The Cheapskates Club Newsletter 02:16
In this newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - The Double-up Meal Plan; Dinner for Two at our Very Own Restaurant; Catch, Freeze, Water
3. Cheapskate's Winning Tip - Give those Hard-to-Find Handbag Items a Polish
4. Submit Your Tip - Share your best money saving tip for a chance to win
5. On the Menu - Herbed Honey Rissoles
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy - From the Archives: 2014 Food Challenge Begins
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. Member's Featured Blog - Hola Revolutionistas
9. Last Week's Question - Do you have any fructose free recipes?
10. This Week's Question - How do I clean vertical drapes?
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
12. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - The Double-up Meal Plan; Dinner for Two at our Very Own Restaurant; Catch, Freeze, Water
3. Cheapskate's Winning Tip - Give those Hard-to-Find Handbag Items a Polish
4. Submit Your Tip - Share your best money saving tip for a chance to win
5. On the Menu - Herbed Honey Rissoles
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy - From the Archives: 2014 Food Challenge Begins
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. Member's Featured Blog - Hola Revolutionistas
9. Last Week's Question - Do you have any fructose free recipes?
10. This Week's Question - How do I clean vertical drapes?
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
12. Contact Details
PS: Love our site? We love referrals! Send a note to your favourite newspapers, magazines, radio stations, TV stations, friends and relatives, and tell them about us!
2. From The Tip StoreThe Double-Up Meal Plan
Approximate $ Savings: Will differ from family to family but I would say $50 per fortnight!
I draw up fortnightly menus - well, one week's and put it on repeat the second week. There will be dinners for Monday to Sunday - which I cook as a double batch on week one, freezing for week two. That way there is no wasting of veggies etc. that will go off, and I get a whole week off from cooking dinner every second week! It definitely saves time and money. If I make things like hamburger patties or rissoles I use all the mince and freeze the rest for easy dinners and lunches. Just add whatever fresh vegetables you want to round out the meal. And lastly - instead of buying cold meats, I will buy a whole chicken, cook it and break it up into small portions for the freezer to use for lunches. That alone saves about $20 a fortnight. You can do the same with a roast beef too; it saves at least 50% of the cost of deli meats for sandwiches.
Contributed by Sibylla Stephenson
Dinner for Two at Our Very Own Restaurant
Approximate $ Savings: $100 plus
Earlier this week my husband and I celebrated our fifteenth wedding anniversary. In previous years, we have always gone out to dinner to celebrate. However, this year we are saving for a special holiday and so we decided to think of a different way to celebrate. So my kids (aged 10 and 7) helped me to set a 'table for two' in our living room. We set the table with a pure white table cloth, our best cutlery and crockery, a single rose (from the garden) and a candle. I cooked my husband's favourite meal and hunted out a couple of old tapes that had 'our songs' on them. When my husband arrived home from work, he was 'ushered' into the 'restaurant' by two little 'waiters' (dressed up in crisp white shirts). They handed us the menu for the evening (created that afternoon by the pair of them), and proceeded to 'wait' on the two of us for the evening. They had an absolute ball and we had a most unique and romantic anniversary. It was a fabulous way to save some money and have a great 'night in'.
Contributed by Loretto, Bushfield
Catch, Freeze, Water
Like most people in Australia nowadays we collect the water that would previously have gone down the sink (i.e. the cold tap water while waiting for it to warm). I use a large ice cream container to catch the water in. I then freeze the containers of water and put the frozen blocks out in the garden (usually around the trees that get little watering) overnight when the temperature has cooled. The blocks take hours to melt giving the tree a slow but deep watering. Saves water and also helps save the garden.
Contributed by Andrea, Balwyn
There are currently more than 11,000 great tips in the Tip Store
3. Cheapskates Winning TipThis week's winning tip is from Lynne Newman. Lynne has won a one year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip.
Give those Hard-to-Find Handbag Items a Polish
Finding things in my handbag has always been an issue so I bought expensive diaries and phone covers, with textured covers so I could easily locate them by feel in the bottom of my handbag. Instead, now I buy cheap and use the nail polish I already have sitting in my bathroom cabinet to dab on blobs of the nail polish. Let it dry, and not only do you get texture to locate items easily, but people now stop me in the street to comment on my pretty items. At present I have an aqua blue mobile phone cover covered in black blobs and a black diary covered in pale pink blobs, both little original works of art, both really easy to locate in my handbag. Unique, cheap and very practical.
