Sigh of Relief

As my partner works in a new position he has found for the next five months I sigh with relief. A relief for the pay that will come through the door and join mine to keep paying the mortgage, the food, the bills.

We are not poor. We are not wealthy. We are alright - we have saved hard for the past six years, we have spent wisely most days, we have budgeted and not lived on credit. Except for our home... We have a mortgage. A small one. A small flat - but the city we live in is expensive. We aimed to pay it off in five years but that was not achieved. I think another year and it should be paid off. I really should sit down and crunch numbers. Another job to add to my To Do List. A list with no end in sight.

I think once the mortgage is paid off I will feel more liberated. More free to do as I wish. Not buying more, but cutting back work hours and spending more time reading, laughing, cooking, gardening, sewing, thinking, learning, creating and playing. My partners job loss was another lesson learned in our life journey. He was in a secure stable permanent position. Or so I thought. But it wasn't so. He lost it as the new political party took the reins. He became angry and he became sad. He loved his job - he had passion about it. He went to work each day with a skip. I hope that his smile and energy will return, that he will not let the system drag him down.

Sadness and anger sapped our energy. Our home became a mess. We spent too much time doing nothing. Nothing can be good, but when nothing is destructive it's a sickness that grows and becomes too hard to battle. We are fighting it. We worked on the mundane to commence. We cleaned out the fridge together, as a family, the three of us. We purged the old and unhealthy. We filled it's gleaming insides with fresh healthier food choices. We ate a meal made with thought. We tackled our laundry, the mountain was reduced to mere rubble and we have spoken with more consideration to each other and our daughter. The stresses had strained us all, until our voices could no longer speak with calm or gentleness. We are now mending, cleansing and restoring our home and ourselves after six months of disillusionment and uncertainty. I never imagined that job loss could affect my family so deeply this way. But it did and now I have new experiences and wisdom to draw on when the going gets tough.

Stephanie @ Frugal Down Under.

Grow Food - Community Education

Hi Lovely Readers,

Today I spent my afternoon at The Sea Breeze Festival where I was invited to set up a stall for the community garden I am part of. Dolly and I set up a quick stall that fitted in our little city car. Nothing big - nothing flash but we had many visitors pop by and ask a number of questions.

I find it very satisfying, sharing knowledge and letting people know that "Yes" they can grow some of their own produce quite easily with little effort and that supermarkets do not have to be their only source of foods. Our weather is perfect for South East Asian produce and also some European produce during the cooler "Dry Season" months when the monsoonal showers subside.

When our stall had quiet moments I was amazed and proud to see my 6 year old Dolly invite people from the path to come and learn about local foods. Her participation in the community gardens has made her knowledgeable, confident and proud of her contributions. I overheard her explain to children and mothers how you can eat or prepare some of the produce we had on display. The gardening has allowed my daughter to understand where food comes from, what it needs to grow, the importance of insects and animal life and what foods do to her body. Now she readily shares her knowledge and skills with others. Since we started gardening she also happily snacks on green leaves as I garden and loves to show tourists and interstate gardeners around the garden plots, encouraging people to taste some of the plants. I love how they ask me if it's "edible" and I always tell them to trust my daughter as she knows her way around the plots and produce. It's been an amazing educational journey and to think 3 years ago I had never grown a vegetable before. What was I waiting for!!! It tastes good. It's Eco and it's super Frugal!!!

So what do you think about getting your hands in the soil and growing some of your own produce? Scary or something you are comfortable with?

Stephanie @ Frugal Down Under.

A Hoarders Treasures

Two years ago I jumped the fence and dug around in a collectors home. His house was about to be bulldozed over and all placed into landfill. Even though I knew we were breaking the rules by entering the house I felt a stronger urge to do so. The experience broke my heart at how a person's lifelong collections equates to nothingness. How one's treasures is seen as clutter and filthy hoarding by others.

I wish I had tried to salvage a few more historical items such as letters, photos, documents, hand drawn maps for the State Library Collection, Museum or Historical Society. However I was so overwhelmed by it all that I did not take much. I didn't even look in some areas of the house and did not enter the garage at all.

Here is that Blog Post I wrote back then... The images are heartbreaking, disgusting and motivating all at once.

I'll leave you now while I go and fill up a bag for the op shop before I too become a hoarder.

Stephanie @ Frugal Down Under.

Surfing - Links that Rock

Here's a list of Online Links I have enjoyed this week and thought you may too. It's an eclectic mix - but all have a frugalicious theme. The last one really tinkled my fancy and I would like to give it a try. Let me know if you have ever used your car for other purposes then just driving around.

