Sunday 21 August 2016

My Frugal Tasks 21/08/16

Melting moments biscuits.


Sorry this is a day late. I did loads of baking this week and this is a big way that I got ahead and saved money.  Its been quiet here and I've spent any free time cooking, reading and crafting. The electrician came out and fixed the power issue. He only charged us $77 which was such a blessing! Here are other things I did:

-I baked some Chinese custard tarts and they turned out lovely. The pastry wasn't quite as flaky or buttery but the filling was pretty spot on. At my local bakery it is $18 for a dozen! I made 18 of them and had all the ingredients on hand. I also had enough pastry to make 6 cheese and onion quiches and 4 apple tarts which was dessert during the week with custard. Baking my own cakes and treats like this saves us so much money.

-We also had an afternoon of baking on Wednesday. We made brownies, melting moment biscuits, a mars bar slice and another lamb and vegetable pie. I was wanting to freeze the pie for later but we are only running one freezer and don't have the room. That was also the last of the meat! I won't be buying anymore unless it is a special occasion.

-Sweet tooth Mr 14 made some more homemade marshmallows.

-We had hubby's Aunt and cousin over for afternoon tea, so hubby made a choc ripple cake. I also gave them some kale, silverbeet and oranges from our garden.

-My dandelion oil was ready, so I made 6 jars of healing balm and 1 which was calendula and dandelion. I found some free printable labels, glued them on and put some clear adhesive over the top.

-I sold some furniture and made $70. This pretty much paid for the electrical work.

-Our neighbour gave us a pet basket with a cushion inside for our cats to sleep in as her cat doesn't like it.

-I got a head start on a couple of homemade gifts for a birthday coming up next month, I can't share too much just yet! Also used gifts from the gift cupboard for a 16th birthday party Mr 14 went to on the weekend.

-Drove Mr 10 to his theatre group and waiting in the green room reading a book. He has this twice a week and staying there save me petrol!

-Only turned the heater on for a couple of hours in the evenings and put washing on airers underneath to help it dry.

-Used the thermos to store hot water for drinks after boiling the kettle.

-The teens and I went to see The Suicide Squad at the movies. We saved money by purchasing snacks from the supermarket rather than at the movie theatre.

-Because we have so much kale growing we made a big batch of salad for Mr 14 to take to school most days last week. Normally he doesn't like to take food and will spend his own money  at a nearby lunch bar, so this is progress!

-Had a movie night at home with Mr 10.

-Picked up 3 loaves of bread, Turkish rolls and ciabatta from the op shop.

-Made bean, rice and cheese burritos one night for dinner and made pizzas the next with the leftover flat bread.

-Mr 10 and I helped out at our local animal shelter yesterday.

Hope you have had a great week. x

Jars of dandelion salve.





Mr 10 at the animal shelter.




Kale, carrot and broccoli flower salad.




Lamb pie, Annabel style!




Chinese custard tarts.





6 comments:

  1. Hi Mel, That is a long frugal list with lots of savings. The custard tarts look delicious! I grow kale in my garden too and use it all the time. I found a recipe for kale, feta and potato rolls that I want to try out. I have spent morning making a big vegetable lasagna, using up veg from crisper and from my garden. I baked little gingerbread mini-muffins and a cereal slice on weekend for school lunchbox. It's lovely to bake things that help to save money.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Meg,
      Thank you. Some weeks it doesn't seem like I *do* that much, but it certainly all adds up. Writing my frugal tasks each week helps keep me motivated. Kale, fetta and potato rolls sound delicious. Let me know how they turn out, I could use some more kale recipes as we have so much of it right now! It seems people either love it or hate it and most people I know hate it. Veg lasagna, mmm! I'll have to bake one during the week I think! I make one with kale and cauliflower and it is so yummy. xx

      Delete
  2. What a good week Mel! It was a relief about the electricians bill! The tarts look beautiful! And the pie!!!! So lovely. That really made me smile and made my day!
    Have another good week. With love Annabel.xxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Annabel,
      Yes such a relief! Electricians can be so expensive. The tarts didn't crisp up as much as I'd like but they were yummy! I made a cheese and onion pie last night for dinner and added roses with the leftover pastry, the family sure loved it! xx

      Delete
  3. Hello there!
    I am always inspired by you, my friend.
    Please tell me more about your Afternoon Tea.
    Here in the states we don't have such a thing, and I would love to try to!
    Is it everyday? At the same time? Is it a treat? Or more a meal?
    Sorry so many questions...I'm just quite intrigued.
    Have a cozy day!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Billie Jo,
    Thank you so much! So here we have morning and afternoon tea, which normally consists of a cup of tea or a hot drink and a little snack. It is usually a biscuit(cookie)or two, or a slice of cake, or a brownie, or a piece of fruit. I do lots of baking and the treats I make are for our morning and afternoon teas. Morning tea we have around 10.30am and afternoon tea is around 4pm. Hubby and I don't have it everyday but during the week the kids do. I think it is more of a throwback from when my kids went to school because at school they have a recess break for a morning tea snack which might be a muesli bar, cake and a piece of fruit and then a lunch break to eat their sandwich. After school the kids were always super hungry so I would make them something for afternoon tea. Even though we've been homeschooling a while it has stuck. In summer we might have a smoothie instead. I'm happy answer any questions! xx

    ReplyDelete