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Tip Store: Cooking: Drinks

​Add Some Glamour with Floral Ice Cubes

​Edible flowers in ice cubes make even a glass of water look something special. Just add a flower to the ice cube tray before adding the water and freezing. Edible flowers include borage, cornflowers, nasturtiums and calendula. Sprigs of herbs like mint, lemon balm or rosemary also look pretty in an ice cube. Or half a strawberry or a wedge of lemon, lime or orange add a glamorous twist to a cool drink. If you can, pick the flowers or herbs early in the morning, wash and freeze straight away. If your strawberries are small, use a whole berry in the ice cube pod. Slice the lemon or lime and cut each slice into small wedges, they'll look so refreshing in the glass and add just a hint of flavour to the drink.
Contributed by Cath

Super Frugal Tasty Water

​I don't like drinking tap water, it tastes and smells like chlorine, so to make sure I get in my water consumption I bought a bottle of the Sodastream Waters in Lemonade flavour. I was planning on using it as directions intended as sparkling water but I was so thirsty one night after doing grocery shop that I filled up my 500ml water bottle with cold filtered water from the fridge and added about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of the Sodastream Waters concentrate to my water and drank it with no bubbles. It was so thirst quenching and tasted so good that I have been drinking my water like that ever since. One 440ml bottle of syrup makes 9 Litres or 18 by 500ml normally but by using only 1/4 to 1/2 tsp, I can get either 352 drinks( 1/4 tsp to 500ml water) or 176 drinks using 1/2 tsp. I paid $4.40 for the bottle on special and it is normally around $6.85 to buy.
Contributed by Sian Carson
Almost Free Iced tea 
​We are pensioners and I’ve done this so long that this is automatic to me now in our hot South African Summers. I make our tea in a teapot and only need to use 1 teabag as the brand of tea we use is quite strong, but when my husband makes the tea he just dunks 2 teabags in 2 cups. I got into the habit of collecting the bags and putting them in a plastic container and putting them in the fridge. The next day I’d put them in a jug and pour in about a litre of boiling water and let it seep until it was cool. It would then put in slices of fruit/ mint leaves and ice and sugar. I was also able to control the amount of sugar. The commercial ice tea is so sweet! Sometimes I even add some fruit juice and leave out the sugar completely.
Contributed by Patricia Gregory

​Delicious Ready to Drink Iced Coffee the Cheapskates Way

​Approximate Cost: $2 for 3 litres and lots of kilojoules 

Everyone in my family LOVES iced coffee, but it is expensive to buy and my hubby can't tolerate too much milk, so I started making it at home. I get a freshly washed 3 litre milk container and fill with 2 to 2-1/2 litres cold filtered (or spring) water. In a mug I then add about 4 dessertspoons of instant coffee (Nescafe tin at $14.95 on special once a month); about 8 dessertspoons of raw sugar (about $1.20 kilo home brand) and about 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (about $3.60 for a bottle), top up with hot water and stir to dissolve. Let this mix sit a little while to cool then add to the cold water in the milk container and top up with full cream milk. It is about the consistency of a very milky cup of coffee, which saves on the kilojoules as well. You can change the measurements of any of these to make your homemade iced coffee to exactly the way you want it, and it will still save you on the full price of readymade iced coffee, and can be made in a few minutes if you've forgotten to go to the shop. It costs about $2 the way I make it but even if you use all milk, it still only costs about $4 for 3 litres of delicious, ready to drink iced coffee. 
Contributed by Denise
No Waste Always Ready Coffee

Don’t pour your old coffee down the drain. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze instead. The result? Coffee cubes that make the best iced coffee you've ever had. After freezing, put cubes into a tall, chilled glass and top off with cold milk, condensed milk, chocolate milk or nut milk for a fabulous-delicious treat you'll love all summer long. Use the coffee cubes to flavour icing, in coffee cakes, to make a delicious barbecue sauce, or to make Iced Coffee Syrup. Or use your imagination - whenever you need just a little coffee, use a coffee cube.
Contributed by Allison McKenzie

Things to do with Rhubarb

​This is a fantastic way to use up your rhubarb and make a nice rhubarb cider.

