Have been naughty last few weeks, had a birthday end of Jan, so went to Casino for breakfast(free for me, cos we dined on my birthday, normally $25 each, so effectively, $12.50ea for a full buffet breakfast. Spent $40 gambling, and came out with $60, so a small gain.
Another treat - hubby took me to a local pub, one we had never been too before for a birthday drink so i decided to totally waste the $20 i won at the casino,and play pokie machines and good grief, lights and bells and whistles, machine jackpot had been won - by me!! Cashed in $912.00 and left! Then responsible me kicked in, kind of, gifted hubby $300 cos he deserves it, and so much more. Cat biscuits on special, only $4.00 a bag cheaper, but at $56 a bag normally, any saving is a good saving, so bought 2 (and they had just introduced loyalty cards, buy 9 get 10th free), some into bonus bonds, wasn't petrol week, but BP had a 8c off day, filled car up. Paid for membership renewal at Working mens Club (and they gave me a voucher for a free meal for my birthday), paid AA membership, paid St John Ambo membership, put extra $ on power account,bought new shower curtain, went into some Op Shops for tuppaware, photo albums, a few new tops/pants/jackets, shouted coffee and morning tea at work, and thanks for calling $900, bye bye! Oh, and blew $20 on a lotto ticket for the next few weeks ($4/ticket)

kay34 - 2015-02-04 21:48:00

kay34 wrote:

Have been naughty last few weeks, had a birthday end of Jan, so went to Casino for breakfast(free for me, cos we dined on my birthday, normally $25 each, so effectively, $12.50ea for a full buffet breakfast. Spent $40 gambling, and came out with $60, so a small gain.
Another treat - hubby took me to a local pub, one we had never been too before for a birthday drink so i decided to totally waste the $20 i won at the casino,and play pokie machines and good grief, lights and bells and whistles, machine jackpot had been won - by me!! Cashed in $912.00 and left! Then responsible me kicked in, kind of, gifted hubby $300 cos he deserves it, and so much more. Cat biscuits on special, only $4.00 a bag cheaper, but at $56 a bag normally, any saving is a good saving, so bought 2 (and they had just introduced loyalty cards, buy 9 get 10th free), some into bonus bonds, wasn't petrol week, but BP had a 8c off day, filled car up. Paid for membership renewal at Working mens Club (and they gave me a voucher for a free meal for my birthday), paid AA membership, paid St John Ambo membership, put extra $ on power account,bought new shower curtain, went into some Op Shops for tuppaware, photo albums, a few new tops/pants/jackets, shouted coffee and morning tea at work, and thanks for calling $900, bye bye! Oh, and blew $20 on a lotto ticket for the next few weeks ($4/ticket)

Great start to the new year kay34 may 2015 be your year. So well spent your winnings!!

asue - 2015-02-06 21:05:00

Finally did "that" dreaded job - cleaned freezer out. Found "not enough for a meal of this, and this, and this, and this", so defrosted small portions of mince, sausage, sausage meat, dregs of frozen mixed vege. Then attacked the garden, courgettes, tomatoes, carrots and peas. what to do, what to do.... clean fridge out ....... and with a little bits of this, and a little bit of that,3 meat loaves, 2 lasagnes all done and in the nice clean freezer.
Made home made pasta sauce with the tomatoes - will so well with the 12 (yeah, 12) free packets of fresh chicken raviolli that was given to me on Thursday. So, lol, my nice clean freezer, is now full of enough for a meal of this, this, this, this and this!!!
Will come in helpful - nephew starts boarding with us on 7th March. Tomorrow might just be spent baking (especially Weetbix Slce - thanks Toadfish!!)

kay34 - 2015-02-21 21:23:00

Knackered! Back Boy Peach season, had made a start, but finished it off today, been bottling since 8.30am. Still too much fruit, but have people lining up for an excess. 2 doz jars, and 3 jars of chutney done today, relaxing with acuppa, waiting for my banana cake to come out of the oven - our reward, 4 days in Hamner Springs, starting tomorrow,and well timed too, eqc here for repairs this week.

kay34 - 2015-03-22 15:35:00

bump

kay34 - 2015-04-11 22:19:00

http://www.simplesavings.co.nz

I think you will like this site Kay34 - I don't contribute hear much anymore as I have found a place where like minded folk hang out - I love it.

