Pantries and Preparedness. Fruit season part 2.

Last week in part one I covered things I do leading up to summer knowing I usually get loads of free and very cheap fruit. Being ready means I can deal with it when it comes in and not waste any. I can use this as a big opportunity to fill up my pantry, freezer and also get ahead in gifts and even donations ready for charity fetes and food hampers.

This is getting close for us! January is the main influx and I am being positive this will be a good year!

Firstly, much fresh fruit is eaten and I would not buy any other so money is saved right there. I keep some on the counter and some in the fridge. I will also see how I can use it in the meals. Last year I used peaches on the BBQ and topped with mascarpone cheese. These were gorgeous. I cut up peaches for breakfast. I made fresh crumble and it was gorgeous. Andy still talks about it!
I made a lovely nectarine, rocket and walnut salad. Loved this! All sorts of things to use the fruit fresh in both sweet and savory ways. So healthy and good.
So this is healthy and saves on grocery money while we have this produce.

I give the girls each enough fruit for their households as well.

With what I cannot possibly use up I set to work making into things and attend to the ripest fruit first as there is only so much you can do in a day. This buys you time. Sometimes it turns out I can deal with it all in a week or more. When you are really busy even a few minutes a day can keep fruit from being wasted.

I make things that we will use fresh, things for the freezer and also gifts. But a cooked crumble or stewed fruit will last a few more days when the really ripe fruit may not.
You will have your own recipes and do look online for recipes to use up what you have. Type in salads, "ways to use up..."  and get a whole lot of inspiration! Sometimes I have had a light bulb moment on how to use something in a way I never thought of.

Here are some of my favorite recipes that I use year after year.

Use it up fruit cake.

This is beautiful! It keeps quite well for a few days. It will use up plums (pictured above), peaches, apricots, nectarines (below) ...

It is really easy to make a so good. It is a lovely gift too.  You can also serve it warm or cold.

The recipe is here.

I always make a lot of jam.  The easy microwave method is here.  This is wonderful as it is so fast and easy. No chopping fruit. Also the colour of the jam is brighter. I do about a kilo at a time (2lbs roughly). However if I have a large amount to make I will still put a pot of jam on the stove. But this means you can make small batches and it is a big help. If you have never made jam try it as this will get you going. Many bread makers also have a jam making setting and I am told it works really well!

Muffins. These freeze so well and you can pack them full of fruit. They are so handy as they can be breakfast or a snack or a desert. This recipe will use up just about anything you have on hand. It's wonderful! I will use a lot fresh in lunch boxes and give a dozen each to the girls and as gifts.

Even though it's a different subject I am going to mention reasons to make plenty of jam!
There are so many things you can make later using jam. I probably have added many things to this list now but this is a starter and do read the comments as there are more! Take a jar of jam. As well, over the season you can end up with quite a few types of jam.  A basket or box with one of each is a gorgeous gift. All the colours look lovely!

Another regular is a fruit cobbler. This is the easiest of all and you don't need pastry! This is the recipe.
The post also mentions stewed fruit which I also always make. This is summer breakfasts and some I freeze. This cobbler freezes perfectly so when it re appears in winter it is really good!

I make a lot of crumbles and pies. I have no recipe. The pies i just line a pie dish and fill with whatever fruit I have (uncooked) and add a little sugar. Taste to see if you think it's the right sweetness. Top and decorate. Usually bake around an hour, watch to see its nice and golden.
Pies freeze well also. Pies make lovely gifts!

Crumbles (crisps). I just grease a dish and fill with fruit. Add a tiny amount of sugar. In a bowl I melt some butter and add brown sugar and maybe half a cup of flour plus... crushed nuts and or crumbed cereal, oats or any crumb I have saved up or left over. Crushed nuts are really good and you only need a tablespoon or so. Mix together and taste it! Add or alter until it is delicious! Crumble this over your fruit. I like a good thick layer. Bake until golden and bubbly. This is heavenly! Crumbles also freeze.

This year I will be filling the crock pot with fruit and stewing it down to make baby food. I will take these around to Lucy after they are frozen in ice cube trays and emptied into containers. Stewed fruits pureed also make good ice blocks/icy poles for children.

