Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter: 14:14 Bright ideas to save you money
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - Recycling Framed Prints, Get the Best Interest Rate for Your Savings, Beating Telstra for Discount
3. Cheapskate's Winning Tip - Homeschool Dance Classes for Your Toddler and Save
4. Submit Your Tip - Share your frugal wisdom for a chance to win
5. Living Green in 2014 - Remember the story about the 3 little pigs?
6. On the Menu with Anne - Chicken with Feta and Tomatoes
7. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy -
8. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
9. Member's Featured Blog - Ready or Not For April by Bluebell 234
10. Last Week's Question - Help needed with storing and organizing digital photo
11. This Week's Question - How do I get the best value from health insurance?
12. Join the Cheapskates Club
13. Gift Memberships
14. Frequently Asked Questions
15. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Newsletter day sure seems to come around fast! I feel like I was just catching you up on what's happening and it's time to catch you up again.
We had a perfectly lovely weekend here in Melbourne so I spent lots of time pottering, planting and pulling in the garden. Lots of new seeds planted for winter. Garden beds turned over and composted so they'll be ready when the seedlings are ready to transplant. I'm waiting for the weather to cool off a bit so I can get some winter root vegetables in, it's still a little warm for them.
The three new beds have cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and rainbow silverbeet for winter greens; along the back of each bed is a trellis for peas. I've saved one bed for turnips and parsnips and hopefully I'll be able to get them in this coming weekend. I like to sow root vegetables direct rather than disturb them as seedlings. They seem to do much better if they're direct sown, and of course it's one job I can cross off the list.
The garden is looking lovely and tidy and I'd really like to get stuck into the planting, but I need to time it. Wayne and I will be away for six weeks from the end of May and I don't need a whole lot of veggies ready while we're away, the kids will only eat so many and preserving them the way I do just isn't on their radars yet. Staggered planting is happening, with a plan up on the noticeboard so they know what to do while we're away. How to you manage your garden when you are away from home? Do you just plant as you normally would and have someone else look after it, or hope for the best? Do you stagger the planting so you don't lose any produce? Or do you have someone take care of it in return for lovely fresh, organic veggies? I'd love to know, I've never really had to tackle this problem before.
MOO Month is over and it was a lot of fun and a huge success. Thirty-one new ways to say "no thanks" to supermarkets and department stores were shared during March. I've had a lot of requests to put all 31 MOOs into a book you can download so that's what I've done. In a single PDF, I’ve compiled all 31 MOOs, along with the tutorial, photos and any resource you might need to MOO each project.
If you are a Platinum Cheapskates Club member you can log in to download your copy from the Printables page. If you are not a Platinum Cheapskates Club member you can purchase your copy from the Cheapskates Book Store for just $1.99. It’s really that simple. You asked – I delivered.
You also asked for a payment plan for the 1 Day Art of Living the Cheapskates Way workshop in May, and again I delivered. You now have the option of paying in full when you book or choosing the payment plan and paying over four weekly instalments. You can find out more about the workshop and the payment options here.
"Hello Cath, Purchased your book for both daughters a few years ago after hearing you on our local ABC in Perth. Glad I signed up for your newsletters - they are delightful and remind me of how we used to live and budget when we were first home buyers some 40+ years ago." Dallas
"Wow, Cath. Can I just say that you do an amazing job. I have a family with two small children and minimal wages, and with your tips we have been able to live comfortably and maintain a mortgage. You are a God-send to me and my family." Melinda
I am really looking forward to being a cheapskates member! :-) I am very pleased. Thanks too so much for organizing such a great Club. I have always been a very carefully frugal person so I am looking forward to learning other tips and sharing my own. Have a great day! Nadia
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.
2. From The Tip Store
Recycling Framed Prints
Approximate $ Savings: Variable, up to $60 per item
I am always looking for ideas to update home decor and for innovative gifts to friends and family. I often see beautiful framed prints in some of the upmarket designer stores and magazines and was inspired to seek a less expensive alternative. I started checking out poster prints online and was pleasantly surprised at the relatively low cost. Modern styles from as low as $12 for a 60 x 80 cm size. I am a dedicated recycler and often come across great quality frames that are perfect for updating with a new print. As framed prints often cost up to $80+ for a quality product, the savings are significant!