Rhubarb Cider
Ingredients:
20 cups water
4-1/2 cups chopped, uncooked rhubarb
4 cups sugar
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
juice of one lemon

Method:
Place all ingredients in a large container, cover with cloth, leave for 2 days, then strain and bottle. You can drink straight away or leave for a few days. Place in refrigerator, pour into a glass - you can add lemonade, soda water, ice, vodka etc. Depending on the colour of your rhubarb the more pink in colour your drink. Its easy, quick and no cooking.
Contributed by Judy Fisk

Editor's note: This is a slightly sweeter version of Rhubarb Champagne, a lovely and refreshing summer drink I make when the rhubarb just won't stop growing. Cath
​Enjoy Your Flavoured Coffee on a Budget
​My husband loves the instant flavoured coffees but they get quite expensive - the bottles of instant flavoured coffee tell you to use 3 heaped teaspoons per cup - but that makes it a very expensive coffee - we discovered if you add 1 normal sized teaspoon of the flavoured coffee to 1 teaspoon of regular instant coffee you get a lovely full flavoured coffee with the extra flavouring - This stretches the bottle of flavoured instant coffee 300%.
Contributed by Lisa Johnson

Best Coffee at Home for 16c a Cup

​When I drink coffee I prefer a brewed coffee or a proper coffee. I don't drink much, maybe 1 or 2 cups per day, so why not drink what I like. Last year I purchased a Bodum coffee grinder from Peters of Kensington. I have a drip coffee maker, but you have to buy filters. Light bulb moment, I have a Bodum plunger in the cupboard. Next stop Aldi, bags of beans are $10 for 1kg. Then the experiment started! This was a yearlong experiment...yes it took me 12 months to use those beans. Just me and the occasional guest, so how many cups is that you are asking? I make up one plunger (not a one cup one), pour the first mug and put the rest in a thermos (keeps it warm, not reheating) that gives me 3 cups per plunger. But wait, with further experiments I found I can use the beans twice, so six cups of coffee. I have a Tupperware scoop for the beans and use 1.5 scoops to grind. (Or just enough to cover the blade) Therefore, 1.5 scoops per 6 cups of coffee. Oh yes, I drink my coffee black no sugar.
Contributed by Michelle Ferey

Making the Most of Tea

I have started drinking tea more since Winter hit. It is bitterly cold and a hot cup of tea helps to warm me up and keep me hydrated. I recently found tea on sale between 50-60% off, so I stocked up. I use one teabag a day, using it for every cup of tea I have. I just invested in a tea strainer so once I'm done with the bag I can reuse the tea again! It doesn't affect the flavour much as I don't like it too strong, and I am getting about 6-8 uses out of each tea bag!
Contributed by Jacki Taylor

​Suntea Instead of Cordial

Approximate $ Savings: $30per month

My Husband drinks large quantities of cordial (.50 litre diluted) and juice at an average $4 a bottle. This comes to around $50 a month. I recently had a mad tea party and there was so much tea left over I started making suntea much to his interest. I just put two tea bags in a 3 litre jar for a few hours in the sun. At $1.28 for a box of 10 Tetley flavoured tea bags the cost is just 8 cents per litre plus your sugar if you use it. My husband adds 1 teaspoon and I add a half. He is really enjoying the fun exploring flavours and we've saved approximately $30 this month!
​Contributed by Marvella Stan-Bishop

​Your Own Great Coffee - Anywhere!

