Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter: 05:15
Bright ideas to save you money
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - Track the Back-to-School Sales, Spread Out Your Back-to-School Purchases, Get Next Year's School Supplies This Summer
3. Cheapskate's Winning Tip - Dropping to One Income
4. Submit Your Tip -
5. The Three Day Membership Renewal Amnesty
6.Special Offer from Tasman Meats - Save $5 on your butcher bill with this special offer
7. On the Menu with Anne - Lazy Daisy Cake
8. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy - The $300 a Month Food Challenge for 2015
9. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
10. Member's Featured Blog - Textbook Savings and more MOO!
11. Last Week's Question - Shampoo recipes required
12. This Week's Question - Is there an environmentally friendly way to get rid of ants?
13. Join the Cheapskates Club
14. Gift Memberships
15. Frequently Asked Questions
16. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Are you excited yet? I am! It's only three days until February 1st and you know what that means: No Spending Month! I've already blogged about how I plan to not grocery shop this month and the thought of a whole month of grocery money in the slush fund has put the widest grin on my face. What to do with it? I'll have to think about it, and I'll let you know at the end of the month.
The renewal amnesty seems to have a caused a little confusion. That's OK, it's easily explained. The renewal amnesty is an opportunity for past members to renew their expired membership. Normally they'd have to re-join and pay the joining fee of $36.50. But until 8pm Saturday 31st January (the next three days) if you have an expired Cheapskates Club membership you can reactivate it for the renewal price of $18.25. To renew now, log in, using your username and password and click on the "renew my membership" link.
Do you want to know more? Click here for the answers to your questions about the Cheapskates Club membership renewal amnesty.
This week there is also a very special offer, just for Cheapskates Club members, from Tasman Meats. I'm sure everyone knows by now that Tasman Meats are my "go to" butcher for great quality meat at prices low enough to suit my grocery budget so you can guess how excited I was when the lovely folk at Tasman wanted to offer Cheapskates Club members a $5 discount voucher on purchases of $40 or more! And as a bonus they'll even enter you into their competition to win free meat for a year.
What would not having to buy meat for a whole year do to your budget? Perhaps the money you wouldn't be spending on meat would pay off your credit card bill. Or it may pay a year's school fees. Perhaps it would be enough to pay for a really fun family holiday complete with room service for mum, a pool for Dad and theme parks for the kids! I've entered, it's free and it’s easy and you have nothing to lose and a whole lot of money to save. The details are below, so please make sure you enter and register for your $5 discount voucher.
Anne and Wendy are back this week too Anne’s recipe for Lazy Daisy Cake is so good, I've made three of them in the last two weeks. They kept disappearing before I could sample a slice it's so good. And Wendy has started the 2015 $300 a Month Food Challenge off with a bang and an explanation of the guidelines. If you have tried the $300 a Month Food Challenge yet give it a go. Again you have nothing to lose and a whole lot of money to save.
Have a great week everyone and I hope you are looking forward to No Spend month too!
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
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!
PPS: You can read this newsletter and past copies on the website in the Newsletter Archive.
http://www.cheapskates.com.au/pages/group/default.cfm?group_id=4291&list=Full
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2. From The Tip Store
Track the Back-to-School Sales
During the weeks leading up to the first day of school, I start checking all the sale brochures from Target, Kmart, Big W, Officeworks, Coles, Woolworths and newsagents. The stores have specials at different times, so I note down on a piece of paper what I need, which store has the deal, and when. It's tedious but in the end the extra effort saves us loads of money.
Contributed by Rose McGowan
Spread Out Your Back-to-School Purchases
I have four kids going back to school. Over the Christmas holidays, I try to buy things I know they will need—pencils, glue, rulers, paper, binders etc. each time I go shopping. By picking up a few items here and there, I'm not dropping a lot of cash all at once.
Contributed by Sheryl Cooper
Get Next Year's School Supplies This Summer
The back-to-school sales are on right now. Notebooks, packs of paper, pens, highlighters, Textas, folders, pencil cases, backpacks and so on are ridiculously cheap after the new school year rush. I buy a couple years' worth of items and stash the extras away to pull out the following January, saving me money, time and energy. I keep them in a box in the linen cupboard with strict instructions that I am the only one allowed to take things from the box (otherwise everything would just disappear, and there's no saving in that). With five kids, shopping for school supplies every second year really is worthwhile.