Contributed by Jennifer Cintolo
Get the Best Interest Rate for Your Savings
Approximate $ Savings: Ranges depending on how much is in your account
Most of us these days have savings accounts on top of our everyday accounts. The best rates are usually found at each banks' "online savings" accounts however most of these only have promotional rates for 3-4 months (currently around 4.1%) and are advertised for "new accounts" only. After this period, they often revert back to base rates which can be around 1%. If you're not keen on having to open a new account with different banks every 3-4 months, go into your bank's branch office and ask what the current best rate on their online saver for new customers is. Often they will help you open a new online saver and give you the "new account" promotional rate and even help you to close your old accounts so they don't build up (just remember if you open mid-way through a month, you should wait until the end of the month after any residual interest has been paid before closing it). This way you can get up to 3-4% more interest on your savings, stay with the same bank and it takes less than half an hour of your time every few months. I've even had a really nice manager once match a higher interest rate from a competing bank! Just as an example, if you had $10,000 in a savings account at 1% vs a 4% interest rate, you would earn an extra $25 every month, adding up to $300 every year. The more you have, the more you earn! And before anyone says "yes but you have to pay tax on the extra income", this is true but even paying 30% tax on extra income still means extra income regardless (unless it pushes you into a higher tax bracket then maybe you'd need to rethink the strategy).
Contributed by Martina Ho
Beating Telstra for Discount
Approximate $ Savings: $20 per moth for contract life
I have been with Telstra for mobile broadband for a number of years. I saw on their site that you could get $20 off your bill per month, if you bundle services. Well since I only have the one account I asked if I could get this discount only to be told no, but I was advised to ring customer service and see if they would do this as a loyal customer discount. Well I applied and got it and have had it for the last 2 years. I have recently upgraded my monthly allowance and again had to ring the customer service to see if I could still keep the discount. After two phone calls and an online chat I was assured that yes I could keep this discount, so my monthly payment has only gone up by $10. Don't ask in-store as they are not helpful or deny any knowledge of this discount being available. But with persistence and using the in-store phone to call customer service this discount is there for anyone if they are insistent.
Contributed by Chris Boxall
There are more than 11,000 great tips in the Tip Store
3. Cheapskates Winning tip
This week's winning tip is from Heather Ogier. Heather has won a one year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip.
Homeschool Dance Classes for Your Toddler and Save
Approximate $ Savings: $500-$1,000 per year
I am a retired Dance Teacher of over 50 years. Advice to all Mums of Toddlers. Do not start your child attending Dance Classes until they are in their first year at least at school. The first reason is that they will be utterly bored with it by the time they reach six or seven, just when they could actually start revealing some talent. Instead make sure you play music at home as much as possible, buy them some little ballet shoes (second hand) and a tutu. Purchase or make six or seven scarves, a feather boa and let their imagination run wild. Teach them to use one leg then the other by pointing their toes. Wave their arms like fairies and clap every time they do something that's clever. Pretend you have a pool of water that they kneel in front of and dip their fingers in and out then their toes. That's the basics of any baby dance class. Seriously that's all they will do in toddler classes. For children a little older who want to try tap just buy a pair of second hand tap shoes, a cheap piece of wooden ply put it outside and let them go for it. All they really want to do is make a noise. If they continue to want to 'practice' then you may have the makings of the next gene Kelly, if not you have saved yourself a lot of money for term payments.
Congratulations Heather, I hope you enjoy your Cheapskates Club membership.
4. Submit your tip
The Cheapskate's Club website is over 3,000 pages of money saving hints, tips and ideas. Let's get together and make the Cheapskates Club Australia's largest online hint, tip and idea library. Share your favourite money saving, time saving or energy saving hint and be in the running to win a one-year membership to The Cheapskate Club. We publish a Winning Tip each Thursday, so enter your great money, time or energy saving idea now.
Share your favourite hint or tip that saves money, time and energy and be in the running to win a one-year subscription to The Cheapskate Journal.
Remember, you have to be in it to win it!
Submit your tip
5. Living Green in 2014
Remember the story about the three little pigs? How the piggy that used bricks to build his house saved the day? You may not be a pig needing to hide from the big, bad wolf, but a few "bricks" can help you too!
Here's what you do. Go and find some bricks, as many as you have bathrooms, and take them home. Put one brick in each toilet cistern, and sit back with a mug of home-brewed coffee; your mission is complete!
What does this do? The lonesome brick in the toilet cistern makes your tank fill up with water faster and use less water per flush because it takes up room. In the end, the little brick saves you money each and every day!
Bricks can disintegrate in the tank and disturb your plumbing. You can avoid this possibility, however, by enclosing your brick in a sturdy plastic bag.
Or you can use a 2 litre plastic milk bottle: drop some sand and a few pebbles in the bottom and fill it with water, screw the cap on and stand it in the cistern.
