Monday menu plan

Last week was incredibly busy catching up at home after our week away. Lots of cooking, cleaning, decluttering, walks and sorting out childcare for my return to work in 7 weeks. I hope to have more time to write a couple of blog posts this week.

Last week we kept our groceries to $80 for the week using what we had at home first. This week I want to keep our spend low again. I'm also trying to participate in the Plastic Free July Challenge. I know I won't be able to go completely plastic free but I will aim to minimise our single use plastic as much as possible. I am allowing myself to use things we already have at home that are in plastic packaging because it would be counter-productive to buy more. The end of the month will be harder as we will have a smaller stockpile and will have to get creative with plastic-free alternatives. I think my shopping list reflects the challenge.

I've done a check of the pantry and freezer and come up with the following menu plan.

Meat free Monday - Fried rice 
Tuesday - Lasagne and salad. I was going to do bolognaise but we don't have much pasta and it comes in plastic. We do have lasagne sheets left and they are in cardboard so this choice will reduce our grocery bill and our plastic use. 
Wednesday - Chicken breast and veges 
Thursday - Quiche and salad / veges
Friday - My birthday - Thai takeaway 
Saturday - I'm out for dinner. Hubby and the boys can find something in the freezer
Sunday - Nachos, we didn't end up having this last week because we were at a family bbq for lunch and didn't need much dinner. We just cooked for the kids. 

Breakfasts will be porridge, weetbix, toast or french toast
Lunches will be chicken and veg meatballs, soup (from freezer), omelettes, leftovers and smoothies
Snacks will be fruit, vege sticks, pikelets 

Shopping list: Eggs, tissues, olive oil spray, jam, tinned pears, milk, tomatoes, watermelon, bananas, zucchini and carrots. 

I've had to leave icing sugar, mixed herbs and pasta off the shopping list due to the plastic packaging. We can make do without all of it. 

Monday menu plan

We're back! No menu plan last week as we were on holidays and lucky enough to be fed by my stepmum all week.

We arrived home late last night so there is not much in the fridge except a few apples we brought home, some eggs and cheese. We had some milk in the freezer so I defrosted that overnight and we are having porridge for breakfast with milk and cinnamon. The baby is also digging in to canned fruit salad which I keep for situations just like this when we are out of fresh fruit.

I will shop later today but will try to keep it to a small shop as I want to clear out the freezer. With that in mind, here's the plan:

Meat free Monday - Pasta with sauce made from mashed pumpkin, spinach and stock (all from the freezer), parmesan on top, served with garlic bread.
Tuesday - Chicken kiev and veges. Plain chicken for the baby. I will cook the lasagne for Wednesday while the oven is on.
Wednesday - Lasagne made with the homemade tomato sauce I made before we went away from the surplus tomatoes.
Thursday - Ham, spinach and cheese quiche (homemade from freezer) with veges
Friday - Fish and veges
Saturday - Mums for dinner
Sunday - Nachos; The Chippy brought salsa home from our holiday so it will need using and I have nacho mince already made in the freezer. I will pull something else out of the freezer for the baby or make him an omelette

Breakfasts will be porridge, weetbix, toast or french toast
Lunches will be soup (from freezer), omelettes, corn fritters
Snacks will be fruit, vege sticks, popcorn, pikelets and yogurt

We have most of the ingredients for the above so a small shopping list of frozen spinach, corn and peas, corn chips, more milk and fruit and veg plus some hair conditioner is all we need. The shop should be under $50 if I go to the fruit shop which is much cheaper than supermarket fruit & veg.

How to make melt and pour soap; honey, oat and lemon winter blend

I'm really keen to try soap making from scratch but I don't have a lot of kid free time to be playing around with chemicals. For fun, I decided to try the melt and pour soap making method first to see if I liked. I LOVED doing this, I can't wait to have another go and learn more about soap making.

Materials 

• 453g bar of melt and pour soap base, I chose a palm-oil free white base
• 1 teaspoon of honey (As an aside, please buy 100% Australian honey! Some imported honey is made from sugar syrup, it's not even honey!). I use Beechworth. Learn more here 
• 2 teaspoons of Australian lemon essential oil
• 1/4 cup oats; I used Homebrand quick oats because that's what I had on hand
• Pyrex jug
• Wooden spoon
• Silicone mould; I used a cupcake mould I found at the op shop

I bought my soap base and essential oil here 

Process 

1. Cut the soap base into small cubes and place into a glass jug.
2. Microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring in between, until the soap base has all melted. This took me about 6 20 second bursts. 
3. Stir in the oats, honey and lemon essential oil. 
4. Pour evenly into moulds. 
5. You can apparently spray the top with rubbing alcohol here to remove bubbles but I hadn't bought any and didn't find it necessary this time.
6. Allow to set for 1-12 hours then remove from moulds and place in something airtight. 

Note: I've since read that in order to prevent the oats from sinking to the bottom of the soap mould you can cover the jug and wait for the base to cool slightly or keep stirring until the base thickens a little more. More information from Soap Queen here

Cost 

• Soap base; $8
• Oats, honey and lemon essential oil; approximately $1
• Mould; $2 from the op shop

Yielded 6 soaps. Definitely not your cheap everyday soap but a lovely gift or treat.

Time 

10-15 minutes.

