Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Insourcing on Holidays...

 
We've been away on a mini break during the Winter School Vacation here. And home made lacy crepes with sugar and lemon weren't the only indulgence to be had.
 
We spent some time at the beach as the Winter here is so mild (mostly!), that beach time is perfection. Look at this crystal clear water, will you? And warm, to boot!
 
 
I don't know about you, but we are excruciatingly boring when on holidays. We pretty much don't vary too much from our normal routine. We don't eat out a lot, we don't spend up big on stuff, and we don't act as though we've never seen a shoe/bag/high fashion store before. Our holidays are not about acquiring, they're more about creating memories.
 
We rise early and get to the beach before the crowds. We walk, we paddle, husband swims, daughter and I read and sunbathe in the gentle morning rays. By 10am we're heading back to the house, just as the mad holidaymakers start arriving, lugging kids, towels, umbrellas, balls and goodness knows what else, to keep their little 'uns amused. We only ever take ourselves, a chair, a book and a towel. The beach is there for the asking. Why do folk feel they have to fill that time up with 'things'? Each to their own I guess. Maybe I was a lazy mother...lol!
 
Upon arriving home, we enjoy a breakfast of poached eggs on gluten free toast, with a few asparagus spears and some crumbled feta thrown in for good measure. Home cooked price? Around $5 for 3 serves. Café price? $60 for 3 serves. Really. Not to mention the fact that I had ours on the table in 10 minutes flat. Try getting your cooked breakfast in ten minutes in a busy café`!
 
 
We survive without all kinds of comforts when we are away. No cappuccinos, no Netflix, no computers. We read, we snooze, we walk, and we talk to one another. If you want a coffee, it's instant, if you want entertainment, the bookcase is full, and the book exchange a short drive away, and if you need connectivity, well...that's too bad. There is none!
 
Meals are simple, and we focus on buying as few ingredients as possible. Who wants to end the week by lugging home bags of unused groceries, or having to discard uneaten food?
 
Turkey rissoles one night, were topped with a  2 ingredient relish, made simply by roasting cherry tomatoes and a red capsicum, peeling the capsicum once roasted, and dicing them together. The roasting carmelises the veges, and gives them an inbuilt lush sweetness. No sugar required, and not a single other ingredient necessary. Likewise the turkey rissoles were simply turkey mince, shaped into rounds, and pan fried. No egg or breadcrumbs or seasoning required. Keep it simple.


Some of the Winter woollens we leave stored at the cabin, looked a bit sad and sorry. Just pilled and old looking. I hate the family not looking their best, so what to do?  In preference to discarding what were still perfectly lovely things, I found this clever little tool. It's basically a shaver for your woollies or anything prone to generating all those annoying little balls of lint on them. $30 spent, saving about $200 on replacing cardigans, sweaters and other warmth inducing garments. I have to say that daughter and I had a fun afternoon 'shaving' lint balls from our stuff. Gotta laugh!
 

 
Do you read? I don't read much in my normal home life, but when on holidays, the quality of the holiday is measured by how many books I read. This one was super thick (about 1500 pages), so I didn't even make it half way through.
 
I did however, have time to paint my nails, saving $35 on a salon manicure. Win!
 
 
Balsamic Onion Confit was magic-ed up on the last day upon finding we had 3 onions left. We ate that with bacon and cheese fritters, using up some other odds and ends. Waste not, want not, right? This one was simply sliced onions, balsamic vinegar and sugar. If you wanted to get posh, you could do worse than try making my Famous Onion Confit. You might know it as Onion Jam.

 
Upon arriving home, we discovered we'd had some significant rainfall in our absence. Husband is obsessed with his rain gauge, and always proudly reports how many inches of rainfall we've had while away. This explains the joyful abundance of French Lavender currently displayed in our back yard!

 
I'll be using it to make Lavender Water, and to create bouquets like this one, sadly not mine, but one gifted to a friend recently. A loved this presentation and how simple this would be to replicate!
 
 
 So whilst that's not a Holiday Saving, it's certainly a future saving on floral gifts!
 
Between eating at home, treating our holiday as a break and not a shopping spree, retrieving the new-ness of our Winter woollies with the lint shaver, and just relaxing as you're meant to on holidays (or we think so anyway), we kept at least $500 in our bank account. The bonus of potential Lavender bouquets was a joy to which we returned.
 
