Weekend

The fiancé loved the hanging pans although he pondered for a time how it was constructed. It was a really good weekend with him here. We put a deposit down on the wedding bands we've chosen, just a little bit exciting! Then we did a mock up invite, which I just need to print out to see how it goes. I dare say it's not a traditional wedding invite, but I don't want a traditional wedding!

Hanging pans

Further relating to the last post I made with some great household ideas - I completed one of them. Yeah for once I didn't just sit back and think, "what a great idea!" I actually did something about it.

I saw a tip that suggested hanging pots inside a deep storage area. I've been trying to convince my fiancé to put in an extra shelf in our rediculously deep/tall storage area for my pots and pans as so far they've just sat nestled amongst each other.

This project involved $31 and a trip to bunnings. In which I bought a screw up extendable pole - there was difficulty in finding it - it was in the plumbing section. That cost me $16 for the length I needed. And then some S shaped hooks to hang the actual pots off. I ended up finding the quantity and size I needed in the landscaping area (designed for hanging planter pots). They did have S shaped hooks amongst the hangings area but they were $3 for one and I wanted about 10ish hooks for this project. They sold a pack of 4 S hooks for $5 do I bought 3 packets giving me $12 hooks in total. Then at home I just sized the pole up (found it easiest to put it in at the length on an angle and then push the pole into the desired place - gave a tighter/stronger fitting. The hooks is bought where a little snug on the pole so I ended up placing them before putting the pole into place - again this has worked in my benefit as I'm far less likely to accidentally knock hooks off.

I'm quite chuffed with the end result although I still need to find some way to hang my pots which at this point don't have a hanging hole in the handle. I have intentions of putting a small rail into the door for storing the lids into in the future. I'm also thinking of possibly getting another rail for the skillet and the wok (that I rarely use) to store those further at the back of the cupboard.

So here It is for your viewing pleasure. I'll keep you updated over its functionality and the fiancé' reaction incoming days.

Really great ideas

http://www.glamumous.co.uk/2013/03/101-household-tips-for-every-room-in.html?spref=fb&m=1

I'm definitely going to be doing quite a few of these tips! 

Manic Monday

And so Monday rolls around again. I'm finding now I'm struggling to clean for 30 mins in the morning because there just isn't much cleaning left to do (just one more junk pile then the never ending task of dishes and vacuuming up after my little feather balls). This is good though because I feel so much more relaxed when I do actually kick my feet up. 

The exercise has also gone well - I'm trying to do a plank a day. My first day I felt like I only held it for maybe 10 seconds. My ribs seemed to agree on the second day - but nevertheless I tried again through the pain - only this time I used a stop watch. Turns out I held it for a minute! Pretty proud of that effort. Today I have done 80 squats and again managed to hold a plank for a minute.

I did notice one interesting side effect from my diet too. Usually I'm a sugar fiend - there is no such thing as too much sugar for me. Or so I thought. I made some fudge the other day (you know - cooked sugar...) and I actually am starting to feel sick eating it. I think it's the fact that I've been cutting back on sugar in general (and trying to replace it with fruit) but it's definitely a good sign! If my body starts giving feedback like this maybe my brain will kick in and realise that the quantities of sugar I've eaten in the past is really bad (before diabetes becomes an issue...)

Cleaning update

From this -

To this - 

Told you there was a jigsaw puzzle under there ;)

Phase 2 - exercise!

So the first week of cleaning has been pretty successful. My kitchen is still sparkling, my living room is a joy to be in again (with my Christmas tree set up and all) yesterday I even swept the apartment stairs so it's pleasant even before you make it into the unit. 

I still have to keep up my 30mins a day cleaning so the place doesn't fall apart (and so the places still in need of attention get it) - but week 2 is about adding some fitness routine into the mix. Doing a 30 min workout - whether that's from stretching or strengthening, or a combination of both. 

It can be morning or night - but either way it will be timed. At the moment I'm generally waking at 5.30am and I don't leave for work till 7am so this is the perfect timing. 

Time to trim up before the wedding and for general fitness as well :)

Another day closer to productivity

No big ground breaking moments today in terms of cleaning or skill development. However I did enjoy basking in my nice clean living room (I REALLY must keep it this way) whilst listening to the Japanese news at 5.30 this morning.

I found that the living room was so easy to clean that I really want to clean my other junk piles (bedroom and study desk) but for some reason seeing the difference between what was and is makes the task seem so much more daunting - or maybe it's because the two remaining junk piles have been in existence for longer and thus ARE more daunting. Either way - since cleaning the living room to it's current state I'm really enjoying the feeling of being greeted by this cleanliness. I want to have this everywhere in my unit - it makes things so much easier, so much less cluttered and less stressed. I need to downsize my life. And if that means doing it small piece by piece - than that's what I need to do. Until suddenly that daunting junk pile doesn't look quite so daunting any more.