Contributed by Becca Molloy
There are more than 11,000 great tips in the Tip Store
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3. Cheapskate's Winning Tip
This week's winning tip is from Penny Harris. Penny has won a one year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip.
Dropping to One Income
Don't be afraid to get quotes to swap service providers for things like insurances, electricity and phone accounts. I was comparing my home and contents insurance and rang Suncorp to cancel (as they weren't competitive). My mortgage is also with Suncorp, and I wasn't getting all of the package benefits that I could. End result - insurance costs down and the "package" took an extra 0.3% of my mortgage rate!
Congratulations Penny I hope you enjoy your Cheapskates Club membership.
The Cheapskate's Club website is over 2,000 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.
Enter your tip here
========================================
4. Submit your tip
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. The Three Day Membership Renewal Amnesty
Has your Cheapskates Club Platinum membership expired?
If so, we'd love to see you back in the Member's Centre and have a limited time, special offer just for you - a membership renewal amnesty! For the next 3 days, until 8pm on Saturday 31st January 2015, if your Platinum membership has expired you can re-new it and regain access to the Member's Centre for just $18.25.
To renew now, log in, using your username and password and click on the "renew my membership" link.
Do you want to know more? Click here for the answers to your questions about the Cheapskates Club membership renewal amnesty.
**This offer is available to past Cheapskates Club members with expired memberships.**
========================================
6. Special Offer from Tasman Meats - Save $5 on your butcher bill with this special offer
WIN FREE MEAT FOR A YEAR!
Sign up to Tasman’s newsletter at www.thetasman.com.au/freemeat and stand a chance to win free meat for a year. Terms and conditions apply.
Plus for Cheapskates Club members -
Receive $5 OFF when you spend $40 at Tasman.
Just register to receive the Tasman newsletter and you'll receive a voucher for $5 off your purchase when you spend $40.
========================================
7. On the Menu with Anne
Hello Everyone, it's great to be back. My family and I had a wonderful holiday and I've come home happy, relaxed and refreshed, ready to tackle meal planning and shopping for 2015. This week I have a very simple dairy-free cake for you. It may not have any butter or milk in it but it is light and moist and very delicious. It slices well for lunchboxes and freezes beautifully.
Lazy Daisy Cake
Ingredients:
2 Eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
? cup cold water
1 tsp Vanilla
Topping Ingredients:
2 tbsp cream
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp melted butter
½ cup shredded coconut
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Line a round cake tin with baking paper.
Mix the eggs, sugar, water and vanilla together in a bowl. Add the flour and bicarbonate soda to the egg mixture.
Spread into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 40 minutes. After the cake has baked completely, let it cool for about 10 minutes before spreading the topping on. Place the cake bake into the oven with the broiler. Watch the cake closely so the edges don't burn, mine took about 5 minutes.
This week we will be eating:
Friday: Bean Burritos with salad
Saturday: Lasagne and salad
Sunday: Roast chicken, baked vegetables, broccoli and gravy
Monday: Rissoles and salad
Tuesday: Chicken and sweet corn soup with dumplings
Wednesday: Grilled fish, wedges and salad
Thursday: Fried rice with mini spring rolls and sweet chilli dipping sauce
In the fruit bowl: kiwi fruit, bananas, oranges
In the cake tin: Raspberry coconut slice, Lime and Coconut Cake, Choc Chip Biscuits
There are over 1,400 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File
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8. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy
Hello everyone and welcome to a fabulous new year of trimming our food budgets. I'm so excited about 2015. I really feel this will be an awesome year. We have lots of new members who have joined the forum recently. A big welcome to you. For the new members and for those who have been lurking and not sure of where to begin, I'll explain this challenge for you.
The $300 a month food challenge is based on a family of 4. That's for two adults and two children (although mine are now aged 17 and 15). In other words it's $75 per person.
$300 is just my goal. Please feel free to set your own goal. Maybe $400 is more realistic for you.