Congratulations Lynne, I hope you enjoy your Cheapskates Club membership.
4. Submit your tipThe Cheapskate's Club website is over 3,000 pages of money saving hints, tips and ideas. Let's get together and make the Cheapskates Club Australia's largest online hint, tip and idea library. Share your favourite money saving, time saving or energy saving hint and be in the running to win a one-year membership to The Cheapskate Club. We publish a Winning Tip each Thursday, so enter your great money, time or energy saving idea now.
Share your favourite hint or tip that saves money, time and energy and be in the running to win a one-year subscription to The Cheapskate Journal.
Remember, you have to be in it to win it!
Submit your tip
5. On the MenuHerbed Honey Rissoles
I love this recipe of Kaye B’s; I've been making it since she first shared it way back in 2013. I like our meals to come within my grocery budget, but I also like them to be healthful and have flavour - plain beans and mince just won't cut it in our house. These rissoles are delicious. I often serve them warm with salad. In winter they go really well with pumpkin mash. But the way the kids like them best is as a burger, on a fresh hamburger bun, and I have to say I like them this way too.
Herbed Honey Rissoles
Ingredients:
500g minced beef
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs (dried)
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed or use 1 tsp from jar
1 teaspoon basil, dried
1 teaspoon tarragon, dried
1 chicken stock cube or some stock powder
2 tablespoons of sour cream (I use mayonnaise! original recipe was sour cream)
optional, add some minced onion. (I don't)
Method:
Mix all ingredients well, then cover and put into fridge and allow to combine for at least an hour. You may use fresh breadcrumbs instead of dried, or add some onion in. The mixture should feel moist, but not too moist when you shape it into log shaped rissoles. Add a little more breadcrumbs to the mixture than I have stated if you think it needs it. I just throw in to near enough (no measuring) these days with this recipe, have made them for years. Cook on moderate heat so they do not burn and cook through completely.
Kaye B.
This week we will be eating:
Friday: Chicken fajitas
Saturday: Herbed Honey Burgers
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Curried Tuna Slice, salad
Tuesday: Honey Mustard Chicken Toasties
Wednesday: Veggie quiche, salad
Thursday: MOO Pizza
In the fruit bowl: oranges, kiwi fruit, bananas
In the cake tin: Lunchbox Cookies, fruit cake, Lemon Slice
There are over 1,500 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File.
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with WendyWendy is having a much deserved and well-earned break so this week's food challenge post is from the Archives.
The 2014 Food Challenge Begins
Hello fellow Cheapskaters and welcome to a new year of the $300 a month food challenge. This is where you'll learn lots of ideas that will help you to trim your food budget and still eat well.
I'm hoping there are lots of new readers and members who'd like to join me in this challenge. The general outline of the challenge is to spend $300 a month for a family of four or $75 per person. My family consists of two adults, two teenagers, one cat and five chickens. If $300 a month is too low for you to start on, feel free to set your own goal.
I'm able to achieve this challenge by -
• Shopping once a month for all general grocery staples
• Shopping weekly for milk, fruit and veg only
• Shopping every few months for meat when on special at the butcher's
• Only buying fruit and veg at a fruit and veg shop
• Always having a shopping list and sticking to it
• Menu planning for the month and writing the shopping list from the menu
• Having an inventory list of the pantry, fridge and freezer
• Keeping my fridge, freezers and pantry tidy
• Baking all cakes, slices and biscuits from scratch
• Cooking all meals from scratch
• Avoiding pre - packaged, microwave, ready-made, instant food
• Having a veg garden
• Freezing excess produce or bargains
• Only buying items at the cheapest possible price
• Buying in bulk
• Buying no name as much as possible
• Portion controlling the meals - especially the meat
• Freezing leftovers ASAP
• Freezing meat into meal sizes
• Cooking good wholesome comfort food
• Baking in bulk and freezing most of it
• Putting leftover money into a food slush fund for future specials
• MOOing as many things as I can
• Using unit pricing to get the best price possible
The $300 covers all food including meat, fruit and veg, dairy, general staples, basic toiletries, basic cleaning products and the odd item for the house (coat hangers, super glue etc.). This challenge is achievable. I've been sticking to the $300 a month for the last three and a half years. I did start the challenge with a reasonably full pantry, freezer and a half filled fridge.
