Need a gift in a hurry? Go to your stash of jars then head to the pantry and start packing that jar with all the ingredients to make Simple Shortbread or Snickerdoodles and voila you have a gorgeous, very useful, very inexpensive gift in a jar!
FROM THE MEMBERS CENTRE: GIFTS IN A JAR Gifts in a jar can be as simple or as complex as you like. They can be in jars or boxes or buckets or any other container suitable for the contents of your gift. They can be for eating or gardening or sewing or relaxing in the tub. Gifts in a jar are only limited by your imagination. Here are two of my favourites: Simple Shortbread Mix Ingredients: 1 cup SR flour 1/2 cup ground rice 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 cup castor sugar Method: Combine ingredients and pack into a jar. Attach label with instructions as below. Simple Shortbread 1 jar Simple Shortbread mix 1 cup butter Heat oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Cut cold butter into flour with a knife. Using fingertips knead shortbread mix and butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Use a knife to mix into a dough. Press mixture into a shortbread mould (if you have one) and cook on a baking sheet or press and cook in a greased, 20cm round cake tin. With a butter knife mark out wedges (you should get 12). Bake for approximately one hour, or until light golden on top. Do not brown. Cut into wedges while still warm. Snickerdoodle Mix 2 3/4 cups SR flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 tsp salt Method: Combine ingredients and pack into a jar. Attach label with instructions below. Snickerdoodles 1 jar Snickerdoodle mix 1 cup butter 2 eggs 2 tbsp sugar 2 tsp cinnamon Heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Cream butter with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until mixture is smooth and creamy. On low speed, add Snickerdoodle mix and beat until a dough forms. Roll dough into balls about the size of a 20 cent coin. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll balls of dough in the cinnamon sugar and then place on ungreased cookie sheets, about 5cm apart to allow room for spreading. Bake 8 - 10 minutes until light brown. Cool on wire racks.
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Ingredients:
500g chocolate cream biscuits 250g cream cheese peppermint essence 1 bag choc melts 2 tsp copha Choc sprinkles Method: Crush the biscuits to a fine crumb. I use my food processor to do this, so the crumbs are very fine. Using either the food processor or your hands, add the cream cheese and combine until the crumbs form a ball. Using a teaspoon, shape mixture into balls. Chill. Melt chocolate. Dip balls in chocolate then roll in sprinkles. Put on a plate to set. Store in the fridge in an air tight container. Can be frozen. Not long after we were married, Wayne's Aunty and I went to a microwave cooking demonstration. It was mind-blowing to me. I'd always thought the microwave was for reheating; I'd never tried to cook in it.
One of the best things I learned at that demonstration was this recipe for a fruit cake - cooked entirely in the microwave oven, and in a quarter of the time it takes in a conventional oven! Ingredients: 1kg mixed fruit 200g butter 1cup brown sugar 2tbsp liquid (orange juice, brandy or water) 4 eggs 1 cup SR flour 1 tsp mixed spice 1 tsp Parisienne Essence - see note Method: Place the fruit, butter, brown sugar and orange juice in a microwave safe container and cook on high for five minutes. Let go completely cold. When cold, add the flour, mixed spice and Parisienne essence. Beat the eggs and add to the mixture. Stir well. Cook in a 20cm microwave safe round cake pan. Line base of pan with baking paper. Wrap outside with foil, extending 2cm above top of pan. Secure with a rubber band. Cook 25 minutes on medium. Let cool in pan. Note: As this cake is cooked in the microwave, it doesn’t brown like a traditional fruit cake. The Parisienne Essence darkens the cake, giving it a more traditional look.If you don't have it, leave it out - just remember your cake won't darken like a traditional fruit cake. One question I get every year, usually just after Christmas, is do I think that the Christmas hampers available on the lay-by system are worth the money? And every year my answer is an emphatic no. Because when you break them down, they cost a lot more than the same items would if you were to source them yourself. When you MOO your Christmas hampers you choose what goes into it (you're not stuck with foods you don't like and will never use). You also get to choose when to buy those things (if you're smart you started with the non-perishables earlier in the year and bought them on half-price sale or even better, on clearance). And you choose how much of each thing to put into your hamper. Cheapskaters have their own methods of getting amazing Christmas hampers at rock bottom prices that have exactly what they want in them. If you're not familiar with it, I recommend the Joyco Hamper method. Joyofquilting is a long time Cheapskates Club member (she's also the inventor of Miracles Spray) and a few years ago she posted her template for her very own Joyco Hamper. Joy starts her Christmas grocery shopping early in the year, buying and stockpiling non-perishables and baking supplies and she uses her very detailed hamper template.
