romantic home: This Weeks 5 Frugal Things on a Friday

Hello Dear Reader,

This is the last post that I will write for a little while, I'm having a weeks break as I feel I really need it. We will be going away camping up to our favourite beach, this time camping on the actual beach as the camping ground we usual use is closed for regeneration. It will be our first time using our Jawa camper to it's full potential.

I have spent the week getting ready, doing a little bit each day, I have also made sure anything perishable has been used up so there will be no waste while we are away. Yesterday afternoon I was able to leave work a couple of hours early and spent that time making a few meals in advance so I will have less to do while camping. I made this Salmon and Corn Chowder and this Pork and Beans dish, using pork sausages instead, they will both do us for 2 or 3 dinners each, so we will be right for at least 5 dinners, which is a great head start. I have also made up this rissole mix to take with us, it is great for an easy dinner but those rissoles are even better, cold, the next day, in a wrap with BBQ sauce.

Along with this preparation, here's what else I got up to on the frugal front-

1. I had bought a bag of ground coffee from Neli coffee, our local coffee roaster, to suit my Miss Lavazza, stove top espresso, I bought it just before we invested in our new espresso machine so this ground coffee hadn't been used. The grind is much courser and wasn't suitable for the machine, so I ground it finer in the Thermomix. Problem solved.

2. Made a pile of pita breads for lunches while we are away camping, the main reason I made them was to avoid plastic wrap but there is also the added bonus of them being very cheap to make and knowing exactly what's in them. I will post the recipe when we get back.

3. Planted out some saved seeds of Italian Parsley, I have planted 2 rows each in the herb garden and the vegepod.

4. Made a loaf of light rye bread on the weekend. We don't eat a lot of bread so I cut it in half and froze one half to prevent waste.

5. Made sure most perishable food was used up before going away camping this week. Anything left in the fridge has been stored well to prevent waste. I line a container with a linen tea towel and it keeps the celery fresh for longer.