Repairing a bookcase that has main shelf warped and back coming away from the backing, I emptied it and try to repair it but with my hands the way they are, I can't do it myself any more. My son came today and put a lot of nails into it that it should be ok for a while yet. It had only staples holding so it should be a lot more stronger now! I bought it in 1980 so it an old one.

Now I have to put all those books back but will try and cull a few I think. I do have thousands of books here so I will try to cull a few of them. This lot are my favourites one and the most expensive ones.

By fixing this bookcase I have saved myself around $350 as I was planning to replace it with one of that value. But things have come a bit tight here so planning not to spend money where I can.

So saved $350 as I had all the nails and hammer here, just needed the man power.

Repair and Make Do

I have been very busy working on doing some renovations in some rooms here. Getting all the stuff that I collected over 40 years is hard to pack up and move it to other rooms so they could get at these rooms. I have had a new kitchen and breakfast room makeover done. I still am doing some painting that will be finished in January sometime owing to festive and school holidays and lot of people take this period off for their annual holidays.

At the moment I am working on my pantry which had to be done as well. I was planning to move the pantry into the kitchen but this is not going to happen now! I am putting it back as before minus a few things and replanning it if I can.

I did repaint it and had new shelving put there, so it good to go for the rest of my time here. I can't move any shelving around as they are fixed to fit the old shelving spacing. The cabinetmaker had to remove then cut each shelf to fit too!

I don't know if I have a before work photo I will one if I have. They went up in 1951 so it was time to a refit there. When I am finish repacking it I will post a photo of it.



After painting it but before fitting out with new shelving. These shelves are at least 40 plus years old.
.
Strategy - If it can be fixed then repair it, but use the less than half rule on replacement costs

Strategy - If it can't be fixed then buy or replace it within your means. You don't to buy everything new either!

I will need to catch on my financial summaries soon I am way behind on them!

Over the past few weeks I have been working in my back garden trying to make a vegetable garden of sorts. I had to remove a lot of plants the could be planted else so I had to fix that garden first then add manure and potting mix to the bed as the was very little soil left after I removed a dying shrub that just broken apart when you put your weight on it. Then I moved all the tree roots as well. That done and the irises and bromeliads were planted out. I hope not have to do that garden for a while now.

Yesterday I planted out some vegetables in the new garden beds here is hoping it's no too hot for them. Next year I may have to plant them out in the last six weeks of winter as our weather has changed here. It's around 26 - 31C for early spring and very little rain. A good day in summer is 28-30C and it's our rainy season so here's hoping. Today I worked on my other garden bed to remove all the weed plants now I need to remake that bed as it's a Square foot garden bed. I am planning the remove everything and start from scratch again. Even digging out the soil and all roots from the old plants and composting it all and relaying that bed as it a removable bed.

This will be in the near future as I may just get it ready for my summer crop as like tomatoes and radishes may be silver beet as I have to find a good stop for this to grow.

But other things may take my time up over coming months so have to see how things go!

Our local Aldi store had rhubarb and asparagus bulbs for sale a few weeks ago so bought some to plant out for next year. As my soil is mostly clay and not very good for planting, I put them in large pots and will nurse along until I can get a good spot to plant them out in. I have never had these plants in my garden before but I will give them ago. They are coming along nicely in the pots. I did plant some seed of silverbeet in a pot too! These are now showing their heads above the soil. I will need get my only garden bed ready for them to transplant them in it soon!

I just cut down three trunks of a HAPPY PLANT that was growing in my garden here. They were getting too tall so every so often I will cut down part of this plant. They branch out and make new growth off each cutting so you dont lose the plant. Its been there for more than 20 years it about the third time I have cut some of it down. The local school may take some for their gardening class next week if I am lucky if not I will cut it up for the bin the following week.

