Tightwad Kitty's $$$ Stretching Blog

Today we had a ‘Wet Weekend’ for a one hour on odd & even house number system that we have. We could get our hoses out for just one hour this weekend. Some people didn’t use they hoses for this one time only in 18 months. For me it was a lot longer than that as I always started a lot earlier as when the next level was published not when it started and the first 3 levels were published together. So for first time in over 3 years I washed my house and window of dust and had time to wash my car also. I did get everything ready before hand and all I had to do at end of the time was dry the car down. We are still on 140 litres per day per person. I’m at below 90 litres per day so I’m well within my limit. Hopefully we may go to 170 litres per person when we go over 40% and we are at 39.5%.

Weekly Main Meal Menu

Sunday ~Apricot Chicken with rice
Monday ~ Steak with Onions & Grilled Tomato
Tuesday ~ Leftovers night
Wednesday ~ Curried Sausages with Rice
Thursday ~ Chicken Schnitzel & Egg with Vegetables
Friday ~ Salmon Patties with Vegetables
Saturday omelet with salad

I have been working on my craft room; it’s a room you can’t move around that much. As not much can be thrown away at this moment but if something can be thrown out it is. I have a bad habit of collecting up anything not in the right place and boxing it to go back later and putting it this room each time I have visitors. Some is papers that I need to read, jewelry, odd coins, books and projects that I was doing at that time being all mixed up together. Now I’m sorting each box out and putting away in the right area. Quick reading of the papers but trashing any that out date, I have found some very valuable items also.

Well I went out today and had lunch with my ex-coworkers at a new place for lunch costing $11 for roasted chicken and roasted vegetables roll and coffee. I did pay some bills while out. Also getting some printers ink for my new printer as I buy the color but refill the black one.

So I spend money today
Total Money spent today $728 (my cash outlay) (mostly bills)
Savings $stretch $23.00

No Spending Days so far this month : ~ 20

It’s has been what summer up to yesterday, we had a lot of rain and most temperatures were around 27-28C since last October when we had temperature around mid -30C. Today it got to 40.2C here on our last week-end of our summer. I had the air-com most of today. I will budget for it in my next power bill. It’s only the third time I have had on since last summer. We will have about another few weeks of high temperatures around 28 -34C. I always think our summer start around the 4th week in spring and goes all the way until mid- April. Something like 8 months summer and 6 weeks of autumn (fall) spring and almost no winter. It’s cold here if it’s raining and below 7C. We don’t have snow where I live, if we did most of us would freeze as we don’t have heating in our homes.

I might add that 40C plus was very rare around SE-Queensland and I can only remember about 30 days at this temperature almost all in the last 4 years, so Climate Charge I think is here now. Our normal hot summer days here are around 28-38C max. (37C = 100F)

No Spending Days so far this month :~ 16

Using the omelet marker for the first time, as I normally make fluffy omelet I made this but it did rise went flat when took them out the marker. As there was no booklet with it, I’m going by just trail & error. It was still eatable but good enough to serve visitors I would think. I will need to look around for the right mixer recipe. I got this one for free its value new $49.99, it was only used twice before.

No Spending Days so far this month :~ 13

When I bought the black leather handbag on Saturday for $2.00 value around $50.00 plus. It had some wear marks and a bit of white paint on it. Today I got out the Turp’s and clean off the paint and then using leather dye black painted the handbag so that I can now use it for a number year’s I hope. I clean up some old razors that I found in a box, I wonder if they are of any value to collectors. Now I am looking at what I got in my little boxes around the place.

Weekly Main Meal Menu

Sunday ~~ Chicken Schnitzel & Egg with Vegetables
Monday ~ Curried Sausages with Rice
Tuesday ~ Buttered Chicken with spiced rice
Wednesday ~ Lamb chop with mushrooms & Grilled Tomato
Thursday ~ Tuna Pasta with Salad
Friday ~~ Salmon Patties with Vegetables
Saturday ~ omelet with salad

No Spending Day

I had to go to the supermarket today. I bought fruit and vegetables that were much cheaper than buying at the supermarket with all this rain the farm are flooded in some places and the supermarket prices, apples and pears at 99c kg instead of $3.98 kg. Along with pet food stocking up on dry pet food as these were on special also my cats treats cat food was on special too! I also got a few bargains in chicken stock satchels for 20c each so I bought what was left. So if I shopped different place than where I did I would spent. Meat Lamb $2.30 marked down from $3.96

So I spend money today
Total Money spent today $43.09 (my cash outlay)
Savings $stretch $28.36

There is another monsoon low off Townsville this afternoon and will past Mackay tonight and come down this far south sometime tomorrow. Not good but it may good for us when it gets here, but will be mainly on the coast.
Our dams are now at 37.8% so when it gets to above 40%, we will off level 6. This may happen if rain gets into a catchment area. With another weather system coming from the west as well!

