Grocery Savings … I lurrrrrve it!

I have a love-hate relationship with grocery shopping which goes back forever. I love sniffing out a good grocery bargain and stockpiling, I love the colours and layout of the grocery store (yep I must be their ideal consumer!) and I love picking up items and reading the packaging. BUT I hate the time that it takes pushing that wonky-wheeled heap of metal up and down each aisle, I hate the forced polite conversation with people you feel obliged to stop and talk to (yes, you know who you are!) and I super-hate trudging the bags from the car into the house and then unpacking the damn things. Now that I have a 5 month old baby who hates everything about grocery shopping, the thought of it really sucks.
I live only an hour and a bit away from the capital city of my state and yet cannot receive mobile service in the house or ADSL broadband. Home delivered groceries??? Yerrrrrright ….. What??? Yes???? You sure??????? You are???? Wahooooooooooo! Bingo! And yes, I am amazed by simple things.

By coming up with a fortnightly meal plan, and ordering the fortnightly groceries on line last fortnight I think I saved a bomb. I know that I saved a hell of a lot of time, but also the bill seemed quite small – aha moment – there was no impulse buying – Eureka!!
Here are the 5 things that I loved most about grocery shopping online. In no particular order they are ….

1. no getting stuck for hours talking to Mrs So-and-So!
2. the ability to compare all products for value with price per 100g details listed for every item
3. the delivery bloke carried every bag to my front door – bless him!
4. it was like Christmas discovering all that I had ordered!
5. no impulse buying = big, big savings!

I’m in the middle of now doing my second order and it will be interesting to see over a period of time what savings can be made by shopping this way. Although only one of the major 2 retailers deliver to my area currently I do know that an online service is offered by both. If you are at all prone to impulse buying it may be worth checking out whether or not they’ll bring the groceries to your door too!

Bargain Beauty Buy!

While women worldwhide hunt for the fountain of youth, I'll keep happily using Rosehip Oil. This nectar has become my beauty staple and it represents serious value for money when comparing it to the potions peddled at cosmetic counters.

The old adage that you get what you pay for is not *always* true. Rosehip Oil - available from many different companies - is a product moderately priced (no it's not cheap, but then nor is it as dear as poison) but capable of delivering much more than the investment.

My skin is problematic and hypersensitive and has been even more so since having children 13 long years ago. I have a stash of creams and lotions stashed away in the bathroom that have all been purchased on a promise but then been no good. Sometimes I am able to use a product for a period of time thinking it is ok and then, without warning, WHAMMY - I'll have an absurd immediate reaction to it and need to rinse it off in freezing water before my skins burns off! Sometimes this honeymoon period can be for a month or two but often I've written a product off well and truly before then. Unbelievably I have now been using Rosehip Oil for 4 months now and love it more and more each day! Those fancy-schmancy department store brands have nothing on this honey coloured liquid gold!

The verdict is in. Skin- softer. Skin - smoother. Skin - more hydrated. Complexion - more even. Cost around $30 a bottle which lasts forever as you only use a couple of drops at a time. I'm loving it and couldn't recommend it more highly to anyone looking for a top value beauty product suitable for even the most sensitive of skins!

Eggcellent Value!

We eat eggs. We are exceptionally eager egg eaters and often in this household six eggs per day can be devoured without a blink. The boys love scrambled eggs for breakfast (I've learnt my lesson NOT to poach them in the microwave unless I want to spend the day cleaning the bloody thing out afterwards!) and Mr loves eggs in his salads and oh boy, the nights I make quiche for dinner ... well you can add more to the tally!

Eggs can be expensive to buy or very inexpensive to grow at home if your local council will allow cluck-clucking in the back yard. Free range, barn range, RSPCA tick of approval, home brand ..... when is an egg not an egg?? Or is an egg always an egg??? Are the ethical and nutritional differences all that advertising tells us? Maybe. I'm not intending to comment on that eggspect (ha ha ha) though as I am certainly not an eggspert (ok, sorry) but rather a homemaker who attempts to squeeze the most value out of each dollar and I've found it.

We are lucky enough to live in a semi-rural area and in our midst are a number of chicken farms producing meat chickens for Steggles and Inghams. These farms come under the management of a single organisation who, from their head office (which is just up the road), sell eggs and also bulk lots of fillets, legs and/or wings. They represent sensational value and at $6.50 for a tray of 30 large jumbo eggs they can not be beaten on price or freshness straight from the farm. 

It may be worth your while to look locally to see if there is anyone in your area selling eggs. You will at least know that they have not been sitting in a supermarket's cold room for months, and you will undoubtedly save yourself some dollars too. Now, I just need to find myself a nearby chocolate farm!!

Thanks a bunch blogger!

Gee blogger. Thank you for deleting the post that I spent yonks working on this morning while bubba was asleep. This is despite me saving it a dozen times too. Gone. Zippo. Back to the drawing board later.

A chill in the air = slow cooker season!

I was excited to wake up to a nip in the air this morning. Mmmmmmm slow cooker weather!

When you are trying to stretch those dollars further, there is hardly a more economical meal maker than the slow cooker ... or crockpot as they say in the USA.

Look what we're having for tea tonight!