Approximate $ Savings: $20 each time we go out

I am very fussy about my coffee and as I am allergic to cow's milk, whenever we get a coffee at a cafe, mine costs at least $4.50! Add a cake or biscuit and my partner and I would spend at least $20 each time we "stopped-for-a-coffee". Most of the time, the coffee was mediocre anyway, so I went online and found www.presso.com.au This is a brilliant Espresso coffee machine, that not only makes brilliant coffee,but also is energy saving and very portable! It uses no electricity. So now when we go shopping in town or even for a long drive, we take our picnic basket with the Presso, a thermos with boiling water, a jar of pre-ground coffee, sugar and milk (His and Hers) and home made biscuits or cake. We have delicious coffee every time, with a minimum of effort and have saved such a lot of money!! The Presso was $185 to buy (I asked for it as a birthday present!) and has paid for itself over and over. We have even taken it to our friends' holiday house, where they just had the 'basics' and no 'real coffee' was available for 50 kilometers! We take it with us camping as well, as it needs no electricity to make a real good coffee-just boil the billy!!
- Contributed by Carla Moora

​ Website: www.presso.com.au

​Fill the Thermos

My Tip for saving electricity. We are big tea drinkers, and after watching a segment on TV about saving electricity which mentioned to only boil the amount of water required my husband said if we filled up the kettle the balance of the water could be used to fill the thermos. We have one that keeps water hot for 24 hours, so now we boil the kettle and fill the thermos and have our boiling hot water for the day. Alternatively you could boil it in the microwave in a glass jug and fill the thermos.
​- Contributed by Sharon Farmer

Home-made Iced Coffee

Everyone in my family loves iced coffee, but it is expensive to buy and my hubby can't tolerate too much milk, so I started making it at home. I get a freshly washed 3 litre milk container and fill 2 to 2-1/2 litres with cold filtered (or spring) water. In a mug I then add about 4 dessertspoons of instant coffee (Nescafé tin at $14.95 on special once a month); about 8 dessertspoons of raw sugar (about $1.20 kilo home brand) and about 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (about $3.60 for a bottle), top up with hot water and stir to dissolve. Let this mix sit a little while to cool then add to the cold water in the milk container and top up with full cream milk. It is about the consistency of a very milky cup of coffee, which saves on the kilojoules as well. You can change the measurements of any of these to make your homemade iced coffee to exactly the way you want it, and it will still save you on the full price of ready made iced coffee, and can be made in a few minutes if you've forgotten to go to the shop. costs about $2 the way I make it but even if you use full milk it still only costs about $4 for 3 litres.
​- Contributed by Denise Scotford

​My 35 Cent Daily Latte

Approximate $ Savings: $31.50 plus

​ I love a good latte but I don't like the taste of instant coffee so when I was at work I was forever going down to the cafe to get my coffee. I recently tried the Nescafe latte sticks and I love them, they actually taste better than the cafe coffee at work. My favourite is the vanilla latte and mocha, and this week I bought a box of 10 in Woolworths for only $3.50. That's only 35cents a coffee.. for what I would spend on one coffee, I bought ten. Ten coffees would normally cost me at least $35 so from now on I will be buying the latte sticks, and even if I don't get them on special I still make big savings. You should try them, there are lots of flavours, if you don't like them that's fine but you never know if you don't try and I'm sure you've had a few coffees from cafes that were horrible - and you probably paid over $3.50 for it. I know I have.
- Contributed by Rubyanne Barrett

​Orange Water

Approximate $ Savings: $200 a year When buying orange juice from the supermarket, fill up an older orange juice bottle or a jug with half of the orange juice. Fill both orange juice containers up with water to dilute the orange juice. If you don't taste the straight orange juice, you don't even notice it's not at full strength. You're also adding water, so it's more thirst quenching! You're getting two bottles of orange juice for the price of one!
​- Contributed by Dee Fernandez

​Fizzy Drink with a Difference

Try a fizzy drink with a difference for yourself or the kids. Buy a two litre sugar free cordial, flavour of choice, and a cheap home brand mineral water and add together. This will make a fizzy drink for the kids without the expensive price tag and no added sugar.
​- Contributed by Debbie Smith