Queensland put on cyclone watch

Monsoon rains hit another town this one is at sea level. These heavy rains are not stopping either and if it head out to sea in this area it will be come a cyclone for sure as its right next to the Coral Sea.

Here are some pictures.

Another town flooded

Here some pictures our nation making history on 13th February 2008.

All I can say it should have never happened, (Stolen Generations) taking away Aboriginal children from their family and to be never seen again with the governments (1910 -1970) making out they never did anything wrong.

Pictures of Sorry Day

If you would like to know more I have added more links here.

Sorry Day

Full text of Rudd's sorry speech

Went to a Garage (Yard) Sale I help there today I took a few boxes books and few other items also .

I had a great day spent $7.50, sold all my books for $10.00. I came home with $8.50 profit. But you should see what I got for my money about $400 worth on retail value alone, there were a some free stuff Leather handbag, 3 lunch bags, beauty bag, 2 shoe bags, heap of vintage jewelery including a watch which you can charge its faces 6 ways, many cookbooks, craft books, 2 milk bottles & 1 water bottles all glass for the fridge, Sunbeam Waffle Maker, Omelet Maker, and 12 silver plate napkin rings, 6 Brass Christmas Napkin Ring, 4 Brass Heart Napkin Rings and 6 Wine Glass Ring for Christmas also a lot other odd & ends.

So I spend money today
Total Money spent today $7.50 (my cash outlay)
Savings $stretch $400

I went to the city today. Visit to the Chiro and to pay my car insurance which is due next week. Went to Hungry Jack for lunch again, having burger, coffee and ice cream as the coffee was Free, so costing $2.40 only. I did buy some batteries that I need to replace. I went and bought some birthday gifts at chemist as they had them on for buy one get lowest price free, what you do when they do this, you buy both at same price so you getting at least 50% off. I got two toiletries gift boxes that were a great price $7.48 each so I only paid $7.48 for both.

So I spend money today
Total Money spent today $555.90 (my cash outlay)
Savings $stretch $9.93

It’s been so wet here lately that it was too wet to mow. We just had a window of three days to catch up on mowing the lawn around here. Nearly everyone got out they mowers or had they lawn mower service come and mow and tidy up they yards.

I did get my yard tidy, as I work long before the noise level can go up at 7 am and 8 am on weekend. I like to have my edges done long before these times. I still cut my edges with scissors which easy to do in short energy bursts.

It’s now raining again with two lows moving down the coast, again flooding around the place. I’m just watching it on the TV news now! 43 people had to be rescue off the coast, 37 on one yacht and 6 on the other, all are safe now.

My neighbor that owns the property that I got the first lot of free stuff came over and gave me a plastic bag with a lot of jewelry in it. I did take most of the jewelry the first lot too! There are some interesting pieces in it. The necklaces I may never wear so may send them to my niece, as she did this kind many years ago. Two or three pieces I do like and where were some sterling silver charms in the first lot and the charm bracelet has surface with this lot. I would sell some of this stuff later if I became short of money. Let’s say some of this stuff is of vintage kind. Some of this stuff was put up for sale at garage sale at one time but never sold that was five years ago.

No Spending Day :9

Well I did spend a little today; I had to go to the city.

Afterwards I checked out the supermarket for markdown goods while there and spent about $5.00 on clearance food lines, saving around $11.00 there.
I did drop into the op shop on the way home and bought some more books 3 cookbooks for 50c each saving around $30.00 here on Reg. Price.

I did go to Hungry Jack for Coffee (free) and had a burger & cone as well. Cost $2.40 saving $2.45 here.
Not bad but not good when you think about it, a little of no will power.

