Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 13:19
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - MOOing Dog Food; $90 and All Our Telecommunication Needs are Covered; A Leather Miracle
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Family Favourite Chocolate Cake
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - First Things First
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. The Cheapskates Club Show - Watch the latest shows!
8. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
9. Join the Cheapskates Club
10. Frequently Asked Questions
11. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,I do hope you are all having a great week. And welcome to our new members (Cheapskates Club membership is still $25 for the first year - but the price could go back to our regular 10 cents a day - $36.50 a year - at any time).
The slightly cooler weather of the last couple of weeks has been such a blessing. We have been busy in the garden, getting ready for winter: pruning, raking up leaves, planting seeds and seedlings for our veggies, washing windows, cleaning paving and guttering and a whole lot of other chores that need to be done before the cold and (hopefully) rain arrive.
We could out-source most of these jobs but it would cost a small fortune, and they are all things we can easily do ourselves - especially as it is MOO month! It helps that I love to be in the garden and Wayne is pretty handy, and what we don't know, we do some research and learn.
On tomorrow night's Cheapskates Club Show I'll be making scrolls - lots and lots of scrolls. Tune in at 7.30pm to watch live.
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
MOOing Dog Food
I have been cooking this for my dog for years. As I peel my vegetables for the evening meal I put all peelings into a large plastic container. I also add the water I have strained off my cooked pasta. After a meal, I scrape the plates into the container; anything that is left after any meal goes into the container. Once a week the container is pretty full and the contents go into the boiler with a kilo of mince, a cup of rice, maybe a packet of dry soup or whatever is near the use by date, and of course salt. I cook it for half an hour then let cool overnight. Next morning I fill my plastic containers. I usually fill 10 to 12 containers. The cost to feed the most loved member of our family is about $7 per week (for the mince and rice). I nearly forgot - our dog weighs over 30 kilos.
Contributed by Shirley Richardson
Editor's note: This is great and an excellent way to keep your pet and grocery budget healthy. Just remember: no onions or garlic for dogs! Onions and garlic are highly toxic to dogs and can kill them, so be sure to put the skins and any cooked or raw onion or garlic in the compost and not the dog food. Cath
$90 and All Our Telecommunication Needs are Covered
I use Optus for unlimited NBN, unlimited calls from my home phone, local, STD and mobile for $70/month. If you just want NBN it is $60/month. For my and my hubby's mobile phones we use Amaysim unlimited calls and texts and 1gig data per month $10 each. We only use data at home so we don't need a large data plan. So all our family's telecommunication needs are covered for $90 per month.
Contributed by Kylie Host
Editor's note: Telecommunications are so confusing, with so many plans and products on offer. Do as Kylie did, and spend some time researching to find the product or products that suit you, your needs and your budget best. Remember, they're not a "one product suits all" item any more. Cath
A Leather Miracle
I have a cream coloured leather lounge suite that was starting to look grubby, so decided to take a chance and use the Cheapskates Miracle Spray to clean it. I sprayed a section of the lounge at a time and, using an old soft-bristled pet brush, gently brushed the leather in a circular motion. Then I wiped it with a moist sponge and dried it with an old tea towel. The lounge suite came up like new, very pleased with the results. Another miracle!
Contributed by Edel Heyer
Editor's note: I use Miracle Spray to clean our blue leather lounge chairs and our micro-suede loungesuite with great success. BUT please test in an inconspicuous place before you spritz the whole lounge or chair or whatever with Miracle Spray, just to make sure the eucalyptus oil and washing soda won't take out the colour or damage the fabric or leather. Cath.
3. Share Your Tips
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.
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
4. On The Menu
It's been a while since I shared something as simple as this really easy chocolate cake but don't for one minute think that because it's simple, it's not worthy of gracing the finest afternoon tea, because it is. I've called it Family Favourite Chocolate Cake because that's what it's under in my recipe book - it is a family favourite!
I've been making it since I was in high school. Sometimes it's round, sometimes it's a loaf, sometimes it becomes cupcakes or a sheet cake. Yes, that's how versatile and delicious it is.
