Grocery Challenge Update

This last Saturday, with my trusty list in hand, I made my way to the supermarket.
I came away having spent a good $30 less than I usually spend per week.
We have still had the same dinners each evening that we would have had had I spent the full amount.
I watched how many of things I brought, did we really need 6 tins of something when in fact we would only be using 4 during the week. That sort of thing is how I got round the shop.

I have been to the shop once this week for fresh bread and milk.
Steve has been once as well for bread, milk and fruit and I would say that we have been good and probably saved about $15 during the week in total from the mid week excursions.

So in total, we have managed to save about $45 this week and I was aiming for $50.
So I am impressed with our first week effort.

Someone Cares....

Yesterday in the paper, there was a little thank you on the back page from a man who thought a company had gone above and beyond themselves. In fact he really thought this type of caring had all but disappeared so was very grateful that it hadn't.
This is what he said....

"My daughter catches the same bus home from boarding school in Hamilton every Friday afternoon. Last Friday, however, she caught a later one. But the driver of her regular Newmans bus noticed her missing and got Intercity in Auckland to ring us to make sure she was okay. I was almost in tears, so grateful that they cared. I thought that sort of service had long gone from the New Zealand business scene. I am so thrilled that I was wrong."

But then you could go to the other extreme and realise that sadly no one cares!
Another bit on the same page showed you a lady who had put this annoucement in the paper...!

"THEFT: A woman in the 1900 block of 129th Lane Northeast, reported Oct 15 that someone must have stolen her mail, because she did not receive brithday cards from some of her friends!"

You just can't win them all!

Birthday

I always seem to be posting about someone's birthday, but hey I love helping people celebrate their day so I am not bothered.

So here is another.....

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Mark,

Happy Birthday to you.....

Happy 50th Birthday to my Uncle Mark. Hope you have an awesome day and are enjoying your current holiday in Tonga.

Pauline, me, Steve & Mark

Chilli

You take 1kg of beef mince, add 4 tins of chilli beans, some garlic (4 tsp) some beef stock (4 cups), onions (2 chopped), tomato sauce (1/2 cup) and cumin (2 tsp).


Cook it all together.

Put it into containers that can go in the freezer

and hey presto you have dinner for 5 different nights when you need something quick and easy when you have to work late or don't have an hour to prepare dinner with!

I also went on to make 5 spahetti Bolognese to go in the freezer as well.

Sunshine Fun

Today it has felt like spring.

The sun is shining and it is glorious.

We met up with some friends and went to the Hamilton Gardens for the tulip festival. Perfect place to go when you want to burn off energy from 5 children, 11yr old, 6 yr old and 3 4yr olds.

All around the garden was tulips in bloom. There was also a few stalls at the pavilion selling Dutch items but we spent most of our time wandering round our usual favorite spots in the Gardens taking heaps of pictures. There are even some of me! I had to keep asking the family to take pictures because like all bloggers we never actually end up in the pictures because we are always taking the pictures!

Our good friends Lisa, Cameron, Hollie and Nathan were with us and we had an awesome time.

6 Years Old

Yesterday was a manic day, I was so tired by the end of it. I fell into bed at about 9pm and didn't surface again until the cat disturbed me at 4.30am.

Ben however had an awesome day. He got boiled eggs for breakfast just like he wanted. I really like getting into the tradition of letting the birthday person choose what meal we have for dinner, but as we were going out to his party and it was going to be a long day, plus I had a feeling he would ask for homemade pizzas, we let him choose breakfast instead this year!

He was a very lucky boy and got some lovely cool gifts.

And a home made birthday cake

Then he got to take 9 school friends to the local museum for 2 hours of fun and games.

As mentioned previously, we are only doing a birthday party for their 6th birthday because it is their first one at school with new friends, from now on he will be allowed to bring home 2 or 3 school frinds for dinner / McDonalds / Mini Golf etc until his 10th Birthday when he will have a party again.

It will do my head in each year if we have to find the time, money and effort to do a big party each year, plus I do not think they appreciate it if it happens every year.

Happy 6th Birthday Ben, I know you had an awesome day.

Father's Day

Here in New Zealand it is Father's Day.



So to all you wonderful dads out there, may you have a special day of being spoilt for all the wonders you do for your families.

My Daddy Is The Greatest

My daddy is the greatest;

The best dad there ever was.

He always brings me lots of joy;

He’s my very own Santa Claus.

My daddy can do anything;

He’s smart as smart can be.

I love to walk and hold his hand

To show he belongs to me.
I love my daddy!

By Karl Fuchs

From PoemSource.com

Please go check out this poem website I found. They have some amazing cute poems. You will find them here at Poemsource.com

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday darling Ben,

Happy Birthday to you.

Our big boy is 6 this weekend. Man where has the time gone?

He wants a big friend filled party at the local museum, so we will see how the day turns out.