How to make beeswax food wraps for under $2 in less than an hour

Beeswax wraps are simply cotton fabric coated in beeswax to seal the fabric. They are used as an alternative to cling wrap; lunchboxes and leftovers spring to mind. We don't use a lot of cling wrap, we mostly use glass or stainless steel containers to store leftovers, but it does occasionally come in handy for picnics and lunchboxes and to cover quiches and the like in the freezer. I'm curious to see how much more plastic wrap we can eliminate from our garbage and grocery budget using the wraps.

I first came across beeswax wraps when I asked an online mums group for sustainable ideas for giving out homemade playdough as a party favour. I was keen to avoid plastic containers and ziplock bags, but understandably also don't trust 1-4 year olds with glass jars. I looked into buying the wraps but the cost was somewhat prohibitive for the amount I need for the party, I decided to give making them a go and try them out in our kitchen and with our own playdough first to see if they actually work.

Materials 

• 100% cotton fabric cut to your desired size
• Beeswax; I bought mine here. You don't need much at all, around 20 grams or so per wrap, depending on the size. 
• Pinking shears to prevent the edges of the fabric from fraying
• Grater
• New paintbrush
• Baking sheet
• Baking paper; the wax gets all over the baking sheet, I used clean baking paper to make each wrap

Note: The grater, paintbrush and baking sheet will be sacrificed to the cause of beeswax forever more. 

Process

1. Using pinking shears, cut your fabric to the desired size.
2. Preheat oven to around 80-85C
3. Place baking paper then a piece of fabric onto baking sheet. Grate a small amount (20g) of beeswax onto the fabric and spread it evenly.
4. Place in the oven and watch for the beeswax to melt. This only takes a few minutes. 
5. As soon as the wax is melted, remove from the oven and use the paintbrush to spread the wax as evenly as you can. I found it tricky to get right to the edge as my wraps were slightly wider than the baking tray. 
6. Hang to dry.

It's that easy! 

Notes: 

If you need, you can repeat step 4 and 5 to get an even spread of the wax.

You can add buttons and thread if you want to be able to fasten them closed. At this stage I've just wrapped them around what I want to cover and will tie with compostable twine if I need to. 

The wraps will be quite stiff but will mould with the warmth of your hands. 

Caring for your wraps

• Wraps can be washed in cool water with a mild detergent. 
• I've stored mine flat in the tea towel draw. 
• Since you can't wash them in hot water, don't use them for storing raw meat or poultry. 
• I've read that the wraps can last around a year and can be re-coated with wax if needed; that's potentially a lot of plastic wrap saved!

Cost 

• Beeswax: Approximately 80c per lunchbox sized wrap. I used a tiny amount from 500g block I bought. It costs $5 for 100g and is cheaper per gram if you buy a larger amount. 
• Fabric: I used off cuts from my stash so there was no cost for me. You can use an old (clean) sheet or buy thin 100% cotton fabric. If you aren't too fussy about the prints you should be able to pick something up from the clearance section for $4 or so per metre. 

Time:

• I made these 6 in under an hour and it was my first attempt so a little trial an error with the amount of wax and spreading it evenly. 

Savings series: How to save money in the laundry

The humble washing machine has to be one of my favourite "mod-cons". As much as I often fantasise about the days of old and simpler times, I am incredibly grateful to be living in a time when the washing machine exists.

I know many people abhor washing, particularly the folding and putting away. Piles of washing seems to breed in some houses I'm sure. I have to say, on a scale of  1 to cleaning the toilets, washing is one of the household tasks I find most enjoyable. I love the satisfaction of an empty washing basket, the smell of sun on sheets and towels, and the simple pleasure of watching washing dancing in the wind in our courtyard on a sunny day.

Today's post is a "laundry list" (see what I did there?) of ideas for saving money in the laundry. As I highlighted in my first savings series post last week, lots of these money saving ideas are also more sustainable choices. If you missed it, you can find last week's post here.

Appliances, water and electricity use 

1. Consider what you really need to get by. For us, that's a washing machine. We choose not to own a dryer. Living in Sydney, I just don't feel like we need one. In summer I throw a load on straight after dinner and hang it out after the kids are in bed. It's nearly dry by morning. In winter I use the line if it's sunny or large airers inside. Sure it's annoying having clothes airers in the house when it's raining for a week, but not as annoying as $1,000 electricity bill. If you do have a dryer, try to use it sparingly. They are one of the biggest energy use appliances in most houses.
2. I don't iron unless I'm going to a wedding or doing some sewing ok and the occasional work shirt when I'm working. Save electricity; ditch the iron! I try to buy things that don't need ironing and hang and fold straight away. I'll be interested to see if the need to iron changes as we consider the types of fabrics we are buying from a sustainability point of view, but more on that another day.
3. Consider 2nd hand. When our last washing machine died, not long after we had our first child, I knew I wanted a larger size to accommodate our growing family. I picked up a 2nd hand one from our local Facebook buy / swap / sell site for $150 from a lady moving into a nursing home. It's perfectly serviceable and still going strong 3 and a half years later. At the moment I prefer my top loader because I'm forever finding more to put in the machine after the load has started, plus I use it to soak larger items. Also, being an older style with the dials on top not the electronics I feel like there is less likely to go wrong and it may be easier to fix if something does. When this one eventually dies we will reevaluate water and energy efficiency but for now I feel like 2nd hand is saving money and saving a perfectly good machine from landfill.
4. To save water and electricity I only wash when I have a full load, with the exception of nappies or if someone is sick. If you aren't washing a full load, ensure you adjust the water level if your machine doesn't do it automatically. 
5. Washing in cold water is also cheaper. I only wash in hot if I'm washing nappies or if someone is sick or wets the bed. 