Dress it up with icing or frosting, sprinkles, cachous, sugared flowers (violets look stunning on a chocolate icing on this cake). Split it and fill it with raspberry jam and whipped cream. Use your imagination and it becomes something glamorous - just don't tell that it only costs $1.95 and takes about five minutes to make!
Family Favourite Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
1 cup SR Flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp cocoa
3 tbsp butter, melted
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees. Sift dry ingredients. Add beaten egg and vanilla extract to milk and stir into dry ingredients. Beat in melted butter. Stir to combine. Bake in a greased and lined 20cm round cake tin for 25 - 30 minutes until cooked. Leave in tin 5 minutes before turning onto rack to cool. Ice with white icing and slice. Wrap individual slices in clingwrap to freeze.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: BBQ lamb chops, salad, pavlova for dessert
Tuesday: Spinach Ricotta Lasagne, salad
Wednesday: Haystacks
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Tuna slice, salads
Saturday: Enchiladas, rice, salad
In the fruit bowl: strawberries, watermelon
In the cake tin: Cinnamon scrolls, Coffee Scrolls, Family Favourite Chocolate Cake
There are over 1,700 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
5. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
First Things First
Every day I am asked "how do I get my grocery bill down?", it's something everyone wants to know.
Your grocery bill is the one bill you have absolute control over. You, and you alone, decide just how much money you spend on groceries each week. You choose what to buy, the brands you buy, the quantities you buy and where you buy those things.
So with those choices in mind, here's an outline of the strategies you can use to get your grocery bill down.
1. Clean, organize and inventory your pantry, fridge and freezer. Cheapskates Club members can login and use the downloadable inventories on the Printable page.
2. Decide how much you are going to spend and set your grocery budget. It doesn't have to be the amount you are spending now. Try trimming last week's grocery bill by 10 per cent to start. If that works, next time you shop take another 10 per cent off and see if that works. Keep going until you find you aren't buying everything you need, then add 10 per cent and stick to it for a few weeks. If it works, great, that's your optimal grocery budget. If after a few weeks you find it doesn't work, add 5 per cent and see if that makes a difference.
3. Create a meal plan. Whether it's weekly, fortnightly or monthly you need a meal plan. It is easier to work a meal plan to fit your shopping routine so if you shop weekly, meal plan weekly. If you shop monthly like I do, work on a monthly meal plan. Login and download the current month's blank meal planner and my meal plan for the month to make meal planning easy.
4. Collect the junk mail, the local papers and get online to find the store ads. Use them to write your shopping list and more importantly to familiarize yourself with the sale cycle, and just what comes on sale.
5. Stock up on staples. Every family has different staples, foods they always have on hand. Use these staples to start your grocery stockpile, buying one or two extra staples each time you shop and stocking up when they come on sale. Items such as baking goods, meat, breakfast cereals, toiletries, cleaning supplies, canned or frozen foods are usually staples in most homes and are a good starting point.
6. Donate your extras. Cheapskates live by the 10-10-80 rule: give 10 per cent, save 10 per cent and live off 80 per cent. Use some of your stockpile to donate to food banks and soup kitchens in your area. You don't need to give money, you can be generous with your time, skills and energy too.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Know the Shelf Life of Your Preserved Foods
Ready to Double your Income?
That Four Letter Word "Free"
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Be Glad About It
Single-use kitchen appliances
MOO Grout and Tile Cleaner
Most Popular Blog Posts This Week
Meal Planning on a Single Pension
Buying Big
Tips for Making Great Jam
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays and Thursdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AEDST
Show Schedule
Tuesday: Around the Kitchen Table - join Cath and Hannah for a cuppa and a chat around the kitchen table as they talk about living the Cheapskates way.
Thursday: Cheapskates in the Kitchen - want to know how to cook delicious, healthy and cheap meals? Watch Cath and Hannah as they create cheapskates style cuisine and share their favourite recipes.
Latest Shows
8. Ask Cath
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
9. Join The Cheapskates Club
For just $25 a year, for a limited time, 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!
10. 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.
