Saving money & time on meals

We came across a blog post at consumption rebellion about cutting her grocery bill. It’s a long post as she describes a detailed process of menu planning and reusing leftovers, but there are definitely some tips in there.

We like the fact that menu planning also saves you time – going shopping with a list makes the trip much quicker and planning meals in advance stops the need for last minute runs to the supermarket for forgotten ingredients.

Reusing leftovers (as well as suiting our green hearts by not wasting!) also appeals to us because it saves time in buying new ingredients and means you don’t need to clean the fridge (to empty the growing food scraps) as often

Win win really – save energy worrying about what to cook every night, save food wastage, save money and save time. And all of it saves the planet (fewer drives to shops is a good thing as well as reducing your food footprint.)

Do you have other tips on using leftovers?

win a Busy Mothers’ improved companion

The Busy Mothers Companion – the resource for all busy households. It is full of practical resources and a wealth of tips and ideas that you can use to help you manage and organise your family life. You will get; menu planners, shopping lists, medical information, household charts, budget planners, direct debit schedules, reward charts and much, much more. Everything at your fingertips to help you get organised.

And it’s been updated to be bigger, brighter and better!

We are offering an electronic version of this great organising tool. With a total value is $37.95 (currently on sale) these are a perfect gift for you or your favourite busy personTo go into the running for this wonderful prize which would be a great way to start 2009, click HERE and answer “What are the section titles in The Busy Mothers Companion?” – remember, you must be subscribed to our newsletter to enter and answers in the comments section below will be deleted.

Competition closes on 9th of January 2009 and winner will be announced in our next newsletter.

This fantastic prize is valued at $37.95. The lucky winner will be notified on how to claim this prize on completion of the competition and winner announced in our newsletter and in the coments section below.

Note: Save Time Online Competition Terms are available here.

Mobile Phone Security

With the technology or the mobile phone swooping in over the past decade and taking over as the main way of communication through technology, it’s not a surprise that it has become a concern for security risks.

Some of the main concerns that worry people about their mobile phones are:

Receiving inappropriate or unsolicited content
Fraudulent increases in mobile phone bills
Loss of information stored on the phone
Phone crashing/freezing
Theft of private information ‘over the air’
Bluetooth spying or remote monitoring
Infecting friends and colleagues with viruses

Seeing as it’s unusual to find someone who doesn’t have a mobile phone the use of mobile viruses and spamming is only going to increase.

Some of the better known mobile phone viruses are:

Mosquito – Sends text messages to premium-rate numbers without the user’s knowledge or approval.
Brador – Deletes files, resets the phone and sends contents such as an address book, emails or photos to a third party.
Skulls – Deactivates all links to applications on the phone, including emails, instant messenger and the calander, and then replaces all the icons with an image of a skull

Though mobile phone spamming and viruses are not as common as they are on computers, with the incorporation of having internet on you mobile phone and Bluetooth the risk factor or your mobile becoming infected is increasing. Some tips and precautions to take to help prevent your mobile phone from attracting viruses are:

Treat your mobile just like you would your computer.

Lock it when it’s not in use.
Use passwords for any online sign ins and make sure they’re complicated enough.
Avoid opening messages from senders you don’t recognise.
If you lose your phone, call your carrier to let them know immediately
Back up your files frequently
Log off the internet when not using it
Turn off Bluetooth when not using it.
Be careful when downloading ring tones or games ect.
Install some security software onto your mobile (not all phones come with it)

Want a $1000 goodie bag for Mothers Day?

Well, apparently it is just after Mothers Day but close enough!

The people who bring you Real Mums are running Mums Night Out in Melbourne on Friday 16 May, along with the Real Mums Awards. Everyone who goes to Mums Night Out gets a goodie bag to take home – and each one has stuff valued at over $1,000 in it!

Hope you get to go along and have a great night of eating, drinking, laughing and talking! And maybe some dancing, who knows?! And then enjoy the weekend exploring your goodie bag!

We’re sorry

As part of modern Australia, we are horrified at the existance of the stolen generation – especially that the practice lasted so long and as recently as the 1970s.

As part of Australia, we support Kevin Rudd’s comments this morning and aplogise that average Australians allowed the Government to behave in such a way.

We are sorry that those children were removed from their families, and sorry for those families left to live without knowing about their children’s whereabouts or well being. As mothers, we can’t imagine how hard that separation would have been.

Hopefully, the apology starts the healing process for us all and actions will follow on from today.

We will be searching the net for information and sites about the apology and reconciliation as our small effort towards a united Australia. For now, we are proud to share this link which replays the entire apology speech made by Kevin Rudd this morning.

And we would love to hear how the apology has affected you, and whether you stopped this morning to watch/listen.

Bathrobe treasue hunt

Save Time Online is participating in the Business Mums Network Bathrobe Treasure Hunt (try saying that 3 times quickly!)

So what is it? In short, you need to visit a number of websites to find out answers to questions in the hunt. You send those answers in to the organisers (the Business Mums Network) and are in the running for a number of prizes.