So who is going to join me for 2014's $300 a month food challenge? I'm calling on all interested parties to state their name, how much they usually spend (if you're game), what your new goal is for the year and how you think you'll achieve it. I'll start off the list -
My name is Wendy and I usually spend $300 a month (mostly less). My new goal is to spend $270 per month and to still have money left over for my food slush fund. I think I'll achieve this by freezing more leftovers and writing them into the menu plan. I need to choose cheaper options when some fruit and veg is too dear. I need to make more chunky soups for Winter and avoid buying the tinned chunky soups to have "just in case".
Who would like to add their name to the list?
Have a great week and BE ENCOURAGED!!!!
Click here to go to this week's $300 a Month Food Challenge
Click here to read the post that started it all
7. Cheapskates BuzzMost popular forum posts this week
What's for Dinner 2016
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3172-What-s-for-dinner-2016
Cardmaking Lessons
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3171-Cardmaking-Lessons
What do you Carry in your Car?
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3149-What-do-you-carry-in-your-car
Most popular blog posts this week
Morning Tea at Miss Marple's Tearooms
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/01/morning-tea-at-miss-marples-tearooms.html
Nifty Ways to Reuse Butter Wrappers
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2014/07/nifty-ways-to-reuse-butter-wrappers.html
What does it Mean to be "Frugal"?
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2014/02/what-does-it-mean-to-be-frugal.html
8. Members Featured blogPlatinum Cheapskates Club members have their very own Cheapskating blogs, and they are wonderful and inspirational and encouraging and even funny. This week's featured blog is written by Hevva.
Hola Revolutionistas
G'day all. I have resisted the Blogophenomenon (even though I love to write) until now apart from the odd toe in the water.
In order to join the Budget Revolt of 2016...I have re-joined the Cheapskates Club. I was able to flirt with the site over the last year because of the newsletter and all of the fab free stuff and a couple of Cath's wonderful books. Now it is time to bite the bullet and really get down to being a proper rebel.
I found out that a lot of my Behaving Badly I can track to my early and misspent youth (I am 65) and my reaction against the Depression Era mentality of my family growing up. I rebelled. I never wanted to recycle a piece of foil or make plastic bags last any longer than their intended single use. I swore that I would never stint on food (there was never enough growing up).
Now of course, the rebel has come home to roost and with a restricted senior income I have to come to grips with growing my own and making do here and there. I am truly grateful for the things I have learned along the way and I know now by digging deep into my past and my present that I have suffered in my rebellion by being careless, wasteful and greedy.
I need a lot of accountability to make me be a sensible and frugal grown-up, with a lot of mistakes along the way I might add. I wanted to make a zero or at least minimal spend month out of January just to see if I could and I have already fallen off the wagon. I make MOO cleaners, a lot of MOO products...legumes, salsa, mixes, etc. but the old habits die hard.
My goals are to add to our savings, to get our roof refinished and sealed, to get our little boat back in the water... (it has been undergoing a repaint and refit) and to get a new front door. To stick to my meal planning and to try to shop less often. Thanks to all you wonderful positive, supportive Revolutionistas.
You are a fabulous bunch…
Login to read more Cheapskates Club Member blogs
9. Last Week's QuestionLast week's question was from Charles who wrote
"I was wondering whether any of the members had any fructose free recipes they could share as I suffer with Fructose Malabsorption?"
Carole Jackson answered
Sarah Wilson cooks fructose free. She does sell an e-book with her recipes but she also has some on her website. Just google Sarah Wilson and also fructose free recipes. There is so much information on the net you should find enough.
Michelle D. answered
I have found fructose free is just trial and error and just pulling from recipes. One that has saved me and given me healthier choices is this brown rice salad.
Brown Rice Salad
Ingredients:
Cooled brown rice, 1-2 cups depending on how many for
Chopped cucumber
Grated carrot
Halved grapes
Pineapple (if ok with you)
Add dash of pepper
Dash of oil of your normal choice and fresh herb (mint, parsley, basil, even lemon whatever you have for extra flavour)
This is great as a side but I use it as a main dish for me and a small side dish for the family.
