Meal Planning

Before Ty and I had our children we used to live in a unit with Ty's brother. We would go thirds in the groceries and I remember [and this was 10 years ago now] that we would spend about $180 - $250 a fortnight for the three of us. I cringe now remembering how we would throw away so so so much food each week.
Now 10 years later and as a family of 4 we can spend about $200 a fortnight [sometimes less]. I plan our meals right down to using everything in our cupboard. For instance this week I had two lots of mince left so one night I will make lasagne [which will last two nights] and another night I will make home made sausage rolls which will also last two nights. So their is 4 nights meals. I believe this works well for us as I am always using up things out of the cupboard and things don't just sit there for long periods of time and then get thrown out. I spend about $10 - $20 a week on fresh fruit and vegetables and EVERYTHING always gets eaten. If there are a couple of banana's left over going brown we will make banana muffins or banana bread or cake. We never seem to have much in our fridge or freezer as we only have what we are going to eat. We never ever go hungry.
I also make things from scratch. Today I won't use a jar of bechamel sauce for the lasagne. I will make it myself with flour, butter, milk and cheese.
I always have staples in the cupboard like flour, sugar, etc. We always have eggs, long life and fresh milk, bread in the freezer etc.
We never ever go hungry but meals are planned right down to each meal each day.
It often takes me a good hour or more to plan our meals and write a list. But it is so worth it. I hate hate hate wasting food and I really dislike crappy , foods like chips, musli bars etc so I don't buy these and I am sure that is why our grocery bill is so cheap.
So my suggestions for meal planning are:
* Look in your cupboard and fridge and freezer and see what you already have.
* Look up recipes in magazines, on the internet, ask friends and family etc for ideas.
* Look up ways to make your own sauces, pickles, jams etc
* Never let anything go to waste use up fruit for muffins or stew it and serve with custard. Or get chooks etc or a compost \ worm farm to be able to get rid of scraps.
We very very rarely eat take away food ever now. Partly because I don't want to drive into town to buy it and we simply don't have it in our budget. But partly because every time we eat it we regret it immensley and feel ill and bloated afterwards.
You can make your own version of take away foods at home byt making pizzas and burgers. It's much cheaper and healthier so make sure you include these in your menu plan for a treat occasionally.
Also include some vegetarian meals such as soups, sushi etc. Many of these are cheaper , yummy and healthy.
With the cost of meat buy cheaper cuts and put it in a slow cooker and it will be so tender you will enjoy it.
At the end of the day it takes time and energy to meal plan, follow through with the meal plan and take the time and effort to cook but not only will your family benefit from it but your wallet will too.

Simple Cleaning

Part of living simply has been removing all kinds of clutter from the house [I have done my best but having two kids it seems to still appear lol].
But we don't have that much stuff to be honest. This makes it so much easier to clean every room in the house. And because I clean naturally I have way more room in my cupboards because I only use a couple of different cleaning products.
I have always suffered from Asthma and allergies and Mia has too. So we cut out bleaches etc and now we use Bi carb Soda and vinegar , dishwashing liquid and eucalyptus oil. That is it. I don't use furniture polish or bleaches and we use eucalyptus oil to clean the floors. It leaves a nice fresh smell and is 100% natural.
I also use a spray of the eucalyptus oil and water to clean the toilet and basin in the bathroom. In the kitchen I use vinegar and bi carb. We rarely get sick and no one is wheezing from inhaling poisonous bleaches.
Cleaning like this does me using a bit more elbow grease to scrub but honestly it isn't that much harder at all. You don't have to worry about bleaches staining and ruining your fabrics too.
Just a short post from me today. We are organising dinner and dessert as sunday night is our special dinner and dessert night :)