So I spend money today
Total Money spent today $8.90 (my cash outlay)
Savings $stretch $43.45

No Spending Days:- 8

Weekly Main Meal Menu

Sunday ~ Tuna Pasta with Salad
Monday ~ Leftovers night
Tuesday ~ Apricot Chicken with Rice
Wednesday ~ Omelet with Shredded Cheese and Salad
Thursday ~ Steak with Onions & Grilled Tomato
Friday ~ Salmon Patties with Vegetables
Saturday ~ Chicken Schnitzel & Egg with Vegetables

You remember all that free stuff that I left behind for others to take or move. It’s all now rumble the tree lopper came in on Monday morning and a large crane came in yesterday and did the rest, if the rain didn’t get to it first. Anything that was left is now under the rumble, this includes some furniture too! These people get you to do everything for them. Another neighbor went to get some garden plants that needed to be moved. They wanted her to move them for them, they just watching her and were bit upset when she took them home. Want her to redo they garden for them as half their garden had to go at they place too!

No Spending Days 6

There is not much to report on the money front I still haven’t spent a cent! I did earn $5.00 ironing today for one of friends who has two dresses that she is planning to wear to a wedding that needed ironing. It was a bit of job as both were four layers each. Why is it that people who don’t like ironing buy clothes that they can’t iron or press themselves? They took over 50 minutes to iron both and spot clean one. This is not the first time I have end up ironing a four layered dress for some else they didn’t what to do and not the same person either.

On weather front the Cricket got washout again. It’s rained most of late afternoon and evening. Today it will rain this afternoon again as weather is unstable.

A climatology expert said yesterday that he doesn’t think all this rain will break our drought as we still need another 600mm of rain in the southeast area of the state around our main dam. It’s raining everywhere else. None of the flooded areas will get into that dam. Our Dams are at 30% full and were around 18% full before Christmas. Some parts of the state still have had little or no rain at all.

Heavy rain ‘unlikely’ to break drought

No Spending Days 5 this month

Well there Cricket the bat & ball kind, on today here at the Gabba. So it’s raining, last Sunday it was on too, and got washed out. I don’t mind the short forms of Cricket 20:20 or the one day matches but the 5 days of Cricket get me as there is nothing to watch on TV.

It’s been raining here in our State on and off since boxing day. Today the Dam with the lowest level did get rain in it. Over 85mm in the last 48 hours which is great and some of the other dams are still overflowing, by this time next year our state government hope to have some of the dams linked by pipe lines between one another so that full ones can top up instead off overflow and flooding some areas. This morning rain can over early when everyone was going to work. I got about 30mm here and about 180mm in the past week but no flooding but I can’t mow the lawn as it’s to wet! Another storm and raining is coming in this afternoon, where it’s raining now they are getting over 300mm per hour falling. So I doubt if the Cricket will finish today and will be a washout too!

More about Cricket

No Spending Days this month 4

As I am doing essentials only, No Spending Month for the whole month of February here, it’s going to be a little drastic in some ways. I do have a few large bills in the next eight weeks so it’s a good idea that I join in this challenge too! Two of our money saving sites here are having this challenge in February.

If you got the item already bought you use that and not go out buy it again. Some people do go the supermarket because it’s they normal shopping day but never write a list nor look in their cupboards pantry, freezer or fridge. Wants needed to this challenge is a full inventory of all non-essentials and essentials items that you use in a month. Looking for alternative ideas and methods to make do for the month, e.g. laundry liquid look for a recipe to make your own or look at over supply a shampoo that you don’t use because the family doesn’t like it. Run out of soap, how about that fancy cake of soap you have in underwear drawer. Food what is largest item that you have there, go and find recipes to use it up. One person had 24 can baked beans, 12 can of corn kernels plus 48 can whole tomatoes for two people.

What’s essentials like paying bills, medical & vets bill, food if you have not a stockpile, gas for car to work by using your car so that you using it rarely by multi-tasking and tripping.

This challenge is a bit like putting together all the tips and hints you have read using every one of them for whole month and making the frugal ideas work and looking for answers and ways to do them differently if they don’t. Thinking outside the box in the way we are doing things.

Weekly Main Meal Menu

Sunday ~ Apricot Chicken with Rice, Vanilla Sago Pudding
Monday ~ Omelet with Shredded Cheese and Salad
Tuesday ~ Kangaroo Steak with Mushroom Sauce & Vegetables
Wednesday ~ Tuna Salad Vanilla Sago Pudding
Thursday ~ Chicken Kebab & Salad
Friday ~ Tuna Pasta with Salad
Saturday ~ Beans & Rice with Vegetables

Why do people leave stuff with families that are renting, then they do a runner leaving no forwarding address after 6 months the owner need to move it as they are pulling the house down next week to build eight apartments, as they know I am bookworm they asked me if I would go though it for them. I did collect only the stuff I could use. I got a very nice saucepan & measuring jug that had been in the yard, yes all this stuff had been outside on a patio for six month. Some boxes of jewelry and number of books on history (I did leave the books that I would never use) and Lord of Rings game to paint. What I did take I will give some away to others. Stuff toys and children linen given too others. The person did have unusual interest in some things. I don’t know what will happen to the rest of the stuff, I could take the rest to the op shops but then I will need to carry it over to my place, there is far too much stuff to do that and they have a truck to take it but it will end up in the dump for all I know.

