Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 07:19
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Grow Those Eyebrows; Many Milk Bottles; Beautiful Beaded Birthday Presents
3. This Week's Winning Tip - First Class Dental Care on a Budget
4. Share Your Tips
5. On the Menu - MOO Alfredo Sauce
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge- Sauces!
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. Last Week's Question - How to build a slush fund when there's no money left
9. This Week's Question - How can I prepare for unemployment?
10. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Hello Cheapskaters,
Firstly, happy Valentine's Day! We don’t celebrate as such, certainly don't spend money on over-priced flowers or a meal out, and it's not because I'm mean or stingy or even that we can't afford it (we could save up if we really wanted too). I simply can't see the point - we love each other every day, and we tell each other every day too. Our children aren't children any more, they're all well and truly adults, but I still tell each of them every day that I love them. So I guess in our home every day is Valentine's Day.
We are home. Our lovely trip is over and it's back to work. We came home to cold and rain. The rain is such a blessing, my garden suffered while we were away. It was lovely to catch up with some Cheapskaters as we travelled around Tasmania. And we had such a great time we are already planning a return trip.
During the trip I was excited to have internet on a couple of occasions and be able to do a You Tube show live from Launceston. The wonders of modern technology (thanks, or perhaps no thanks, to Telstra)! There was me sitting in a little cabin, listening to the rain on the roof and chatting to everyone about how to have a successful spending freeze, just like I would if I were at home. I think that's just amazing!
If you've missed any shows, you can watch them on our channel any time and of course you can catch us live on Tuesday and Thursday at 7.30pm AEDST.
Have a great week everyone,
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Grow Those Eyebrows
My eyebrow technician has told me that daily brushing of my eyebrows will help stimulate growth on my vary sparse eyebrows. The little brushes you can buy all add up so I have come up with this money saver. Once you have finished using your mascara brush instead of chucking it in the bin, leave it out to dry and there you have a usable and up-cycled eyebrow brush.
Contributed by Kate Lawrence
Many Milk Bottles
Trying to reduce my recycling and be more effective around home, I have been using plastic milk bottles (2L size) for many things.
Washed out and left whole they store -bicarb soda, washing powder, cat food, rice and pasta, anything that comes in a bag but should be airtight after opened. If you cut down the top of a 2L Coke bottle, it works perfectly as a funnel (separate ones for different things) and it makes it a lot easier to fill the milk bottles. I also cut milk bottles down to different sizes, to use for different things: cut in half and use to store bathroom items on the counter, different items in your pantry, as drawer dividers, pet food bowls, to hold craft supplies, to store small things in your garage, cut to make baskets for kids to make presents, as kitchen plant pots and tray (one inside another, top one with holes in bottom to drain), the list could go on. I like using milk bottles because they are white (go with everything), easy to cut to the size you need, can be replaced (and recycled) when you don't need them anymore, are easy to stick together, and are easy to label nicely so you know what they are for.
Contributed by Denise Scotford
Beautiful Beaded Birthday Presents
Approximate $ Savings: $20 or even more
I recently had two birthday parties to attend. I considered buying each friend a present which cost $20 each, but that would total $40. In the end, I made each friend a piece of beaded jewellery. I was able to save a bundle of money and my friends love their handmade gifts. If you don't know how to make beaded jewellery, you can learn how to make it, or any craft from various websites or classes. You can purchase the materials from junk stores, Spotlight, Lincraft or craft stores. Sometimes the staff in these places can even give you good tips.
Contributed by AE
Editor's note: Look at the jewellery in op shops for beautiful beads and baubles. You can often get them for just a few cents each, saving a fortune on buying beads. If you take them apart carefully you can reuse the clasps and even the wire, saving even more money. Vintage style beads are expensive to buy from craft shops, so why not get true vintage for under $1 at an op shop? Cath
Add a Tip
3. This Week's Winning Tip
This week's winning tip is from Brenda. Brenda has won a one year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip.
First Class Dental Care on a Budget
After a huge $668 dentist bill on my last visit I decided to look into a cheaper option. I am not scared to go to the dentist but am certainly scared of their exorbitant bill. I found out that the local Uni at Ourimbah campus has a dental school who see HCC holders and pensioners for free and the general public for a small fee. I am quite happy to pay the small fee and for 4th years to train on me. Most Unis will run this programme so it is a wonderful option. I'm booked in and ready to go. They do all types of fillings, extractions and other procedures.