Hopefully I will also find new recipes this year. HOPEFULLY i will get lots of fruit!
This is my strategy as we have abundant fruit here and so many people let it fall to the ground that by asking I have a lot of people that let me pick it. It really adds hundreds of dollars to my food budget and is just amazing.
But whatever comes your way make the most of it. And if you know this is a regular event plan ahead so you are ready. Anything fresh has a window of opportunity and if you leave it and time gets away from you the chance is lost. I would stay up all night working rather than waste it!

Next week we have a post by Teri and the subject is using foods that you have preserved. Being able to go to the pantry and put to use things you have previously canned, dried and so on.  I find all year I am able to use the jam I made in summer as there are so many uses for it. I love this!

I hope you are having a good week! With love. xxx

Christmas gifts. Show and tell!

All my recent posts on Monday's have been about getting ready for Christmas, making gifts and all the ways to save money and have a beautiful Christmas, not a stressful one!

I thought this week I would show some of the great pictures I have been getting of many gifts being made. It is wonderful to see! Plus there are many ideas and inspirations!

Where to start...

Ok, firstly Rosanne has been making 100% cotton bath sets that include wash cloths and scrub buddies.

She makes sets in the colours she knows the person will love and a pretty box for it to all go into.  Lovely.

Rosanne also makes heat packs with a removable washable cover for them.

She uses velcro then to hold them in place. Really good idea!
 

                                                   


Kelly has been making beautiful pillowcases. She made a pirate themed one for her son as she already made him a pirate themed quilt!

And others for gifts ...

I am loving the ballerinas. What a gorgeous gift for a child. So personal. Very nicely made too.

Jen showed me Christmas cupcakes she made previously. I had not thought of Christmas cup cakes! You could do any flavor even the fruit cake mixture this way. Look at her amazing presentation...

What a good idea. Beautiful!  Jen has also been busy making many gifts.  She made felt food which includes slices of cake that just blows me away! I love this...

I really want to make some like this for Harper when she is older. How adorable.

And these... the base is an embroidery hoop!

Also wash cloths... this one for a little Superman fan...

Jen is still busy making more gifts and many of them in multiples. She is cross stitching Christmas designs as well to frame...

My youngest reader Emma wrote to me recently saying she really wants a pretty house when she grows up. Well, she is on the right track. Vicky is her Grandma and Emma is learning all kinds of stuff that will help her when she grows up. Here she is making the tulle vegie bags... and she chose bright pink for them! Respect.

Emma is seven and she is doing an excellent job with her sewing! Thank you for sending me photos Emma!


Teri made a quilt for a man who is a big comic fan and the theme is Poison Ivy. She made it especially because this is what he loves and entirely out of things she had! What a good gift.  A lot of time and love went into this!

Janine has been really busy. She has made the most of a resource near her which is a towel factory outlet.  She is able to get hand towels and face washers at amazing prices. The lace was from her Mum's collection. Also the burgundy set is a large tablecloth, 6 serviettes, a table runner and two heat mats ALL made with an end of the roll purchase of fabric that cost $5 and she still had some left!
What a beautiful collection!  And she is still making more.

Vicky M made these Sugar Cookie Sacks. How lovely. Perfect for neighbors, teachers and unexpected gifts. You can find instructions via her blog too Vicky's Kitchen and Garden.

Helen has been working on a rug... look at the lovely colors! (I just added this is for anyone wondering how they missed it!)

Thank you so much to everyone for showing me what you are making. It is so nice to see.
It took me quite a long time to feel that it was ok to give my own homemade gifts. It takes some confidence. But now when you see in stores that home cooking is sold at HUGE prices and sells like hot cakes it makes you realize cooking is loved! And when you see hand made clothes, home wares etc at great prices and know you can do at least as well then it all comes together... we can make our gifts and be confident in giving them.  I think whatever gift you give there will be the occasional person that isn't grateful. Most people will be delighted and touched that you made something for them.  Have you ever had it that you sent a lot of a gift and a great amount of trouble and it didn't seem appreciated or you were never thanked? Well, that can happen whether you bought a gift or made one. If someone is ungrateful they are just ungrateful. Don't be put off! Find someone else who will be grateful! Believe me, there are so many people who will be so thrilled with a gift you made with love and care.
And that is what next weeks post is about!

