Will Jenny Macklin really attempt to live on $35 a day to prove that it's a reasonable payment from the Government for single Mothers' support?
I think not.
But the Greens Adam Brandt says he will try for one week to live on the $35 a day allowance. Will be very interesting to see how he manages. I hope he'll be keeping a diary for us to see.
I've rustled up a quick budget of my current living expenses (you can see my $35 a day budget here)- I'm sure everyone of you relying on single Mothers' Government support already know how difficult it is. In fact, it's so difficult that you actually have to become very savvy at how to juggle the finances to make ends meet.
Pay bills late or part pay them, so there's enough money to cover the critical expenses like the electricity bill. Let the seemingly unimportant bills lapse (like the RACV membership) and then reactivate if and when you can. Pay annual bills by instalments monthly, quarterly or 6 monthly, even though it costs more in the long run, you don't have to come up with the bulk yearly amount. Delay paying the school fees as long as you can. Send the kids to school with holes in their shoes hoping it won't rain. Get the kids clothes from the 50cent Op Shop sales days. Say "no" to the kids when they want a birthday party, go to the movies or takeaway food (then suffer the parent guilt-trip that you can't even afford to give your kids a treat) . Scour the Target yellow clearance sections, hoping for a bargain you can afford. Of course, this is only the start of the juggling process you go through.
Then we get to the food and groceries and the Savvy Shopper Syndrome
Chicken and fish rate highly on our menu. Red meat is a rarity - apart from mince.
Purchasing whole chickens rather than fillets or thighs is a much cheaper way to go. At Aldi you can pick up a whole chicken for around $6.50 which will easily feed 4-5 hungry mouths.
I often use Basa fillets from Aldi frozen fish section. $6.99 per kilo, about 6 good sized pieces of fish - can be fried, steamed, stir fried or baked - excellent value here.
Aldi also has a crumbed white fish pack of 6 at $3.49 - much better quality than fish fingers and tastes good.
Also at Aldi, pack of 6 beef sausages $2.46 or bulk packs at even better prices (but don't always have the funds to buy in bulk and freeze).
Noodles, rice and pasta are often on the menu (all no-name brands of course). It's cheap and goes a long way.
Frozen vegetables (peas, beans, corn, broccoli, cauliflower) are by far more economical than fresh. But I still look out for seasonal fresh veggies when the prices are at least reasonable.
Of course, fresh fruit is a must. And if it's too expensive, then we do without or have limited selection.
In the grocery and meat sections, I'm always looking for the real specials. The half price sales and the marked down for quick sales make a huge difference. Especially when it comes to meat and personal bathroom goods, like toothpaste, deodorant or shampoo.
You can probably guess that I'm an Aldi convert and yes you are right. Aldi plays a big role in making my budget go further without compromising too much on the quality of the food items we eat. If you haven't yet experience an Aldi shop, give it a try, you will be very surprised at the difference at the checkout.
Well that's it for now. Can't wait to see the outcome of Jenny Macklin (if she does it) and Adam Brandt's trial at living on $35 a day.
Cheers.
PS: disclaimer - I have no affiliation with Aldi - I'm just a very satisfied customer happy to share the Aldi experience.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Recipees Recipes - You are What you Eat
RECIPEES or RECIPES - it doesn't matter how you spell it -
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT - REVIEW
It's a fact! The meals served at fast food chains have very low nutritional values.
There is actually no nutritional content to those oily, overly-fried burgers and fries.
These food types will not be able to sustain or give you strong muscles and bones. What they can give you though, is unwanted fats or maybe even lead to heart disease later in life.
For you to be able to avoid being overweight, suffering heart disease or diabetes, ditch these unhealthy foods now.
If you like eating at fast food chains, break the habit. It is easier said than done I know, of course, but just think about how much your body will be better off without all that junk.
Make sure to eat fruits and vegetables everyday. Oh, you should not only watch what you eat, but what you drink as well. Don't drown yourself in sodas, fizzy drinks and those lattes or mocachino.
Too much carbonated drink and caffeine is not good for the body. Drink as much water as you can everyday. You can never go wrong with fresh fruit juices, too.
If you like meat, then you can turn to chicken and fish instead of eating too much beef and pork.
If you want to start eating right, there's no better time to start than right now. Incorporate food with nutritional value into your daily menu. Learning about different foods and how they can contribute to your health is easy, if you know how.