​Free Juice for a Year

Approximate $ Savings: $3 per bottle

Having a few citrus trees I have found that we have a glut of citrus for six months of the year. Not being one to waste I juice as much of the citrus as I can and freeze in old juice bottles. This enables us to have a years worth of juice available to us. The lemons and limes are put into containers measuring 1 cup each and frozen, this then makes an easy lemon/limeade. Use one cup juice to one cup sugar (or to taste) add boiling water to dissolve sugar and add cold water to make a two litre jug of juice (very refreshing in summer months). These juices can also be used as poppers for the children by filling pop tops up with this juice (just like the bought ones). They can also be frozen in the pop tops for icy cold drinks. This can also be done for bulk buys of any citrus.
​- Contributed by Caroline Deguara

​Juicy Savings

Approximate $ Savings: $20 per month

​ I used to buy a 3L bottle of juice weekly for approximately $4, however it would be everyone except me drinking it as I usually only have a glass or two a week. So my new rule is no one is allowed to touch my juice! A three litre bottle now lasts me a month, sometimes longer. Its not a huge saving but every little bit helps.
-Contributed by Lisa, Hamilton

​Half and Half

My kids love bottled fruit juice, but I find that it doesn't seem to last all that long. So I water it down. I usually do half and half, but sometimes more or less depending on the juice - the kids love apple and blackcurrant flavour, but in the brand we buy it seems to be extra sweet so I get away with putting more than half water in it. This way the kids get to enjoy the flavour and I only have to buy once a month! And if you keep the empty bottle from the last time you bought juice, you can use that to make it up so you don't have to buy an extra jug!!
​-Contributed by Cheryl, Singleton

​Time for Tea

Always use a teapot when making tea specially when using the teacup tea bags. By using the teapot you can get approximately 250-300 cups of tea out of a 100 teabag box. Great savings.
​- Contributed by Tracey, Copacabana

​Keep a Flask of Water for Coffee or Tea

As summer is ending, I thought I'd submit this tip for the cooler months ahead. A few years ago I purchased a stainless steel flask. During the cooler months if I feel like a coffee, I boil the kettle and put the left-over boiled water in my flask. The next time I want a tea or coffee, I use this water instead of boiling the kettle again!
​- Contributed by Judith, Greenwith

​Switching Coffee Habit Saves Big Dollars

Approximate $ Savings: $50.00 per month +

​ A prior coffee shop addict, I now buy boxed coffee sachets (e.g. Nescafe Latte) which only works out to 40c to 50c each, versus a cafe coffee for $4 to $5 each – a big difference. I have saved at least $50 each month by doing this. Instead of taking a friend out to coffee, we make up our own and take it down to the local park and catch up over coffee. They taste (almost) as good as real coffee, but without the expense. Plus if I'm driving somewhere, I make up my coffee sachet and put it in a Thermos travel mug so I don't get tempted to buy one when out and about. However I still treat myself to a real coffee several times a month though, instead of several times a day! I have saved heaps of money using this method, yet I don't feel I'm missing out on my coffees at all.
- Contributed by Jodie, Caboolture

​Sweet Smoothies for Summer

Approximate $ Savings: $30 depending on family size and time

​ My family and I love fruit smoothies in summer. We usually make them with strawberries, banana, kiwi fruit and any other fruit in the fridge and fruit juice instead of milk. I now buy strawberries when they are on special...wash and hull them and cut them into halves or quarters depending on the size...do the same with kiwi fruit when they are out to clean and bananas and cut all the fruit into chunks. Place on a tray on a plastic bag and freeze. Once frozen they can all be mixed in the same freezer bag and when you want a smoothie everything is in the bag...literally. Just add juice! It saves a lot of money by buying fruit that is low priced. It works all year, and by having the fruit already cleaned and cut you save time. Full of antioxidants too...we add mulberries from out own tree and pears and apples (skin and all) from people who also have fruit trees.
- Contributed by Silvia, Port Kennedy