If you have pictures of what you have been making that you would share please email me at brinkzi21@hotmail.com I would love to see!  I am thrilled to see so much beautiful work and what touches my heart is all the people who sent in photos have busy lives and they still manage to produce such wonderful things! This just makes me happy somehow!

Have a wonderful week!  Wednesday is part 2 of the fruit season and how to make the most of all produce that comes your way. xxx

This is a message to Kelsey... I accidentally deleted your comment on Friday! I had to cut and paste it back as I couldn't find the deleted one and so you may not have seen that I replied! I hate not replying and I hope you saw it! xx

Feather your Nest Friday, 13 November, 2015.

This week was a bit slower for me as I had a massive headache and the middle of the week was messed up a bit by that! Well, these things happen and I still managed some savings and apart from that it was still pretty good.

Here we are in the middle of November. That sounds so close to Christmas to me! It has me making lots of lists and trying to be organized.

These are some of the ways we saved money or got ahead this week:

Andy was offered some extra work and that will take up a few weekends. But he is very pleased. It is a great help.

I bought sugar and baking supplies on specials getting ready for christmas baking and also fruit season.

Andy's workmate offered us large rolls of plastic wrap (Gladwrap). When I saw them I was amazed, they are huge! This is them and in front I put my regular sized packet to show the difference...

Without taking into account the fact that it is so much wider and just going by the length this much from the supermarket would cost $180. Yep $180 of plastic wrap is mine. It will last a long time! That will be a saving about once a month or so. (for years!)

I earned 500 fly buy points with my voucher and a $30 shop. (towards my next free groceries)

I got some presents wrapped. I am doing a little bit most evenings so I get ahead...

I collected some post box and packs to recycle for free posting packaging of Christmas parcels.

This week I colored my hair, trimmed it and gave myself a pedicure, painted my nails.

Mum gave me some lovely foundation.

I checked the catalogues and this paid off too. Also Wendy posts the weekly specials for the Australian girls on her blog My Abundant Life so I check that each week.

Andy had built the range hood. My job is the painting. It is going to LOOK like stainless steel. I went to a local paint specialist and they wanted $140 something dollars for stainless steel paint. I would still need undercoat. Then the clincher... it was a non washable paint. The man could see by my facial expression that I couldn't get to the door fast enough by now. He said "yeh, that's kind of not very practical is it?" No it's not! So I went to the local hardware store and got undercoat, a stainless steel spray paint and the brushes I need all for under $50. So I saved at least a hundred dollars right there. Now to do it..

I made progress on my Use it up Freezer Challenge which saved money and making room for after Christmas specials and fruit.

The garden was largely watered by household water, I made all meals and lunches.


Some ways I feathered the nest and made things nice (and other stuff) ...

Mum gave me a beautiful flowering pale pink orchid plant.

The chickies have grown. They went outside and are outside full time now. Even this was entertaining. Their coop has a wooden floor. At first they didn't think they wanted to go on the grass. Grass just does not look TRUSTWORTHY. Anyone can see that. Eventually they went on the grass but only for a few seconds then they would dash back into the coop. Later they got used to it then if there was a puff of breeze that ruffled their feathers this made them all run back into the coop.
I can see these are TOUGH chickens.
Now we are good with grass and breeze and even crumbs. So the beginning of eating kitchen scraps has taken off too.  Also the are learning to come when you call them.

Some goods were added to the pantry and cellar, toilet paper, water, toothpaste and pasta.

The house is looking a bit like Christmas even though we do not put up the tree and decorate until December... but the cooking and the gifts are around and it is FEELING like Christmas which is a nice atmosphere.

I was planning to show some lovely pictures sent in of what everyone is making for Christmas presents.
It is beautiful to see and many are from materials on hand so that is wonderful too. I have decided to make that a special post on Monday. Even my very youngest reader Emma has been busy and sent in photos!
If you have been making things for gifts (or even Christmas decor or cooking) and would like to show me and/ or allow them to be on the blog would you email me at brinkzi21@hotmail.com I would love to see and you might also inspire others.