How much can this trick really save you? The average toilet uses up to 12 litres of perfectly good drinking water per flush. Placing a brick or bottle in the tank can save up to four litres per flush. In a typical home, you can save approximately 40 litres of water each day. 40 litres of water each day is 14,600 litres each year!
So learn from the Three Little Pigs and make good use of your bricks, too. Your wallet, water storage and environment will be glad you did!
6. On the Menu with Anne
Chicken with Feta and Tomatoes
Ingredients:
3 skinless chicken breast fillets
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 tsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
300g small tomatoes*
3 cups cooked couscous*
½ medium cucumber, finely diced
60g crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
Method:
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook in 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat, 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm.
Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan; add oregano, basil, garlic and tomatoes.
Cook over medium-high heat 3 to 5 minutes, or until tomatoes soften. Meanwhile, cook couscous according to package directions. Place ½ cup cooked couscous on each of six plates. Slice chicken and divide evenly among plates. Top evenly with tomato mixture, cucumber and feta cheese.
*The original recipe called for one punnet of grape tomatoes. I had a lot of Tommy Toe tomatoes in the garden so I used them, cutting the larger ones in half. Use any small tomato you have, don't buy grape tomatoes especially for this recipe, they are too expensive.
If I don't have couscous I use brown rice to serve, it's just as nice.
This week we will be eating:
Friday: Crumbed fish and wedges
Saturday: MOO pizzas
Sunday: Roast beef, baked vegetables and gravy
Monday: Pasta bake and salad
Tuesday: Sloppy Joes
Wednesday: Chicken with Feta and Tomatoes, fresh bread rolls
Thursday: Meatloaf, mashed potato, steamed greens, gravy
In the fruit bowl: apples, oranges, pears, kiwi fruit
In the cake tin: Blueberry muffins, orange cake
There are over 1,300 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File
7. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy
We are now well into Autumn, although Melbourne is having another warm spell. As the warmer weather slowly disappears, so too will the summer fruits we've come to enjoy. As the stocks start to dwindle you might notice the prices coming down. Growers and retailers are trying to sell up before apples, mandarins, oranges and lemons are in abundance..
If your budget allows, buy up big on these bargains. Many stone fruits can be made into jams, sauces, stewed and frozen. Today I found peaches on sale for $1.99 kg at the local fruit and veg shop. I'd been checking prices all Summer and stone fruit has been very dear. i'll be making peach jam to have on my (homemade) toast during Winter.
Bananas were cheap today at $1.29 kg. So I bought enough to eat fresh and the rest will be frozen and made into fruit ice cream. I make fruit ice cream using other fruits I've bought cheap and frozen. Bananas can be frozen whole or mashed for baking. They can also be coated in chocolate for delicious ice creams.
Apples can be stewed and frozen for desserts. I like to make apple crumble and apple cobbler and it's so easy to pull a container of apple out of the freezer to make these quick desserts. My girls also like to take a tub of stewed apple to school as a snack. With no added sugar it's very healthy.
At this time of the year I use these ideas to reduce food waste and to stretch my food budget.
How do you use cheap fruit?
Have a great week and BE ENCOURAGED!!!!!
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?24-Take-up-the-challenge-!!!!
The Post that Started it All
http://www.cheapskates.com.au/pages/default.cfm?page_id=44265
8.Cheapskates Buzz
This week's hot forum topics
Gratitude Journal
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2404-Gratitude-Journal
Hand Made Gifts
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2400-Hand-made-gifts
Buying for Baby
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2398-Buying-for-baby
Most popular blog posts this week
What Survived, What Thrived and What Died During the Heat Wave
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/search/label/Veggie%20Garden
Do it Yourself Household Cleaning Solutions
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/search/label/Homemaking
You've got it Margaret, by George You've got it!
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/search/label/Cheapskates%20Way
9. 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 Bluebell234.
Ready or Not For April
There's only two days of MOO left, each day I made something no matter how small and my savings have worked out easily to approximately $100 dollars. A good amount for my POM account.
April is almost upon us and that's time to get the warmer clothes and linen ready to use, I will be really looking at the reduce, reuse, recycle application very closely and putting it into practice.
DD purchased a bright yellow plastic tub at my favourite discount store and filled it full of new yarns, knitting needles and crochet hooks, so I have a scarf for myself, a jumper for each of the small GC and a blanket for the grown up GC all under way to add to my hobby and craft activities. (I try to do at least 6 rows of them all each day).
Last Easter I made an Easter box from a cereal carton and decorated it with gift paper, I also made a rice bubble and cocoa Easter egg as a gift, I may do something similar this year as well as store bought chocolate treats, I have some little foil miniature patty pans to use for making a variety of choc coated yummies.