You get to see some new sites and potentially win some great prizes, and entry is free, so it’s worth thinking about! And if you run your own business, you’ll be happy to see a feature listing from us is one of the prizes - just choose your favourite seasonal section from our site (Valentines Day, Easter, May Madness, Mothers Day, Christmas in July, Breast Feeding Week, Fathers Day, Spring, Christmas)

The full list of prizes and involved sites is:

Business Mums Network GOLD membership valued at $245
Blogging for Beginners CD & Notes set from Business Mums Guides valued at $33
Three hours VA admin support only (excluding website design) from Tilda Virtual Services valued at $132
Nuvo Swirl Raglan Top from Nuvo Maternity valued at $54
Silk slippers for Mum from Nature’s Cradle valued at $49.95
Two hours interior design consulting from Green Room Interiors, including summary and samples (if required) valued at $300
Bach consultation and Rescue Remedy spray from Emotional Equilibrium valued at $50
One pair of Vintage Chenille Pants from Oli B Designs valued at $24.95
One Hairclip, Flower elastics (set of two) and one Girls Headband from Kidz Funky Designs valued at $28.95
One nappy wallet from Belly Bumps to Baby Hugs valued at $13.50
Vanchi twin bib set plus a matching wrap and hat set from La Toriana valued at $45
Sterling silver and Shiva Eye ring –This ring is 925 Sterling Silver and is nickel free. (Size chart: USA size 7 or British Size O) from Marakye valued at $23.85
An Ickle Kids Brain Teaser Activity Pack from Ickle Kids valued at $44.95
Book and accompanying CD - Ready, Set, Go For It! The complete women’s guide to operating a small business in Australiaby Donna-Marie Coggins from Your Small Biz Expert valued at $33
A $50 gift voucher from Baubles, Bubbles and Bags.
A pack of personalised family stationary valued at $50 from My Beechworth Secretary.
One feature listing on Save Time Online valued at $100.
Complete handbag spritz – the set of 4 Real Mums Spritzes and Sprays, including Instant House Clean, Monster Spray, Snap Out of It Spritz and Escape Spritz valued at $29.95 from Real Mums.
Amboni Organics Rosehip Oil valued at $29.95, hypo -allergenic and fragrance free valued at $29.95 from Natural Form.
A necklace of your choice valued at $20 from Sparkling Dragon Designs.
JBW Harvest Song kitted with threads, fabric and charm, valued at $25.00 from The Needlework Boutique
A MYOB version 17 fully installed and the first month data processed together with a health check on your bookkeeping system from Jim’s Bookkeeping.
One year’s free subscription to Mail Magic or the Site Builder valued at $120 from MultimediART.

PS It is called the Bathrobe hunt as it is part of the celebrations of ‘doing business in your bathrobe month’ – a time to recognise all those people running a business from home.

School terms 2008

As simple and nice as it would be ot have all Australian children to have the same school terms, they vary between states. Although it is nice to travel interstate and not have to deal with the crowds of school kids on holidays!
So here are the school holidays for 2008:

Victoria
Term 1: 29 Jan (pupil free day), 30 Jan (students start) – 20 Mar
Term 2: 7 Apr–27 Jun
Term 3: 14 Jul–19 Sept
Term 4: 6 Oct–19 Dec

Tasmania
Note: 3 terms in TAS
Term 1: 14 Feb–30 May
Term 2: 16 Jun–5 Sep
Term 3: 22 Sep–18 Dec

Term 1:4 Feb–11 Apr
Term 2: 29 Apr–4 Jul
Term 3: 22 Jul–26 Sep
Term 4: 14 Oct–18 Dec

NT
Term 1: 29 Jan–4 Apr
Term 2: 14 Apr–20 Jun
Term 3: 21 Jul–26 Sep
Term 4: 6 Oct–12 Dec

SA
Term 1: 29 Jan–11 Apr
Term 2: 28 Apr–4 Jul
Term 3: 21 Jul–26 Sep
Term 4: 13 Oct–12 Dec

ACT
Term 1: 1 Feb–11 Apr
Term 2: 28 Apr–4 Jul
Term 3: 21 Jul–26 Sep
Term 4: 13 Oct–19 Dec

Qld
Term 1: 29 Jan–4 Apr
Term 2: 14 Apr–27 Jun
Term 3: 14 Jul–19 Sep
Term 4: 6 Oct–12 Dec

NSW
Term 1: 29 Jan–5 Apr
Term 2: 23 Apr–29 Jun
Term 3: 16 Jul–28 Sep
Term 4: 15 Oct–21 Dec

Christmas goodies – get them now!

Christmas is over and the post-Christmas sales have begun. Now is the time to stock up on your wrapping paper, Christmas cards, decorations, and all things Christmassy while they are on special. Often these items are less than half price, so it is worth shopping around and stocking up – and it will save you racing to the shops next December to buy them!

Some online stores also offer discounts on Christmas items so don’t forget to look online, too!

Welcome to the Save Time Online blog!

The Save Time Online website has been going for nearly 5 years now – it has evolved from a gift guide toÂ a comprehensive online guide to Australian websites. And now it has evolved again to include a blog!

The aim of the blog will be to give you updated information and direct you to seasonal information on the main site.

It is also a pace where you can share your tips and ideas as comments.

We hope the blog is useful for you and helps you to save time and stress online!

Tash & Ally