Tightwad Kitty's $$$ Stretching Blog

I haven't not been near the shops for over 5 days now! I will need to go tomorrow thorough with my friend but I am hoping not to spend at all.

I had some free pizza given to me today as my friend decided to have pizza for lunch. When she does this she buys 3 of them, one to share with me for lunch, one for her freezer and one for my freezer too! I put this pizza into Gladwrap with 2 pieces at time then freeze I do get 4 lunches out of this.

I think she is lonely and tries not to cook in hot weather as it was 35C today here and no rain.
I do other things for her so it's her way of paying me back I think.

Here is another Vegetarian recipe that I found.

Sri Lankan Vegetable Curry

Mix together in large saucepan
1 cup coconut cream
3 cups vegetable stock
10 curry leaves
1 -2 stalks lemongrass
1 cinnamon stick
Boil up for a few minutes then simmer and add -
1 tbsp curry powder
1/4 tbsp turmeric
Simmer and stir for approx. 10 minutes.
Chop up bigger chunks
1-2 carrots
6-8 small chat potatoes
Add cook 15 minutes then add-
2 chopped zucchinis
Cook another minute.
Then add in
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup cashew nuts
2-3 tbsp coriander
lime juice to taste.
Cook further 2 minutes.
Serve with boiled rice.

It’s time that I posted, before I do the next month’s Financial Summery.

I only just updated my Excel so here are the figures for past month not posted so far.

This for period of 28 days each as I looks like I missed one somewhere. As I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to calendar months so here are the figures that will bring it up to date as its every near the end of next 28 day cycle.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

These are the categories for this challenge.
Items === Approx. Budget===Spent

Eating out===$35=====$10.90
Groceries===$125=== =$76.47
Non-Food===$15=====$4.99
Clothes ====$35===== $24.00
Grooming===$20=====$14.97
Gas======$25=======$6.95
HH items===$40
Fares== ====$15 ====$10.00
Entrainments== $15 ===$66.35
Garden =====$15======$7.00
Gifts & Donations ==$35===$45.60
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$6.05
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$85.34

Note only one amount is a no spend

Budgeted for this period $550 spent $292.27 so under budget by $252.73

No spending days 14 of 28 days

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 & Diabetes Expenses - this is the extra out of pockets amounts that came up over this period just on medicine that is not covered be refund claims.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month this period I finished paying off my painting and awning that were put on Credit Card it was $937.00.

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 and bills for this period it came to $173.41

My grocery bill came in under budget for this period.
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. I was very tight in some areas of this daily living allowance over this period but I did work out in the end.

Still need to work on a Grocery category and personal allowance as I got to stop spending money on books, I think this is my biggest downfall most of my personal spending is spent on books.

I am donating some old books to a number of charity stops around the place that I will never read or never read again as I need the plastic containers that they are stored in as this will save money by recycling the plastic containers that I own.

Strategy - Do remember what you have stored before you go and buy more of the same.

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

Well I have now type up 48 old vegetarian recipes.
From three different booklets and have another three booklets to go on non-vegetarian recipes that I would like to keep. I may have some of these kinds of recipes elsewhere in boxes and folders on computer. But some are old and just a bit different too!

Here are a few vegetarian ones that I have found.

Soy Luncheon Meat
1 medium onion chopped or sliced
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup water
1 tsp salt
1-1/3 cups soy flour
2 tbsp cornflour
1/2 cup tomato juice
1 tsp sugar
Note: all level spoons
METHOD
Lightly brown onion in oil.
Blend peanut butter in water.
Combine all ingredients till smooth.
Pour greased basin with a cover and steam 1 hour in pot of boiling water.
Can be turn out when cold.
Serve hot or cold. Serve in slices with tomato sauce.
* Family Favourite

Meatless Sausages
1 cup mashed potato
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 large onion -cut fine
1 cup grated cheese
1 egg
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp marmite
1 tsp gravy quick
Salt
Extra: breadcrumbs
METHOD
Mix together.
Form into sausages and roll in breadcrumbs.
Fry until golden brown in very hot oil.
* Family Favourite