Detergents and fabric softeners 

1. I prefer powdered detergent over liquid because I find the fragrances (note these are chemicals!) are not as overpowering and the cardboard boxes are better from a recycling point of view than plastic bottles. 
2. I stock up on laundry powder when it is half price. Store in a dry place, it will clump if it gets damp. 
3. Did you know you can use way less laundry powder than the amount recommended by the manufacturer and still get the same results? I use about half the standard scoop. That means my half price powder actually costs me 1/4 of the retail price per load.
4. You could also try soap nuts or soap berries. They literally grow on trees in the Himalayas so they are bio-degradable and chemical free. These are on my list to try too, although I've heard they are not the best on whites. 
5. You can make your own laundry liquid or powder. Once my current supply of half price powder runs out I will be giving this a go. Stay tuned! As soon as I can track down some Borax I'll be trying my blogging idol Rhonda Hetzel's recipes that you can find on her blog "Down to Earth" here 
6. You can also make your own woolwash. My other blogging idol Mimi has an easy recipe and cute free printable on her blog "A Tray of Bliss" here
7. White vinegar, generic brand is fine, can be used in place of fabric softener. 
8. If you are handy with a sewing machine you could make your own peg bag, there's plenty of tutorials via Pinterest.  

Sundries

1. Bring your basket and pegs inside after you've pegged out the washing and they will last much longer, especially if they are plastic. My washing basket is 10 years old and still going strong, It's just a cheap Kmart plastic one. 
2. Avoid really cheap plastic pegs. In my experience they break too easily which is a waste of money and adds to plastic in landfill. I like Reva pegs, although they are plastic. They are Australian made and rarely break. I am also going to look into stainless steel pegs next time I need some. I personally don't like wooden pegs because I find they go mouldy too easily.
3. Dry clothes inside out to avoid fading, they will last longer.
4. Use delicates bags or a pillow case to protect delicate items and keep little socks together (& prevent washable breast pads getting stuck in the machine...).
5. Shake and fold clothes as you take them off the line to avoid, or reduce, ironing.
6. Use white vinegar on a rinse cycle to clean your washing machine. 
7. Cut up old towels, bibs, tea towels etc for cleaning rags. Look for cotton fabrics. Microfibre cloths are contributing to the plastic problem in our oceans. They shed tiny plastic microfibres and have even been found inside fish we eat. 

This is my teeny, tiny laundry. It's basically just a cupboard off the kitchen. We are renting this place and I do dream of a larger space with a bench for folding, but in reality this works just fine; I don't need to upsize my life. 

By the way that bottle of Windex is 10 years old. I bought it when I moved out of home; I now mostly use vinegar instead. I will do a separate post on cleaning. 

My cute housekeepers box was new from a garage sale. 

Most of the ideas in this post will not only save money but are also more sustainable options. Using less electricity, less chemicals, looking after our things so they last longer and need replacing less often and reusing items we no longer need puts less strain on our precious planet, as well as our wallets.

Monday Menu Plan

I forgot to cancel our Aussie Farmers Direct order last Friday and we really didn't need anything so this weeks menu plan is designed to use up the produce that most urgently needs using first. We have so much fresh food that now needs using. I've already cooked up a batch of tomato-based pasta sauce to use the rest of last week's tomatoes, zucchini and carrot and we will eat the newer batch fresh. We also have a whole watermelon, whole pumpkin, sweet potatoes, zucchinis, carrots, 15 bananas, 2 kilos of apples and more that needs to be used before they turn.

I'm not grocery shopping for anything else, in fact I haven't spent a cent the whole long weekend, so we will use what is in the fridge, freezer and pantry this week along with the fresh produce and milk from Aussie Farmers.

(Mostly) Meat free Monday - Home made pizza and salad: Slightly cheating on the meat free this week as we've been away at Grandma's house for the weekend and hadn't really planned anything for tonight. Mine will be meat free but hubby and Mr 3 will have a little bit of ham on theirs. The baby will have a pre-made freezer meal of pasta and pureed vege sauce with cauliflower, carrot & zucchini for finger food.
Tuesday - Tuna rice slice with salad
Wednesday - Roast chicken and veg
Thursday - Chicken and pumpkin risotto using leftover chicken
Friday - Quiche and veges

5 alternatives to the traditional toy sales

Popular mum websites are going into overdrive this week as some of the major Australian department stores outline changes to their popular mid-year toy sales and Christmas lay by conditions.

I've personally never used these sales. My kids are little and I prefer to buy through the year from a variety of sources. I live in a tiny 2 bedroom semi but we still manage to stash enough away in the top of our built ins & at Grandmas to keep the kids happy.

If you're disillusioned with the toy sales this year, the good news is, there are alternatives that may save you money and are more sustainable options.

1. Reevaluate what Christmas looks like 

My top tip for saving both money and avoiding over consumption and toys that end up in landfill 3 months after Christmas is to reevaluate how much and what you're giving.

Try resetting the kid's expectations, if they are older you can explain why. If they are little I doubt they'll notice. Many people now ascribe to "Something they want; something they need; something to play with; something to read".

Choose quality over quantity and look for items that can be used in more than one way. For example, play food can be used for shops, cafes, kitchens, healthy food discussions, cutting practice and more. Look critically at toys and decide whether it can be used for multiple purposes. If it can't they kids will get bored in no time and you will have wasted your money. Decide whether that toy is likely to end up in landfill within a short time; if it will, don't buy it.