I have not yet exceeded my grocery limit for the season of Autumn but time will tell on that one.
My new time management plan has allowed for extra bible study and for me that is a bonus.
Happy Cheapskating everyone and lets join in the Earth Hour and contribute to a healthy planet environment.
Login to read more Cheapskates Club member blogs
10. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Lisa who wrote "I need help desperately. Last week my girlfriend had her camera stolen at a local park, no biggie, except that she hadn't downloaded the pictures. That had me thinking; I tend to wait until the card is full then just download it to the "My Pictures" folder on my computer. And there they sit. I really need ideas on how to safely organise and store them so I can not only find them when I want them but not lose them. How does everyone else organise and store their digital photos?"
Sandi Darling answered
I organise my photos by month, in this file format for ease of sorting 'YEAR MONTH'. Any special events (weddings, birthdays, concerts etc.) have their own folder. For example I would have a '201401' folder for general January images, and a '201401 Big Day Out' folder for photos of the event. I also back up all my photos to Flickr. Flickr offer free 1TB accounts and allow you to tag photos, which is great because I can tag them with multiple tags and sort by tags: parties, pets, weddings, peoples' names, locations, dates etc. and then sort them that way. I also made my own tag 'POOL ROOM' which is reserved for those perfect photos - good enough to go "straight to the pool room". It takes a few minutes to tag them all, but is well worth it. You can pay to have a larger upload limit, which I do once every few months - I set aside a few hours spread over the month to upload like a fiend. I am finally on top of all my photos, and can easily upload month by month now. Best of all I can access my photos from any computer, can upload from any computer and never have to worry about losing the originals in a fire, or having Facebook own my photos to use as they want without permission. Check it out www.flickr.com.
B. Thorley answered
Hi Liz, I like to regularly upload all my photos (from each device I use, e.g. phone and digital camera etc.) into the same photos folder on the computer. From there every photo is put into a folder depending upon the month and year the photo is taken, and the folder is named (e.g. March 2014). This way I have a chronological record. You could also add keywords to the photos so you can find specific events/photos later. When these are filed, the card/phone is cleared (although I do keep special ones on my phone). I also put 6 months worth of photos on disc (or you could store your photos on a USB stick) and make copies so that I have a back up kept in another location in case of fire. They can be selectively printed from here too. Hope this helps and happy snapping!
Allison Williams answered
I use a website called ADrive.com; it allows you to upload all your pictures, documents etc. I signed up for the Personal Basic account which was free. I've stored all my photographs in folders just in case my laptop dies on me. I've included the link below: http://www.adrive.com/personal There are also a number of similar sites, it's just about researching which one works the best for you.
Rebecca Jane answered
For storing digital photos I upload them to the Snapfish website (www.snapfish.com.au) and store them in folders there. I can then order prints from anywhere and also can upload photos from my phone via their app. For extra peace of mind I also purchased a 1TB portable hard drive for backup of those extra special photos (can get these for under $100 at the Good Guys). I organise them by year then by occasion or month and then just label them individually who/what etc.
Claire Martin answered
I feel for your friend, such a shame she lost all those precious moments. I always download my photos the same day, be it from my camera or my phone, and this avoids any possible problem such as your friend encountered. If you want to keep the photos on your camera or phone, that's fine, but at least you have a copy on your computer for safe keeping. As far as storing my photos is concerned, I tried several different methods, and came up with my current system. I remember events rather than dates, so I personally store them in event categories such as family days out, Christmas, birthdays, holidays, etc., and inside these events I then sub-categorise them into chronological order. That way, when I'm looking for a photo taken at Christmas, I only have to look in one place. As far as protecting the photos once they are on the computer, I always back them up onto an external hard drive, possibly a CD/DVD, and sometimes a jump drive as well (more for mobility than anything else, especially when I want to get them printed). Its a bit of an overkill, but I would be devastated if I lost even a single photo (I'm a scrapbooker so you can understand why safe keeping is paramount to me). Hope this helps in some way.
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11. This Week's Question
Abby writes
"I have two children who require special therapies like speech and OT. I have private health insurance just for extras for the whole family (two adults and two children) and I pay about $145 a month. How do I work out if it is worth while having the insurance or not? Medicare covers only 10 sessions with an OT and 5 with a speech therapist? I spend a lot of money on health, how can I save on this?"
If you have a suggestion some advice for Abby 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
12. 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.
Click here to join the Cheapskates Club today!
13. 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!