​Coffee Savings

Approximate $ Savings: $230 in first year, $540 pa every year after

​ I have saved heaps of money on my daily coffee - $230 in my first year and then $540 every year since. I was spending $4 every working day,$840 pa. I bought a compact coffee maker and make my own. I have to spend time making and cleaning up but is that worth the savings/ Definitely! And I am saving on the takeaway so being green as well!
- Contributed by Lyn, Gordon

​Remind Them We Are Made of Water

Encourage young children to choose water as their favourite drink by explaining that we are in fact made of water. That way they won't always opt to fill up on sugary drinks and add more costs to the grocery bill.

​- Contributed by Maria Katergaris

​Baby Chinos and Hot Chocolates at Home

Approximate $ Savings: $6.50

My girls love baby chinos/hot chocolates (with marshmallows of course). I was buying them baby chinos and a hot chocolate in a mug (to share) for $7.50 a couple of times a week. After a tip from my mum on how to make cheap frothy milk I bought a coffee plunger for $2 from an op shop. You move the strainer up and down very quickly for a few seconds and it makes lovely frothy milk. I can now make us all frothy hot chocolates (with marshmallows) for under $1.
- Contributed by Leanne, Box Hill

​Homebrew

This is for drinkers. A little or a lot. It's up to you. I like a few on Friday and have found that home brewing is the way to go. At no more than $0.20 per 750mls bottle it is a lot cheaper than buying a schooner (425mls) at the local bowling club (average price) $3.40. You also have the fun of making it (ask my wife, she does and she doesn't drink at all) and you can try different blends and flavours - there are literally hundreds. The savings really depends on how much you drink. I am not encouraging anyone to imbibe. I like it and this is an enjoyable way of having something I like and the enjoyment of knowing I made it myself. You will have to buy a brewing kit for the ease of making it.
​- Contributed by Clive, Canowindra

​Water Bottle Holder

For those with stubby holders collecting dust in the back of the cupboard, I use mine for water bottles (which of coarse I'm reusing). They keep the water frozen or cold longer and don't leave a water mark on the table.
​- Contributed by Helen, Athelstone

​Half and Half Drink Bottles

With the regular outings to public places with my two young boys, I cannot justify spending $5 plus on drinks alone so I've resorted to half-filling their little plastic bottles from home, buying a single bottle of orange/fruit juice (200-300 ml) and topping up their bottles with it. This way they get a fruit drink (albeit diluted but can't be bad for them), I get to have the left-over juice as it only takes half the bottle to top their's up and I haven't wasted money buying a second drink unnecessarily.
​- Contributed by Nani, Marrickville

​Thermos on Tap

​A lot of people might have a thermos in their cupboard for picnics. Why not use it more often? Boil water for hot drinks during the day once in the morning and keep it in a thermos or thermoses for use during the day. Saves water (you're not refilling the kettle all the time), and energy (electricity or gas) and saves time waiting for the kettle to boil again too! The water is always hot and ready to use, and if it cools a bit by the end of the day, you can pour it back into the kettle for a fast, energy-saving re-boil.
Contributed by Katherine, Caulfield South

​Precise Measuring for Faster Boiling Water

When I put the kettle on the gas to boil to make a pot of tea (or if I use an electric kettle) I measure a litre of water first and use it to fill the kettle. This is the exact amount my teapot holds and it boils faster as I'm not heating more than I will use and also it saves on gas/electricity by not paying to heat excess water which will sit in the kettle and get cold. If I'm making coffee I measure a smaller amount so I again don't boil more than I intend to use.
Contributed by Sherry, Wulguru

​Red and White Coffee Worth a Try

I tried the plain label (red and white) powdered instant coffee one week when I was low on cash. A big tin costs about $7-8 v Nescafe $22-24. Everyone who visited commented on the coffee and wanted to know what brand it was. It is very creamy and smooth, equivalent to much more expensive brands. A saving of $15 for no difference in taste. Definitely worth a try.
Contributed by Jennifer, Boulder