Think about experience gifts; shows, zoo trips, aquarium, rock climbing, a family camping holiday. The possibilities here are pretty endless. Check sites likely Groupon and Scoopon for cheaper alternatives. Bonus there's no clutter in the house!

2. Shop local and / or support small business  

Look for smaller, locally owned retailers and online small businesses. There are loads of great businesses out there owned by work at home mums and dads with old fashioned service and unique quality products. Some of them even offer layby and some have great sustainably made toys.

3. Go handmade 

Jump on Pinterest (maybe make a coffee first, it's time wasting at it's best!) and have a go at DIY. In the past we've upcycled a free TV cabinet into a play kitchen, a free vintage gentleman's wardrobe into a dress up cupboard and sewn some basic dress ups.

If DIY doesn't appeal, take a look at Etsy, MadeIt or search on Facebook for small businesses, again you may be supporting work at home parents. There are even groups on Facebook where you can enter a lottery type arrangement called "dipping". You essentially offer to buy a "dip" akin to a lottery ticket to win expensive items for as little as $2. Two that I know of are "We've gone Dippy" and "Handmade Life".

4. Look at non-toy shops for alternatives

Shops like Kathmandu, Australian Geographic, Riot Art, Spotlight and the like often have great clearance sections both online and in store with up to 70-80% off.

Look beyond toys to find gifts the kids might enjoy for longer than the latest toy craze; good quality drink bottles, a sleeping bag, science kit or art materials may just keep them occupied longer.

5. Keep an eye out on your local Facebook buy / swap / sell site, Gumtree, Ebay and even op shops.

I often pick up brand new items for a fraction of the retail price. Just this week I picked up 4 brand new Melissa & Doug puzzles for $5 each (RRP $14.95) from a guy closing down his business.

As my kids are little and don't know the difference, I'm also comfortable giving them 2nd hand toys. Mr 8 months has a huge box of 2nd hand Duplo stashed away for Christmas; it's easily washed, and is a more environmentally sustainable option than buying new plastic toys. He will neither care nor remember that they are not in the original box.

I hope I've inspired you to rethink Christmas a little; I bet your kids will still be thrilled, and your wallet, local businesses and the planet will thank you.

This post is in no way sponsored or endorsed by any of the companies mentioned. These are purely my suggestions. 

A mothers' guilt

Becoming a mother brings with it an immense amount of guilt. We feel guilty if we work because we aren't at home with our kids. We feel guilty if we stay home.We feel guilty about indulging our kids; or guilty about not giving them as much as the kids next door. Guilty of being too hard on them; guilty of being too soft. Guilty because I let him eat chicken nuggets, again.

By far the biggest contributor to the guilt I feel though is related to the world I have brought my children into. I never considered myself a "greenie". I've always preferred save money and avoid consumption for consumption's sake, but I definitely live in my own little middle-income, white collar, first world bubble. I was careful with the consumption of electricity, fuel, food and shopping from a cost point of view. I am content to live in a small house and buy 2nd hand toys for my kids because it saves me money that I can use for other things like shows and holidays and the mortgage. However, until recently I didn't really stop to think about how my actions impacted anyone else, and certainly not future generations. I wasn't wilfully destructive, but perhaps blissfully ignorant? 

Becoming a mother though, suddenly thrusts upon you an undeniable link with future generations. 

Suddenly, it isn't just about you and generations past. As I stare into my baby's eyes as he looks up at me while feeding, or as I watch my 3 year old build an aeroplane from Duplo, it's impossible not to wonder what his future holds. And therein lies the guilt.

In the face of climate change, over consumption, peak oil, food security issues, worsening natural disasters, more people and fewer jobs, I sometimes feel guilty for even having brought children into this world. What am I asking of them? What kind of world am I leaving them? What is the breaking point for the world's population and am I guilty for contributing to it's growth? Big issues. No answers.

I feel guilty that my children may have to make the decision not to have children for the sake of the planet; or worse, may have that decision taken from them. I feel guilty that that may have to fight for food, security, land, safety. Even if you don't believe in climate change, surely it must be accepted that a planet with finite resources cannot indefinitely sustain an exponential number of people all seeking a better standard of living? 

I feel guilty that I'm not doing enough to help. Sure I've switched to green power, am reducing plastic use and waste, trying to buy more 2nd hand than new and eating less meat, I'm blogging about our changes. But then there are the failures and the things I can't do yet because of where we live.

It just took me 5 days to get cloth nappies dry because of the rain. It's just not practical for me to use them full time in this weather. Buying a dryer to dry them seems to be counter-intuitive. Guilty.

I threw out the vege scraps this week because the worm farm is overloaded and the freezer is full. Guilty.

Forgot to use a piece of chicken and it got lost at the back of the fridge and is now bad. A rare occurrence here but still; guilty.

There are others doing so much more! Guilty.

There are so many more changes I want to make, and still other changes I could make that I'm sure I'm not even aware of yet. I am constrained by cost and time and a lack of skills and space. I want to relearn skills that our fore-mothers knew. But I have to balance that with the reality of living in the 21st century in a large city where it takes 2 incomes just to make ends meet and 2 small children under my feet demanding attention. 

So although we are not perfect and we have a long way to go, all we can do is keep learning, trying, moving in the right direction, sharing the message and raising resilient, informed kids. Living with the hope that with knowledge, each generation will make better decisions than the last. 

