Category Archives: Shopping

Some New Additions

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Today we headed to Bendigo which is about 30 minutes from home. My mission was to collect a portable hanging rack that I had found on Marketplace. I wanted one that would be suitable for taking to the weekly LETS market that I could use to display bags and other items for sale. This one is perfect as it is telescopic and the height can be about 800mm when collapsed or extended to hold full-length garments if required. It is also easy to transport without disassembling it entirely.

While we were out and about and with no time constraints I checked out a few op shops that I had not been to previously.

I was fortunate to find a pair of black canvas casual shoes which appear to be unworn. They have a decent sole and are well-padded so a good buy at just $7. Whilst they are not required right now in the summer, I can see plenty of wear for them with jeans once autumn arrives.

I found this pretty blue linen top which is significantly oversized despite being marked as ‘Small’. There is a lot of fabric in it and I am planning to refashion it to a different style.

We also went to a native plant nursery where we bought 9 shrubs and groundcovers. I think tomorrow might be a day in the garden. More about those once they are planted.

LETS

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Last week I joined our local LETS group. It is an anacronym for Local Exchange Trading System. This Wikipaedia entry gives a good general overview if you want to know more about the concept.

Meanwhile, back to the local group, known as MaLETS (Mount Alexander Local Exchange Trading System) which is based on our regional local government area of Mount Alexander. This article is an excellent explanation of LETS in general and the successful operation of MaLETS in particular.

It was easy to join and start trading straightaway. On Sunday I bought a dozen eggs and a cucumber from 2 different members and sold 2 tote bags that I had made. I am really excited about the possibilities this opens up.

I am making some more bags (as well as other things) in preparation for the next market.

This is one that I have finished.

Some others are still a work in progress.

A New Buy

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It is a relatively rare occurrence these days for me to buy much other than consumables such as groceries and fuel, and experiences including travel, tickets to shows and events.

However, I think a recent purchase is worth sharing. Just after Christmas I was ordering some mixing bowls for one of my daughters. While perusing the website I saw some Joseph & Joseph chopping boards. These are rather expensive but were significantly reduced. I had seen my sister using them when we stayed with them early last year and I was impressed with them but had not done anything more about looking for some.

Anyway, I bit the bullet and bought two new red (naturally) boards. They are what I would regard as large and extra large. They are plastic but that is offset by their perceived longevity.

I may be a bit late to the party but here are some of the features I love about them. There is lip around 3 sides and a slight slope overall. These help to retain juices or errant bits when preparing food. Juices can also easily be poured from the deep corner. This in turn, helps to minimise waste. The recessed handles make them easy and safe to carry. One side has a spiked area which can assist in holding meat or other items in place while chopping them. There is also a narrow rubber strip on the edges which means they are stable and do not move when being used.

I have tried and used a variety of chopping boards over the years but these really appear to be the closest I have found to perfectly meeting my needs.

The other collection of boards all have their uses and will remain part of the kitchen until they break or wear out.

Four Days of Fun

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It is now 4 days since our granddaughters arrived from Queensland. They are here for 10 days and we are trying to find a balance of interesting things to do with a 16 year old and 14 year old.

After we picked them up at the airport we found a spot for a picnic lunch before we headed home.

A spot of mulberry picking rounded out the day.

On Tuesday we headed to Bendigo to buy a birthday gift for Miss 16 as well as a couple of other errands.

Yesterday we went to nearby Lake Cairn Curran for a BBQ picnic lunch, paddle in the water and a walk with the dog.

Here is a view I captured while waiting for lunch.

Finally, we picked up this DVD from Castlemaine Library before the girls headed to the local pool for a swim. We watched ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ in preparation for our outing today. It was interesting to note that some of the scenes were filmed in a town where we used to live, although the film was made long before we moved there.

Our first view of the rock.

Almost at the top.

A view of the surrounding country.

A quick op shop stop on the way home and Miss 14 found this pair of denim shorts for $4. A sundress completed her haul for the day.

Tonight we watched ‘Looking For Alibrandi’ on SBS On Demand and they both enjoyed this movie. We have plenty more adventures planned so most of the regular chores have been put on hold while we enjoy spending time with this special pair of teenagers.

