Latest Tips June 2020 - THE CHEAPSKATES CLUB

Latest Tips - June 2020

Here you'll find the latest tips added to the Tip Store during June.

Paying for Pharmaceuticals

Phone/ask and check the price of prescription medications at your local pharmacies. One of my regular prescriptions cost $13 less per prescription at a bigger chain pharmacy than my local pharmacy. $13 at one script per month = $146 savings per year - on just one prescription.
Contributed by Valda Duffield

Stop Boiling That Kettle

Every morning I boil the kettle for my caffeine hit and then it would be re-boiled for my mid-morning cuppa and later on when hubby came in from the back yard and when a neighbour or friend called in for a cuppa. Have you seen the electricity meter spin when one kettle is boiled? It's pretty fast!...and it's money spinning away with each cuppa. Now I fill the kettle and make my cuppa and then put the rest of the kettle into a big thermos and use that for the other cuppas as needed. By teatime, the water is still hot enough that I use any left to add to a pot of pasta I'm cooking or the dish washing water. Even if we have lots of people in for a craft day, I'll only boil the kettle once more and fill a second thermos. Less energy used and less workouts for the kettle's heating element extends its life as well.
Contributed by Julie Nicks

Presents for Christmas or Birthdays

Every so often I come to the Recipe Files to grab a recipe or two so I decided to get some exercise books and cover them with material I have in my stash. Then I add the recipes, decorate with some family photos or copies and when the book is full I give the recipe book to a family member for Christmas or use as a stocking filler.
Contributed by Melissa Kercher

Stacking Sheet Sets

I fold the sheets and put them into the pillowcase (with other pillowcase if larger than single bed). When changing sheets you just grab the one bag you need.
Contributed by Pat Fagan

Flush but Save

We have half flush function on our toilets but it still uses at least 4 litres of fresh, pure, water that costs us money and is also becoming scarcer in our land of droughts. To change this, you can turn off the water to the cistern, take off the lid and fill it up with water you've saved from your showers or baths. Your water bill will show a difference in both usage and amount needing to be paid which will bring a smile as well as one for helping the environment
Contributed by Julie Nicks

Curtain Rails can Save Space, Time and Money

I live in a small apartment and having space to dry washing can be challenging. In the warmer weather, I used the garage, but now it's too cold! So I installed a curtain rail on the top on the window frame and I use it for extra drying space. I put coat hangers on it and hang items like tops and jackets etc. This means I can take it directly to the wardrobe. I now have more space to dry my washing and I am using the dryer less. This project cost around $25
Contributed by Chloe Matthews

Creative Thinking Saved Over $400

My narrow laundry cupboard was driving me mad with only two shelves high up. The rest of the space was a piled in jumble of broom, mop, bucket, my winter welly boots etc. There were some narrow wire baskets fixed to back wall to hold cleaning supplies. Quotes to have the cupboard fitted with a vertical divider for brooms and some shelving on the other side came to nearly $500. Looking for budget friendly, creative solutions, I suddenly thought about using a 4 x 1 cube storage unit from Bunnings put in upright. The measurements were perfect. We took off the narrow baskets at the back and these fitted perfectly inside the cube shelves for tidy storage of cleaning products. The broom and mop fit perfectly in the narrow space beside the cube shelf. I purchased one cube insert box for the bottom space of the cube and inside my welly boots, bucket, dustpan and brush fit nicely out of sight. I am beyond thrilled with this simple solution that cost approximately $83 for the cube, insert and a couple of other organisers - saving well over $400. My message is always think creatively before spending on home improvements and you'll save a fortune.
Contributed by Jennifer Winslow

Cutting the Cheese

Our family loves cheese, and we go through the large blocks in no time at all which can get quite costly. It doesn’t help that some days it’s impossible to cut the cheese into thin, even slices, and instead we end up with wedges, meaning we use more than required. To help with this, I use a veggie peeler on the block of cheese. I get nice thin, even slices, so we use less each time, and save money in the long term since we don’t have to buy new blocks as often.
Contributed by Nicole Harrison

Reusing Meat Trays Without the Smell

I know we all look to reuse any plastic trays items come in but many are sceptical about reusing meat trays. They are often quite solid and great in the pantry, fridge, for craft, kids toys or in the garage. Discard the meat liner then wash the tray as usual; however the smell can sometimes remain so I put them in the bathroom sink for several days. Each time I wash my hands they fill and soak with soapy water. Empty them out on a regular basis, up to several times a day, so the water does not go stagnant. After a few days they smell fresh and clean and usually only having a lingering scent of soap. Wash properly again and they are ready to use. If they are not very solid stack several inside each other and use everywhere!
Contributed by Lilly Andren

