Grow your own Garlic

I was searching for ideas from other great money saving money making blogs when I came upon this handy tip from 101 Ways to Save Money.

I love the idea as we go through so much garlic, and it is really hard to find Aussie grown garlic.  I am concerned with some produced in foreign countries as I know they dont have the same laws regarding pesticides and fertilizers that we do.  So, here goes, I am planting a couple of cloves today and will look forward to my own produce. Sounds nice and easy!

A Quick Tip

~Don't throw away old garlic cloves-- use them to grow more garlic! Just plant a large clove (no need to peel!) in your garden or an indoor flower pot. Plant the clove with the pointy end up, about an inch deep. You should see sprouts quickly, and in a few months you should have a whole new bulb just below the soil's surface~

Cheap fun for the Kids

LJ & I are currently housebound as the weather is too cold and wet to enjoy a good walk, so I am trying to find creative ideas to entertain a very active toddler.  When I was a little, I used to love making things with playdough, so I have looked up a recipe to make some for LJ to enjoy.  Its very simple and can be stored in your fridge for a longer life.

The best thing is that it probably costs under one dollar to make, so is cheap and is a good way to save money, rather than buying play dough from the shops.

 Play Dough

Ingredients
1/2 cup salt
2 tbs cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tbs oil
food colouring

Method
Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan and stir over heat until dough resembles play dough.  Then just allow to cool and store in an airtight plastic bag or container.

Once LJ has had a play, I will add some photos of my endeavors.

Day 1 of $21 challenge

After a stocktake of my kitchen, I have discovered an abundance of cooking and baking opportunities for the family meals this week, and I am excited.  I am making chilli con carne for dinner this evening, had all the ingredients except for the chilli powder, so had to spend some of my week's money on that.  I also had to get ham for my husband's lunches, and some bananas to try to feed my toddler for lunches - I found myself spending half of the allowed money today.  It will be a challenge, but I think I can do it.

I only have half a loaf of bread that will last tomorrow, but luckily I have a breadmaker, and will make loaves for the rest of the week.  I have all the required ingredients in my pantry.  I should make bread more often, as it saves about $2.50 a loaf, that is another way I can save that I had actually forgotten about.  It is very nice bread too, I make it with carraway seeds, just like the yummy stuff we buy at the supermarket.

Running out of time, bubs is calling me.

Tips for the day:
- Make your own bread if you can
- Make do with the food you already have in your pantry, you would be surprised what you can make for a nice meal.