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 just pull out a large roll of brown paper that we bought home from my late uncle's 22 years ago, I haven't pull it out of it bag for about 15 years. It was well sealed as it in great condition, I am planning to give to the local school for art classes at the end of the year.

It will make some great brown paper gift wrap. I will never use it now so I may as well give to the school to do something with it. I have a friend who does the art classes so I know it will get used, last month I gave them some old printing paper for printer of 20 years ago the kind that had holes in them. I had 3/4 of box of it. They used it for blowing paint with a straw on large sleets spread across a number of desks so that 10 pupils could use it at the same time, she had over 220 eight year olds pupils that today. There is still some left over for next time.

I am trying to use up some of the items that I have in my pantry that I have bought over the years.
Sago and tapioca are some of these items that I have to use up they are way past their use by dates by a number of years.

Its use it or bin it exercise. I am not putting on weight when eating this recipe so that is why I still have them in the pantry as other recipes I used cause a weight gain in the past.

Lemon Sago
Serves 4
2oz sago
1 1/2 cups water
Soak for 2 hours
Add pinch salt and boil.
Add the rind of half lemon and juice of whole lemon
Then add 1 tablespoon golden syrup and 1 tablespoon brown sugar (white sugar will do if you have no brown sugar).
Dissolve and mix this in the boiling sago mixture and pour mixture into basin to set.
I eat this cold when set with poached whole pears or stewed apples.

Do you have items in your pantry or kitchen cupboard that needs to use up?

Four days of no spending here.

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.

I had breakfast with the family Christmas morning, BBQ sausages, Bacon, Hash Browns, & Eggs with Coffee and 2 Chocolate centred biscuits but true to form they cooked too much food for four adults. So I was given the 8 cooked sausages and 3 small slices cooked bacon to take home. It was still hot when I got home too! As we gave out our presents before we had our bunch so it was almost 10.30am before it was started to cook it.

On the way out my DIL ask if I would have some custard too! Then she came out with the end of the roast ham that they had in fridge too! They are only going away two days but too lazy to cut it off the bone and freeze it. I took that as well all 3lbs of it. The bone will make a great pea & ham soup come winter. Out of the sausages I got 4 servings and 1 serve of bacon which will be tomorrow breakfast and 15 servings of ham which I have frozen for now. Some of it will make salads and other will go into different dishes that I will make over the coming weeks along with what meats I bought in the last week I now have a full freeze again.

But my son works at the fruit markets and was given a tray of mangoes so I got 6 mangoes to top it off.

Tally of foods

6 Mangoes $2.00 each = $12.00
8 sausages uncooked = $5.50
3 slices of lean bacon = $ 2.00
1.5 kg Ham of the bone @29.95kg = $45.00

Waste Not, What Not Total $64.50

These prices are what I would have paid yesterday for the same things had I bought them!

The cats & I had a wonder nibble on the ham scraps while I cut it up for freezing.

Today is the horse race that stops the nation. On the first Tuesday in November every year this race is run.

I wasn’t planning to go today but as a ticket for luncheon was non-refundable as one person is in hospital so couldn’t go and needed someone to watch the group of elderly friends and one with dementia I was asked to go for free.

We had a good feed of cold picnic style food this is the kind of Spring weather food that is eaten at Flemington race track in the car park and each of us got ticket on the sweepstake which gave us had a horse to follow in the race. One in our group won on the sweepstake taking home $24 for a $2.00 outlay.

None of us had a bet on any race including the Melbourne Cup, in our state over $30M was bet on that one race and $100M across Australia. For five minutes the whole nation stops if it can to watch the race, including toddlers for the last 151years. A number of toddlers and babies were at the function today.

It was held at local football club which we are all members. The daughter of one them drove us there and picked us up afterward she didn’t want to go today. I spent about $11.00 all up today. The luncheon would have costed $45.00 if I had paid.

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

Will not be using my birthday $25.00 voucher this year as they have charged the rules unless I buy a new watch or a piece of jewellery over $100 this year, I have download it but when I read this condition I think I don’t need a new watch or any more jewellery this year.

I did write about this voucher

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.