$300 includes all food for the month, basic toiletries (shampoo etc., not make up) and the few cleaning products I buy. If you have babies then please allow extra for nappies and formula etc. as I know these can be costly.
$300 does NOT include takeaway food as our family does not eat out very often. We make our own hamburgers, pizza, fish and chips. We eat tacos and pretend that it's like takeaway.
To stick to the $300, buy everything you can no name to keep the costs down. There are some exceptions like coffee, chocolate, toothpaste, vegemite, curry powder etc. You get the picture - the important things where taste really does matter.
Grow as many vegies as you can. What you can't grow, then find a fruit and vegie shop or a market where prices are better than the overpriced supermarkets. Buy your fruit in season and when at it’s cheapest. Buy extras and freeze.
Buy your meat from a butcher where possible. I personally buy mine from Tasman Meats and I buy lots when something is on a great special. I portion it up into meal sizes to reduce waste. Buy budget cuts of meat. Budget meat becomes premium when cooked in the slow cooker.
Reduce portion sizes of meat.
Bulk out meals with lots of vegies or maybe a garlic bread.
Cook from scratch. Over 95% of my meals are made from scratch. I make mostly old fashion food like meat pie, stews, casseroles, soups, pasta bakes, spag bol, lasagne, roasts, silverside ( in slow cooker ) etc.
Bake from scratch and freeze extras
Use tins of soup instead of jars of sauces. Tomato soup goes well with mince and cream of chicken soup goes well with chicken.
Make your own white sauce, gravy, marinades, salad dressings etc.
Avoid pre-packaged, microwave, snack size, pre made foods. They are so overpriced and quite often contain too much salt / sugar or other nasties
Menu plan and shop from home first.
Write a list of everything you can cook (including simple things like fish fingers). Write your menu plan from this list. This helps to get your family (and the cook) excited about what's for tea that night.
Write a shopping list and take it with you when you go shopping. Stick to your list.
Write a pantry / freezer and fridge inventory. It helps when writing your shopping list.
I personally like to do big shop once a month and do weekly top ups of milk, fruit and veg.
Use leftovers within 2 days. This avoids the chance of food poisoning and wastage due to everyone forgetting it's in the fridge.
All this information pretty much forms the $300 a month food challenge.
I originally set this challenge up so that my family would be healthy, happy with the food I serve up and to save more money for other areas of my budget.
Will you take up the challenge this year?
What monthly food budget do you have now?
What is your new monthly $$$ goal for this year?
What will you do with the savings?
WHO IS GOING TO JOIN ME!!!
Be encouraged and happy shopping!!!
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
The Post that Started it All
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9. Cheapskates Buzz
This week's hot forum topics
What Food or Drink Can't You Live Without
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2747-What-food-or-drink-can-t-you-live-without
$300 a Month Food Challenge 26 / 01 / 15
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2746-300-a-month-food-challenge-26-01-15
Are You a Cheapskater Near Me?
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2743-Are-You-a-Cheapskater-Near-Me
Most popular blog posts this week
How to Cover School Books
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2014/01/how-to-cover-school-books.html
Quick and Healthy Breakfast Ideas
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2012/02/quick-and-healthy-breakfast-ideas.html
Easiest Ever Lamingtons
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/01/easiest-ever-lamingtons.html
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10. Member's Featured Blog
Platinum 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 eedwards86.
Textbook Savings and more MOO!
Hope everyone is having a great Australia Day. Not too much happening here, just having a lazy day until later when we have family coming for a BBQ. All the preparations have been done already so we are being slack.
I was out in the garden earlier having a potter and thinking about what to plant in the empty garden beds. We have decided to wait til the hot weather is done so probably will not plant much until April. I was pleased to see my mini lemon tree has so many tiny lemons starting to grow. I counted 15, but I think I probably missed some as I lost track! The mini lemon tree is looking lovely with lots of new growth, but no oranges yet, perhaps later in the year.
While having a look at facebook earlier I came across a MOO hair detangler. Possibly already know to you all but its 1 part conditioner to 9 parts water, stir and put in spray bottle. It will save me a lot of money to do it this way! My hair is thick and even if conditioned in the shower it still gets knots when I brush it. At $8 a bottle for the Pantene brand it is expensive and I go through a fair bit!
