Clever Christmas Shopping

Every year, I think I'll do my Christmas shopping in advance and this year I (nearly) have. Instead of leaving it all until the last minute, I picked up little pressies throughout the year. They didn't necessary cost alot, but not being under pressure meant I had time to find the perfect gift and take advantage of sale prices.

The last pressies I'm buying (just in time) are these cool Chinese calendars from Remo General Store. At $12, they are such good value and a pressie your friends can use throughout the year. They're quite big and chunky (about 26cm high) and it's very satisfying ripping off the super-thin pages! Remo also delivers, so I can avoid those queues! The only trouble is I still have some presents to send, so I'm off to the post office for one last queue and Christmas is done! – Pru

PS You can also custom-make your own T-shirts at Remo. Upload your own design, using their Design'o'matic and choose the style, colour and size you want. If people buy tees with your design, you earn Remo dollars to spend in store (save them up for Christmas presents!). They give a free tee to new customers (click on the box in the side panel, right) or take a look at my designs!

How to keep cut lemons fresh

Here's a simple tip that really works! If you only need half a lemon for a recipe, wrap the other half in al-foil to keep it fresh. Sage and I have tried this with lemons and grapefruit; you can keep them in the fridge for at least a week and they are as good as the day you cut them. Too easy! – Pru

PS When you unwrap your lemon, re-use the foil for the next one.

Saving graces on the beaches

My friend Jessica has settled in Sydney's gorgeous Northern Beaches after globe trotting as English teacher to Nepalese orphans, tomato picker, champagne-bottle turner, hostel manager, masseur and reiki-er ... On her travels, she learned to enjoy herself on a limited budget. Jess is now saving for a Philippines trip at Christmas with Felippe (left) and reveals her saving secrets. – Sage

How do you save and have fun?

Jessica: For weekends, we picked two of our favourite treats that cost $$ and capped them at so much each or a couple. Felippe and I like to go to the cinema, so we now smuggle in drinks and snacks bought cheaply elsewhere so we just need the price of our ticket. We found local restaurants which have good quality food that matches our budget. We have table water and don't splash out on drinks. We always sandwich expenditure by doing something that's free like a long walk along the beach or surfing.

How about during the week?

J: I don't spend money on a gym -- I exercise outdoors in nature. I take a high-carb lunch to work so I can have a lighter evening meal. After work, I hold off cravings with a banana or crackers and take a brisk walk alternating with running as my fitness builds or swim in the ocean when it's warmer.

What about shopping?

J: On the weekend, I stay away from temptation and avoid shops, except getting groceries. I look at what's in the pantry and plan the week's meals then make a list. I buy fruit in season, not hard in Australia, and make a fruit salad that lasts three days and gives me all the vitamins and minerals I need. Natural yoghurt is cheaper than flavoured and the good bacteria keeps me happy on the inside. A block of high cocoa chocolate is a feel-good way to keep sweet cravings under control and lasts a week or two. And I always take dried fruit and nuts to snack on while I do food shopping so I'm not tempted.

What do you splash out on?

J: I buy organic where possible, especially animal products like meat that's free of nasties, and definitely 'kind' eggs. I go to a greengrocer for fruit and veg rather than a supermarket as their foods are more likely to be sourced from the farm and less chemically treated.

PS Five ingredients you always have on hand?

J: Ginger, garlic, honey, lemon and fresh basil. Use liberally for great taste and glowing health.

A house, a cat and a blanket …

Author, felt artist and award-winning book designer Toyoko Sugiwaka has been creating art pieces for the last 20 years, first of wire and now crystals, beads, feathers and mostly felt she makes herself from sheep’s wool. She lives in a Sydney harbourside suburb with her cat Keats. A minimal consumer (both from necessity and through choice), Toyoko lives well within her weekly grocery budget of $50 (Keats’s food budget is a little higher). Her latest book, on making felt animals, is called Pass Me a Smile (Murdoch Books, $29.95rrp). Sage caught up with Toyoko when she visited gorgeous Bundeena this week.

