You don’t need to spend money to show Mum just how much you love her. Here are 18 heartfelt but frugal Mother’s Day gifts she is sure to love. This will be my 14th Mother’s Day this year. And I can confidently say that the best gifts aren’t purchased from a store. The best gifts are hand-drawn cards and early morning hugs. When my kids were little, and I was in the trenches day in and day out, the best gifts were coffee in bed and time to myself to read. Yes, the best Mother’s Day gift was a little time without the kids. Now that I have a teen and tween and don’t see them as much, the best gi ..read more

Slowly simmered to juicy perfection and flavoured with cloves, this traditional corned beef recipe with vegetables and white sauce is sure to be a hit. If you were to ask me what my all-time favourite meal was, it would be corned beef and vegetables with white sauce. From the time I left home to now, every time I return home to visit Mum, I request her special corned beef.  And keeping the tradition alive, it’s now my son’s favourite dish.  Apart from the delicious flavour, everything except the sauce is made in one pot. Super easy, not too much washing up. What is Corned Beef and W ..read more

8+ eco-friendly alternatives to paper towels for common uses, reducing waste and expense and promoting sustainable living habits. I’m going to start with a story: I went 25 adult years without buying any paper towels. Then I started writing this article a whole year ago, and it made me want to try paper towels. To see what I had been missing. Are they any good? Turns out they can be pretty handy for some things. So I shelved this article because, despite the 25-year run, I felt like a fraud. But it can be exhausting trying to do everything perfectly. So, nowadays, I mostly use the reusable pa ..read more

An Easter grazing platter is the perfect crowd-pleasing Easter Brunch. Feeding a crowd? This no-cook brunch is low on effort and high on yum! Are you looking for breakfast ideas to feed a crowd this easter? Or maybe you want a bit of a treat for easter without a lot of fuss and effort. This easter brunch board is based on the Continental breakfast of cold foods and fruit. It requires minimal food prep and no cooking, making breakfast easy and fuss-free while elevating the meal into something special. You get to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with family and guests. Not only is i ..read more

6 strategies for achieving frugal goals. From ‘NICE’ goal-setting to dopamine hacks and resistance-busters, these proven strategies will help. Setting goals is surprisingly important for our happiness and satisfaction in life. The pursuit of meaningful goals, or working towards something that resonates with us on a personal level, leads to feeling fulfilled and content. We thrive when we’re challenged and excited. When we work hard towards something meaningful, we are rewarded with a job well done. Here’s the cool thing. Working towards our goals can change our self-identity – how we see ours ..read more

Optimise your budget and slash expenses with a subscription audit. Here’s how to audit your subs, prioritise what you need and save money this year. Do you feel like everything is a subscription these days?  From streaming services, games apps and even dog food and toilet paper, there’s a subscription for everything. At best, it’s expensive – boy, all those subs can add up! At worst, we could be becoming slaves to the algorithm (a bit dramatic, but possibly true). The subscription model isn’t a bad thing. It can be helpful to outsource things like buying dog food or toilet paper so you d ..read more

Find 80 sustainable gift ideas for eco-conscious giving. Explore thoughtful presents and eco-friendly choices. Looking for sustainable gift ideas for the eco-conscious?  Eco-friendly gift options bring joy to the recipient and help protect our planet.  What’s more, sometimes eco-friendly options can be more pricey (at least up front) than their disposable counterparts. Getting them as gifts can be affordable and more sustainable on a budget.  Things that have significantly reduced our plastic use, like beeswax wraps, were given to us, and as someone on the receiving end, they a ..read more

Preparing for a disaster doesn’t have to be expensive. Save money with these simple, low-cost ideas for emergency preparedness on a budget. It’s easy to be complacent about preparing for emergencies.  Even though we’ve seen a lot of them in the last few years (there’s a cyclone forming off the coast as I write), according to the Red Cross, only 1 in 5 Aussies are prepared for a disaster. We rely on our amazing emergency services to keep us safe during disasters, but when things get hectic and our emergency services are stretched thin, being completely dependent upon outside help can be a ..read more

Looking to curb impulse spending and save money? Here’s how a wish list can help! Free printable wish list, Evernote tips, Notion template and more. How often do you see something you want, bring it home, and hardly use it? Or worse. You get an attack of buyer’s remorse (while still having to pay off the credit card)? A wish list can save the day! Keep track of all your wants and needs, prioritise your spending, save money, and ensure you don’t forget things. What is a Wish List Not just for special occasions, a wish list is like a potential shopping list that helps you keep spending under co ..read more

Ditch the disposables for these easy, speedy, five-minute DIY cloth napkins. Use store-bought fabric or upcycle cotton fabric like bedsheets. Nothing elevates a meal from ordinary to fancy, like cloth napkins. And if you’re in the habit of using disposable napkins (or paper towels), then cloth napkins, especially ones made from upcycled material like an old bedsheet, are a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative. This is a great project for leftover bits of fabric or to upcycle old bedsheets. I don’t know about you, but in our house, the bottom sheet wears thin and rips long before th ..read more