I usually start my Christmas/New Year grocery shopping in September and have it all finished when I do the November the shop. The bonus for me is that I buy enough to keep me out of the supermarket until it's time to do the March grocery shop the next year. Then the only things I buy are milk, eggs, bread and some fruit and veg, and only because I can't store enough of those things and keep them fresh for long enough. Why? Mainly because I loathe shopping in the heat and battling crowds during December and shopping during January doesn't appeal either - I want to enjoy our summer holidays. Having the Joyco Hamper template to work off helps me to remember to include the Christmas treats on my shopping lists. Things like ham, turkey, chocolate almonds, drinks, nuts, extra dried fruits, even the bon bons and candles for the table. And I can assure you my version of the Joyco Hamper doesn't cost anywhere $800, or even $400 a la the DIY version on the news. No siree! I budget $120 for our hamper and it includes all of the above, plus the extra veggies, serviettes, cheeses, dips, crackers, olives, pudding and cake ingredients and so on. Enough of my rambling, the point of this post is to share the Joyco Hamper template with you - just click here to download your copy.. As we Cheapskaters have been known to say, "make it your own". Use it as is or add or delete according to your needs. And smile as you shop for your Joyco Hamper because you'll be saving an absolute bundle. You can make really pretty and unique baubles for your Christmas tree with just sewing thread, paperclips and two or three different, recycled gaudy necklaces made of large beads. Just string one large bead with two, three or five large ones and use a paperclip to hang them on the Christmas tree. You'll find a wonderful assortment of necklaces at any op shop for just $1 or $2 each and you'll get a lot of ornaments from one necklace.
Creative Cheapskater Michelle is on a winner with these unique handmade Christmas gifts.
Approximate $ Savings: $20 per child This Christmas, I plan on creating gingerbread house kits for my primary school age nieces and nephews. Using information from marthastewart.com, I've created a cardboard mock-up of their grandfather's shed. I then used the cardboard pieces to cut gingerbread dough to size. I baked the gingerbread and will now build and decorate the shed. I'll then take a photo of the final product and put that, with the cooked gingerbread slabs, decorating lollies and the ingredients for the icing 'glue' in a box. They can then have full assembling and eating their own gingerbread shed. Choose a simple structure (like a shed), rather than the traditional peaked roof gingerbread house as assembling a gingerbread house takes some skill. I'm even going to put a toy tractor in the box that they can park in the shed. We want our homes to look the best they can over the holidays. Before the end of November we are pulling out the yuletide decorations. While we spruce up the inside and outside of our homes with bells and whistles, don’t forget about the Christmas tree.