Why Being Frugal is Satisfying:
Why Should I be Frugal When I'm So Rich - Mr Money Mustache.

Shifting Priorities:
Forest Food - Whole Larder Love.

Mouth Watering Slow Cooked Meals:
Slow Cooked Meals For The Family - NineMSN Food.

Food For $5 Around the World:
At Laughing Squid.

Most of Us Have a Food Dehydrator.
Your Car - The Tangled Mess.

Hope you enjoy,

Stephanie @ Frugal Down Under.

Pomme D'Amour

I'm in Love! I have been decadent and allowed myself to bite into the crunchy sweetness to reach the tangy juicy centre. Mmmm heavenly evening. I am eating pomme d'amour after pomme d'amour. Love Apples or as we call them here in Australia, Toffee Apples. I love toffee apples. The sweet sickly treat from my childhood. Red like Snow White's lips. 

I was admiring Foxs Lane's blog post when I thought to myself "Stephanie, go on... You can do it. Just give it a go and you might be sweetly rewarded for your effort." And happily rewarded I have been as no one else in my family likes them. A large clear bowl sits in the middle of the fridge filled to the brim with these glittering red jewels. The fridge has never looked so pretty.

These were not as hard to make as I had anticipated and may become a go to recipe when I want to spoil myself. However you do have to work fast as the toffee hardens surprisingly quickly. These sweet treats cost me $1.10 each. I rarely see them for sale in my town - but when I do, I think they are at the $3 mark. I was also thinking how pretty these would look with a ribbon on the stick. They would make lovely gifts for sweet toothed adults.

Do you have any sweet childhood treats you dream about from time to time? Go on do tell, because I love sugar and spice and all things nice,

Stephanie @ Frugal Down Under.

Sweet Deal

Tonight I'm snacking on a sweet deal of Bread, Butter and Honey. So sweet as it was free.

A week ago an active permaculturalist made contact via a Facebook page I admin. He was on my side of Australia for a few days work and time poor but wanting to meet gardeners in my city. The hotel where he was staying was near my home, so I knew I could give him a tour of a few community gardens on way to my daughter's dance class and not be out of pocket or stressed with time. And not only that - but also... I was able drop him off at the airport on my way home again as it was only a few minutes detour and fitted perfectly with my family's schedule and his flight.

When I picked him up he loaded his minimal baggage into the car and gifted his food items that he was unable to take home. He like many other permaculturalist, does not like food waste as the production and transport of food is a burden on our environment. We all have a responsibility to purchase carefully and keep our waste to a minimum. So he asked me to bring an esky to our meeting place. He filled it with abundant food items. Cheese, butter, yoghurt, bread, cereals, honey, sun dried tomatoes, ice cream, organic soup, dip, olives and more.

I was grateful for the gifts. The gardens were in my line of travel for the day and it was a pleasurable activity to showcase what we grow in the tropics and introduce some of our city's main players in garden activism. He was not new to this world so was reintroduced to people he had already met over the years at workshops and conferences in various parts of Australia.

It was a fun morning acting as tour guide and talking about growing food. And I was rewarded with a new inspiring gardening contact and delicious food items to feast on latter. It was a win for both of us and of course for Dolly, who was able to run around in the gardens showing her skills by talking about plants and animals that she knows well.

What about you? Do you shy away from meeting new people or do you eagerly take up opportunities to meet those that may add to your life experiences?

In sweetness,

Stephanie @ Frugal Down Under.

Private Luxury Swim

We recently told an acquaintance that we are available to feed and walk her friendly family dog in exchange for use of the swimming pool if they ever went away. They live a few minutes walk from us and have a generous backyard and stunning pool.

Well the day came and lucky for us, our offer was taken! They were going away for 4 days and asked that we feed and walk their dog. I was so excited I couldn't wait and counted down the days. We live in a tiny cramped unit so having the freedom to play in the grassy backyard and dive in the cool crocodile free waters was a luxury I was dying for.

It was better than I imagined. It was gloriously relaxing without the crowd of the public pool. It felt like I was in a luxury hotel spending hours floating in my own private pool. All that was missing was staff serving me cocktails. As I write this I am so relaxed and grateful, it feels like I have been on a extended holiday with Dolly. Absolutely decadent. Just what the doctor ordered. This is bartering at it's best.

Frugal people like you and I can use our imagination to mould desires with flexibility and make them a reality. It's fun, it's creative and allows us to live on the smell of an oily rag while we save and live debt free. I believe this is what keeps us going when it feels hard sticking to budget.

Have you stories to share of bartering for experiences or luxury?

Stephanie @ Frugal Down Under