We felt truly blessed.
 
How do you save when on holidays?
 

17 comments:

  1. Mimi we were up the coast the week before - 3 night stay in a self catering apartment. We took meals with us, planned to have an evening meal out which we did at a surprising eatery. The food was wonderful and not that expensive. They are still working on their gluten free menu but to be honest what they had filled the spot.

    We headed to Eumundi Markets and the big shopping center, both of which we do not do in our regular life. Both visits were short though and may not happen again.

    Sorry had to laugh about your popping down to the beach before everyone arrived, when our children were little and we had a weeks holiday at Noosa that is what we use to do. They would have a quick breakfast and my husband would take them down to the beach then they would leave as the crowds were arriving. Then it would be a second breakfast (as we called it) and from then they were in the swimming pool either learning to swim (I taught them) or swimming in later years.

    I pack my knitting and books, we go op shopping and sometimes a drive or just sit and watch the water from the apartment balcony.

    Lynette
    XXXX

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    1. Lynette this sounds perfect. And there's nothing wrong with a meal out, so long as it doesn't blow the budget. I'd love to know where the eatery is! Knitting and books, and op shops and long drives. Bliss! Mimi xxx

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  2. I am so looking forward to getting home and getting to the beach again. In the meantime we are travelling along in the van and continuing our normal lifestyle. We did eat out today. We bought a pie for lunch and ate it on the bank of the Murray River. I have seen frost for the first time in close to 30 years. We're not doing our usual free camping as it's so cold we want the powered sites to run the heater.
    So glad you had such a lovely break and enjoyed your holiday.

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    1. Dear Jane, I've been enjoying your FB updates. Looks like a great road trip! A pie on the banks of the Murray...well...you can't get much more Australian, can you! Enjoy yourself! Mimi xxx

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  3. Its sounds like guys really know what is supposed to happen on vacation. The rain really gave the lavender a great boost. It looks just wonderful!

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    1. Christine, the Lavender is just so lush at the moment, and I love it! Thankyou. We had a lovey break. Mimi xxx

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  4. Sounds like a most lovely Holiday to me! Truly our joy is not found in things and the joy is evident in your post! Love your ideas and your pics! Happy day to you my friend!

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    1. Thankyou Lynn. Yes, find your own version of joy I say! Mimi xxx

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  5. Sounds like my kind of vacation, Mimi, nice and relaxed, except that I'm a swimmer :-)
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. Amalia, I swim in the Summer. A bit chilly for me just now, but Husband doesn't care. He's in there no matter what! Mimi xxx

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  6. Beautiful lavender!! I have both the English and Spanish variety in my garden, aren't they lovely this time of year? Yours are gorgeous!!

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    1. Yes PP, it's a most forgiving thing. It's the dead of Winter here and mine is going nuts! Mimi xxx

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  7. Had a giggle at the 'shopping like we'd never seen a shoe before' comment. You are a funny frugalista. Our beach holiday is very similar. Even though I'm in a book group (reading the book is optional), I do tend to read about 3 or 4 in a week when I'm at the beach as well as walking for miles. You do make the most of living in a gorgeous part of the world, don't you.
    Janiebabe

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    1. Oh Janie, it's ridiculous. Noosa is of course, lined with boutiques of all kinds, and it's a shopping frenzy for some. Me? I'm not fond of parting with my money for non-essentials. But I guess whilst I measure holiday quality in the number of books read, others measure it in purchasing power. Cest` la Vie, right? Walking for miles...yep...that's me too! Mimi xxx

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  8. Dear Mimi,
    We do a similar thing only the beach going is the other end of the day. We are always there in the evening and swimming at sunset. I cant fathom and couldnt survive a minute of the beach in the middle of the day. So we have always gone after about 5. Often with a picnic dinner.
    Holidays should be restorative not exhausting that is for sure. Beautiful! With love Annabel.xxx

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    1. Dear Annabel, you and Andy are masters of the inexpensive mini break. We could probably learn a few things from you! And yes, beach at midday? Really? But they all do it! Love Mimi xxx

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  9. Sounds like a perfect holiday to me!

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I love hearing from you! I always respond to comments, so don't be shy! Mimi xxx