An apology to my second born child

Last week I took a bath with my 8 month old son, Lockster (not his real name). He usually adores the bath but the whole of last week he was losing it every single night. It didn't matter if The Chippy (hubby) bathed him, if I bathed him, if my mum who was visiting one night bathed him. It didn't matter if we bathed him with or without his brother. Earlier, later. More water, less water. More toys. Nothing seemed to help.

By Friday night his hair was getting stinky from not having more than a 35 second bath for a week.

I popped him in his little bath seat. He proceeded to scream blue murder.

Since his older brother was still (yes, still...) eating his dinner and watching "Go Jetters" and The Chippy was home to watch him, I decided to jump in the bath with the baby.

It was only then I realised this was the first time he'd had a bath with mum or dad in his little life. He's been bathed with his brother pretty much since birth because it was easier to kill 2 birds with one stone.

When his older brother was a baby, and evenings were not quite such a chaotic rush, sharing a bath with mum or dad was a regular indulgence.

Not so for my second born. Instead of the leisurely bath time my eldest enjoyed, my youngest is whizzed through the production line of dinner, bath, boob and bed with precision timing. He has to compete with his older brother dawdling through his dinner, while I yell at him from the bathroom to hurry up and finish and get in the bath so I can get them both out and dressed before the baby is yelling for his milk.

So, on Friday night Lockster and I enjoyed a leisurely 20 minute soak. We played with the toys, cuddled and splashed and he was happy again. He has been happy in the bath every night since and I remembered what a great bonding experience it is.

It got me thinking though about the other things the second born misses out on. So for the following Lockster, I am sorry:

• The lack of one-on-one time: We get 2 days alone, just you and I when your brother is at preschool. Unfortunately those 2 days are also my best bet at getting all the housework, cooking and grocery shopping done that I can't get done with 2 kids under my feet. I rarely get a chance to sit still and just be with you outside of feed times.
• Books: I'm sorry. I don't read you nearly as many books as I read your brother. Our days are rushed and I've read them all 1000 times before. Don't feel alone in your neglect though. I have a pile of books next to my bed waiting to be read. Fancy choosing something off mummy's reading list instead? 
• Kids music: Frankly, I didn't really enjoy listening to nursery rhymes and The Wiggles the first time around. You're getting Fleetwood Mac, T-Rex and the Rolling Stones kiddo. You can thank me when you're 17 and you finally realise the old stuff is way better than the new stuff. 
• Long walks in the pram. Or really any walks in the pram. This one is a safety issued. To be honest, I can't handle your brother running 100 miles an hour in front of us, I'm scared he'll get hit crossing a driveway.
• Trips to the park that involve simply laying on a picnic rug and watching the world go by. This used to be my afternoon ritual when your brother was a baby. Now these trips are spent yelling at your brother to come back, wait his turn and put the stick (aka small log) down.
• Baby rhyme time: Ain't nobody got time for that 2nd time round. You think your brother is going to sit still? You're dreaming. 

So I am sorry, you get less of me. I have to share. I am more tired and my fuse is shorter now. But know this, my darling boy; I made all my mistakes with your older brother.

Savings series: 7 ways living a more sustainable life can save you money

I'm planning a series of weekly money saving posts. Saving money is occupying a lot of my time at the moment as I'm on maternity leave so we are living on The Chippy's (hubby's) wage and our savings. However, I'm also trying to live more sustainably. Sometimes there's a bit of a misconception that living sustainably is an expensive way to live for the average family. This is probably true of things like organic food, renewable energy, hybrid cars and the like. But there are also plenty of ways the average family can actually save money by making sustainable choices.

So, to kick off my savings series; here are 7 ways I think living more sustainably can save you money, and one sneaky bonus at the end.

1. You focus on reducing waste: When you focus on reducing waste, you buy less and use what you have more efficiently.

• Food: Focus on only buying what you need, storing food properly, prioritising produce that needs using up first and eating or freezing leftovers. You wouldn't throw $20 in the bin, so why throw out the equivalent in uneaten groceries every week?
• Petrol: Shopping less often, combining multiple errands in one trip or taking the bus or walking short distances will reduce your environmental impact and save money. 
• Packaging: Avoiding overly processed and packaged foods means cooking from scratch with real ingredients which is cheaper since you're not paying someone else to make if for you or for the packaging. 
• Electricity & gas: When you monitor your usage and try to use less, the added benefit is, you save money on your bill. 

2. You're happy with 2nd hand and DIY: Whether it's clothes, homewares, furniture, kids toys or something else; 2nd hand saves money and the planet. Plus upcylcing and DIY is kind of addictive.

Know your prices though. Op shops can sometimes be expensive (especially for clothes unless you're lucky to stumble on brand name items, which I have often found brand new). Other options include baby & kids markets, Freecycle, ebay, Gumtree and Facebook buy swap sell pages or pay it forward pages.

Giving away or selling your used items on these avenues might also make you a bit of cash and saves landfill.

3. You no longer view shopping as a hobby: When you stop shopping for something to do rather than things you need you consume less resources, save money, free up a whole lot of time and avoid unnecessary clutter.

Find a free hobby or one that saves, or even makes you money. Learn a useful skill. Baking, cooking from scratch, reading, blogging, running... The possibilities are just about endless.

Learning to sew has saved me money as I can do simple repairs and make basic items so I don't have to pay someone else or replace with a new item. It also makes me enough money to give my kids some pocket money as I do some sewing for a local mum and make some basic things to sell via Facebook and ebay as a hobby.

4. You choose better quality that lasts longer: Recently I read a quote that went something along the lines of "If the best thing about an item is the price, you don't need it". Don't buy stuff just because it's cheap or on sale. Buying something because it is cheap is often false economy.