toadfish - 2015-04-12 12:22:00

Hi toadfish, you mentioned in one of your earlier threads Kumara, pumpkin and peanut soup, could share the recipe for this please. Thanks

dinkydi5 - 2015-04-13 21:57:00

http://www.mrscake.co.nz/2011/05/excellent-kumara-pumpkin-an
d-peanut.html

Its this one - by Alison Holst

toadfish - 2015-04-14 06:16:00

Thanks toadfish

dinkydi5 - 2015-04-16 14:47:00

bumping

akalea - 2015-05-23 14:00:00

Bumping.......

kay34 - 2015-06-13 20:35:00

WOW,thread has been months now, todays great buy - 24(approx) large AGEE preserving jars, for a whopping $1.50 off here, and 36 seals for $0.75c from my local op shop, on a roll!

kay34 - 2015-11-07 21:43:00

gosh yes what happened to this thread?

motorbo - 2015-11-08 09:18:00

Saw on Facebook last night, Sun Valley Foods have launched a new sprinkles/cake decorating product range - 1st 100 people to message them get samples for free - iveput my hand up!!

kay34 - 2015-11-08 12:56:00

Hi Everyone
it has been ages, how is everyone doing

kob - 2015-11-10 15:34:00

kay34 wrote:

WOW,thread has been months now, todays great buy - 24(approx) large AGEE preserving jars, for a whopping $1.50 off here, and 36 seals for $0.75c from my local op shop, on a roll!

CRIKEY< Mum collected the jars today - 40+ she said without pulling every one of them out of the boxes good score!!!

kay34 - 2015-11-12 20:21:00

kay34 wrote:

CRIKEY< Mum collected the jars today - 40+ she said without pulling every one of them out of the boxes good score!!!

If you want them to "preserve" then make sure you check the rims - I bought hundreds over the years from op shops (before we got mason jars imported into NZ and they turned up at my local supermarket). Many of those old op shop ones had little splinters off the tops - not really visible but often "feelable" if you used a wet finger around the rim.

So after many preserves not sealing i marked those with felt pen and use those for storage of dry goods rather than use them for preserving.

Good luck for this summers harvest.

uli - 2015-11-12 21:10:00

Thanks Uli, i'll be checking for sure - i run my finger round any i find in Op shops, and then again with a fingernail before purchase. As wasteful as it sounds, for 40+ at $1.50, even if i only get 1 or 2 'chip/crack free' it was a gamble i was prepared to take - a friend of mums has put her hand up for any unsuitble ones - uses them for her garden seedlings

kay34 - 2015-11-12 21:33:00

kay34 wrote:

a friend of mums has put her hand up for any unsuitble ones - uses them for her garden seedlings

Yeah they make nice mini hothouses at the end of winter and in early spring - get those courgettes in in August/September and harvest at Labour weekend when all other people start planting :)

They used to use Bell Cloches in England centuries ago to have earlier harvests and they are still available!
http://www.twowests.co.uk/product/access-glass-bells

uli - 2015-11-13 11:04:00

kay34 wrote:

Saw on Facebook last night, Sun Valley Foods have launched a new sprinkles/cake decorating product range - 1st 100 people to message them get samples for free - iveput my hand up!!

Thanks Kay I got my sample last night

kob - 2015-11-15 10:47:00

off the food subject slightly....i purchased a good quality tablecoth today at the op shop for 2 bucks, its colourful checks in that kinda linen quality cotton....washing it now and tomorrow i shall cut it up to make tea towels, they will dry the dishes well and look brand new :)

motorbo - 2015-11-23 17:26:00

motorbo wrote:

off the food subject slightly....i purchased a good quality tablecoth today at the op shop for 2 bucks, its colourful checks in that kinda linen quality cotton....washing it now and tomorrow i shall cut it up to make tea towels, they will dry the dishes well and look brand new :)

That's a great idea motorbo. I've seen some nice linen tablecloths in our local shop but never thought about doing that, food for thought, thanks for sharing. I did recently buy a new cream duvet cover for $10 from which I'm going to make some oversize pillow cases.