Go ahead, make your life more healthy with the guidance of this series of 5 amazing eBooks.
Now, what do you think people would say if your diet consisted of junk food?
Take a healthy step towards delicious meals and new tastes! Imagine how your body will react when you eat the right kinds of food! Imagine the energy! Imagine the pounds you could shed!
Don't forget, you are what you eat!
Everyone has favourite meals and favourite restaurants they like to visit. Eating out several times a week at restaurants can be very expensive, particularly with a family to feed. As good as it is to eat out on occasions, there is nothing like cooking at home for yourself and your family.
This is great value for money - 5 amazing bonus cookbooks for the price of one - including 123 popular restaurant recipes to cook at home.
As a little teaser, some of the recipes include:
Applebee's Baked French Onion Soup
Tequila Lime Chicken
Low-Fat Blackened Chicken Salad
California Pizza Kitchen Dakota Smashed Pea & Barley Soup
... and much much more!
You will never be stuck for dinner ideas again - its all here.
Remember, Recipees or Recipes, it doesn't matter how you spell it - You Are What You Eat - and it tastes great.
Here's to Happy, Healthy, Creative Cooking - the family will love you even more!
Enjoy!
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT - REVIEW
It's a fact! The meals served at fast food chains have very low nutritional values.
There is actually no nutritional content to those oily, overly-fried burgers and fries.
These food types will not be able to sustain or give you strong muscles and bones. What they can give you though, is unwanted fats or maybe even lead to heart disease later in life.
For you to be able to avoid being overweight, suffering heart disease or diabetes, ditch these unhealthy foods now.
If you like eating at fast food chains, break the habit. It is easier said than done I know, of course, but just think about how much your body will be better off without all that junk.
Make sure to eat fruits and vegetables everyday. Oh, you should not only watch what you eat, but what you drink as well. Don't drown yourself in sodas, fizzy drinks and those lattes or mocachino.
Too much carbonated drink and caffeine is not good for the body. Drink as much water as you can everyday. You can never go wrong with fresh fruit juices, too.
If you like meat, then you can turn to chicken and fish instead of eating too much beef and pork.
If you want to start eating right, there's no better time to start than right now. Incorporate food with nutritional value into your daily menu. Learning about different foods and how they can contribute to your health is easy, if you know how.
Go ahead, make your life more healthy with the guidance of this series of 5 amazing eBooks.
Now, what do you think people would say if your diet consisted of junk food?
Take a healthy step towards delicious meals and new tastes! Imagine how your body will react when you eat the right kinds of food! Imagine the energy! Imagine the pounds you could shed!
Don't forget, you are what you eat!
Everyone has favourite meals and favourite restaurants they like to visit. Eating out several times a week at restaurants can be very expensive, particularly with a family to feed. As good as it is to eat out on occasions, there is nothing like cooking at home for yourself and your family.
This is great value for money - 5 amazing bonus cookbooks for the price of one - including 123 popular restaurant recipes to cook at home.
As a little teaser, some of the recipes include:
Applebee's Baked French Onion Soup
Tequila Lime Chicken
Low-Fat Blackened Chicken Salad
California Pizza Kitchen Dakota Smashed Pea & Barley Soup
... and much much more!
You will never be stuck for dinner ideas again - its all here.
Remember, Recipees or Recipes, it doesn't matter how you spell it - You Are What You Eat - and it tastes great.
Here's to Happy, Healthy, Creative Cooking - the family will love you even more!
Enjoy!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Adwords Ads for Free
A new breakthrough secret is all you now need in order to get your Google™ AdWords pay-per-clicks FREE
A gentleman from New York discovered what he calls an "oversight" on the part of 99.9% of all marketers that allows him to get otherwise paid-for advertising at Google™ as well as all other search engines that allow sponsored ads.
And no, nothing about his "secret" is illegal - nor does it require that you know someone on the "inside" at Google&trade,; Yahoo, MSN, Overture and others.
Instead, the New Yorker boasts proudly "...this is something that I caught onto just before2000 when there was so much search engine craze running around, and started doing small just to test things at first ... but which I later expanded on after getting the hang of it."
This same fellow went on to start and operate sixteen separate online companies selling everything from pet food, DVDs, children's toys & games, books, software, and sold not only his own manufactured products but became an affiliate for other web businesses - all the while applying his mastermind secret.
