Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 16:21
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Don't Like Making Pastry? Try This!; Saving Over-cooked Silverside; Easy Stewed Fruit
3. Tip of the Week - Packing School Lunches for Three Hungry Boys
4. Share Your Tips - I want your slush fund tips!
5. On the Menu - Grab'n'Go Muffins
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - How to Freeze Biscuit Dough
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
9. The Weekly MOO Challenge - What I MOO and why
10. 2021 Saving Revolution - Scraping the bottom of the barrel
11. Last Week's Question - Help needed with an interstate move
12. Join the Cheapskates Club
13. Frequently Asked Questions
14. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Don't Like Making Pastry? Try This!; Saving Over-cooked Silverside; Easy Stewed Fruit
3. Tip of the Week - Packing School Lunches for Three Hungry Boys
4. Share Your Tips - I want your slush fund tips!
5. On the Menu - Grab'n'Go Muffins
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - How to Freeze Biscuit Dough
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
9. The Weekly MOO Challenge - What I MOO and why
10. 2021 Saving Revolution - Scraping the bottom of the barrel
11. Last Week's Question - Help needed with an interstate move
12. Join the Cheapskates Club
13. Frequently Asked Questions
14. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters
While you're reading this, I'm sitting by a campfire, way out in the bush, enjoying the peace and quiet. Yes, we are finally away. After the debacle that was Easter, I couldn't wait to get away for a break, so we've headed to my happy place, the Victorian High Country. It's a little cold, but that's OK, I packed plenty of jumpers and beanies and scarves and gloves, and nice, warm, woolly socks, so we're good.
If you're wondering how we can afford to go away as often as we do, well firstly we budget for our trips. And we camp, usually bush camping so it's free. The only cost then is the fuel to get us to wherever we're going. Food comes from home (and we'd be eating it regardless of where we are) so there's no extra expense there. That's how we do it; we truly do holiday on a budget, and still manage to have fun. Just for the folk who wanted to know.
Before we left, I made a batch of Grab'n'Go muffins, and thought it was time I shared the recipe again, it's been a while, and we lots of new Cheapskaters who might like a quick, easy, budget friendly muffin recipe that's good for breakfasts, or snacks.
We'll be back home soon, rested and happy and ready to tackle the world!
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Don't Like Making Pastry?
Try This!A soft cooked, well mashed potato can be used to make a pie base. Just cook it, cool it a little, mash it ( no milk /butter) and using clean fingers press it smoothly into a pie tin. Bake at around 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes. Add whatever filling and put back in the oven to cook. The amount of potato depends on how many mouths and the size of the potato!
Contributed by Marg
Saving Over-cooked Silverside
Approximate $ Savings: $10
I recently put a silverside in the slow cooker and well, I forgot it and over cooked it! It completely fell apart so rather than try and get it out, I drained the liquid, which I kept as a rich dark stock, then turned out the meat into a bowl. I peeled 2kg of royal blue (my fave!) potatoes and put them in the slow cooker on high, just covered with water and some chicken stock. Once they were falling apart I put the meat back in and stirred, breaking up the meat and potato, added some peas and seasoned with salt and pepper and voila! Saved dinner - Corned Beef Hash! Real comfort food, pride still in tact!!! To top it off, I now have a jar full of rich dark beef stock too!
Contributed by Sharima
Easy Stewed Fruit
You'll need a vacuum flask and any dried fruit. I use prunes, because I like them. I use a kilo bag of prunes un-stoned or a 500 gram bag of stoned fruit but you can use any dried fruit. Put the fruit into the vacuum flask and fill with boiling water. Put the cap on and leave overnight. In the morning you have delicious, plump fruit, cooked and ready to eat.
Contributed by Anne
Add a Tip
3. This Week's Winning Tip
This week's winning tip is from Georgina Christensen. Georgina has won a one year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip.
Packing School Lunches for Three Hungry Boys
I have three, fussy, hungry boys. I want to pack school lunches quickly, efficiently and cheaply that the kids will eat! These methods work for me.