14. Frequently Asked Questions
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15. 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]
2. In the Tip Store - Recycling Framed Prints, Get the Best Interest Rate for Your Savings, Beating Telstra for Discount
3. Cheapskate's Winning Tip - Homeschool Dance Classes for Your Toddler and Save
4. Submit Your Tip - Share your frugal wisdom for a chance to win
5. Living Green in 2014 - Remember the story about the 3 little pigs?
6. On the Menu with Anne - Chicken with Feta and Tomatoes
7. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy -
8. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
9. Member's Featured Blog - Ready or Not For April by Bluebell 234
10. Last Week's Question - Help needed with storing and organizing digital photo
11. This Week's Question - How do I get the best value from health insurance?
12. Join the Cheapskates Club
13. Gift Memberships
14. Frequently Asked Questions
15. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Newsletter day sure seems to come around fast! I feel like I was just catching you up on what's happening and it's time to catch you up again.
We had a perfectly lovely weekend here in Melbourne so I spent lots of time pottering, planting and pulling in the garden. Lots of new seeds planted for winter. Garden beds turned over and composted so they'll be ready when the seedlings are ready to transplant. I'm waiting for the weather to cool off a bit so I can get some winter root vegetables in, it's still a little warm for them.
The three new beds have cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and rainbow silverbeet for winter greens; along the back of each bed is a trellis for peas. I've saved one bed for turnips and parsnips and hopefully I'll be able to get them in this coming weekend. I like to sow root vegetables direct rather than disturb them as seedlings. They seem to do much better if they're direct sown, and of course it's one job I can cross off the list.
The garden is looking lovely and tidy and I'd really like to get stuck into the planting, but I need to time it. Wayne and I will be away for six weeks from the end of May and I don't need a whole lot of veggies ready while we're away, the kids will only eat so many and preserving them the way I do just isn't on their radars yet. Staggered planting is happening, with a plan up on the noticeboard so they know what to do while we're away. How to you manage your garden when you are away from home? Do you just plant as you normally would and have someone else look after it, or hope for the best? Do you stagger the planting so you don't lose any produce? Or do you have someone take care of it in return for lovely fresh, organic veggies? I'd love to know, I've never really had to tackle this problem before.
MOO Month is over and it was a lot of fun and a huge success. Thirty-one new ways to say "no thanks" to supermarkets and department stores were shared during March. I've had a lot of requests to put all 31 MOOs into a book you can download so that's what I've done. In a single PDF, I’ve compiled all 31 MOOs, along with the tutorial, photos and any resource you might need to MOO each project.
If you are a Platinum Cheapskates Club member you can log in to download your copy from the Printables page. If you are not a Platinum Cheapskates Club member you can purchase your copy from the Cheapskates Book Store for just $1.99. It’s really that simple. You asked – I delivered.
You also asked for a payment plan for the 1 Day Art of Living the Cheapskates Way workshop in May, and again I delivered. You now have the option of paying in full when you book or choosing the payment plan and paying over four weekly instalments. You can find out more about the workshop and the payment options here.
"Hello Cath, Purchased your book for both daughters a few years ago after hearing you on our local ABC in Perth. Glad I signed up for your newsletters - they are delightful and remind me of how we used to live and budget when we were first home buyers some 40+ years ago." Dallas
"Wow, Cath. Can I just say that you do an amazing job. I have a family with two small children and minimal wages, and with your tips we have been able to live comfortably and maintain a mortgage. You are a God-send to me and my family." Melinda
I am really looking forward to being a cheapskates member! :-) I am very pleased. Thanks too so much for organizing such a great Club. I have always been a very carefully frugal person so I am looking forward to learning other tips and sharing my own. Have a great day! Nadia
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.
2. From The Tip Store
Recycling Framed Prints
Approximate $ Savings: Variable, up to $60 per item
I am always looking for ideas to update home decor and for innovative gifts to friends and family. I often see beautiful framed prints in some of the upmarket designer stores and magazines and was inspired to seek a less expensive alternative. I started checking out poster prints online and was pleasantly surprised at the relatively low cost. Modern styles from as low as $12 for a 60 x 80 cm size. I am a dedicated recycler and often come across great quality frames that are perfect for updating with a new print. As framed prints often cost up to $80+ for a quality product, the savings are significant!