Over the past few weeks I have been working my way though Garage Sale (Yard Sale) storage area. This is the area which I place anything needs to go at some time. I have had a few tradesmen here over the past year or so and have not got into that area for while. If any needed to be move they just move it out of the way and everything ended up in that area. So that I no longer know what’s there for certain anymore!

Very near my storage area for my bulk toilet paper and empty bottle stash. As I couldn’t get into this area without a clearout but I didn’t find any toilet paper so far but found 5 large boxes of empty bottles. I will cull them down to one box and give away or recycle all the others.



Two boxes in the front on left are to be culled further and all the others boxes to be recycled or given to a jar maker in the basket. They are just taking up to much room.

Update:- I will put up the photo again when crashing of photos stops.

Trying to use my food stockpile up is slowly working down but no hole in the pantry or freeze yet.

This week I have used some chicken drumsticks and chicken sausage, I made them into meals for 4, this give me another 6 single servings plus the two eat that week. This is how I use my stockpile, I cook recipe for 4 that I can freeze then eat one and freeze the other 3.

This week I will be making a Caribbean Chicken and Fish Chowder both these I have in Maggi sauce mixers that I am trying use up.

I have a large cane basket that I have put items of food that I wish to include into my menu in the coming weeks. This along with wants in the freezer is to be used first.

Stockpile list to work with.

Basic staples
Rice
Pasta
Noodles
Cereal
Rolled oats
Flour
Lentils
Chickpeas

Items in the baskets to be used next
4 cans of Tomatoes
425g Tuna Chunks in Brine
310g Corn Kernels
420g Heinz Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce
95g Tuna with Tomato & Onion
1 jar x500g pasta sauce
1 x can 400g pineapple pieces
1 x can 400g Apricot Nectar
165g can Coconut Cream
180g pkt of Rich Tomato & Cracked Pepper - last one
1 x 45g pkt Fish Chowder
1 x 45 Caribbean Chicken mix - last one
1 x 400g can buttered mushrooms
1 can 3 Bean Mix
Can of Plum Pudding
Butter Cake Mix
Jar of Fruit Mince 410g
Mixed Fruit 375g
2x 825g can Apricot Halves
2 x pkt Flavour Jelly Mix
1x 400g Skim Condensed Milk
420g Cream of Mushroom Soup

Protein
500g ground beef
Basic mince mix
Whole Chicken
breast o f chicken
250g diced chicken
2 steaks for grilling
Bean patties

Plus basic spices & other condiments.
Basic vegetables in fridge & freezer.

What can I make meals out of this list?
This is what I came up with so far
Steak with mushrooms, grilled onions and mixed vegetable
Tomato Sauce - 2 can tomatoes + tomato cracked pepper sauce (sauce makes about 4 cups)
Spaghetti Bolognaise = basic mince + 2 cups tomato sauce - 3 serves plus Chilli mix
Chilli Con Carne = 1/2 Basic mince used for bolognaise, 1/2 can baked bean, chilli powder - 3 serves
Caribbean Chicken with rice -flavouring packet + 250g diced chicken, pineapple piece & juice, & peppers - 3 serves
Pasta & Tuna - 1/2 can flavoured tuna, 1/4 cup tomato sauce mix- balance of tuna used for lunch with lavish crackers
Roast chicken - with roasted vegetables and chicken for salads - 4 serves
Tuna Mornay Fish chowder + tuna + coconut cream + corn kernels - 4 serves
Tomato soup - made from can of tomatoes - 2 serves - lunch with toast
Beans salad - 3 Bean Mix + diced shallots & celery

Jelly & Apricots
Plum Pudding & custard
Boiled Fruit Cake
Fruit mince tarts
Cookies made with the cake mix + Skim Condensed Milk.

Any meals that have more serves that I am unable eat in one day, which can be frozen, are for next weeks menu. Ones that cant be frozen then are use later in the week.

Made and used so far
Tomato Sauce
Pasta & Tuna
Spaghetti Bolognaise
Chilli Con Carne

Saving Money so far of grocery surplus
Banked = $162

This week s menu
Spaghetti Bolognaise
Apricot Chicken with rice
Steak and onion with vegetable
Omelette with tomato sauce
Bean patties with vegetables
Beef Stir Fry
Pasta & Tuna

Its time to review my daily living allowance for last month budget.