I use my freezer to form the base of my lunchbox packing. I make scrolls: pizza or vegemite and cheese - one scroll does one child for lunch. One child likes bread with butter and sliced cheese on the side. I cut up a French stick, butter it, and place in a freezer bag so I can take out each portion as I need it. Another child likes cheese rolls - another one which is easy to make, wrap, and freeze.
For a snack, I make, slice and freeze banana cake (because it is so quick, easy and contains fruit!). Sometimes I make chocolate chip biscuits as they make in bulk and freeze easily.
With a stocked freezer, I can give lunch (roll or scroll) plus one piece of cake (or biscuit) and I pack this the night before with some dried mango or sultanas, cheese cubes, sliced carrot or cucumbers and a yoghurt.
In the morning, I slice up an apple - green are the best because they don't go brown - but even red (Gala) are fine. Lunchboxes are done in a few minutes!
It might seem like a lot of work to make scrolls etc. - but I make in bulk so it is only once every 3 weeks that I need to cook and everything runs out at different rates so really it's about once a week that I need to refill the freezer.
Congratulations Georgina, 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
This week I'd like to know how you manage to build a slush fund, so you have the cash to build that grocery stockpile. Do you have a separate budget category for the slush fund? Do you put all your leftover grocery budget into the slush fund? Do you have a slush fund? Do you roll it over if you don't use it each week/fortnight/month? Or do you spend it on other things? Is your slush fund just for groceries, or do you use it for other grocery bargains?
Share your favourite slush fund hint or tip 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
Grab'n'Go Muffins
From the Cheapskates Club Breakfast Recipe File these muffins are great any time, but if you want a breakfast in a hurry, keep a batch in the freezer, ready to zap and eat on the run.
Ingredients:
2 cups plain wholemeal flour (white plain flour may be substituted if you prefer)
1 cup sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp bicarb soda
1-1/ 2 cups shredded carrot
1-1/ 2 cups chopped apple
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/ 2 cup chopped nuts of your choice
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup unsweetened applesauce, (MOO is great)
I tsp vanilla extract
Method:
Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Combine flour, bicarb soda and cinnamon. In separate bowl combine carrots, apples, coconut and nuts. Stir in applesauce, eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Line a 12 cup muffin tray with muffin papers. Fill muffin papers 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Curried Sausages, rice
Tuesday: Lasagne
Wednesday: Chicken casserole, mash
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Veggie Quiche, salad
Saturday: Soup & Toast
There are over 1,800 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
Hello Cheapskaters,
I really enjoy a freshly baked, homemade biscuit with my morning or afternoon tea, not only because they're nicer than bought, but so much cheaper. Unfortunately I don't really enjoy making them. It's not the time it takes to make them, biscuits bake pretty quickly. But they need to be rolled and cut into shapes or scooped, rolled and pressed, and that is fiddly and takes time.
Then a few years ago, well more than a few actually, I discovered that biscuit dough can be frozen. Win!
And then I discovered that biscuit dough can be baked straight from the freezer - win! win!
Ever since I've enjoyed making biscuits, freezing the dough and baking them as they are needed.
I like to spend a couple of hours making different biscuit doughs and flash freezing them. It is one way to stay ahead of the baking, thus reducing the urge to just buy a packet of biscuits. And your visitors think you are amazing when you can offer them a freshly baked, straight from the oven biscuit with their cuppa. I did I mention how having a supply of biscuit dough in the freezer saves you a fortune on last minute gifts too?
A plate of freshly baked biscuits, wrapped in cellophane and tied with a bow and a tag is a great gift, especially for the person who has everything, or the person who doesn't have room for more clutter, or the person you want to give a small gift too.
Freezing the dough is easy. Just make your recipe (and remember it is just as easy to double, triple or quadruple the recipe - you only have one mess to clean up!) as per the instructions. Then prepare to freeze.
