Bill Shock

Picture courtesy of here

Our gas meter was changed over recently and because of this we received an interim bill….and to be honest we were completely blown away by the cost of heating this house.

As you can see here, we have made a concerted effort not to use our ducted heating that much – ensuring that we either keep the temperature quite low or off during the day. Mainly because we have been burnt before when moving into a new house.

Well our interim bill showed that it is costing $8 per day to heat the house (or 545 MJ). This is more than some buildings use at one of the hospitals Mr B works at. Now this would be ok (not really) if our house is warm but its not!!

The first thing we did was get a gas plumber out to check all our gas appliances. We were pretty sure it was the heater. Turns out all our appliances are fine and yes, it is the gas heater BUT there’s nothing apparently wrong with said heater other than being inefficient obviously. Though there could be heat loss from our actual ducting.

By my calculations, if we had kept going as we were we would have been looking at a $600 gas bill (which to me has felt a bit like paying for the privilege to freeze my butt off LOL).

We are waiting on tenterhooks for our next gas bill (the following 40 days of our bill cycle) as we have turned down the heat even more. In the evenings we have continued to use our rugs and blankies if we are sitting in the lounge and as a super cold kinda gal, I now sit in a sleeping bag and am toasty warm as I crochet or read.

Now in this instance, we are lucky as we can pay said bill when it arrives. But I read in the paper today that not everyone is so lucky. And with our provider increasing the price of gas as of 1 July, I’m sure it’s going to become a more regular occurrence for some.

In the meantime, Mr B and I have spent many weekends doing yet more gap proofing (I so thought I’d never have to see another tube of no more gaps after our efforts when renovating) and are intending to put in underfloor insulation which we have used with great success at previous houses. Finally on my agenda this week is to investigate blow in insulation for our walls!!

On his work trip to Adelaide last week, Mr B also managed to pick up the rest of our solar panels, so our solar tracker should be in action soon enough in all it’s glory. This will mean we will move to electric heating as we can obviously generate power and offset the cost until we are able to put in a wood heater (but that wont be till next year).

Winter Preparations

Picture courtesy of here

With the cool weather we’ve been having for most of May, I started our normal preparations for winter early this year.

We’ve had our woollen underlay’s and flannelette sheets on our beds for quite a few weeks already. But after really cold night last night, our extra comforters came out and have been pinned to our doonas and put back inside their dust-mite covers. We use these comforters as emergency evac linen during summer (they live in the boot of my car).

Our hot water bottles have been in high demand!! LOL

We’re really wary about the increased cost of utilities and having never experienced a winter in this house, we are being fairly frugal with the heating. It goes on for 2 hours in the morning and 3-4 hours in the evening and the rest of the time we turn it off or keep it set to 17 (unless Little B is really sick). So far, so good – the house doesn’t really drop below 17 degrees (yet!!)

I’ve aired out our jumpers and winter jackets, and dug out all Little B’s winter clothes. So with frugal and green living during winter in mind, it’s all about layers here at the House of B – I’m more likely to pop on a beanie or a second pair of socks than to turn up the heater.

We also have lots of snugly blankets to cuddle up with when reading, crocheting or watching tv at night. There’s definitely something romantic about snuggling up in blankets, when it’s dark and chilly outside.

We indulge in lots of warms soups for lunches & dinners, plus we've been cooking lots of casseroles and warm oriented foods for lunches. Also nothing hits the spot like a warm drink...Little B loves to snuggle and read library books over a cup of hot carob. Plus we keep warm working in the garden, baking, and playing during the day.

Finally, Mr B is going to put in some insulation batts underneath the floors of the bedrooms to stop some of the cold coming up from underneath in those rooms at night. This is a fairly expensive exercise so we aim to do it room by room as finances permit :-)

No Food Waste

With the world looking decidedly like it has the potential to go to hell in a hand basket financially, now seems like no better time to reflect on minimising food waste as part of frugal cooking. With food becoming so expensive and costs only expected to rise, it simply seems a shame to waste anything.

The most obvious thing to do is to grow anything you can (even as simple as herbs or lettuce - if that's what you eat). For us this winter it's only been garlic and snow peas - but I planted a years worth of garlic!! I'm using our snowpeas in at least 3 dinners per week (for only 5 plants). We also have oranges growing on our orange tree. But not everyone either wants to grow their own food or has the space to grow things.

So the other key thing is to not waste the food that you do buy. Make sure you use everything up. Old vegies can be used in soups / stews / or grated into old muffins. Old fruit can be frozen for smoothies or used up in desserts or muffins. Aim to use the whole item - if you have a pumpkin, use the flesh but also toast the seeds and make pepitas (a really nutritious snack).

Cook from scratch. It seems so obvious but can also be so simple. You cut out the costs of processed food and it's easier to use things up when you have whole food on hand.

Meat free days - we have 4 meat free days per week and when we do use meat, I cut the amount of meat in half and pad out with lentils or beans. For example, 250g lamb would feed Granny B, Mr B, leave a spare adult meal and two mini meals for Little B. The rest of the dish (generally a stew) includes green lentils, lots of vegies and is served with rice.

We focus a lot on low GI as it keeps tummies feeling fuller longer. Quinoa porridge (pre soaked) with a little fruit makes a powerhouse protein breakfast for Mr B before a long physical work day or for Little B before a long preschool session. Look at old filling favourites...oats become porridge for breakfast, bring down the GI in muffins and can be used for desserts. Sago pudding is a big fav here for desserts because it is filling, gluten free and easy to make. I make desserts these days to fill up Mr B and Little B but ensure they are nourishing and nutritious.