​Drink Them

I do the same when strawberries are cheap. I use them for making strawberry dacquari (chuck them in the blender with the rest of the ingredients) and also for fruit smoothies.
Contributed by Melanie, Wallan

​Non-alcoholic Daiquiri

If the strawberries are already hulled, place a handful in your blender with some ice and a splash of vodka or Bacardi, and you have a lovely refreshing low-cost daiquiri! Or omit the alcohol and top up with lemonade (after blending!) for the kids. We always buy up when strawberries are cheap, and freeze half the punnets whole, still with the wrap on top for a rainy day, and hull the rest so they are ready to go.
Contributed by Jacki, Warner

​Amazing Drinks

I have frozen strawberries for use in thickshakes and daquiris. They make the drink lovely and icy cold and are very refreshing.
Contributed by Annette, Altona Meadows

​Banana & Strawberry Smoothie

I make banana and strawberry smoothies. One very ripe banana, a good handful of frozen strawberries, a drop of vanilla essence and 1 cup of low fat or skim milk. Place in a blender and blend and you have a delicious and healthy low fat drink.
​Contributed by Deborah, Chirnside Park

​Use Straight From the Freezer

Use frozen strawberries straight from the freezer in smoothies. Just pop them in the blender with milk and yoghurt(or ice cream) for an icy cold strawberry smoothie.
Contributed by Julia, Nowra Hill

​Whizz Up a Drink

​A great way to use frozen strawberries is to make strawberry smoothies. In a blender add some frozen strawberries to some milk and also add yoghurt for an extra yummy taste. Then blend away. A great morning quick breakfast or afternoon snack for when the kids get home. Plus it's healthy.
Contributed by Kim, Berkeley Vale

​Smoothies

I would use the strawberries for breakfast smoothies eg: milk, egg, vanilla essence, plain yoghurt yummy... or put the frozen strawberries into plain yoghurt mmmm... or put the frozen strawberries into a jug of cold water very refreshing & healthy for the kids or use them in a cheap plain brand cake and make muffins with them lovely afternoon tea I hope this helps :-)
Contributed by Sindy, Mudgeeraba

​Using Up Lots of Strawberries

​I would use these up gradually by making a batch of strawberry smoothies every couple of days. Smoothies are a nutritional way to start any day. Just add 2 cups low fat milk, 100g low fat yoghurt, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, 1 punnet of strawberries and some honey and blend for 60 seconds.
Contributed by Suzan, Keilor Downs

​One Word: Smoothies!!

I know you won't use the whole 15 punnets on this (unless you want to do this at a party!!). Take about 6 frozen strawberries, a cup of milk and if you like any other fruit (I freeze bananas as well) and blend. You don't have to add icecream as the frozen fruit makes it cold and yum!! It's a cheap treat, my kids love it!!
Contributed by Vanessa, Cranbourne

​Strawberry Slushie

One of the yummiest things to do with frozen strawberries is to make them into a iced drink. Place the frozen strawberries into a blender with your favourite fruit, plus either some fruit juice or yoghurt and honey and you have a icy fruit drink - perfect for the hot summer weather!
Contributed by Sophie, Brooklyn Park

​Home Brew For Huge Savings

Approximate $ Savings: $4420 I have recently started home brewing my own beer. As I would normally spend about $100 a week on alcohol. To buy a kit outright it cost me $70 at Big W which included everything I needed to brew my first lot of beer. Every brew costs about $15 and you get 30 740 ml bottles, so instead of spending $100 a week on alcohol I spend $15 saving me $4420 a year, and also the fuel savings going to and from the bottle shop. It is easy to brew beer and comes with full instructions including a DVD. You can also brew many different types of beer and ginger beer. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who drinks beer.
Contributed by Carley, Nambour

