Our Frugal Lifestyle

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Passionate about eco-frugality. I used to party hard, clubbing my way from pay-packet to pay-packet. Never getting ahead, just getting by. Then came our much wanted baby with no savings in the bank - only an old car. Changes were made to our lifestyle and we didn't turn back. In the past 6yrs we purchased a flat, found employment, lived below our means, built an emergency fund, purchased a reliable car and saw the financial benefits of our frugal lifestyle. Our only debt is our mortgage. Our aim is to manage our cash flow wisely, pay off our home quickly and eventually work for pleasure, not necessity. Join us on our journey, share insights, tips and tricks to help us and others to get ahead while having a good time.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Busy And Quiet

Tonight I have spent 3 hours finding and creating items to create gifts for Dolly's teachers for Teachers Day on the 28 October 2011. If I was more organised this would have only taken 1 hour. The searching for stuff has used up my precious hours and frustrated me. And that is why I need to declutter and be better organised!

This is what I've been working on tonight. I'll let you see the finished gifts tomorrow, when they are dry, assembled and ready to go into their little gift bags. I think they are very cute.

Mystery Gifts

Tonight we also ate dinner with our neighbour Mr T. He has a BBQ and we had a barramundi that The Rambling Expat caught over the weekend in crocodile infested waters.

The Rambling Expat and Bara

It was a quiet night for us as our friend Franck passed away this afternoon. He was only 42 but had a heart condition. My mum and I, visited him last week in hospital and he was happy to be getting out this week but he had a turn for the worst. I'm now preparing Dolly for her 1st funeral. She has decided she wants to come and I believe in being gently honest with my daughter about death. Being a mum is not always easy with these decisions.

What did you do tonight?
Posted by Frugal Down Under
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7 comments:

  1. BryallenOctober 26, 2011 at 8:57 AM

    Mystery gifts look good so far!

    Really sorry to hear about your friend. I agree with your approach to death with regards to your daughter. We nearly lost my Dad at 38 to a massive heart attack. It's crazy how fast it can happen.

    I hope you can remember your friend with a smile in days to come. x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Practical ParsimonyOctober 26, 2011 at 9:56 AM

    My daughter wanted to go to a funeral of a man she did not even know when she was five. I asked her why she wanted to go. "Because I have never seen a dead person before." I allowed her to go and taught her funeral home manners and what to say. She came back unfazed. I thought that learning early and with someone she did not know was a good experience.

    Crafting and decluttering--designate box/bin/drawer/shelf for crafty stuff. As you declutter, put the things in your craft place. Don't put your finds in a place to put them away later. I bought a Butterick/Simplicity/McCall huge metal cabinet for my sewing room. It works perfectly, but I have a large house. Even in that room, there are places for everything, not that I always take things back to the room or the drawer they go into...lol...it's so hard, I know.

    You have such a great potential for never spending money on gifts. I hate the time suck for you.

    My tonight is not here yet, but last night?...I forgot...lol.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownOctober 26, 2011 at 11:07 AM

    Sorry to hear about Franck!

    Enjoy your BBQ. What a fish!

    What are the mystery pressies for the teachers. I need to know!

    Sft x

    ReplyDelete
  4. KarenOctober 26, 2011 at 3:20 PM

    Wow, what a fish the Expat caught.

    I alway think children should be taught properly about death. Such a young age to die, so sad.

    This evening Hubby and I have enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine and watched a movie. I've enjoyed my night.

    ReplyDelete
  5. NIXNAXOctober 26, 2011 at 7:07 PM

    I'm sorry for your loss Stephanie x

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownOctober 27, 2011 at 4:25 AM

    Sorry to hear of your loss, dealing with death and explaining to young children is very difficult, but I admire you for being open with Dolly about such a sensitive topic.

    What a huge fish!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Rambling ExpatOctober 27, 2011 at 3:06 PM

    And I have caught some bigger ones...
    Trust me I am a fisherman...
    ;-)

    ReplyDelete

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