I picked up an excellent book at the library the other day called Making Your Home Sustainable: A guide to retrofitting. This is an Australian book, written by Derek Wrigley (a retired architect based in Canberra) and has been recently revised and republished.

There’s a whole wealth of information in this book about retrofitting your house to make it more environmentally friendly, reducing your bills in the process. Everything from the more expensive options like installing solar, to free options for renters, like insulating your roof with polystyrene boxes from Woolworths! I’ll write more about some of his more innovative ideas when I’ve finished the book.

One idea that I found really interesting was his way of making use of the heat generated from the back of the fridge. His diagrams show the modifications that are possible to the space around the fridge to make the most of this heat.

By adding some shelves or a rack above the fridge and some simple, makeshift walls to direct the flow of hot air, he created a drying rack for fruit or to warm dishes or an extra place to dry clothes.

He also describes a system where you can vent this hot air out of the house during summer and then close the vent in winter to keep the warmth in, or, if your fridge backs onto another room, vent the air into an adjacent room. It’s not a lot of heat, but every little bit helps.

What I really like about this idea is the innovative way it takes the potential downside of a household item (the heat generated from the rear of the fridge) and turns it into something useful, saving money in the process.

I’ve written in the past about how we dry washing on the hot bonnet of the car when it’s parked in the garage, and how we put our clothes airers in the kitchen when I’m doing any baking, to take advantage of the heat given off by the oven.

I’ve also read about how others use the heat in the car when it’s parked in the sun to dry fruit or how people convert the bottom stair in an inside stairwell into a drawer for storage.

This out-of-the-box thinking is a great way to use the things (and the space) we already have rather than buy another item to do another task. It’s all about seeing things with different eyes and being solution-oriented rather than problem-focused. Young children do this naturally everyday.

I’m now on a mission to investigate how I can use other things in the house in ways they may not have been meant for.

What are your ideas for using everyday objects in ways they may not have been intended?

Have you read these articles?:

1. crafting for baby – a few non-essential items
2. What Are The Actual Savings Of Turning Off The Lights?
3. homemade all purpose cleaner

This is one of our favourite stir fry combinations. I can’t find if I’ve shared it or not previously, so maybe I haven’t, although it’s one we’ve been eating for years. My favourite flavour ‘profile’ is a sweet/salty combo, which is exactly what the Oyster sauce and honey give to this dish.

In the above picture I left out the cashews because the little fella was eating it too, but we normally have cashews in this dish.

I apologise for the lack of sauce measurements. I don’t measure, just slosh it in. Add a little of both the oyster sauce and honey, a tablespoon or two to start, give it a good mix, taste and adjust. Add more honey if you like it sweeter, add more of both if you like your stir fry saucy.

If you toss noodles through the stir fry, particularly rice noodles, they will absorb some of the extra sauce, giving them lots of flavour. I used hokkein noodles in the picture above.

Below are the vegetable that I usually use, but as always, add what you have in the crisper. Mushrooms or snow peas make a nice addition. Serves 2 – 4 a flexible dish; add more or less depending on serving needs.

Method

1. Chop all ingredients first so that they are ready. The meat will be more tender if you cut it against the grain thinly, cook it very briefly at high heat until just cooked through (it will continue to cook once you remove it from the pan and you will be adding it back later, so no need to cook it to death now) and avoid boiling it in the sauce later. This goes with all types of meat in any stir fry, although you can cook beef or lamb so that it is still a little pink and it will be cooked through by the end.  I defrost the beans by soaking them for a minute or two in boiling water from the kettle.
2. Heat a wok or pan to high, add a little oil (not olive it will burn) and stir fry chicken in batches until just cooked through. Remove from wok.
3. Turn down the heat a little and add onion and stir fry for a minute or two until tender. Add capsicum and garlic and stir fry for a further minute.
4. Add vegetables and continue to stir fry for a couple of minutes before adding the sauces, stirring, tasting and adjusting. Cook until the vegetables are at your preferred tenderness. Meanwhile, prepare rice or noodles.
5. Add the cashews and chicken stir until chicken is heated through. Serve with rice or noodles.

Have you read these articles?:

1. pork mince stir fry
2. beef stir fry with lime and kekap manis
3. mince and cabbage stir fry

I’m not normally one for beauty treatments; some days I’m lucky just to brush my hair. I use a bar of soap to wash my face and for almost a year I used oil as a moisturiser because I couldn’t be bothered buying commercial stuff. It worked fine.