Today is the day I go to the city for lunch with friends. While showing this morning I hit the nail on my index finger on the shower tap and it was a bit sore with a black spot on it. My first appointment this morning was the doctor’s so I wasn’t too worried. As it was raining the bus just got to the city in time. After checking me for my annual medical check and writing up scripts for blood tests and medicines. He checked my finger I had a piece of metal in the nail so no gardening for a few days.

I did put more money on my pre-paid mobile plan for another year.

Mobile phone prepaid recharge
Taking this total too $149 for 4 years averaging 37.25 per year, very few calls, mainly text messages.

Paying my rates and water bills and I had only 9kL of water in last 92 days. So I am on track with my water targets that have been set by the government. Which is a goal of 140L per person mine is only 97.8K.

Meeting up with some of my ex-coworkers, at the casino, there is a deal going there for $10.00.

I had Fish & Chips with Salad (reg. price $13.50) and vanilla slice as usual (reg. price$5.90), posted in this blog October 29, 2006 in recipe section. Coffee (reg. price 2x $3.00) total = $25.30. I did play the 1c poker machines for just two dollars then left.

As for shopping I only bought some books again today spending $13.00 (reg. price value $175.65) on them.

So I spend money today
Total Money spent today $369.00
Savings $stretch $168.15

Gone shopping or bought something 10 times

Travel to the city by bus 2 times

Drove my car only 8 times

Had food bought or had for free away from home 5 times

And had 20 No Spending Days since the last count.

Let’s see what next month’s will be

Going through some of the baskets of cookbooks & files, I didn’t find too many to chuck out but I put them back into better order than before. I have still got along way to go in this computer room and library. As I’m looking for a set of cookbooks for my next month’s menu. Not that finding them is a problem as I can always look on the internet if I have too! That’s what you get when have more than one bookcase of cookbooks. I want to do some OAMC cooking and single meals for one over the next month with new recipes with a few old ones if I don’t fine the missing cookbooks.

It’s another no spending day here.

This post marks my 500th post. When I started I didn’t know if I would get to my first hundred let alone 500. I have leant a lot about blogging and post to forums over this time. It was a great learning curve.

When my visitors came yesterday, I just use want I had in the house for afternoon tea. I did have a chocolate mud cake in the freezer which I had cut into slices before freezing so I took out half of the cake, and I had some cans of lemon squash for the kids with coffee for adults. I also had Scotch Shortbread and a dip & crackers if they had wanted something different, as my niece had them drink fruit cordial while on holidays.

Weekly Main Meal Menu

Sunday ~ Chicken Schnitzel & Egg with Cabbage & Tomato Sauce.
Monday ~ Curried Sausages with Rice
Tuesday ~ Easy Tuna Dish with Rice & Salad
Wednesday ~ light snack as lunch out
Thursday ~ Omelet with Shredded Cheese and Salad
Friday ~~ Steamed Fish and Salad
Saturday ~ Leftovers night

Well I have been busy cleaning up my house for visitors, who were on the way to the airport from their holiday unit on the Gold Coast. They did come to visit me; it’s almost 18 years since the last time the husband has been up here, my niece does come more often though this time their children were with them and it a first time visit to the family home. You got it right; I live in the family home and that has been in the family for three generation now. It’s a house that my great aunt built for her retirement just after WW11 before that the family lived in another house near by since 1913.

My niece and her family live in an old stone Federation house in a country town that why she is getting some pieces that belonged to her grandparents. Today I gave the young boy, small toy cannon and the girl got some of my belts, she is a young model so they may come in handy for her. Classic belts don’t go out of style but I don’t wear them anymore, some were over forty years old too!

I was sent a gift voucher from Jewelry store for $25.00. It expires at end of month.

So I went to a shopping centre to spend it. I got 4 photo frames 50% off for extra $5.25 out of my own pocket. They did have much marked down to choose from without spending too much, I need spend much more if I didn’t buy some things for my gift box. I did spend some money on a nice wallet for myself to use later. This was marked down to $4.95 from $19.95 so it was great buy. I did have lunch out today, just hamburger and soft cone with a free coffee all for $2.40.