I hope you had a good week! How did you save money, get ahead or build up your home? Some weeks are bigger than others but every little thing adds up! xxx

Pantries and Preparedness. Being ready for fruit season.

Monday we were talking about getting ahead. One of my favorite ways to get ahead is fruit season in summer. For years I have made sure everyone I know is aware I love to make jam, pies etc and I will pick fruit and return some jars of jam to them. Also I have made friends when I have seen a fruit tree dropping fruit all over the ground and gone and asked if it would be alright if I picked it. So word is out! And one way or another every year I am blessed with lots of free fruit.

We also had a wonderful apricot tree when we moved here. Garden Del commented that she has an Apricot tree and I have been thinking about that! We lost our tree to a disease and I am so upset.
Having a fruit tree is so wonderful. And a huge asset. I look at it like this. We are trying to get ahead with our pantries and financially. A fruit tree equals money. It equals a whole row of jam or preserves in your pantry. You are not buying fruit and you can save that money. You can fill your freezer with pies, muffins, cakes and stewed fruit for winter.
You can shower people with the gift of a pie, jam and fresh fruit. It could also be a gift for a birthday.
When the church or school fete comes up you have jars of lovely jam to donate. You are ahead there too!
You have jars of jam towards hampers at Christmas.
I look at it that the tree of fruit might be worth $200. Bonus! But when you make it into things you might greatly increase this.

At our local store a homemade apricot pie is around $35. They look amazing and sell like hot cakes.
I could easily make ten of those. Thats $350.
I could make 20 jars of jam. At $3 a jar thats another $60.
A few dozen muffins for the freezer. According to local prices thats another $100 or so.
I can also use this as an opportunity to thank people. A man down the street often sweeps the whole strip including past us. I can use this as a chance to thank him and take down an apricot slice.
The girls would get a week of free fruit.
The money saved all year from that fruit, the gifts and donations I can use it for so many other things...
And so it goes.
Can you see how the value adds up and up?

I would watch out apricot tree like a hawke. As soon as bird pecks started on the fruit I started picking. The entire dining room floor would be covered in apricots!

Whether it's fruit from your own tree or from somewhere else it tends to come all at once and be a very busy time. Truly, it can overwhelm you. Time can run out and the fruit can spoil. It really is a window of opportunity that you have. But it can really get you ahead. You can turn that fruit into such an asset.
Now this also applies to any time you might get a lot of any produce. Being ready helps.

Last year I had about 40 kilos of peaches in two days. It was bliss. But some was very ripe and I had to work fast. Luckily I was ready. Being ready makes all the difference!

So at this time of year I know in another month or so this season will start for me. These are the things I do to be ready that help me get it all done and waste none. (this is the way I get ahead for the busy time of dealing with all this fruit!)

Firstly all year I collect jars.  I like to make lots of jam as jam is useful for so many things, including gifts. I let people know too that I collect jars. When you have a kitchen full of fruit you really don't have time to go looking for jars and you don't want to have to buy them. So collect, collect.

I tend to save pretty jars and smaller ones to use as gifts so I have a stash as those as well...

Have all your jars cleaned. This all saves a lot of time when you are busy.
I save up jam toppers, labels, tags etc. They are all ready. Although I will not start labeling and prettying jars up until all the fruit is dealt with as you have time for that later...

Knowing this season is coming I am having a freezer challenge. I want room to put away and freeze pies, stewed fruit, crumbles, cakes and muffins.

I will make sure I have packets of frozen pastry. While I should make my own pastry I don't. I watch for specials and save up packets so I can make quick pies in big numbers. This helps me a lot. The price of homemade pies makes me realize they are beautiful, suitable for guest and gifts too!

I save up sugar ready for jam making. I put away quite a few bags. Coming up closer I will also get lemons as jam always sets if you squeeze half a lemon into it.

Knowing I will be making pies I have a whole stack of pie plates. You can also have some foil ones for pies to give away as gifts. You do not want to be out of pie dishes just when you have the change to make half a dozen.