Vegetarian Italian Meat Balls
Mix together:
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove minced
4 slices wholemeal toasted -crumbs
2/3 cup grated cheese
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
2 tbsp cream
Salt to taste
3 eggs beaten
METHOD
Form into small flattened balls.
Saute slowly.
Put into baking dish and add 1 can tomato soup.
Place in oven and bake at 300F (165C) for 20 minutes.
*Family Favourite

Walnut Cutlets
1 cup rolled oats
2 tsp peanut butter
1/4 cup celery finely
2 tbsp walnuts chopped
1/2 tsp mixed herbs
1 tbsp tomato sauce
1/3 cup grated onion
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup parsley
2 tbsp hot water
1 tin tomato soup
METHOD
Mix peanut butter with hot water.
Add all ingredients except tomato soup and mix.
Allow to stand for 1/2 to 1 hour (the longer the better)
Form into patties and shallow fry.
Place patties into casserole dish.
Dilute tomato soup with equal volume of water and pour over patties.
Bake in oven for 1/2 hour at 180C. Soup will be absorbed during cooking.
*Family Favourite

Spilt Pea Roast
1/2 lb. (250g) split peas
2 cups boiling water
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup liquid from peas
2 tbsp butter- melted
2 eggs - beaten
1 cup oven- dried crumbs made from stale bread
1/2 tsp herbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1-1/2 tsp salt
Extra butter
METHOD
Drop peas in boiling water; cook gently 40 minutes until soft. Drain well, reserving liquid.
Mash peas with spoon and add 1/2 cup liquid butter and crumbs, beaten eggs.
Combine all. Stand 30 minutes.
Spread 1 -1/4 inch deep in shallow dish and dot with some extra butter.
Bake in moderate oven 400F (227C) for 1 hour till firm and lightly brown.
Serve hot with mint sauce.
*Meatless Mealtime

Spilt Pea Roast is most likely comes from a Vegetarian WW2 era as there were very little split peas recipes to be found at that time that were published but you could get 8lbs on points system then and not all would use just for Spilt Pea Soup. Eggs would have been dried ones and onions would mostly were leeks if it was used in UK. Little else has changed.

Do you notice that most of these titles have a meat sounding names?

Soy Luncheon Meat, Meatless Sausages, Walnut Cutlets, Vegetarian Italian Meat Balls and Spilt Pea Roast

So with these recipes I could make a Luncheon Meat, some Sausages, Italian Meat Balls, Cutlets and Roast.

Of late I have had trying to live off my pantry and freezer, so I have been looking into recipes that I can use with what I have not what need, in other words substitution of ingredients if it's not right.
Using less instead of more ingredients and making portions go just one more serve. So I can cook a meal that will serves 2 then I make it serve 3 by adding something else on the side.

A friend has lent me some of her vegetarian recipe booklets that I have found a lot of recipes that were used in the past, before TVP, Nutolenes, nutmeats, gluten steaks, and rissolnut which I can't find any of but have do recipes for it, so I have left all these off my to saving list. I do have cookbooks for these ingredients but for rissolnut which is the trade name only now!

There are recipes for Nutolene, nutmeats, gluten steaks and you can buy these ones in cans under trade names here too!

Here is an unusual recipe from one of these booklets.

Potato Coconut Casserole
Heat 1/2 cup coconut in 1 cup milk. Slice potato and onion in rounds and place in baking dish in layers adding salt. Pour coconut and milk over and add enough extra milk to come up to top layer of potato. Turn over top layer of potato to put coconut underneath to prevent burning. Bake until nicely brown in a moderate oven.
From Meatless Mealtimes

I have been looking at World War 2 recipes and any recipes before this period. Most of them are British ones as I can find of lot online and have bought a number of books from this period. This is a passion of mine as I do look to this period for ideas when trying to cut back at any time.

With the economical way the world is going right now, and all the Austerity Budgets from governments, we will have to start looking for ideas to cope in our own parts of the world.

A lot of households here are cutting back and trying to save or pay down debt. This is not helping some sectors of the economy as we all have since WW2 been told or suggested to spend up big by auto-suggestion so businesses can have a larger profits for shareholders and saving were a thing of the past and loans are in.

