Budget Review

4 Comments

Just when I thought I was back to blogging in earnest, life threw me one of those curved balls.  There was not enough time or inclination in my days to include blogging but now I am truly back.

We carefully planned our budget for when we were on holidays and stuck to it.  Since we have been back there have been several expenses, such as the doona covers, car service and lawn mower repairs as well as restocking food items after being away but now it is time to get serious again and get the debt reduction heading in the right direction.

We have discussed and set our financial goals for the remainder of the year.  If you break things up into small chunks it usually is less daunting and debt is no exception.  It is 14 weeks till the end of 2012 – that is 7 paydays for most of us.  What can you achieve?

A Fresh Look

6 Comments

One of the benefits of holidays and being away from our home is that sometimes you can take a step back and review things from a distance.

A few months ago I considered buying a new doona cover for our bed since the one we have had for over 10 years definitely does not match the current colour scheme.  It has been like that for about 4 years but it had taken me that long to consider it.  One of the things that was holding me back was why get rid of the existing cover which is still in excellent condition.

While we were away I suddenly realised that the doona cover on our bed would look perfect on the bed in the guest room and then I could justify buying a new one for our bed.

2012-09-21 01Here is the revamped guest room.

On Wednesday we looked for a new cover which proved to be quite a challenge as it is obvious that the colours in our room (Wedgewood blue with cream trim) are  definitely not the latest trend.  Most of the bed linen was either neutrals in cream/grey/coffee palettes or bright geometric designs.  However, I eventually found something suitable.

2012-09-21 02I also bought another cover in a grape colour with a muted floral design.  I will use that during the winter months for a change.  This is the first time that I have ever had bed linen to change with the seasons.  Thanks to the sale prices, I was able to buy the 2 covers for the full price of just one of them.

I am very happy with the results of my rearrangement of the bed linen.  Now I have  the bedspread which was on the guest bed to put away in the linen cupboard while I consider its fate.

Most of our furnishings/colours are relatively classic and are chosen because they are what we like rather than what is this year’s “must have”.  This can make things difficult at times, especially when you are looking for a colour or design that is not ‘in’.

Do you follow the latest trends in interior design or are you happy with what you have?  Any tips for updating on a budget?

Back on Track

3 Comments

It is now 4 days since we arrived back in Australia from our trip to the United States and I feel as though I am back into my routine.

I went back to work on Monday but yesterday was my day off so I caught up on the washing, packed the suitcases away and re-made the guest bed.

While I was emptying the cane waste paper basket in the guest room I noticed that the top edge was broken.  It is not really noticeable  because there is a plastic bag liner but I decided it would be better if I repaired it.

The cane binding had broken and the overlapping ends were sticking out.

2012-09-20 01I used some white kitchen string and a large curved needle which had been in some sewing notions that were handed down to me some time ago.  I had never used the needle before but it was prefect for this job.

2012-09-20 02I tied the string in place at one end to anchor it and then held the ends in place while I wound the string around the damaged section and tied it at the other end.

It is not superbly pretty but the repair returns the baskets to its original shape and makes it easy to fit and replace the plastic bag liner.

2012-09-20 03Do you take the time to make simple household repairs?  Do you keep a ball of string or do you see it as useless?

Garden Update

4 Comments

Much of what goes in the the garden happens without a lot of input from us due to the fact that both The Duke and I work full-time.

Today I want to share some progress on a couple of different fronts.

On Monday we finally had the large poinciana tree near the driveway removed.  This has been planned for over 12 months but when another large limb dropped a few weeks ago we were galvanised into action.  The tree lopper came on Monday and by the time we arrived home there was no sign of it apart from a small pile of sawdust where the stump had been ground.

This is now the view from our front verandah.  We will be replanting beside the driveway but have yet to decide exactly what we will do.

This is the remainder of another tree stump which we also had removed to make way for a revamp of the vegetable garden area.

The harvest from the vegetable gardens has not been as great as last year but today I was finally able to pick the broccoli.

