Spotlight's having another sale, on till the 28th.
I need to see how I can sneak down there without the kids in tow....
I need to see how I can sneak down there without the kids in tow....
Have you tried an online chemist?
When I was pregnant with my second bub, a friend told me about epharmacy.com.au. It's on online chemist store, with all the usual items you will find at your regular chemist or pharmacy. One thing I found it very worthwhile for was to buy Elevit, the recommended pre-natal vitamins. Fairly pricey, but well worth it if you believe everything the Dr says.
Now, I cannot remember exactly how much Elevit costs in the stores, but I do remember that it was cheaper to buy it online, and you have the bonus of having it delivered, which I always love. Domestic postage on orders 0-3kg is $5 Au, and even taking that into account, it was still cheaper.
There are a couple of other online pharmacies in Aus, and the prices are similar for all of them, epharmacy was just the one I used. Orders can be sent overseas, but you may want to see if there are any similar services in your own country.
Check it out, it might save you some money.
Now, I cannot remember exactly how much Elevit costs in the stores, but I do remember that it was cheaper to buy it online, and you have the bonus of having it delivered, which I always love. Domestic postage on orders 0-3kg is $5 Au, and even taking that into account, it was still cheaper.
There are a couple of other online pharmacies in Aus, and the prices are similar for all of them, epharmacy was just the one I used. Orders can be sent overseas, but you may want to see if there are any similar services in your own country.
Check it out, it might save you some money.
HotBubba sale - over 50% off clothing
Online store HotBubba are having a good clothing sale, with over 50% off their range.
OUCH - summer clearance sale at Charlipop Kids
Heads up on a kids clothing sale....
Online store Charlipop Kids has OUCH brand clothing on sale for bubs and kids - nothing is over $20 in their OUCH summer clearance.
See if you can grab some bargain summer bits for your bub.
Online store Charlipop Kids has OUCH brand clothing on sale for bubs and kids - nothing is over $20 in their OUCH summer clearance.
See if you can grab some bargain summer bits for your bub.
Come a-scavenging with me
It's hard rubbish collection time in our local area lately, and as I go on my nightly walk/run....definitely not just a run....I have been passing intriguing looking piles of stuff. Junk. Rubbish. Detritus. Things other people no longer require.
Now I have never been a scavenger before, certainly not of hard rubbish on nature strips, but my new frugal mindset has me looking at it all a little differently.
What do they say? Reduce, reuse, recycle.
So my hubby was not surprised when I huffed home after my walk/run last week carrying two freezer baskets. I have a small deep freeze with only one basket and would dearly like one of two more to help me organise the space. They turned out to be rather too large however, so will be put to use storing my fabric stash, which is currently occupying two disintegrating 'sposie nappy boxes which hail from when I used 'sposies with my first bub.
This morning being a weekend, I did a round of our block with the kids in the double jogger and picked up a perfectly fine clothes drying rack. My plan is to keep this one in the garage and try to use it instead of the dryer when the weather is wet. A friend of mine has three racks and puts them out on her covered porch when it's raining. Covered in wet washing, obviously. Smart lady.
And for my container gardening efforts, two large polystyrene boxes from beside the back door of a sushi joint. I asked, they said yes. Actually they looked at me somewhat oddly and said "you want, you want?!" in a fairly incredulous tone. Understandably perhaps.
So the boxes have now been put to work growing spinach and cucumbers.
Now I have never been a scavenger before, certainly not of hard rubbish on nature strips, but my new frugal mindset has me looking at it all a little differently.
What do they say? Reduce, reuse, recycle.
So my hubby was not surprised when I huffed home after my walk/run last week carrying two freezer baskets. I have a small deep freeze with only one basket and would dearly like one of two more to help me organise the space. They turned out to be rather too large however, so will be put to use storing my fabric stash, which is currently occupying two disintegrating 'sposie nappy boxes which hail from when I used 'sposies with my first bub.
This morning being a weekend, I did a round of our block with the kids in the double jogger and picked up a perfectly fine clothes drying rack. My plan is to keep this one in the garage and try to use it instead of the dryer when the weather is wet. A friend of mine has three racks and puts them out on her covered porch when it's raining. Covered in wet washing, obviously. Smart lady.
And for my container gardening efforts, two large polystyrene boxes from beside the back door of a sushi joint. I asked, they said yes. Actually they looked at me somewhat oddly and said "you want, you want?!" in a fairly incredulous tone. Understandably perhaps.