My other saving over the past few days has been on uni textbooks. After finding out what I would need and prices ($107.95 and $134.95) I nearly died of shock!! After looking them up I found they were books that had been published a couple of years back so I got to looking for second hand books. A friend had one that she was selling for $60 (the $134.95 one). I found the other listed in a TAFE bookshop in NSW for $20 + postage. So my total for both was $88.50 instead of about $240!! I highly recommend checking around if in need of textbooks!! Sometimes you can't if the book is a new edition but if the publication date is earlier than this year or the one before you're likely to find something! Usually they will be in pretty good condition as well as students keep them tidy to try and re sell after they have finished with them!!
Login to read more Cheapskates Club member blogs
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11. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Wendy who wrote
"Reading the labels on hair shampoo scares me a lot. So many chemicals. Does anyone have a MOO shampoo recipe that does not have the chemicals but cleans hair without stripping out all the oils and leaving it dry and brittle?"
Joanna Harper answered
Try Sukin products especially their shampoo and conditioner. They are Australian made and use only natural ingredients. I was surprised by their quality and their price. I have psoriasis and need to be careful with what I use, this is pure and it works.
Sherrie Christon answered
I use bicarb to wash my hair and it is amazing. I have long thick hair and all I use is a teaspoon of bicarb dissolved in about half a cup of water and use that to wash my hair, been using that and only that the last 18 months...and did I say it is amazing...best thing I've used to wash my hair in my 52 years on this earth. No need for any conditioner either. It leaves my hair so soft and silky. My hair looks amazing and in such wonderful condition; I'll never ever use anything else ever again. And the price is amazing too, very cheap ..and no toxic chemicals. How great is that! We don't use any toxic chemicals in our home ..so please give it a try it is amazing. Have I sold you on the idea yet?
Carol Pease answered
For washing my hair I do not use a shampoo but a bar of Sunlight Soap - which gives me clean hair without stripping oils from hair. My reason for starting to use Sunlight Soap was that shampoo irritated my scalp and Sunlight Soap is just pure soap without any added chemicals.
Lyn Knight answered
Depending on your hair type (mine is extremely dry) I gave up shampoo altogether, and just use conditioner to wash and condition my hair! They also have similar chemicals etc. - but choose carefully and you can maybe at least halve your exposure - it works for me, I've done this for a few years now.
Catherine Alphonso answered
This shampoo and rinse takes a bit of getting used to but worth hanging in there. Shampoo: 1 tablespoon bi-carb soda to 1 cup of water (double if you have long hair). I use an old sauce bottle which allows you to squeeze it all over the roots of your hair. Massage gently then rinse off. Rinse: 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar to 1 cup water (again double for long hair). Pour all over then rinse off. You will smell a bit salady for a few seconds but this quickly disappears. The hardest thing to get used to is the lack of suds when shampooing but I'd forego that for the lack of chemicals any day.
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
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12. This Week's Question
Helen writes
"Our daughter has a rental unit, complete with ants (unwanted guests). What environmentally friendly solutions are there for these pests?"
Do you have the answer?
If you have a suggestion or idea for Helen 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
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13. Join the Cheapskates Club
For 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!
http://www.cheapskates.com.au/members/join_form.cfm?item_id=2271
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14. Gift Memberships
Your family and friends will thank you for a whole year when you give them a Platinum Cheapskates Club membership as a gift.
It's so simple: just select the number of gift memberships required, click the Buy Now button and complete the Gift Membership order form (you must use this form to order gift memberships) and we'll get in touch with you to confirm the gift subscriptions.
Click here to order a gift membership right now!
http://www.cheapskates.com.au/pages/default.cfm?page_id=43740
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15. Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change my email address?
This one is easy. Members can update their email address or any other details by clicking on "Edit Profile" directly under their membership number after they have logged in to the Member's Centre. Subscribers to our free newsletter can use the Change Your Address form (under Customer Service in the menu) and fill it out. Once you've filled it in click the send button and we'll do the rest. Please remember to include your old email address so we can find it in the list as well as the new one.
