Game storage

This project came about as a result of another project I'm working on for organising my paper clutter.

I needed the wicker box that these games were originally housed in, so I was on the hunt for replacement storage.

And I found it in the form of another wicket box found at Kmart.

We dont have many board games so this ended up being the perfect fit. It also houses the video game paraphernalia that you end up with when the man of the house loves his Playstation and Wii! 

ooh i just noticed the lid of the poker set popped off

The actual game discs are kept in another box in the TV unit.

I love that its functional but also nice to look at it. A key when I'm buying storage is that I like it to have multiple uses. This, for instance, could also house extra blankets, become a coffee table or a toy box. 

Now that parts done, I can move onto the next one. 'Office in a box' coming soon.

An Op Shopping we will go....

Ive been wanting to pick up some bargains from a second hand shop for awhile but never found the time. However on the weekend, I had a free half hour, childless, so decided to pop into one.

Holy Moly I was in op shop heaven! I spent most of the time in the homewares section but Ill definately be heading back in the not too distant future to browse the clothes etc.

I got all this (plus a Chuggington top for little man) for a mere $21!!

There was way more stuff I could of taken away with me but I limited myself to this for now. There was a fine line between collecting bargains or just more clutter!

So i got myself a couple of baskets. The larger one im thinking of spray painting and using for Master A's toys and the rectangular one Ill either use as a bread basket (which was its intention) or maybe as a table decoration.

Ive been wanting a large wooden tray for ages so I had to grab this one at a steal of $3!! The smaller tray was just cute and only $1. Reckon these will both get a lick of paint as well

 The star container I thought i'd use as a pencil holder or similar.

And I couldnt go past the Thomas (Master A is obsessed!), another steal at $3!

I never thought of op shops even selling fabric but they do! I got a few meters of this lovely blue and white material for about $6 I think. Not sure what my plan is for this..maybe cushions covers or even a bean bag cover.

Cant wait to get stuck into some projects with these beauties!

The paintbrush is calling me....

New year, new budget

I briefly mentioned on a FB status about trialing a 'pay in cash' method this year. Drawing out X amount every pay to cover groceries, fuel and 'play' money for myself and hubby, in order to help with saving.I normally pay by card for most things which is usually fine but sometimes the spending bug can take hold and its so easy to hand over a card rather than actual money. Im hoping using the cash wallet system will help with knowing what I have spent and therefore what is left in the kitty.
I tried this on Tuesday when I did my grocery shopping. My budget is between $220 and $250 for the fortnight including meat, nappies, fresh produce etc. It normally averages $220-30. It felt good to just hand over the cash and see exactly what was left ($8!) which I will then put aside for top up milk. Of course there is always room to add a little extra if we need but I will try and stick to it as much as I can.

This nifty device I found at Woolies awhile ago on clearance.

Ive only used 3 dividers separating FUEL, FOOD and CASH for everyday items. Theres also room for dockets and bills i might have to pay whilst out.

Im also putting aside money each fortnight (coinciding with payday) to cover the quarterly house bills.
I was reading another bloggers status feed (sorry cant remember which one) about what people do to budget their bills, and noticed a few people pay these bills monthly. I've never thought of this, nor thought you could! But it would definately help with Bill Shock expecially with the rising costs of electricity and water bills.
Originally I was going to look into opening another account with my bank where I could transfer the money into but to be honest, I couldnt be bothered, so Im going to move the money into my premium savings account I already use for our savings and mark the transfer 'bills' so I can easily tell the difference between savings and bill money.

Our family is at a cross roads this year where were not really sure what we're going to do. Our home is only 2 bedroom and we knew one day we would outgrow it, although that day seems to have come along very quickly. We want to expand our family in the next couple of years and desperately need more room. So either we look into building on (which we're not sure if we're able to with restrictions etc) or move to a bigger house. I really prefer option 1 because moving just seems too hard but time will soon tell as we start looking at planning with the council etc to see if the extension can be approved.
Lets just say, it could be an interesting year!