I am having a large problem with small ants here that are coming from the gardens it is costing a lot to keep them under control. Some are coming into the house which I don’t want to happen as last year; I lost number electrical items because of ant nests in them. I did put ant bait down but they just go higher around outside the house. I paid few hundred dollars to have them removed last year and it didn’t work for very long just enough so that the painter could paint the outside the house then wet weather came and their came back. I am due for a termite check soon but the meantime I will keep up with my surface spraying that does kill for a short time but they go higher

With the way the euro crisis is shaping up I think it time to pull that belt in a lot tighter, and any money that we save can go to something we need not just a want or whim. We are a lot safer here and I am worried about this.

Next year I will just do jobs around the house, like house painting which I have put off for too long now. For my Christmas present to myself I will spend money on a digital antenna for the TV as I still don’t get all the stations with the old system which is long past its use by date 1980 model it shouldn't work with digital but does most of the time! After that it will replace it or repair anything else. I can do a bit of painting on bits that I will not be getting the painter to do.

Another no spend day here!

A while ago I wrote about sorting some socks for a neighbour and getting paid to do in

sock monster & over coming it .

The other day I found a few rolls of film that never was processed which just got done a few weeks ago. I found these photos in them.


Two full baskets of odd socks


My sorting method using a rotary clothes line.

I still have this clothes line it’s a 1949 vintage, I have restored it since these photos were taken.


Here is another photo of the kookaburra on the rotary clothes line

This is the seventh in this series

For someone living from pay check to pay check this system may not work for you.
I allow a budget fixed amount to care for my cats each year excluding trips to the vet�s as I have a float for that and the float money from my last trip to the vet�s is back up to $500 again plus the cost of their flea treatments. My goal each year is to come under this amount so far I have won this battle and I have had these cats for almost 15 years.



I buy a clumping cat litter as this what my cats like to use. This is the store brand one, as I don�t like to have to drive my car to the supermarket very week, I try to buy enough to last 3 weeks ,same with the cat food except for the store brand one, that one of my cat likes and it�s the cheapest by far @ 69c! I buy enough this one until I am back into that supermarket chain again or when I get down to the last can. I only buy on special, I check each week the catalogues for good buys in the brand that they will eat. I will drop in and buy if the price is right. As the amount I buy depends on the price and how much I still have in stock from the last buying trip. Normally the price is around RRP $1.59 per can, I will try to buy it around a $1.25 or less the lower the price the more I will buy. If it even comes down 89c again then I will make extra trips to buy as many as I can up to 100 cans.

As for dry cats food I buy three different varieties for them. I will have in stock about 3 packets unopened so that I don�t just go shopping for this item. Lately our supermarkets have lowered their prices on some of their goods and these are just one of those lines that now rarely go on special now! If they do go on special then I buy extras that week.

As for vet supplies the online company I deal with here is

Priceless pets I buy enough to last 6 months at a time. This does save on postage again check the sizes and prices before you order. When I went to the vet�s he told me to change brands for a while when ordering online, I have been using Revolution for a few years now, told to change to Advantage for a while different formula but both do the same job as I have 2 cats the same size I buy the 2x 6 packs do check the price of these items at the local pet shop and online.



If things get tough in the future then I will be taking a closer look at some of these websites.

Google -- cat and dog food recipes

I came up with two gems but there are many more there but watch out for ones selling you stuff as you can find a lot of this information for free.
Pet Food Cooking Recipes

this one looks interesting that I may try some of them at some time.

This is the sixth in this series

I am lucky enough to have an oversupply of beauty products. I was selling Avon a six years ago so I have a lot of leftovers that are now out of date that I am using up myself. I now only buying one item that I have finish my supply of and still using most other items more slowly as no longer wear make up that much these days. That's what you get when you are your own best customer.

As for hair care, I buy

hair dye and shampoos and conditioners, as I stockpile these when I find a good buys on them I have enough of these items for the next few years too!

So would suggest look at your discount stores for these items whether it a discount chemist or discount store always check size & price for the best price. At times Avon can beat both when they have some of their deals in their catalogue at times. Toothpaste, shower gels, soaps etc. you need to know your prices on these then buy when you find a good deal. I multiple buy if I find it at the best price I had found so far.