Shona Potts answered
My DD has fructose malabsorption too. It's easier to follow regular recipes and just substitute fructose friendly ingredients. For example, did you know that you can use chives, the green part of spring onions and also the green of the leeks as onion substitutes without suffering any effects from the fructose in the main part of the plant? You can also put garlic or onion in a bottle of olive oil to infuse it with the flavour and this is safe to eat, but still gives you the onion or garlic taste.
I make risotto regularly in my pressure cooker as my quick go to dinner.
Use two cups Arborio rice, three cups water. One Massel 7's chicken stock cube (Massel 7's are the only ones that don't use onion powder). I use a whole bag of baby spinach, some carrots and any other fructose friendly veg I have left over (Bok Choy, green beans etc.) and throw in some protein such as chicken thighs etc. and put it on to cook on the white rice setting. My DD can tolerate garlic, so I add this too. But if not, add in the infused olive oil. Once it's done, I stir it all to break up the chicken and distribute it throughout and add in a dollop of cream and some Parmesan. Serve with some extra Parmesan on top.
This gives us four generous serves for adult portions.
Mandy Fish answered
The IQS, I Quit Sugar, program is ALL about no and low fructose food. I have several of their books and they are all fantastic. The program uses Rice Malt Syrup in place of normal sugar. Rice malt syrup is fructose free and is not as sweet as normal sugar. If you need the sweetness Stevia drops or powder can be used.
My favourite recipe is the dark chocolate.
Dark Chocolate
Ingredients:
1 cup Cacao butter,
⅓ cup cacao powder,
2 tablespoons rice malt syrup and
2 pinches of salt.
Method:
Melt it all together. Pour into moulds or spread on a lined baking tray. Set in freezer then store in fridge.
They have a coconut oil based one as well.
Coconut Oil Based Chocolate
Ingredients:
1 cup coconut oil,
⅓ cup cacao powder,
1-2 tablespoon rice malt syrup,
2 pinches of salt.
Method:
Melt it all together. Pour into moulds or spread on a lined baking tray. Set in freezer then store in fridge.
Both can be sprinkled or mixed with chopped nuts or any flavouring you like with chocolate.
There are more answers to this question in the Tip Store Do you have a question that needs an answer?
Send us your question and receive the combined knowledge of your fellow Cheapskates to solve your problem!
Ask Your Question
10. This Week's QuestionJoan Oliver writes
"I need to clean my vertical drapes and was wondering if anyone has any tips for this job?"
Do you have the answer?
If you have a suggestion or idea for Joan let us know. We'll enter your answer into our Tip of the Week competition, with a one-year membership to the Cheapskates Club as the prize too.
Send your answer
11. Join the Cheapskates ClubFor just 10 cents a day you can join the Cheapskates Club and get exclusive access to the Cheapskate Journal, the monthly e-journal that shows you how to cut the costs of everyday living and still have fun.
Joining the Cheapskates Club gives you 24/7 access to the Members Centre with 1000's of money saving tips and articles.
Click here to join the Cheapskates Club today!
12. Contact DetailsThe Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152
2. From The Tip StoreThe Double-Up Meal Plan
Approximate $ Savings: Will differ from family to family but I would say $50 per fortnight!
I draw up fortnightly menus - well, one week's and put it on repeat the second week. There will be dinners for Monday to Sunday - which I cook as a double batch on week one, freezing for week two. That way there is no wasting of veggies etc. that will go off, and I get a whole week off from cooking dinner every second week! It definitely saves time and money. If I make things like hamburger patties or rissoles I use all the mince and freeze the rest for easy dinners and lunches. Just add whatever fresh vegetables you want to round out the meal. And lastly - instead of buying cold meats, I will buy a whole chicken, cook it and break it up into small portions for the freezer to use for lunches. That alone saves about $20 a fortnight. You can do the same with a roast beef too; it saves at least 50% of the cost of deli meats for sandwiches.
