Updates

There have been a heap of changes since I started ( and subsequently neglected) this blog. The first huge one is we have escaped the rent trap! Yes we have done the impossible and entered the Auckland house market. And on one income to boot! We are immediately better off as our mortgage and rates is less than we paid in rent. Which is insane.

So I am blogging from my own dining room in my own run down house. And just waking up is our other big change; Our son.

Over the last year I have been hard at work figuring out ways to slash our budget and have been really successful. So I figure I really should start recording it all again (now that I'm not fighting sleep deprivation on a regular basis).

Now I have a house to maintain, a garden to plant, and a household to run. Should be a lot of opportunities to find new ideas.

Planning ahead

Now is a great time to look out for cheap summer produce and blanche and freeze for winter. I did this last summer with sweetcorn. Today I am taking advantage of cheap broccoli to escape paying huge amounts six months from now.

If you have space in your freezer, lay the produce out on a tray, lined with baking paper, in a single layer for the initial freeze. Then transfer to a zip lock bag. This will stop the veges clumping together in a rock hard icy mass. If not then drain as much water as possible from them and pat dry before bagging.