But there are occasions, particularly lately, when I feel like I need to get back in touch with my feminine side and spoil myself. Do something just for me, to make myself feel good.

A home facial is just such a way to do that, without the expense of a professional one (although sometimes I wouldn’t mind one of those either).

I’ve done a bit of reading and research around the web and came up with this home facial that works wonders, feels great and is made from natural, inexpensive ingredients you can find in the kitchen.

What you need:

• Time alone (most important ingredient!)
• A towel and face washer
• Atmosphere (music, candles, a book, pillows to relax etc.)
• Oil to cleanse – weird idea, I know, but it works! Plain old olive oil is great and is what I use, almond, macadamia or coconut oil are alternatives, just avoid your rubbish poly-oils or any hydrogenated oils or any oil you’re allergic to.
• Herbs or camomile tea bags (optional)
• A scrub: Oatmeal or almond meal mixed with a little honey; or baking soda mixed with a little water; or sugar mixed with a little water or oil; or sugar and lemon.
• A mask: You can use plain yoghurt or try one of these natural face mask recipes.
• A toner (optional): Witch hazel; equal parts of cider vinegar and water or lemon juice and water; Chamomile tea, cooled.
• Your favourite moisturiser.

How to do it:

Before you begin, gather your supplies, tell everyone else to leave you alone for an hour (it won’t take that long, but take all the time you can get) and make sure you can be comfortable for a while.

1. Cleanse

To cleanse your face, massage your oil of choice into your face. You don’t need a lot of oil but take time to really give yourself a nice, relaxing massage. One of my guilty pleasures is watching massage how-tos on YouTube – it’s almost as relaxing as getting the real thing. If you’re not sure about face massage, check out some YouTube videos before you begin, I like this one and this one (a little more intense!), but do what feels good to you. Even better, convince someone else to do this step on you! Once you’ve finished, take a warm, damp face cloth to wipe off any excess oil.

2. Scrub

A scrub exfoliates the dead skin cells off your skin. I actually do this on a semi-regular basis (about once every six months) by taking in a spoonful of sugar into the shower, dampening it, and rubbing lightly over my face before rinsing.

Using one of the scrub ideas above, lightly massage the scrub all over your face and neck. Rinse off with warm water. I use a combination of raw sugar, honey and lemon or lime juice and my skin looks great and feels smooth and soft, even after just this step.

3. Steam

Steaming opens the pores of your skin, can help you breathe but most importantly, can be relaxing. Steam from plain water is fine, or you could add some herbs, camomile tea bags or a drop of essential oil. Drape a towel over your head, relax and breathe in the steam for around 10 minutes. Pat your face dry.

4. Mask

The next step is to apply your mask. I use plain yoghurt with a little lemon or lime in it, but check out the recipes (link above) for alternate idea. Apply the mask then lie down and relax for 10 minutes. If you like, you can apply some cotton balls steeped in cold camomile tea to your eyes. Rinse off the mask in warm water and pat your face dry.

5. Tone

Toning is optional. I don’t bother as I add lemon to the mask, but you can tone you face using one of the ideas above if you feel it needs it. Simply wipe your toner over your skin with a cotton ball.

6. Moisturise

Finally, finish off by applying your favourite moisturiser.

Tips

• A little goes a very long way. You only need a tiny dribble of oil, a tablespoon of mask and half a teaspoon of scrub.
• If you want to massage along to a YouTube video, put the video on before applying the oil and use the auto play so you don’t get oil all over you computer mouse.
• Rinse the mask off well; you don’t want to be smelling like rancid milk later on.
• The scrub mixed with the mask tastes delicious and makes a nice treat.
• If you eat your mask before you use it then you have to go down and face a messy kitchen to get more, and that can kill the mood.

Have you read these articles?:

1. too many choices spoil the decision
2. Homemade Face Masks
3. frugal (and natural) cleaning

We have been using knitted dishcloths for quite some time now but despite this, I keep knitting more. I find them quick and easy to make, I can knit a row or two while the little fella is preoccupied or while watching a movie with the hubby and the repetitive nature of knitting is meditative.

The first time I ever heard of knitted dishcloths I thought ‘why would anyone want to knit dishcloths?’ Even taking into account the environmental benefit of ditching disposables and reusing the same cloths over and over, surely, I thought, it would be easier to just recycle rags.