Best tip for eating well?
Toyoko: Cook for yourself. I have lots of time so can cook slowly and with enjoyment. I eat the traditional Japanese macrobiotic way and try to balance yin and yang foods. Mostly brown rice and vegies, sometimes with seaweed, soybeans and, occasionally, chicken. I prefer to cook at home as food is tastier and healthier (cheaper too) than eating out.

How do you save money?
Toyoko: Before I buy anything, I always ask, “Do I really need this,” and 80 per cent of the time I don’t.

What fun thing do you do for free?
Toyoko: I enjoy having nature around me so I take my lunch and go sit in the park or go to the beach and swim. I can’t do this in Japan and it’s so easy to do this in Sydney.

What’s your way to contentment?
Toyoko: I have learned not to say, “I’m poor”. Now, I say, “Thank you for everything”. I have a house, a cat and a blanket to keep me warm – I have everything I need and I am grateful. And, gradually, my life is changing for the better.

How do you live well with less?
Toyoko: I try to cut the desire for expensive things. It’s hard when I go back to Japan as there are so many nice things. I also see people who have lots of money and are not happy so money’s not the answer.

P.S. More wise words of the week (yes, it’s EF again and he’s on the money as ever) '… consumption is simply a means to human wellbeing, the aim should be to obtain the maximum wellbeing with the minimum of consumption … The less toil there is, the more time and strength is left for artistic creativity. Modern economics on the other hand considers consumption to be the sole end and purpose of all economic activity.' E.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful.

Chop, chop

Meat is pretty expensive, but there are cheaper cuts ... they just need more cooking. Now I know saturated fat isn't good for your arteries etc, but eating a piece of meat with fat on it is much more satisfying. The fat satiates your appetite and you eat less. That's my theory anyway.

When shopping for meat, look for what's on special, how fresh it looks and the expiry date (you can always freeze it). If you find something you like, delve deep in the fridge for the trays of colder (usually fresher) meat. Today I found lamb chops – four for $3.50. But how to cook them? I had to ring my mum. "Are they leg or loin chops?" she asked. I had no idea.

Apparently the leg chops have a round bone (obvious when you think about it) and the loin ones have thin, long bones. They were loin chops, so Mum said they'd need "a good hour" at about 180°C (350°F). I also wanted roast vegies, which take longer to cook, so into the pan went potatoes (scrubbed, cut into chunks) and carrots (scrubbed, halved lengthwise), with olive oil and salt (the key to crispiness!) for half an hour. I then added the chops and cooked the whole lot for an hour or so. A tasty and satisfying winter meal. – Pru

P.S. While the oven's hot, why not put in a cake to bake or a tasty rice pudding? Alternatively, turn off the oven and open the door to cosy-up your kitchen.

Bonnie's theory of towels

Small is beautiful, as Bonnie (my last sharemate, now in California), E.F. Schumacher (British economist and author of Small is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered in the 70s, thanks EF!) and others say.
Bonnie, a struggling artist, and myself, a struggling editor (plus the three mouseketeers, Cowboy, Chicago and Miss Indy Jones), moved into a little cottage on a steep grassy slope just a short stroll from Sydney Harbour bridge.

To save money, as the rent was also steep, we tried to curtail exxy electricity bills, water usage and so on. Bonnie hit on the idea of using hand towels as bath towels to make less of a load to wash and dry. Bonnie’s small and slim so it was simple for her. I’m tall and sort of Yogi Bear-shaped but even so I find it’s quite OK to dry myself all over with one little towel – even in chilly midwinter. It’s also quite hygienic as I usually just biff it into the wash after use. One bath towel equals about four hand towels I reckon.

Of course, the three mouseketeers have the right idea about the whole washing gig. They just take a tongue shower and then lie out in the sunshine to dry back to perfect fluffiness, thereby saving energy and the planet. Thanks guys! – Sage

P.S. Look out for Flo’s theory of hair towels in a future blog. Not all my blogs will be about towels!