Gluten Free Pie Bases

Having been on a GF diet for many years I’ve always struggled to find the perfect pastry for pie bases and believe me I’ve tried many recipes! But surprise, surprise I recently discovered that the white corn tortillas (Mission band) are the size to fit the base of my pie maker. So just place the base cutter on top of the tortilla and press down to make the cuts to overlap, place in pie maker, add filling and add a top from GF puff pastry and you have a great pie. I thaw out my puff pastry sheet and roll it out slightly larger than packet size and I can get four tops from 1 sheet!
Contributed by Lyn Smith

Buy a Cheaper Pet Mat

A black rubber mat that is used in front of an outside door can easily be put in front of a litter box or food bowl. The standard black mat may be found at dollar stores from $3 to $10. Pet stores will usually charge double this amount for specialty pet mats. The texture of a regular black mat has grooves and cuts already made into the mat just like the more expensive pet store mat.
Contributed by Mary Newell

Scrap Soup

My family absolutely loves a recipe I found when researching ways to use up some of the ‘scraps’ I was producing in the kitchen regularly. It’s actually a celery soup but my kids love the name ‘scrap soup’ and really you could throw a lot of different things in there. I know all about keeping scraps for stock, and I do keep my bones and frames but don’t produce enough vegetable scraps to make keeping them worth it. I don’t peel carrots or potatoes so peelings are rare in my house and we eat broccoli and cauliflower stalks etc., but we eat a lot of celery and I use this recipe to turn the leaves and stalk tops and tough base into a delicious soup. The measurements are not that precise, I am pretty relaxed about it, I just use what I have on hand and it always turns out.

* The ‘waste’ from a bunch of celery (leaves, thin top stalks and tough lower stalks)
* 1 large potato
* 1 onion
* Garlic to taste
* Stock or water - 2 cups or more to taste
* 1 tbsp of oil
* A couple splashes of cream

Dice all your vegetable ingredients into small-ish pieces. Obviously the smaller you chop them, the faster your cook time. Add the oil to a pot, add the ground garlic, chopped onion and diced potato. Sauté until the onion is soft, then add the chopped celery (and any other veggie scraps you are using) and stir until the celery starts to wilt. Add the stock/water. A couple of cups worth will result in quite a thick soup so add more if you like it a bit thinner. Simmer gently until the potato is soft and cooked through. Take off the heat, add a couple of splashes of cream to taste, then blend with a stick blender or in a jug blender. Add salt to taste and enjoy.
Contributed by Jessica Linke

Better Tasting Roasts and Cheap and Tasty Gravy

I found a way to make my roast chickens tasty all the way to the bone as well as make a really easy and tasty gravy base, which is a big help for gravy novices like me.

When I cook my roast chickens I put a few centimetres of french onion soup in the bottom of my roasting pan. I got 400mL tins of it at an outlet store for under $1 per tin, but the Woolies home brand powder sachets are only 45c each. Feeding a large family who like a *lot* of gravy I use 2 sachets and we get enough gravy to last for the meal and several servings of leftovers. The juices and dripping from the chicken drops into the soup mix, which I then simmer and thicken with a little flour when the chicken is done and the flavour is fantastic.

The liquid in the pan also keeps the chicken meat super moist and the onion flavour in it means the taste penetrates all the way through the meat. I’ve tested it out on several friends and they have all started doing the same thing because they also find it makes a huge difference.
Contributed by Jessica Linke

Vegemite Chicken

A fresh chicken cleaned and pat dry.
Add seasoning and butter under breast skin.
Apply a thin coating of Vegemite rubbing all over the Chicken.
Your chook will have a beautiful skin and taste, roast as usual.
Believe me try it it's Amazing
Contributed by Verna Van Nugteren

Keeping Vegetables Fresh in Crisper

I have always removed the plastic bag and containers of vegetables to keep fresh for longer. Plastic causes sweating and therefore loss of vital nutrients of food. If you find you have too much, make an extra meal or two and freeze.
Contributed by Wendy Rice

Wrap Up Those Savings

This tip is great for the environment and your pocket. Leading up to Christmas I stock up on all the junk mail our house receives, as well as our local paper and use it to wrap our presents. I only used gift wrap for a couple of the bigger gifts.
Contributed by Rose Glavas