11. Contact Cheapskates
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152
Contact Cheapskates
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - MOOing Dog Food; $90 and All Our Telecommunication Needs are Covered; A Leather Miracle
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Family Favourite Chocolate Cake
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - First Things First
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. The Cheapskates Club Show - Watch the latest shows!
8. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
9. Join the Cheapskates Club
10. Frequently Asked Questions
11. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,I do hope you are all having a great week. And welcome to our new members (Cheapskates Club membership is still $25 for the first year - but the price could go back to our regular 10 cents a day - $36.50 a year - at any time).
The slightly cooler weather of the last couple of weeks has been such a blessing. We have been busy in the garden, getting ready for winter: pruning, raking up leaves, planting seeds and seedlings for our veggies, washing windows, cleaning paving and guttering and a whole lot of other chores that need to be done before the cold and (hopefully) rain arrive.
We could out-source most of these jobs but it would cost a small fortune, and they are all things we can easily do ourselves - especially as it is MOO month! It helps that I love to be in the garden and Wayne is pretty handy, and what we don't know, we do some research and learn.
On tomorrow night's Cheapskates Club Show I'll be making scrolls - lots and lots of scrolls. Tune in at 7.30pm to watch live.
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
MOOing Dog Food
I have been cooking this for my dog for years. As I peel my vegetables for the evening meal I put all peelings into a large plastic container. I also add the water I have strained off my cooked pasta. After a meal, I scrape the plates into the container; anything that is left after any meal goes into the container. Once a week the container is pretty full and the contents go into the boiler with a kilo of mince, a cup of rice, maybe a packet of dry soup or whatever is near the use by date, and of course salt. I cook it for half an hour then let cool overnight. Next morning I fill my plastic containers. I usually fill 10 to 12 containers. The cost to feed the most loved member of our family is about $7 per week (for the mince and rice). I nearly forgot - our dog weighs over 30 kilos.
Contributed by Shirley Richardson
Editor's note: This is great and an excellent way to keep your pet and grocery budget healthy. Just remember: no onions or garlic for dogs! Onions and garlic are highly toxic to dogs and can kill them, so be sure to put the skins and any cooked or raw onion or garlic in the compost and not the dog food. Cath
$90 and All Our Telecommunication Needs are Covered
I use Optus for unlimited NBN, unlimited calls from my home phone, local, STD and mobile for $70/month. If you just want NBN it is $60/month. For my and my hubby's mobile phones we use Amaysim unlimited calls and texts and 1gig data per month $10 each. We only use data at home so we don't need a large data plan. So all our family's telecommunication needs are covered for $90 per month.
Contributed by Kylie Host
Editor's note: Telecommunications are so confusing, with so many plans and products on offer. Do as Kylie did, and spend some time researching to find the product or products that suit you, your needs and your budget best. Remember, they're not a "one product suits all" item any more. Cath
A Leather Miracle
I have a cream coloured leather lounge suite that was starting to look grubby, so decided to take a chance and use the Cheapskates Miracle Spray to clean it. I sprayed a section of the lounge at a time and, using an old soft-bristled pet brush, gently brushed the leather in a circular motion. Then I wiped it with a moist sponge and dried it with an old tea towel. The lounge suite came up like new, very pleased with the results. Another miracle!
Contributed by Edel Heyer
Editor's note: I use Miracle Spray to clean our blue leather lounge chairs and our micro-suede loungesuite with great success. BUT please test in an inconspicuous place before you spritz the whole lounge or chair or whatever with Miracle Spray, just to make sure the eucalyptus oil and washing soda won't take out the colour or damage the fabric or leather. Cath.
3. Share Your Tips
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.
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
4. On The Menu
It's been a while since I shared something as simple as this really easy chocolate cake but don't for one minute think that because it's simple, it's not worthy of gracing the finest afternoon tea, because it is. I've called it Family Favourite Chocolate Cake because that's what it's under in my recipe book - it is a family favourite!
I've been making it since I was in high school. Sometimes it's round, sometimes it's a loaf, sometimes it becomes cupcakes or a sheet cake. Yes, that's how versatile and delicious it is.