Then I got my first dishcloth in an internet swap and promptly fell in love. The knitted texture makes the cloths great for cleaning. So if, like me, you’re wondering why you would bother, try one out. You may be surprised like I was.

And if you are wanting to learn how to knit, then these make an excellent first project. It doesn’t matter if your knitting looks like the dog’s breakfast (and many of my older ones look just like that), you are only cleaning with them anyway.

The coloured cloths above are made from a cotton / acrylic mix yarn. I know, shock horror, I’m using acrylic, but the label said cotton and with a cranky bub, I didn’t bother reading the fine print. As a bonus, acrylic dries much quicker than cotton, so I’m quite pleased with the added acrylic. And if you’re wondering, I use this pattern, found in the dishcloth pattern round-up.

I colour code my cloths for different cleaning jobs: the yellow cloths are for cleaning in the bathroom, the orange cloths are for cleaning the kitchen and the green cloths are for washing the dishes. This is to ensure that no cloth that has wiped the toilet seat gets used on the dinner plates. I have enough now to use a new one each day, plus a few extra if the laundry is delayed.

To clean the cloths, I put them in a bucket of water with nappy soaker in it each night, along with the bibs and face washes we use for the little fella each day plus any other rags used. Every few weeks I will put them in a bucket of water with a little bleach instead to give them a thorough sanitise and get any manky smell out, which can sometimes linger.

When I wash the towels, I rinse the dishcloths, bibs, face washes, rags, tea towels etc. and add them to the load (I never wash them as a separate load) and then hang them to dry.

To keep your dishcloths fresh through the day, rinse them thoroughly in cold water after use and hang them on your drainer, over your tap or over your curtain rod to dry. Bacteria thrive in warm, moist conditions so rinsing the cloths and drying them helps prevent bacteria growth (this is a tip my grandmother taught me years ago).

If you’re wondering how to teach the rest of the family not to leave the dishcloth in an wet, crumby pile in the sink, then I can’t help. We haven’t managed that in our household yet either .

This is our system for using knitted dishcloths. The dishcloths get a regular clean without too much hassle or effort and I enjoy having something creative to do with my hands when I want to relax although I think I’m going to move onto baby knits, so keep an eye out for a round-up.

Do you use knitted dishcloths? What are your tips for using dishcloths?

Have you read these articles?:

1. Knitted Dishcloths
2. Roundup: knitted dishcloth patterns

Last week we had to dip into our emergency fund twice: once to pay the insurance excess on the sewage damage to the house ($500) and then to pay for my laptop to be fixed ($300).

The broken laptop was an inconvenience, but very minor in the scheme of things. The price tag for repairs brought a tear to the eye but it could have been worse: we could have been forced to rely on credit or we may not have had the funds to repair it at all.

The sewage flowing into the living room wasn’t much fun either, but it too could have been worse. Inconvenient, icky, smelly, but again, in the scheme of things, not that bad.

But I want to talk about why an emergency fund makes life easier. Having an emergency fund meant we had no added financial stress on top of the ick and inconvenience.

In the recent reader survey I asked you what it means to be ‘thriving’ and many of you wrote about living with less stress. Having an emergency fund is just one way to reduce financial stress.

So how do you create an emergency fund, particularly if you’re trying to pay the bills, pay off debts and save for more tangible things (potential future emergencies are hard to visualise and predict, which means it can be difficult to find the motivation to save for them)?

First, the foundation of an emergency fund is adequate insurance. In nearly ten years of having insurance, this is the first time I’ve ever had to make a claim, and boy am I thankful that I have it. This week, insurance has been well worth the yearly expense. When things go wrong, insurance is your emergency fund.

You will often read articles on how to save money on insurance premiums and that’s great, but it is just as important to make sure you are adequately covered. It is common for people to be under-insured. If you never have to make a claim then sure, you’ll save money on premiums. If you do have to make a claim, being under-insured can make things pretty miserable. The thing about insuring against future risk is that you just never know whether you will ever need to make a claim.

You can create a balance between saving on the insurance premium and making sure you are adequately insured by increasing your excess. We have a higher than minimum excess and for a couple of extra hundred dollars at claim time we have saved ourselves in premium costs over the years. But again, the savings depend on how often you have to make a claim and it’s impossible to predict future events. If you’re going to increase your excess (or even if you aren’t) put aside the excess amount so that you have it, should you make a claim. This is where your emergency fund comes into play.