How do I know when my membership should be renewed?
When you login to the Member's Centre you will be told how many days of membership you have left once you have 30 days left. Just click on the link to renew and your membership will just continue on, uninterrupted.
What will you do with my email address?
We never rent, trade or sell our email list to anyone for any reason whatsoever. You'll never get an unsolicited email from a stranger as a result of joining this list.
Read our privacy policy
How Did You Get on Our List?
You signed up to receive our Free Newsletter at our Cheapskates Club Web site or are a Platinum Cheapskates Club member
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16. Contact Details
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152
www.cheapskates.com.au
[email protected]
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2. In the Tip Store - Track the Back-to-School Sales, Spread Out Your Back-to-School Purchases, Get Next Year's School Supplies This Summer
3. Cheapskate's Winning Tip - Dropping to One Income
4. Submit Your Tip -
5. The Three Day Membership Renewal Amnesty
6.Special Offer from Tasman Meats - Save $5 on your butcher bill with this special offer
7. On the Menu with Anne - Lazy Daisy Cake
8. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy - The $300 a Month Food Challenge for 2015
9. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
10. Member's Featured Blog - Textbook Savings and more MOO!
11. Last Week's Question - Shampoo recipes required
12. This Week's Question - Is there an environmentally friendly way to get rid of ants?
13. Join the Cheapskates Club
14. Gift Memberships
15. Frequently Asked Questions
16. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Are you excited yet? I am! It's only three days until February 1st and you know what that means: No Spending Month! I've already blogged about how I plan to not grocery shop this month and the thought of a whole month of grocery money in the slush fund has put the widest grin on my face. What to do with it? I'll have to think about it, and I'll let you know at the end of the month.
The renewal amnesty seems to have a caused a little confusion. That's OK, it's easily explained. The renewal amnesty is an opportunity for past members to renew their expired membership. Normally they'd have to re-join and pay the joining fee of $36.50. But until 8pm Saturday 31st January (the next three days) if you have an expired Cheapskates Club membership you can reactivate it for the renewal price of $18.25. To renew now, log in, using your username and password and click on the "renew my membership" link.
Do you want to know more? Click here for the answers to your questions about the Cheapskates Club membership renewal amnesty.
This week there is also a very special offer, just for Cheapskates Club members, from Tasman Meats. I'm sure everyone knows by now that Tasman Meats are my "go to" butcher for great quality meat at prices low enough to suit my grocery budget so you can guess how excited I was when the lovely folk at Tasman wanted to offer Cheapskates Club members a $5 discount voucher on purchases of $40 or more! And as a bonus they'll even enter you into their competition to win free meat for a year.
What would not having to buy meat for a whole year do to your budget? Perhaps the money you wouldn't be spending on meat would pay off your credit card bill. Or it may pay a year's school fees. Perhaps it would be enough to pay for a really fun family holiday complete with room service for mum, a pool for Dad and theme parks for the kids! I've entered, it's free and it’s easy and you have nothing to lose and a whole lot of money to save. The details are below, so please make sure you enter and register for your $5 discount voucher.
Anne and Wendy are back this week too Anne’s recipe for Lazy Daisy Cake is so good, I've made three of them in the last two weeks. They kept disappearing before I could sample a slice it's so good. And Wendy has started the 2015 $300 a Month Food Challenge off with a bang and an explanation of the guidelines. If you have tried the $300 a Month Food Challenge yet give it a go. Again you have nothing to lose and a whole lot of money to save.
Have a great week everyone and I hope you are looking forward to No Spend month too!
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
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!
PPS: You can read this newsletter and past copies on the website in the Newsletter Archive.
http://www.cheapskates.com.au/pages/group/default.cfm?group_id=4291&list=Full
========================================
2. From The Tip Store
Track the Back-to-School Sales
During the weeks leading up to the first day of school, I start checking all the sale brochures from Target, Kmart, Big W, Officeworks, Coles, Woolworths and newsagents. The stores have specials at different times, so I note down on a piece of paper what I need, which store has the deal, and when. It's tedious but in the end the extra effort saves us loads of money.
