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Latest Tips & Recipes
Here you'll find the latest tips and recipes added to the Tip Store and Recipe File during 2024
February 2024
Planning and Budgeting for Holidays
I have been asked "how do you afford to have so many holidays?"
My response is "Simple, I budget." The gas, water and power bills are fortnightly direct debit and currently are almost 12 months in advance. Phone , internet and insurances are direct debit. When I am away, food and gas/transport are no more than when I am at home. I use a budgeting app to track my spending. Before going away I pay all my bills. Nothing worse than coming home to a great pile of bills. If I am driving to a holiday destination, I pack heaps of non-perishable foods, including powdered milk. There is enough for at least a week.
Contributed by Ann Green
My response is "Simple, I budget." The gas, water and power bills are fortnightly direct debit and currently are almost 12 months in advance. Phone , internet and insurances are direct debit. When I am away, food and gas/transport are no more than when I am at home. I use a budgeting app to track my spending. Before going away I pay all my bills. Nothing worse than coming home to a great pile of bills. If I am driving to a holiday destination, I pack heaps of non-perishable foods, including powdered milk. There is enough for at least a week.
Contributed by Ann Green
Ready To Cook Freezer Meals
I have been making freezer ready crockpot meals. When I buy my meat, chicken etc. I come home and make up ziplock bags with the whole crockpot meal, squeeze out all the air and write instructions and use by date (3 months) on the bag and put it in the freezer. When I have a busy day coming up, I thaw one meal overnight and pop in the crockpot in the morning. At dinnertime I only have to add sides. It's healthy, soaves so much time and no money spent on take-away.
Contributed by Marissa Tanti
Contributed by Marissa Tanti
Staying Active with Cheap Activities
With so many expenses going up it can be hard to find things to do that do not cost money. Check the local council for free or low cost activities, these could include craft groups, walking groups. This might be a good time to get some house maintenance, cleaning and gardening done. Although it will cost a bit of money, if you like going to the cinema, try half price Tuesday. Although a bit more time consuming, try using public transport instead of the car and save on fuel costs. For those on senior cards, remember in Victoria, Saturday and Sunday, public transport is free. Check any rewards points you may have, maybe these can be used for groceries and fuel. I am currently saving my points for new tyres, and there is almost enough for 1 tyre.
Contributed by Ann Green
Contributed by Ann Green
January 2024
Giving a Gift that's Loved and Wanted
I don't want any more face washers, hand towels or face scrubbies. The odd dishcloth maybe with homemade jam, sauce and pickles. I would like hand knitted socks and a frilly apron, however my biggest like and want is gift cards, I love them. Buy them when grocery shopping as part of your budget and give to others.
Contributed by Margaret Còwan
Contributed by Margaret Còwan
Making the Most of a Dripping Garden Hose
We have a garden hose that drips…no matter what I do it drips, there are several things ( apart from a plumber) you can do about this, especially during the long hot summer. I have a decent size bowl, sitting in a deep dish filled with gravel size stones, (which I am planning to settle in the new pot or my apricot tree). The hose is hung, so it drips (very slowly) into the bowl, then the dish, then the tree pot. This means the birds get the bowl water, the bees and lizards get the dish water, and then the tree gets watered. I don’t have much of a garden really, but moving this water contraption around to place by different plants every few weeks, means each plant actually gets a decent drink, birds and bees can still find it and that dripping water is not wasted.
Contributed by Denise Scotford
Contributed by Denise Scotford
Time Saving Using the Woolworths App - (Even if you don’t shop at Woolworths)
In the Woolworths App set up a list called Pantry
Go through your pantry, frig and freezer, laundry cupboards, bathrooms, under the kitchen sink etc and scan the barcode for each item and save to your Pantry list. As you save items you can record how many you have of each.
For anything without a barcode search on the app for the item and add whatever you have in your pantry or fruit bowl etc.
Set up other lists for each place you shop – Aldi, Coles, Foodland, Drakes, Butcher etc.
Whenever you use something, you can open the Pantry List and deduct that item – e.g. you use 1 of 3 cans of tomatoes – change the number to 2.
Scan the barcode (or use the app to search for fruit etc.) and save to the appropriate shopping list.
If you are planning a shop, but don’t need everything on the list check the box alongside that item and it will be moved to Checked Products. Once you’ve finished shopping uncheck the box and the item will be moved back to the list.
As you put each item in your trolley swipe left and it will be deleted – this way you won’t forget anything.
Regularly updating your Pantry List means you will always know how much food, cleaning products, toilet paper etc. you have in your house.
Ordering from Woolies for delivery or Click and Collect can be quicker too as your lists will show on the website and you can click ‘Add All to List’.
Contributed by Jill Brook
Go through your pantry, frig and freezer, laundry cupboards, bathrooms, under the kitchen sink etc and scan the barcode for each item and save to your Pantry list. As you save items you can record how many you have of each.
For anything without a barcode search on the app for the item and add whatever you have in your pantry or fruit bowl etc.
Set up other lists for each place you shop – Aldi, Coles, Foodland, Drakes, Butcher etc.
Whenever you use something, you can open the Pantry List and deduct that item – e.g. you use 1 of 3 cans of tomatoes – change the number to 2.
Scan the barcode (or use the app to search for fruit etc.) and save to the appropriate shopping list.
If you are planning a shop, but don’t need everything on the list check the box alongside that item and it will be moved to Checked Products. Once you’ve finished shopping uncheck the box and the item will be moved back to the list.
As you put each item in your trolley swipe left and it will be deleted – this way you won’t forget anything.
Regularly updating your Pantry List means you will always know how much food, cleaning products, toilet paper etc. you have in your house.
Ordering from Woolies for delivery or Click and Collect can be quicker too as your lists will show on the website and you can click ‘Add All to List’.
Contributed by Jill Brook