Now there are two ways to freeze your dough:
1. In logs
2. As biscuits ready to bake.
To freeze biscuit dough logs:
This is great for slice and bake biscuits. Line a biscuit tray with foil and then clingwrap. Shape the dough into logs about 5cm round. Place the log of dough in the centre of the biscuit tray. Wrap the clingwrap around the log (or logs if you've increased the recipe) and twist the ends to close. Then wrap the foil around the plastic wrap, making sure you seal the ends. Label with a permanent marker. Freeze. Biscuit dough will freeze for up to three months.
To bake, slice dough into biscuits and bake as per the recipe. If you are baking from frozen add 2 - 2-1/2 minutes to the baking time.
Freezing biscuit dough balls:
Just scoop out a small ball of dough (the recipe should tell you the approximate size i.e. two teaspoons of dough) and place onto a piece of baking paper on a biscuit tray. Flash freeze for 30 minutes, then transfer dough balls to a ziplock bag or airtight container. You could also lay the balls flat in a plastic freezer baggie and freeze them in a “tray form.” Freeze up to 3 months.
To bake take out the number of dough balls you need and place them on a baking paper lined biscuit tray. Let them sit while the oven pre-heats (remember: always pre-heat your oven when baking or you may end up with a flop) then bake as per the recipe. If you are baking straight from the freezer add 2 minutes to the baking time, but watch very carefully so the biscuits don't burn,
My top tip for baking biscuits is one I learned from a friend who is a Home Ec teacher: let the dough rest in the fridge for 24 hours before baking! Trust me, your biscuits will brown more evenly, have a much nicer texture and taste nicer. I don't know why, they just do. Try it and see if you aren't impressed.
Biscuit Doughs that Freeze Well
All these recipes are in the Biscuit Recipe File.
• Cranberry Hootycreeks
• Lunchbox Cookies
• 5 Minute Choc Chip Cookies
• Apricot & Oat Cookies
• Snickerdoodles
• Christmas Snickerdoodles
• Crunchy Coconut Cookies
• Crunchy Coconut Cookies
• Ginger Nuts
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
TVP - a Meat Budget Friend
Four Easy Steps to Breaking the Emotional Spending Habit
A Foodie Gift Suggestion Soft Maple Salted Caramels
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
The $5 Pantry Challenge
Repurpose!
Wills
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AET
Join us live on YouTube every Tuesday and see how we are living debt free, cashed up and laughing - and find out how you can too!
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.
Latest Shows
Hello Cheapskaters
While you're reading this, I'm sitting by a campfire, way out in the bush, enjoying the peace and quiet. Yes, we are finally away. After the debacle that was Easter, I couldn't wait to get away for a break, so we've headed to my happy place, the Victorian High Country. It's a little cold, but that's OK, I packed plenty of jumpers and beanies and scarves and gloves, and nice, warm, woolly socks, so we're good.
If you're wondering how we can afford to go away as often as we do, well firstly we budget for our trips. And we camp, usually bush camping so it's free. The only cost then is the fuel to get us to wherever we're going. Food comes from home (and we'd be eating it regardless of where we are) so there's no extra expense there. That's how we do it; we truly do holiday on a budget, and still manage to have fun. Just for the folk who wanted to know.
Before we left, I made a batch of Grab'n'Go muffins, and thought it was time I shared the recipe again, it's been a while, and we lots of new Cheapskaters who might like a quick, easy, budget friendly muffin recipe that's good for breakfasts, or snacks.
We'll be back home soon, rested and happy and ready to tackle the world!
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Don't Like Making Pastry?
Try This!A soft cooked, well mashed potato can be used to make a pie base. Just cook it, cool it a little, mash it ( no milk /butter) and using clean fingers press it smoothly into a pie tin. Bake at around 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes. Add whatever filling and put back in the oven to cook. The amount of potato depends on how many mouths and the size of the potato!