Contributed by Rose McGowan
Spread Out Your Back-to-School Purchases
I have four kids going back to school. Over the Christmas holidays, I try to buy things I know they will need—pencils, glue, rulers, paper, binders etc. each time I go shopping. By picking up a few items here and there, I'm not dropping a lot of cash all at once.
Contributed by Sheryl Cooper
Get Next Year's School Supplies This Summer
The back-to-school sales are on right now. Notebooks, packs of paper, pens, highlighters, Textas, folders, pencil cases, backpacks and so on are ridiculously cheap after the new school year rush. I buy a couple years' worth of items and stash the extras away to pull out the following January, saving me money, time and energy. I keep them in a box in the linen cupboard with strict instructions that I am the only one allowed to take things from the box (otherwise everything would just disappear, and there's no saving in that). With five kids, shopping for school supplies every second year really is worthwhile.
Contributed by Becca Molloy
There are more than 11,000 great tips in the Tip Store
========================================
3. Cheapskate's Winning Tip
This week's winning tip is from Penny Harris. Penny has won a one year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip.
Dropping to One Income
Don't be afraid to get quotes to swap service providers for things like insurances, electricity and phone accounts. I was comparing my home and contents insurance and rang Suncorp to cancel (as they weren't competitive). My mortgage is also with Suncorp, and I wasn't getting all of the package benefits that I could. End result - insurance costs down and the "package" took an extra 0.3% of my mortgage rate!
Congratulations Penny I hope you enjoy your Cheapskates Club membership.
The Cheapskate's Club website is over 2,000 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.
Enter your tip here
========================================
4. Submit your tip
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. The Three Day Membership Renewal Amnesty
Has your Cheapskates Club Platinum membership expired?
If so, we'd love to see you back in the Member's Centre and have a limited time, special offer just for you - a membership renewal amnesty! For the next 3 days, until 8pm on Saturday 31st January 2015, if your Platinum membership has expired you can re-new it and regain access to the Member's Centre for just $18.25.
To renew now, log in, using your username and password and click on the "renew my membership" link.
Do you want to know more? Click here for the answers to your questions about the Cheapskates Club membership renewal amnesty.
**This offer is available to past Cheapskates Club members with expired memberships.**
========================================
6. Special Offer from Tasman Meats - Save $5 on your butcher bill with this special offer
WIN FREE MEAT FOR A YEAR!
Sign up to Tasman’s newsletter at www.thetasman.com.au/freemeat and stand a chance to win free meat for a year. Terms and conditions apply.
Plus for Cheapskates Club members -
Receive $5 OFF when you spend $40 at Tasman.
Just register to receive the Tasman newsletter and you'll receive a voucher for $5 off your purchase when you spend $40.
========================================
7. On the Menu with Anne
Hello Everyone, it's great to be back. My family and I had a wonderful holiday and I've come home happy, relaxed and refreshed, ready to tackle meal planning and shopping for 2015. This week I have a very simple dairy-free cake for you. It may not have any butter or milk in it but it is light and moist and very delicious. It slices well for lunchboxes and freezes beautifully.
Lazy Daisy Cake
Ingredients:
2 Eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
? cup cold water
1 tsp Vanilla
Topping Ingredients:
2 tbsp cream
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp melted butter
½ cup shredded coconut
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Line a round cake tin with baking paper.
Mix the eggs, sugar, water and vanilla together in a bowl. Add the flour and bicarbonate soda to the egg mixture.
Spread into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 40 minutes. After the cake has baked completely, let it cool for about 10 minutes before spreading the topping on. Place the cake bake into the oven with the broiler. Watch the cake closely so the edges don't burn, mine took about 5 minutes.
This week we will be eating:
Friday: Bean Burritos with salad
Saturday: Lasagne and salad
Sunday: Roast chicken, baked vegetables, broccoli and gravy
Monday: Rissoles and salad
Tuesday: Chicken and sweet corn soup with dumplings
Wednesday: Grilled fish, wedges and salad
Thursday: Fried rice with mini spring rolls and sweet chilli dipping sauce
In the fruit bowl: kiwi fruit, bananas, oranges
In the cake tin: Raspberry coconut slice, Lime and Coconut Cake, Choc Chip Biscuits
There are over 1,400 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File
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8. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy
Hello everyone and welcome to a fabulous new year of trimming our food budgets. I'm so excited about 2015. I really feel this will be an awesome year. We have lots of new members who have joined the forum recently. A big welcome to you. For the new members and for those who have been lurking and not sure of where to begin, I'll explain this challenge for you.
