Taro

I spent a few hours today at my garden plot at the community garden as it was our monthly Working Bee. I enjoyed our meeting and look forward to pitching in some hours towards grant submissions to better our area and resources. This will also allow me to build on my fundraising skills for future job prospects.

As for my little plot, the sun was harsh and the rocket I planted 2 days ago is yellowing and withering. I have planted other produce in the last 4 weeks which is surviving. Eggplant, mint chocolate, parsley, tomato, crystal apple cucumber, Lebanese cucumber and ginger. Still no sign of radish or sunflowers poking through the ground.

Another plot owner cleaned up over the weekend and discarded 6 taro plants. I saved them from the compost heap and claimed them as my own. I aim to replant 3 and to cook and eat the others. This will be new to me as I have never purchased or cooked TARO in it's raw form before.

I've placed my foot next to the taro in the photograph for you to have an idea of the very large size. Do you have any suggestions for no fuss food preparation of these for my family? I love trying new foods however I am impatient with complicated recipes. Also after reading various information on the taro I feel nervous about toxicity if not prepared well.

Looking forward to your suggestions :-)

Stephanie at Frugal Down Under.

Events & Outings

There are many FREE events in our town. We go to some of them for inexpensive entertainment. This allows us to take part in fun activities individually or as a family while saving our money for mortgage, travel, retirement and the important things in life.

Recently we went to a Easter Egg Hunt and Fun Day offered by the City Council. This was so much fun for Dolly who was loaded up with chocolates, lollies, bandanna, wallet, stickers and other small gifts. There were craft stations, face painting, jumping castles, waterslides and outdoor play activities. We participated in many of the choices available. It was all FREE.

We spent over 3 hours at the event and kept our spending down by bringing our own packed lunch and water bottles. I wanted our lunch to be a treat too so I splurged on fresh baguette, smoked ham and cornichons. We had 1 large generously filled sandwich, a fruit each and a large bag of chips to share. The cost was $8AUS for the 3 of us. A bargain compared to the usual food available at community events and no waiting in long hot queues for greasy selections.

I'm interested to know are you taking advantage of FREE events in the area you live in? What about packed lunches? Do you find yourself going to events with your own food or buying something there because bringing your lunch is too hard or maybe you want to support small local businesses?

Remember to keep having fun, even in frugality :-)

Stephanie at Frugal Down Under.

Kony 2012

I know Kony 2012 has caused much debate and criticism. The issue is complex and has been shown too simply. But I just want to view my thoughts on why I support this movement.

Firstly it has grabbed global attention and woken many people from their long sleep on Child Rights. It has started the discussions. It is using social media for a human rights cause. And all of those things rock me.

For too long celebrities and brands have been in the spotlight and attention of our people. Celebrities twitting about what they just bought or did. People Face Booking and liking brands. Everywhere we turn we are bombarded by images, symbols and products of celebrities and brands.

Now one organisation is the using the same social media tactics to gain attention for the plight of disadvantaged children that are enslaved for sexual servitude or to become child soldiers, forced to kill their loved ones and communities. Putting aside all the criticism towards the organisation I think working for the rights of humans with passion is worthy. I also don't see it as a competition of one organisation is better then another organisation. Instead I see one man who had the vision and passion to do something instead of nothing. And that I applaud.

What I also find formidable he has targeted his audience well. Youth. Many have disposable income, passion, time and ready to act. They also form cliques and group quickly. They are our tomorrow and will need to clean up our world mess with fierce determination. They are my hope for a better future for my daughter and our planet. I'm a dreamer but dreams can become reality.

I hope when my time comes, I go to dust with pride and satisfaction in how I spent my time on this earth. Right now I don't feel that, but I am making changes to get back to what is important to me because somehow I forgot in the daily grind.





Do you have any people or organisations that inspire you to do better?

In Peaceful Activism,

Stephanie at Frugal Down Under.

Soil

I read a very good article on garden soil in a discarded gardening magazine recently. It stated that much of the bagged soil that is sold in Australian gardening shops is actually a detriment to our environment. The reason is most of it is dug from waterways thus damaging our fragile ecosystems. I never knew this and was blown by my new knowledge.

It went on to say people that moan about their terrible natural soil in their yards are actually missing the rich Gold they have. Most of the soils just needs to be enriched with compost and mulch. So instead of digging away your dirt and removing it for glossy shop bought stuff, mix in other enriching ingredients and give it life.

A great tip was if you don't have enough to build raise beds then look around your neighbourhood. Is someone having their yard dug up for a pool or the likes? If yes, ask them if you can have some of the earth which will be otherwise dumped and left unused. They save the cost of disposing of it and you save the cost of buying it. Winners all round and Eco Frugal to boot.

Now my happy friends, get out there and get your hands dirty ;-)

Have a wonderful Long Weekend for those lucky to have one,
Stephanie at Frugal Down Under.

Oh Peanut

Over the weekend I began to prepare my garden plot for the dry season planting as this is the optimal fortnight to place our seeds and seedlings in the ground.

I harvested 2 of my peanut plants that I had planted from peanuts about 6 months ago. I thought I had very little however I watched a few You Tube clips and discovered a good plant has about 40 peanuts. I was successful after all as I have more then 40 peanuts per plant.

For children and others without peanut allergies this is a fun snack to grow. Easy to maintain, exciting to see the plant being pulled out of the ground and a short growing period.

This Easter long weekend I will be planting tomatoes, cucumbers, winged beans and other edibles that take my fancy. What about you? Tell me where you live, what season you are in and what are you growing and harvesting. Looking forward to hearing about your attempts and successes.

Have a Happy Day,
Stephanie at Frugal Down Under.

Gone, One Car

At last it's gone...

Our car was sitting in the driveway gathering dust and taking our valuable shady car spot for a year and a half. Each time I arrived home it was the 1st thing I saw and it dragged me down increasing my feeling blue. The motor was fine. The only damage was the smashed back. A great project for a mechanic student, teen or even mechanic wanting to tinker on the weekend.

1. I tried advertising it at an inexpensive price on 2 popular sites in my city (no interest).
2. I tried calling the car part yards (only after specific models).
3. I tried to offer it to mechanic classes in a high school and uni (liability issues).
4. A friend offered it to the Fire Dept for practice - (I would have to get it to them costing me $$$).
5. I tried to give it away on Freecycle, 2 people were interested (but no takers).

Last week I saw a small notice in a FREE newspaper - someone looking for cars of certain models and makes. So I called with car paperwork in hand rattling off brand, make, year and qualities. Two days latter our car was picked up. No drama, no hassle and gone in 10 minutes. Just like that. And.. the man was thrilled with our car which makes me very happy indeed.

We didn't make extra cash but we didn't have to hand any of our money to have it removed by a towing company which was to be my next move.

As I arrive home from work each afternoon - I smile because I see a shady empty space for the car we use each day. So my advice to you is wait it out if you can. Try your different avenues and take a few minutes to look at those wanted ads in you free newspapers. Someone may just be after the very something you have been trying to get rid of.

I see a week of success coming up. I am positive and making changes in my life :-)  I have been busy and taking a little time away from here to recharge and prioritise. But I'm back from my little Blog Holiday and hope to catch up with all of you this week on your blogs and through comments.

Have a Happy Day :-)

Stephanie at Frugal Down Under