So my strategy here is to buy when I found at good price and buy enough to last 3 months or longer.
At a pinch you could use some homemade beauty products but will leave search for those on Google
Try using -- good homemade beauty recipes

Paper goods in the way Hand towels & toilet paper I only buy only on special or TP at 50c per roll or less. I only buy one brand in toilet paper which now here which sold at 50c per roll in 20 or 24 packs.

As for laundry and kitchen cleaning items, I have a bit of stockpile I need to use up first.
I buy dish detergent at the chemist when they have it marked down. As for laundry detergent I use 50% of homemade one and using up some bought packs that were bought on special. Again do a price check before you buy these lines buy at the price and size.

Here some links
The Benefits of Organic and Natural Cleansers

Homemade Household Cleansers

Alternative Cleaners and Recipes

vinegar and baking soda cleaning recipes

As I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to a calendar months so here are the figures for my last period.

It’s time to start again on reviewing my monthly daily living allowance.

These are the categories for this challenge.
Items === Approx Budget===Spent
Eating out===$35.00=====$73.45
Groceries===$135.50 ==== $230.61
Non-Food===$17.00
Clothes ====$35.00======$8.45
Grooming===$15.00
Gas======$25.00=======$29.60
Pets====== $50.00=== ==$82.56
HH items===$42.50=====$158.98
Fares== ====$9.00 =====$20.00
Entrainments= $12.00
Garden =====$10.00====$28.56
Gifts & Donations =$35.00
Medical =====$15.00======$44.50
Diabetes Expenses====$50===$43.47
Misc ======$9.00
Personal Allowance =$85.00 ====$51.04
Note only one amount is no spend

Budgeted for this period $580 spent $811.27
No Spending days over the 28 days = 11 days in total.

Personal allowance covers confectionery, lotto, books, stamps, craft & hobby supplies.

Eating out including meals out with family and friends, we all go Dutch.

As for medical this is the extra out of pockets amounts that came up this month, bought a Medicine and vitamins tablets.

As for my medical visits out of pocket expensive if they are related to Diabetes then I will class them as Diabetes Expenses will come under this new category.

Diabetes Expenses – Books $43.47
A most will be one off items or once per year expenses. But I need to track these items on my small budget and pension. Each time I pay for some thing in this category I will need to cut something in other categories.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month.

I do keep my bill money separated from this summery. This year I will be budgeting around $650 per period month to cover all my bills. This month bills were around $1125 so no balance this month. These funds do cover all my fixed bills for the year if I can stick to this schedule as I have done for the past ten years or so. This budget will be tight but just doable. On my budget excel modelling chart I can pay the full amount this year.

My food went up this month because I am stockpiling items that I will use over the winter months hopefully my food amounts will start to get back to a normal range but may be a little higher as I need to change to some more expensive range in a few things like bread is now $5.00 per loaf instead of $1.49 per loaf, and I need to buy more nuts and seeds as well special grains.

As for food out, I dined out a 7 times this month costing between $4 & $18 a time most were around the $10 mark as I can no longer eat at fast food outlets. That $9.00 meals at casino is looking the healthiest and best deal in the city for now.

Another large category is for the household section that was a once off purchase of Gerni (water pressure machine) costing $149.00. This was a need as with all the wet weather we are having slimy paths and steps are becoming an issue.

If any changes to my spending habits will need to come out of my daily living allowance categories of my budget as my bill categories are very tight now. Still need to work on a few categories as you can see but over all I had a good month.

No Savings for this month over by $ 251.27 on budget for amount. This equals the cost of the Gerni and extra I laid out in food stuff this month in stockpiling both for my own and pets.

Strategy: - Track your daily spending down to the cent by writing it down daily.

Today I got one of my neighbours to start my mower for me. I can’t start it but I can push it. So they will start for me as they know that I‘m not asking them to mow my lawn. As he was going away to visit his mother in few hours I had do then or not at all. So at 3.30pm I got the mower started and off I go, I could hear a storm coming in but at times they go around us, it takes about 50 minutes to mow my lawn as it’s on different levels and you need to empty the catcher a few times too!