These are the categories for this challenge.

Items === Approx Budget===Spent

Eating out==$35==$43.85
Groceries==$135.50 = = $57.38
Non-Food==$17.00= =$3
Clothes ==$35==$44.95
Grooming==$15.00==$7
Gas==$25.00 ==$0
Pets== $50.00 ==$88.83
HH items==$42.50==$30.00
Fares== $9.00 ==$0
Entrainments== $12.00 ==$3
Garden ==$10.00==$0
Gifts & Donations ==$35.00== $2
Medical Prescription ==$15.00==$6.90
Misc ==$9.00 ==$0.50
Personal Allowance ==$85.00 ==$50.23

Budgeted for this period $530 spent $337.64

No Spending days over the 28 days = 11 days in total.

Money banked this month $400

Review of Daily living allowance which is part of my waste not want not challenge this year, these are the areas which I have dont a fixed spending amounts but can go over board at any point. But can cutback quickly if the need does rise. Medical out of pocket expenses not covered in the fixed budget. Approx amount are for one month.

Here is a summery of spending this period. More spending in some areas than normal as I had to replacing a stolen handbag, is the reason that this part of budget is over. Pet food this month is over owing to it being on special so I bought enough for a few months. Eating out was a little higher than budgeted for but at times its a can be lot higher than this amount too! I am still trying to cut back on buying too many books this year.

Its time to review my daily living allowance for last month budget.

These are the categories for this challenge.

Items === Approx Budget===Spent

Eating out==$35==$64.00
Groceries==$135.50 = = $52.00
Non-Food==$17.00= =$0
Clothes ==$35==$129.00
Grooming==$15.00==$15.96
Gas==$25.00 ==$30.27
Pets== $50.00 ==$32.72
HH items==$42.50==$35.00
Fares== $9.00 ==$25.00
Entrainments== $12.00 ==$190.00
Garden ==$10.00==$0
Gifts & Donations ==$35.00== $0
Medical Prescription ==$15.00==$14.10
Misc ==$9.00 ==$0
Personal Allowance ==$85.00 ==$32.24

Budgeted for this period $530 spent $620.29

No Spending days over the 31 days = 9 days in total.

Money banked this month $250

Review of Daily living allowance which is part of my waste not want not challenge this year, these are the areas which I dont a fixed spending amounts but can go over board at any point. But can cutback quickly if the need does rise. Medical out of pocket expenses not covered in the fixed budget. Approx amount are for one month.

Here is a summery of spending this period. More spending in some areas than normal as I had to replacing a stolen camera & fare card, is the reason that this budget is over and buying two pairs of sandals this month, mind you they were 50% off the original price. Eating out was a little higher than budget for but at times its a lot higher than this amount too! I am trying to cut back on buying too many books this year.

I have set up a zoning system for my house downstairs, there is about 15 Zones in all for that part of the house. This way I can work on one zone at time and not feel overwhelm by how much there is to do or being able to fine something if I need to look for it. As each zone have only the simular things in it. So when you tidy it up after removing anything unnecessary stuff its easy to find things. All the boxes are labelled that will give you an idea what may be inside but not labelled in away that would make it easy to take a box and you would not know about it. As most are books so learning would be Brain food. This is one box that will go when I get to it next but it not in Zone 7.

I did about hour there; I did find a few empty boxes from items that I bought that are no longer under warranty so I could remove them to the recycle bin. I also found one box of books that needs a new home so I empty one plastic container of odd and ends and use it. Again the label tells me whats likely in it but not a stranger. It looks a lot better I will do some more work in that area until I am finish. Its 4 metres square as are most of the Zones in my system. Today I am planning to review the odd and ends that I remove from that container. I have five large containers or bags to check on before I finish this Zone 7 or I get bored with it. I will find a few treasures in these containers as when I clean up for visitors, I bag or box up everything that in the way and take it downstairs.

I do need to get into the one next door to it soon! It will be falling on the floor if the cats have a play in that area.

No Spending Day

Oh dear what I have I started here!