Make the Milk Last

I have a teenaged boy at home who loves to drink milk. If I had 3 litres of milk in the fridge, he would easily drink the whole lot in a day, if he could get away with it. There have been a number of times in the past, where I'd get a visitor and go to make them a coffee and end up having to say, "sorry, I've run out of milk". How embarrassing! I solved the problem by only buying UHT milk, and using a marker pen to label each litre with the day: Mon, Tue, Wed etc. I have a couple of spares in reserve, but he doesn't know that. He now knows that he can't get away with drinking milk whenever he feels like it, because there is only a limited amount available...the rest is not cold. So now, if I need to access the spares to make a coffee, or for baking, I just get one from the cupboard and it doesn't matter that it isn't icy cold.
Contributed by Toni Evans

Free Milk Every Week

My family go through 4 litres of milk a week. The cost adds up so I have changed the place I buy my milk. When I fill up the car each week at Woolworths Caltex stations, I use my 4c off per litre voucher from my shopping receipt, plus I buy 4 litres of milk ($5). Woolworths Caltex have an offer that if you spend $5 in store you get a further 4c/litre off. I then pay for my petrol and milk using a Woolworths Caltex 5% off gift card. I get access to these through AGL Rewards (gas company). On a typical 50L petrol fill up at $1.15/L I save $4.77. Practically pays for the milk!
Contributed by Meagan Pass

Keeping Mushrooms Fresh

When you buy fresh mushrooms, take advantage of the brown paper bag, stored next to them instore. When you get home, place the bagged mushrooms inside a plastic bag then store in your fridge. This won't cost anything extra but will save money by keeping the mushrooms fresher for longer and there is less chance of them going to waste.
Contributed by Frances Mavropoulos

Avoid Those Online Fashion Specials

$ Savings: Approximately $100 a month

I checked my “pocket money account” and was horrified at just how much I have spent while confined to home during the current restrictions....at least $100 a month, on specials being offered by fashion shops and other sites like Catch of the Day and Innovations. If you find it hard to avoid the temptations simply unsubscribe from all of them, leaving perhaps only one you really need, like a top line discount chemist one. This removes temptation from being always “in your face” every time you turn on your computer, and the sites can be always found if you really need something.
Contributed by Judy Bancks

Making Veggies Last with Vinegar

We shop once a fortnight, living in an isolated area. I found fruit and veggies would rarely last the fortnight, with mould spoiling many items even though washed and dried before refrigerating.

By washing veggies and fruit in water with vinegar added (about 1 tbsp per litre), air drying on a tea towel, then packing between layers of newspaper in the crisper, or using a tea towel or cloth bag, most of my veggies now last until next shop. They are so expensive here, and are hard to grow with our limited water supply, so it's well worth the extra effort!
Ruth Gregor

Free Freezer Go Between

Save the stiff plastic bags when you purchase packet cereal, cake or almost anything sealed in plastic inside a cardboard box. It is wonderful for separating food in the freezer. Once you have used or emptied the contents, trim off the sealed ends and the centre join, although this usually peels open easily. Wash the plastic when washing up in the sink and leave to dry. Cut the plastic to the size of your freezer containers and layer between bread, meat, fish, hamburgers, cake or whatever you want to remain in individual serves. The serves are easy to separate and once used the plastic dividers can be washed and reused. Once cut to your container sizes it is quick and easy to grab when needed. I have also used them to separate quiche and cake portions when I want to freeze the entire cake or quiche, by cutting the wedge and sliding a piece of plastic between the portions. These cost nothing and are better than anything you can buy.
Chris Hender

Apple Cinnamon Tea - It's Free

I love herb teas and fruity teas, and have discovered a nice free one! Whenever we peel any apples in our house, or cut cores out of apples, we put the peels and cores into a zip lock bag in the freezer. When I have a full bag, I tip it all into a pan with a few cups of water, a cinnamon stick or powder and some honey. I boil it and simmer for 15 minutes and then let it sit until cold. I strain it into a large jar and keep in the fridge, or drink some straight away for a lovely fruity cup of Apple and Cinnamon tea.
Carla Moora

How to Store Bananas

Buy a hand of bananas, take a thin slice off the top and sides, where they are connected. Place the TOP of the hand of bananas in water. I use a vase and prop the bananas up on the base of a basin.
Contributed by Louise Goode

Changing Linen Frustration Saver

Changing linen on larger beds can be frustrating. The fitted sheet isn't square, but it's not always easy to tell which end of the rectangle is shorter than the other. When you get a new set of sheets, find the label that's sewn into the corner seam, work out which corner it goes in, then write that on the label. Eg TOP RIGHT or BOTTOM RIGHT etc. the next time you use those sheets you'll know without effort which corner goes where
Contributed by Sonja Smout