I got the front & side done and most of all the backyard but for one patch about three push of the mower would do it, around a garden bed before the storm started to come down quite heavy and I had to give up all together, I still need to go back and clean the mower and catcher this morning.

It was so heavy that the state cricket match a 3 miles away was washed out for the day and there was minor flooding too! (over 30mm here) We had two days of fine weather and the rain is back again.

I had a no spend day today.

I am planning to get my house painted in the new year, I will have to get a few quotes as this job is worth thousands to do, one of my friend’s sent around some painters for quote as she is always getting quotes but never getting jobs done by them. I had a small painting job to be done here inside the house like the small bathroom ceiling which had gone mouldy so needed special cleaner and new paint after 20 years. I can’t do that room myself alone. So I got the price for that ceiling as gave them the job to see what kind of work they did and if they were messy and time wise. All work I had to do is clean out the bathroom and leave it bare. The only thing is they left they ladder at the other job they were doing but I had one here that was tall enough. How did they rate!

Time plan

Monday is due 8.00am - arrived 7.55am
8.05am - found and got my ladder out.
Washed and sanded down ceiling.
8.20am - One painter painted corners etc. with white enamel paint while the other painter held the ladder over the tricky parts.
8.30am - other painter used the roller
8.45am - finished first coat and left for another job.
11.05am - back to put the final coat on
11.50am - put back ladder in the right place.
11.55am - paid and gone

What I can say is that they had the timing down a tee and passed non-messy test. In the past I have painted the inside of my house so could work out what needed to be done and if it’s a good job. I paid them $220 for that job and will be considering them for the other job or at least getting a quote from them.

All small jobs around here are $150 minimum or have a callout fee of $100 for first 30 minutes also it very had to get trade people to do small jobs at anytime so if you can get one you jump at it.

These painters are painting hotels at the moment and its raining here so quick inside jobs between coats is what I think they are doing. At least I got a newly paint ceiling, now for freshening up rest of the bathroom for next few years. These jobs will have to wait until it stops raining at least.

Some time in the next month I will look at buying some white enamel paint if what I got is no longer useable. What needs to be done is the door both sides and door edges, widow frame, two mini wall cupboards, a chest of drawers, and 60 year old cane linen basket. Walls don’t need painting.

I will blog about my painting jobs next year.

Today I started getting my Excel pages ready for next year’s tracking. I do track every cent that comes across my path incoming and outgoing. I have been doing this for many years now so it’s just part of my strategies. Timewise I have found it best to do this ahead of time as if I leave it to late I never get around to it and end up with a big mess budget wise. It’s easy as I have made templates for each set of pages.

I always am looking for the best way to do this. I work with floats as some bills I never need from year to the next but the money is there if it’s needed. Starting with $1300 in floats I do put total amount of bills plus extra 10% each pay away for just bills then just pay them all when due. Having worked out via my

Bill Estimates Tracker (I wrote about this here) then using this bill tracker to calculate the amount that I need at for each pay cycle. This amount is allotted to the bill A/c. I try never to spend this amount as I consider this is not my money to spend freely. On an age pension it’s not easy to make it up if you do so it’s best if you think it as not your money. I worked in retail for many years and took this view at all the money that crossed my path while working. It was not my money so its value to me was that of an item that I was selling at the time and I had to look after it just the same.

Then if any money is leftover above the amount needed at the start of the next year it goes into savings or special projects after I taken out my floats for the following year.

Most of floats can be used as an Emergency Fund at pinch but must be paid back as you will have problems later down the track. Creating Emergency Fund

In our area it’s this time of the year again, over a full year about 8 suburbs get a week get to put out rubbish that’s too big for our bins, you are allowed to put out only certain items but you do get a list of what can be put out. Like old electrical items or furniture but the some things you have to take any doors off to make them safe and children can’t climb into them. I put out two very old TV 30 year plus ones, well the copper scavengers came calling the first night they took the electric cords off everything, next day some more came with cordless drills and took all the valuable metals inside the TV’s and microwaves. They can have it as they had been sitting here for next Kerbside Pickup anyway.

