{family} saving on groceries



As the effects of being on one income begin to kick in, we have been looking at ways as a family to save money in every area we can! When it comes to being frugal with your money, groceries is one aspect of your budgeted money that you can save money on quite easily.

A friend told me about a great website: Stay at Home Mum which has fantastic ideas on how to save money and survive on one income. After having a quick browse on the site, and reading that this lady does her grocery shop monthly, I thought I would see if we could make that work for us too.  This woman, being over east, has Aldi which she shops at - which is a huge discount store where you can buy in bulk and save alot on groceries amongst other things. Unfortunately, Perth doesnt have an Aldi but I can still look around for bargains.

It took some time, but I started by going through my fridge and pantry and making an inventory of the things that we already had. From there, I researched different recipes I could make to utilise these ingredients, so as not to waste anything. For example, we had some left over polenta in quinoa in the cupboard, so I did a google search for Quinoa and Polenta recipes and came up with a couple that are going to be used this month.  I then needed to make up the rest of the meals.  There was no flashy meals, just the basics. Before, we used to eat rather extravagently - I love looking up recipes and trying new things, but it can get expensive! We would eat Salmon, Lamb Chops, Roasts, Steaks....alot! Being on a budget we had to get back to the basics- what we grew up on with our familys! Spaghetti bolognaise, Tuna casserole, Fish and Salad, Sausage and Mash etc. 

After I had my meals list, I went onto the Coles Online website to do up a grocery list.  When Miss D was younger, I used to get my groceries home delivered through Coles a bit.  It really helped me out as it meant I didnt have to juggle having a small baby at the shops with me (whilst Mr O worked). But it was a luxury.  And it is $10 (for delivery) that we could easily save.  I didnt put my fresh fruit/vegetables into the coles shopping list as I know that I can get them much cheaper at the Spud Shed.  When I was doing up the list on the Coles website, I sort all my search items by Unit Price - this means, I can see what is the cheapest/best value product. This helps out alot as it saves me having to look at all the price tags in the produce aisles to find which one is best value for money! There are so many different options out there sometimes it can be hard to sort through - but this function online does it for you which is great!

Once I had my list, I printed it off and went down to Coles the next morning - first thing! As I went through the aisles and started picking up my items, I was noticing that the prices I had on my online shopping list were more expensive than the actual produce I was picking up - same brands and all! I made a note of the price differences on my shopping list to compare when I got home...and I was shocked!  After going through it all, I realised that I made a saving of $12.72 just by shopping at Coles myself, rather than getting it home delivered. This saving wasnt becausee things were on special or anything - these were the stock standard everyday prices at Coles - just online, for some cheeky reason - they have the 'standard price' as a couple of cents more! It certainly adds up! I also saved $10 by not getting it delivered, and saved another $11.89 by realising once I got in the store that some things were on special - eg. I picked up a carton of cream for 50c, and 3 x cartons of eggs for $9.00. So all up, I saved $34.61 by shopping at Coles rather than online! Crazy hey! The total spent at Coles was $365.26 and this included groceries for our monthly meals, Dog food for a month, along with extra items we were low on in the pantry (ie. $20 for a 4L olive oil, $18 for a large coffee tin etc).

I cooked up a HUGE batch of cookies from this recipe off the SAHM website and made different variations of them by adding different things we had in the pantry. These cookies cost less than $5 to make and I got 230 cookies out of it! I have frozen most of them to use through the month when we need them - they are DELICIOUS and again, are saving us money on buying cookies from the shops!

At the Spud Shed, I spent $60 getting fresh fruit and vegetables for us and our meals, but also enough to puree up for Miss D too. And we spent $100 for a month worth of Formula and $46 for 1 month worth of nappies.

All in all, I think we have done quite well. I was concerned about getting enough fresh fruit and vegetables to last us a month, but things like potatoes and onions tend to last a long time, and we bought a heap of frozen vegetables too to get us through and add to our meals. As for things like milk, cheese and yoghurt, we bought enough for the month and have frozen them to get out and defrost as we need.

Much love

Daughter of the King
x



{family} there be changes a coming

So, our family is about to enter the world of living on one income - scary times!  As of next month, we will be short approximately $3,000 per month, which means, we have a lot of careful consideration to do when it comes to budgeting and living. We wont be able to live by the same carefree means we have in the past, and as such, are looking for any ways we can stretch our money to make it count!

First things first for us is nappies....we have been using Huggies with Miss Placid since birth, but those babies are $33 per box and we go through roughly 200 nappies a month! Crazy huh! After a bit of research, Im going to go with the Snugglers, which you can get at Big W for just under $20 a box....big saving there!

Ive also decided I can save on baby wipes by using face wash cloths when I am at home. These are easy washed and reusable, and I can just use the disposable wipes when I am out at the shops!

Because my hair is currently dark, I can probably get by stretching out my hair appointments now. I used to go 6 weekly when I was blonde, so i think as long as I am dark, I can probably stretch these out to 3 monthly appointments (or more) instead!

We are thinking about setting a limit with our groceries (yet to be decided on the amount) and buying monthly. Once we have spent the grocery money, that will be it - so it will take careful planning to make sure our meals stretch out and last that long.

As for keeping gas, electricity and water down, Im not really sure how we will make a huge difference to these bills. I guess just limiting the use of lights, switching off at the wall, limiting our shower times and making the most of using the washing machine - ie only using when it is a full load.