Contributed by Marg
Saving Over-cooked Silverside
Approximate $ Savings: $10
I recently put a silverside in the slow cooker and well, I forgot it and over cooked it! It completely fell apart so rather than try and get it out, I drained the liquid, which I kept as a rich dark stock, then turned out the meat into a bowl. I peeled 2kg of royal blue (my fave!) potatoes and put them in the slow cooker on high, just covered with water and some chicken stock. Once they were falling apart I put the meat back in and stirred, breaking up the meat and potato, added some peas and seasoned with salt and pepper and voila! Saved dinner - Corned Beef Hash! Real comfort food, pride still in tact!!! To top it off, I now have a jar full of rich dark beef stock too!
Contributed by Sharima
Easy Stewed Fruit
You'll need a vacuum flask and any dried fruit. I use prunes, because I like them. I use a kilo bag of prunes un-stoned or a 500 gram bag of stoned fruit but you can use any dried fruit. Put the fruit into the vacuum flask and fill with boiling water. Put the cap on and leave overnight. In the morning you have delicious, plump fruit, cooked and ready to eat.
Contributed by Anne
Add a Tip
3. This Week's Winning Tip
This week's winning tip is from Georgina Christensen. Georgina has won a one year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip.
Packing School Lunches for Three Hungry Boys
I have three, fussy, hungry boys. I want to pack school lunches quickly, efficiently and cheaply that the kids will eat! These methods work for me.
I use my freezer to form the base of my lunchbox packing. I make scrolls: pizza or vegemite and cheese - one scroll does one child for lunch. One child likes bread with butter and sliced cheese on the side. I cut up a French stick, butter it, and place in a freezer bag so I can take out each portion as I need it. Another child likes cheese rolls - another one which is easy to make, wrap, and freeze.
For a snack, I make, slice and freeze banana cake (because it is so quick, easy and contains fruit!). Sometimes I make chocolate chip biscuits as they make in bulk and freeze easily.
With a stocked freezer, I can give lunch (roll or scroll) plus one piece of cake (or biscuit) and I pack this the night before with some dried mango or sultanas, cheese cubes, sliced carrot or cucumbers and a yoghurt.
In the morning, I slice up an apple - green are the best because they don't go brown - but even red (Gala) are fine. Lunchboxes are done in a few minutes!
It might seem like a lot of work to make scrolls etc. - but I make in bulk so it is only once every 3 weeks that I need to cook and everything runs out at different rates so really it's about once a week that I need to refill the freezer.
Congratulations Georgina, 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
This week I'd like to know how you manage to build a slush fund, so you have the cash to build that grocery stockpile. Do you have a separate budget category for the slush fund? Do you put all your leftover grocery budget into the slush fund? Do you have a slush fund? Do you roll it over if you don't use it each week/fortnight/month? Or do you spend it on other things? Is your slush fund just for groceries, or do you use it for other grocery bargains?
Share your favourite slush fund hint or tip 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
Grab'n'Go Muffins
From the Cheapskates Club Breakfast Recipe File these muffins are great any time, but if you want a breakfast in a hurry, keep a batch in the freezer, ready to zap and eat on the run.
Ingredients:
2 cups plain wholemeal flour (white plain flour may be substituted if you prefer)
1 cup sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp bicarb soda
1-1/ 2 cups shredded carrot
1-1/ 2 cups chopped apple
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/ 2 cup chopped nuts of your choice
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup unsweetened applesauce, (MOO is great)
I tsp vanilla extract
Method:
Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Combine flour, bicarb soda and cinnamon. In separate bowl combine carrots, apples, coconut and nuts. Stir in applesauce, eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Line a 12 cup muffin tray with muffin papers. Fill muffin papers 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Curried Sausages, rice
Tuesday: Lasagne
Wednesday: Chicken casserole, mash
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Veggie Quiche, salad
Saturday: Soup & Toast
There are over 1,800 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
Hello Cheapskaters,
I really enjoy a freshly baked, homemade biscuit with my morning or afternoon tea, not only because they're nicer than bought, but so much cheaper. Unfortunately I don't really enjoy making them. It's not the time it takes to make them, biscuits bake pretty quickly. But they need to be rolled and cut into shapes or scooped, rolled and pressed, and that is fiddly and takes time.