Black Friday Blackout

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In a retail shopping context, Black Friday refers to the Friday after Thanksgiving (4th Thursday in November) in the United States.

Although Thanksgiving is not a traditional celebration in Australia the last 10 years has seen a steady rise in Black Friday sales. This has been strongly driven by online retailers but everyone seems to be keen to get in on the act. What was originally one day of concentrated sales hype has now been extended to include Cyber Monday.

The avalanche of Black Friday emails is astounding. The first one arrived on 3rd November – a full 3 weeks before the traditional Black Friday sales. At first it was a trickle of emails but in the past week has become an absolute flood. They all just go straight to the trash folder as soon as I see them but if I was interested I could have bought anything and everything from travel insurance, stationery, books, ink cartridges, cruises, phones, electronics, holidays, wine, fabrics, magazines, flights, overseas currency, menswear, outdoor equipment, magazines, event tickets, personal care and food.

Anyway, they can send as many emails as they like, Black Friday or otherwise, but we spend our money when and where we choose and not as a result of mega-amounts of advertising about what we supposedly need to make our lives complete.

The ‘cost of living crisis’ is headline news almost every day but I wonder how many will succumb to the Black Friday sales pitch for stuff that they almost certainly do not need to be buying.

Here is a timely reminder from an old blog post – almost 9 years ago. As relevant as ever.

Home From Holidays

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I am back after a short hiatus. We travelled to Adelaide and surrounds for about 10 days. It was mostly about catching up with family and friends which seemed to entail multiple very pleasant lunches and a couple of dinners in a variety of establishments.

We also took a couple of trips down memory lane as we revisited homes and places of interest of importance from when we lived in South Australia from 1987 – 2001.

Of course, there was plenty of op shopping in ‘new to me’ op shops. I wrote about some of my finds in my last post. This continued for the whole trip. Today I am doing several loads of washing now that I have unpacked. This includes the various new additions to my wardrobe.

I happened upon an online advertisement for a Banksy art exhibition so we spent a rather thought-provoking couple of hours there one afternoon. I loved the fact that there was quite a bit of background information about the pieces which added significantly to the overall experience.

Finally, no trip to Adelaide is complete without some views over the water. Fish and chips with a view of the sunset from Henley Beach.

A bit further south and this is the view from a lookout at Aldinga.

Shopping For Summer (Mostly)

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We are currently on holidays so I have a whole new selection of op shops to browse in as well as plenty of free time.

Here are the results of some very successful forays.

On Thursday I picked up these three pieces in one shop which I popped into as I had 30 minutes to spare before meeting a friend for lunch. The trousers are cropped summer-weight ones in colours that will work with my existing tops. The pretty mint green top is linen and can be worn as is or I may alter it. I have yet to decide but anything that is 100% linen is perfect for summer.

Yesterday I checked out a few more shops in different areas when we were out and about. Some yielded nothing and that is OK. However, I did find two more pairs of trousers that both appear to be unworn. The dark green ones are David Lawrence jeans. I will need to take them up a bit and they are too heavy for summer but will be good when winter inevitably rolls around. The navy ones are Lyocell which is a lightweight, drapey fabric and will be perfect summer trousers.

Today I discovered four op shops in a cluster so I had a browse through them all. The $3 bargain rack outside one shop was where I picked up the white piece which is either a long top or short dress. It is 100% cotton and will be perfect for hot summer days. I think I will alter it to become a regular length top. Finally, the red top is definitely for next winter as it is a high quality 100% wool.

All in all, I am pretty pleased with this selection. I managed to add 7 items to my wardrobe for $60 but most importantly, they have been saved from landfill and I expect to get plenty of wear from them.

Another Week

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I was contemplating writing this post yesterday and the first step was to consider what I had actually done in the past week that was blogworthy. I have been neither particularly busy nor lazy but just meandering along.

On Thursday we went to Melbourne to see Tim Minchin. It was a terrific show and we made the most of the trip by going shopping during the day. It was mostly stocking up on some food as well as buying descaler for the coffee machine and getting a key cut. Saturday evening was more socialising as we went to see a local band at a small bar in our town.

