Last week was incredibly busy, but for good reason! I found out that my work visa was approved (Praise the Lord!) and just a few days later I applied for a job, and less than a week after my visa arrived, I started work! It’s really a blessing to have a work visa now (previously I was on a visitor’s visa) and besides the extra income (which is a huge help) I love that I get to work with Jared! That’s right, I’m working for Alpha Construction Services Limited now. I’m just working three days a week so I still have time to take care of our house. AND this past week, Jared and I bought a dryer… so, exciting things happening around here! That really sounds so boring but that’s being an adult! When we were getting things for our house, after we got married, I was so upset that we were paying almost $400 for a vacuum. Now I’m glad we did, because it’s an amazing vacuum (Miele) and it will last us for years and years and years… but it does take a while to get used to being an adult.

Anyways, that was a long paragraph- so we got a dryer! It’s funny because before I met Jared, when I was staying with Adalia and Ben, I thought to myself, ‘If I ever lived here I would need a dryer. It would be non-negotiable.’ (by the way, I didn’t mind that they didn’t have a dryer! I just thought if I was permanently in NZ, and in the winter, I would get one) But when Jared and I were newly married (well I mean we still are, but…) and moving into our first house and getting things, a dryer really wasn’t the most important thing.

However.

I am so. excited. To have a dryer!

Alright enough about that, I don’t want to bore you! One thing I am hoping to blog about soon is ideas for meals that you can make ahead! Why? Because now that I’m working (!) three days a week, I am trying to do lots of meal prep ahead of time so when we get home from work, dinner doesn’t take long to make. Since I have Mondays and Tuesdays off, I’m planning to use those days to do groceries (as usual), meal prep, and make sure the house is clean. So far today I’ve done like 1/3 of that… I got groceries, came up with a meal plan, and tidied most of the house, but I still have to do the dishes and make dinner, and clean the bathroom. I’ll probably get my meal prep done tomorrow.

Tomorrow is also the day that we get our dryer delivered and installed!

Okay, okay, I’ll try not to talk about the dryer anymore. I’m just so excited!

AND I just remembered that one reason I haven’t blogged recently is because my camera broke so I couldn’t take any new photos! Thankfully the replacement part was only $30 so I ordered it on Saturday and I am hoping it will arrive soon.

However I still have a few photos from that day Jared and I went hiking! Oh and I also have photos from rugby, that I haven’t edited yet… so much to do so little time. I also have important thing to do like renew Jared’s passport, switch my driver’s license to an NZ one, and more… BUT I’m so thankful that I’m busy because the reason is that I have an amazing job!

PS Sonic gets cuter all the time, and I honestly just spent like thirty minutes looking at puppies on TradeMe cause doesn’t he need a friend?! But yeah I don’t think that will happen… I mentioned it to Jared the other day and he said NO haha! Plus we like JUST finished the whole potty training thing and I really love not having to clean up dog messes every day.

I don’t know about you, but I love grocery shopping. I just love it. It’s so much fun to me! Before Jared and I were married, I would tag along with my parents to the grocery store at times but I never actually went grocery shopping myself. The first few times Jared and I got groceries, we were unpleasantly surprised at how much we spent- but when you’re just starting out with your own home you do need to stock up, and once we got the essentials, we were able to cut back to a much more satisfactory number for our weekly shops, and stick to it! It took me a while to figure out normal prices for things and what I could fit in the budget, but once I did it wasn’t hard to stay in budget. If you’ve just moved out or gotten married, and you’re starting to grocery shop on your own, here are a few tips to help you out.