2.1kg of broccoli from 6 plants is not a bad return and that is only the main heads.  As usual, there will be more smaller secondary florets.  We will use some of this before we go away and the rest will be blanched and frozen.

The cauliflower has been a disappointment compared to last year but at least I got some.  There was also 1 other small head which I picked for dinner last week.

Like everything else, the snow peas have not been spectacularly prolific but here are enough for the stir-fry tonight and the salad for my lunch tomorrow.

Finally, this is 836g of ginger that we pulled up on the weekend.  It grew from 1 small piece that we planted last year.  There is still more in the ground but I saw no need to harvest any more!  We will be dividing it up and planting lots of separate pieces.  The plants look lovely and thrive with the other ornamental ginger, cordylines and heliconias that are growing in the shade of the the cedar tree.

Last but not least I wanted to let you know about my 2 new blogs.

Eating For Health is about my decision to try a grain-free, sugar-free diet.  Click on the link and find out more.

Somewhere, Anywhere  is my travel blog.  This will be an online journal of our travels, beginning with our upcoming overseas trip.  You will be able to follow our adventures as all of the updates will be posted on there.

Split & Stacked

2 Comments

Today The Duke split some more firewood and I stacked it.  This is the perfect time of the year for this kind of job as the weather is pleasant during the day and we have had no rain for about a month so the wood is really dry.

Here it is all stacked along the side of the woodshed.  This is in addition to the stack that we have under the house.  We do not use a lot of wood so this will be a good start on our supply for next winter.  It is a great feeling to know that what we are doing know will keep us warm next year.

Do you do any seasonal preparation ahead of time?

Project 333 – Packing

2 Comments

It is now 8 days until we leave home on our overseas adventure.  The last 5 months of planning and preparation are now coming to fruition.  In that time I have streamlined my wardrobe, looked critically at the pieces I own and considered how they fit with my lifestyle and activities.  I have kept in mind what I expected to take on this trip and now it is all laid out on the spare bed and ready to go.

Trousers – 2 pairs of travel pants which have zip-off legs so I essentially have 2 pairs of shorts as well.  They are lightweight, easy to wash and dry quickly.

2012-08-11 01Singlet tops – These can be worn as a layer of underwear or as a tank top on hot days.

2012-08-11 02Summer tops – 2 basic coloured tops for warm days.  These will be useful for layering as well.

2012-08-11 03Short-sleeved tops – a couple of faithful items that have seen many years (and holidays) wear.

2012-08-11 043/4 sleeve tops – Red  striped top shown here and I will also take an identical black striped one.  Great for slightly cooler days and fitted so they can easily be worn under another layer.

2012-08-11 05Rugby tops – These are both in excess of 12 years old but in good condition and perfect for at home and travelling.

2012-08-11 06Polar fleece jacket – I bought this especially for this trip.  It will go over other layers and will be good if we encounter colder weather towards the end of the trip when we head further north.

2012-08-11 07Spray jacket – this will keep me dry in case of inclement weather but is also windproof and will be useful if worn over other layers.

2012-08-11 08Thermal tops – 2 synthetic thermal tops do not take up much space but will add warmth if needed.

Socks -2 pairs for my shoes and 1 for the boots.

2012-08-11 10Shoes – I am taking 3 pairs of footwear – walking sandals, hiking boots and general purpose shoes.

2012-08-11 11Hat – for hot, sunny days.

2012-08-11 12Winter accessories – scarf, beanie and gloves in case we encounter cold weather which is definitely possible, especially if we go into the mountain areas of New Hampshire.

2012-08-11 13I still need to add my underwear.  I have kept everything to a minimum, made sure everything mixes and matches and chosen items which are easy to wash and dry.

We will be taking a pegless clothesline with us and will wash out things every day or two as required.  My holiday mantra is, “No-one is every going to see us again so it simply does not matter whether I wear the same clothes every second day”.  In fact my holiday photos for the last 10 years feature many of the same clothes as I am packing for this trip!