I believe that decorating a Christmas tree is a family affair (and if it's not, it should be). Now, the husband and the kids may not want to go around the house hanging Christmas banners and Christmas cards with you. You may not enjoy climbing on the roof of the house to hang lights either. But every family member gets in the Christmas spirit with the Christmas tree decoration. Your tree says a lot about you as a family - your choice of ornaments, tree topping, and tree skirt - yes, tree skirt, and I'll talk more about these useful items later on. First choose your tree. Many go for artificial trees because there are no dried pine needles to pierce the bottoms of tender feet or vacuum up, I do too. We've had our big Christmas tree for 20 years and it's still going strong. I consider it an investment in our marriage, but that's a story for another day. What? You can't wait for "another day"? OK, here goes. The first year Wayne and I were married, we spent Christmas here in Melbourne with my family, and didn't have a Christmas tree, although we did hang a wreath on the front door and display the cards. The second year we were married was AJ's first Christmas and even though he was only 4 weeks old, we again came home to Melbourne for a family Christmas. I was so exhausted (it's a good thing no one tells you just how exhausting new babies are) that I didn't bother with a tree again. But the third year we were married AJ was one year old and come hell or high water I was having a Christmas tree, and it was going to be a real tree. We were dirt poor, having just moved into our house and it was a very tight Christmas. I had been to town and viewed the Christmas trees on offer and decided ours would come from Legacy. It would be beautifully decorated and look exactly like the Christmas trees in the picture books (we all have to have dreams). December rolled on and every night Wayne would come home treeless. I'd ask about the tree and he'd tell me he didn't have time to stop or came from the other direction - he always had an excuse for not bringing me home that Christmas tree. Finally Christmas Eve arrived and I consoled myself with the thought that at least AJ was too young to understand the meaning of the Christmas tree, or really of Christmas for that matter. Around 5pm Wayne pulled into the driveway and straight away I could see some greenery (if only I'd it THE ONLY GREEN on the tree) poking from the back of the van. He'd bought our very first Christmas tree! Oh how very wrong I was. Picture the scene if you will. There's me at the front door, babe on hip, almost jumping with excitement. My darling husband is slowly, slowly pulling on a tree trunk, dragging it out of the back of his work van. As he pulls, I get more and more excited. Then the excitement turns to confusion, then amazement and then complete and utter disappointment. My very loving, very hard working, very frugal husband had waited at the Legacy tree stand until they were closing. He bought the last three - yes - three trees they had left, for the grand price of $5. They should have paid him the $5 to take them off their hands! He'd bought three rather large sticks. With a couple of twigs hanging off each one. They were the most miserable looking examples of Christmas trees I had, no have, ever seen. To this day I haven't seen anything quite like them. I was so upset I started to cry. He was so thrilled with his bargain it took him a few minutes to realize I wasn't crying with joy. Those three sticks were stuck in a bucket of sand and my handmade tree skirt hung over it. Unfortunately there weren't enough twigs, let alone branches, for too many decorations, but they were a Christmas tree and I still remember the absolute wonder on one baby boy's face as he looked at all the sparkly baubles and the glittery tinsel. I can tell you, if we hadn't had that baby to coo over that tree….. We still talk, and nowadays laugh together, over the three for $5 Christmas tree. And the next year I saved up, a little every week from the grocery money, and bought a lovely artificial tree in November! And that's how we came to have an artificial tree. But now, back to the main topic of conversation, decorating the Christmas tree. Some artificial trees come pre-lit so that eliminates the need to buy strands and strands of lights. Artificial trees are available in many different colors, white, blue, black, pink, as well as green and are of varying heights and types. Coloured Christmas trees just don't seem like Christmas too me, I'm much more a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas, but whatever floats your boat, or rather decorates your tree. For a real tree, some families get theirs a couple of weeks before Christmas. Tree farms and tree lots usually have a nice selection of Christmas trees with hearty branches. Be sure that you can’t see through the tree. If you can, then it will be too thin to hold heavy ornaments. Also make sure to water real trees frequently once you’ve brought them home and placed them in their stand. This will prevent drying out of needles and possible fire hazards or a brown tree on Christmas morning. And this is why you need a tree skirt. A tree skirt is just a circle of fabric that slips around the base of your tree. It's there to cover the stand but more importantly it's there to catch the pine needles that drop, and drop they will. No matter how much you water your tree it will drop needles. If they drop into the tree skirt then all you do is gather it up and take it outside to shake every couple of days. No more messy pine needles on the floor, getting into everything and clogging up the vacuum. Here are some decorating suggestions no matter which type of tree you choose for your family this year. 1. Start with the lights. It’s going to be hard to put strings of lights on the tree after you’ve put all of the other goodies on the tree. For kids, it’s fun to put a strand or two of running lights so that they blink instead of staying on all the time. Depending on the size of your tree you may only need a couple strands of lights. 