Over the course of nearly eight years the New Englander confesses "I've actually gotten over $87 million in advertising that using my secret I never had to pay for ... and the largest share of which was more recently in Google™ pay-per-clicks as well as other forms of paid advertising at search engines ... all of which I got for free ..."
So powerful is his secret that he's able to monopolize any niche online, and can always secure the top premium spots just above the usual organic results featured at most search engines.
He still has to set up an account with the search engines - but after applying his secret he is removed from having to pay for all the costs otherwise involved.
Again, nothing about his secret is either illegal or robs from the search engines.
One spokesperson from one of the most popular search engines said chuckling after being made privy to this amazing secret "Wow! Ha! This is really unique ... and in my expert opinion it would only serve to enhance and bring more business to us at [name of search engine withheld for legal & confidentiality reasons] and not cause us to lose business in the slightest.
Amazing!
The northerner revealed that in this nearly eight years' period of time since applying his secret he's done well over $300 million in sales revenue with a most diverse line of products, and most recently in the last two years netted nearly $166 million after really "buckling down and pressing my secret to its fullest potential."
Now to everyone else's fortune, the city slicker is releasing his secret for getting an unlimited amount of pay-per-click ads to the general public. But he's not promising any of us for how long.
A bit of an eccentric, the gentleman says "We'll see just how long I can make it available before it saturates things."
One famous public web guru pointed out that although this man may gain economically ore so as a result of the publication of his secret "he's already so amazingly rich that whether he continues or discontinues its sale will neither make nor break the man, but not grabbing it for yourself while it's still available could prove disastrous for you as you may only have one chance, and a very limited one at that, to get this."
It is currently available right HERE ...so you may want to head on over there now and get it.
It's in a very easily readable format and is quickly and readily understood and mastered by anyone with even a 4th grade reading level.
While you're there, why not scroll down and review for yourself the huge successes others are now having with this incredible breakthrough in targeted advertising now made freely available to the rest of us?
To your success,
Geaves4u
A gentleman from New York discovered what he calls an "oversight" on the part of 99.9% of all marketers that allows him to get otherwise paid-for advertising at Google™ as well as all other search engines that allow sponsored ads.
And no, nothing about his "secret" is illegal - nor does it require that you know someone on the "inside" at Google&trade,; Yahoo, MSN, Overture and others.
Instead, the New Yorker boasts proudly "...this is something that I caught onto just before2000 when there was so much search engine craze running around, and started doing small just to test things at first ... but which I later expanded on after getting the hang of it."
This same fellow went on to start and operate sixteen separate online companies selling everything from pet food, DVDs, children's toys & games, books, software, and sold not only his own manufactured products but became an affiliate for other web businesses - all the while applying his mastermind secret.
Over the course of nearly eight years the New Englander confesses "I've actually gotten over $87 million in advertising that using my secret I never had to pay for ... and the largest share of which was more recently in Google™ pay-per-clicks as well as other forms of paid advertising at search engines ... all of which I got for free ..."
So powerful is his secret that he's able to monopolize any niche online, and can always secure the top premium spots just above the usual organic results featured at most search engines.
He still has to set up an account with the search engines - but after applying his secret he is removed from having to pay for all the costs otherwise involved.
Again, nothing about his secret is either illegal or robs from the search engines.
One spokesperson from one of the most popular search engines said chuckling after being made privy to this amazing secret "Wow! Ha! This is really unique ... and in my expert opinion it would only serve to enhance and bring more business to us at [name of search engine withheld for legal & confidentiality reasons] and not cause us to lose business in the slightest.
Amazing!
The northerner revealed that in this nearly eight years' period of time since applying his secret he's done well over $300 million in sales revenue with a most diverse line of products, and most recently in the last two years netted nearly $166 million after really "buckling down and pressing my secret to its fullest potential."
Now to everyone else's fortune, the city slicker is releasing his secret for getting an unlimited amount of pay-per-click ads to the general public. But he's not promising any of us for how long.
A bit of an eccentric, the gentleman says "We'll see just how long I can make it available before it saturates things."
One famous public web guru pointed out that although this man may gain economically ore so as a result of the publication of his secret "he's already so amazingly rich that whether he continues or discontinues its sale will neither make nor break the man, but not grabbing it for yourself while it's still available could prove disastrous for you as you may only have one chance, and a very limited one at that, to get this."