Now the crunch time is upon us to pay our dues for this false strategy. The thing is can we hold on to what we have and own now! No one wants to go back to what it was before but we should start making plans to get our own household in order. Australia is a lucky country but we too will fine things tough if things go bad this time. By how much no one knows. But look at it in way that if doesn’t happen to be that bad then we are better off than we were before. Some jobs are going here now by the thousands so things are charging here too! Like our State government retrenching over 11000 workers across the board and not replacing any vacant jobs (4500), this is just one state. The flow on effect will be great as business and jobs near these workplaces will then be affected too!

Greece, Italy and Spain are in a bad way as are many more countries that I have haven’t kept up to date with.

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." - Boyd K. Packer

It’s early days yet but so far I haven’t spent much in past few days. I have been looking at my stockpile and making inventory of what I have got.

Will be making new menus from what I do fine there.

I plan use up what cooked meals that I fine first then cook some more meals up later on! Until I get my dental work done I can only have soft foods. So far I had a roasted chicken meal with roasted vegetables that was in the freezer. Spaghetti Bolognese is for tonight meal. I did fine a tripe and onion sauce and devilled sausage meals so they will on the menu soon. There are still a few sausages in the freezer so will be planning to use those along eggs like Scramble eggs, boiled and omelettes are a good choice too! There is a least 6-8 serves of seafood on the freezer as well dried and canned beans and number of meals of chicken both raw and cooked. When the seafood runs out I will be making fish cakes and Tuna Mornay dishes instead of buy more fresh fish.

I am allowing about $60 for fresh food and one meal out per month for now!

Strategy - Do remember what you have stored before you go and buy more of the same.

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." - Boyd K. Packer

To find the money to do all that I need do from now on, I diffidently need to start saving and cutting back on my spending for a few months. I am planning to review my needs and wants from now on!

If I have already earmark a project and booked it then I will go ahead with it. Some things can’t be stopped but others are just plans that need be saved for so will need work out which needs to done and what can be left for the future like new kitchen indoor painting and floors.

I went over what I need to do in next six months and found that I am short on funds by $5000 on an age pension this is a worry but the pension it will cover most of my bills over this period. It’s the living expenses that will take the hit. So let’s see how far I can cut these expenses for now.

Some things have been over estimated so there will be a savings found in some places.

Here’s a list of some things plan in near future.
Trips - Sydney wedding and visit to my sister later next year but fare need to be paid in this period. (both are interstate.) Estimate $2000
Out of pocket dental that can’t be put off. Estimate $2000
Car service that is well overdue so approx. $500
Rates and water bills, power, medical fund annual fee, phone & internet fees, car rego. Approx. $5500
House & Car Insurance due (these are the ones that I am worried about) Estimate $2700 but could be more.

Planned expenses for next six month estimated about $12,700
Age Pension over this time frame under $10,000

So living expenses will be almost nil for next few months, it’s lucky that I do have savings to fall back on if I need too! I will try not to spend too much of it though.

Over last few weeks I have notice many of the shopping centres car parks have plenty on spaces in them and lot of empty shops that I have been too!

As they have started to charge for car parking in some shopping centres you would think others would be full or fuller that do not charge but here this is not the case. Yesterday at lunch time I stopped at one to go to just store, normally in the past it was very hard to find a car park but I found around 40 car parks in the one area. Same when I went to the next shopping centre empty car parks.

Are consumers cutting back on their spending here? One person I spoke to thinks so, as our state government is cutting back on staff by 15000 to 20000 for next 18 months or so! It could be 'I may not have a job next month; I better stop spending full stop' feeling.

It’s time that I posted, before others things do get in the away again.

I only just updated my Excel so here are the figures for past month not posted so far.

This for period of 28 days each as I looks like I missed one somewhere. As I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to calendar months so here are the figures that will bring it up to date as its every near the end of next 28 day cycle.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

These are the categories for this challenge.
Items === Approx. Budget===Spent
Eating out===$35=====$43.20
Groceries===$125=== =$116.37
Non-Food===$15=====$26.54
Clothes ====$35
Grooming===$20=====$17.00
Gas======$25
HH items===$40
Fares== ====$15 ====$10.00
Entrainments== $15 ===$66.35
Garden =====$15
Gifts & Donations ==$35===$40.00
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$56.20
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$69.15

Note only one amount is a no spend

Budgeted for this period $ 540 spent $444.91 so under budget by $95.09

No spending days 9 of 28 days

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 & Diabetes Expenses - this is the extra out of pockets amounts that came up over this period just on medicine that is not covered be refund claims.