Dress it up with icing or frosting, sprinkles, cachous, sugared flowers (violets look stunning on a chocolate icing on this cake). Split it and fill it with raspberry jam and whipped cream. Use your imagination and it becomes something glamorous - just don't tell that it only costs $1.95 and takes about five minutes to make!
Family Favourite Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
1 cup SR Flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp cocoa
3 tbsp butter, melted
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees. Sift dry ingredients. Add beaten egg and vanilla extract to milk and stir into dry ingredients. Beat in melted butter. Stir to combine. Bake in a greased and lined 20cm round cake tin for 25 - 30 minutes until cooked. Leave in tin 5 minutes before turning onto rack to cool. Ice with white icing and slice. Wrap individual slices in clingwrap to freeze.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: BBQ lamb chops, salad, pavlova for dessert
Tuesday: Spinach Ricotta Lasagne, salad
Wednesday: Haystacks
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Tuna slice, salads
Saturday: Enchiladas, rice, salad
In the fruit bowl: strawberries, watermelon
In the cake tin: Cinnamon scrolls, Coffee Scrolls, Family Favourite Chocolate Cake
There are over 1,700 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
5. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
First Things First
Every day I am asked "how do I get my grocery bill down?", it's something everyone wants to know.
Your grocery bill is the one bill you have absolute control over. You, and you alone, decide just how much money you spend on groceries each week. You choose what to buy, the brands you buy, the quantities you buy and where you buy those things.
So with those choices in mind, here's an outline of the strategies you can use to get your grocery bill down.
1. Clean, organize and inventory your pantry, fridge and freezer. Cheapskates Club members can login and use the downloadable inventories on the Printable page.
2. Decide how much you are going to spend and set your grocery budget. It doesn't have to be the amount you are spending now. Try trimming last week's grocery bill by 10 per cent to start. If that works, next time you shop take another 10 per cent off and see if that works. Keep going until you find you aren't buying everything you need, then add 10 per cent and stick to it for a few weeks. If it works, great, that's your optimal grocery budget. If after a few weeks you find it doesn't work, add 5 per cent and see if that makes a difference.
3. Create a meal plan. Whether it's weekly, fortnightly or monthly you need a meal plan. It is easier to work a meal plan to fit your shopping routine so if you shop weekly, meal plan weekly. If you shop monthly like I do, work on a monthly meal plan. Login and download the current month's blank meal planner and my meal plan for the month to make meal planning easy.
4. Collect the junk mail, the local papers and get online to find the store ads. Use them to write your shopping list and more importantly to familiarize yourself with the sale cycle, and just what comes on sale.
5. Stock up on staples. Every family has different staples, foods they always have on hand. Use these staples to start your grocery stockpile, buying one or two extra staples each time you shop and stocking up when they come on sale. Items such as baking goods, meat, breakfast cereals, toiletries, cleaning supplies, canned or frozen foods are usually staples in most homes and are a good starting point.
6. Donate your extras. Cheapskates live by the 10-10-80 rule: give 10 per cent, save 10 per cent and live off 80 per cent. Use some of your stockpile to donate to food banks and soup kitchens in your area. You don't need to give money, you can be generous with your time, skills and energy too.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Know the Shelf Life of Your Preserved Foods
Ready to Double your Income?
That Four Letter Word "Free"
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Be Glad About It
Single-use kitchen appliances
MOO Grout and Tile Cleaner
Most Popular Blog Posts This Week
Meal Planning on a Single Pension
Buying Big
Tips for Making Great Jam
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays and Thursdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AEDST
Show Schedule
Tuesday: Around the Kitchen Table - join Cath and Hannah for a cuppa and a chat around the kitchen table as they talk about living the Cheapskates way.
Thursday: Cheapskates in the Kitchen - want to know how to cook delicious, healthy and cheap meals? Watch Cath and Hannah as they create cheapskates style cuisine and share their favourite recipes.
Latest Shows
8. Ask Cath
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
9. Join The Cheapskates Club
For just $25 a year, for a limited time, 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!
10. 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.
11. Contact Cheapskates
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152
Contact Cheapskates