Contributed by Jennifer Cintolo
Get the Best Interest Rate for Your Savings
Approximate $ Savings: Ranges depending on how much is in your account
Most of us these days have savings accounts on top of our everyday accounts. The best rates are usually found at each banks' "online savings" accounts however most of these only have promotional rates for 3-4 months (currently around 4.1%) and are advertised for "new accounts" only. After this period, they often revert back to base rates which can be around 1%. If you're not keen on having to open a new account with different banks every 3-4 months, go into your bank's branch office and ask what the current best rate on their online saver for new customers is. Often they will help you open a new online saver and give you the "new account" promotional rate and even help you to close your old accounts so they don't build up (just remember if you open mid-way through a month, you should wait until the end of the month after any residual interest has been paid before closing it). This way you can get up to 3-4% more interest on your savings, stay with the same bank and it takes less than half an hour of your time every few months. I've even had a really nice manager once match a higher interest rate from a competing bank! Just as an example, if you had $10,000 in a savings account at 1% vs a 4% interest rate, you would earn an extra $25 every month, adding up to $300 every year. The more you have, the more you earn! And before anyone says "yes but you have to pay tax on the extra income", this is true but even paying 30% tax on extra income still means extra income regardless (unless it pushes you into a higher tax bracket then maybe you'd need to rethink the strategy).
Contributed by Martina Ho
Beating Telstra for Discount
Approximate $ Savings: $20 per moth for contract life
I have been with Telstra for mobile broadband for a number of years. I saw on their site that you could get $20 off your bill per month, if you bundle services. Well since I only have the one account I asked if I could get this discount only to be told no, but I was advised to ring customer service and see if they would do this as a loyal customer discount. Well I applied and got it and have had it for the last 2 years. I have recently upgraded my monthly allowance and again had to ring the customer service to see if I could still keep the discount. After two phone calls and an online chat I was assured that yes I could keep this discount, so my monthly payment has only gone up by $10. Don't ask in-store as they are not helpful or deny any knowledge of this discount being available. But with persistence and using the in-store phone to call customer service this discount is there for anyone if they are insistent.
Contributed by Chris Boxall
There are more than 11,000 great tips in the Tip Store
3. Cheapskates Winning tip
This week's winning tip is from Heather Ogier. Heather has won a one year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip.
Homeschool Dance Classes for Your Toddler and Save
Approximate $ Savings: $500-$1,000 per year
I am a retired Dance Teacher of over 50 years. Advice to all Mums of Toddlers. Do not start your child attending Dance Classes until they are in their first year at least at school. The first reason is that they will be utterly bored with it by the time they reach six or seven, just when they could actually start revealing some talent. Instead make sure you play music at home as much as possible, buy them some little ballet shoes (second hand) and a tutu. Purchase or make six or seven scarves, a feather boa and let their imagination run wild. Teach them to use one leg then the other by pointing their toes. Wave their arms like fairies and clap every time they do something that's clever. Pretend you have a pool of water that they kneel in front of and dip their fingers in and out then their toes. That's the basics of any baby dance class. Seriously that's all they will do in toddler classes. For children a little older who want to try tap just buy a pair of second hand tap shoes, a cheap piece of wooden ply put it outside and let them go for it. All they really want to do is make a noise. If they continue to want to 'practice' then you may have the makings of the next gene Kelly, if not you have saved yourself a lot of money for term payments.
Congratulations Heather, I hope you enjoy your Cheapskates Club membership.
4. Submit your tip
The Cheapskate's Club website is over 3,000 pages of money saving hints, tips and ideas. Let's get together and make the Cheapskates Club Australia's largest online hint, tip and idea library. Share your favourite money saving, time saving or energy saving hint and be in the running to win a one-year membership to The Cheapskate Club. We publish a Winning Tip each Thursday, so enter your great money, time or energy saving idea now.
Share your favourite hint or tip that saves money, time and energy and be in the running to win a one-year subscription to The Cheapskate Journal.
Remember, you have to be in it to win it!
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5. Living Green in 2014
Remember the story about the three little pigs? How the piggy that used bricks to build his house saved the day? You may not be a pig needing to hide from the big, bad wolf, but a few "bricks" can help you too!
Here's what you do. Go and find some bricks, as many as you have bathrooms, and take them home. Put one brick in each toilet cistern, and sit back with a mug of home-brewed coffee; your mission is complete!
What does this do? The lonesome brick in the toilet cistern makes your tank fill up with water faster and use less water per flush because it takes up room. In the end, the little brick saves you money each and every day!
Bricks can disintegrate in the tank and disturb your plumbing. You can avoid this possibility, however, by enclosing your brick in a sturdy plastic bag.
Or you can use a 2 litre plastic milk bottle: drop some sand and a few pebbles in the bottom and fill it with water, screw the cap on and stand it in the cistern.