Contributed by Sibylla Stephenson
Dinner for Two at Our Very Own Restaurant
Approximate $ Savings: $100 plus
Earlier this week my husband and I celebrated our fifteenth wedding anniversary. In previous years, we have always gone out to dinner to celebrate. However, this year we are saving for a special holiday and so we decided to think of a different way to celebrate. So my kids (aged 10 and 7) helped me to set a 'table for two' in our living room. We set the table with a pure white table cloth, our best cutlery and crockery, a single rose (from the garden) and a candle. I cooked my husband's favourite meal and hunted out a couple of old tapes that had 'our songs' on them. When my husband arrived home from work, he was 'ushered' into the 'restaurant' by two little 'waiters' (dressed up in crisp white shirts). They handed us the menu for the evening (created that afternoon by the pair of them), and proceeded to 'wait' on the two of us for the evening. They had an absolute ball and we had a most unique and romantic anniversary. It was a fabulous way to save some money and have a great 'night in'.
Contributed by Loretto, Bushfield
Catch, Freeze, Water
Like most people in Australia nowadays we collect the water that would previously have gone down the sink (i.e. the cold tap water while waiting for it to warm). I use a large ice cream container to catch the water in. I then freeze the containers of water and put the frozen blocks out in the garden (usually around the trees that get little watering) overnight when the temperature has cooled. The blocks take hours to melt giving the tree a slow but deep watering. Saves water and also helps save the garden.
Contributed by Andrea, Balwyn
There are currently more than 11,000 great tips in the Tip Store
3. Cheapskates Winning TipThis week's winning tip is from Lynne Newman. Lynne has won a one year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip.
Give those Hard-to-Find Handbag Items a Polish
Finding things in my handbag has always been an issue so I bought expensive diaries and phone covers, with textured covers so I could easily locate them by feel in the bottom of my handbag. Instead, now I buy cheap and use the nail polish I already have sitting in my bathroom cabinet to dab on blobs of the nail polish. Let it dry, and not only do you get texture to locate items easily, but people now stop me in the street to comment on my pretty items. At present I have an aqua blue mobile phone cover covered in black blobs and a black diary covered in pale pink blobs, both little original works of art, both really easy to locate in my handbag. Unique, cheap and very practical.
Congratulations Lynne, I hope you enjoy your Cheapskates Club membership.
4. Submit your tipThe Cheapskate's Club website is over 3,000 pages of money saving hints, tips and ideas. Let's get together and make the Cheapskates Club Australia's largest online hint, tip and idea library. Share your favourite money saving, time saving or energy saving hint and be in the running to win a one-year membership to The Cheapskate Club. We publish a Winning Tip each Thursday, so enter your great money, time or energy saving idea now.
Share your favourite hint or tip that saves money, time and energy and be in the running to win a one-year subscription to The Cheapskate Journal.
Remember, you have to be in it to win it!
Submit your tip
5. On the MenuHerbed Honey Rissoles
I love this recipe of Kaye B’s; I've been making it since she first shared it way back in 2013. I like our meals to come within my grocery budget, but I also like them to be healthful and have flavour - plain beans and mince just won't cut it in our house. These rissoles are delicious. I often serve them warm with salad. In winter they go really well with pumpkin mash. But the way the kids like them best is as a burger, on a fresh hamburger bun, and I have to say I like them this way too.
Herbed Honey Rissoles
Ingredients:
500g minced beef
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs (dried)
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed or use 1 tsp from jar
1 teaspoon basil, dried
1 teaspoon tarragon, dried
1 chicken stock cube or some stock powder
2 tablespoons of sour cream (I use mayonnaise! original recipe was sour cream)
optional, add some minced onion. (I don't)
Method:
Mix all ingredients well, then cover and put into fridge and allow to combine for at least an hour. You may use fresh breadcrumbs instead of dried, or add some onion in. The mixture should feel moist, but not too moist when you shape it into log shaped rissoles. Add a little more breadcrumbs to the mixture than I have stated if you think it needs it. I just throw in to near enough (no measuring) these days with this recipe, have made them for years. Cook on moderate heat so they do not burn and cook through completely.
Kaye B.