Show Stopper

2 Comments

The wind blows
The show begins
Sneezes, sniffles and coughs abound

I dodge and weave
Sip more lemon
Hope to escape

Mid-August is eternally predictable – the Royal Show begins for 10 days where the country comes to the city and  the seasonal cold/flu seems to catch up with everyone who has not succumbed so far.  To fuel this we usually experience one last serious flurry of a sub-tropical winter.  The westerly winds blow in with a vengeance and this year it has been right on cue.

Last night I pegged the sheets on the clothesline using 5 pegs on each sheet.  The clothesline is under the verandah and just outside our bedroom and I was awakened several times by the flapping of the sheets as well the creaking of the fixtures on the line.

This year seems to have been a particularly bad one for some serious viral infections as well as more than the average number of cases of influenza.  Doctors are snowed under by the workload as are hospital emergency departments.  Several of my colleagues and extended family have fallen victim to the illness with some having up to 2 weeks sick leave.

It is now only 10 days until we leave on our holiday.  I am doing everything I possibly can to avoid being ill on a long-haul flight at the beginning of our adventure.  This time of year is generally a show-stopper but I am determined not to let it be a holiday stopper.

Back to the Bin

6 Comments

Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment on my post about the kitchen bin.  Today I remembered to chop up some of the bacon scraps and put them out for the chickens.  I have not checked to see if they ate them but if they do I will gradually give them the rest over a period of time and that will be another thing that will not go in the bin.

When I next emptied my kitchen bin I took a couple of photos of the contents which I would like to share with you.

2012-08-08 01 This is what 2 weeks worth of rubbish looks like.  There are 2 adults in the household.  I placed it next to a dinner plate so you can get an idea of the size.

2012-08-08 02Here it is on the scales.  It weighed 411g.

So, what was in the rubbish bag for the week?  An empty toothpaste tube, a foil sheet from medications, a plastic bag from the carrots, plastic packaging from a block of cheese, packaging from razor blades, plastic bag from frozen peas and elastic from several pairs of worn-out underpants.  There were other items that I have not identified as well.

Next time I do this I will be a bit more specific about exactly what it contains.

Obviously our rubbish varies from week to week as some thing are only discarded a couple of times a year.  It is a worthwhile exercise to check what you are discarding each week as a way of considering whether you can change habits to reduce the amount of waste.

A Unique Gift

1 Comment

I have been making a gift for Izz for her birthday.  She has a doll’s bed which has been passed down to her but no bedding.

I bought 2 u-shaped pillowcases recently from the op shop.  Here is one that I have unpicked ready to use.  Note the roll of fabric which is the dismantled and pressed frill.

2012-08-06 01The Duke bought a piece of foam cut to size for the mattress and I have covered that using some of the pillowcase fabric.

2012-08-06 02The next step was to make a patchwork quilt.  I worked out the size and number of pieces I would need.  The plain pink is more of the pillowcase, plain mauve from a piece in my stash of fabric, Dora pattern is a few leftover scraps from the doona cover and curtains that I made for Miss O last year and the pink patterned fabric is from a blouse I picked up at the op shop.  The frill is the one I unpicked from the pillowcase.  The hemmed edge remained intact so I simply regathered it and reapplied to the quilt edge.

2012-08-06 03I bought a large piece of cotton/bamboo batting for a bed quilt I am working on for Izz’s bed so I used a small piece for this quilt.  (I think this is a rather spoiled doll!)  The backing is more leftovers from some op shop fabric.  I quilted it by simply machine stitching along the seam lines which is nothing fancy but seems effective.

2012-08-06 04The finishing touch was to make a matching pillow.  A couple more fabric scraps and some salvaged filling from an old cushion and I had a complete set of bedding for the doll.  Here is the mattress with the pillow.

2012-08-06 05The total cost of things I bought specifically for this project was $6.60.  This is a gift which I know will be loved regardless of the cost.  I am looking forward to seeing Izz’s face when she opens the gift.

Now I need to work on the the bed quilt I am making as well since her birthday is in 2 weeks and I want to be able to give her the present before we go on holidays.