I did a bit of scavenging myself; I found a good dinning room chair that just needs coat paint and cushion. 10 medium size garden pots that I have run out off, waste tidy bin that just need a wash, pair of old fashioned salt & pepper shakers that I will sell or give to Op Shop, Maui Girl brand new backpack, hemp shopping bag Save the Planet kind, folding cooler bag that will be ok to keep in the car, a print of old city will need to have better look at it but not valuable, piece of green cloth thick and big enough to make a bag or cover a stool with and small galvanized letter box still usable.

If I went out and bought this all stuff I would be looking at around $160 worth. The chair alone is worth $80 at IKEA new, Backpack $30 as it’s a brand one and I pick up a second one just awhile ago not so new but washable again Maui Girl brand.

It’s back to gardening here, the weather is good. I spend all Sunday working the garden weeding the lawn and getting it back up to scratch, it was full Bindii which were under other weeds so had to be done by hand then I mowed to lawn which by this time I was done and had to get a neighbor to start it for me and it a quick start mower too! It’s done now for a few weeks. My vegetable garden beds are still giving me plenty of broccoli, baby tomatoes & spinach, and the Chinese vegetables went to seed so I pulled them out now. The bird netting is working so will put it on the next bed that is planned for this month.

Weekly Main Meals Menu

Sunday ~ Sweet & Sour Chicken with Rice
Monday ~ Teriyaki Beef & Noodles
Tuesday ~ Mixture of Eggs, Bacon & Vegetable Scramble
Wednesday ~ Pasta with Tuna & Tomato Sauce
Thursday ~ Grilled Sausages with Onions & Grilled Tomato
Friday ~ Seafood Casserole with Rice
Saturday ~ Chili Beans with Corn Chips & Salad

My friend DF-M is elderly Italian lady who has difficulty with reading English & Italian but can read numbers ok!

Her phone broke down the other day and was replaced by her son. But it had no instruction booklet for it to be able use it and put speed dial on it for her. So I made a list of phone number charts for her of her most used numbers in large type then printed then I used my new laminator for the first time and making it easy for everyone but color coding the names. I was able find instructions to put the speed dial on for her putting color code there too!

I found the instructions for the phone on Google. As I had the brand & number of the phone I put that info plus manual in Google and found them in PDF file for free. One of the earlier links there were asking $8 each for each download I just kept looking and found and two as I had no instructions for my cell phone either.

How to find instructions
(Brand names, model number manual) look for PDF files but be prepared to look at more than 20 pages if your phone is old one. You may need to fine a picture of your phone with number if you don’t know it's model number.

Weekly Main Meals Menu

Sunday ~ Omelet with salad
Monday ~ Roast Chicken & Vegetables
Tuesday ~ Teriyaki Beef & Noodles
Wednesday ~ Leftover’s night
Thursday ~ Grilled Steak & Onions, Mashed Potatoes with Baked Beans
Friday ~ Pasta with Tuna & Tomato Sauce
Saturday ~ Grilled Sausages with Onions & Grilled Tomato

I have been off online for a while now but I am back.

I have my vegetable garden up and running, I picked my first vegetable yesterday to cook an Asian green which is the fasts to grow in just little under 7 weeks. I have two beds so far just for vegetables and I am planning to add another one by the end of month. So far I have cabbages, broccoli, spinach, Asian greens, chilies, fennel, green onions, baby carrots and strawberries planted. Before I make the other bed, I will have to move my compost bins and cut a scrub down a bit as this is sunniest spot left to grow vegetables.

Weekly Main Meals Menu

Sunday ~ Hamburgers and Salad
Monday ~ Chili Beans on Toast
Tuesday Chicken Schnitzel & Egg with Vegetables
Wednesday ~ Pasta with Tuna & Tomato Sauce
Thursday ~ ~ Grilled Sausages with Onions & Grilled Tomato
Friday ~ poached fish and vegetables
Saturday ~ Omelet with salad

Well I have been off learning to use my new computer and printer; I did fine some free online lessons so I have been doing these for the past two weeks.