Choosing the best quality you can afford can save money in the long run since it likely needs to be replaced less often. This also leads to less consumption, less strain on our resources and less landfill.

5. You use less meat: Let's face it, meat is expensive. With every drought, and with more mouths to feed on the planet with the same finite amount of land, food can only get more expensive. Most people eat far too much meat and according to the OECD graph in this article, Aussies are the top offenders http://www.1millionwomen.com.au/blog/china-wants-people-eat-less-meat-and-planet-will-benefit/.

Now my name is "Mum. In moderation". I'm not here to advocate for the whole world turning vegan (but good for you if you want to!), because I think getting several billion people to suddenly stop eating meat all together is an unrealistic expectation.

But, luckily, living more sustainably by eating a little less meat in each meal or eating 1 or 2 meat free meals a week can also help ease the burden on your grocery budget. We've implemented meat-free Mondays here. I'm learning new vegetarian recipes and The Chippy and kids are yet to complain (in fact, I'm not sure they've even noticed). I also stretch out meat in most recipes like spag bol, taco mince, butter chicken and the like by adding lentils, beans, chickpeas and veges. The added benefit is it's healthier too!

6. You embrace home-made green cleaners: Making your own cleaners from simple grocery items like vinegar, bicarb and borax reduces the amount of chemicals going down the drain as well as processing and packaging. Happily, they are also really, really cheap!

7. You mend and make do and are content with what you have: Button falls off a cardigan? No need to buy a new one, it's a 5 minute fix. Screw loose in a chair? You can fix that easily too. We don't need to replace and update things all the time when what we have is perfectly adequate. Learning to be content with what you have instead of worrying about what the people next door have will probably save you the most money and avoids unnecessary consumption.

The bonus tip? You avoid plastic kids toys with flashing lights and noise that need batteries; the biggest benefit of course being to saving your sanity!

By the way if there's a particular area you'd like to save money on, leave me a comment and I'll do my best to come up with some ideas.

Monday menu plan

Here's our menu plan for the week. I did an online shop last night for the few things we needed so I didn't need to take the kids out in that atrocious weather.

I'm leaving next weekend open as being a long weekend I'm not sure where we'll be at meal times. If we are around, we can pull something out of the freezer. 

Meat free Monday - Crustless quiche with pumpkin, spinach and feta & salad (kids will have vegess instead of salad)
Tuesday - Roast chicken & veges
Wednesday - Chicken cacchiatore using leftover roast chicken, peas & corn added into the sauce served with cauliflower rice & broccoli 
Thursday - Spag bol with hidden lentils & veges
Friday - Tuna rice slice & salad (kids will have veges instead of salad)
Saturday - TBC
Sunday - TBC

Yes, another mummy blog; What's Mum. In moderation all about?

Starting a mummy blog seems to be de rigeur these days. So why am I starting another one? I can't speak for other mums, but here's why I'm starting mine. 

For me 

First and foremost, the blog is for my sanity. Have you read the book or seen the movie "I don't know how she does it?" In the movie, Sarah Jessica Parker who plays the main character is lying in bed after a crazy day of work and kids with her to-do list flying across the screen above her head. Like most mums, that is what goes on in my head most of the day, and into the night. Blogging is like free therapy, it's forcing me to slow down, think through a complete thought and get them out of my head and down on paper (well, keyboard actually, but that doesn't sound as good  does it?). 

It's also a chance to use my brain while I'm on maternity leave. I actually miss writing, researching, forming an argument and editing my own work. Those who know me will understand I'm trying to make sure my "attention to detail" doesn't slip; so if you see a typo, please tell me!

It gives me "someone" to talk to during the lonely hours of motherhood. It's a cheap, home-based hobby I can do when the kids are asleep. 

It will form a record of the changes our family is making towards a simpler, more sustainable life. It's an easy way for me to document my thoughts, challenges, mistakes and learnings along the way. 

For my kids 

Who knows, maybe one day my boys, or their future partners or my grandkids will enjoy reading my random collection of thoughts. 

For you 

A place to find money saving and sustainability tips. A place to celebrate and commiserate motherhood. 

This blog is a way for me to give to the community without having to leave my house or donate money to causes I don't have the money for right now. Instead I can write about my solutions to things that matter to me like saving money, living simply, addressing climate change, overconsumption and reducing waste.

If someone else can learn from my mistakes and rambling, all the better! 

What's up with the name "Mum. In moderation"?

Mum. In moderation has a couple of meanings; 

• It's about learning to enjoy life to the full while moderating consumption and spending less;
• It's also about rediscovering who I am again beyond "Mum".  

I hope you'll find something here you enjoy. I'm certainly having fun writing and learning all the back end blog bits and bobs!

The introverted mum

I am in introvert. I find being around people, even those I adore, tiring. Crowds and people I don't know? I come home exhausted. I need a cup of tea after an hour in the supermarket. Too much noise and I can't think straight (yes, I have 2 boys, that's going work out nicely...)

I'm not a hermit, but I need space, quiet and time alone to recharge my batteries and re-energise myself. Without this down time I am cranky, short-tempered and drained.

Pre-kids I could quite happily spend the bulk of the weekend hanging out at home. Cooking; reading or crafting. I even found the Saturday morning ritual of cleaning the house relaxing; I remember when The Chippy (hubby) and I could get the whole house cleaned in an hour... Now I spend the bulk of my waking hours tidying this tiny house.

