Frugal Tasks Since Christmas

I'm back and it's a brand new year of excitement. I've had a lovely time at home with Darren pottering around. I've been decluttering, sorting, making, gardening, sorting out presents for this year, reworking the present budget as well as setting up the household budget for 2019.

I'm feeling on top of the world with all this organisation and believe I can travel through 2019 with confidence that I've put the right systems in place.

Here's what else I've been up to since I last blogged -

* Used lots of Flybuys dollars to purchase Christmas grocery treats and New Years Day BBQ food.

* Bought a pair of sandals during the post Christmas sales for 50% off.

* Gratefully received some blood plums from my Dad's neighbour.

* Picked 19 apricots form our tree and cooked them up to have as a dessert with homemade yoghurt. This has been our best year for apricots since we planted the tree in 2014.

* Made jam with plums in the freezer. I reused the gift tags that one customer returned to me. Some of the jars of jam will be sold or given as presents.

* Picked enough strawberries to make smoothies as well as general eating.

* Made up two bottles of diluted Dynamo laundry liquid. The ratio is one part liquid to 4 or 5 parts water.

* Made lots of gift tags from recycled Christmas cards. I now have a shoe box especially for Christmas tags and one for general present giving. I'm feeling quite organised this year.

* Picked lots of beans, silverbeet, raspberries, lettuce and a few cucumbers from the garden for our meals.

* Baked four loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness. I reused the plastic bread bags and tags.

* Gave Megan a haircut. She doesn't like anyone cutting her hair but me.

* Made 1 kilo of yoghurt using saved yoghurt as a starter from the freezer.

* Made a batch of olive and coconut oil soap. Some will be for our use and the rest will be given as presents or sold to a few friends.

* Bought a new bedroom suite during the Boxing Day sales and saved 30% off the regular price.

* Repaired and replaced the rope on Princess's scratching post.

* Sewed up sets of face washers and burb towels for Megan's baby shower using what I had on hand.