Eradicating Toxic People

One of the ways that I have simplified my life is by eradicating myself of toxic people. How is one to live a simplistic life when there are toxic people complicating it?
I had one of these people in my life. I do not like talking badly about people at all however this person was toxic. She was not in my life by choice as I had to work with her. Although she was relatively nice to me most of the time I held no trust in her whatsoever. I witnessed her unstable behaviour and the horrible treatment work mates of mine endured. It was horrible. I let this person be part of my life for two years. I was made to hate my job and also my life. I was anxious and lost all of my self confidence. I asked for help and prayed for a miracle.
That miracle did come. The phone rang and an old friend called me up and offered me a new job. I accepted. At first the new job was stressful. I came home from work in tears from being so overwhelmed. But eventually this stopped.
It was fantastic to work in an environment where there were wonderful and caring workers who treated each other with respect and decency.
After eradicating that toxic person and the toxic environment that I was part of my life has changed immensley.
I have delved into my spirituality which is something I have always wanted to do. I am now enjoying crystal therapy and meditations [when I a not so slack and I do them lol].
I am learning so much about Angels and Angel Therapy. I am reading books about developing my psychic powers that I have always wanted to do and have had signs that I have a gift if I work hard enough to develop it.
Before I rid myself of this person and environment my mind was too cluttered and my life too complicated to begin my spiritual journey.
I am so thankful, grateful and blessed that the miracle phone call came to me at the right time , and that I decided to change my life's path for the better.
I truly believe that if you ask you will receive. There are angels and guides here to help us.
I truly hope that if anyone is reading this and you would like to live a simple, carefree life that you really think about those you share your life with. If you feel that someone is draining you of all of your energy and is not making you feel good about yourself that you seriously think of removing this person from your life.
We are all beautiful and we all deserve to lead the best life that we can. Not one person is worth you, yourself being unhappy.

A lovely family oriented spirited weekend

We all went to the Gemfest on the weekend. The crystals and gems were amazing. We all love them. Ty did too. He brought the girls both an opal each [their birthstone]. When they are older [probably 18] we are going to get the opals made into special necklaces for them.

I too brought some lovely crystals. I was very drawn to amazonite. I found out it's properties and it's quite an amazing crystal. Just holding it in my hand I was getting a heaviness and vibration from it. It was incredible.

We came home and Ty made a lovely vegetable soup. It was delicious. I then made a yummy chocolate pudding too for dessert.

There is nothing more satisfying than feeding my family a lovely hearty meal and dessert. Putting them to bed, knowing they are loved, having a full belly, warm flannelette sheets and a cosy bed.

As the days cool down

We live in Northern NSW so it doesn't get too cold where we live. Never below 0 of a night anyway. So at the moment we are having such lovely weather. Not too hold and not too cold. Just perfect. Usually I suffer from SAD [Seasonal Affective Disorder]lol. I get cold, tired and very grumpy. I used to despise winter so much.
The older I am getting the more I am enjoying it. I love the fact I washed and put flannelette sheets on all our beds last night. I love that Ty and I snuggle on the lounge under brightly crotchered rugs. I love that he makes me hot chocolates at night with peices of chocolate. I love going to bed with a hot water bottle and I feel so lucky to be warm and snug in my bed.
I love making soups and big hearty meals for my family. I love winter vegetables. I love being able to snuggle with the girls and not be hot ans sticky and not wanting to snuggle because I'm hot and sticky.
I love bathing the girls early and putting them in their warm and cosy pjarmas with yummy fluffy bed socks.
Ok I'd better stop now.... But honestly if you asked me about winter a couple of years ago there is no way the world 'Love' would have been mentioned at all.
But now it's evolved. It's become my friend. I will enjoy snugging down in my cosy cottage with hot water bottles, gorgeous pjarmas and cute crotchered rugs and I will be thankful that I have the privilage of being able to live in a warm house with a gorgeous family.