​Flavoured Water

When my son has fruit he does not like the skin so when I peel the fruit I keep the skins and place them in a jug of water and place in the fridge, it flavours the water and he drinks that rather than juice or cordial - it is better for him and doesn't waste the skins.
Contributed by Samantha, Corrimal

​Your Personal Wine Selector

As wine lovers my partner and I were constantly dipping into the nearest bottle shop to pick up wine, either for a quiet night in or an evening out with friends. Buying wine from bottle shops meant we would often not only spend a lot of time choosing the bottle that we wanted but we would also be drawn in by the 'special offers' on other drinks instore. Since we drink wine so regularly we decided to join a wine club (Wine Selectors - www.wineselectors.com.au). They provide boutique wines that are not found in most bottle shops and they deliver regularly. We have found that although we are paying the same price per bottle, we are getting much better quality wine for the price, we receive a free magazine with each delivery, and we even receive tasting notes so we are learning about the wine that we drink. As members we even get discounts on things like accommodation and cellar door events in the Hunter Valley, where we plan to take a holiday some time this year. We now save a lot of time in having our wine selected for us, our tastes and knowledge have been broadened due to the variety of wine that we have rather than just choosing what we are used to from the bottle shop, and we aren't tempted by impulse buys whilst browsing for our booze! For those of you who enjoy wine and drink regularly, joining a wine club/scheme can save you money and broaden your horizons. There's always wine there for emergency gifts or to take with you when invited to a friends at the last minute, and it looks ever so impressive when you have visitors and you can browse your 'collection' for the bottle that's just right for dinner! And a final hint, if you have friends that enjoy wine as much as you do and they join the club through your recommendation, both you and your friends will receive two bottles of wine for free. Nothing beats a freebie!
Contributed by Rachel, Lane Cove

​Savoury Hot Drink

Approximate $ Savings: $5

When boiling vegetables, strain the water into a cup. Add a few dashes of soy sauce for a really tasty (and very healthy) drink before dinner - it helps fill you up too. Alternatively keep the veggie water and freeze it for your next soup.
Contributed by Jackie, Greenwell Point

​Buy Vodka Online Makes Recipes Cheaper

Approximate $ Savings Upwards of $16

​I have read so many tips using vodka recently in your emails. From perfumed ironing/curtain refreshing to vanilla bean extract making. We buy our vodka, a known brand from Grays Online auctions - www.graysonline.com.au. They come in a case which can be shared amongst others if need be, at a fraction of the price. We now make our own Kahlua and Baileys for $24 for a litre and a half. Normally this would be about $40 from a bottle shop.
Vanessa, Lewisham

​Super Summer Smoothies

Approximate $ Savings: $2-3 per smoothie Make great fruit smoothies that are refreshing and good for you. Combine fresh fruit (bananas, pineapple, kiwi fruit etc) with fruit juice,(left over fruit salad or tin fruit is great for this),and 2-3 frozen icy pole tubes (fruit flavours)in a food processor or blender. Check out the ingredients of the Boost Juices on their pamphlet and make your own smoothies. Replace the lemon/fruit sorbet they use with the frozen icy pole tubes, no need to add ice.
Contributed by Sue, Moe