Do please excuse the grubby finger marks on the stainless steel exterior of my slow cooker and look into the hearty goodness of the meal!

Here's what I like most about cooking in the slow cooker ....

• 
  
  sooooooooooooo easy - once it's in the cooker, consider it done! Put it on in the morning, leave it on low all day and dinner is done for the evening! Convenience plus! 
• 
  
  budget friendly -  by being able to use cheaper cuts of meat - the slow cooking process tenderises these cheaper cuts so you can make great value healthy dinners
• 
  
  super way to use up all the veges at the bottom of the crisper - cuts back on food wastage
• 
  
  if you are cooking for just one or two, you can make a load and freeze for later!
• 
  
  delicious aromas fill the house all day!

There is a Facebook group dedicated to sharing slow cooker recipes and it can be found here. There are heaps of members (just over 26,500!) and as it's an Australian group the ingredients actually make sense and are easily sourced.

Here though is the recipe for tonight's slow cooked meal - which was all prepared by 9.00am!

Simple Slow Cooked Tandoori Beef

Don't be put off by the name as it is actually very mild and totally delicious!

• 
  
  1 bottle of Taylors Tandoori marinade - this is the brand stocked by most butchers and is around $3.75 for the bottle - wellll worth it mmmmmmmmmmmm
• 
  
  approx 1kg of beef, diced - cheaper cuts work just fine as the meat will be melt in your mouth tender by the time this is done
• 
  
  veges - I added 3 onions (sliced), 4 potatoes (cubed), about half a sweet potato (cubed), a handful of green beans (sliced) and 3 stalks of celery (chopped)
• 
  
  a little bit of water - not much more than a dribble as the cooking process will release moisture

Split the meat into 3 portions. Brown each portion in a non-stick fry pan and add to the slow cooker bowl. This step is not necessary if you wish to save on washing up, but it does enhance flavour and is therefore worthtaking the time to do.

To the beef, add the veges.

Then add the entire bottle of Taylors Tandoori marinade. Put a dribble of water into the bottle and swirl it around to get the last out. Add this to the crockpot.

Stir thorougly to mix everything through.

Put slow cooker onto low setting.

Walk away and come back for dinner tonight!

*this can be served with rice or extra mashed potato if you need to pad it out for many hungry folk

*can be cooked on higher setting for less time if need be

*monitor whilst cooking to see if any extra liquid is needed - unlikely though!

If you have a tried and tested delicious slow cooker recipe that you would like to see featured here, just send me an email here!

Happy slow cooking!

A lucky break with a bargain offer too good to pass up!

I'm amazed at how bargain offers can randomly stumble by when you are least expecting it. Yesterday was one of those days. The mother of SS1's mate called yesterday morning to see if I would be interested in purchasing a couple of electric guitars and an amp that they were no longer using. There was little hesitation on my part and I answered YES before she got the entire question out. Had I budgeted for these? No. So why the willingness to seal the deal?

Well, both boys of mine a very keen on their music. SS1 plays the euphonium (borrowed from the school), the trumpet (bought new but on sale with over $300 off) and the guitar (a birthday gift from the grandparents). SS2 plays the clarinet (bought second hand from a friend), the drums (cost shared with his father), the keyboard (bought second hand from a friend) and borrows SS1's guitar on occasion. They love it and I love that they are so keen about it.

For months and months and months SS1 has been nagging me about an electric guitar knowing full well that it is something that I am unable to afford immediately  .... but he doesn't always get the message and has continued to ask regardless. You can then imagine my surprise when this offer came through: $200 for not one, but two, barely used electric guitars and a little Yamaha amp worth well over $100 on its own.

Not surprisingly there were two *very* grateful and delighted sons yesterday. SS1 even had tears in his eyes as despite the asking, he never actually dreamed it possible. Me? Well, I have brought them some joy, saved a heap and have had to do some financial juggling and rearranging but hey, it's all good. Happy bargain finding to you today too!

There's a cow in my cupboard mooooooooooooooooo

I've just made myself a coffee (white, no sugar) and was thinking about what a damn fine resource long-life milk is. Nutritionally it is said to have the same good-for-you qualities as the bottles of fresh milk in the dairy cabinet with the only notable difference being the pasteurisation process.

In a household where not everyone drinks milk, it is not always practical to keep the fresh stuff on hand. This is where having a cow in your cupboard is ideal.

Many of the major milk brands offer a long-life version but the Devondale Semi-Skim (as illustrated) just happens to be my personal favourite. How simple it is to throw it out of the cupboard and into the fridge. When it's icy cold it's delicious - rich and creamy and with a taste easily on par with the fresher varieties, if not nicer.

This brand usually retails at around $1.66 per litre in the major grocery stores and has regularly been on sale for 10 x 1 litre cartons for $10.00. A huge savings! Only last week I picked up the same great value with 6 x 2 litre cartons on sale for $12.00. If long-life is your milk staple then specials like this are worth stocking up on and stockpiling if you have the room. Do be sure to check best by dates and use them accordingly.

If fresh milk is your regular drop I challenge you to give long-life a go and at the very least you won't be able to beat the cupboard cow for emergency back up and camping trips! Moooooooooooo!