We will be into Level 3 Water Restrictions to-morrow! That no hosing or sprinkling. Only washing of vehicle/house /widow / boat permitted with buckets filled directly from the tap. You can use a Bucket or Watering Can that is filled directly from the tap to water your garden only. I hope I don’t get a sore back from using buckets as I will be water two houses as DF-M is away again too! This is for next two years if not longer or when we go to level 4 and no buckets at all. I'll see how I go; as I don’t fill buckets up to the top and will use the walking back to the tap all the time as an exercise.

I will keep my water level near to what it's now! Under 20KL per quarter. Hopefully saving money too!

I will need to get some more buckets and hose reels to put my hoses away for now.

BREAKFAST 2 Boiled Eggs Toast & Jam Coffee 60c
LUNCH Crackers with Hummus & Tuna Apple Coffee 50c
DINNER Devilled Sausages Yogurt & LSA Coffee 75c

Bulk Food Replacement Fund - $79.20

Fernberg is the state residence of Her Excellency Quentin Bryce AC, our Governor, the Queen's representative in our State. As today is 'Queensland Day' in our State, so DF-D was invited to morning tea and she could bring someone along too! As her husband didn't want to go I was invited to go. Well things didn't go to plan. My friend D had to go Interstate yesterday. But I still went on my own. I drove my car on to the grounds to park, as people with a disability were able to park there.

Fernberg House was built in 1864-65 and was bought by our State Government in 1910. Has been the residence of all governors ever since. It's only open to the public a few times a year. Around 1500 people had invitations for today's event. I wore my dark pink 2piece suit and people did compliment on how nice I looked. If they only knew, I wore it a little differently than I did before as I had lost some weight since I last wore it. It has a blouse-on top with a band around the bottom which I pulled down so it looked as if I was to wear it at the top of my legs making me look a lot thinner around the bust and waist area.

Morning tea was set in the garden area with seating for two hundred people, as this was an all day affair; people could come until mid afternoon.

Tea or Coffee were served in hot water urns and it was paper cups too! Food was not much in the way of variety. There were Scones with Strawberry Jam & Fresh Cream, Lamingtons and Anzac Biscuits. Recipes below.

After I had morning tea, I then had time to walk through the Fernberg Public Reception areas, as there is a formal dinner tonight the table was set up which we were able to see. Seating is for 24 guests. Look at Image Gallery - 26 January 2005/2006 Open days in September -Government House Open Day for pictures. This house has full staff, all in uniforms and as well as the aides-de-camp. If you have ever seen pictures of the stately homes of England then this is what this place looks like. And the flags flying on top of the roof too! Gardens are beautiful and I think they have bore water there. As I walked back along the drive way to my car I met the Governor herself and had a quick chat about the first time I visited Fernberg as a child. I stayed about 3 1/2 hours.

Home made Lamingtons

Anzac Biscuits

Easy Pumpkin Scones

Plain Scones

Today, I just finished the mowing the lawn it take me twice along to do it now but I get some exercise doing it and save money as well! In fact $35.00 each time. I am putting this money in my new mower fund and very soon I will have enough to buy new one. I am lucky that this one is still going. I had the motor recondition a few years back but other things are breaking so I will get a new one when I need to pay any money out on it. The fund is now at $280 so I can afford to buy new one any time now! The goal price is around $450. I will get a new one for next summer if it doesn’t breakdown before hand.

BREAKFAST Muesli & Milk Pancakes & Maple Syrup with Whipped Cream 80c
LUNCH Crackers with Chutney, Home-cooked Corn Beef & Salad Coffee $1.00
DINNER Devilled Sausages Orange $1.00

Today’s Full price Tally $35.00
Today’s Savings - $35.00
Bulk Food Replacement Fund - $21.25
2006 Total $-t-r-e-t-c-h Savings Tally $1180.84

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

Today was a working in the garden day, cutting branches off my trees and next doors hedge as its falling into my yard. The gardener only cut they side and not the top of it or my side. When I crop it back, I cut it back to its original height. Which is 4 feet lower than it is now! It looks bare now but it will grow again by summer. If it’s not cut on my side you can’t use the carport. Had morning tea with my Greek neighbors across the road in the middle of doing the hedge. After I had coffee and a biscuit, I was sent home with plate of these biscuits also! Now I got two large piles of ‘Greenwaste’ on the footpath to be picked up next week by the local council. This happens once every two years and on the other year we have major bulk garage waste which a free for all, Dumpster Divers fun time.

I am starting my living off my bulk pantry this week and only buying perishables and pet food or other items for them. For lunch I had a salad & cheese and 3 crackers with Hummus. For dinner tonight, I had an omelette and ½ serve Tomato Vegetable Sauce that I made the other night. Yogurt and peaches for Dessert.

I worked out a washing day strategy to save water in this drought we are having, as my water is very low to start with less than 22KL per quarter. I need to do something out of the ordinary to start with. I work out a washing schedule chart to see if washing more or less often would help in anyway! It’s a 10x 10 grid I posted this in the forum some where. Anyway after doing this chart up, I found that if I washed one load every five days or 2 loads every ten days seeing that I am in single household. I would save money and time than washing every Saturday morning like I did before. Now I do two loads and small hand wash and this lasts me until next wash.

I am saving money on my washing detergent too! As I have of washing powder on hand from specials that I have bought that I need to use up. I also have made up a frugal mixture that I use to wash my bed linen and things that I don’t iron. This mixture cost under $1 to make six months supply (about 40 loads) so I am save money by using only 50% of soap powder.

To save my Grey water, I recycle washing machine water by keeping the first load wash water for second load also using the second loads water on the garden as I always wash in cold water I am saving electricity too!. A little work but it does save money and I line dry all my washing too! I use recycle Grey water, in backyard to keep my trees and pot plants a alive, there just enough Grey water to do this, plus I only water one week otherwise for less than 20 minutes.