Congratulations Brenda, I hope you enjoy your Cheapskates Club membership.
The Cheapskate's Club website is thousands of pages of money saving hints, tips and ideas. There are over 12,000 tips to save you money, time and energy; 1,600 budget and family friendly recipes, hundreds of printable tip sheets and ebooks.
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
.4. Share Your Tips
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!
Share Your Tip
5. On The Menu
This was one of the first sauces Hannah learnt to make. It's very simple, but tastes great and is very versatile. It goes well with pasta, of course, but it's delicious over hot, steamed rice too.
It's one of those recipes that can be turned into lots of different meals very easily with the addition of one or two other ingredients. Bulk it up with some veggies - broccoli, cauliflower and carrot are good - or some cooked chicken or ham.
Alfredo Sauce (MOO)
Ingredients:
½ cup butter
60g cream cheese, cubed
600ml cream (or substitute evaporated milk)
2 tsp garlic powder
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ tsp dried oregano
⅔ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Method:
Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over a medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Add the cream cheese and stir until smooth, then whisk in the cream and parmesan. Add the garlic powder and stir. Bring to a simmer, turn the heat down so it just holds the simmer, and whisk frequently until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Serve over hot, cooked fettucine.
This recipe is from the Sauces and Gravies Recipe File
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Baked Chicken Enchiladas
Tuesday: Fettucine Alfredo, salad
Wednesday: Fish, wedges, salad
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Drumsticks, salad
Saturday: Hamburgers
There are over 1,600 budget and family friendly recipes in the Cheapskates Club Recipe File, all contributed by your fellow Cheapskates, so you know they're good.
Add A Recipe
Recipe File Index
6. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
Sauces
How many sauces and salad dressings do you have in your pantry and fridge? How long have they been there? How often do you use them?
Have you ever added up just how much of your hard earned money is sitting in those bottles in your fridge and pantry? It can be quite a lot if you don't use them!
We have a lot of sauces and dressings in the fridge and pantry (yes, we like our sauces!):
Egg mayo
Coleslaw dressing
Balsamic dressing
Sweet chili sauce
Habanero sauce
Mint sauce
Barbecue sauce
Tomato sauce
Mustard sauce
Aioli
Kecap Manis
Soy
Worcestershire
Most of them can be easily made, no need to buy them. The kids like to buy their own more exotic sauces and dressings, the ones I won't pay for (habanero is not on my list!). I do buy coleslaw dressing and egg mayo in bulk jars and I treat myself to balsamic dressing from Aldi (it's delicious and a fraction of the price of other balsamic dressings). Soy sauce and kecap manis (a thick, sweet soy sauce) I buy from Hindustan Imports in 1 litre bottles.
Most of the other sauces we have I can make easily, using ingredients I have on hand. They taste better, have nothing fake in them and use up excess garden produce.
This week I made another batch of Worcestershire sauce. It's used in gravies and casseroles, as well as on meats and in marinades.
It is so simple and quick to make, with very little input required. Yes, you need to let it steep for six days before bottlings, but it only takes a couple of minutes each day to look after it. And as with all good things, it is well worth the wait.
MOO Worcestershire Sauce
This is a recipe from my mother's recipe book. It was originally in pints and ounces, I converted the measurements to metric when I started making it. It really is as easy as mix and let it steep. I like it because it doesn't have the traditional anchovies in it, but still has a good bite. The longer the sauce matures the hotter it becomes and the better your gravy and casserole will taste.
Worcestershire Sauce
Ingredients:
2 litres brown vinegar
30g chopped garlic
30g cayenne pepper
30g whole cloves
30g salt
1 jar treacle *
2 large lemons
Method:
Mix all ingredients together in a plastic bucket and stir to dissolve salt. Chop the 2 lemons and add to the mixture (skin and all). Cover with a tea towel or a cheesecloth. Stir daily for 6 days. Strain and bottle. Leave at least two weeks in a cool, dark cupboard to mature.