As for time, presoaking grains makes them cook quicker. I soak our porridge oats / rice / quinoa overnight which means they cook on the stove within 5 mins in the morning. A slow cooker means I can come home or wake up to dinner cooked, and I just need to add rice or pasta. 

I find slow cooker stews and soups the key in using up vegies. But making your own dip works well too - I steam up vegies then puree them with beans or nuts and add whatever spices or flavours we like. This is great as an afternoon snack or as a spread on toast / bread / rolls. Mr B loves sweet potato and cashew nut dip. Little B loves a vegie bean dip that is made from brussel sprouts (which you cant taste or see).

Leftover casserole or soup can be pureed up and made into sausage rolls or calzones. Nice hot pocket lunches with no chemical nasties!! :-) A fab side benefit is your family will eat more vegies than they know LOL.

Whether it's minimising your food waste or focussing more on frugal cooking because you want to cut down your shopping dollars, I think every bit of effort in your kitchen and at home can really count both financially and nutritionally.

Glory Box

 Back in my late teens before I moved out of home, I spent two years accumulating an updated version of a glory box. I had china, glasses, towels, linen in a wooden blanket box (which then went on to be a coffee table, before it became Little B's toy box). During this time, I also bought a fridge, microwave and second hand lounge suite. So when I moved out I had most of the essentials.

Since we have had to walk away from almost everything in our house due to mold contamination, I've started a new glory box. It's mainly in miniature form at the moment due to space constraints. I've been knitting dishcloths and have bought some towels and tea towels.

I've also started saving for a fridge and next week we finally get a bed (which we will use at Granny B's until we move out). Kind hearted family members have donated a secondhand doona cover, sheets and a doona from their own linen stash (from their own mold free homes).

This way when we do buy a new house, furnishing it will be less of a shock both financially and emotionally. Mr B likes to call me "military precision woman" due to my tendency to think and plan far ahead, and make plans to ensure we make the best use of our resources and squeeze every penny ;-) But I just like to think of myself as organised and prepared...I dont like surprises :-)

Kidswap

Contrary to the title of this post, I havent been swapping Little B ;-) Last week I attended a local kindy fundraiser that is similar to a clothes swap.

For $15 entry, you received 10 tickets to swap for items. You could donate kids clothes, toys, books and other items like prams. Anything left over at the end was donated to a local toy library and / or op shop.

We had a ball. I managed to pick up some lovely wooden toys, a few puzzles and a brand new unopened complete set of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe book series. Great for Little B when he is a bit older.

It was a great event to have just before Xmas and it is a lovely way to fundraise for a kindergarten. They hope to make it a more permanent fixture on their calendar next, and it would be great to see the popularity of green and frugal events such as these on the rise.

Frugalista Queen

I’m a member of Simple Savings and can heartily recommend it as a supportive forum full of ideas on how to save $$$. I’m currently participating in a few challenges on there but namely the “Under $100 club” which involves spending no more than $100 per week on food.

We’ve taken it even lower and are doing the challenge as feeding 2 adults, 1 child and 2 cats for $50 per week (excluding prescription medication). I want to see if we can rein in our food costs without really compromising on what we eat.

This might sound daunting but it’s actually really uplifting and supportive on the forum and has also made us very creative. We run a stockpile so we are dipping in and out of that (as well as stocking it) but also because we make everything from scratch this isn’t that hard. In my mind it’s a lifestyle choice - living simply, making do with what we have and making from scratch.

Another thread “How low can you go?” has been even more inspiring. And topical considering yesterdays article in The Age about food wastage in Australia. This thread is a mini blog about one lady who uses everything up, forages, only buys what she needs and is immensely happy.

I found a few tips from here to apply to our life and to me that’s the benefits of Simple Savings and why I’ve been a member for 4 years. Even if I learn one new thing, its one thing I didn’t know before. And I love sharing ideas and knowledge with like minded people. Its why I love Aussies Living Simply as well.

So keeping the costs down, the home-made food up, utilising our veggie garden produce – sounds good to me ☺

Frugal living = green living = sustainable living?

I find it increasingly interesting how often simple or frugal living can mean that you are being environmentally responsible as well.

In the beginning, there were things I started doing to be more frugal that I can see now were eco-friendly. We didn’t use a dryer (due to power costs), used cloth nappies (for cost and environment), washed in cold water with full loads, cooked from scratch, didnt use chemical products to clean the house, vinegar as a fabric softener and our the primary reason for these was to save dollars.

And now with the new things I have tried as well I can see this parallel too. Knitting our own dish cloths, not using chemical cleaners, using a lunette cup and cloth pads, using fans not air con, buying 2nd hand clothes and so on. Its why I really look back with interest to what Granny B and MIL B did when we were growing up, that was done for frugalness but was more environmentally friendly as well.

Obviously this doesn’t always apply. Having to cook from scratch as much as I do for Little B, I can see that the link between cooking from scratch and knowing the ingredients is far more important, than buying the cheapest ingredients. I’m more likely to buy organic now, and grow my own food.

Mind you I am still a dollar stretcher and whilst I buy the “best” food I can for our family, I save pennies where I can. I guess its ingrained in me after years of simple living as a choice ☺