I will also make cobblers and crumbles. So I store up flour and have spare butter ready in the fridge.

During the year I also try and collect ideas and recipes and plan what I could do with this fruit. I want to make the most of it. The more gifts it can give me the better. This year I found this picture that I think is lovely...

So I have been saving up fabric scraps and vintage spoons which I have been paying about 20c so I can copy this!

I liked the look of this peach crumble cake so I will be trying that...

All of these things mean I can get busy on the fruit and not be fluffing around collecting everything I need. That bit is done. I am ahead!

Whatever you like to make and however you like to preserve get as much ready to go as possible. It will help you manage much better and get more done.

You also can buy time and waste less if you deal with what comes in with a little system. Right away wash everything. I spread fruit out on an old sheet or towel so I can see what needs using right away through to what may not be fully ripe yet. Some can go into the fridge and this slows down ripening. So it might mean I only have to deal with a bit today and can use up some each day until it's done. This makes it much more manageable.

We will also be eating fresh fruit and using it in our meals. Last year I made nectarines into a beautiful salad with rocket and feta. So we use lots in fresh ways as well.

A bit of planning and organization means you can turn a windfall into some serious assets that will help you for the whole year. What could be better?

Next week I will go onto recipes and the things you can make. You can make small batches of jam in the microwave and it only takes about half an hour. I have been known to be making jam as I cook dinner. Small batches still amount to a row of jars if that suits you better.
Fruit from one tree can put you ahead in your budget by hundreds of dollars. It is amazing. And it isn't hard.

I truly hope you will be blessed with fruit this summer and it becomes a great help to your pantry and budget. Get ready now and start planning. It is such a happy time to have abundance and the chance to make it benefit you for a whole year ahead. True happiness! xxx

Getting ahead.

During the last weeks we have been working on ways to save money over Christmas and also build up our pantries. Both of these are ways to get ahead in one way or another. They get you ahead financially and also with time management.  So I am talking about getting ahead as in ways to have more time and money up your sleeve, not a large boat in the driveway type getting ahead. (Although Andy would love a large boat in the driveway lol)

Often I say that this or that will also help us to get ahead. I am always trying for ways to inch ahead somehow.  Sometimes I can see that doing a little extra helps things be heading in an upwards spiral and other ways when things are just not going right and everything is heading in a downwards spiral!
I do notice that most ways to get ahead a bit are little things we can do and lots of little things add up.

It is bliss when I am ahead with things. It means I am not only caught up (as I'm often trying to catch up!) but something else is done too. Maybe dinner is already made and thawing out. Christmas gifts are all made. We have some money in the emergency fund. They are all little ways that getting ahead is a great feeling!
Believe me I don't always achieve this! But it is something I try for and try to find little ways to get there.

Some of my most tried and tested ways to get ahead are cooking multiples. So if I make a casserole I make a big batch so I have enought to make pies with the left overs or enough for a meal another night.

If I am making pies I try to make enough to have some spare ones in the freezer for emergency/easy meals. Then I am ahead with both cooking and grocery money.

I do the same with soup, stock, spaghetti sauce etc. It is really no harder to do a big batch but saves you in a lot of ways.

Meals in the freezer get you ahead in several ways. Apart from a time saver if you have a lot of big bills or there is severe weather you have meals without going shopping. You are ahead financially as well as time wise.

If making a cake make two. Or make up the extra amount as muffins or little cakes. Frozen these can be popped into lunch boxes.  The same with pizza, make some little ones as well for the next days. It all gets you ahead! These things mean lunches are taken and not bought. Right there you have just got ahead by a long way!

I make large trays of lasagne so I have plenty of left overs. When cold they cut beautifully and I freeze them in individual portions like this...

These are so handy!
Many things have spin off benefits. Meals like this mean you don't need takeaway. They are so helpful and this is one of my best ways to get ahead.

Another one I love is getting ahead with bills. This is often a bit of a dream but my biggest bill that worries me is power. As we usually get very hot summers this hangs over our heads. Since putting away money each week so I have a stash saved up towards this bill it is much better. It gets me ahead a little. Even a little is a big help.

