Friday "Frugal and Free" File

Food glorious food...

Excellent grocery bargains this past week (in fact I hit the trifecta*) which is great timing as I plan to eat what I have the next few weeks before I head off and spend my grocery money on much more interesting things (like spurges at Michael's and Hobby Lobby)

1. Not really a bargain but good value non the less. Ready meals from the Indian shop in Oatley Court. These cost $2.55 each and I split them, freeze them with basmati rice and volia! lunch for around $1.50 a pop. 2. Tuna was 1/3 off. Just in time as I'd used up my last can of sweet chilli .(Brainless lunch recipe: Nuke some rice and either use it immediately or freeze for later. Stir in some frozen corn and some frozen peas. Add 1 small can sweet chilli tuna. Nuke until hot. Eat.) Unfortunately I seem to have over catered on the plain tuna side of things so am digging out lots of tuna recipes from the old brain to use it up. 3. A bit of crumpet. Why on earth anyone buys crumpets full price is beyond me. They pop up on two-for-one very very regularly (or, as happened this week, two-for-less-than-one. Full price $2.09 a packet, special price: $2 for two packets). So I bought up big and now have a teetering pile of ziplock bags in the freezer each containing 2 crumpets ready to be pulled out and chucked in the toaster at a moments notice. 4. A stockpile for the Fluffmeister to tide him over while I'm away - and hallelujah the 88 cent special returns! Usually Whiskas goes on special at two price points and this is the cheaper of the two. But the only specials I've seen so far this year have been the 98 cent ones and I was starting to think the super cheap special had gone forever.

5. Free donuts! (Sorry, no picture as I ate them). I popped into the cafe next door from work Thursday afternoon to get a little something to cope with the late afternoon slump and the lovely lady gave me the last two donuts for free. After I had already bought a packet of sweets. So the sweets were popped untouched in my desk drawer for next time and the donuts found my happy tummy. 6. Lovely goodies from Princess B of Libraria. She borrowed two of the books I'm currently obsessing about from the library for me to drool over. How totally thoughtful is that?!

But wait! There's more! Three pairs of funky black and white socks (the Bonds ones include "leg and arm tube"). Does this girl know me well or what? Those daisy socks rock.

And the whole lot was tied up in a black and white Canteen scarf.

This time next month: Atlantic City! I'm having a birthday party on the other side of the world with Princess B, Joe and Nancy and Kelly and Andy (who we met on our Mediterranean cruise in 2004 and who are lovely people) How lucky am I?

Travel Trivia: I updated and printed out my postcard labels. "My what?!" I hear you ask. Postcard labels. Rather than having to have my address book with me or remember to leave space for the address on the card and have to write it all by hand I set up an Avery template with names and addresses of the people I want to send postcards to. I print off as many sets as I think I'll be sending postcards (usually two) and take them with me. When I come to write a postcard I simply peel off the sticker, attach it to the postcard and Bob's your Aunty. This also means I can very simply keep track of who I haven't sent a postcard to yet.

(* There are three things I refuse to buy full price: cat food, tuna and crumpets and all were on special over the Easter weekend)