HP -Online Tutorials

As for spending I went out and bought myself a new Kodak C763 Camera last week. Saving over $140 on RRP when not on special.

I will have to stop spending for now as I have some large bills due next month.

I will drop in at the end of this month.

Kitty

So today, I went to Bunnings our major hardware to check out the prices. About 3 years ago I was thinking that I had to buy one then, so I had worked out which one I was buying and how much I would pay for it. You can get many cheaper lawn mowers but as this one I hope will last one I will be buying if it last as long the last one. It was coming up to about 30 years plus, and it came with the house when I bought it.

I had motor fix a few years ago hoping it would last around 10 years that was about 6 years ago. I decided when I had to pay any more money on this one it was dead. It has been breaking down and pieces falling off over that time.

As I just went in to look as I was there on Monday was a friend, and saw that brand on special for $419 so I went back today to see which one it was! It was not the one I wanted but one down from it, so I check the price on my chosen one and found it was $50.00 off the price since I last price it six month ago. I had set my mind that was close to what I would have to pay for it around $500, so I did buy it today for $449. I got one made in Australia too! The company is planning to make them in China next year. Three years ago they were around $489 so something has come down in price. I had to put it on my credit card but I will have it paid off before bill comes in. I have save for this lawn mower three times then had to buy some else so I just got it, as it would has cost between $35 - $ 50 to pay someone to mow my lawn every three weeks just to mow weeds. I spent some more money on a few odd & ends that I found there for my garden too!

Weekly Main Meal Menu
Sunday ~ Pea & Ham Soup with toast
Monday ~ Chicken Mustard with Rice.
Tuesday ~ Garlic Chicken Schnitzel with Tomato Salsa & Steamed Vegetables.
Wednesday ~ Hot Beef Curry with Rice.
Thursday ~ Chilli Con Care & Corn Chips
Friday ~ Sweet & Sour Fish with Rice (Pineapple & Vegetable.)
Saturday ~ Scramble Eggs on Toast

My Spending today $489.00

I have been very busy this week so
Here a link to pictures of water tanks. More to be found on the links too!

Pictures & information on water tanks

Mine is a round one 3250L and not pictured here as it’s a Bushmans one. But you will get an idea want it looks like from these.
I will try and update later in the week.

Well I did spend some money this week.

My kitchen taps have been leaking if not turn very hard, My handyman friend drop by, said he would have a look at them last week. Today he came after he finish for the day as he had to work this morning on a job. They were very dirty under the handles and the swindle parts need new o- ring washers and new o- ring on water faucet part too! That I didn’t have in fix it drawer in kitchen so we had to go the hardware this afternoon and buy set of washers and a new garden tap that was leaking too! There was two kinds garden taps to choose from on sale 1st one $10.90, 2nd one was $5.87 just made in different countries. Price different for a taps that will not be used too much until we are using hoses again, so I bought the cheaper one. Costing $8.35 all up. Saving $5.00 on that choice.

On the garden front, we pruned the Gardenia in the front garden so it’s not so stressed, as don’t wish to let it get to high.

Weekly Main Meal Menu

Sunday ~ Minestrone with Toast
Monday ~ Chicken Mustard with Rice.
Tuesday ~ Garlic Chicken Schnitzel with Tomato Salsa & Steamed Vegetables.
Wednesday ~ Hot Beef Curry with Rice.
Thursday ~ Chilli Con Care & Corn Chips
Friday ~ Sweet & Sour Fish with Rice (Pineapple & Vegetable.)
Saturday ~ Scramble Eggs on Toast

My Spending today $8.57
Any Savings today $5.00

Owing to the rain my ground was soft enough to work on last week. So I start tidying up the pumpkin patch area. When my handyman friend arrived and started to help out. I had three wheel borrows of dirt from putting in the tank area plus two other piles of dirt. So we got to and clear this area and mowed the whole yards lawn. My mower is about to be replaced very soon. So will need to put as side about $500 for a new one. I may get three more mows out it if I am lucky I had plan to replace it last year so its not to bad that I got another year out of it. It was bought in mid 70’s so it time for a new one, I hope the next one will be my last one.