So today's little wins were

Using up a bit more food that was close to it's end life
Cleaning a few small pieces of junk piles #studydesk
Waking up happy and healthy
And the biggest of all - learning that my work will be shut on boxing day meaning I have three days in a row off =)

Pretty successful day in all.

The clean up continues

Before - the living room couch junk pile...

After - A COUCH!!!

Using up food

For dinner last night I decided to use it as a chance to clean out my fridge a bit. I have a wonderful app on my phone called "fridge pal". With said app you can basically create an inventory of all your food - along with its use by date. Very handy if you're like me and tend to buy food with great intentions - only to end up wasting said food, and money, by throwing it in the bin some weeks later. I had a few slightly freezer burnt sausages I wanted to use up so I decided to make a version of my mums sweet curried sausages recipe. This recipe tastes great and is a great way of using up leftover sausages (and in this case other veggies as well)

I used about 5 sausages 

A can of pineapple pieces

About 1/3 cup of dedicated coconut

A teaspoon of curry powder

Usually I add a bit of brown sugar although I forgot last night - it was still tasty but not as sweet as I like.

And then an assortment of veggies - in this case I was looking to use up some getting old tomatoes and capsicum. In the past I've added sultanas and apples as well. I also added a diced up onion.

Essentially you just chuck it all into one big pan and cook till ready. Big tip - with the canned pineapple make sure you put the juice and all in - it evaporates fairly quickly.

Productivity

So after yesterdays decision of using my time better through December - I think I did ok. After my post yesterday morning I set my alarm and got cleaning on the unit. I cleaned the quickest I have ever cleaned within 30 mins. I got the dishes done - most of the kitchen sparkling, areas of the bathroom clean as well as some of the bedroom. But then the alarm went off - and I started doing something else (in this instance I finished reading a book I had been reading.

I then got out of the house for a bit and did a bit of exercise - had a chat with one of the neighbours, cooked a delicious pizza, before chatting to the fiance online about my beautifully productive day.

Other sundays culminate in me reading and staying in bed half the day - It astounds me how much more time I felt like I had yesterday - which in turn made my weekend seem longer and I was far more refreshed when going to work this morning.

And I managed to do the same this morning - woke up nice and early (I do love summer!) and wizzed around the unit for 30 mins doing odd bits of cleaning here and there including the dishes. The kitchen and bathroom are now clean - with my eye on the living room tomorrow morning. I have a horrible habit of making dump areas - One of the lounges in the living room is just loaded up with assorted rubbish. As is a table in the office area (with a half finished jigsaw puzzle on it somewhere underneath everything!) And those dump areas are what I'm slowly chiselling away at.

Recently my fiance has had a real keen interest in purchasing storage solutions for all the stuff we own. I have a better solution - chuck out what is actually rubbish and THEN look at purchasing storage solutions. It's time to let go of some things (my school bag from grade 8 - in the year 2000...) and repair others that I've been meaning to get around to - or else throw them out.

Time Management

One of the biggest mind blowing things I read on the Internet within the last few months was an idea relating to time management in relation to learning a second language.

A day is basically a pie cut 3 ways - most of us spend roughly 8 hours sleeping (or trying to!), 8 hours working ... but what do we spend the other 8 hours doing?

We effectively have another work day in us each and every day. And while yes, relaxing is important, must we really spend 8 hours doing it? Granted taking care of ourself (and potentially others) takes time, there is cooking, cleaning, personal hygiene and so on - but I think I could manage all that in 2 hours a day (or less)!

So many of us think we're time poor - but is it time we're poor on or management skills?

That is why this December I'm making the most of the month, and the most of my days. It won't be me making any rash declaration of "I'm unplugging my computer!" because I still need to use my computer for things like talking to my fiance, and for earning the extra cash from doing surveys, But I do plan to make use of my time more effectively. I'm going to set myself a few skill based tasks.

I will keep my unit clean for the month (and by clean I mean decluttered!)
I will learn a song on my guitar
I will practice my Japanese on a nightly basis (writing up a journal of my day)
And most of all I will find my daily life being easier and less stressful in the future because I will have got some basics (like daily cleaning) down to a finely tuned skill. And by being clean and clutter free I will avoid having to waste time searching for items because I will just KNOW they are away where they should be!

I'll keep you updated!

Engagement party sucess!

This weekend just past we finally got around to hosting our engagement party, which with rather little preparation - I'm glad to say was a complete success!

Due to my fiancé being in the defence forces (and thus posted away from home) it was always going to be tricky arranging a date and more for the engagement party. It had to be something that we could easily cancel/rearrange in case something came up that prevented my fiancé from being here on the day.