Its time to use the make up and toiletries that I have in one of my stockpile cupboards, most are now out of date so they cant be sold but are all sealed so I use them over time. Just need to remember what is there. Enough deodorants, soaps, shampoo and conditioners, tooth paste, toilet paper, foundations, lipsticks, hand creams, face creams and masks to last a few years.

What was I thinking of buying more shampoo and conditioners when I had so many in the first place. I do use a lot more conditioner that shampoo so will start by using up some of the samples that I have first of whatever there is there.

I did sell for Avon at one time and bought a lot of samples then stop selling, I need to use up this stuff first, same goes for some of creams and masks too! Its almost 5 years since I bought it and I am still using this stuff up. I have been taking samples away with me when I went on holidays but my holidays are so few now!

Here just a sample of my sample stockpile

Shampoo& conditioners - 10 of one kind
Shampoo -6 of another kind
Shampoo & conditioner of Head & shoulders -10 sets from sample bags these are most the latest ones.
Two Face masks tubes so very old that plastic tube are perished and have emptied them into a container as they were the same kind. Plus 20 sample masks to use up before I start on any of the six that are there tubes.
I just gave myself my first mask for a year. That was with my 12 year old stuff with perished tube. I do know how old it is as it has my old job store tags still on it.

Oh dear! Waste Not, Want Not and this is just the tip of the pile.

I banked $50 today

I will need to report on what I am using and how I am using it if its not the norm and what I have found to use in the future.

Doing my Weekly Menu plan again

I will continue with my Monthly Living Allowance reports.
Hopefully I will see a downwards trend on my spending.

Include a report on any saving money transferred to ING account or other accounts.

Any saving will used to replace the cost of painting my house this year.

I wouldnt say I was a spendthrift by any means just have a collection of a lot of stuff over time. Some things came with the house and are still here today. Its a case of do you have still got Mum or Dad or Nana or Aunty this or that! Now that may be a strange to some of you that move around a lot but as a family member built this house in early 1950s and some family member has been living here ever since. Its alway been thought of as the family retirement home the only problem is that I just retired in the last few years as I came here in my twenties with my parents and have been here ever since. A few pieces of the furniture came into the house when it was new!

Its time to use what I have got here then find a home or sell things that I will never use again. I do know that I could sell some of it on eBay if I ever wanted or had too!

If I ever move from this house in the future I would reckon that I could only take about 20- 25% of what I have here now! I think its time to start review what is that very special to me.

Weekly Main Meal Menu
Sunday~ Pasta with Tuna & Tomato Sauce
Monday ~Steak & Vegetables
Tuesday~ Scramble Eggs on Toast
Wednesday ~ Spaghetti Bolognese
Thursday~ Leftovers night
Friday~ Grilled Crumbed Fish with Vegetables
Saturday~ Chilli Con Care & Corn Chips

I have a large cane basket that I have put items of food that I wish to include into my menu in the coming weeks. This along with wants in the freezer is to be used first.

Stockpile list to work with.

Basic staples
Rice
Pasta
Noodles
Cereal
Rolled oats
Flour
Lentils

Items in the baskets to be used next
4 cans of Tomatoes
425g Tuna Chunks in Brine
400g can Creamed Corn
310g Corn Kernels
420g Heinz Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce
95g Tuna with Tomato & Onion
1 x 400g can pineapple pieces
165g can Coconut Cream
180g pkt of Rich Tomato & Cracked Pepper
1 x 45g pkt Fish Chowder
1 x 45 Caribbean Chicken mix
1 x 400g can Champignons Pieces & Stems
1 can 3 Bean Mix
Can of Plum Pudding
Butter Cake Mix
Jar of Fruit Mince 410g
Mixed Fruit 375g
3x 825g can Apricot Halves
2 x pkt Flavour Jelly Mix
140g pkt Lavish Crackers
1x 400g Skim Condensed Milk
420g Cream of Mushroom Soup

