Trying new things is a little bit scary but also really fun, and it can help keep you grounded when the world seems mad... Despite growing up in a beach culture, I've never been a very strong swimmer. Big waves scare me and bring back memories of being tossed uncontrollably through waves as a kid, half drowning. Murky waters where I can't touch the sand also scare me because I imagine sharks. I also struggle to “read” the ocean and locate the rips. But, I've decided to work on those fears (and rip locating skills). It has been part of my Friday morning routine to walk along the beach before work for some time. It's a routine that's refreshing, particularly as someone who works (and works out) from home. But I'm now taking that walk in my Speedos with my goggles in hand, and swimming a few hundred nervous metres at the end of the walk. Ocean swimming is a new routine, but one that I hope will stick. Mainly because I feel more alive than ever afterwards and it reminds me that I'm strong and capable, and it grounds me in the present. The added bonus is that it's free to do — a blessing at a time when the price of everything keeps going up and up. There's something a little bit awesome about trying new things at almost 40, or at any age, don't you reckon? Pushing yourself is rewarding, and realising that you can do something just for fun, even if you kinda suck at it, is a freedom. Also, I highly recommend having a croissant afterwards. It's the chosen breakfast of elite ocean swimmers I hear. Or at the very least it provides another element of ritual to the routine. 💫 #ThisSimpleDay #FrugalHedonist #NicoleLutze #SimpleLivingLifestyle #SunshineCoastLiving
Sunday pancake breakfast. Pancakes with homemade yoghurt, frozen homegrown pomegranate avrils and homemade yakon syrup. #frugalhedonist
Making life more interesting doesn’t have to cost money. We celebrate theMoon anniversary every year. A reused sign, some already owned books and The Dish video. We watch The Dish and eat pretzels “because it’s a world event “ #celebratetheyear #moonlanding #belowtheline #frugalhedonist
We all like new things but since new books are wants rather than needs I buy them by collecting the drinks containers on my daily walks. I take them to return and earn for the 10c deposit on each. This funds a new book every two to three months. Plenty of time to mull over my choice and enjoy my purchase. I buy from my local bookshop because I want my money to stay in the community rather than make a billionaire who doesn’t allow unionisation or toilet breaks even richer. So many wins with this ritual: cleaning the environment, recycling, frugal living, supporting local bookshops, keeping money local and getting resources for low carbon living. #belowtheline #frugalhedonist #recycling #books
First time making and eating croutons. Great use of free stale bread when your freezer is full and toaster is broken #frugalhedonist #belowtheline
Todays pancake breakfast. The only ingredients I have bought are the wheat for the flour and the olive oil the labneh was preserved in. #frugalhedonist
Banana pancakes with homemade yoghurt, foraged fejoia, homegrown tamarillo, passionfruit and loganberries, and maple syrup #breakfast #pancakes #frugalhedonist
A box of overripe tomatoes got turned into passata. I even learned how to use a water bath to sterile the jars and contents so I can store it on the shelves. #skillup #nofoodwaste #foodsecurity #belowtheline #frugalhedonist
A loaf of bread was just starting to grow mold so I turned it into delicious bread and butter pudding. #wastenot #NoFoodWaste #belowtheline #frugalhedonist #foodsecurity
Once a month I check the price of staples in the supermarket on a per kilogram basis. As a result of doing this for a year I have noticed quite a number of things (apart from rising prices). Many of my staples are locked down which has prevented them rising as fast as non locked down brands. It is worth switching brands. You can pay many times more the price per kilogram if you buy small amounts (particularly noticeable with honey, rice and cheese). The more processed a food is the more it costs per kilogram. It is worth making food from scratch. Meat costs a lot. It is worth being vegetarian. #frugalhedonist #costofliving
Once a month I check the price of staples in the supermarket on a per kilogram basis. As a result of doing this for a year I have noticed quite a number of things (apart from rising prices). Many of my staples are locked down which has prevented them rising as fast as non locked down brands. It is worth switching brands. You can pay many times more the price per kilogram if you buy small amounts (particularly noticeable with honey, rice and cheese). The more processed a food is the more it costs per kilogram. It is worth making food from scratch. Meat costs a lot. It is worth being vegetarian. #frugalhedonist #costofliving
Pancakes with homegrown figs and passionfruit and homemade yoghurt with maple syrup #breakfast #pancakes #frugalhedonist
Having breakfast outside and watching the sun rise #frugalhedonist #sunrise