1. Make a budget. Okay this one is kind of obvious, but make sure you know how much you can spend. If you just go into the store with a list but no budget you can spend way more than you intended. Also bring along a calculator so you can be sure that you stick to the budget!
2. Make a list. Always bring a list with you! I typed up a master grocery list that I print off every week. It makes it so easy to just look in the fridge and pantry as I go through the list and highlight what we need that week. That way I can be sure I don’t forget anything important.
3. Don’t be afraid to go to more than one store. I always go to Pak n Save, because they generally have the lowest prices. Also, they’re conveniently close! However, I also love to go to Reduced to Clear, which is even closer to our house than Pak n Save, and on the way. They’re a clearance grocery store, so it’s a bit of a hit and miss, but their prices can be great, and I always check online before shopping there to see if they have anything I need. We also have a New World and Countdown nearby but their prices are higher than Pak n Save so it’s not worth the hassle to visit them as well in the hopes of a sale. But if you do have a couple local stores that each have the best prices for specific things, don’t be afraid to go to more than one place! For example, if meat and dairy were consistently cheaper at Countdown, it would be worth it to me to make an extra stop.
4. Be flexible! If you want to stay in budget, give your list a bit of wiggle room. I often will highlight the things we need and for the things that I’d like to get but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to fit them in, I’ll use my highlighter to put a small dash on the item on my list, so it’s on my radar even if it’s not a priority. For things that tend to fluctuate in price, like fruits and veggies, I highlight the things I know I can get for a good price (potatoes, carrots, bananas, etc.) and then just see what’s on sale when I get to the store. If broccoli is over $3 a head, we’re not having broccoli that week. Again, this is where it helps to know the usual prices. Jared loves to have mandarins especially when he referees rugby, so if they’re more expensive one week I’ll just buy 2 or 3, rather than buying close to a kg. In the summer you can often find pineapples, mangoes, peaches, etc. for good prices. In the autumn, squash is cheaper- I bought a buttercup pumpkin for $1 last week.
5. Meal Plan. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t, but it does help to have several ideas of what to make throughout the week so you’re not just standing in front of the fridge a few days later trying to figure out a meal from random ingredients. But as I pointed out above, this can also depend on prices of veggies and meat, so don’t be too strict about it. When Pak n Save has a meat special, or reduced prices on a few items because they were packed a day or two ago, I love to grab those ones up! But know the prices too, so if you really want to make tacos but mince isn’t on sale,  you can still buy it because you’ve planned for it.

These are just a few things I’ve learned since I’ve been doing our grocery shopping, and I hope they can help you out a bit. What are your favorite grocery shopping tips?

This morning I finally got something done for immigration that I was stressing about, so it’s a relief to have that off my mind! Anyone who has moved to another country knows… agh it can be stressful! When I got my visa in September I was so relieved just because I didn’t have to think about visa stuff for months and months! And now it’s time to think about it again… *sigh*.

I hope you all have a lovely start to your week! Sonic found one of Jared’s dress shirt’s and chewed a button off, so that’s great… still a better Monday than last week though!

The past few days have really been cold, which I am loving!!! I have an amazing pair of fuzzy feet pajamas (as my family calls them) from Land’s End, and it was finally cold enough that I could wear them again!

I’m really obsessed with my fuzzy feet pajamas so I’ll tell you a little about them. My mom hates clutter, and in general tends to prefer quality over quantity, so she would much rather buy my siblings and I each one or two pairs of great quality pajamas that would last years and years and years, than be buying new ones every year because they wore out. Land’s End has great quality items and I remember we got bath towels, dresses, coats, and pajamas from there, and I’m sure other things as well!

photo from Little Earthling Blog

These pajamas last for so long. When one child outgrew them, they got passed to the next, and so on. Once the feet started getting holes, we would just cut them off and keep wearing them because they were still going strong! And the name? It’s not too hard to figure out why we called them fuzzy feet pajamas. They’re fuzzy. They have feet.

Photo from Little Earthling Blog

I think as we got older we stopped wearing them as much, and then a couple years ago my dad was ordering pajamas for my younger siblings. Well…. fuzzy feet pajamas! They are so cozy, so warm, and I have so many great memories. I was so bummed because I really wanted some too… and then my mom told me to just ask my dad to get some for me as well. Uhhh why don’t I think of things like that? So I did, and my dad ordered me a pair, and they are just as amazing as I remember! They don’t come in adult sizes but I got a size 16 kids and they fit me perfect with a little room (I’m 5’4″). Here is a link to the pajamas on the Land’s End website. I think they have different colors/patterns each year.