So we started scouting local parks. We had to be pretty picky about what we were looking for in a park.

We needed shelter since it's rained almost every day at the moment.
We wanted a fairly quiet park - so we wouldn't be fighting with other people for seats etc
However we still wanted a nice park - not something that was really empty for a bad reason!
We wanted a working BBQ
We wanted public toilets (ideally clean!)
And a park with a playground was ideal for how many children were going to be in attendance.

And I'm surprised to say - we found exactly that. Mill park located in Beerwah (behind the shell service station) was PERFECT! It had a BBQ that looked like it had maybe been used once EVER before, a great big undercover shelter with 2 tables (handy when there was a 5 minute sun shower), great big (CLEAN!!!) toilet facilities. We were the only people there (we found out that the park was a magpie nesting area and up until recently magpies had been swooping dangerously - however nesting season has just recently finished at this time of year!) and there was a great park for all the kids (big and small) to run around in - not to mention a fairly decent stream of trains going past for the kids to wave at!

The whole affair only cost us about $120 in food, drink and a few party supplies like balloons, from all appearances everyone had a great day and we certainly enjoyed ourselves!

What I DID learn from the day however was - there is never going to be enough sausages or soft drink, don't buy cheap balloons at the last moment (they WILL constantly pop on you!) And running around after kids is actually really tiring! Big kudos to all the mums out there - you guys do an amazing job on a daily basis - but getting a 14 month old to smile when he's having a sook is so beautiful and rewarding that it's worth it :)

I guess now I have no reason to procrastinate planning for the wedding ... right?

Toilet Cleaning Bombs

I saw this on Facebook from a friend posting it - I'm posting this mostly so I can find the recipe again when I get the gear together to make it! I love that this is all natural and simple products, plus cheap! This may in time come to replace all the expensive chemical cleaners I currently use.

WHAT I USE: (for approx. 24 bombs)--1 1/3 cup Baking Soda - amazing for all-natural cleaning AND deodorizing!--1/2 cup Citric Acid - (low-strength acid that exists naturally in fruits like lemons & oranges)- used in many kitchen & bathroom cleaners for its cleaning, whitening & deodorizing properties--30 drops Lavender Essential Oil***--30 drops Peppermint Essential Oil***--30 drops Lemon Essential Oil*** --Medical Mask

WHAT I DO:
Since I work with citric acid and baking soda, I always put medical mask first and then mix together soda and acid. After that I put oils in a spray bottle and spray little by little stirring the mixture at the same time in order to not let it fizz away. If the mixture isn't damp enough I add just A TINY BIT of water in my spray bottle and spray the mixture - but again, I try to prevent the acid from fizzing away, because bombs won't be exploding, if they're too moist.After that I put the mixture in silicone molds and let them dry for about 6 hours. And then I store the bombs in a container with a lid

Source - http://www.mariasself.com/2013/08/diy-toilet-bombs-deodorize-kill.html  (She has some other great DIY recipes as well - worth checking out!)

4 year anniversary

My fiancé and I just celebrated our 4 year anniversary this past weekend. We went out to a nice quiet dinner and watched as storm clouds and lightning rolled over. Sure while aiming for our mortgage goals we could skimp on these little luxuries - but last year we didn't go out to celebrate our 3 year anniversary which is something I still regret. Instead while I was at work my fiancé went through his old receipts to return products he'd bought from bunnings but didn't end up using during the renovation. There was a fair few items, and though it might not have seemed much, the $5 here an there ended up adding up to over $150!

So now it'd my turn to go through my unwanted goods and see where I can make a few bucks via eBay or gumtree. Wish me luck!

Why join a gym?

I once joined a gym. For the mere price of a few hundred dollars I got a pair of sneakers. No really - that was the only benefit I got from joining the gym. I don't even really like the sneakers ... I went to the gym maybe once a week for over a year, which did nothing for the extra 10kgs I'd put on from living with my grandparents. The gym wasn't my only form of exercise during that time too - I was riding my push bike too and from work on a daily basis (approx 4kms in total daily). I was lifting heavy boxes at work, yet only one thing helped the weight move.

Smaller food portions.

Crazy! I know! In one small change I saved so much.

• I saved money on food because I started getting extra leftovers from the meals I was making. 
• I started saving on the gym because I had realised it was a waste of money and finished my contract.
• I started saving on medical expenses. Now my extra 10kgs by no means made me largely overweight (it only just tipped me into overweight on the BMI) however as I have always done sport since I was a kid I have a few old sporting injuries - one of which is my hips (the risks of elite Gymnastics). Now 10kg doesn't sound like a lot, but the pain I had been experiencing on a daily-weekly basis has now become a once every few months pain. Which means I no longer am going to the doctors complaining of pain - and them referring me for x-rays or physiotherapy. Not to mention pain killers.