Then a few years ago, well more than a few actually, I discovered that biscuit dough can be frozen. Win!
And then I discovered that biscuit dough can be baked straight from the freezer - win! win!
Ever since I've enjoyed making biscuits, freezing the dough and baking them as they are needed.
I like to spend a couple of hours making different biscuit doughs and flash freezing them. It is one way to stay ahead of the baking, thus reducing the urge to just buy a packet of biscuits. And your visitors think you are amazing when you can offer them a freshly baked, straight from the oven biscuit with their cuppa. I did I mention how having a supply of biscuit dough in the freezer saves you a fortune on last minute gifts too?
A plate of freshly baked biscuits, wrapped in cellophane and tied with a bow and a tag is a great gift, especially for the person who has everything, or the person who doesn't have room for more clutter, or the person you want to give a small gift too.
Freezing the dough is easy. Just make your recipe (and remember it is just as easy to double, triple or quadruple the recipe - you only have one mess to clean up!) as per the instructions. Then prepare to freeze.
Now there are two ways to freeze your dough:
1. In logs
2. As biscuits ready to bake.
To freeze biscuit dough logs:
This is great for slice and bake biscuits. Line a biscuit tray with foil and then clingwrap. Shape the dough into logs about 5cm round. Place the log of dough in the centre of the biscuit tray. Wrap the clingwrap around the log (or logs if you've increased the recipe) and twist the ends to close. Then wrap the foil around the plastic wrap, making sure you seal the ends. Label with a permanent marker. Freeze. Biscuit dough will freeze for up to three months.
To bake, slice dough into biscuits and bake as per the recipe. If you are baking from frozen add 2 - 2-1/2 minutes to the baking time.
Freezing biscuit dough balls:
Just scoop out a small ball of dough (the recipe should tell you the approximate size i.e. two teaspoons of dough) and place onto a piece of baking paper on a biscuit tray. Flash freeze for 30 minutes, then transfer dough balls to a ziplock bag or airtight container. You could also lay the balls flat in a plastic freezer baggie and freeze them in a “tray form.” Freeze up to 3 months.
To bake take out the number of dough balls you need and place them on a baking paper lined biscuit tray. Let them sit while the oven pre-heats (remember: always pre-heat your oven when baking or you may end up with a flop) then bake as per the recipe. If you are baking straight from the freezer add 2 minutes to the baking time, but watch very carefully so the biscuits don't burn,
My top tip for baking biscuits is one I learned from a friend who is a Home Ec teacher: let the dough rest in the fridge for 24 hours before baking! Trust me, your biscuits will brown more evenly, have a much nicer texture and taste nicer. I don't know why, they just do. Try it and see if you aren't impressed.
Biscuit Doughs that Freeze Well
All these recipes are in the Biscuit Recipe File.
• Cranberry Hootycreeks
• Lunchbox Cookies
• 5 Minute Choc Chip Cookies
• Apricot & Oat Cookies
• Snickerdoodles
• Christmas Snickerdoodles
• Crunchy Coconut Cookies
• Crunchy Coconut Cookies
• Ginger Nuts
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
TVP - a Meat Budget Friend
Four Easy Steps to Breaking the Emotional Spending Habit
A Foodie Gift Suggestion Soft Maple Salted Caramels
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
The $5 Pantry Challenge
Repurpose!
Wills
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AET
Join us live on YouTube every Tuesday and see how we are living debt free, cashed up and laughing - and find out how you can too!
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.
Latest Shows
9. The Weekly MOO Challenge
What grocery items can you MOO, that you'd normally buy? There are dozens, because pretty much if you can buy it in the supermarket, you can MOO it at home. Right now the only thing I can think of that I can't easily MOO is ricies/puffed rice.
Here's a list of some things I use that I now MOO, that aren't necessarily cheaper than buying, and why:
*Refried beans can be MOOed if you prefer over buying them and the price works out to be around the same if you get them on sale.