This week we will be eating:
Friday: Chicken fajitas
Saturday: Herbed Honey Burgers
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Curried Tuna Slice, salad
Tuesday: Honey Mustard Chicken Toasties
Wednesday: Veggie quiche, salad
Thursday: MOO Pizza
In the fruit bowl: oranges, kiwi fruit, bananas
In the cake tin: Lunchbox Cookies, fruit cake, Lemon Slice
There are over 1,500 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File.
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with WendyWendy is having a much deserved and well-earned break so this week's food challenge post is from the Archives.
The 2014 Food Challenge Begins
Hello fellow Cheapskaters and welcome to a new year of the $300 a month food challenge. This is where you'll learn lots of ideas that will help you to trim your food budget and still eat well.
I'm hoping there are lots of new readers and members who'd like to join me in this challenge. The general outline of the challenge is to spend $300 a month for a family of four or $75 per person. My family consists of two adults, two teenagers, one cat and five chickens. If $300 a month is too low for you to start on, feel free to set your own goal.
I'm able to achieve this challenge by -
• Shopping once a month for all general grocery staples
• Shopping weekly for milk, fruit and veg only
• Shopping every few months for meat when on special at the butcher's
• Only buying fruit and veg at a fruit and veg shop
• Always having a shopping list and sticking to it
• Menu planning for the month and writing the shopping list from the menu
• Having an inventory list of the pantry, fridge and freezer
• Keeping my fridge, freezers and pantry tidy
• Baking all cakes, slices and biscuits from scratch
• Cooking all meals from scratch
• Avoiding pre - packaged, microwave, ready-made, instant food
• Having a veg garden
• Freezing excess produce or bargains
• Only buying items at the cheapest possible price
• Buying in bulk
• Buying no name as much as possible
• Portion controlling the meals - especially the meat
• Freezing leftovers ASAP
• Freezing meat into meal sizes
• Cooking good wholesome comfort food
• Baking in bulk and freezing most of it
• Putting leftover money into a food slush fund for future specials
• MOOing as many things as I can
• Using unit pricing to get the best price possible
The $300 covers all food including meat, fruit and veg, dairy, general staples, basic toiletries, basic cleaning products and the odd item for the house (coat hangers, super glue etc.). This challenge is achievable. I've been sticking to the $300 a month for the last three and a half years. I did start the challenge with a reasonably full pantry, freezer and a half filled fridge.
So who is going to join me for 2014's $300 a month food challenge? I'm calling on all interested parties to state their name, how much they usually spend (if you're game), what your new goal is for the year and how you think you'll achieve it. I'll start off the list -
My name is Wendy and I usually spend $300 a month (mostly less). My new goal is to spend $270 per month and to still have money left over for my food slush fund. I think I'll achieve this by freezing more leftovers and writing them into the menu plan. I need to choose cheaper options when some fruit and veg is too dear. I need to make more chunky soups for Winter and avoid buying the tinned chunky soups to have "just in case".
Who would like to add their name to the list?
Have a great week and BE ENCOURAGED!!!!
Click here to go to this week's $300 a Month Food Challenge
Click here to read the post that started it all
7. Cheapskates BuzzMost popular forum posts this week
What's for Dinner 2016
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3172-What-s-for-dinner-2016
Cardmaking Lessons
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3171-Cardmaking-Lessons
What do you Carry in your Car?
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3149-What-do-you-carry-in-your-car
Most popular blog posts this week
Morning Tea at Miss Marple's Tearooms
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/01/morning-tea-at-miss-marples-tearooms.html
Nifty Ways to Reuse Butter Wrappers
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2014/07/nifty-ways-to-reuse-butter-wrappers.html
What does it Mean to be "Frugal"?
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2014/02/what-does-it-mean-to-be-frugal.html
8. Members Featured blogPlatinum Cheapskates Club members have their very own Cheapskating blogs, and they are wonderful and inspirational and encouraging and even funny. This week's featured blog is written by Hevva.
Hola Revolutionistas
G'day all. I have resisted the Blogophenomenon (even though I love to write) until now apart from the odd toe in the water.
In order to join the Budget Revolt of 2016...I have re-joined the Cheapskates Club. I was able to flirt with the site over the last year because of the newsletter and all of the fab free stuff and a couple of Cath's wonderful books. Now it is time to bite the bullet and really get down to being a proper rebel.