It is currently available right HERE ...so you may want to head on over there now and get it.
It's in a very easily readable format and is quickly and readily understood and mastered by anyone with even a 4th grade reading level.
While you're there, why not scroll down and review for yourself the huge successes others are now having with this incredible breakthrough in targeted advertising now made freely available to the rest of us?
To your success,
Geaves4u
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Organic Gardening - Food4Wealth Review
My Grandparents were backyard market gardeners, selling their produce from the back of a truck in the local and surrounding suburbs. People loved the wonderful freshness and taste of the home grown fruit and vegetables. They grew everything they could and no part of their backyard was spared (apart from Grandpa’s shed and the clothesline).
Consequently, I grew up eating fresh fruit and veg picked from the backyard garden which was absolutely delicious. I was a bit of a terror in the garden really, especially when it was time to pick the baby peas – instead of helping with the picking, I would sit and eat the peas raw from their pods, so sweet.
For many years after my Grandparents retired, they continued their business as home hobby gardeners supplying the whole family (their 4 children with 11 grandchildren and later great grandchildren) and their neighbours with home grown goodies.
In our busy world of today, why can’t this old world hobby of sustainable backyard gardening be reintroduced to the lives of many to make a meaningful difference in their daily lives.
Jonathan White, Environmental Scientist and Horticulturalist and creator of Food4Wealth has put together an instruction manual including a 60 minute step-by-step video tutorial with everything you need to know about growing food.
His method is based on ecology not horticulture, so don’t be intimidated. A Food4Wealth garden is basically a natural habitat, made up of edible plants, which can be created very easily. Once the system is set up, you will be able to harvest fresh organic food every single day. It will literally save you thousands of dollars per year.
The Food4Wealth package is a comprehensive guide to growing organic food in the world’s most prolific way.
If we are to make a difference to our plant, live economically and improve our lives, we need to start taking action – real physical action. Sitting around talking about it won’t change a thing, but growing our own healthy organic food in an environmentally gentle way will make a positive change for millions of us.
If more people use the organic gardening Food4Wealth method to produce food, we are all bound to spark a revolution in food production that will make our world a better place – don’t you agree? I believe this is a great starting point for the individual to make a real contribution.
Learn how to grow organic food with a breakthrough method to counter food security and rising costs.
As a keen gardener all my life, I'm interested in making a meaningful difference to our world through environmental activites from a ground-roots level. I’m going to make time and give it a go – I hope you do too.
Enjoy Organic Gardening
Enjoy Organic Gardening
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Teenagers and Acne Problems
Teenagers need self-esteem and feel-good solutions to their problems. When it comes to skin conditions they need guidance and assurance that they will be able to make it through this stage of life. Every week my 15 year old has to point out the "new" red bump or break out on her face to me (as if I could miss them), but I approach with caution, as I know kids are so sensitive about their appearance.
I've told her that nearly everybody at some stage as a teenager had to endure what she and her friends are going through but there are ways and means of controlling acne and curing acne once and for all.
The solution doesn't just come out of a bottle or tube and fix the problem overnight and it shouldn't cost a fortune for a product that may not work for you. I have found a book that explores all facets of acne skin care. It includes diet, homemade treatments, aromatherapy and light therapy treatments.
So if your teenager(s) has been struggling with acne, this book will explain everything they need to know about curing acne and will help restore their self-confidence and make life that little bit easier for them.
I've told her that nearly everybody at some stage as a teenager had to endure what she and her friends are going through but there are ways and means of controlling acne and curing acne once and for all.
The solution doesn't just come out of a bottle or tube and fix the problem overnight and it shouldn't cost a fortune for a product that may not work for you. I have found a book that explores all facets of acne skin care. It includes diet, homemade treatments, aromatherapy and light therapy treatments.
So if your teenager(s) has been struggling with acne, this book will explain everything they need to know about curing acne and will help restore their self-confidence and make life that little bit easier for them.
Work at Home Jobs
About 3 months ago I came across Work at Home Jobs and decided to investigate further. I started with paid surveys and started searching for survey sites to register with. Initially it was easy to find the sites - found 30 without any problems. Then it began to get harder to find the free sites. Finally, I ended up with about 60 registrations and the surveys were pouring in.
The first month was hectic, I completed every survey that crossed my computer screen. Gradually the surveys have slowed down. Then, I discovered there were hundreds of survey sites that I did not have access to. Somehow I landed on the paid surveys broker page, which changed everything.