I use the glass 3 litre Ocean Spray cranberry juice bottles to store the sauce and decant into a smaller bottle for kitchen use. Being glass, they are easy to clean and sterilise between batches and the lids seal well.
This sauce costs around $8 to buy, the price of the spices and lemons being the main culprits, and it makes 3 litres.
Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce costs $11.60 a litre!
Take a few minutes to make a batch and you won't be spending $26.80, and remember, it keeps on the pantry shelf for years, so no need to worry that it won't last. If you are concerned, make up a half or quarter batch to try.
*Treacle now comes in plastic jars instead of the old tins. I use the whole 850g jar - it sounds like a lot, but it works.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
What To Do With Outgrown Clothes
The Simplest Way to Go Organic
Make Your Own Granola
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
February Spending Freeze 2019
2019 Decluttering Tally Challenge
Op Shopping Bargains
Most Popular Blog Posts This Week
Crunchy Veggie Tuna Pasta Salad
Staying Cool in Extreme Heat
The Rule of Half
8. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Maureen who wrote
"How can I build a slush fund, when I don't have anything left from the grocery budget?"
Karina Moten answered
If you can’t find ways to reduce further then look at other areas to reduce or make money. Sell some items on Gumtree to get started and use this to stock up when items you regularly need are on sale.
Leanne Coward answered
When I first started to save money I would do my grocery shopping using a tally amount so I didn't spend more than I wanted. Before I went through the register I would go through my trolley, pick things up and think do I really need this? I always managed to put one or two items back and sometimes I would think I can wait for these to be on special. That money I saved went into an envelope and I used it to buy items for my stockpile when things were on special. You can also ask yourself "can I buy home brand?" and put the price of the brand grocery on your tally sheet and save the difference towards your slush fund.
Nova Deacs answered
Whenever you find coins (in couches, in laundry, in pockets, on floor), add them to a little jar. Start small. If you get change from purchases, add those coins too. You won't miss them and they do add up. There is the embryo of the slush fund!
Fiona Hofmeyer answered
I built my slush fund by extending each week to 8 days. I normally shop on a Saturday so the following week I shopped on a Sunday, the next week a Monday and so on. After 7 weeks I had a week’s shopping money spare and built my slush fund that way. It’s amazing what wonderful specials you can stock up on with a week’s worth of grocery money. I continue to do this and continue to save money as I always have extra to buy up big on great specials!
9. This Week's Question
Jane writes
"I work on a 3 month contract that has been renewed regularly for 3 years however I have little confidence that it will be renewed next time and subsequently I will be in the same situation as those around me...51 and unemployed. I am looking for jobs while I am employed of course but I'm very anxious about what is next. My CV is current and I scour the employment websites (seeing the same jobs advertised over and over again). Perhaps I need to deliver my CV to local businesses? I am working full time but I could call in to businesses after work. I know it's a big, broad question but is there something I'm missing that I can be doing to find my next job? Thank you for your help."
Do you have the answer?
If you have a suggestion or advice for Jane, 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
10. Ask A Question
We have lots of resources to help you as you live the Cheapskates way but if you didn't find the answer to your question in our extensive archives please just drop me a note with your question.
I read and answer all questions, either in an email to you, in my weekly newsletter, the monthly Journal or by creating blog posts and other resources to help you (and other Cheapskaters).
Ask Your Question
11. Join The Cheapskates Club
For a limited time, for just $25 a year, 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. Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change my email address?
This one is easy. When you login to the Member's Centre just click on your name at the top of the page to go straight to your profile page where you can update your details, change your password and find your subscription details.
Not a Cheapskates Club member? Then please use the Changing Details form found here to update your email address.
How do I know when my membership should be renewed?
Memberships are active for one year from the date of joining. You will be sent a renewal reminder before your subscription is due to renew. You can also find your membership expiry date on your profile page.
When you login to the Member's Centre just click on your name to go straight to your profile page where you can will find your join date and your expiry date.
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.
How did I get on this list?
The only way you can get onto our newsletter mailing list is to subscribe yourself. You signed up to receive our Free Newsletter at our Cheapskates Club Web site or are a Platinum Cheapskates Club member.