Making presents all year has really got me ahead. I am thrilled with this one. In January we are starting The Christmas Club so we can work along together to get ahead for next year. It helps as far as your work load goes but also financially. Big help!

With crafts I always make multiples. Like with cooking it is often not much more work to do a few spares and put them away for another gift. This works with cards too. While the supplies are out assemble some more. You will be ahead with cards when you need them.

When we were at school Mum always had us organize our bags and things the night before so we were ahead in the morning. I always did this with the girls. Clothes and lunches were all sorted in the evening before to get the day off to a good start. A good evening routine will really get you ahead for the next day. Anything you can do to get the next day off to a good start is a big help. The day will go better. Somehow fifteen minutes spent the night before getting organized seems to equal a whole lot more time in the mornings!

Some ladies do a lot of cooking on the weekend to get ahead for the working week.
Mum often will set the dinner table and do something towards dinner during the day so she is ahead in the busy evenings.

This week I have started doing some Christmas parcel wrapping as I have a lot to do. It gets pretty busy closer to Christmas. Getting some done now gets me ahead with that. It keeps me from doing things in a rushed way too so things turn out better! And as a bonus as I sorted through my presents I have enough things for several January birthdays. I am wrapping these now as I wrap Christmas presents. I feel what a good start to January that these are done!

We try and go away a few days every year. We have a fund for that and when we can we add a little. And in the month before we go I start a holiday basket. I stash tea, coffee, treats, snacks so that I am ahead with things to take away with us.

Some ways I love to get ahead that work for me are:

Keeping a stash of wrapping paper and cards. Make as many as you can suitable for multiple occassions so you are not running to the store for these kinds of items.

A present cupboard of as much variety as possible.

A good pantry of basics.

Spare items that are used regularly from laundry powder to shampoo, toilet paper etc.

Spare ready made meals in the freezer and items that will make a quick meal in the pantry.

Long life milk or powdered milk for if milk runs out. And spares of whatever it is that your family tends to run out of causing dashes to the store.

A good evening routine. Keeping things you are going to need to take with you the next day near the door or next to your handbag.

Lists. A planner. Knowing your week, your appointments, up coming birthdays... all these things help you stay ahead and not get caught out!

Finding little ways to save. Building up your emegency fund.

Putting on the crock pot in the morning when its a busy day or you are going to be out. Or taking a meal out of the freezer. You are well ahead then for the evening meal.

Pre preparing what you can ahead of visitors coming for a meal.

Part preparing food so meals can be put together quickly. ie wash your lettuce and fruit so it is ready.

Drying my tops on hangers. There are no peg marks then and they go straight into the wardrobe.

Putting away clothes for the season clean and fresh and ready for next season.
The same with shoes/boots.

Combining errands to get as much done in the shortest time.

Folding sheets etc straight from the line so no creases are formed.

Delegate and have everyone doing their share.  Work as a team.

Using what you have already for crafts and sewing gets you miles ahead. You might have to be inventive but using things up is a huge money saver.

Set aside food intended for other meals. Don't have a free range policy. In a past life I had a lot of trouble with this. Whatever I cooked ahead was eaten. I learned when serving to set aside future meals asap and freeze asap.

Use whatever you have in abundance in every way you can. If you have an abundance of apricots then look at them as food for now, food to store, gifts and treats. They can be your current fruit so you don't need to spend any money on fruit. (money saved) They can be made into stewed apricots for the freezer, for breakfasts etc... (more money saved and some food put away for the future), they can be made into jam (more food put away for the future and lovely gifts to give away), they can be made into cakes and muffins etc (loads more food and gifts!) Dry some for future snacks or making fruit cakes. One windfall of fruit can get you ahead in many ways! The same with anything... make the most of it.

Sometimes getting ahead is helped with a little planning and re arranging. Sometimes multi tasking is a big help. A space of time like sitting in the doctors surgery is a great time to write a letter, (or book if your Doctor is like mine!) work on your crochet or whatever is transportable.

What are you tips for getting ahead? From time saving tips to money saving tips they all help as gain a little ground in different areas.