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 and for this period it came to $606.88

The grocery bill came in over budget for this period.
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. I was very tight in some areas of this daily living allowance over this period but I did work out in the end.

Still need to work on a Grocery category.

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

Now back to trying to SAVE for a new Kitchen next year.

It’s time that I updated here before others things do get in the away again.

I only just updated my Excel so here are the figures for past month not posted so far.

This for one period of 28 days each as I looks like I missed one somewhere. As I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to calendar months so here are the figures that will bring it up to date as its every near the end of next 28 day cycle.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

These are the categories for this challenge.
Items === Approx. Budget===Spent
Eating out===$35=====$22.15
Groceries===$125=== =$76.11
Non-Food===$15=====$3.00
Clothes ====$35====$54.85
Grooming===$20=====$45.00
Gas======$25
HH items===$40====$2.00
Fares== ====$15
Entrainments== $15 ===$455.00
Garden =====$15
Gifts & Donations ==$35
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$70=====$13.05
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$50.89

Note only one amount is a no spend

Budgeted for this period $ 540 spent $757.05 so over budget by $217.05

No spending days 14 of 28 days

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 & Diabetes Expenses - this is the extra out of pockets amounts that came up over this period just on medicine that is not covered be refund claims.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month.

I did buy a new camera and paid the deposit for the painting $1000, this period one is under bills and the other come in under entertainment spending.

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 and for this period it came to $146.00

The grocery bill came in under budget for this period.
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. I was very tight in some areas of this daily living allowance over this period but I did work out in the end.

Still need to work on a Grocery category.

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

Early this week the painter finished his job and was paid in full. It was a good job and some of the neighbours ask for his card so he may get more work around here later on. I did pay him as planned with the final payment in the form of a bank cheque and got him sign to say that he has been paid in full, this is now filed way. The new awnings will arrived next week hopefully this should complete the job on the outside that I can’t do myself. I will look at doing all the gates and poles on the front fence over next few months. I may need to buy another can of green paint to finish this job off.

My next major project is a new kitchen which I will need to save for now! I will still keep money aside for a replacement of my washing machine when it breakdown next. Planning my money around need not wants have kept me on a level playing field just by knowing that the money is there to buy things when they are needed and not have go out get a loan that I can’t afford to repay.

It has been quite here and I am still reading my list of books more have arrived in the Thursday post all four books on order arrived together.

I will need to update cost of living figures here soon as I am a month behind!

Well I paid my next progress payment of $1500 to painter today. I did have a bit of the run around to get the money. I went to one shopping centre to make a withdrawal but that branch closed last month so had to drive to another branch to get the money. It goes to say that I don’t withdraw money out that often via a teller. Will need to make the final payment with a bank cheque as I don’t like having large amounts of money around the place. This will prove that I did pay him if it ever came to that.

The job is looking good and very clean should take another week and a bit to do. He is on the final side but for 10 foot area near the stairs. I will need to get new awnings which will be an extra cost, the one I do have are too old and unrepairable to make them look good. They are on the sunniest side of the house. If I sold the house I would need to replace ASAP and area where they are would be not painted this time too! At 60 years old they are ready to go. I have someone calling Monday about them and will get a quote.

The painter has been here a week now! One side of the house is done plus the garage so far. I only have paid him a minimum deposit. I will pay progress payments up to half of the full amount and balance on completion. Work done so far is very professional so no worry about stranded of the work.

I have bought a new camera which I hope to use in the near future at a friend’s wedding. As for clothes I will borrow an outfit from a friend, who has more formal outfits than I have, we are almost the same size. My last one I bought was for my son’s wedding eleven years ago.

I am still reading my way through my list of new novels about two per week. So not spending so much time on my computer as before, I think I was over doing it at times.

I finally found a house painter and he is starting work today. So I hope I will get a good job from him. There was a large different between quotes that I got so I took the middle one as it what I thought the job was worth and I could afford to pay. One quote was so high that $12000 plus more than the one I went with. All had the same work to do. When this is finished I will save up for a new kitchen next.

It’s time that I posted, before others things do get in the away again.