2. Add a touch of garland. There are many different kinds. Most people shy away from traditional icicles because they are a fire hazard especially on a live tree. The garland that has icicle like strands are just the same. Some opt for homemade popcorn garlands (fun for kids!), colored beaded garland, or snowflake garland made of plastic. Wrap the garland loosely so that it doesn’t strangle the tree. Let some of the length hang between the branches so it can be seen. 3. Now for the fun – the ornaments. Some families use a colour scheme of two or three colours for their ornaments. Others may purchase pre-packaged ornament sets with a certain theme. Kids can hang ornaments they created in school. You could end up with quite an eclectic looking creation. Space ornaments so they surround the tree and leave no bald spots. 4. The tree topper goes on last. There are angels, stars, and even bows. Some have a plug that fits into your string of lights. Just remove one light on the strand and plug in the tree topper. Others have their own plug that can be connected directly into the top strand of lights or the wall outlet. Some still don’t have a light at all. Our tree topper is an angel that Hannah made at after school kids' club when she was 5. It is a little worn and battered but it looks lovely on our tree. So that's basically how you decorate a Christmas tree, family style. Everyone pitches in and hangs decorations, checks the lights to find the blown bulb and untangles the tinsel. Stories are told of Christmases past, present and to come, of who gave which decorations to whoever and why, and memories are made. Around this time of year the Post Office becomes very busy - it's card sending season. Of course we send cards all year round, but from the beginning of November through to the end of December Christmas cards are in the mail. I love sending cards each year, but I like to send unique cards. I want the cards I send to be different to the run of the mill Christmas cards available in the shops. There are lots of things you can do to personalize and create unique Christmas cards and they don't have to break the budget. One easy way to do this is to make them. Now card making can be time consuming so to create beautiful, one-of-a kind cards I buy kits. These lovely cards were made using kits that cost just $2 per pack of 10 cards (and all the embellishments I could ever want) from a $2 shop. That's just 20 cents a card, as opposed to the $5 - $8 a card from the newsagent. If you don't feel that crafty, buy a packet of Christmas cards and embellish them. Use gold and silver gel pens to outline the main feature on the card. Have a card with a Santa on it? Add a little gold or silver pom pom to the end of his cap and glue a little cotton ball onto his beard. Add a tiny, red metallic pom pom to Rudolph's nose. Brush some clear glue over the stars and sprinkle them with glitter (do this over a sheet of paper so you can collect the glitter that doesn't stick and re-use it). Tackle a few cards each night and it won't be long before you have your Christmas card list finished and ready to post on the 30th November. Platinum members can login for full access to the Tip Store
Not a Platinum Cheapskates Club Member? Please upgrade to a Platinum Cheapskates Club membership to be able to access our Member's Centre. Click here to upgrade your Cheapskates Club membership today A lovely flavoured vinegar to give, that is easy to make and inexpensive, is strawberry vinegar. This delicately flavoured vinegar couldn't be any simpler to make, costs just a few cents and is truly a gourmet delight. You can use this vinegar in any recipe that calls for white vinegar, lemon or lime juice.
Strawberry Vinegar Ingredients: 600ml white vinegar 6 large, fresh, unblemished ripe strawberries Method: Wash the strawberries. Pour the white vinegar into a clean, sterilized jar. Add the strawberries. Seal and store in a dark, cool cupboard to infuse for six weeks. If your vinegar develops a film over the top, don't worry. This is the vinegar mother, just skim it off. It is a natural part of the fermenting process. After six weeks, strain the vinegar into a small saucepan. Heat to boiling point and boil for five minutes. Strain through a clean cheesecloth into decorative, sterilized jars, seal and store in the fridge. What are you planning to give to others this Christmas? If it is a food gift, use the tips above for gift ideas and also ways to keep it safe to enjoy. |
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