Pegged the Bag

For many years I have kept an old Tupperware container with no lid in my pantry and one in my fridge, in it are a bunch of wooden pegs. I use these to reseal my freezer bags, fridge bags and anything in the pantry that needs resealing. I have seen many people swear by the use of those specific bag closure clips, the pegs use the same principal.
Contributed by Deborah Spikins

Blessed Fragrance

Scent, fragrance brings back beautiful memories.. when my son started school, he had this separation anxiety. He would cry and not let go. True, its horrible on my part as a mother as well. So I gave him my handkerchief and told him to hold it and if he feels afraid or alone, he would just smell the perfume in my hanky and thank God it worked.

As we are faced with this Covid 19, we are told to disinfect using alcohol at least (60%-70%) and sanitizers as well. Many are having trouble with these specially when the scent is too much, I got an allergic reaction to these scented alcohol and there is not much to chose. So what I did, I bought a gallon of UNSCENTED ethyl alcohol 70% then transferred some in my small sprayer, put a few drops of my favourite scent or perfume then use it to disinfect. My room, bathroom, dresser smell so good because the perfume brought back those beautiful vacation memories. So if you still have those tiny perfume testers from the stores, start enjoying them before they dry out. You will have a nice Eau de Toilette for a disinfectant. Word of caution, do not spray alcohol on wooden painted walls.. it will discolour. Thank you from the beautiful island of the Philippines, Mabuhay... we heal as one...God bless.
Contributed by Joy Po

Frugal Firelighters

I dry my used teabags in the sun. Once dried I throw them into a big Mason jar filled with paraffin. Works well when making a fire, cheaper than store bought fire lighters and only cost is the price of paraffin.
Contributed by Margaret Lambrechs

Frugal and Earth Friendly Storage

As Cheapskaters we are already aware of the overlap between frugality and green living, with MOO being a key strategy to implement the '7 R's' - refuse, reduce reuse etc.

MOO, particularly in the area of gifts and crafts however can require creative ways of storing and organising supplies and projects. I have found the clear plastic containers fruit, veggies and baked goods come in are ideal for this purpose. They are often clamshell in design, a great size for small items and stack well.

And no, as a frugal environmentalista I don't purchase them myself, but collect then reuse/recycle from work celebrations and family events - ticking the boxes for both frugality and caring for the environment!
Contributed by Melanie Osborne

Thai Vegetable Soup

There is nothing better than serving up a hot bowl of soup on a cold day for lunch or dinner.
My Thai vegetable soup is very easy to prepare and low in cost.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato peeled and roughly chopped
3 large carrots peeled and roughly chopped
1 large brown onion peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 a bunch of celery roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
2 cups of broccoli roughly chopped
1 litre of Liquid Thai stock
1 can of coconut milk
Water to top up.

Method:
I throw all of these ingredients (except the coconut milk) into my pressure cooker and cook for 15-20 minutes. I then Bamix the soup until all lumps are gone and the soup is a smooth consistency. Before serving I add in one can of coconut milk and stir through.
That’s it.

NQR sell the Thai stock base for $1.50. I buy the coconut milk from Coles which costs around $1.50 a can and the vegetables either come from my garden or bought on special from the fruit shack in my local area usually costing no more than $5.00
This recipe provides me with enough soup for 2-3 days for 3 adults.
It is an easy recipe that tastes great and costs no more than $8.00.
Contributed by Michelle Hoffman

The Joys of Breadmaking

I have been making my own bread for 10 years now, and purchase the 12.5kg Allied Mills Superb Bakers Flour from PFD. The cost for 1 bag I previously bought was $21.45. This bag lasts about 4 months, making roughly 4-5 loaves a week .PFD caters for cafes and businesses, but will still allow you to buy there. I've always paid with cash, but credit card is available. With this flour, I also make pizza bases, hot cross buns, finger buns, and fruit loaves. The breads I make are rye, wholegrain, bran, Italian olive bread, white, and sunflower and cracked wheat loaf. I add gluten flour ($9.95 for a 500g packet) to the weighed rye and wholemeal flour (6 grams of gluten flour to 100grams of wholemeal or rye flour). This makes the bread softer. The gluten flour has already been added to the white bakers flour. Possible savings per year by making my own bread and other articles is roughly $1824.25, which is $35.08 saved every week. Plus I enjoy it!

P.S. The gluten flour brand name is Lotus gluten flour. The company name is Kadac Pty Ltd, phone No is 1300762025.
Contributed by Annette Cerasi