Archive for August, 2010
Trip to a Garage Sale
August 30th, 2010 at 08:07 pmFinding things that I can afford to buy in charity op shops now days is rare as they have put up their prices up to nearly new or prices you would pay on Ebay or Antique stores, in fact some Antiques store are cheaper than some of our charity shops for the same things. I don’t buy that much collectible but I do look at them. Now I have started to go back to looking at Garage/Yard Sales. Just last weekend I went to one, the lady was quite nice and had the prices at reasonable inexpensive level.
I did buy from her as she was planning to leave the unsold stuff for the taking next day, I bought a black handbag hardly used, two money wallets in black hardly used, Gold Gomesh Keyring never used that I will put in my gift box for the future, tartan scarf, two teaspoons, one a collector item that will go with my collection of stuff from my old job. What else oh! Black & silver rolled neck jumper classic style that I can wear out at some time, Pair of cargo shorts in my size for summer, cookbook, and small brown ramekin dish as brown is not in at the moment. For me colour doesn’t count but size and what I can use it for does. I have a got a lot of bit & pieces in the way brown dishes so it will match anyway. This is how I can get things a lot cheaper as I don’t worry about matching colours nor get rid of things because the colour doesn’t match. It’s just a Rustic country style. Well anyway I just paid $7.00 for all the above and the real retail cost new would have been around $150 mark.
Financial summery of the past month
August 28th, 2010 at 09:53 pmIt’s time to start again on reviewing my monthly daily living allowance.
I have been spending a little more on some books and cookware over the past few months than I really should on my monthly allowance but it’s spent now so I will to have work around that and make up for it over time. I am still just under my budgeted allowance so I am on track.
These are the categories for this challenge.
Items === Approx Budget===Spent
Eating out===$35.00=====$42.05
Groceries===$135.50==== $109.77
Non-Food===$17.00=====$4.29
Clothes ====$35.00=====$69.95
Grooming===$15.00
Gas======$25.00
Pets====== $50.00=== ==$7.47
HH items===$42.50======$117.39
Fares== ====$9.00 =====$20.00
Entrainments= $12.00
Garden=====$10.00=====$19.96
Gifts & Donations=$35.00=== $36.00
Medical=====$15.00
Misc======$9.00
Personal Allowance=$85.00 ==$75.39
Note only one amount is no spend
Budgeted for this period $530 spent $502.27
No Spending days over the 28 days = 14 days in total.
I have to still line up some painters for quotes the outside of my house over the next year this should be my major expense if all goes to normal here. I think I just like having the money in the bank and not spending it. I do know that it will make me save a lot more when I do spend it as I don’t like not having money in the bank as safety blanket for me.
As for banking in the past month I have saved over $200 in cash so you still can save money on a pension but need to make choices on where you spend your money. As for saving money on things I will save that for another blog.
Rebuilding showground
August 27th, 2010 at 09:25 pmI 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
Photo Test Run didn’t work.
August 14th, 2010 at 10:21 pm It looks like I need to go back to writing without pictures full time. I did a test run with one lot and it down again this morning.
Will try to put up new post today.
Some Fruit & Vegetables
August 11th, 2010 at 06:32 amIced Chocolate Cake
August 10th, 2010 at 06:18 amFirst prize EKKA in under 15 - (A 11 year olds winner entry)
1 layer cake
90g butter (3oz), softened
2 eggs
1 cup self raising flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (8 teaspoons)
Grease or line a 20cm (8 inch) ring tin with baking paper.
Beat ingredients together for 4 minutes.
Cook at 190C (375F) for 35 to 40 minutes
NB: Most likely beaten in a cake mixer or processer the recipe doesn't say.
Cup are 250ml and tablespoons are (20ml) or 4 tsp.
Source - The Courier-Mail
Who said Kids can’t Cook!
August 9th, 2010 at 09:14 pmWe 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
Some more photos of the EKKA!
August 8th, 2010 at 08:13 pmI 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!
What do these photos have in common?
August 7th, 2010 at 10:21 amIs Canned Tuna Frugal?
August 4th, 2010 at 10:34 pmI fine that canned tuna is one of my frugal proteins as I have posted recipes a few times. It's easy to use and an economical here. We can buy it in 3 sizes 95g, 180g & 420g most are just plain tuna in brine, springwater or oil in Chunky or flaked. There are numerous recipes printed for using canned tuna.
Pasta & Tuna - 1/2 can flavoured tuna, 1/4 cup tomato sauce mix- balance of tuna used for lunch with lavish crackers
Tuna Pasta
1 can 95g Tuna - Flavoured Tomato & Onion or other flavour
2 cups of spiral pasta
1/2 jar of pasta sauce
Dried parsley
Seasoning
Cook pasta as instructed
Mix tuna & pasta sauce into a microwave dish, add seasoning & dried parsley to taste and heat until hot.
When pasta is cooked drain, and reserves a little pasta water to pour back over the pasta and add tuna pasta sauce mixture to pasta and serve on 2 spaghetti bowls.
Serve 2
For one serving divide in half.
Serve with a green salad
Tuna Recipes posted so far here.
Tunisian Tuna Salad
Easy Tuna Dish
Update on -Easy Tuna Dish
Tuna Mornay
Tuna with macaroni and peas in the comments section
Broad Beans Provencale
August 3rd, 2010 at 01:27 am200g -250g frozen fresh broad beans
20g butter
1 tsp herbes de Provence or other dried herbs
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced or 1/2 can tomatoes drained and diced
Salt and pepper
1. Cook the broad beans in boiling salted water until they are just tender, about 8 minutes.
2. Drain and refresh the beans under cold water. Peel off the outer skins, if preferred.
3. Melt the butter in a large frying pan and add the beans, together with the herbes de Provence.
4. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Heat through, stirring continuously.
Serve immediately
Serves 3
Note: Remove any yellow beans use only green ones, do a taste test.
I used a Spicy Italian Mixed Herbs that I have in the cupboard and kept it the fridge for about 3 days after cooking also reheating the amount that I was eating that night in the microwave.
Herbs de Provence
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon summer savory
1/2 teaspoon lavender
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon oregano or basil
1/4 teaspoon sage
Herbs de provence is best made with dried herbs as fresh herbs lose their flavour if the cooking is longer than about 20 minutes. This blend is excellent in soups, on potatoes, rice, pasta, fish, roasted vegetables or bread. Mix with 1/4 lb butter for a real treat.
Full Freezer again!
August 2nd, 2010 at 10:09 amBoth 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 ProvencaleI 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