13. Contact Cheapskates
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
Contact Cheapskates
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Grow Those Eyebrows; Many Milk Bottles; Beautiful Beaded Birthday Presents
3. This Week's Winning Tip - First Class Dental Care on a Budget
4. Share Your Tips
5. On the Menu - MOO Alfredo Sauce
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge- Sauces!
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. Last Week's Question - How to build a slush fund when there's no money left
9. This Week's Question - How can I prepare for unemployment?
10. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Hello Cheapskaters,
Firstly, happy Valentine's Day! We don’t celebrate as such, certainly don't spend money on over-priced flowers or a meal out, and it's not because I'm mean or stingy or even that we can't afford it (we could save up if we really wanted too). I simply can't see the point - we love each other every day, and we tell each other every day too. Our children aren't children any more, they're all well and truly adults, but I still tell each of them every day that I love them. So I guess in our home every day is Valentine's Day.
We are home. Our lovely trip is over and it's back to work. We came home to cold and rain. The rain is such a blessing, my garden suffered while we were away. It was lovely to catch up with some Cheapskaters as we travelled around Tasmania. And we had such a great time we are already planning a return trip.
During the trip I was excited to have internet on a couple of occasions and be able to do a You Tube show live from Launceston. The wonders of modern technology (thanks, or perhaps no thanks, to Telstra)! There was me sitting in a little cabin, listening to the rain on the roof and chatting to everyone about how to have a successful spending freeze, just like I would if I were at home. I think that's just amazing!
If you've missed any shows, you can watch them on our channel any time and of course you can catch us live on Tuesday and Thursday at 7.30pm AEDST.
Have a great week everyone,
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Grow Those Eyebrows
My eyebrow technician has told me that daily brushing of my eyebrows will help stimulate growth on my vary sparse eyebrows. The little brushes you can buy all add up so I have come up with this money saver. Once you have finished using your mascara brush instead of chucking it in the bin, leave it out to dry and there you have a usable and up-cycled eyebrow brush.
Contributed by Kate Lawrence
Many Milk Bottles
Trying to reduce my recycling and be more effective around home, I have been using plastic milk bottles (2L size) for many things.
Washed out and left whole they store -bicarb soda, washing powder, cat food, rice and pasta, anything that comes in a bag but should be airtight after opened. If you cut down the top of a 2L Coke bottle, it works perfectly as a funnel (separate ones for different things) and it makes it a lot easier to fill the milk bottles. I also cut milk bottles down to different sizes, to use for different things: cut in half and use to store bathroom items on the counter, different items in your pantry, as drawer dividers, pet food bowls, to hold craft supplies, to store small things in your garage, cut to make baskets for kids to make presents, as kitchen plant pots and tray (one inside another, top one with holes in bottom to drain), the list could go on. I like using milk bottles because they are white (go with everything), easy to cut to the size you need, can be replaced (and recycled) when you don't need them anymore, are easy to stick together, and are easy to label nicely so you know what they are for.
Contributed by Denise Scotford
Beautiful Beaded Birthday Presents
Approximate $ Savings: $20 or even more
I recently had two birthday parties to attend. I considered buying each friend a present which cost $20 each, but that would total $40. In the end, I made each friend a piece of beaded jewellery. I was able to save a bundle of money and my friends love their handmade gifts. If you don't know how to make beaded jewellery, you can learn how to make it, or any craft from various websites or classes. You can purchase the materials from junk stores, Spotlight, Lincraft or craft stores. Sometimes the staff in these places can even give you good tips.
Contributed by AE
Editor's note: Look at the jewellery in op shops for beautiful beads and baubles. You can often get them for just a few cents each, saving a fortune on buying beads. If you take them apart carefully you can reuse the clasps and even the wire, saving even more money. Vintage style beads are expensive to buy from craft shops, so why not get true vintage for under $1 at an op shop? Cath
Add a Tip
3. This Week's Winning Tip
This week's winning tip is from Brenda. Brenda has won a one year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip.
First Class Dental Care on a Budget
After a huge $668 dentist bill on my last visit I decided to look into a cheaper option. I am not scared to go to the dentist but am certainly scared of their exorbitant bill. I found out that the local Uni at Ourimbah campus has a dental school who see HCC holders and pensioners for free and the general public for a small fee. I am quite happy to pay the small fee and for 4th years to train on me. Most Unis will run this programme so it is a wonderful option. I'm booked in and ready to go. They do all types of fillings, extractions and other procedures.