I know a lot of mums who miss their social life after having kids. For me, letting go of that was the easy part. In fact, having kids was quite possibly a blessing in disguise; they are the ultimate 'get out of any social occasion' card.

My body? I was pretty ok with giving that over to another human being(s) for a good couple of years too. It wasn't in the best shape to start with.

But one of the things I was least prepared for about motherhood was the complete and utter lack of alone time.

I am pretty much never alone; from the minute I wake up; usually with someones hand in my face, until my kids go to sleep. Most nights, an extra human or 2 end up in our bed. I can't even pee alone. I fantasise about checking into a hotel just to take an uninterrupted shower. I am beyond 'touched out'.

With one kid, this was just bearable. I got my down time, albeit in 40 minute increments, when he napped. That 40 minutes was just enough to tide me over until the next sleep time. When I went back to work I could zone out on the train for an hour each day with a book or a blog.

Now on maternity leave with 2 kids at home, one of whom no longer naps, there is generally always someone in my face. Annoyingly, the  3-year old has decided it is fun to literally be in my face tickling my cheeks at every opportunity. I'm not proud of the way I react to that. After 8 months of basically no alone time, my fuse is short.

The Chippy (hubby) works 5-6 days a week, is gone before we wake up most days, plays sport on Saturday afternoon and has training one night a week. That leaves Sundays. We try to keep these free for "family day" but in reality it's usually spent tag teaming the kids while we each get all the jobs done that we couldn't do during the week with the kids around.

The Chippy is also my opposite and an extrovert so while he tries to sympathise, he can never truly understand.

In fairness he does occasionally tell me, politely, to get out of the house alone for while. But I am a homebody. My hobbies are home-based. I don't want to get out of the house. I want to sit on my comfortable, once-was duck-egg & cream lounge with a cup of tea, a book and some craft and enjoy the sound of silence. Until I remember I miss them, and their noise.

How to save money at the end of financial year sales

A warmer than usual autumn (scarily a collection of the warmest months on record in much of Australia) means retailers are now desperate to shift their winter stock. Many retailers are rolling out their end of financial year sales earlier than in prior years in a desperate bid for your hard earned cash.

Of course, the easiest, and hardest, thing to do is not go shopping. But how hard is that for most people when they see a sale sign?

Before you get excited by those bright red signs (I know you know that's a marketing trick) screaming "75% off"and handover your credit card, take a look at this quick checklist.

• First, don't look at any catalogues and unsubscribe from emails touting sales (or at least set them up to go into a different email folder where you don't immediately see them). If you hadn't seen the item was on sale, would you still have needed it?

• Next, do your own stock take at home and evaluate what you already have to determine needs from wants:
• Pull out your winter clothes and be honest about what gaps there are. Do you really need another coat? Or will one of the 4 I (er, I mean you!) already own do just fine?
• Next do the same for the kids clothes; what do you already have stashed away in the next couple of sizes? If you're anything like me, you might find you have 27 long sleeve tshirts in size 5 but no warm pants. Pants therefore go in the "need" category. 
• Do the same for other categories you might be tempted to spend money on; sheets, towels, electronics, shoes, bags etc. Are they needs or wants?

• Make a list: Now you know where the gaps are in the "needs" category, make a list and stick to it.

• Shop around: Do your research for the items on your list and know your prices. Is it really a good deal or is it a gimmick? Is it feasible to get the same item 2nd hand to save both money and resources? I recently picked up a lovely navy coat for the baby from a buy swap sell site on Facebook that was on our "needs" list, looks brand new and is a more environmentally friendly option than buying new all the time. 

• Shop online first, fill a basket and leave it overnight, or better yet for a couple of days. Do you still need / love it in the morning? I often find I can take most things out of my cart with no regrets, whereas if I bought the physical item in the shop I would be unlikely to return it if I changed my mind.

• Have a mortgage? Work out how much extra you'll save by putting that $200 you were going to blow on a "bargain" coat onto your mortgage. Over the life of the loan that $200 will probably save you double that in interest you don't have to pay. Now that's a real investment piece. Still need that coat?

• Picture the item in 1 month; 6 months; 12 months. Where is it? Are you still using it? Is it clutter? What would Marie Kondo say; does it spark joy? Is it in landfill? How will you dispose of it?

The reality is, I'm female and I still like the odd shopping spree. But I'm learning to be more mindful in my choices and happier to live with less, to leave more for my kids.

Stop. Start. Continue; Beginning the simple life journey

My boss is a huge fan on the "Stop. Start. Continue." method of evaluation. After 10 years working with him it sticks in my head, even though I'm on maternity leave.

I thought it would be helpful to start the blog off by evaluating where we are now, the changes we have recently made, and those things we will continue doing that fit with the simple life philosophy. Hopefully I'll be able to look back in a few years and see how far we've come (fingers crossed!).

