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Archive for March, 2010

Trying to use my basket items up.

March 30th, 2010 at 08:53 pm

Trying to use my food stockpile up is slowly working down but no hole in the pantry or freeze yet.

This week I have used some chicken drumsticks and chicken sausage, I made them into meals for 4, this give me another 6 single servings plus the two eat that week. This is how I use my stockpile, I cook recipe for 4 that I can freeze then eat one and freeze the other 3.

This week I will be making a Caribbean Chicken and Fish Chowder both these I have in Maggi sauce mixers that I am trying use up.

This month is bill month big time.

March 28th, 2010 at 09:43 pm

Today spending is part of my Bill budget so I am not panicking about it.

Car service $430, car insurance $551 then you have in 2 weeks time my house insurance $880. Paying my credit card off for the security doors $1600 and in full by the end of this month. Lucky for me I did budget for all these bills in this period so that money was sitting in the bank earning interest I just love that don’t you.

March update

March 28th, 2010 at 07:48 am

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.

21 tips to do in 3 minutes or less

March 13th, 2010 at 09:09 pm

As I am always finding it hard to find time to do things around the house, I have started to write lists of what I can do in a certain time frames. Here one of them.

1. Empty your handbag out and clean it out.

2. Stack magazines and remove the old ones

3. Check and toss the junk mail

4. Empty a trash can and recycle bin

5. Sweep the kitchen floor

6. Put on a load of washing.

7. Empty a load of washing

8. Fold a load of washing

9. Write a menu for the week

10. Add things to your grocery list

11. Empty the sideboard top and dust and polish.

12. Stack your dishwasher and put it on.

13 Empty your dishwasher and put them away.

14. Put your shoes away

15. Hang up your clothes and put away.

16 Water indoor plants

17 Pick up items that need to be taken to another room and put away.

18. Make a list of things to do

19. Jot down important dates on your calendar.

20. Start your anti virus program on your computer.

21. Give someone a smile

Is the Forum down?

March 10th, 2010 at 09:26 pm

I cant get into the Forum area of the Saving Advice only the blogs.

This is what I am getting.


Fatal error: Cannot redeclare getmicrotime() (previously declared in /home/savingad/public_html/debug.inc.php:4) in /home/savingad/public_html/beta/debug.inc.php on line 6


I hope next time I come in I can get on thanks.

WNWN Menus Challenge - 2

March 7th, 2010 at 08:31 pm

I have a large cane basket that I have put items of food that I wish to include into my menu in the coming weeks. This along with wants in the freezer is to be used first.

Stockpile list to work with.

Basic staples
Rice
Pasta
Noodles
Cereal
Rolled oats
Flour
Lentils
Chickpeas

Items in the baskets to be used next
4 cans of Tomatoes
425g Tuna Chunks in Brine
310g Corn Kernels
420g Heinz Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce
95g Tuna with Tomato & Onion
1 jar x500g pasta sauce
1 x can 400g pineapple pieces
1 x can 400g Apricot Nectar
165g can Coconut Cream
180g pkt of Rich Tomato & Cracked Pepper - last one
1 x 45g pkt Fish Chowder
1 x 45 Caribbean Chicken mix - last one
1 x 400g can buttered mushrooms
1 can 3 Bean Mix
Can of Plum Pudding
Butter Cake Mix
Jar of Fruit Mince 410g
Mixed Fruit 375g
2x 825g can Apricot Halves
2 x pkt Flavour Jelly Mix
1x 400g Skim Condensed Milk
420g Cream of Mushroom Soup

Protein
500g ground beef
Basic mince mix
Whole Chicken
breast o f chicken
250g diced chicken
2 steaks for grilling
Bean patties

Plus basic spices & other condiments.
Basic vegetables in fridge & freezer.

What can I make meals out of this list?
This is what I came up with so far
Steak with mushrooms, grilled onions and mixed vegetable
Tomato Sauce - 2 can tomatoes + tomato cracked pepper sauce (sauce makes about 4 cups)
Spaghetti Bolognaise = basic mince + 2 cups tomato sauce - 3 serves plus Chilli mix
Chilli Con Carne = 1/2 Basic mince used for bolognaise, 1/2 can baked bean, chilli powder - 3 serves
Caribbean Chicken with rice -flavouring packet + 250g diced chicken, pineapple piece & juice, & peppers - 3 serves
Pasta & Tuna - 1/2 can flavoured tuna, 1/4 cup tomato sauce mix- balance of tuna used for lunch with lavish crackers
Roast chicken - with roasted vegetables and chicken for salads - 4 serves
Tuna Mornay Fish chowder + tuna + coconut cream + corn kernels - 4 serves
Tomato soup - made from can of tomatoes - 2 serves - lunch with toast
Beans salad - 3 Bean Mix + diced shallots & celery

Jelly & Apricots
Plum Pudding & custard
Boiled Fruit Cake
Fruit mince tarts
Cookies made with the cake mix + Skim Condensed Milk.

Any meals that have more serves that I am unable eat in one day, which can be frozen, are for next weeks menu. Ones that cant be frozen then are use later in the week.

Made and used so far
Tomato Sauce
Pasta & Tuna
Spaghetti Bolognaise
Chilli Con Carne

Saving Money so far of grocery surplus
Banked = $162

This week s menu
Spaghetti Bolognaise
Apricot Chicken with rice
Steak and onion with vegetable
Omelette with tomato sauce
Bean patties with vegetables
Beef Stir Fry
Pasta & Tuna

Review of My Daily Living Allowance for February 2010

March 7th, 2010 at 05:02 am

Its time to review my daily living allowance for last month budget.

These are the categories for this challenge.

Items === Approx Budget===Spent

Eating out==$35==$43.85
Groceries==$135.50 = = $57.38
Non-Food==$17.00= =$3
Clothes ==$35==$44.95
Grooming==$15.00==$7
Gas==$25.00 ==$0
Pets== $50.00 ==$88.83
HH items==$42.50==$30.00
Fares== $9.00 ==$0
Entrainments== $12.00 ==$3
Garden ==$10.00==$0
Gifts & Donations ==$35.00== $2
Medical Prescription ==$15.00==$6.90
Misc ==$9.00 ==$0.50
Personal Allowance ==$85.00 ==$50.23

Budgeted for this period $530 spent $337.64

No Spending days over the 28 days = 11 days in total.

Money banked this month $400

Review of Daily living allowance which is part of my waste not want not challenge this year, these are the areas which I have dont a fixed spending amounts but can go over board at any point. But can cutback quickly if the need does rise. Medical out of pocket expenses not covered in the fixed budget. Approx amount are for one month.

Here is a summery of spending this period. More spending in some areas than normal as I had to replacing a stolen handbag, is the reason that this part of budget is over. Pet food this month is over owing to it being on special so I bought enough for a few months. Eating out was a little higher than budgeted for but at times its a can be lot higher than this amount too! I am still trying to cut back on buying too many books this year.