Congratulations Brenda, I hope you enjoy your Cheapskates Club membership.
The Cheapskate's Club website is thousands of pages of money saving hints, tips and ideas. There are over 12,000 tips to save you money, time and energy; 1,600 budget and family friendly recipes, hundreds of printable tip sheets and ebooks.
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
.4. Share Your Tips
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!
Share Your Tip
5. On The Menu
This was one of the first sauces Hannah learnt to make. It's very simple, but tastes great and is very versatile. It goes well with pasta, of course, but it's delicious over hot, steamed rice too.
It's one of those recipes that can be turned into lots of different meals very easily with the addition of one or two other ingredients. Bulk it up with some veggies - broccoli, cauliflower and carrot are good - or some cooked chicken or ham.
Alfredo Sauce (MOO)
Ingredients:
½ cup butter
60g cream cheese, cubed
600ml cream (or substitute evaporated milk)
2 tsp garlic powder
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ tsp dried oregano
⅔ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Method:
Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over a medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Add the cream cheese and stir until smooth, then whisk in the cream and parmesan. Add the garlic powder and stir. Bring to a simmer, turn the heat down so it just holds the simmer, and whisk frequently until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Serve over hot, cooked fettucine.
This recipe is from the Sauces and Gravies Recipe File
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Baked Chicken Enchiladas
Tuesday: Fettucine Alfredo, salad
Wednesday: Fish, wedges, salad
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Drumsticks, salad
Saturday: Hamburgers
There are over 1,600 budget and family friendly recipes in the Cheapskates Club Recipe File, all contributed by your fellow Cheapskates, so you know they're good.
Add A Recipe
Recipe File Index
6. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
Sauces
How many sauces and salad dressings do you have in your pantry and fridge? How long have they been there? How often do you use them?
Have you ever added up just how much of your hard earned money is sitting in those bottles in your fridge and pantry? It can be quite a lot if you don't use them!
We have a lot of sauces and dressings in the fridge and pantry (yes, we like our sauces!):
Egg mayo
Coleslaw dressing
Balsamic dressing
Sweet chili sauce
Habanero sauce
Mint sauce
Barbecue sauce
Tomato sauce
Mustard sauce
Aioli
Kecap Manis
Soy
Worcestershire
Most of them can be easily made, no need to buy them. The kids like to buy their own more exotic sauces and dressings, the ones I won't pay for (habanero is not on my list!). I do buy coleslaw dressing and egg mayo in bulk jars and I treat myself to balsamic dressing from Aldi (it's delicious and a fraction of the price of other balsamic dressings). Soy sauce and kecap manis (a thick, sweet soy sauce) I buy from Hindustan Imports in 1 litre bottles.
Most of the other sauces we have I can make easily, using ingredients I have on hand. They taste better, have nothing fake in them and use up excess garden produce.
This week I made another batch of Worcestershire sauce. It's used in gravies and casseroles, as well as on meats and in marinades.
It is so simple and quick to make, with very little input required. Yes, you need to let it steep for six days before bottlings, but it only takes a couple of minutes each day to look after it. And as with all good things, it is well worth the wait.
MOO Worcestershire Sauce
This is a recipe from my mother's recipe book. It was originally in pints and ounces, I converted the measurements to metric when I started making it. It really is as easy as mix and let it steep. I like it because it doesn't have the traditional anchovies in it, but still has a good bite. The longer the sauce matures the hotter it becomes and the better your gravy and casserole will taste.
Worcestershire Sauce
Ingredients:
2 litres brown vinegar
30g chopped garlic
30g cayenne pepper
30g whole cloves
30g salt
1 jar treacle *
2 large lemons
Method:
Mix all ingredients together in a plastic bucket and stir to dissolve salt. Chop the 2 lemons and add to the mixture (skin and all). Cover with a tea towel or a cheesecloth. Stir daily for 6 days. Strain and bottle. Leave at least two weeks in a cool, dark cupboard to mature.