The $300 a month food challenge is based on a family of 4. That's for two adults and two children (although mine are now aged 17 and 15). In other words it's $75 per person.
$300 is just my goal. Please feel free to set your own goal. Maybe $400 is more realistic for you.
$300 includes all food for the month, basic toiletries (shampoo etc., not make up) and the few cleaning products I buy. If you have babies then please allow extra for nappies and formula etc. as I know these can be costly.
$300 does NOT include takeaway food as our family does not eat out very often. We make our own hamburgers, pizza, fish and chips. We eat tacos and pretend that it's like takeaway.
To stick to the $300, buy everything you can no name to keep the costs down. There are some exceptions like coffee, chocolate, toothpaste, vegemite, curry powder etc. You get the picture - the important things where taste really does matter.
Grow as many vegies as you can. What you can't grow, then find a fruit and vegie shop or a market where prices are better than the overpriced supermarkets. Buy your fruit in season and when at it’s cheapest. Buy extras and freeze.
Buy your meat from a butcher where possible. I personally buy mine from Tasman Meats and I buy lots when something is on a great special. I portion it up into meal sizes to reduce waste. Buy budget cuts of meat. Budget meat becomes premium when cooked in the slow cooker.
Reduce portion sizes of meat.
Bulk out meals with lots of vegies or maybe a garlic bread.
Cook from scratch. Over 95% of my meals are made from scratch. I make mostly old fashion food like meat pie, stews, casseroles, soups, pasta bakes, spag bol, lasagne, roasts, silverside ( in slow cooker ) etc.
Bake from scratch and freeze extras
Use tins of soup instead of jars of sauces. Tomato soup goes well with mince and cream of chicken soup goes well with chicken.
Make your own white sauce, gravy, marinades, salad dressings etc.
Avoid pre-packaged, microwave, snack size, pre made foods. They are so overpriced and quite often contain too much salt / sugar or other nasties
Menu plan and shop from home first.
Write a list of everything you can cook (including simple things like fish fingers). Write your menu plan from this list. This helps to get your family (and the cook) excited about what's for tea that night.
Write a shopping list and take it with you when you go shopping. Stick to your list.
Write a pantry / freezer and fridge inventory. It helps when writing your shopping list.
I personally like to do big shop once a month and do weekly top ups of milk, fruit and veg.
Use leftovers within 2 days. This avoids the chance of food poisoning and wastage due to everyone forgetting it's in the fridge.
All this information pretty much forms the $300 a month food challenge.
I originally set this challenge up so that my family would be healthy, happy with the food I serve up and to save more money for other areas of my budget.
Will you take up the challenge this year?
What monthly food budget do you have now?
What is your new monthly $$$ goal for this year?
What will you do with the savings?
WHO IS GOING TO JOIN ME!!!
Be encouraged and happy shopping!!!
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
The Post that Started it All
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9. Cheapskates Buzz
This week's hot forum topics
What Food or Drink Can't You Live Without
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2747-What-food-or-drink-can-t-you-live-without
$300 a Month Food Challenge 26 / 01 / 15
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2746-300-a-month-food-challenge-26-01-15
Are You a Cheapskater Near Me?
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2743-Are-You-a-Cheapskater-Near-Me
Most popular blog posts this week
How to Cover School Books
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2014/01/how-to-cover-school-books.html
Quick and Healthy Breakfast Ideas
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2012/02/quick-and-healthy-breakfast-ideas.html
Easiest Ever Lamingtons
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/01/easiest-ever-lamingtons.html
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10. Member's Featured Blog
Platinum 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 eedwards86.
Textbook Savings and more MOO!
Hope everyone is having a great Australia Day. Not too much happening here, just having a lazy day until later when we have family coming for a BBQ. All the preparations have been done already so we are being slack.