How much can this trick really save you? The average toilet uses up to 12 litres of perfectly good drinking water per flush. Placing a brick or bottle in the tank can save up to four litres per flush. In a typical home, you can save approximately 40 litres of water each day. 40 litres of water each day is 14,600 litres each year!
So learn from the Three Little Pigs and make good use of your bricks, too. Your wallet, water storage and environment will be glad you did!
6. On the Menu with Anne
Chicken with Feta and Tomatoes
Ingredients:
3 skinless chicken breast fillets
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 tsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
300g small tomatoes*
3 cups cooked couscous*
½ medium cucumber, finely diced
60g crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
Method:
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook in 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat, 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm.
Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan; add oregano, basil, garlic and tomatoes.
Cook over medium-high heat 3 to 5 minutes, or until tomatoes soften. Meanwhile, cook couscous according to package directions. Place ½ cup cooked couscous on each of six plates. Slice chicken and divide evenly among plates. Top evenly with tomato mixture, cucumber and feta cheese.
*The original recipe called for one punnet of grape tomatoes. I had a lot of Tommy Toe tomatoes in the garden so I used them, cutting the larger ones in half. Use any small tomato you have, don't buy grape tomatoes especially for this recipe, they are too expensive.
If I don't have couscous I use brown rice to serve, it's just as nice.
This week we will be eating:
Friday: Crumbed fish and wedges
Saturday: MOO pizzas
Sunday: Roast beef, baked vegetables and gravy
Monday: Pasta bake and salad
Tuesday: Sloppy Joes
Wednesday: Chicken with Feta and Tomatoes, fresh bread rolls
Thursday: Meatloaf, mashed potato, steamed greens, gravy
In the fruit bowl: apples, oranges, pears, kiwi fruit
In the cake tin: Blueberry muffins, orange cake
There are over 1,300 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File
7. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy
We are now well into Autumn, although Melbourne is having another warm spell. As the warmer weather slowly disappears, so too will the summer fruits we've come to enjoy. As the stocks start to dwindle you might notice the prices coming down. Growers and retailers are trying to sell up before apples, mandarins, oranges and lemons are in abundance..
If your budget allows, buy up big on these bargains. Many stone fruits can be made into jams, sauces, stewed and frozen. Today I found peaches on sale for $1.99 kg at the local fruit and veg shop. I'd been checking prices all Summer and stone fruit has been very dear. i'll be making peach jam to have on my (homemade) toast during Winter.
Bananas were cheap today at $1.29 kg. So I bought enough to eat fresh and the rest will be frozen and made into fruit ice cream. I make fruit ice cream using other fruits I've bought cheap and frozen. Bananas can be frozen whole or mashed for baking. They can also be coated in chocolate for delicious ice creams.
Apples can be stewed and frozen for desserts. I like to make apple crumble and apple cobbler and it's so easy to pull a container of apple out of the freezer to make these quick desserts. My girls also like to take a tub of stewed apple to school as a snack. With no added sugar it's very healthy.
At this time of the year I use these ideas to reduce food waste and to stretch my food budget.
How do you use cheap fruit?
Have a great week and BE ENCOURAGED!!!!!
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?24-Take-up-the-challenge-!!!!
The Post that Started it All
http://www.cheapskates.com.au/pages/default.cfm?page_id=44265
8.Cheapskates Buzz
This week's hot forum topics
Gratitude Journal
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2404-Gratitude-Journal
Hand Made Gifts
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2400-Hand-made-gifts
Buying for Baby
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2398-Buying-for-baby
Most popular blog posts this week
What Survived, What Thrived and What Died During the Heat Wave
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/search/label/Veggie%20Garden
Do it Yourself Household Cleaning Solutions
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/search/label/Homemaking
You've got it Margaret, by George You've got it!
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/search/label/Cheapskates%20Way
9. 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 Bluebell234.
Ready or Not For April
There's only two days of MOO left, each day I made something no matter how small and my savings have worked out easily to approximately $100 dollars. A good amount for my POM account.
April is almost upon us and that's time to get the warmer clothes and linen ready to use, I will be really looking at the reduce, reuse, recycle application very closely and putting it into practice.
DD purchased a bright yellow plastic tub at my favourite discount store and filled it full of new yarns, knitting needles and crochet hooks, so I have a scarf for myself, a jumper for each of the small GC and a blanket for the grown up GC all under way to add to my hobby and craft activities. (I try to do at least 6 rows of them all each day).
Last Easter I made an Easter box from a cereal carton and decorated it with gift paper, I also made a rice bubble and cocoa Easter egg as a gift, I may do something similar this year as well as store bought chocolate treats, I have some little foil miniature patty pans to use for making a variety of choc coated yummies.