nauru - 2015-11-23 19:20:00

bumping

mumsrule - 2015-11-29 09:38:00

cheers, i just hate tea towels that dont dry the dishes, i managed to get 6 out of that tablecloth and the dry dishes perfectly
i have some off cuts of curtaining that i am using to cover cushions for my couch.

nauru wrote:

That's a great idea motorbo. I've seen some nice linen tablecloths in our local shop but never thought about doing that, food for thought, thanks for sharing. I did recently buy a new cream duvet cover for $10 from which I'm going to make some oversize pillow cases.

motorbo - 2015-11-29 10:38:00

Budgets.
And Xmas.
Xmas is for kids. Small ones, not left high school.
They don't need a heap of whatever the latest trend is either, sometrhing they might get a lot of use out of.
I bought a trampoline one year (used). This year the one grandchild gets some colouring things and a small bottle of perfume.

That's it. No adults.

Food.
Why? Everyone I know complains about the rounds to family and the food they have to eat.
One special meal in the day - wherever you may be...and one only.
And unless you have a gigantic family, you don't need the gigantic ham or turkey. No-one really wants to eat leftovers for days either.
Or just do nibbles, a selection that people can help themselves too, or not. Not a heap put out and people are expected to eat if they don't want to.
Cheap as....

lythande1 - 2015-12-01 16:33:00

41 agee jars 2 weeks ago, for $10, and another 12 this morning for $5, not long till my Black Boy peaches will be ready.............

kay34 - 2016-02-13 22:48:00

Bump. To find again when I get home

whiskey13 - 2016-06-16 21:00:00

bumping, cos i haven't for ages!!

kay34 - 2016-07-26 20:41:00

Thank you Kay. I was thinking about this thread as I'm trying to do a budget and it has heaps of good ideas.

calista - 2016-07-27 20:48:00

Hi everyone it doesnt matter what age we are we all have times when something crops up and we all need to set up a budgeting system to suit our needs, I think we all just simply have to much easy access to money, whether it be an eftpos card that links into different accounts or credit cards, it is simply just too easy to use funds without thinking about it, I am not saying de link yourself, but if you struggle with self control it might be a good idea.

kob - 2016-07-29 15:00:00

Kob - that was how I paid off my mortgage. My savings account can't be easily accessed, I have to actually go to the bank. Also I mostly leave my debit card at home. I do use it for on-line purchasing (mainly books for my kindle) . Also it links to only one account that doesn't have much money in it as a protection against fraud.

As I have got older I have become less likely to buy on impulse. My last 'big' buy was a small freezer so I could make and freeze large batches of soup and stews in the slow cooker. It also means that when I buy meat at the supermarket I can make meals in bulk to eat later.

And Kob - a very big thank you for starting this wonderful resource - and also to the many contributors.

calista - 2016-08-04 00:15:00

Bonus at work today, sales rep from an old customer came in - 2L Delmaine Tomato Sauce, 1L Caramel ice cream topping, 1L raspberry jelly topping - cost me my manners - which are always free!!

kay34 - 2016-08-19 17:40:00

Too good to lose :)

Edited by chelsea8 at 8:55 am, Sat 12 Nov

chelsea8 - 2016-11-12 08:48:00

A good day out Xmas shopping yesterday..... hubby finally told me what he wanted - an electric razor, new Briscoes had a sale on (shock horror) but thought i would have look in Farmers first - had $40 worth of vouchers from the online surveys i do, and Farmers had 50% off - $180 razor, half price, $90, less $ 40 worth of free vouchers = $50 of "my money" for a $180 razor - happy as!!

kay34 - 2016-11-27 17:20:00

bump, new year and all ;-)