I only just updated my Excel so here are the figures for past month not posted so far.

This for Two periods of 28 days each as I looks like I missed one somewhere. As I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to calendar months so here are the figures that will bring it up to date as its every near the end of next 28 day cycle.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

These are the categories for this challenge.
Items === Approx. Budget===Spent
Eating out===$35=====$32.60
Groceries===$125=== =$160.81
Non-Food===$15=====$41.19
Clothes ====$35====$30
Grooming===$20
Gas======$25
HH items===$40====$83.26
Fares== ====$15 ====$20.00
Entrainments== $15 ===$23.19
Garden =====$15
Gifts & Donations ==$35===$6.95
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$70
Misc ======$10======$5.00
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$136.29

Note only one amount is a no spend

Budgeted for this period $ 540 spent $539.29 so under budget by $0.71

No spending days 12 of 28 days

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 & Diabetes Expenses - this is the extra out of pockets amounts that came up over this period just on medicine that is not covered be refund claims.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month.

I did buy a new pressure cooker this period and come in under household (HH items) spending.

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 and for this period it came to $720.00

My grocery bill came in over budget for this period.
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. I was very tight in some areas of this daily living allowance over this period but I did work out in the end.

Still need to work on a Grocery category.

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

For someone that doesn’t do a lot of gardening I have a lot of stuff that are garden items. What I have done will stop me buying items that I have already bought and need to be used up. I do gardening in waves when I have the energy to work on it. We have the right weather for gardening here! I just that I do it so rarely other than mowing the lawn it takes me so long to do the whole garden front and back.

I needed to get started on redoing the storage areas so that the painters can work in that area. The less I need to move later the better. I would like to just move just once when the painter arrive and not need a clean-up then. So anything not needed, I will dump now and other things stored in other areas. I have started working on the smallest storage area will work my way through all three areas over the next few weeks putting all the same items back together again. If I don’t find what I need at the time I go and buy more and then when I have these clean-out I find have double of some stuff and none at all other items.

I finally got around to getting some quotes on my painting the outside. Still waiting for the last one to come in then will decide.

Strategy - Do remember what you have stored before you go and buy more of the same.

Our local supermarket closing this weekend for a year and they are building a new one on the site. So no more daily walks to the local supermarket for my neighbour, she will have to plan better in the future. This is the supermarket that has some wonderful bargains in the past. Which I will miss but then I have such a large stockpile of things that need using up. I will need now to plan so that I shop for needs only to fill any gaps but no longer stockpiling.

Strategy - Do remember what you have stored before you go and buy more of the same.

So it’s into a saving mode from now on!

I am saving up for new flooring and kitchen as the painting outside will cost about $8000 all up. I will try and get more quotes next week but almost likely will go with the one I have got now!

As I have posted before I have bought a blood glucose meter, which was normally priced $59.99 but was on special for $39.99 at the time. This included a refund voucher that was applied for and I now received that refund for $40.00. So this item came out FREE but for the ongoing costs of test strips and lancets. The test strips are normally around $15.90 for 100 here but you can get them for $1.20 for 100 on a pension discounts scheme. As for the lancets there isn’t any discount but you need to shop around for the cheapest price ranging from $32.95 to $17.95 at discount chemists. So I will need to do some leg work when I need to buy my next box of lancets.

I am still monitoring my blood glucose levels and still on diet controlled.

Well I have been reading again, and buying more books! Some are second hand but most are new.

There is a new book of Sara Douglass of short stories The Hall of Lost Footsteps, this will complete the my collection of books that I would read of hers as the other ones are lecture books that are out of my league.

I am into World War cookbooks and found three more that I do not have and can’t get online nor in any library here so have bought them on online. I did get some historical novels eBooks to read online for free so that does save a few dollars. Unless I get them for FREE now I will not be buying any more for a while.

Strategy - If you will use it and cheap enough then have a treat now and then!

It’s time that I posted, before others things did get in the away again.

I only just updated my Excel so here are the figures for past months not posted so far.

This for Two periods of 28 days each as I looks like I missed one somewhere. As I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to calendar months so here are the figures that will bring it up to date as its every near the end of next 28 day cycle.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

These are the categories for this challenge.