On the first day we worked on getting the ground cleared and lawn mowed. The 2nd day we made two gardens area. Still need to do a third area. We recycled all the soil and ran it through a sieve that I had too! I had bought a few years ago some garden edge that were never used. So had that also five bags of potting mix to replace the soil in the large pots that I have a Neen, Bay, Curry Trees in, these can’t go into the ground but must stay in pots. They are on a cement slab so the roots will not go into the ground as they will grow too high for the area that I have here. Another problem is next door has Cocos palms that’s a weed in our area, I have to keep on the look out for these as I don’t wish to pay a fortune to have them cut out in the future. I did find four young plants when we were clearing the areas too! I the new garden I have used only plant that I had in my garden taking some from others area and cutting of other plants. Any plant that dies before the drought end will be not replaced. On the three day I work on my own planting all the under plants using want I had around the place, Iris, tee tree native, rosemary, geraniums, a lot of bromeliads, gladiolus bulbs (that I had laying about) & snowflake. All have lasted in my garden as well as the crotons that I have in the front yard for many years with very little watering at times. So there is one more area to work on and the pruning in late July of the trees & the hedge until this time next year when I will need to clean up again. I don’t do any gardening but mowing in summer and our summer starts around late October temperature wise. We got a first cool weather after the 1st June this year until then it was over 28 C everyday.

Four days of no spending days here.

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

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

I end up buying three wrought iron patio chairs that need a little TLC. Rose style for $30.00 all up, I did look up the price new about $79.00 each. Four new wrought iron patio chairs in a rose design with a table in England was price at 399 pounds, that’s about $1000 here.

DF.- D bought a top of glass bookcase that she will put on top of cupboard that as already own. This is the third one she had bought in the last few weeks. Her house is an early 20th century style that has this kind of furniture in it, she love a bargain so will buy something she likes and can use for the right price. I went to pay for a book that I found in this store and was given it for Free. Yes, it’s a cookbook ‘Esquire Cookbook’ (1956). Its making very interesting reading as it’s written for men. I did buy one other item today a 12-inch high Arab boy figurine with a tray on his head for $10.00. I don’t think it’s antique for one moment (more like reproduction) but in that style and I like it. Costing $10.00. I think the value would be around $50.00 – $100.00 as that is what we are paying stuff like that here. The quality finishing on it is like more expensive pieces that I have seen.

I did Phoned about tank installing date today. It’s now around the early May before they can install it at my place. I will not pay anyone until it has been installed on my property. The people that have supplied the tank have sent an invoice but I will not pay this until I got my tank. They don’t know that I haven’t received the tank yet! If I get a reminder letter then I will phone them because then I will know that other two companies involved (deliver & installer) have not done they job.

Today’s Full price Tally $287.00
Today’s Savings - $247.00
2007 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $11411.46

I did the mowing today that alone saved $35.00 DIY. It was mainly just weeds but it needed to be done as I would a lot of weeds to get rid of later on if I didn’t as they are going to seed. On of my strategy is to not let them go to seed or pick the flower off before they go to seed. This does cut down on the number of weeds in the lawn by doing this. Areas that I haven’t cut the weeds out are now I have a problem in.

BREAKFAST Muesli & Milk Coffee
LUNCH Soup & Toast Fruit Coffee
DINNER Bean Patties with Salad Fruit Coffee

Today’s Full price Tally $35.00
Today’s Savings - $ 35.00
2007 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $10605.86

This morning all the painting is finished on the doors. It’s looks so good. After I did some housework before went out. As late last night after I posted here, I got a phone cal to say that my niece was flying in for the weekend, if I would like to meet up for a few hours today. As she wasn’t available after that as she is working all weekend and then flying home on Sunday.

I meet her at her hotel around 2pm and then we went to say Hi to my DIL who works just a few blocks away. Then it was shopping and a walk around city for a while, as she didn’t need to report in until the morning. We went off too the Friday Night Market’s at South Bank. We had something to eat while we were there. After walking around for hour or two we both went separate ways. This outing costing $10.65 with two free cups of coffee along the way. Saving $4.90 on these.

