Feather your Nest Friday, 13 March, 2015.

We had a short week this week due to a public holiday. Technically, yes, it is still seven days in a week! But the routine is changed and I don't seem to get so much done. So on Tuesday I got a wriggle on and tried to make up for it!

A weekly review and lots of lists help me get more done. When we talk about building up our homes, feathering our nests, it can mean a lot of things. Building up relationships is also building up your nest. It is strengthening your home. Some weeks we might achieve more in one area than another. All progress is progress! But considering our achievements helps us see how much is possible. That progress has been made. That definitely helps me feel happy and more positive than only looking at what needs doing rather than celebrate what has been achieved!

There are so many reasons that saving money can help you build up your home. Security for one. There is nothing like an emergency fund and some financial leeway to create a buffer between us and unexpected circumstances. And there is nothing like a pantry full of goodness to create another buffer between us and shortages, full prices, the takeaway shops, the times we are rained or snowed in or the times the bills come before the income has come in.

We can incorporate any goals we want into our weeks. It is just amazing how small steps add up!

This week I feathered my nest by:

Doing some deep cleaning. Like moving the bed and wiping down skirting boards etc.
Tidying up and making the dining room table look lovely.
Trying new recipes.
Further building up my pantry.
Improving the first aid kits.
Improving the meal situation in the freezer. (and pantry)


This week I saved money by:

I had a day I didn't have to water. We had rain! Just enough to wash everything and freshen everything up.

I can't wait until we get the first good rains. The garden is dry in spite of all the recycled water it gets. But this was great as a start.

I baked a birthday cake for my brothers birthday. He likes a fruit cake. So I made him one and I doubled the recipe. This recipe makes one very large fruit cake. So doubled I made three medium plus two tiny fruit cakes. It is a recipe that improves with age. Also this makes it a perfect pantry cake. It keeps at least a year. Having this on hand is wonderful. Unexpected visitors, a gift, a busy time, it is a great cake to have in the cupboard. The recipe is here. I have set one aside to take away on our holiday. One for Andy's birthday cake as it is his favourite. We had one mini one for desert and one mini one I sent to my Dad.

As a gift for Dad, along with the little cake, I sent him jars of plum and jars of fig and almond jam. He is mad about old fashioned jams like these. It was a big success he rang me up so pleased!

We experienced some culture in an arts festival in our city. It was a light show and the evening was beautiful. It was totally free and a lovely night out. Checking for free events can be a really good idea.

I made some extra meals by cooking double or triple. This included tuna mornay which saved cooking one night. When I do this I try and make it different. One night I served tuna money in vol au vent cases. Then two nights later I served it with breadcrumbs and cheese baked over it. Both were yum.

I picked basil and chillies form the garden.

Lucy is finishing her nursery. I was able to give her a lovely bookcase and a bedside table. These were both things she said she needed. I told her I had one of each in the shed! Both were road side finds. The shelves were handmade heavy wooden shelves and the table was a Queen Anne style little bedside table with drawers. She was so pleased and yesterday I saw how they turned out when painted up! Gorgeous! So that wasn't my money saving but a big one for her. I love being able to do this!

I couldn't show you this before or Helen would have seen but for her birthday I made kitchen gifts and added pantry items! One gift was gingham serviettes that I did a crochet edge on. Helen loves red in her kitchen. So I made the whole parcel red. This was easy to do and she loved it. Making presents overall saves me a lot of money and I can make things just to suit what someone loves. This was a success! (At Christmas I had made her a red gingham tablecloth).

I am starting a frugal craft, a rag rug. Here is Nanna Chels tutorial that she posted this week. I almost have enough fabrics for this. We have a chance to go to some country op shops coming up and I will get the material I need then. My ambition is to make a heart shaped rag rug for next to the bed and for the little nursery I am setting up. Nana Chel's Rag Rug Tutorial.

I love reading how people save money and the things they do. Patsy was out of her usual shopping area and decided while she was near other shops to check out the prices. She struck gold in some amazing specials. This reminds me of the verse "she brings home food from far away places." Many times exploring new markets, shops, garage sales etc we come across things we would normally never see! For us the country op shops are so wonderful and if we didn't check them on trips away we would just miss out. I come home with gorgeous fabrics and everything I need for planned crafts, presents and clothes too. So always remember to "bring home food from far away places." Some of the best fruit and vegetable buys I have ever had are from far flung suburbs out of my normal area. But calling in on them has turned out so well! Being ever watchful is always going to help.

On My Abundant Life Wendy has started a column to alert each other to great specials of the week. This is such a good idea. Straight away via her blog and face book I saw two of my favourite brand shampoo's were half price at Coles! Helping each other find specials is a wonderful idea!
Wendy also posted recently how her daughter spotted tomatoes at a fantastic price. This helped Wendy heaps and I thought I wonder how many teenage daughters know WHAT is a bargain price on fruit and vegies and would both NOTICE/watch out and alert their Mother? Very impressive. And this is what we need to do. Use the eyes and ears of all our family members and friends! Get everyone on board, tell them what to watch for, what you are looking for. Andy has sent me a text saying "is $2 good for cauliflowers?" as he has seen them in front of a shop.... yes it is!  Get everyone on board to help you and work as a team.

I hope you had a great week and I love hearing what you did to build up your nest and save money. We both learn new ideas and encourage each other. As we "encourage one another" we are helping each others households as well!  xxx