Items === Approx. Budget===Spent
Eating out===$70.00=====$22.95
Groceries===$271.00=== =$229.28
Non-Food===$30.00=====$21.43
Clothes ====$70.00====$7.18
Grooming===$30.00===$20.00
Gas======$50.00
Pets====== $100.00=== $171.25
HH items===$80.00====$11.94
Fares== ====$30.00
Entrainments== $30.00
Garden =====$30.00
Gifts & Donations ==$70.00===$42
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$140==$377.06
Misc ======$20.00
Personal Allowance =$180.00 ===$120.38

Note only one amount is a no spend in that category

Budgeted for this period $1200 spent $1023.52 so under budget by $176.48

No spending days22 of 56 days

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 & Diabetes Expenses - this is the extra out of pockets amounts that came up over this period just on medicine that is not covered be refund claims.

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 for these two periods it came to $2867.85

My grocery bill came in under budget for these periods.

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.

I was very tight in some areas of this daily living allowance over these period but I did work out in the end.

Still need to work on a Grocery category.

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

I have been missing from blogging in the past 10 days. Is it that long ago! Read novels again!

Found a new author Anne Gracie, I like her style. A Wife by Mistake -Regency romance.

Trying to do some catch up I don’t even think I posted last month summery which I will need to do this week.

I have started using a blood glucose meter for my diabetes; my doctor didn’t think I needed one as I am on diet control alone and my reading is good. I went to a Diabetic 'educator/nurse' for some help in understanding and a bit of guide for this condition. I do get some phone help and I have a 24/7 hour nurse line help run by my private health insurance.

She lent me a blood glucose meter for test that I had to do for her and did this a few days before I saw her for the second time. I didn’t start off too well with a flat battery then unable to use the pen right.

I got there in the end with help from the chemist. I checked the sale catalogues of chemists around here and found are deal on the one had on loan from Diabetic 'educator/nurse'. Normal price here is $59.99 but on special for $39.99 with a $40.00 refund by the company, which now I have applied for.

After the test I have been told I now need to do a test 3 times per week twice per day seeing that I have my own BG meter now. The BG meter picks are expensive but as I now don’t have the cats any more I will use some of that money to cover them.

It’s thought that I am eating too much in the way of fruit and having too much coffee. I will need to revisit some of diet again and focus on my diabetes for now on.

Last weekend outcome, Saturday it was raining here but I still went out as it was compulsory voting, at the polling booths the church had a street stall selling odd & ends and sausage sizzler, one sausage & onions on piece of white bread and sauce $2.00 each, I didn’t fall for that one I had eaten but I did buy a large brown handbag that has never been used $10.00.

Then we went down by car to the large fruit shop, my friend bought heaps of stuff. I bought bucket of mandarins, zucchinis, pineapple, pumpkin, cabbage, sweet potatoes, and fennel $12.45 all up then I got 10 chicken schnitzels for $10.00 at the butchers. Cost all up $22.45.


Large Brown Handbag

Come Sunday I had a problem with diabetic glucose machine that my diabetic educator lent me! I had to walk to the chemist to ask about that. New battery was needed so that cost $3.45 more about this in another post.

I did do the Washing before I went for my walk then came home to hang it out and do any hand washing. After morning tea I went the school fete as it had stopped raining. Normally they have Trash & Treasure in the school hall but as this was used for a polling booth the day before they went back to the old area before the new school hall was build. Having found the Trash & Treasure and second hand books area, I looked at these to spend my allotted money. I didn’t find anything interesting but saw most of the stuff I had donated was still for sale. So I may had made the right choice of donating it as it would never sold in any garage sale and I had three over time trying too! I had better luck at the bookstall I did find some cookbooks and two novels that I may read in the future.


$9.00 this lot of books

All up spent $44.90 Value of finds about $165

Like Lucky Robin it’s my Six Year Blogoversary too!

I think I have slowed down a bit since I first started blogging on here. Some things have changed as I no longer have any cats. I am now on an age pension instead a disability pension but we get the same benefits so not much charge there. But our pension has gone up but a few hundred dollars over the period of time. Still below poverty line but with strict budgeting you can make things happen if you put your mind to it and go without some things along the way.