I was out in the garden earlier having a potter and thinking about what to plant in the empty garden beds. We have decided to wait til the hot weather is done so probably will not plant much until April. I was pleased to see my mini lemon tree has so many tiny lemons starting to grow. I counted 15, but I think I probably missed some as I lost track! The mini lemon tree is looking lovely with lots of new growth, but no oranges yet, perhaps later in the year.
While having a look at facebook earlier I came across a MOO hair detangler. Possibly already know to you all but its 1 part conditioner to 9 parts water, stir and put in spray bottle. It will save me a lot of money to do it this way! My hair is thick and even if conditioned in the shower it still gets knots when I brush it. At $8 a bottle for the Pantene brand it is expensive and I go through a fair bit!
My other saving over the past few days has been on uni textbooks. After finding out what I would need and prices ($107.95 and $134.95) I nearly died of shock!! After looking them up I found they were books that had been published a couple of years back so I got to looking for second hand books. A friend had one that she was selling for $60 (the $134.95 one). I found the other listed in a TAFE bookshop in NSW for $20 + postage. So my total for both was $88.50 instead of about $240!! I highly recommend checking around if in need of textbooks!! Sometimes you can't if the book is a new edition but if the publication date is earlier than this year or the one before you're likely to find something! Usually they will be in pretty good condition as well as students keep them tidy to try and re sell after they have finished with them!!
Login to read more Cheapskates Club member blogs
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11. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Wendy who wrote
"Reading the labels on hair shampoo scares me a lot. So many chemicals. Does anyone have a MOO shampoo recipe that does not have the chemicals but cleans hair without stripping out all the oils and leaving it dry and brittle?"
Joanna Harper answered
Try Sukin products especially their shampoo and conditioner. They are Australian made and use only natural ingredients. I was surprised by their quality and their price. I have psoriasis and need to be careful with what I use, this is pure and it works.
Sherrie Christon answered
I use bicarb to wash my hair and it is amazing. I have long thick hair and all I use is a teaspoon of bicarb dissolved in about half a cup of water and use that to wash my hair, been using that and only that the last 18 months...and did I say it is amazing...best thing I've used to wash my hair in my 52 years on this earth. No need for any conditioner either. It leaves my hair so soft and silky. My hair looks amazing and in such wonderful condition; I'll never ever use anything else ever again. And the price is amazing too, very cheap ..and no toxic chemicals. How great is that! We don't use any toxic chemicals in our home ..so please give it a try it is amazing. Have I sold you on the idea yet?
Carol Pease answered
For washing my hair I do not use a shampoo but a bar of Sunlight Soap - which gives me clean hair without stripping oils from hair. My reason for starting to use Sunlight Soap was that shampoo irritated my scalp and Sunlight Soap is just pure soap without any added chemicals.
Lyn Knight answered
Depending on your hair type (mine is extremely dry) I gave up shampoo altogether, and just use conditioner to wash and condition my hair! They also have similar chemicals etc. - but choose carefully and you can maybe at least halve your exposure - it works for me, I've done this for a few years now.
Catherine Alphonso answered
This shampoo and rinse takes a bit of getting used to but worth hanging in there. Shampoo: 1 tablespoon bi-carb soda to 1 cup of water (double if you have long hair). I use an old sauce bottle which allows you to squeeze it all over the roots of your hair. Massage gently then rinse off. Rinse: 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar to 1 cup water (again double for long hair). Pour all over then rinse off. You will smell a bit salady for a few seconds but this quickly disappears. The hardest thing to get used to is the lack of suds when shampooing but I'd forego that for the lack of chemicals any day.
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12. This Week's Question
Helen writes
"Our daughter has a rental unit, complete with ants (unwanted guests). What environmentally friendly solutions are there for these pests?"
Do you have the answer?
If you have a suggestion or idea for Helen 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
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13. Join the Cheapskates Club
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Joining the Cheapskates Club gives you 24/7 access to the Members Centre with 1000's of money saving tips and articles.
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Click here to order a gift membership right now!
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16. Contact Details
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Showing you how to live life
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