Protein
Basic mince mix
Whole Chicken
Kangaroo roast
250g diced chicken

Plus basic spices & other condiments.
Basic vegetables in fridge & freezer

Can I make meals out of this list?
This is what I came up with so far
Tomato Sauce - 2 can tomatoes + tomato cracked pepper sauce (sauce makes about 4 cups)
Caribbean Chicken with rice -flavouring packet + 250g diced chicken, pineapple piece & juice, & peppers - 3 serves
Pasta & Tuna - 1/2 can flavoured tuna, 1/4 cup tomato sauce mix- balance of tuna used for lunch with lavish crackers
Spaghetti Bolognaise = basic mince + 2 cups tomato sauce - 3 serves plus Chilli mix
Chilli Con Carne = 1/2 Basic mince used for bolognaise, 1/2 can baked bean, chilli powder - 3 serves
Roast chicken - with roasted vegetables and chicken for salads - 4 serves
Small Kangaroo Roast with vegetables & Champignons 1/2 can - freeze balance - 2 serves
Tuna Mornay Fish chowder + tuna + coconut cream + corn kernels - 4 serves
Tomato soup - made from can of tomatoes - 2 serves - lunch with toast
Beans salad - 3 Bean Mix + diced shallots & celery
Creamed corn - served for breakfast on toast - 3 serves
Baked beans on toast for breakfast - 1/2 can
Jelly & Apricots
Plum Pudding & custard
Boiled Fruit Cake
Fruit mince tarts
Cookies made with the cake mix + Skim Condensed Milk.

Any meals that have more serves that I am unable eat in one day, which can be frozen, are for next week menu. Ones that cant be frozen then are use later in the week.

Made and used so far
Tomato Sauce
Caribbean Chicken with rice
Pasta & Tuna
Spaghetti Bolognaise
Chilli Con Carne,
Small Kangaroo Roast with vegetables
Baked beans on toast for breakfast - 1/2 can
Jelly & Apricots
Plum Pudding & custard

Saving Money so far
Banked $40.00

In the Waste Not, Want Not Challenge the plan is to use down my stockpile that I have collected over the past few years. There are a number of areas that are covered in this challenge.

Having found a few cans that I didnt want to open, because they didnt past my safety check when I looked at them.

Please first of all note some of my cans are well past their use by dates so I am going on look of the can and look of stuff inside it when opened. If it looks like any way different than a new can then it failed the test. My health and that of my pets are well more important than a few cents saved.

So Rule number one here is - If it is not safe to use then dont. Never use dented or leaking or blown cans or if the product doesnt look right or smell right in anyway. Still up to now you havent tasted it so also if taste is wrong too! The more different ingredients in the can the more closer to the use by date it needs to be.
Rule two - Only buy want you will use and in quantities that you will use.
Rule three - Know what you can do with it before you buy large quantities of anything. If it food have at least 5 different recipes or ways of using it up your sleeve.

Each year since I have been writing blogs, I have picked a part of my budget to have a closer look at, on how and what I am doing in that area so this year is no exception. I have found some surprises too!

I will be looking at storage & stockpile areas and making effort to use up what I can that I have bought over the years. Now its no good to give this stuff away as much of it is very old fashion or past it best before dates if they have one so it will only end the dump if I gave it away. A little picky, thats the modern world for you! Now if it has any value I am not giving it away, anyway. I will find a use for it!

So a hunting we will go in 2010 the year of Waste Not, Want Not Challenge!

Who would have thought an age pensioner on full pension could come such a long way both in just writing these blogs and saving money along the way, saving at least $5000 in the last 2 years by stretching out every cent that I could that is in cash too! Every dollar had to do the work of two or more so every trick I could find and any deal that was in my flavour I took with both hands and a smile of thanks.

All of my bills are paid into this year and money is there for most of new ones due for the next few months too!

So my motto will stand for another year

Its real hard to come up with $1000 but its easy to find 1000 ways to save a dollar or two!

So lets go and find those 1000 ways to save a dollar challenge and see whats amount is at the end of 12 months.

This year challenge is Waste Not, Want Not or WNWN for short.

I better start posting my menus again too!

Weekly Main Meal Menu

Sunday ~ Grilled fish with light salad
Monday ~ Kangaroo Steak with Mushroom Sauce & Vegetables
Tuesday ~ Pasta with Tuna & Tomato Sauce
Wednesday ~ Omelet with salad
Thursday ~ Leftovers night
Friday ~ Salmon Patties with Vegetables
Saturday ~ Steak with Onions & Grilled Tomato