I use the glass 3 litre Ocean Spray cranberry juice bottles to store the sauce and decant into a smaller bottle for kitchen use. Being glass, they are easy to clean and sterilise between batches and the lids seal well.
This sauce costs around $8 to buy, the price of the spices and lemons being the main culprits, and it makes 3 litres.
Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce costs $11.60 a litre!
Take a few minutes to make a batch and you won't be spending $26.80, and remember, it keeps on the pantry shelf for years, so no need to worry that it won't last. If you are concerned, make up a half or quarter batch to try.
*Treacle now comes in plastic jars instead of the old tins. I use the whole 850g jar - it sounds like a lot, but it works.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
What To Do With Outgrown Clothes
The Simplest Way to Go Organic
Make Your Own Granola
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
February Spending Freeze 2019
2019 Decluttering Tally Challenge
Op Shopping Bargains
Most Popular Blog Posts This Week
Crunchy Veggie Tuna Pasta Salad
Staying Cool in Extreme Heat
The Rule of Half
8. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Maureen who wrote
"How can I build a slush fund, when I don't have anything left from the grocery budget?"
Karina Moten answered
If you can’t find ways to reduce further then look at other areas to reduce or make money. Sell some items on Gumtree to get started and use this to stock up when items you regularly need are on sale.
Leanne Coward answered
When I first started to save money I would do my grocery shopping using a tally amount so I didn't spend more than I wanted. Before I went through the register I would go through my trolley, pick things up and think do I really need this? I always managed to put one or two items back and sometimes I would think I can wait for these to be on special. That money I saved went into an envelope and I used it to buy items for my stockpile when things were on special. You can also ask yourself "can I buy home brand?" and put the price of the brand grocery on your tally sheet and save the difference towards your slush fund.
Nova Deacs answered
Whenever you find coins (in couches, in laundry, in pockets, on floor), add them to a little jar. Start small. If you get change from purchases, add those coins too. You won't miss them and they do add up. There is the embryo of the slush fund!
Fiona Hofmeyer answered
I built my slush fund by extending each week to 8 days. I normally shop on a Saturday so the following week I shopped on a Sunday, the next week a Monday and so on. After 7 weeks I had a week’s shopping money spare and built my slush fund that way. It’s amazing what wonderful specials you can stock up on with a week’s worth of grocery money. I continue to do this and continue to save money as I always have extra to buy up big on great specials!
9. This Week's Question
Jane writes
"I work on a 3 month contract that has been renewed regularly for 3 years however I have little confidence that it will be renewed next time and subsequently I will be in the same situation as those around me...51 and unemployed. I am looking for jobs while I am employed of course but I'm very anxious about what is next. My CV is current and I scour the employment websites (seeing the same jobs advertised over and over again). Perhaps I need to deliver my CV to local businesses? I am working full time but I could call in to businesses after work. I know it's a big, broad question but is there something I'm missing that I can be doing to find my next job? Thank you for your help."
Do you have the answer?
If you have a suggestion or advice for Jane, 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
10. Ask A Question
We have lots of resources to help you as you live the Cheapskates way but if you didn't find the answer to your question in our extensive archives please just drop me a note with your question.
I read and answer all questions, either in an email to you, in my weekly newsletter, the monthly Journal or by creating blog posts and other resources to help you (and other Cheapskaters).
Ask Your Question
11. Join The Cheapskates Club
For a limited time, for just $25 a year, 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. Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change my email address?
This one is easy. When you login to the Member's Centre just click on your name at the top of the page to go straight to your profile page where you can update your details, change your password and find your subscription details.
Not a Cheapskates Club member? Then please use the Changing Details form found here to update your email address.
How do I know when my membership should be renewed?
Memberships are active for one year from the date of joining. You will be sent a renewal reminder before your subscription is due to renew. You can also find your membership expiry date on your profile page.
When you login to the Member's Centre just click on your name to go straight to your profile page where you can will find your join date and your expiry date.
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.
How did I get on this list?
The only way you can get onto our newsletter mailing list is to subscribe yourself. You signed up to receive our Free Newsletter at our Cheapskates Club Web site or are a Platinum Cheapskates Club member.
13. Contact Cheapskates
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
Contact Cheapskates