Our emergency fund paid for the computer repairs and the insurance excess. If we have to wait for the insurance money and we want to buy replacement items in the interim, the emergency fund will come in handy then too. And if the insurance company decides not to pay our claim well, we’ll be angry, but still partially covered by our emergency fund.

To build an emergency fund, start by putting aside a little each payday into a separate account. Make your life easier and automate the payment. Even a couple of dollars is better than nothing.

Just say we had only managed to save $100 in our emergency fund. That’s $100 less to pay off the credit card as well as not having to pay interest on that $100. It might not cover the emergency, but it makes things that little bit easier financially.

If you’re trying to balance saving for an emergency fund with paying existing bills and debts, then I’ve outlined a strategy for getting on top of it all with minimum fuss and pain in a free eBook, which you can find here. Some argue that it’s more important to pay off debts before you start saving for an emergency fund but I disagree. If emergencies and bills are continually paid for with credit, then you may never pay off your debt and you could end up paying more interest in the long term compared to what you pay if you put a little aside each week to cover future emergencies.

Sometimes poo happens and we have no control over it. While it sucks having to use your savings on insurance excesses and repairs rather than fun stuff like holidays, it would be much more stressful not to have the funds to cover these unpredictable events.

If you don’t have an emergency fund, why not start one right now? Log onto your online banking and set up an account and automatic transfer (it will only take a minute) and that’s one thing done today that will make life easier in the future.

What are your tips for saving for emergencies?

Have you read these articles?:

1. emergency fund in four parts
2. The What, Why and How of Emergency Funds
3. tip tuesday–The ‘always something comes up’ fund

My homemade hummus is the best ever. Why? Because I can adjust it to taste exactly how I like it. And so can you. Prefer a garlic hit? Add more garlic. Like the tang of lemon? Add some more. While cooking from scratch may not save you time, it does mean you can have perfect tasting food.

I’ve been making hummus as a protein / fibre snack lately to eat on whole wheat crackers or with vegetables. I’ve never been a huge fan, but lately I’ve fallen in love with it’s subtle flavour. The biggest challenge is to make the lot last more than one day. Makes just under 500g.

Method

1. Blend or process until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add a little water to loosen it up or until you have your preferred consistency. Taste and season, adding more garlic, tahini or lemon juice as suits your tastes.

Have you read these articles?:

1. Easy Shortcrust Pastry
2. Easy Chinese Style Lemon Chicken
3. Homemade Pizza Sauce

Unfortunately the title of this piece is more literal than cliche (which should be enough to make you wary. After all, it’s pretty cliche).

So let me begin by saying that if you’re eating, you may want to stop reading.

Now, I’m no plumber, but I know that usually when when the sewer backs up it can mean your loo fills up with water. And that’s about all.

Let’s get out the plunger, call the council and she’ll be right.

The bloke who lives in number number six had assumed his kids had been flushing stuff down the dunny again. So get out the plunger he did (and here I would like to avoid all jokes about plungers, spring to mind though they may).

But when the lady in number two asked to borrow his plunger, he realised the plumbing problem was bigger than his kids’ fascination for flushing and had the nous to call the body corporate plumber.

We live in number one. At the end of the row. Down hill.

And we don’t need plungers, we need gum boots. Grossness has stepped up a notch or two in our house.

Our living room floor and transformed (did I mention carpeted?) garage is flooded with the sewage water of not one, but seven backed-up loos.

I’ve dealt with neighbour’s crap before. This takes things to a whole new level.

While I’m generally a fan of natural cleaners, right now I want to soak in a bathtub of pure bleach. And splash it around our house with reckless abandon.

Unfortunately pregnancy rules out the bourbon solution.

The silver lining part is that as I type this, we are waiting for the insurance people to come and rip up the carpet and they are going to scrub the house for us with disinfectant. They say there’s a possibility that the whole house will get re-carpeted if they can’t match the upstairs stuff. I’ll get a brand new bookshelf, and they will replace the toys we threw out and the towels we used to stem the flow.

Once the house is clean, the new carpet is laid and the furniture is back in place; once the little fella is over his tonsillitis; once my computer is back from the computer-fix-it-man with no more blue screen of death, once the rain, which has created a pond in the yard, stops threatening to flood the house (yes, it’s been one of those weeks) then I will resume my regular posting schedule, answer any emails (which for some reason I can’t access on the web) and stop the whinging.

