right bolt for each job. No wonder my friend’s think I have a gold mine at times. I didn't have the right tools in something’s but what I didn’t have he did. I made him, his morning tea and lunch then we went to the bank to get the money thatI own him. He is going to price sand blasting job for me for those three wrought iron chairs I bought a few weeks ago. They do need to be sandblasted. I will have to pay for this to be done. He will take it to sandblaster for me. I went into the supermarket while I was out and only bought some eggs & candy $3.39.

My Spending today $403.39

Shopping, & Bills

May 21st, 2007 at 10:34 am

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

Bulk Shopping

May 17th, 2007 at 10:25 am

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

My menu & gremlins

May 15th, 2007 at 11:06 am

Seeing that I didn’t post my menu plan this week.

Weekly Main Meal Menu

Monday ~ Minestrone & Salad
Tuesday ~ Chilli Con Care & Corn Chips
Wednesday ~ Devilled Sausages with Mashed Potato & Peas
Thursday ~ Beef Stroganoff with Rice
Friday ~ Poached Fish with Steamed Vegetables
Saturday ~ Spaghetti Bolognese
Sunday ~ Beans Rissoles & Salad

I have been having a few gremlins on my computer of late, so I will have just to post a little now and then for the time being. My anti-virus program tried to download but I didn’t have enough RAM for the download, as I am working on an old computer. Now it has righted it self again with the new downloads so far. I was told only 10% of computers are now working on 128 RAM or less these days. I see this will be a problem in the near distance future with most old computer pre –2000 models. I try not to allow upgrade of any programs for this reason. This is one of reasons that I am saving for a new computer 1G RAM it possible. I had to turn the power off for hour and then reboot so that I could get the mouse to copy & paste anything in Word, I could copy & paste on internet but not into or on Word. Plus other little things were happening.

It’s another No spending day here again.

Mother’s Day Lunch

May 13th, 2007 at 09:50 am

Happy Mother’s Day to all that are celebrating it today! Today here it’s Mother’s Day, my DIL & her family were have lunch today in a restaurant, Jade Buddha on the river. There were 11 altogether counting baby at 11 month old so five mothers & children and friends only DS was the only male. Cost was a little more than a week’s groceries budget for one this week. I had the best meal out of all of us. I had a ¼ part of Tapas Style Platter for starters then Chicken Katsu Curry, Japanese curry with steamed rice & Ginger & Chilli Green Salad. After sitting for 2 hours for a our meals, we were give each a free drink so I had orange juice, the other had wine, beer or soft drink or coffee. Then as its Mother Day each of us mothers were given a free Buddha special dessert value $14.50 each. On a white dinner plate, in small dish Chocolate Sponge with Chocolate Sauce, Chocolate Heart Shape Mould Dish filled with a scoop each of chocolate & vanilla ice cream topped with two chocolates twisted biscuits with small jug of fresh cream. The bill for all of us came to for what we paid for $280.00 and value of what we didn’t paid for $133.50 as the drinks were expensive. All meals were over $20.00 each, and some a lot more. All desserts were $14.50 each; some had Fried Ice Cream with a special liqueur sauce as well!

My Spending today $25.00
Any Savings today $17.50

Update on the Easy Tuna Dish

May 11th, 2007 at 09:34 am

I made it tonight; it's very tasty with the pineapple pieces & chunky tuna that I drained. As I only made up a half recipe making two serving, I use 1/2 can of chunky tuna drained, 1/2 can pineapple pieces reserving the juice, 1/2 can cream of the chicken soup plus small 1/2 cup of mushroom in butter sauce. I used some of reserved pineapple juice as the liquid in this dish keeping it on the thick side.. Heated in all a frypan served it with noodles. Being careful not break up the tuna too much. The chicken soup kept it yellow with the flecks of mushrooms in the mixture. I will make it again.

Text is Original Recipe and Link is http://tightwadkitty.savingadvice.com/2007/05/07/recipe-easy-tuna-dish_25747/
Original Recipe

It's another No spending day here.

Went to the Casino for Lunch

May 10th, 2007 at 08:56 am

I caught up with friend today, after of many months not seeing one another. I had to go the Chiro again so we made it today. Even those we were to meet at one end of town after my Chiro visit. We run into one another at the bookstore near the casino so we finished of meeting there instead. I went off to the Chiro visit and she had a look around at the books. On returning I quickly looked at the books on sale and decided to return later in the day.

We walked across the road to the casino for lunch. Yes it was a deal, two courses for $10.00 with coffee. I had Thai chicken with spicy rice and vanilla slice. My friend had fish and salad with vanilla slice for the recipe look in Recipes folder as I wrote about vanilla slices last year.

Afterward we went and played to 1c slot machines until we sent our allotted money of $5.00 each then walked out. It’s good to know that we can walkout without putting all our money in them.

Then we left, we passed the man playing steel drums and put a few coins his way. Then I returned to that bookstore and friend went for her bus. I end up getting 4 books for $23.90, if I paid full price for them it would have been a lot more about $75.00 worth.

Doing my son a favour.

May 8th, 2007 at 08:08 am

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

Recipe ~ Easy Tuna Dish

May 7th, 2007 at 10:11 am

As I was going though an old handwritten recipe book today, I found this recipe which I will put into my pantry recipe file. What do you think of it?

EASY TUNA DISH

1 large 425g can Tuna in springwater
1 small can mushroom in butter sauce
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can 440g crushed or pineapple pieces in juice

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat through.
Serve with boiled rice or fried noodles

Ideal if you need to just mixed a few cans together and you have no refrigeration.

It's another No spending day here.

Going Shopping My Style

May 6th, 2007 at 09:39 am

I am making a habit of going shopping with others and not buying at all or very little. They are the ones who are doing all the shopping. Today was no exception as I went with DF-M daughter, from interstate. First off, we went to Bunnings Hardware to buy some things for DF-M. Then came home then went off to buy shoes. After 2 hours Shopping, she spent money on shoes but I didn’t buy anything. After visiting five shoes stores. To find her size 35 (3.5 size) was the most difficult part of this exercise. As only one store had her size and they had a sale on too! So she end up buying them for $30.00 off the RRP. All I ended up buying was a special tap handle for my garden tap $14.95, that allows me to leave the tap with no handle but I can use it with a special key.. After I had lunch with them at DF-M house before I came home.

Weekly Main Meal Menu

Sunday ~ Macaroni Cheese with Fruit
Monday ~ Beans Rissoles & Salad
Tuesday ~ Chicken Schnitzel with Tomato Salsa & Steamed Vegetables.
Wednesday ~ Omelette with Tomato Salsa
Thursday ~ Devilled Sausages with Cheese Risotto & peas
Friday ~ Poached Fish with Steamed Vegetables
Saturday~Curry Mince on Toast

An expensive day or not!

May 3rd, 2007 at 10:27 am

My tank arrived today, I had it delivered & installed today, after a 217 days since I ordered it.

It cost $1540 plus extra $50.00 for a ‘Water Diverter First Flush’ so I can drink the tank water if I want too and the first lot of water doesn’t go into the tank so it clean water going into the tank only. I will get back $1500 in government rebates over next few months. I will keep you posted. So will end up paying $90.00 all up for the tank 3250L with pump, extra tap & extra pipe plus fitting from part of main roof near the garage.
I spent nothing else today.

Meeting up with my friends so it’s Lunch Out again!

May 2nd, 2007 at 10:14 pm

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

Working on my cleaning zones

May 1st, 2007 at 08:41 am

Today I thought would put away all those painting & carpentry items that were still out on the workbench and cleared the floor of the workshop. So that two zones are now done for this month.

Another No Spending Day