Also Happy 40th Birthday to a dear friend of mine, Debbie in Auckland, thinking of you on this special day.

Also Happy Birthday to my Cousin's Husband, Daniel. Even though you are in Tonga on holiday, we are still thinking about you.

A Special Long Night

This time 6 years ago, I was just heading in for a long night........... of labour that was!

Yes my big baby is 6 very soon and this day, which is actually the day, before always gives me the goose bumps as I remember what I was doing this day in 2003.

I remember having a twinge at 9am and not thinking too much of it.

I then remember having light twinges on and off all day about every 40 minutes and again thought nothing of it! It was a very windy cold day and I was at home all by myself whilst Steve was at work. Seeing as I was only 38 weeks there was no reason for anyone to be with me, it was just another day.

I made a wheatbag, because I wanted one for the baby's cot and remember sitting down at 2pm to watch Oprah, and eat a tuna fish sandwich. I do remember standing for 30 secs at the beginning and again at 2.30, oh and again at 3, funny, was everytime I had a twinge!

I remember after it all started to roll along that maybe, just maybe our baby was going to be born on Sept 4, but as we got closer to the end of the day I realised that no it would be the 5th.

I remember both my labours and how the days went. Alex's I don't get so much time to wallow in the remembrance as it all happened on the same day, but with Ben I love having this special day to remember all to myself before his birthday celebrations kick in tomorrow.

Grandma with her very special delivery at 1.30am!

Grocery Challenge

The grocery shop challenge that I am undertaking has now started.
I will not be listing what I am eating for meals each day, nor will I be listing what I brought each Saturday at the shop.

I know we have a decent amount of meat in the freezer, and although we are going to go through this, I am not going to not buy meat this month just because I want to lessen the bill, I want to try and get this challenge to assist me in keeping my bill down well after September finishes.
Anyway, if I do use up all the meat in the freezer, I will then just spend more in October refilling it and that to me defeats the purpose. Although having said that, the meat in the freezer needs to be used up so it doesn't get lost in the depths of the deep freeze and end up staying there for 2 years!

I will be writing a post at least once a week to say whether I accomplished the challenge each week and if there was something I feel I particularly saved on then I will mention it.

I look forward to reading the other sites that are also participating in the challenge, even though 99% of them are in the US, to see how they have accomplished their challenge.

Maybe you might like to set yourselves a little challenge??

Food Prices

As you may have read in the past few days, I have joined Mary over at Owlhaven in her September Grocery Challenge.
Try anyway you can to cut down on your weekly grocery bill.

One tip I acquired from Sophie Grey, Destitute Gourmet, was to go to your grocery store and know the every day price of the items you regularly buy. This would then assist you when you see something on special, because if you know straight away what you normally buy, then you can see if it is really truely on special?! And whether it is something you regularly buy and need!
Supermarkets are notorious for putting something on the end aisle with a big flashing sign and everyone immediately thinks "Hey special, lets get them!"
But when you get home and think about it, you realise that in fact they never were really on special because even though you brought the 2 items for $3 and thought it was a great special, they usually sell for $1.49 on everyday price!

Now there are several ways of knowing this information, which does take time to collect by the way. You can either carry a notebook with you when you are shopping, which has all the regular items you buy in alphabetic order and the everyday price written next to it or you can use your printed shopping list from the computer and have the price written next to it on there.
Having it on the shopping list is my preferred way to do it. Then I do not have to remember anything extra to take with me to the shop.
Then when you see something on special you immediately have the regular price written in front of you to compare with to see if you really are getting a special.

The reason I am mentioning this, is because several months ago, I tried yet again, to get the regular prices of my normal run of the mill weekly stuff written down so I could save.
It actually involves going to the shop, on your own, and slowly walking round the whole shop writing down the regular price of the item.
Now I never finished it and have realised that I need to do it again to get up to date prices, but that is what I have immediately noticed, the prices really have gone up!
Now we normally spend roughly the same amount of money each week at the shop and we are still spending that same amount, even though the prices have gone up. So maybe I am already succeeding at this September challenge because I am managing to keep my grocery bill the same even though the prices have gone up?
To compare I have noticed the following over the last 3 months:

1. Rice was $2.99 a bag it is now $3.75
2. Cordial was $9.72 a bottle it is now $10.33
3. Tin of Chilli Beans was $2.54 it is now $3.65
4. Tin of Tomatoes was 89c it is now 99c or $1.09

So yes is the answer when ever someone asks you if the cost of groceries have really gone up. I have the proof.

Spring

Today is the official first day of spring in New Zealand.

We have been having some lovely sunny days leading up to now.

So much so that all the rhododendron trees have been in full bloom.

We have one in our front yard. Here is what it has been looking like recently.

Sadly with the storms we have had at night the petals have not lasted so long on the tree, but when the sun is shining and it is in full bloom, it is a glorious sight as you come in our driveway.