So I spend money today
Total Money spent today $12.60 (my cash out lay)
Savings $tretch $51.45 + $25.00 gift voucher = $76.45

I glad that I sold my shares when I did last October, I had only a few hundred shares and they were being taking over by other company back then, since been taken over. At the time the value of that company was around $47.00 per share now around $31 and lost 97c today on the stock market. Many years ago I read a book that said to buy in bear market and sell in a bull market. I sold my shares at top of the bull market for my shares. Now I am a pension I will not be able to buy shares again. But most of my superannuation is mostly in balanced fund so all I can do is to ride it out now.

It’s a no spending day here.

Today I went with DF-M daughter & her husband shopping, we went to the Main Fruit & Vegetables Market to see someone there. It’s open to the public on Wednesday to Friday so they may go back then they are open.

Next it was on Brunnings Hardware store, they spent but I didn’t buy anything there. Off to the supermarket where I did buy some grapes & ½ a sugarloaf cabbage that’s all I bought. Grand total $3.00, I’m happy with that amount as my follow shoppers spent over $300 on the day.

Flooding update - Emerald is under water and its water will in the end will up going out to sea via Rockhampton Qld. Charleville still waiting for its peak around 9am Qld Time tomorrow and its water will end up in the channel country a heading for Lake Eyre in South Australia but it likely to get that far. Once many years ago when we had weather like now it rain & Cyclone weather in the Gulf country around Normanton Qld flooding there which end up in Lake Eyre and flooding all way down. Have a look on Google Earth to see how far.

Weekly Main Meal Menu

Sunday ~ Steak & egg with grilled onion & tomato
Monday ~ Omelet with Shredded Cheese and Salad
Tuesday ~ Easy Tuna Dish with Rice & Salad
Wednesday ~ Leftovers night
Thursday ~ Curried Sausages with Rice
Friday ~ Pasta with Tuna & Tomato Sauce
Saturday ~ Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce on Baked Potato

I had a quite day today, just doing the washing between showers as it’s still overcast here and flooding in the outback with two-third of the state under water.

One of the dams near Emerald Qld, is overflowing for first time in 17 years and it looks like flooding the town too! Our dams around here are still only just over quarter full. So that two dams full and overflowing and others aren’t getting much rain around the catchments. So with most of the state has some flooding our area still need more rain. My tank is still full as it’s been raining in the city area as we have had over 140 mm since Boxing Day and overcast skies most days. Well the outback got rain and they are happy about it even if it’s flooding. Charleville Qld was two weeks off finishing their flood barriers around town. The government flew in the missing parts so they could fill in the missing parts. So now some of it’s under water yet again here are some pictures.

Charleville ‘protected from flooding’
Charleville floods
our weather since Boxing Day
Index of Floods Stories

another no spending day

A few weeks ago I told you that my paper shredder died. Well in yesterday junk mail there was a better paper shredder for sale, as it’s a new model they had an introductory price for it saving over $50 on it as well the staff discount that I get. With all the gift cards that I got for Christmas & birthday this month for this new paper shredder as had said this want I wanted to get this year, my cost came to just over $4.74. Oh and I didn’t buy any this else even though they had some very good bargains this time of the year with Back to School Sale on, as I had the car out yesterday.

Years ago when I had finish with any papers that I did want I would burn them now that we can't light fire anymore in our area but for BBQ's, and at time not them either. $$$ Another Strategy letting it go

Having a paper shredder is the nearest too burning, a letting go of the past feeling that use to get back then.

Is a question that I’m thinking about at moment? I have two rooms that have mixed boxes in them. These are my junk rooms where I put any stuff that I don’t need there while I have visitors to stay. Well I did start today on one of the rooms, first that opened only had a few books on top then some coat hangers on the bottom. Another box has my OAMC cookware in it, so that 2 boxes down today.

I had my hair cut today costing $17.00 for a style cut. I did go shopping since I last wrote, buying pet supplies, my cats get a treat each day of more expensive dried cat food just a small handful when I have morning tea each day, O boy do they tell me if I forget to give it to them. They do get another dried cat food normally but they only like one kind of that brand. I am having trouble with their cat litter that they like as the company making it has had problem at the factory. We are being told it could up to six months before they can supply it. So now I need to try a new brand each time at double or triple the cost of the old cat litter, so spent $13.46 on them today. I’m not to happy with that one.