In other shopping news, I stocked up on some bulk items. I have managed to arrange to collect bulk olive oil from the farm gate about 30km from where we live. We picked up 2 x 20 litre drums of new season organic olive oil which we share with several friends. It is an economical and efficient way of purchasing a premium local product.

My other purchases were online. I have previously bought all of my dishwashing and laundry cleaning products from Kin Kin Naturals, a family business located in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. As it was relatively close to where we lived previously, I was able to buy directly from the manufacturer. I decided it was time to research my options for these products and found that I could buy bulk quantities online from Australian Organics so I stocked up. This was an easy decision as they offered $9.50 flat rate shipping. I found that the shipping costs often make online shopping an uneconomic proposition so this was a great find.

I have also ordered a 15 litre drum of hair and body wash from Envirocare which should arrive in the next day or two. This is another product I am familiar with using and it makes sense to buy a substantial quantity in one go.

Why do I buy in bulk? There are several reasons that make sense to me. It saves time, money and packaging as well as protecting against supply chain issues. I know it is not for everyone as you need to have space to store the larger quantities as well as money available for the upfront costs associated with buying bulk amounts. These are a couple of the reasons that I am happy to share the olive oil with some like-minded local friends. Perhaps I will extend to co-operative buying approach to some of the other products as well.

For a Cause

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There are many very worthwhile causes and charities and I expect many of us have our particular favourites which are close to our heart. There are equally as many ways to support them.

Frocktober is a month-long fundraising campaign for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation. Ovarian cancer is a particularly lethal gynaecological cancer for which there is no screening test. It is often only diagnosed in the late stages and has an extremely poor survival rate.

So, when a friend invited me to a Frocktober High Tea, I did not hesitate.

As well as raising fund for much needed research we enjoyed a fabulous spread of beautiful home-made delights and a fun afternoon of conversation with a group of about 40 local women.

Thanks to everyone who made the afternoon a success.

For the past few days I have been debating about my choice of frock as the weather has been extremely variable – it is spring in Victoria, after all. I finally opted for this bias cut sleeveless cotton frock with a lightweight cardigan. It is difficult to go wrong with classic black and white spots. This was its first outing as I had bought it about 3 weeks ago in a local op shop for $8. The frock is super comfortable and easy to wear and I am sure I will have plenty more opportunities to wear it as the weather warms up.

If you would like to support the work of the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, you can donate here.

The Mundane Stuff

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Apart from the one-off things like new-to-us furniture, there are lots of mundane tasks that are required to keep things ticking over smoothly.

When we moved in I unpacked the refrigerated items from our camp fridge into the existing refrigerator which we had purchased with the house. This was convenient as we had sold our refrigerator with our previous home. This one is a little different to what I was used to so the positioning of various items is somewhat different. Where everything belonged had just evolved without a great deal of thought.

Yesterday, I cleaned the interior of the fridge and rearranged things a bit more thoughtfully with respect to where, when and how often I use them.

There is plenty of space in the body of the refrigerator. The top shelf which is a bit high for me to easily reach is reserved for GMan stuff – sourdough starter, ground coffee, beer mugs and beer.

The right-hand door is my ‘go to’ space for milk, juice, assorted condiments and ingredients used regularly in meal preparation.

The left-hand side is mostly taken up by the reservoir for the chilled water/ice dispenser so a block of cheese and container of yeast are the only occupants.

I find that by keeping items in a logical and consistent location means that things are much less likely to be forgotten and end up being wasted.

As a result of tidying the refrigerator and refreshing my mind as to the contents, I was able to plan meals based on ingredients (particularly perishable ones) for several days.

While I gave up diligently menu-planning when I retired from paid employment, I still generally have a rough idea of meals for at least a few days. As well as using up ingredients it helps to ensure a balance of meat/vegetarian meals and also not having the same carbs for successive days.

The current plan looks like this:

Monday – Baked potatoes with refried beans, sauteed mushroom, onion and capsicum and coleslaw
Tuesday – Grilled sausages and vegetables with cheesy cauliflower sauce
Wednesday – Zucchini quiche and quinoa tabouli
Thursday – Stuffed capsicum with coleslaw
Friday – Chicken, mushroom and spinach pancakes