There are times I especially try to make extra progress... before a really busy time, before a holiday or a big expense coming up. Other times being ahead is a life saver like when you are sick.

This is another area that little opportunities over time add up. In fact when you think about it gradual improvements can be life changing. Most people do not greatly improve their families positions overnight. Most things take years and years. Inching ahead in different ways can be life changing.

On Wednesday I am posting about getting ahead so that it is easy to deal with lots of fruit if it comes your way. It seems to me that I will have nothing to preserve then in one day I will have 40 kilos of something and if I don't act fast I will miss the opportunity as half of it will spoil. So before fruit season I try to get ahead with things that will make this time much easier. And that time is approaching! Around Christmas and January I often end up with lots of fruit. It is a window of opportunity to make the most of this abundance! Preparing ahead makes it much easier.

Have a wonderful week! xxx

Feather your Nest Friday, 6 November, 2015.

It has been a busy week! Plus we had lots of rain both here in the city and at the farm. This is wonderful. Things are soaked.  Helen said to me once that when it is raining it might as well be raining money. This is true. Our water bill will be way down for a fortnight and the farm will produce. When you grow up on a farm the sound of rain equals happiness! (Dad in a good mood!) At the farm the duck  pond flooded. Can you imagine the good fun time the ducks are having!?

Some of the ways I saved money this week:

I started my "use it up" challenge from the freezer. So I didn't buy the ingredients for two meals and used things from the freezer. This lowered my grocery bill, gets stuff used up, makes room for after Christmas bargains.

I studied the catalogues. Doing this weekly has really been paying off. There are quite a few things over the last weeks I would not have known about without doing this. It is well worth it.

I finished decorating some little jars with rose decals. These are small, like spice jars. I thought I would make sets for my cupboard and for gifts.

Andy is building me a range hood. Or range hood cover might be the right thing to say.  We have a really high ceiling and so this was saving us about $1000 which seems ridiculous.

I finished grouping my gifts to fit my gift list and have presents for everyone. Done! Plus some January birthday gifts too. 

Some ways I feathered my nest are:

Getting chickens! (I think I MAY have mentioned this before...)

When I took this photo I thought of the saying "don't put all your chickens in one basket" then I realized it's "don't put all your EGGS in one basket" so it was alright!
They have settled in and are very docile.

I added bird seed, chook food, sunflower seeds to my stockpile.

Also I dead headed and trimmed the roses. Hopefully this will give me another crop. And I saved all the pink rose petals and am drying them towards my soap making I have planned for next year.

I baby sat so Lucy could have a free afternoon to do Christmas shopping.

So it was a pretty good week. Not huge, just good.

I hope you had a great week! How did you save money and build up your home?
Something I have noticed lately is how much working as a team builds up your home. If we have someone to work with and they are doing their bit and you are doing your bit things really add up. I am lucky with that. Andy is responsible for a whole lot of things and then fixes and makes things all saving a lot of money. I am responsible for a lot of things and save a lot of money there. He just gets on with what he needs to be doing and so do I. We don't even discuss who is going to do what as we know. I am glad that's harmonious too. But however many people you have on your team if everyone is working together you can achieve so much!

This weekend I am planning a use it up from the freezer weekend so that will be a super cheap weekend plus free up some more space!

Have a great weekend! xxx

Pantries and Preparedness. Chooks.

In Australia we call chickens chooks.  I have had chooks most of my life. My downfall is that I keep them until they are really old and end up running a chook nursing home. However, overall they have always kept me in eggs, entertained the children, eaten every scrap, provided garden fertilizer and been happy and cheerful... which you find rubs off when you have them!

My Nan kept chooks all her life. She loved them. She was always out collecting the eggs and feeding the chickens. Nan loved that chooks are so cheerful. She wasn't far off herself actually they had a lot in common. She was always busy and happy. She was always cooking something or giving eggs to someone who needed them.

I have been without any chickens for a year or more as my last few were really old and we had a heatwave and that finished them off. I thought I would have a break for a while. But even though I try not to waste food sometimes I would be throwing away scraps, peeling etc and it would always seem such a waste! I could be feeding this to the chooks and getting eggs in return.

