Book in the works...

Shhh... I have a book in the works! If you are interested in being part of a book project please email me india@bargainmums.com.au! You're a mum, so you qualify! :)

Tip #8 - Make your own baby food

I think myself quite the hippy! I made my own baby food today and I am as pleased as punch! As Oscar is still starting out with solids, I began my baby food making venture with some easy favourites and thought I'd share a few with you here.

Firstly, if you haven't headed out to buy some ice cube trays to freeze your baby food in, get out and grab something like the below:



Smooooove Carrots
About 8 good sized carrots

- Peel and chop the carrots
- Place a pot on the stove with enough water to cover the carrots
- Place carrots in the pot
- Leave carrots to become tender (about 15 - 20 minutes)
- Drain the carrots and place them in a blender or bowl (for hand mixer - although, as I found quite messy!)
- Add a little water to make a puree
- And blend
- Ensure that the mixture is blended enough to so there aren't any chunky bits (babies apparently don't like the chunks as yet)
- And voila!

--

Pear and Apple Delight
2 good sized apples and 2 good sized pears

- Peel, core and chop the fruit
- Place a pot on the stove with enough water to cover the fruit
- Place chopped fruit into pot
- Leave fruit to become tender (about 15 - 20 minutes)
- Drain the fruit and place in a blender
- Add a little water to make a puree
- And blend

You can then spoon the mixture into the ice tray to freeze (I place Glad wrap over the top of mine) and then pop the cubes out into a Ziplock bag marked CARROTS when they're hard and back into the freezer.

When you're reheating, one ice block generally defrosts in the microwave if you head the DEFROST button and 50 seconds. So, 3 blocks will take about 2 1/2 minutes. But you'll have to test your microwave out to see what the best time ratio is.

Always check the heat before serving it up to your bubs!

I've also found, adding a pear/apple cube to a pumpkin or potato cube makes it much easier to go down! You know, spoon full of sugar and all that jazz.

By making my own baby food (though it does take some time and organisation on my part) I save about $25.00 a week!! Yep... do the sums and you'll probably find that you'll save a bucket load.

And... you know exactly what your baby is eating too, which is nice peace of mind.

Moving is a great time to reconcile, declutter and chuck!

A friend of mine once said to me when we were talking about decluttering, you have to look at things with a hard heart. And I always remember that piece of advice when I try to declutter or indeed I move house. Having recently done both, I was again reminded by the need to look at the things I own (or horde!) with a hard heart.

When was the last time I used it?
When will I use it again?
Do I need this?
Can I get rid of it?
Can I sell it?
Could someone else find use in it?

All of these questions should be applied to the things in your life you could (probably/possibly) live without.

A hard heart means, the items you think you don't need but you hold onto just in case you might need them again one day, probably could go off to a better home or be recycled in some way.

Happy decluttering... and remember, you trash could be someone else's treasure so think about selling it on eBay (www.ebay.com.au) or, if you have enough stuff, throw a garage sale! Sometimes you can make some money out of the items you just don't need any more.

The ultimate question...

Before you buy something, ask yourself these questions:

- Can I live without this?
- Do I need it? Or merely want it?
- Do I already have something I can use instead?
- Can I borrow it from a friend or family member?
- How long will I have to work to pay for this?

Sometimes the answer might help you make a decision about a purchase and save money on something you really didn't need, just wanted!

It's hard, I know! But give it a go.

Tip #7 - Magazines

I am the biggest culprit. I'll pick up a magazine from the stands when I'm waiting in line at the supermarket. AND... I find that I always pick up the same titles. Good Health, WHO, NW.

I just did some research and found that I can save over 35% of the rack price by subscribing to the regular magazines that I purchase. Over time, that's a saving of well over $25.00 on some titles. Plus, a lot of publications have a free gift when you subscribe. Nice!!

Visit www.magshop.com.au to find the title you buy regularly and find out how much you could save by subscribing. Not only that, you get the title delivered to your door and often times, before it even hits the stands. Perfect!!

Tip #6 - Keep track of what you spend

Ouch!

Are you feeling the pinch now that 1 July has rolled around?
Water and electricity rates have gone up, bank fees, interest rates - where is the relief?
How can we save money and keep the dollars in our pockets?

It seems we are all in need of being a bit more frugal with our money and knowing where we spend every cent of it.

Whenever I sit down to do a budget, I spend one week keeping tabs on where and what I spend every single dollar on. This includes that sneaky coffee and cake mid week to celebrate hump day!

At the end of the week, I sit down and figure out where my money is going. You'd be surprised at the small and incidental spends you make that eat away at your hip pocket. Aim to curb these spending habits and you could save yourself hundreds every year.

You could also find that you are spending money buying smaller quantities of something, when you could save money buying a larger quantity and divvying up. A great example of this is my love for Ice Tea; the Peach variety. Mmm. So good. I often find when I go into pay for petrol, I'll grab a bottle of Ice Tea on my way to the register. It seems harmless. Often times, $3.50 doesn't break the bank. But if I spend $3.50 every other day, I've spent almost $15 on 2L of Ice Tea.

I could save myself over $10 if I was a bit more organised. Bickfords do a fantastic Ice Tea concentrate which you can mix with water. It tastes pretty much on par with the brand I love getting and with all the empty bottles I have around the place (from water or those spontaenous Ice Tea purchases) I can keep them in the fridge and grab one for on the go.

A 2L bottle of Bickfords Ice Tea Concerntrate will make around 15 500ml bottles. Over time, this will save me about $50!

This is why it is so important to figure out where you are spending your money. Because you could find that buying in bulk or changing your habits could save you money in the long run.