I found out that a lot of my Behaving Badly I can track to my early and misspent youth (I am 65) and my reaction against the Depression Era mentality of my family growing up. I rebelled. I never wanted to recycle a piece of foil or make plastic bags last any longer than their intended single use. I swore that I would never stint on food (there was never enough growing up).
Now of course, the rebel has come home to roost and with a restricted senior income I have to come to grips with growing my own and making do here and there. I am truly grateful for the things I have learned along the way and I know now by digging deep into my past and my present that I have suffered in my rebellion by being careless, wasteful and greedy.
I need a lot of accountability to make me be a sensible and frugal grown-up, with a lot of mistakes along the way I might add. I wanted to make a zero or at least minimal spend month out of January just to see if I could and I have already fallen off the wagon. I make MOO cleaners, a lot of MOO products...legumes, salsa, mixes, etc. but the old habits die hard.
My goals are to add to our savings, to get our roof refinished and sealed, to get our little boat back in the water... (it has been undergoing a repaint and refit) and to get a new front door. To stick to my meal planning and to try to shop less often. Thanks to all you wonderful positive, supportive Revolutionistas.
You are a fabulous bunch…
Login to read more Cheapskates Club Member blogs
9. Last Week's QuestionLast week's question was from Charles who wrote
"I was wondering whether any of the members had any fructose free recipes they could share as I suffer with Fructose Malabsorption?"
Carole Jackson answered
Sarah Wilson cooks fructose free. She does sell an e-book with her recipes but she also has some on her website. Just google Sarah Wilson and also fructose free recipes. There is so much information on the net you should find enough.
Michelle D. answered
I have found fructose free is just trial and error and just pulling from recipes. One that has saved me and given me healthier choices is this brown rice salad.
Brown Rice Salad
Ingredients:
Cooled brown rice, 1-2 cups depending on how many for
Chopped cucumber
Grated carrot
Halved grapes
Pineapple (if ok with you)
Add dash of pepper
Dash of oil of your normal choice and fresh herb (mint, parsley, basil, even lemon whatever you have for extra flavour)
This is great as a side but I use it as a main dish for me and a small side dish for the family.
Shona Potts answered
My DD has fructose malabsorption too. It's easier to follow regular recipes and just substitute fructose friendly ingredients. For example, did you know that you can use chives, the green part of spring onions and also the green of the leeks as onion substitutes without suffering any effects from the fructose in the main part of the plant? You can also put garlic or onion in a bottle of olive oil to infuse it with the flavour and this is safe to eat, but still gives you the onion or garlic taste.
I make risotto regularly in my pressure cooker as my quick go to dinner.
Use two cups Arborio rice, three cups water. One Massel 7's chicken stock cube (Massel 7's are the only ones that don't use onion powder). I use a whole bag of baby spinach, some carrots and any other fructose friendly veg I have left over (Bok Choy, green beans etc.) and throw in some protein such as chicken thighs etc. and put it on to cook on the white rice setting. My DD can tolerate garlic, so I add this too. But if not, add in the infused olive oil. Once it's done, I stir it all to break up the chicken and distribute it throughout and add in a dollop of cream and some Parmesan. Serve with some extra Parmesan on top.
This gives us four generous serves for adult portions.
Mandy Fish answered
The IQS, I Quit Sugar, program is ALL about no and low fructose food. I have several of their books and they are all fantastic. The program uses Rice Malt Syrup in place of normal sugar. Rice malt syrup is fructose free and is not as sweet as normal sugar. If you need the sweetness Stevia drops or powder can be used.
My favourite recipe is the dark chocolate.
Dark Chocolate
Ingredients:
1 cup Cacao butter,
⅓ cup cacao powder,
2 tablespoons rice malt syrup and
2 pinches of salt.
Method:
Melt it all together. Pour into moulds or spread on a lined baking tray. Set in freezer then store in fridge.
They have a coconut oil based one as well.
Coconut Oil Based Chocolate
Ingredients:
1 cup coconut oil,
⅓ cup cacao powder,
1-2 tablespoon rice malt syrup,
2 pinches of salt.
Method:
Melt it all together. Pour into moulds or spread on a lined baking tray. Set in freezer then store in fridge.
Both can be sprinkled or mixed with chopped nuts or any flavouring you like with chocolate.
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