Happy Mama's Day :)

Well generally speaking I could look back at Mothers Day yesterday and say "Yes it was pretty average". I mean I have had a head cold since Thursday morning and Ty was vomitting all night saturday and then had to work all day. BUT you know what? I had a gorgeous day. The girls made me beautiful gifts from school and preschool [see pic]. Mia made me the bowl over several weeks as she had to paper mache it, wait for it to dry out and then paint it. Ella made this gorgeous garden which I now have hanging up in my room. Mia's bowl is also on my dressing table and I sit my daily jewellry into it :) See I told you it was a gorgeous girl. Ella also picked me two coffee mugs, complete with tea bags, a crabtree and evelyn lavender body cream and a lavender soap from the mothers day stall. There is something lovely about the girls being able to pick something that comes from their heart or that they creatively made themselves. It truly is a wonderful gift.

All day I was thinking of several parents I know that have lost their children, either during pregnancy, through illness or accidents and I truly felt blessed that my girls are happy and healthy and not only in my heart but in my arms.

I hope you all had a blessed, family filled, gorgeously wonderful mothers day. There is nothing more precious in anyone's life than their mother. The one who brought you into the world and would sacrifice their life for you.

Interest rate rise, The cost of Living and the Environment

Well the RBA lifted interest rates this past tuesday for the 6th consecutive time. Whilst it raises our mortgage slightly each time so far we can handle the rate rises. This is due to us living in a small house in a small area and we purchased a typical 'Fixer upperer' lol. It needs work. Mainly on the outside of the house but a small bit of work on the inside would help too. Anyway we purchased this house because honestly it was all we could afford. And I am so happy for it because the lifestyle we lead of living simply, the house is all we need.
Whilst many people with large houses and mortgages suffer with each interest rate rise, due to our low mortgage it puts our mortgage up by about $15 each rise so it's ok. I often wonder though if many of the people with large mortgages ever think about downsizing? I often wonder how much happier people are knowing they are in a lot of debt as opposed to people have little debt?
I also wonder how many people need the huge plasma TV's, the nicest furniture etc. Possessions really don't make me any happier. Either does working full time and being away from my children. Given the chance I would embrace the opportunity to be a stay at home mum, however even living as simply as we do, Ty and I find it much easier both of us working part time and being home more with the girls. We are happier for it. We are healthier for it. Being home more gives me more time to spend with the girls and be the home maker. I can provide the girls with nourishing home cooked healthy meals. I am not picking up take away food because I am late home and don't have time to cook dinner.
With the cost of living too I know I am saving money on the food bill each fortnight due to cooking from scratch. We never purchase pre packaged foods. Everything is cooked from scratch and we know what is in everything. No preservatives, artificial colours, flavours and additives.
Poor Ella gets teased because she never takes chips and musli bars etc to school but I have told her that she is better for it.
We avoid the shops too. I used to love shopping for nothing in particular and buying unnecessary items. Not anymore, the less I got to a store, the less I want to. We only go for necessties and even then I look at Op shops first [Did I mention the awesome crotchered rug I got from my local op shop last week for $4], it is awesome. I was going to take a photo however the camera battery had died so I will try and get around to it soon.
The other way I am saving money is I don't buy magazines. I am so happy in my own life I truly don't want to read about celebrities and their lives. Every time I ever brought a magazine and would read it cover to cover I never felt satisfied and fulfilled. I never felt like I got anything out of it.
I realised how much money I saved when last year I took all of my old magazines to the local op shop and the ladies commented on how many I had. I added it up roughly and there would have easily been over $1000 spent on magazines. I would buy 2 or 3 a week at $5 or more each. So now the only magzines I have in my house are hand me downs from my mum and my sister in law when they have finished. Honeslty, I really don't miss my magazines at all. Instead I visit the library regulargly and borrow books which is much more satisfying.
I have also stopped buying several beauty products. I am a bit of a make up \ cosmetic junkie but recently have slowed it right down. I have looked at several ingredients in so called 'organic' skin care that the health food store sell and what is in these products is still toxic stuff. Some I can think of is phenoxyethanol, DEA etc etc so many next project is to make my own lip balm, and body butter and soap. It's going to cost abit more but will hopefully last longer and I can share my products with family and know they aren't placing toxic chemicals onto their skin. We will have all natural ingredients in the products and will benefit from this.
So wish me luck :)