If you’re an Aussie, happy Australia Day for tomorrow. I hope your day is filled with BBQs and sun and relaxation. We will be visiting relatives for a rest, some unpolluted air and sausages.

In the recent reader survey, a respondent suggested asking you, the reader, your ideas and input on various topics.

I think this is an excellent idea for two reasons: firstly my knowledge is very limited and I think all readers (myself included) would benefit from your experience and knowledge. Secondly, it makes for an easy post for me to write – not so much research, writing and editing (I do edit, I promise).

When it comes to back to school expenses, I have no clue. It’s been 13 years since I left school. A lot of things have changed since then. And the little fella won’t be going to school for another few years yet.

When I was doing the HSC we had one computer lab with four students to a computer (none of which were hooked up to the internet) and another room with a few old Apple Macs. I used a typewriter at home to type out assignments (ok, we were a little behind the times as well). For internet access, you had to book the ONE computer in the library and, well, there were only a handful of students that actually did that.

Nowadays, each highschool student has access to a laptop, so I’m told, and a USB drive is a compulsory item to buy. The local public school gives out scholarships each year to cover expenses. Do students still need to take their own dictionaries to school? I still have my trusty pocket Collins Gem in the top drawer of my desk and I still use it (and it still smells like Impulse deodorant spray – disgusting stuff that it is – all these years later).

Ok, now that I’ve had my reminisce, it’s over to you – what are your tips on saving money on back to school expenses?

Have you read these articles?:

1. how to save money for a new car
2. 10 easy tips to save water and money in your home
3. Printable Household Expenses Sheets to Download

This is a basic grilled or fried chicken breast with a little difference – topped with cheesy potato rather than having the spuds served on the side.

This dish is nice with a salad, but I have a pregnancy aversion to salad at the moment, so vegetables it was. The bonus of using vegetables is that you can add them to any leftover potato mixture for bubble and squeak the next day (just fry the mixture in a little butter like fritters).

That is exactly what we did for breakfast. The little fella insists on being involved in all cooking (who am I to argue with that! Hopefully the interest in cooking doesn’t wear off!). When I explained I was cooking bubble and squeak he noddled solemnly and said ‘noisy breakfast’. However there was total silence as it was eaten. Serves 4

Method

1. Boil whole potatoes until almost tender (a reader the other week suggested steaming spuds instead to ensure they don’t get overcooked. Great tip!) Cool and grate. I left the skin on when boiling and most of it stayed on the grater when I grated the spuds. If you over cook the potato (um, like I did) it’s more like mashed potato than grated, but that’s just as good!
2. Meanwhile, halve the chicken breasts horizontally so that you have two fillets or schnitzels. Lightly hammer or roll to flatten.
3. Combine potato, onion, cheese, egg and chives.
4. Fry chicken in a little oil until brown on both sides and cooked through or grill under the griller/broiler until cooked. Place on a tray and top with the potato mixture.
5. Grill under a medium hot grill until potato mixture is browned and cooked through (about 5 – 10 minutes).

Have you read these articles?:

1. toddler food–homemade chicken nuggets
2. mushroom and leek stuffed chicken breast with chardonnay sauce
3. asian style chicken drumsticks

The January / February edition of the Frugal and Thriving newsletter is out now.

I had several ideas for this year’s newsletter theme but settled at the last moment on ‘thriving’, so as well as the usual frugal tips, I will focus on the thriving side of life!

I’m excited to say that there are now over 1,200 subscribers to the newsletter and I hope that you find it interesting and beneficial. If you have suggestions for ways of improving it or ideas for content I would love to hear them!

This issue includes:

• A link to the 2012 reader survey (if you haven’t seen it yet ).
• Links to budgeting and goal setting articles on the blog
• 12 uses for lemons around the home
• 10 tips for having more energy
• Articles from the archives
• Links to blogs around the web
• A free kid’s recipe book.

If you haven’t signed up for the Frugal and Thriving newsletter and would like to do so, you can subscribe here. Note: The newsletter gets sent out once every two months (and that’s all – no spammy stuff!) and is separate from the daily blog post email subscription.

Have you read these articles?:

1. Introducing The Frugal And Thriving Free Monthly Newsletter
2. 2012 frugal and thriving reader survey
3. introducing the 2011 frugal and thriving newsletter