I have not yet exceeded my grocery limit for the season of Autumn but time will tell on that one.
My new time management plan has allowed for extra bible study and for me that is a bonus.
Happy Cheapskating everyone and lets join in the Earth Hour and contribute to a healthy planet environment.
Login to read more Cheapskates Club member blogs
10. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Lisa who wrote "I need help desperately. Last week my girlfriend had her camera stolen at a local park, no biggie, except that she hadn't downloaded the pictures. That had me thinking; I tend to wait until the card is full then just download it to the "My Pictures" folder on my computer. And there they sit. I really need ideas on how to safely organise and store them so I can not only find them when I want them but not lose them. How does everyone else organise and store their digital photos?"
Sandi Darling answered
I organise my photos by month, in this file format for ease of sorting 'YEAR MONTH'. Any special events (weddings, birthdays, concerts etc.) have their own folder. For example I would have a '201401' folder for general January images, and a '201401 Big Day Out' folder for photos of the event. I also back up all my photos to Flickr. Flickr offer free 1TB accounts and allow you to tag photos, which is great because I can tag them with multiple tags and sort by tags: parties, pets, weddings, peoples' names, locations, dates etc. and then sort them that way. I also made my own tag 'POOL ROOM' which is reserved for those perfect photos - good enough to go "straight to the pool room". It takes a few minutes to tag them all, but is well worth it. You can pay to have a larger upload limit, which I do once every few months - I set aside a few hours spread over the month to upload like a fiend. I am finally on top of all my photos, and can easily upload month by month now. Best of all I can access my photos from any computer, can upload from any computer and never have to worry about losing the originals in a fire, or having Facebook own my photos to use as they want without permission. Check it out www.flickr.com.
B. Thorley answered
Hi Liz, I like to regularly upload all my photos (from each device I use, e.g. phone and digital camera etc.) into the same photos folder on the computer. From there every photo is put into a folder depending upon the month and year the photo is taken, and the folder is named (e.g. March 2014). This way I have a chronological record. You could also add keywords to the photos so you can find specific events/photos later. When these are filed, the card/phone is cleared (although I do keep special ones on my phone). I also put 6 months worth of photos on disc (or you could store your photos on a USB stick) and make copies so that I have a back up kept in another location in case of fire. They can be selectively printed from here too. Hope this helps and happy snapping!
Allison Williams answered
I use a website called ADrive.com; it allows you to upload all your pictures, documents etc. I signed up for the Personal Basic account which was free. I've stored all my photographs in folders just in case my laptop dies on me. I've included the link below: http://www.adrive.com/personal There are also a number of similar sites, it's just about researching which one works the best for you.
Rebecca Jane answered
For storing digital photos I upload them to the Snapfish website (www.snapfish.com.au) and store them in folders there. I can then order prints from anywhere and also can upload photos from my phone via their app. For extra peace of mind I also purchased a 1TB portable hard drive for backup of those extra special photos (can get these for under $100 at the Good Guys). I organise them by year then by occasion or month and then just label them individually who/what etc.
Claire Martin answered
I feel for your friend, such a shame she lost all those precious moments. I always download my photos the same day, be it from my camera or my phone, and this avoids any possible problem such as your friend encountered. If you want to keep the photos on your camera or phone, that's fine, but at least you have a copy on your computer for safe keeping. As far as storing my photos is concerned, I tried several different methods, and came up with my current system. I remember events rather than dates, so I personally store them in event categories such as family days out, Christmas, birthdays, holidays, etc., and inside these events I then sub-categorise them into chronological order. That way, when I'm looking for a photo taken at Christmas, I only have to look in one place. As far as protecting the photos once they are on the computer, I always back them up onto an external hard drive, possibly a CD/DVD, and sometimes a jump drive as well (more for mobility than anything else, especially when I want to get them printed). Its a bit of an overkill, but I would be devastated if I lost even a single photo (I'm a scrapbooker so you can understand why safe keeping is paramount to me). Hope this helps in some way.
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11. This Week's Question
Abby writes
"I have two children who require special therapies like speech and OT. I have private health insurance just for extras for the whole family (two adults and two children) and I pay about $145 a month. How do I work out if it is worth while having the insurance or not? Medicare covers only 10 sessions with an OT and 5 with a speech therapist? I spend a lot of money on health, how can I save on this?"
If you have a suggestion some advice for Abby 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.
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12. Join the Cheapskates Club
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15. Contact Details
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Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
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www.cheapskates.com.au
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