*Baked beans can be MOOed if you prefer over buying them. It is not always cheaper to MOO baked beans, but they sure taste better.
*Cream of Mushroom Soup - can be MOOed however it is not cheaper even if you grow your own mushrooms; again it tastes better than tinned or packet cream of mushroom soup.
*Taco Shells - can be MOOed but they are time consuming and fiddly.
*Dry French Onion Soup - can be made but it is not cheaper than buying.
*Pasta sauce - can be MOOed but not everyone has access to fresh tomatoes. If they have to buy tomatoes it is then more expensive to make pasta sauce.
*Nutmeat - can be homemade. It is a time consuming and fiddly process and is not cheaper than buying the Sanitarium product. I use my mother's recipe and her nutloaf tins when I MOO Nutmeat.
*Dry Cream of Mushroom Soup - can be MOOed but it is not cheaper than buying.
*Tinned fruit - peaches, pineapple - can be canned at home but unless the fruit is free it is not cheaper than buying, especially if you can buy it straight from the cannery.
*Tinned Tuna - is cheaper than buying and preparing fresh tuna.
*Feta - can be easily MOOed. Most people would not know how to do this, nor would they have easy access to the ingredients. It is also not cheaper to make your own feta; it uses a lot of fresh milk.
*Tortillas - can be MOOed you prefer and in this case they are cheaper than buying them. Nothing is better than a freshly cooked tortilla filled with beans and salad and topped with salsa (which can be MOOed).
*Cream Cheese - there is a MOO substitute you can use if you wish to make your own cream cheese and depending on how much the milk costs, it can be slightly cheaper than buying it.
*Condensed milk - can be MOOed. It is much cheaper to MOO condensed milk and it is very easy. The recipe is in the Recipe File.
*Evaporated milk is also easy and much, much cheaper to MOO. The recipe is in the Recipe file.
*Malt Biscuits - can be MOOed if you wish.
*Choc Coated Honeycomb - can be MOOed.
*Coleslaw dressing - can be MOOed.
*Milk chocolate - you can make it but it is not cheaper, very time consuming and requires skill.
Sometimes MOOing is cheaper, sometimes it's not, but I still MOO, because it's better for my family, quicker than going to the shops, saves on packaging, saves on fuel, helps to make shopping trips faster, goodness there are so many reasons.
But the main one is I like to be in control. I like to know what's in what I give to my family. I like to know that it won't contain anything, even accidentally, that will hurt them.
If you sometimes wonder if it's worth MOOing, look at the list. See my notes and think about what your time, your money and your energy are worth and how you want to use them, then make your own list, and decide what to MOO and what not to MOO because the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
Living the Cheapskates way doesn't mean we go without to save a few cents; it means we choose to ditch the stuff that's not important to us so we have the cash to enjoy the things that are.
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
10. 2021 Saving Revolutions
Last week's lesson was about scraping the bottom of the barrel to find savings. It was meant figuratively in the lesson title, but you should and can scrape the bottom of barrels and jars and tins and tubes to save money.
That peanut butter or Vegemite jar might look empty, but I guarantee if you get your trusty spatula and give it a good scrape you'll get enough for at least another sandwich.
And when that toothpaste tube looks empty, take your scissors and snip the bottom off, then use a clean spatula to scrape what is left on the inside into a clean pot - more than enough to brush your teeth for a few days.
Tip that empty sauce bottle upside down and let the sauce drain down the sides - you'll be surprised at just how much clings to the bottom of the bottle.
My point is, if you pay good money for something, make sure you use it all. And if that requires you to scrape the bottom of the barrel or jar or bottle or tube, then do it, because to not do it is just putting your hard earned money in the bin. You might not think that one or two extra sandwiches is anything to worry about, but over a year that could be the equivalent of a jar of peanut butter you're putting in the bin - around $5! Would you take a $5 note and drop it in the bin? The same applies to all those jars and bottles and tubes - one on it's own doesn't really cost you much, but add them up over the year and it can be a considerable amount, in our house around $350!
