So how much did this cost?
$00.00 Pre-loved box.
$00.00 Pre-loved Empire Mag.
$00.50 Cheese twisties on special at 2 for $1.00
$00.00 1 box of 10 earl grey tea bags (we have heaps of tea at home although we never drink it. It's for visitors, but few of our friends drink tea)
$00.00 4 x Robert Timms mocha kenya coffee bags. (as above)
$00.00 1 x pears soap. (I like to buy in bulk and have heaps of these here)
$01.99 1 x mini listerine
$01.99 1 x hand sanitiser
$01.00 1 x tennis ball
$02.00 1 x dinosaurs 200g (on special at 2 for $4.00)
$01.85 1 x 100g tuna in springwater
$01.99 1 x pasta dinner pack
$01.99 1 x chapstick (on special at 2 for $3.99)
$13.31
If you just throw in one little extra item each time you go shopping, and you keep an eye out at your supermarket, it's amazing what you can find.
If you look around your cupboards, you can likewise find all sorts of things; tea and coffee sachets, for example. I can't drink coffee - I use instant coffee for baking with, and usually have the sachets hanging about in the cupboard for anyone who drops in to help themselves.
We occasionally drink a bit of herbal tea here, and there are also teabags of different kinds for people who drink "normal" tea.
2 x 170g bags of twisties for $1.00? How can you go past that? One for home and one for sending away. Cheap and easy, and it's also a good size for sharing.
If you're a bit of a supermarket tramp like me, you tend to shop around. Whether I go Coles, Safeway or Aldi depends on where I am and what the time is. In any case, they don't all have the same specials on at the same time, so if you keep your eyes open, you can find all sorts of treats.
Kae's idea about the newsagent is a great one, and rather than turf magazines, it costs nothing to pass them on. I don't buy mags very often, but every now and then is something a bit different to reading online or books.
Hope this helps.
29 comments:
We're not a magazine buying household - the only thing we get regularly is the Spectator, and I send them over after I have read them because the articles in them "last" well - it doesn't date rapidly like a newspaper. I'm sure there is at least one Poindexter over there who will enjoy reading it - a battalion is diverse enough to include all sorts.
The only other ones we get irregularely are things like "house and garden". I don't know how many troops are into re-decorating their bunker, but I think that would be a dead loss.
I know a few guys that used to like buying things like Wheels etc, so I chased them up a while ago and asked if they had any copies they could send. Unfortunately, they said that with the onset of kids, they had given up buying those sorts of mags. When you visit someone, have a look at their magazine rack and if ask if you can regularly pinch their leftover mags.
Good idea with the different types of tea Nilk, hadn't thought of that.
Spoke to the daughter about this, this morning, she seems keen but i think she may have an ulterior motive.
Ulterior motive? What on earth for?
I'm a bit slow today, so I don't get that at all.
Interesting snippet: I caught up with a girlfriend this morning and mentioned the blog and she got so excited about it!
She never knew you could send care packages, and thinks it's great. Just send something over and let the diggers know that people do care about them.
Even a tin of milo!
Nothing ulterior or conniving about that.
Probably just an age thing with her. :)
Ulterior motive?
Naaah.
Broaden my circle of friends. Nothing ulterior about that!
Nilk & Kae...for shame i would think such a thing, you must be beating them off with a stick in real life....my daughter, mmmmm...not so sure with my baby.
PS...she'll still be a baby to me when she's 60.
(i'll probably get in trouble now)
cheers
Beating them off with a stick?
I wish.
I really need to work on my inuendo skills.
Anyhoo....to clarify, my 25yo daughter, (who is currently single), lit up like a christmas tree when i mentioned the parcels & this blog when we went out for brekky this morning. She, it would appear, finds the concept rather appealing in the, oooh rugged.
diggers sense, rather than the philanthropic sense.
Did that make sense???? dunno
cheers
Second that, Kae. :)
Thanks for the compliment, though, Carpe. That's always welcome.
I increase my circle of rugged digger friends... anything else is a bonus.
I think it's good to be able to do something quite simple, and mostly inexpensive, and make a difference.
Here you go, Carpe: Military Friends.comJust for your girl.
Ta Nilk, thats a pandoras box for my lea. I still question her motives though. As long as she never brings home a sailor, (trust me i was a sailor)
Hi,
I have only just found out about this site by accident and would love to send parcels to our men & women soldiers & K9's. Can I send canned items like smoked mussels, sardines, condensed milk & dog heartworm tablets & flea stuff as well? I've never heard anyone say we can send parcels to our troops why is this not advertised so hopefully more people will do this?
Anyway if someone can advise me on this I would appreciate it very much.
cheers
rusti
Hi Rusti
Anything from home is appreciated, and I think your idea for tinned oysters, mussels etc would be appreciated. Just remember to keep the box under 2kg and it's free.
Have a read around the blog to see what to send, there are lots of ideas here. Tubes of things like condensed milk are better than tins as the tins are large and it depends on where they are whether they can share or would need to toss out the remains of a tin of condensed milk. You can get jiggers of milk from the supermarket and I've see 150ml tetra paks of longlife milk at the supermarket.
Thank you kae for helping me out with the idea of the tubes instead of tins that would definitely weigh less too.I will be going out today to grab a few of those BM boxes too and stuff them with as much as I can!Thanks again for your help.
Hi again,
just hoping you can help me out here again as I dont have anybody I know in the army, but I've been sending care packages to the troops and K9's both in Afghanistan & East Timor and I have received replies (which I'm so thrilled about) knowing these packages do get to the troops is a great feeling. Anyway I wanted to let the troops that replied by my return envelope that I received their reply and was so happy, the poor fellas even wrote on a posted note and sticker of their appreciation! I cried reading about their gratitute for such a small thing..I have a couple of names and they're from Combat Team Delta, so if anyone knows if I can get a reply to them I would most certainly appreciate this very much.