So the boxes have now been put to work growing spinach and cucumbers.
I thought perhaps I might need to cover them with bird netting to keep our feathered friends from scratching in it, but it turns out my biggest problem is keeping my 17 month old dirt lover from sinking his little hands into the lovely black soil and throwing handfuls of it around.
Now, if you feel like going out perusing the nature strips during hard rubbish collection week, keep in mind that in my area it's an offense to scavenge and you can actually be arrested for doing so. Though I have never heard of that happening and there are many, many people doing the rubbish rounds before the trucks come.
Just do think long and hard about what you find and IF you actually have a use for it. There is absolutely no point in cluttering up your house/yard/garage/garden with things you'll just be wanting to put out for the hard rubbish collection when it's your turn.
Now, if you feel like going out perusing the nature strips during hard rubbish collection week, keep in mind that in my area it's an offense to scavenge and you can actually be arrested for doing so. Though I have never heard of that happening and there are many, many people doing the rubbish rounds before the trucks come.
Just do think long and hard about what you find and IF you actually have a use for it. There is absolutely no point in cluttering up your house/yard/garage/garden with things you'll just be wanting to put out for the hard rubbish collection when it's your turn.
How to make your own caramel sauce
Have you ever bought that caramel ice cream topping in a plastic bottle, the one you can buy in the supermarket, the one with the strange, slightly plasticky aftertaste and 1000 ingredients?
Ok, well I'm not speaking about any one product in particular but you get my drift.
Those type of products are expensive, they often contain preservatives, flavours and colours, they will NEVER taste as good as the recipe I'm about to give you and you're left with yet another plastic item that may or may not be able to be recycled.
Making your own real caramel sauce is quick, easy and only takes four ingredients.
And it's TO DIE for. It really is, don't make this if you have no will power because it will call your name from the fridge every time you pass it and you WILL NOT be able to ignore it.
Trust me on that.
Real Caramel Sauce
100 grams of butter (3.5 ounces)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup
1/2 cup cream
Ok, well I'm not speaking about any one product in particular but you get my drift.
Those type of products are expensive, they often contain preservatives, flavours and colours, they will NEVER taste as good as the recipe I'm about to give you and you're left with yet another plastic item that may or may not be able to be recycled.
Making your own real caramel sauce is quick, easy and only takes four ingredients.
And it's TO DIE for. It really is, don't make this if you have no will power because it will call your name from the fridge every time you pass it and you WILL NOT be able to ignore it.
Trust me on that.
Real Caramel Sauce
100 grams of butter (3.5 ounces)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup
1/2 cup cream
- Combine butter, sugar, golden syrup and cream in a heavy based saucepan.
- Put over low heat and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved.
- Turn up heat to high and boil for at least 5 minutes.
- Take off heat and cool to room temperature.
This is the caramel sauce the day after it was made, when I took it out of the fridge to dollop some on a cupcake for hubby.
It is now lovely and thick and the blob I put on the cupcake slowly flattened itself out a bit and sat there looking extremely decadent. Then I put it in the microwave for a few seconds and it returned to a runnier state.
Either way, YUM!
It is now lovely and thick and the blob I put on the cupcake slowly flattened itself out a bit and sat there looking extremely decadent. Then I put it in the microwave for a few seconds and it returned to a runnier state.
Either way, YUM!
Now to my mind this has several uses.
Go on, try it!
- It would make a lovely gift: a glass jar, a ribbon and a pretty label.
- Heat it up and dribble it over ice cream.
- Dollop it onto unadorned cupcakes.
- You could try the same trick I suggested with the chocolate syrup, pouring it over a hot cake and letting it soak in. You'd want to heat the syrup first to make it runnier.
- I wonder if you could even flavour milk or coffee with it.......I must try that.
- Eat it straight from the jar.
Sale at Eco Mums and Bubs - nappies and boosters
One-size pocket nappy sale, 50% off RRP = $15.50 for a one-size pocket nappy. The boosters are on sale too.
As far as I can make out these are Cheeky Butts nappies, of which I have quite a few of the sized pocket nappies with sewn in booster. Which I LOVE and are the mainstay of my stash.
Huggalugs Leg Huggers are also on sale on this site for 27% off, making them $12 a pair.