On Saturday we are voting for our city council Mayor and councillors, it compulsory voting here. You will get a fine if you don’t. Then I have to take my friend shopping afterwards. I hope not to spend too much on Fruit & Vegetables plus meat. ($25.00 or more)

On Sunday it’s the local school fete which donated a car load of stuff too, a few weeks back. I don’t plan on buying much but will go and see there are any books that I may be interested in. Last year I got a lot of Earth Garden magazines there. I have allotted $15.00 for the day to spend there.

Strategy - Do remember what you have stored before you go and buy more of the same.

A medical bill came for my friend for $176.00 but the way our age pension system works I wondered about it! After a lot thinking about how to pay this bill and which way to go about it, I went to one of the offices and just asked about age pension discount on it. With just one phone call from the office staff and age pension number no bill all done. Saving $176.00 and a lot of running around on my part as I was the one that would have need to pay if it had to be done that way.

Time to post my monthly, before others things did get in the away again.

I only just updated my Excel so here are the figures for last month. This period is from Mid-February until Mid- March

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.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

These are the categories for this challenge.
Items === Approx. Budget===Spent
Eating out===$35.00=====$32.55
Groceries===$135.50 ==== $129.83
Non-Food===$15.00=====$36.22
Clothes ====$35.00=====$22.80
Grooming===$15.00=====$29.99
Gas======$25.00=======$30.70
Pets====== $50.00=== ==$20.46
HH items===$40.00
Fares== ====$15.00
Entrainments=== $15.00
Garden =====$15.00
Gifts & Donations ====$35.00
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$70.00====$177.85
Misc ======$10.00
Personal Allowance =$90.00 ====$36.15

Note only one amount is a no spend

Budgeted for this period $600 spent $516.55 so under budget by $83.45

No Spending days over the 28 days = 16 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 & Diabetes Expenses - this is the extra out of pockets amounts that came up this month just on medicine that is not covered be refund claims.
My credit cards are still paid in full each month.
Spending on books and papers $5.00 for the month including 3 papers.
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. My bills over this period came to $0 only Medical ones.
Most of my social outing are dining out this is part of my social outings money and spending allowance.
As for food out, I dined out three times this month twice costing $9 each time as I can no longer eat at fast food outlets. That $9.00 meal’s at Casino is still looking the healthiest and best deal in the city for now. Another time breakfast at fast food outlet.
My grocery bill came in under budget for this month.
My clothes and grooming budget was on target this month as I bought Electric tooth brush
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 Grocery category.
Strategy: - Track your daily spending down to the cent by writing it down daily.

In the last day or so my last cat took ill and wasn't breathing properly, so at 15 years it was best to put him down. I took at his food, odd and end to pet welfare shelter and paid for him to be putdown. I have told my son that I will not have any more pets here.

I have spent the last 16 years caring for my son’s unwanted pets at my cost and not being able to get away for a holiday as I couldn’t get anyone to care for them.

Sick cats were making me ill so it’s no more pets at all, it better if I donate some money instead.

More time reading and spending less time on the computer.

I am back to reading novels so I have read more books and three of those were a Sara Douglas trilogies of which I have read 11 books of hers so far this year and still 8 more novels to go of hers.

Along with that I have read a number of other novels as I am having a month off reading Sara Douglas and reading lighter novels that I own but never read or it’s so long since I did so.

Some of the books that I have read in the past weeks were light Regency novels and short stories.

Some Barbara Cartland novels of the Regency period
Other novels

An Infamous Army and The Spanish Bride both by Georgette Heyer.

The Happy Prisoner by Monica Dickens

Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn from the Tales of the Orori Trilogy (Fuedal Japan)

My favourite one was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows (You can buy this one online)
written in form of letters (1946)

Last week I had a shopping spree as I had go and buy a new electric toothbrush as recharge battery had died that was on it so it had to be replaced, I found one on special after doing a price check at a few place before I went the supermarket where I found one $10.00 off but $15.00 of one the place I did the price check at. Some were up to $200.00 each all have the same replacement heads and as I have a few left I stayed with the same brand Oral-B Braun. The one I bought was only $29.99 so I will have money to replace it when I need too sooner if need be. The last electric toothbrush lasted almost 8 years and cost about that price back then too!

Since using these electric toothbrushes I have had very little fillings in my teeth so the cost over the time is worth it in less dental bills alone!