If you want to stay warm in the winter, go get yourself a pair. They’re not cheap but they’re worth it and they will last forever!

Another thing I love about this autumn is that we have a mandarin tree in our backyard and the fruit is starting to ripen!

The other day I bought a pumpkin at the grocery store, and roasted half of it for dinner. I think I’ll turn the other half into pumpkin bread. I absolutely love pumpkin bread, but unfortunately it’s harder to get pureed pumpkin here than it is in the States, and much much cheaper to buy a pumpkin and cook/puree it yourself! That’s what I did for pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, and though I was a bit intimidated at first it turned out really well.

I know you may think I’m crazy but I love how chilly it is! I got groceries the other day and the cold air was so refreshing and made me so happy. I do love summer but man have I missed autumn and winter! Plus when it’s cold, it’s so cozy and fun to cuddle up in a warm blanket with a hot drink. I just love it!

If you enjoy decorating your house, the changing seasons mean change of decor as well! Unfortunately I don’t have extra money to spend on home decor but that doesn’t stop me ‘window shopping’ online anyways. I think ‘online window shopping’ is one of my biggest hobbies. Thankfully there are lots of ways to decorate your house without having to spend much money, like free printables that you can frame, or cheap candles in autumny colors. The Warehouse and Kmart have great prices for some really cute stuff! I love The Warehouse’s pillows and throws… I have a couple throws/blankets from there and I love them! I think these three pillows together would look so good. The different colors and textures make it an interesting combination.

I love my light box that was a Christmas gift! It’s so personizable. (Yeah I think I just made up that word…) you can write whatever you want!

Do you enjoy decorating your house? Do you change the decor out for the different seasons?

My husband and I moved into our rental house about a month ago, and there are still a few things I need to unpack/organize. We are getting there though! Just this past weekend we finally got our office set up and it is so wonderful! It is so good to have it done and the space is lovely. We got a great desk, chair, and shelf from the Warehouse Stationary and finally we have everything off the floor! It was also great to be able to move some stuff from the lounge bookshelves to the ones in the office. Now I can make the lounge bookshelves really pretty and the ones in the office can be the more practical ones.

Mount Manaia from One Tree Point

So let’s go!

1. Declutter If you are wondering why you even have something, or you see it and go ohhh I forgot I had that! It’s probably not necessary. Having too much stuff can be overwhelming! My husband and I both hate clutter and love organization, which makes it easier for us because we don’t have tons of stuff. Be harsh on yourself. Do you actually use it? Do you really need it? When are you going to use it next?
2. A Place for Everything Come up with a plan. When you know where something goes, it is easy to clean up, and easy to find things when you need them. Do what seems logical. For example, in our office we have office supplies on a shelf that is at the perfect spot for you to grab what you need when you’re sitting at the desk. We store less used items in the footstool of a rocking chair that is also in the office.
3. Daily tidy Every day just do a quick tidy to keep things from getting disorganized.
4. Weekly clean Once a week clean your space. Vacuum, dust, and make sure everything is in the right place. Also use this time to go through your junk drawer.
5. Junk Drawer Yes, you can have a junk drawer! But don’t let it become a permanent home for anything. During the week if you aren’t sure where to put something or you don’t have time, a junk drawer is perfect for keeping things tidy. But you need to go through it during your weekly clean and put everything away! If you don’t you’ll eventually have an overflowing junk drawer… guys trust me. I have organized drawers and then gradually things just pile up, and before you realize what’s happening you have a huge mess again! Staying on top of it is the way to avoid clutter.

Office supplies

Business books and paper

And… don’t forget that we’re all human. It’s okay when your space gets messy! Don’t feel defeated. Just take a deep breath, remember every day is a new day, and start again.