There will be much more having people over for coffees instead of heading out for coffees and I will have to watch my fuel closely, making the most out of my trips as I tend to drive around alot! I have no idea how to make birthdays and Christmas presents work, but perhaps I will have to get a little more creative on that front! We are also considering downsizing our home and moving to an area, a little closer up the freeway, but not too far from Mr O's work.

It is quite a daunting road ahead of us, and if we were completely honest, we aren't sure how we are going to get through it! But, we do know that we have a good, and faithful God, and he doesn't let us get in over our heads more than we can manage.  We put our faith and trust in Him with our finances and are praying for and seeking His wisdom and guidance through these times.

I would absolutely love to hear from all you mummas out there who have travelled this road before us, to hear how you got by and the little things you did to stretch your dollars further! 

Much love

Daughter of the King
x

{obedience} disconnecting to reconnect

You may remember back here where I decided to give up Facebook for the month of March.  I wasn't very successful...I did manage not to post anything on Facebook for the entire month, or respond to anyone on there, but I did give in and check it most days after the first week!

After this experience, I quickly realised how much of an addictive thing Facebook had become in my life.  I felt the urge to check it...all the time...and this was unhealthy.  I also hated the fact that it took away my time as a 'mother' to Miss Placid and I started becoming a bit absent. As she would be playing, it was very easy to just sit beside her and scroll through the news feeds, seeing what everyone was up to.  I really believe God was doing a work in me to make me understand that Facebook was somewhat a disease I needed to rid myself of. It wasn't a hard decision, and sometime in the beginning of April I deleted our account and haven't looked back.

However, it didn't take me long to find something to replace Facebook in my life....and it was called 'Instagram'.  Another social media app where you post pictures of whatever you please. People can follow you, and you can follow others. You can comment on peoples pictures and hash tag them into a category for the world to see.  At first, I didn't see it as a problem at all. I only had close friends or family following me and I was really just using it to put pictures of Miss Placid up for them to see.  But then, my followers started increasing, people I didn't even know were wanting to 'follow' me and my pictures...and you know what....it felt good. It was nice seeing that number of people go up and I would look forward to checking in to see what new comments people had put on my pictures and if anyone new was following me.

I caught up with a beautiful girlfriend during the week, one who has been through an extremely tough time this last year.  She lost her first born, a beautiful baby girl, at birth.  She is absolutely amazing, and the fact that she has remained steadfast in her faith, relying on Gods goodness and faithfulness in such a traumatic situation, is testament to her beautiful relationship with Christ.  We got chatting about social media, and how she also is no longer on Facebook and how she doesn't miss it either.  She was saying her friends are always asking her to come back on so that she can not 'miss out' on anything! Its funny how quickly people forget that you can still be a part of someone's life without living vicariously through Facebook or social media! We discussed how you end up following and having so many people follow you that aren't necessarily great friends, just acquaintances.... but they end up knowing every intricate detail of your life and what you have been up to!  I remember going to a gathering a couple of months back and people who i didnt even know came up to Miss Placid and I and said "Oh, this is Miss Placid - i feel like I know her already!!" It was pretty confronting and scary really!  

We also spoke about how Instagram and Facebook becomes such a pin up board for the perfect life and it can be quite a selfish feat.  You end up comparing yourself to the lives other people are 'living'....or the lives you believe they are living through the select images and posts they put up! People appear to have such perfect lives on there....it is easy to feel quite complacent with your own and with the things you do during the week! That, along with looking forward to seeing what people have to say about your pictures or your posts and comments, for me, I began to realise was quite a vain thing.

This last week, I again am feeling the heart of God give me a gentle nudge.  What am i really using this app for? How much time am I spending on it as opposed to spending time with my daughter or time spent with God? I quickly felt shame and have realised that again, I need to make some changes.  I do love instagram for the fact of sharing photos of Miss Placid with my family, so I will be cutting it right back to have only family and friends that live away that will be able to follow my photos on Instagram.  I will only be posting photos of Miss Placid, and the occasional shot of me or Mr O with her as a family {In time, I may even get rid of it totally, and just stick to the good old fashioned emails to close family and friends!} There is no need to be posting pictures of what I am eating for lunch, of selfish 'selfie' shots of myself, just so I can get 'approval' from others as to how I look. My approval should be coming from only one person, and that is God himself.  I shouldn't be glorifying myself the way I have been. 

1 Timothy 2:9 (NIV) says "I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. 

 I also like how this is worded in the Message:

1 Timothy 2:9 

"And i want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it"

This isn't for everyone, and a lot of people don't struggle with addictions to social media the way I have in the past...but this is something that i have been convicted by in my spirit and in my life and it is time for me to stop conforming and start transforming my life the way God wants me to live it!

I am sure there may be other things that may pop up as temptations to distract me as I go through this journey to being a more present mumma, wife and daughter of Christ, but I know that with his strength, and if i continue to listen to his gentle nudgings, I will stay on the straight and narrow.

Much love

Daughter of the King
x

P.S. If there is anyone that is really going to miss seeing Miss Placid on Instagram, and doesnt receive my 'monthly' Miss Placid updates by email, but would like to stay in touch that way, send me an email and I will add you to the mailing list.