​Homebrewing Hints & Tips

I saw a query from a fellow cheapskate about saving on home brewing and thought I'd give a few hints I've picked up over the years since I was lucky enough to pick up my home brew kit at The Warehouse for a lot less than they sell for in department stores. The kit comes with everything you need except the bottles and the one I bought even had a can of the pre-mix starter and a bag of dextrose so I could make my first batch straight away. On that note I have to say don't be tempted to use sugar here instead of the dextrose to save money, as the resulting beer will taste somewhat less than average, but as for the can of "goo" there are generic brands out there and they're cheaper and just as good as the name brands. Try looking in the trading post or on eBay to see if you can get the brew kit at a bargain price, but don't forget to factor in any postage costs if buying on eBay. As far as bottles go, never buy them, either use recycled glass beer bottles (the kit also contains a capping device and you'll need a hammer to assist) and a pack of generic brand crown seals are fairly cheap or if you don't want to use glass and have the ongoing expense of the crown seals, soft drinks come in PET bottles and these are fine to use for brewing, just keep them out of the light. One of the supermarkets has the canned "goo" to make up ginger beer and apple cider, and occasionally all the canned "goo" is on special, so keep an eye on the prices and don't pay any more than you need to. I've heard of one lady home brewer who adds a little more water to her brew which stretches out the amount of bottles she gets per batch, but that's something you can experiment with later once you get the hang of it all, I guess. Back to those soft drink bottles, the 600 ml and the 1.25 litre ones work best as far as I've heard, and make sure they're very clean and the caps are screwed on tight, also try cutting down the amount of sugar (and yes, it Is sugar this time) in the bottle from 1 teaspoon to half or 3 quarters of a teaspoon. Hope all this information helps, good luck and successful brewing,
Vicki Judd

​Cheaper Filtered Water

Filtered Water for 5 cents per litre I recently purchased a water filter (Brita brand) for $27.99 which included 3 filters. This will provide me with filtered water for 24 weeks at around 5 cents per litre. Filters can currently be purchased in bonus 4 packs for around $28, so I can continue to have filtered water for less than 5 cents per litre all year round. I was spending $7 per week on delivered spring water, so that's a saving of around $300 per year!
Contributed by Sharee

​Iced Tea

Instead of buying expensive bottled drinks, you can make up a big pot of black tea. Add sugar to taste. When the tea has cooled down, add fresh lemon juice and more sugar if needed. Chill in individual bottles, and grab one from the fridge whenever you're heading out. Beats paying $3 a bottle for Nestea, or other sodas.
Contributed by Kerrie, Burwood

​Chilling Wine/Soft Drink

To quickly chill a bottle of wine or soft drink wrap it in a wet tea towel and put it in the freezer. It only takes 5 to 10 minutes
Contributed by Lois, Merbein South

​Vacuum Flasks Save Money

I have found a great way to save money is to invest in a vacuum flask and take your own coffee. At $3 plus for a cup that is half froth, coffee is a bit of a rip off, and can be very expensive if you buy even only one cup per day.
Contributed by Hilary

​Saving Energy and Money

Instead of opening the fridge door all the time to get at your water in jug, I find an Airpot works well. Kept full of iceblocks and cold water, on the bench, and easy to use a largish one lasts the best part of a day in our home. I've brought my son up to drink water when thirsty ~ (and eat apples for snacks). We never buy Coke but sometimes mineral water for special occasions (with fruit juice).
Contributed by Julie, East Victoria Park

​Wine

When purchasing wine a cask is a lot cheaper but doesn't look as nice to take out for dinner or at a party. If you buy a bottle of wine in a screw top bottle you can then fill up the bottle after it has been drunk with cask wine and no one has to know you are drinking cask instead of bottled wine.
​- Contributed by Cathy, Jannali

​Cheap Alternative to Boost Juice Smoothies

Do you want to have delicious fruit smoothies without spending the 5 bucks that fashionable juice companies charge? I do! Whenever I'm doing my fruit and veg shopping, I look for the cheaper or slightly squished expensive seasonal fruits like mangoes or strawberries or brown bananas and I take them home and peel/slice them into portions for freezing in separate bags. They keep for months! When I feel like a smoothy, I grab 1/2 frozen banana, a strawberry, and a slice of mango and add some milk and yoghurt and honey and whiz it in the blender. Voila! A creamy, icy, healthy treat for you and the kids! Also, if there is leftover smoothy (and I make extra) simply pour into ice-block moulds or ice-cube trays to freeze and they make a fantastic ice-cream alternative. Saves me temptation at the shops because I know that my smoothies at home are tastier than the Boost ones, and gives me an easy entertainer if someone pops around on a summer afternoon. Guests are always impressed!
Contributed by Mandi, Highgate Hill