Now of course I still need to exercise. But you really don't ever need to pay for it - and you can even do with mostly makeshift exercise equipment. The only exercise equipment I have paid for is also my transport - my bike. I paid $250 for it over a year ago - and that has been my only expense. I don't need to pay for fuel or rego and I pump my tyres up for free at the local petrol station. If I wanted weights I'd fill old milk bottles with water or dirt (they even have a handle!). You only need a decent pair of sneakers to go running (really what clothes you wear doesn't really matter despite whatever Lorna Jane tells you!). Or even better situps, squats and pushups can be done for free in your own home so long as you've got a small square of floor.

Now exercise is never going to be easy. But neither are the side effects of a lifetime of neglect. I currently work in a pharmacy and on a day to day basis see a lot of middle aged and elderly people who have let their weight go and are paying for it. I am also fortunate enough to occasionally see a very spritely older customer (usually in their 80s or so) who swear by their daily exercise regime for keeping them fit and mentally sound. Seeing people come in missing body parts due to type 2 diabetes is always a good reminder for me for why I exercise when I'm feeling the muscular aches and pains of a good training session. 

Making a few extra bucks

I've found a few websites over the past year which help to ease my shopping bills. Most of them are opinion survey sites. Each time I start up with one of these websites I always get disheartened by how long it takes to get my first payout, but after keeping track of them I'm now surprised at how quickly the points accrue.

Here's a list of my favourite websites (for Australia) with how much I earn on average.

Mint Survey - $120 a year
paid out in Coles gift cards
www.mintsurveys.com.au/

Valued Opinions - $120 a year
paid out in various gift cards
https://www.valuedopinions.com.au







My Survey - $100 a year
paid out in gift cards or paypal
www.mysurvey.net.au

Global Test Market $90 a year (US$100)
paid out in giftcards or paypal
www.globaltestmarket.com/


So far in a year of doing surveys I've made more than $800. There is definitely far more opportunity in doing surveys that I didn't utilise and while some people might shirk at $800, it has paid out more than all my electricity bills for the past year with a bit extra on the side. The most important factor is consistency. If you do all the surveys you get e-mailed on a daily basis you'll reap the benefits. But if you leave them for a few days you'll find yourself being screened out of a lot of the surveys that were offered to you.

Getting it sorted

In the last few months since I last posted a fair bit has happened. I've bought my wedding dress, I've made my brooch bouquet and my fiancé and I have checked out a property a few times. We have also refinanced our mortgages to get a better interest rate. So now the race is on to pay off at least one of the properties.

Even since refinancing our mortgages we have smashed through our intended payment goal (originally the goal was to get below $400,000 by the end of the year) an have since set another ambitious goal, to get the mortgage down another $18,000 within 2 months to get us to an attractive $350,000. I honestly don't know if its possible - definitely not on just wages alone and particularly coming up to the Christmas season and whilst planning a wedding, but hey... Can't hurt to try right?

Let me know if you have any suggestions on where to trim the fat or even where to gain an extra dollar here and there.

Fridge clean out

So I've decided it's time to be a bit frugal to help our dreams of owning our own acreage to become self sufficient. They are skills that will help in the long run with our goals as well as help them come about quicker.

As a result I've set myself the challenge of not going grocery shopping for a month, and just using up the food I have in my fridge and pantry. The exception to the rule is purchases from the local fruit shop (which also sells really cheap eggs) although even that I want minimal purchases.

As a result my first baking experiment was a delicious apple treat. I recently bought a bag of slightly overripe 20 apples for $2. I suspect a bunch more recipes will involve apples in the next little while :)

Apple squares
1 cup of flour
2 tspn baking soda
1 1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 tspn cinnamon
2 eggs
Sultanas
4 apples (I included skins)

Add to food processor. Blend.

Then cook at 180 degrees for approx 20-30mins (till it smells AMAZING!)

The result - slightly chewy deliciousness :)

The Rules of Engagement

Over the Easter long weekend my partner and I went to do our usual family and friends drive rounds. As most of our family live North of Brisbane we can get to most of them over the course of a long weekend. This weekend was no different.

On our way there my partner suggested we stop and climb Wild Horse Mountain. Hey why not, it's the weekend! So up we climbed, the view was magnificent so we took our time enjoying it. Probably more than usual...

Turns out someone was hiding something. Something round and shiny. As soon as we were left alone he got down on one knee and proposed. A very teary "yes" later we are engaged.

Made for a more interesting trip to see all the relatives, particularly their reactions when we waited for them to notice the ring rather than straight out telling them.