If you're not in the habit of scraping the bottom of the barrel, it's time to develop it!
Look for lesson 17 in your inbox tomorrow.
Log into the 2021 Saving Revolution forum and join the discussions too. They're fun, keep you accountable, and over the course of the year will be an amazing source of valuable hints and tips for you too.
11. Last Week's Question
Last week Lynda wote
"We are looking to move from NSW to Tasmania next year and are wondering of there is a cheap/er way to do it? There are 2 adults, 1 child and a dog. We only have a small car, no trailer (the car probably wouldn't tow a decent weight anyway). We've tossed up the idea of selling/donating most things and only taking the bare basics and slowly rebuilding when we get down there. That's definitely still on the cards, however, I don't know if that'll be more economical than just shipping everything down there."
Bernadette Collins answered
We had a the same dilemma. First off, you don't know if what you take with you (at great expense) is what will fit/suit your new accommodation. If I had the time over again I would definitely sell everything and look forward to starting over with fresh furniture/fittings as and when I find them in my new chapter. No worries about cartage, safe arrival, insurance etc., just offload it all and start over again lightly. Good luck!
Margaret Phillips answered
I moved from a house to my Coaster motorhome, I considered a storage locker, but found the expense overwhelming, so I decided to sell most of my furniture and sundry. The hardest part was the first sale, I wondered if I was going to regret it. Twelve months later I moved back into a house and had to refurnish. I had kept basic items, linen, plates, cups, saucepans etc., but no furniture. I checked Facebook and major department stores (Big W, Kmart) and refurnished my house for around $800. A lot less than the cost of storage and moving fees.
Natalie Bennett answered
I have moved from Tasmania to Queensland and back a few times. It does cost a lot to move your items here. If you have good quality furniture, keep it and ship it over. If not have a garage sale and when you arrive have fun picking out new here. Good luck with your move.
Do you have 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
What grocery items can you MOO, that you'd normally buy? There are dozens, because pretty much if you can buy it in the supermarket, you can MOO it at home. Right now the only thing I can think of that I can't easily MOO is ricies/puffed rice.
Here's a list of some things I use that I now MOO, that aren't necessarily cheaper than buying, and why:
*Refried beans can be MOOed if you prefer over buying them and the price works out to be around the same if you get them on sale.
*Baked beans can be MOOed if you prefer over buying them. It is not always cheaper to MOO baked beans, but they sure taste better.
*Cream of Mushroom Soup - can be MOOed however it is not cheaper even if you grow your own mushrooms; again it tastes better than tinned or packet cream of mushroom soup.
*Taco Shells - can be MOOed but they are time consuming and fiddly.
*Dry French Onion Soup - can be made but it is not cheaper than buying.
*Pasta sauce - can be MOOed but not everyone has access to fresh tomatoes. If they have to buy tomatoes it is then more expensive to make pasta sauce.
*Nutmeat - can be homemade. It is a time consuming and fiddly process and is not cheaper than buying the Sanitarium product. I use my mother's recipe and her nutloaf tins when I MOO Nutmeat.
*Dry Cream of Mushroom Soup - can be MOOed but it is not cheaper than buying.
*Tinned fruit - peaches, pineapple - can be canned at home but unless the fruit is free it is not cheaper than buying, especially if you can buy it straight from the cannery.
*Tinned Tuna - is cheaper than buying and preparing fresh tuna.
*Feta - can be easily MOOed. Most people would not know how to do this, nor would they have easy access to the ingredients. It is also not cheaper to make your own feta; it uses a lot of fresh milk.
*Tortillas - can be MOOed you prefer and in this case they are cheaper than buying them. Nothing is better than a freshly cooked tortilla filled with beans and salad and topped with salsa (which can be MOOed).
*Cream Cheese - there is a MOO substitute you can use if you wish to make your own cream cheese and depending on how much the milk costs, it can be slightly cheaper than buying it.