One-size Coolababy pocket nappies on a great sale too, $8, a saving of 47%. I've heard good things about these but don't have any experience with them myself.
And check out the Nappy Making Supplies page, for various deals. If you can overlook the spelling mistakes (please excuse me, I've always been a speller so mistakes stand out like dogs balls to me :), you might find something you need here.
As far as I can make out these are Cheeky Butts nappies, of which I have quite a few of the sized pocket nappies with sewn in booster. Which I LOVE and are the mainstay of my stash.
Huggalugs Leg Huggers are also on sale on this site for 27% off, making them $12 a pair.
One-size Coolababy pocket nappies on a great sale too, $8, a saving of 47%. I've heard good things about these but don't have any experience with them myself.
And check out the Nappy Making Supplies page, for various deals. If you can overlook the spelling mistakes (please excuse me, I've always been a speller so mistakes stand out like dogs balls to me :), you might find something you need here.
Homemade spelt bread, thermomix or by hand
There's nothing much better than the smell of fresh bread and that's what we've been smelling round here lately as I've taken to making my own on a regular basis.
And it's soooo good! My mum used to make all the bread for a family of eight, so I don't know what's taken me so long to get round to the idea of making my own. I do have a bread machine, but I haven't used that in a long while, partly due to now having a thermomix. The thermomix doesn't actually cook the bread for you, but it certainly does all the rest of hard work. That said, it is pretty easy to make this bread by hand, but seeing as I have a thermomix, I'm gonna use it!
Actually, the reason I now like to make my own is because I have become so much more aware of exactly what is put into our food. And why spelt? I use spelt instead of wheat for it's nutritious benefits, as well as it's flavour and texture. Spelt can sometimes be found in supermarkets, however I buy it in 5kg bags over the net and it gets delivered, just what I like.
See? Couldn't be easier.
And it's soooo good! My mum used to make all the bread for a family of eight, so I don't know what's taken me so long to get round to the idea of making my own. I do have a bread machine, but I haven't used that in a long while, partly due to now having a thermomix. The thermomix doesn't actually cook the bread for you, but it certainly does all the rest of hard work. That said, it is pretty easy to make this bread by hand, but seeing as I have a thermomix, I'm gonna use it!
Actually, the reason I now like to make my own is because I have become so much more aware of exactly what is put into our food. And why spelt? I use spelt instead of wheat for it's nutritious benefits, as well as it's flavour and texture. Spelt can sometimes be found in supermarkets, however I buy it in 5kg bags over the net and it gets delivered, just what I like.
Spelt bread by hand
1 tablespoon dry yeast
2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons salt
5-6 cups spelt flour (any combo of brown or white)
Spelt bread in the thermomix
10 grams dry yeast
2 cups warm water
85 grams honey
75 grams butter
2 teaspoons salt
5-6 cups spelt flour (any combo of brown or white)
1 tablespoon dry yeast
2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons salt
5-6 cups spelt flour (any combo of brown or white)
- Mix yeast, water and honey in a large bowl and let it stand for 5-10 minutes.
- Stir in the butter, salt and 3 cups of flour.
- Add the remainng flour in small amounts until the dough becomes too stiff to stir, then turn out onto floured bench.
- Knead for about 6 minutes, but do not overwork the dough. Stop when it is smooth and elastic.
- Place in a bowl, cover and let it rise until doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough, and divide it between 2 smallish loaf pans.
- Cover and let it rise again.
- Heat oven to 175c (350f)
- Bake for 20 minutes or so, until it is brown on the top and smelling done. Mmm mmm!
Spelt bread in the thermomix
10 grams dry yeast
2 cups warm water
85 grams honey
75 grams butter
2 teaspoons salt
5-6 cups spelt flour (any combo of brown or white)
- Place chopped butter in TM bowl and melt on 90c, speed 3 for about 1 1/2 minutes.
- Add honey, warm water and yeast. Mix on speed 4 for 2 seconds then leave to sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Add salt and 3 cups of flour. Mix on speed 5 for 10 seconds.
- Add 2 more cups of flour, mixing on speed 5 for 10 seconds after each addition.
- Knead in TM for 2 minutes
- Place in a bowl, cover and let it rise until doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough, and divide it between 2 smallish loaf pans.
- Cover and let it rise again.
- Heat oven to 175c (350f)
- Bake for 20 minutes or so, until it is brown on the top and smelling done.
See? Couldn't be easier.
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