I now had access to hundreds of paid survey sites with companies paying money to everyday people like you and me just for our opinions. It's fun, no pressure, you don't have to participate in a particular survey if you don't like the topic or just don't feel like it.
These companies want to understand how its customers and potential customers respond to their products and in turn they will pay good money for your opinion.
I have even done some taste testing which was fun.
Whether you are a housewife, working full time, a stay-at-home mom, a student, retired or just looking to make some extra cash, Paid-Survey-Broker.com could be your ticket to make a fun, easy income online.
The first month was hectic, I completed every survey that crossed my computer screen. Gradually the surveys have slowed down. Then, I discovered there were hundreds of survey sites that I did not have access to. Somehow I landed on the paid surveys broker page, which changed everything.
I now had access to hundreds of paid survey sites with companies paying money to everyday people like you and me just for our opinions. It's fun, no pressure, you don't have to participate in a particular survey if you don't like the topic or just don't feel like it.
These companies want to understand how its customers and potential customers respond to their products and in turn they will pay good money for your opinion.
I have even done some taste testing which was fun.
Whether you are a housewife, working full time, a stay-at-home mom, a student, retired or just looking to make some extra cash, Paid-Survey-Broker.com could be your ticket to make a fun, easy income online.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Tips for Lemon Trees
Lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit, mandarin, tangerine, tangelo - all part of the Citrus family.
I often hear of problems people have trying to get their lemon tree to produce fruit. So I have listed a few basic steps to get you off to a good start.
Position
Sunny position - full sun if possible. Some wind break is useful if you can manage it. The wind will blow the flowers from the tree - and no flowers means no fruit.
Soil
Well draining soil is recommended and lemon trees like soil to be (slightly) acid, loam soil.
Watering
Water regularly, especially in the warmer months.
Feeding
Lemon trees just love their food so feed them often and especially with nitrogren and potassium (this is what produces the fruit) When purchasing food for lemon trees, take a good look at the label to ensure the product has the right mix of nutrients. An all- in-one citrus food should be perfect. A little gardening tip here is to place banana skins beneath a bed of mulch around the lemon tree.
Problems you may encounter:
Wasps lay their eggs in the stems. If you notice a "bulging" remove immediately, cut about 2cms under the bulge. DO NOT put these into your compost - the wasps will hatch, so dispose in the garbage.
Scale can easily be seen on the leaves. A homemade concentrate of 2cups vegetable oil with half cup of dishwashing liquid, (shaken not stirred), can be used as a spray to rid the tree of scale. Into one litre of water add 2 tablespoons of the concentrate and spray the tree, saturating the leaves on both sides with the spray.
Yellowing leaves - the tree is telling you it is hungry and needs a feed.
Hope this is of some help to anyone having problems with their Lemon Tree.
Happy Gardening and thanks for your time
I often hear of problems people have trying to get their lemon tree to produce fruit. So I have listed a few basic steps to get you off to a good start.
Position
Sunny position - full sun if possible. Some wind break is useful if you can manage it. The wind will blow the flowers from the tree - and no flowers means no fruit.
Soil
Well draining soil is recommended and lemon trees like soil to be (slightly) acid, loam soil.
Watering
Water regularly, especially in the warmer months.
Feeding
Lemon trees just love their food so feed them often and especially with nitrogren and potassium (this is what produces the fruit) When purchasing food for lemon trees, take a good look at the label to ensure the product has the right mix of nutrients. An all- in-one citrus food should be perfect. A little gardening tip here is to place banana skins beneath a bed of mulch around the lemon tree.
Problems you may encounter:
Wasps lay their eggs in the stems. If you notice a "bulging" remove immediately, cut about 2cms under the bulge. DO NOT put these into your compost - the wasps will hatch, so dispose in the garbage.
Scale can easily be seen on the leaves. A homemade concentrate of 2cups vegetable oil with half cup of dishwashing liquid, (shaken not stirred), can be used as a spray to rid the tree of scale. Into one litre of water add 2 tablespoons of the concentrate and spray the tree, saturating the leaves on both sides with the spray.
Yellowing leaves - the tree is telling you it is hungry and needs a feed.
Hope this is of some help to anyone having problems with their Lemon Tree.
Happy Gardening and thanks for your time
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