Thank you in advance
Rusti
Hi,
Rusti again, so silly of me but the guys from Combat Team Delta who replied by mail to me wouldn't know me as Rusti so if you could let them know the message is from C & J Kozicki they may remember that name...so sorry to be a nuisance an thank you for posted my coment....cheers
Rusti
Hi Rusti
I've changed the post - click on the title of the blog to go to the latest page.
Thanks so much Kae for doing that.
I sent a big box of stuff yesterday filled with lots of goodies for our wonderful troops gosh they deserve a lot more, but Im sure it will put a smile on their dials...
cheers
Hi Rusti
When you comment on the blog can you comment on the latest thread, otherwise noone will see it, except if they've signed on to receive notifications for that thread!
a tip on sending coffee, tea, and sugars, jams, peanut butter, vegemite. Next time your in Maccas you can grab a handful of the jam, peanut butter, honey, and vegemite. They come in individual serves and are complimentary with any purchase. Also, in your next hotel visit, the coffee, teas, and sugars are complimentary with the room. Just take them and chuck them in your parcel.
Thanks for the tip, anonymous, but it's probably not a good idea to pinch all Macca's jams and stuff. Don't be greedy because you'll ruin it for others.
Ask if you can have extra!
(I buy the sugar sachets in the supermarket.)
Is there anyway to "like" this blog to facebook? I'm a bit new at all this "connecting" thing.
Another great idea is to wait till after like Christmas when all the stores mark things down really really cheap I got his box think $2.50 was heaps more with differnt flavoured coffee in it so only have to open it up and choose which ones to send and u get other great things around Christmas u can buy and send most use by dates are fine
I also went to Big w and got a dvd really cheap $5 it is called the Nugget with some well known Aussie actors, Have marked the case and dvd as wss directed with Proptery of Australian Defence Troops as it is recommended to stop theft Now they will have some good Aussie humour to watch Any Aussie movies would be great keep and eye out for the cheap ones!
Hi
I am putting together 2 packages one for one of our troops prob Afgan or Middle East and the other for one of our wonderful EDD handlers
I was wondering as u can not send pork products over does that also go for the dogs as well I would gather so as it is in the customs of the people there. Going to send some nice things for the handler too! Oh and what are greenies which is in the list for the dogs?
I found a dvd from Big W and have put on it property of Australian Troops as I read somewhere to do this too stop theft I got it for $5 from Big W it is called the Nugget and has a young Eric Banna in it amonnst some other well known Aussie actors
I read Beef Jerkey is great the Aussie one
Last Chrismtas I got a box of flavoured coffee sachets in little boxes for thnk only $2.50 marked down (great time to get things and most used by dates are fine esp with these sort of things) After Australia day is great too pick up some great bargins got someting then too Everyready glow sticks that say Go Aussie on them but read that your not meant to send things with batteries are these ok they use the coin batteries?
Also read letter writing paper and envelopes and pens are great too as are Aussie lollies like minties
and though chocolate is a no no Tim Tams are like gold be ok as it is cold over there at Christmas Got some on special as with the Aussie shaped "shape biscuits that came out for Australia day and lollies marked down
Sorry for the long post Oh one last thing wrote I was going to do this on my Facebook wall and had several friens also interested Yah!!! :)
Hi Purpleluna
No pork products can be imported to the Middle East. They are illegal imports, doesn't matter who is going to eat them, human or pet!
For safety don't send anything that's not permitted to send, it endangers the other parcels and can, in some cases, endanger the aircraft and personnel transporting the goods. Just to be safe I wouldn't send batteries.
There are post links down the right side of this blog which will take you to posts about what to send and what is good to put into parcels.
I always buy a stack of half-price or less things on special after Christmas for the following Christmas, especially little santa hats and reindeer antlers and things which are not perishable.
Good on you for sending parcels!
I send parcels several times a year.
Thanks Kae
Oops posted it twice always have trouble doing that thingy to prove I am nota robot I can never read or understand it either when it reads it out!
Thought so with the potk products and def wont send anything with batteries either
I had an idea to post the list for the EDD's and ask to put it up at the vets and the dog groomng buisness as there is one next door to our vets and also going to ask at my closest shopping centre if I can put it a list of what to send and the sddresses to send parcels to our troops as am sure many wouldn't know or know how to,lke me recently (I saw it in a That's life mag, this women was doing good deeds and sending care packages was one of them so I googled it and ta da!)
I wrote I was going to do it on my facebook status and had several friends wanting the info so that is great too I am finding Ocean,Sky and Khaki very helpful We don't buy magazines but there is a a facebook page in our local area that sells,swaps and buys things and Freecycle too so am thinking of askig there for magazines like That's life and car magazines and men's health to send if not at Christmas during the year!
Thanks
Purpleluna!
Hi Purple
You can send parcels anytime. They love lollies. My local RSL spends about $600 and fills 40 boxes. We also collect magazines for sending - the men's mags are popular, but they like reading anything in English! Not too old, though. You can wrap 2kg of mags in brown paper and send them as a parcel, but don't exceed 2kg.
Put a link to Ocean, Sky and Khaki on Facebook, too!
People should be thinking about Christmas parcels now, however, as I wrote earlier, parcels can be send anytime and are always very much appreciated.
Thankyou for getting back to me so quickly yep still up have a 7 mnth old and a 3 yr old woke before!
Do u know the actual cut off date I believe it is sometime early Dec think the first week!
Purpleluna
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