I've been documenting the changes we've been making towards the simple life on Facebook and Instagram for a few months, so here's a summary:

Stop

These are things we have made a conscious effort to stop doing. We don't get it right 100% of the time, but by paying attention to them, we are definitely doing better:

• Relying so heavily on plastic;
• We've invested in some glass and stainless steel food containers, but we still need to build up our stash.
• Everyone now has a stainless steel water bottle except the baby. We take them everywhere instead of buying water or using plastic bottles. I even bought my mum one for Mothers' Day. I need to look into what options are available for non-plastic sippy cups.
• We use containers for leftovers and frozen food about 90% of the time instead of single use glad wrap.
• I've made small tulle bags for fruit & veg shopping instead of using the single use plastic ones from the supermarket
• Wasting food;
• Leftover are portioned up for lunch the next day, incorporated into another meal or frozen;
• Vege peelings are saved to make stock and then fed to the worms.
• Fruit peelings, egg shells and tea bags are fed to the worms

Start

These are new things we've started doing fairly recently since making a conscious effort to live more simply:

• Started a worm farm
• Using glass and stainless steel storage containers
• Switched to reusable knitted cotton dishcloths instead of disposable, plastic derived cloths
• Switched to 100% renewable energy for electricity
• Learned to make stock (learned probably isn't the right word since it's really not hard!)
• Meal planning
• Recycling soft plastic packaging; I'm embarrassed to admit that until fairly recently I didn't realise things like pasta, frozen veg and biscuit packets could be recycled via "REDcycling" at many supermarkets. Find out what can be recycled via this program and drop off locations here: http://redcycle.net.au/redcycle/redcycle-news
• Switched to online billing for our gas, electricity and phones to save paper waste
• Meat-free Monday dinners; learning new vegetarian recipes!
• Switched to more natural beauty products (loving Sukin products)
• Switched to "Who Gives a Crap" toilet paper; made from recycled paper and 50% of profits go towards building sanitation where it's needed. Check it out here: http://au.whogivesacrap.org/
• Storing water for emergencies

Continue

These are things we were already doing which are aligned to our values of living simply:

• Buying Australian made (and owned) wherever possible
• Being careful of our energy and water use
• Buying 2nd hand
• Upcycling, mending and crafting
• Bulk cooking
• Baking snacks
• Adding extra veg and lentils / beans to our meals to cut down meat consumption
• Searching out free local activities for the kids
• Using homemade "green" cleaners

So many more changes I want to make, but the simple life is a journey not a destination!

Monday Menu Plan

I was never a menu planner. I tend to cook in bulk to save time, electricity and money so when I was working I'd just pulled a meal out of the freezer the night before and cook some rice / pasta / veges to go with it.

Now I'm on maternity leave I still bulk cook but feeding a fussy 3.5 year old and baby-led weaning an 8 month old who eats like a horse I like to plan a little more to ensure we can all eat the same dinner.

I base my menu plan and grocery list around what we already have in the house that needs using up first (the remaining veges from last week for example) which reduces food waste and saves money as well.

I'm also trying to reduce our reliance on meat as the main component of our dinners because, frankly it's better for our health, wallet and the environment. I'm trialling a meat-free Monday. We aren't dedicated health nuts by any stretch of the imagination. However, wherever possible, I bulk out our meals with extra veges, lentils or beans; pureed if necessary to hide them from the kids!

So with that in mind, here's our dinner plan for the week:

Meat free Monday - Vegetarian Lasagne and salad
Tuesday - Chicken breast, sweet potato mash, broccoli, corn on the cob, carrots & gravy
Wednesday - Ham, cheese & spinach crust less quiche with salad
Thursday - Pumpkin, spinach & chicken "risotto"
Friday - Healthier "mac & cheese" with tuna, pumpkin, spinach, peas & corn
Saturday - Spaghetti bolognaise with hidden veg and lentils
Sunday - Home made pizza (bub will have something else this night)

Our breakfasts during the week are generally porridge, weet-bix or toast.

Lunches will be soup & toast, corn fritters and leftovers.

Life. In moderation

Ever felt like the life you are living isn't the one you were meant to live?

Mother. Wife. Daughter. Sister. Granddaughter. Friend. Employee. Citizen. Consumer. Mouse on a wheel? Thinker.

Since becoming a mother a little over 3 years ago, I have struggled to figure out where I fit in this equation. So many of my priorities have changed, not always by choice. There are still other things that I know I want to change but haven't yet.

I am a girl from a regional town, living in the big smoke and dreaming of a simple country life. My soul craves open spaces; rolling hills; grass! Alas, reality is a small suburban paved courtyard, a few herb plants on the back step and a park around the corner.

I am a mother who often doesn't fit in in this modern, consumer driven world and yet struggles to disengage from it.

Like any mother, I want to give my kids the world. But in doing so I wonder are we robbing them of the opportunity to inherit the earth? Don't get me wrong, I like pretty things as much as the next girl; but I am increasingly concerned about the state of the world we are leaving our kids.

Climate change. Overconsumption. Peak oil. Food security. Jobs. Crime.

What will their world look like? And why doesn't anyone warn you about the fear that comes with motherhood? The constant worry, not for yourself anymore, but for your children.

The future is scary. Uncertain. But, the way I see it, we have still have choices.

1. We can be paralysed into inaction.
2. We can put our heads in the sand and ignore what is happening.
3. We can wait for "someone else" to make the changes for us. Or,
4. We can be the change we want to see in the world.

I choose Option 4. For me, that means learning to embrace the simple life I crave, trying to minimise our environmental footprint, while saving for things that are important to us. And doing it all in the city.

Jill of many trades, master of none. Possibly born in the wrong century and learning to be frugal by choice, I'm about up-cycling; crafting; very, very basic cooking (cooking is not my strong point!), waste reduction, sustainability, time and money saving tips thrown in with the day to day challenges of family life. Meet "Mum. In moderation".

Lover of handmade and supporter of work at home families. 

We are learning as we go. This will be a journey. There will be mistakes I'm sure.

Nothing about me is "Pinterest perfect" and possibly not even very interesting; but, at the end of the day I want my boys to know I tried to do my bit to safeguard their future.