Saturday breakfast: pancakes with apples, homemade yoghurt, homegrown passionfruit and Chinese Gooseberries and maple syrup #pancakes #breakfast #frugalhedonist #belowtheline #BegaValley
Saturday breakfast: pancakes with apples, homemade yoghurt, homegrown passionfruit and Chinese Gooseberries and maple syrup #pancakes #breakfast #frugalhedonist
I've got Green Goddess in the diffuser today. I was feeling a bit tired and flat and needed a little spoiling and self care. Hands down my favourite oil blend of all time. It's absolutely exquisite and it feels like such a luxury to use it (even though it's not expensive!) There are over 25 different oils in this one and it really is something special. Who else is a Green Goddess lover?? You can get it at the link in my bio. #greengoddess #greengoddessoil #greengoddessblend #bestessentialoilever #aromatherapy #perfectpotion #perfectpotiongreengoddess #frugalhedonist #bliss #inmydiffuser
Drying free tomatoes to make dried tomatoes in olive oil #foodsecurity #preserving #belowtheline #BegaValley #FrugalHedonist
A gift of tomatoes to bottle and dry over the next few days #preserving #preservingfood #frugalhedonist #BegaValley #tomatoes
A gift of tomatoes to bottle and dry over the next few days #preserving #preservingfood #frugalhedonist #BegaValley #tomatoes
A trip to Return and Earn with drinks containers picked up on walks has bulked up my “buy a new book” fund. #independentbooksellers #returnandearn #recycling #belowtheline #frugalhedonist #BegaValley
Zucchini pickles. Winning against the zucchini glut #belowtheline #BegaValley #frugalhedonist
Saturday breakfast: pancakes with homemade yoghurt, foraged blackberries, stewed foraged apples, homegrown passionfruit and maple syrup #breakfast #pancakes #foraging #foragingaustralia #frugalhedonist #belowtheline #BegaValley
Saturday breakfast: pancakes with homemade yoghurt, foraged blackberries, stewed foraged apples, homegrown passionfruit and maple syrup #breakfast #pancakes #foraging #foragingaustralia #frugalhedonist #belowtheline #BegaValley
Blackberry season!!! One of my favourite foraging foods. Blackberries and ice cream tonight #foraging #foragingaustralia #freefood #frugalhedonist #belowtheline #BegaValley
Blackberry season!!! One of my favourite foraging foods #foraging #foragingaustralia #freefood #frugalhedonist
Saturday breakfast: pancakes, homemade labneh, stewed nashi pears, Chinese gooseberries, strawberries, loganberries and maple syrup #frugalhedonist #pancakes
Saturday pancakes #frugalhedonist #breakfast #pancakes
Imagining a more resilient, local future #Bega #belowtheline #publiclibraries #degrowth #frugalhedonist
Pancake breakfast: rescued banana and yoghurt, stewed foraged plums and maple syrup #nofoodwaste #foraging #foragingaustralia #frugalhedonist
When you have a zucchini glut make zucchini pickles. Found a recipe on the internet and adapted it. #frugalhedonist #belowtheline #BegaValley #foodsecurity
Homemade potato salad with homegrown chats, rescued parsley and yoghurt, onions, the last frozen peas and mint from the garden #frugalhedonist #Christmas
Driving or walking around looking at the Christmas lights is a low cost, fun Christmas activity. #Christmaslights #BegaValley #belowtheline #Christmas. #Frugalhedonist
Driving or walking around looking at the Christmas lights is a low cost, fun Christmas activity. #Christmaslights #BegaValley #belowtheline #Christmas. #frugalhedonist
Op shopping at Salvos. Container for making apple scrap vinegar and green boots. Total cost $10. #opshopping #secondhand #overconsumption #frugalhedonist #belowtheline #BegaValley
The granddaughter and I went foraging for plums yesterday. Then we chopped them up together, drying the cheeks in the dehydrator and stewing the middle with the seed. When dried these foraged plums taste a lot like cranberries. Learning skills and having fun. #funatnanas #foraging #dehydrating #driedfruit #frugalhedonist #belowtheline #BegaValley
I made this Advent calendar for my children 28 years ago and it has been used every December since. We take turns opening the tabs. Children don’t need chocolates they need family and fun #Advent #sustainableChristmas #traditions #belowtheline #frugalhedonist #BegaValley
I picked up two metal plant stands from the top shop for $5. Have them a paint spray and now they decorate my northern verandah. The small north verandah is a beautiful, sunny sheltered spot and I sit here regularly for breakfast and coffees. Most of the plants were grown from seed including date palms and bunya pine. Trying to grow pineapples from the tops. Table and chairs also second hand from tip shop #secondhand #tipshops #belowtheline #frugalhedonist #BegaValley
Some of the foraged plums turned into German Plum Cake #foraging #foragingaustralia #belowtheline #BegaValley #frugalhedonist
German plum cake made with foraged plums #foraging #foragingaustralia #frugalhedonist
My secret to avoiding the temptation of fast food when you are tired from a long day at work is leftovers! I deliberately make too much food for the couple of days before and then when I come home all I have to do is heat the food. This is leftover homegrown potatoes, nasturtium pesto, frittata made from homegrown eggs and vegetables and homegrown spinach risotto. #loveleftovers #homegrown #frugalhedonist #belowtheline #BegaValley