BREAKFAST Muesli & Milk Coffee
LUNCH fruit
DINNER take away

Today’s Full price Tally $15.55
Today’s Savings - $ 4.90
2007 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $10473.01

I did some varnishing today; this only took an hour to do. I will do one more coat of varnish on the doors themselves in the morning. I spent most of the day on the computer and resting for part of the day. I still get very tried when doing this kind of work for too long. So its another no spending day here.

BREAKFAST Muesli & Milk Coffee
LUNCH Soup & Toast Fruit Coffee
DINNER Bean Patties with Salad Fruit Coffee

I still have some more painting to do, this is about one hour per day, as I have to wait for each coat to dry and do one section first before the other. So it’s working on white paint then I will do the varnishing. I did do the undercoat and the restrained some of the wood as cement got on to it. This took about 75 minutes this morning.

After I took myself off to the hairdresser to get a trim that was long over due. Spending $14.00 saving $9.00 on a city salons. On the way back I dropped into one of the thrift shop that I rarely visit to look at a gift that was in the window but it was not up the standard for that person’s present. I did buy $5.00 worth of books, some cookbooks as my donation for the month. Value of these books on RRP $29.70 saving $24.70.

Now I am sitting here at my computer looking out the door that was just made smelling my gardenia that is just outside, listening to all the birds in the trees.

My handyman friend rang to say thathe is flying out on Thursday morning for New Zealand, which I have been trying for him to do for months. As he hasn’t been home to visit his sister in 15 years and both are not getting any younger. I dare say I will be happy when he arrives there.

BREAKFAST Muesli & Milk Coffee
LUNCH Salad & Light Cream Cheese on Crackers Apple Coffee
DINNER Beef Bourguignon with Basmati rice

Today’s Full price Tally $52.70
Today’s Savings - $33.70
2007 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $10468.11

My handyman friend arrive this afternoon to finish the final job for him on the doors. So we had lunch then off the buy the insect mesh for the doors and the rubber F/S spline that used join it to the frame. This cost $52.68 so the cost of just putting a fly screen on was $140 alone. But as the whole house is flyscreen so it had to be done.

All I have to do now is the finishing touch too inside surround of the door and it’s all done and now too paying for all of it. I have paid more than half of it already. My handyman friend paid for two-thirds of the total bill and I am to pay him back over next two months. I have found some money to pay him two-thirds of what I owe him and the balance will be paid in the near future. Overall I paid all but $600.00 of whole bill. This is between what I owe him and what I put on my credit card. As he did the labor for free, saving a large amount here! He was doing this job between jobs and when he had a little free time. One rule here is I pay for all material used. He broke a few drill bits so I did add some in when I was at the hardware store. I do have a very good workshop with some very old tools in it, it was a case of he could use some of my tools as well of his own which was more specialized.

Buying meat on special that was markdown, I will be able to make 2 x 4 serving meals plus 4 grills or stir-fry meals with the amount I bought. Saving $5.84 on markdown price. I bought some lettuce leaves for my salad next week, as this was the best option for me this week. I don’t normally pay supermarket price for fruit & vegetables unless extra cheap price. But as I would have bought unnecessary items that I could have done without. Non washed small fancy lettuce was $1.95 and my normal baby Cos lettuce was $2.95 this week. I paid $1.98 for 100g fancy lettuce pieces washed. Years ago I worked out this strategy as I worked in a store that was like K-mart is today but Deli & small grocery store included. It was too expensive to buy a full grocery order or carry it home and paying for delivery with out of the question

I found a chemist selling a handle strap for my walking stick as I keep on dropping it. Costing $3.95 saving $2.00 here.

BREAKFAST Muesli & Milk Coffee
LUNCH Crackers & Cheese with Mustard Pickles Apple Coffee
DINNER Fillet Steak, Egg, Onion & Tomatoes Coffee

My major project door spending spree = $1608.75

Today’s Full price Tally $75.11
Today’s Savings - $ 7.84
2007 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $10434.41