kay34 - 2017-01-24 21:02:00

bump

uli - 2017-01-28 16:25:00

bumping again

kay34 - 2017-02-24 22:03:00

Havent bumped for awhile, or posted. Had a huge win on here just before Xmas, 2 trailer loads of firewood for $22 - went to collect and seller told us he had 3-4 trees that had come down in high winds - what ever you can cut up you can have for $20 per trailer........ Dad volunteered his labour and chainsaw, still dont think a woodshed 2 meteres wide and 4 car garage long FULL for $82 was a bad buy!!!!! Have had 2 weeks holiday (sadly back to work on Thursday) started with a drink at the club on Sunday night with my Mum, and thought id buy the last ticket in the meat raffle, $2 and my Mums favourite number was all that was left(4). 4x lamb chops, 2x rump steak, 8x meat patties, 6x gourmet sausages - lol, not bad for my $2 ticket and $2.50lemonade, ChChop shops got a work over in the 4 days my Mum stayed, and had 2 days in Dunedin for free with my Mum, hit the op shops very hard after putting a $2 coin in a pokie machine, pushed the wrong button and won $100.00 - 2x king single duvet covers for $16(we're so sure we have bought our forever home, that i have decided i'd like a king single trundler bed...one day) and the most perfect chest of drawers (that i had been looking for since last July) for $40, kathmandu polar fleeces x3 for $3ea, stunning jeans that couldn't fit better unless they were tailored especially for me for $2, 10kg of apples free from a tree on the side of the road on my way home, (6 crumbles made and in the freezer this morning, with about 8kg left to bottle)and 8 meals of chicken thighs for $12 at the supermarket yesterday, $49 sheets for our Californian King Size bed (down from $130). And too many others to list.

kay34 - 2017-04-04 12:01:00

calista wrote:

My last 'big' buy was a small freezer so I could make and freeze large batches of soup and stews in the slow cooker. It also means that when I buy meat at the supermarket I can make meals in bulk to eat later.

Meat from the supermarket is expensive.
I buy in bulk from the independent butchers, by price.
Mince $5.99kg, schnitzel $12.99 kg etc.

Edited by lythande1 at 3:15 pm, Tue 4 Apr

lythande1 - 2017-04-04 15:15:00

chicken breast $8/kg at mad butcher this week

kay34 - 2017-04-24 21:04:00

This message was deleted.

kindajojo - 2017-04-24 21:15:00

Bumping ........

beagle12 - 2017-06-01 18:07:00

Mince on special at Mad Butcher this week....

kay34 - 2017-06-02 19:18:00

Have been bartering with our neighbour lately - the have a large lemon tree, too many for them, we have a feijoa tree - too many for us, an easy swap! Neighbourly website had someone asking for feijoas, so i swapped for some home baking, easy, helps everyone out, and free!

kay34 - 2017-06-18 11:51:00

toadfish wrote:

Hi Michelle I have a bag of dried Chick peas in the cupbard, How do I cook these in the crockpot, ie how much water and is the water boiling to start with, and how long to cook them. Miss 14 has decided to become a vegetarian *Rolls eyes heavenwards* I have convinced her that some vegetarians eat chicken and fish, as some do, but when we have red meat she has been having beans and chickpeas (from a can) Think its just a phase but would be good to turn the dried chickpeas in the cupboard into emergency meals in the freezer.

I soak the chickpeas overnight then cook in a pressure cooker. They are really difficult to get to cook properly in a slow cooker in my experience. You can also just boil them after soaking in a normal pot. They take between 45 min to an hour.

brusselsprout - 2017-08-06 17:04:00

... they taste good when freshly cooked too - perfect for snacks.. and also when chickpeas are cooked, strained, left to cool, then spices and seasonings sprinkled over them and bake in the oven on 150-160C to roast them - seriously good!

juliewn - 2017-08-06 23:40:00

Bumping, cos it has been awhile. Cauli is 99c each at Raeward Fresh Tower Junction tomorrow.

kay34 - 2017-08-22 18:48:00

And bumping. Have trialed countdown online shopping for the last 6 weeks, and has reduced oour grocery bill by $30-$50 per fortnight, even tking in the $14 delivery fee. We are forced to be more organised and write a detailed list of what we need (saves buying 2x of something we have 3 of already) and plan meals a bit better, but savings have come from not impulse buying while wandering up and down the aisles, and the thread in here about countdown codes (basically $15 discoint which equates to free delivery)

kay34 - 2017-10-08 19:57:00

juliewn wrote:

... they taste good when freshly cooked too - perfect for snacks.. and also when chickpeas are cooked, strained, left to cool, then spices and seasonings sprinkled over them and bake in the oven on 150-160C to roast them - seriously good!

Perfect Christmas present for youngest bro. (I'm making a special edibles basket for him). Thanks.

calista - 2017-10-15 21:15:00

Bump for Xmas

uli - 2017-11-09 16:16:00