It’s plum season! I love plum season because of the sheer abundance of plums. I can eat them fresh, stew them, make jam, make dried plums and fruit leather. The only limiting factor is how much time I have. The best thing is it is free because these are from street trees that I forage from. So beat the fruit bats and look for trees near you. #foraging #frugalhedonist #belowtheline #foodsecurity #BegaValley
Door wreath from foraged willow to make the base, reused “berries” and ribbon, foliage from garden and neighbourhood walk. This foliage will die but then I get to redecorate #Advent #plasticfree #Christmas #doorwreath #compostableChristmas #frugalhedonist #belowtheline #BegaValley
Red ornamental plums are ripe in the Bega Valley. Eat them fresh, stew them whole and then push the pulp through a colander. Eat stewed pulp, make it into jam or fruit leather. These trees on Church Street Bega don’t have mush fruit but red ornamental plums are a common street tree in the Bega Valley #foraging #summerfruit #Bega #frugalhedonist #belowtheline #foragingaustralia #freefruit #freefood
Saturday breakfast: pancakes, rescued yoghurt, homegrown stewed rhubarb, homegrown berries and maple syrup #pancakes #breakfast #frugalhedonist
An #Advent family tradition at our place is to wrap Christmas picture books that we already own in brown paper (saved over the year and from last year). We then open one parcel and read it each night. It is amazing how wrapping up something that you already own (and have read many times) makes it so exciting and mysterious. Alternatives to Christmas picture books are novels with Christmas episodes (just read that bit) or any favourite book to share. #reading #traditions #family #belowtheline #frugalhedonist #BegaValley
Berry decadence #frugalhedonist #homegrown
Breakfast: pancakes with stewed foraged loquats, homegrown strawberries, rescued ricotta and maple syrup #foraging #frugalhedonist #pancakes
Saturday breakfast: pancakes, rescued yoghurt, stewed foraged loquats, homegrown strawberries and mulberries and maple syrup #breakfast #pancakes #foraging #frugalhedonist
Latest op shop acquisitions. Two lovely towels, a food storage container and a salt grinder. Total cost $17. Quite apart from the bargains one of the things I love about op shopping is the thrill of finding something that is exactly what you need. When I first started op shopping the thrill of the bargains meant that I bought a lot of “stuff” I didn’t need. Learning to be happy with “enough” is still a work in progress but I am getting better. #belowtheline #opshopping #overconsumption #tryingtosticktoabudget #BegaValley #frugalhedonist
Latest op shop acquisitions. Two lovely towels, a food storage container and a salt grinder. Total cost $17. Quite apart from the bargains one of the things I love about op shopping is the thrill of finding something that is exactly what you need. When I first started op shopping the thrill of the bargains meant that I bought a lot of “stuff” I didn’t need. Learning to be happy with “enough” is still a work in progress but I am getting better. #belowtheline #opshopping #overconsumption #tryingtosticktoabudget #BegaValley #frugalhedonist
Vegetable soup made with homemade vege stock, rescued vegetables, a jar of pasta sauce, dried beans that have soaked overnight then cooked and kale from the garden. With free bread and rescued cheese. #frugalhedonist #belowtheline #BegaValley #soup #vegetablesoup
My vegetable scraps are saved in the freezer until I have enough for a large saucepan. Then I boil in water for an hour to make vegetable stock. I strain the scraps out and keep it in reused glass containers in the fridge until I need stock for vege soup or risotto. #homemadestock #belowtheline #frugalhedonist #BegaValley
The oven is a big energy user. So bake as many things at the same time as possible. Here I am baking potato wedges, a cake, a rustic spinach pie and eggshells. I will dry herbs in the oven for herb tea as it cools down. #energy #belowtheline #frugalhedonist
Op shops are my department stores. Clothes, kitchen ware, linen, shoes, toys and books. There is the thrill when you find something good or that you have been seeking for a long time. Helps the budget and the planet. #belowtheline #begavalley #budget #opshops #secondhand #frugalhedonist
Sharing because sometimes it doesn’t take much to turn ordinary into special. Toasted free bread from Sapphire Coast Pantry, can of baked beans, herbs from the garden, homemade lemon cordial, nice plate and eating outside in the sunshine #cafeathome #belowtheline #frugalhedonist #livingonless
A delicious meal of bean patties and vegetables with fruit salad for dessert made from leftovers and rescued fruit and vegetables. I mashed the leftover potatoes with the beans/tomatoes and threw in the leftover grated carrot. Mixed in an home grown egg to help hold it together, coated the patties with flour and fried them. #livingwithless #belowtheline #frugalhedonist #healthyfood #BegaValley #foodwaste #foodwastewarriors