Also I want Harper to grow up doing things like collecting the eggs! Even if it's just at my house.

Last week I posted pictures of Bantams that I had really fallen in love with. They are just small chooks essentially. Tania helped me find some! And after a few phone calls and emails I have them already! This is not bad as I only just found that cage the other day...

I wanted to talk about the help of having chooks as far as your pantry goes. Not just in that you have eggs and there are so many meals you can make from them... but that you then also have a commodity. Something you can sell. Something you could trade. Also potentially something you can give to help someone out or as a gift. This is very handy!

Our family always had chhoks and when I was growing up I know Mum gave eggs away weekly to a big family she knew. She took several dozen eggs to that family for many many years. 

Now I know this won't suit everyone. If you cannot keep them in your area or have no yard etc. But they are quite suitable for suburbia if councils permit and you don't need a lot of space or to pay for fancy or expensive set ups. 

Also there are many other ways to produce something you can sell. It is good to have a commodity I think. So if you have been thinking about getting chooks and it is a possibility for you I want to say it is really good. They bring a lot to your life and a steady supply of eggs is an awesome thing. Eggs make so many meals. They are a wonderful source of protein.

All of this is great but I have to tell you about getting these chickens. I should have taken a camera crew. Andy knew I intended to get them but he was at work when this man said "come anytime after 3" so I just went. It was about 45 minutes away in the Adelaide Hills. I headed off with a map on my ipad.  Up the hills, around winding country roads, up a dirt road that got narrower and narrower... and to a gate. And there I was. I parked the car near the gate and walked down the driveway. It was in thick scrub and there was a house down the hill at the end of this driveway.

Do you know the series Greenacres? The house was like that but surrounded by all kinds of stuff and there was clearly no one home. mmm I started to feel like I am miles from no where. No one knows where I am, if I am never seen again they won't know where to look and will never find my body EVER up here. lol

Oh well. Then out of the scrub appeared a whole little tribe of the cutest chickens ever! They appeared crossing the path in front of me like bowling balls.  They were really lovely.

There were chickens everywhere! 

Then a car turned up and it was a husband and wife so I thought my chances of being murdered were much less. They turned out to be the nicest people ever.

I got the grand tour. They had a goat and that came everywhere including inside. There were little sheds and then inside the house they had chickens under lights, eggs in incubators... a cockatoo, a Galah, Lorikeets... dogs...  chooks and chickens wherever you looked.... I watched chickens hatching in an incubator.

I got to hear how they came to be breading chickens and how the man fell out of a tree (6 meters no less) and a whole lot of stories. 

Then I had to pick our chickens. I got teenagers. And went by the adults to see how they should turn out.  I am allowed to swap any that turn out to be roosters. We are allowed to have hens but not roosters here. 

This was one of the mothers I liked...

See what I mean? They are fat and round and adorable.

I had a complication with a rooster who followed me and pecked my sneakers as I walked. 

I got four chicks and tried to get different colours.  They are between chick and adult size so they are teenagers I say. So they look scrawny compared to the adults. But they are super cute and funny.

They are not marvellous at staying still for photos but this photo shows some of the pretty colours and fluffiness!

Now these are not as good at laying as regular chickens. But we will still get lots of eggs. They are a great addition to my pantry in this way plus the garden (manure for fertiliser) and pets too.

I came home with feed, nesting material and you name it. It was a really fun afternoon.

Once home the chicks settled into the little house. When they are settled in and the weather is clear and warm (it is rainy now) they will be allowed to run around most of the yard. They are not scared, they let you pick them up and don't try and run away.

Today they tried grass and crumbs. They were suspicious but soon caught on. They do everything together. If one has a drink they all have a drink. If one sits down they all sit down. And so it goes...

Whether it's stocking the pantry, planting a vegie garden planting a fruit tree or getting chickens, all these things add layers to your pantry and preparedness.

I had intended to write a post about getting ready for the fruit season and how to deal with lots of produce when it comes in. That will be next week now!

I hope you are having a good week!

As a result of Monday's lovely comments I am already working on The Christmas Club for January!
xxx