Saturday breakfast: homemade pancakes with fruit salad made from rescued fruit and maple syrup #frugalhedonist #freefood #breakfast #pancakes
Loquats are bearing heavily this year. Eat them fresh, stew them, jam them, make fruit leather or dry them. #foraging #Bega #Fruit #freefood #foragingaustralia #belowtheline #BegaValley #livingwithless #frugalhedonist
Saturday morning breakfast ritual. Homemade pancakes #breakfast #pancakes #frugalhedonist
An absolute must read, such important info for those of us who work so hard in our small businesses to create this type of life style. https://www.frugalhedonism.com/ #frugal #frugalliving #surendertogod #repurposed #sustainableliving #happinessvsmoney #impulseshopper #wantsvsneeds #notthenorm #keepingitreal #realism #frugalhedonism #frugalhedonist #purposeoflife #purposeoflife❤️
Breakfast pancakes: wholemeal pancakes, homemade yoghurt (bit runny this batch), stewed gifted and rescued pears, foraged Lilly Pillies, figs from a neighbour and organic maple syrup from @candelobulkwholefoods_bega #foraging #frugalhedonist #foragingaustralia #bega
I used to spend hours at Barnes & Nobles and I probably went home every single time with a stack of books on sale! What can I say... I'm a total book worm and I always hoped that one day I'd have a huge library like my favourite princess, Belle. Guess what it does to a budget though?💥! It changed for me when I had to move all of them into storage four years ago. Books are heavy!! I also realized that I don't like to read the same book more than once. So last fall, I decided I'd declutter my house and gave away lots of my books. I felt like it was giving them a second life. I'm a huge advocate for our local library and I'm so grateful that they respond really well to any suggestions and requests. So it costs me 0$/per year for a membership and maybe 5$ in fines/ per year 🙈! Still cheaper than ordering books online or buying books on sale! If your local library doesn't have a great selection though or if you love having a huge personal library (nothing wrong with that!), here's a few tips on how to save money buying books. 1. Take advantage of the great finds in the Little Free Libraries around your city. If yours doesn't have any, you might want to start one (https://littlefreelibrary.org/start/)! 2. Take advantage of the library sales. Books are usually around 2$ each or less. 3. If there's a book you realllyyy want to own... put it in your cart and monitor the price for weeks. I guarantee you there will be a sale eventually. I bought a KOBO on Kijiji before we moved to Abu Dhabi because I didn't know what I was going to do without my local library!!! I had about 20 books in my Wishlist and I would wait to buy them until they were on sale for 2$ ... and I paid with a gift card that I got for free.🥳 4. Let your friends and family know that you’re looking for a good read. They might want to declutter theirs as well. I’m part of a book club and we usually start the night by trading books. Sometimes my friends tell me to donate it when I’m done, but if they want them back, they simply write their name in it and I put it on a different shelf of my library. #frugaltips #bookworm #frugalbookworm #frugalhedonist #savemoneylivebetter #booklover #savemoney
Saturday pancake breakfast ritual: pancake with stewed pears (from a friend), homemade yoghurt, passionfruit (from a neighbour) and maple syrup #localfood #seasonalfood #breakfast #pancakes #freegood #frugalhedonist
Breakfast: sourdough pancake with homemade yoghurt, stewed crabapples and nashi pears, homegrown strawberries and maple syrup #breakfast #sourdough #frugalhedonist #pancakes #foragingaustralia #foraging
Made this ‘gozleme’ from foraged edible weeds from my garden , an egg from my chooks and some free bread. #eatwellforless #edibleweeds #freefood #frugalhedonist #Bega
I LOVE mulberry season!! #mulberries #foraging #foragingaustralia #urbanharvest #freefood #frugalhedonist #Bega
Made sorrel and nasturtium pesto yesterday. Just got a pesto recipe and swapped the basil for nasturtium and sorrel leaves. #frugalhedonist #pesto #ediblegarden #freefood
Sitting in the sun #homesickfromwork #sun #frugalhedonist #freefun #sunshine
Aside from the temptation to purchase ~ALL~ the dice, role-playing games (aka RPGs) are creative, fun, and cheap! Just bring your imagination. #rpg #frugalhedonist #dnd #eretz #homebrewrpg #firsteverdinnerguests
Frugalista pro-tip: never pass up free money! And stop spending your own money on your job. (Honestly who but teachers do that?) #frugalhedonist #thanksPTA #shinynewmethodbooks
Here’s what we were up to last night! Homemade chicken wire cages to protect our tender seedlings from a menacing woodchuck. Also, check out the growth of our bean seedlings in just ten hours on a 90 degree day! #doityourself #squarefootgardening #seedlings #downwithwoodchucks #foodnotlawns #frugalhedonist
What are we up to? Stay tuned to find out! #frugalhedonist #squarefootgardening