*Condensed milk - can be MOOed. It is much cheaper to MOO condensed milk and it is very easy. The recipe is in the Recipe File.
*Evaporated milk is also easy and much, much cheaper to MOO. The recipe is in the Recipe file.
*Malt Biscuits - can be MOOed if you wish.
*Choc Coated Honeycomb - can be MOOed.
*Coleslaw dressing - can be MOOed.
*Milk chocolate - you can make it but it is not cheaper, very time consuming and requires skill.
Sometimes MOOing is cheaper, sometimes it's not, but I still MOO, because it's better for my family, quicker than going to the shops, saves on packaging, saves on fuel, helps to make shopping trips faster, goodness there are so many reasons.
But the main one is I like to be in control. I like to know what's in what I give to my family. I like to know that it won't contain anything, even accidentally, that will hurt them.
If you sometimes wonder if it's worth MOOing, look at the list. See my notes and think about what your time, your money and your energy are worth and how you want to use them, then make your own list, and decide what to MOO and what not to MOO because the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
Living the Cheapskates way doesn't mean we go without to save a few cents; it means we choose to ditch the stuff that's not important to us so we have the cash to enjoy the things that are.
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
10. 2021 Saving Revolutions
Last week's lesson was about scraping the bottom of the barrel to find savings. It was meant figuratively in the lesson title, but you should and can scrape the bottom of barrels and jars and tins and tubes to save money.
That peanut butter or Vegemite jar might look empty, but I guarantee if you get your trusty spatula and give it a good scrape you'll get enough for at least another sandwich.
And when that toothpaste tube looks empty, take your scissors and snip the bottom off, then use a clean spatula to scrape what is left on the inside into a clean pot - more than enough to brush your teeth for a few days.
Tip that empty sauce bottle upside down and let the sauce drain down the sides - you'll be surprised at just how much clings to the bottom of the bottle.
My point is, if you pay good money for something, make sure you use it all. And if that requires you to scrape the bottom of the barrel or jar or bottle or tube, then do it, because to not do it is just putting your hard earned money in the bin. You might not think that one or two extra sandwiches is anything to worry about, but over a year that could be the equivalent of a jar of peanut butter you're putting in the bin - around $5! Would you take a $5 note and drop it in the bin? The same applies to all those jars and bottles and tubes - one on it's own doesn't really cost you much, but add them up over the year and it can be a considerable amount, in our house around $350!
If you're not in the habit of scraping the bottom of the barrel, it's time to develop it!
Look for lesson 17 in your inbox tomorrow.
Log into the 2021 Saving Revolution forum and join the discussions too. They're fun, keep you accountable, and over the course of the year will be an amazing source of valuable hints and tips for you too.
11. Last Week's Question
Last week Lynda wote
"We are looking to move from NSW to Tasmania next year and are wondering of there is a cheap/er way to do it? There are 2 adults, 1 child and a dog. We only have a small car, no trailer (the car probably wouldn't tow a decent weight anyway). We've tossed up the idea of selling/donating most things and only taking the bare basics and slowly rebuilding when we get down there. That's definitely still on the cards, however, I don't know if that'll be more economical than just shipping everything down there."
Bernadette Collins answered
We had a the same dilemma. First off, you don't know if what you take with you (at great expense) is what will fit/suit your new accommodation. If I had the time over again I would definitely sell everything and look forward to starting over with fresh furniture/fittings as and when I find them in my new chapter. No worries about cartage, safe arrival, insurance etc., just offload it all and start over again lightly. Good luck!
Margaret Phillips answered
I moved from a house to my Coaster motorhome, I considered a storage locker, but found the expense overwhelming, so I decided to sell most of my furniture and sundry. The hardest part was the first sale, I wondered if I was going to regret it. Twelve months later I moved back into a house and had to refurnish. I had kept basic items, linen, plates, cups, saucepans etc., but no furniture. I checked Facebook and major department stores (Big W, Kmart) and refurnished my house for around $800. A lot less than the cost of storage and moving fees.
Natalie Bennett answered
I have moved from Tasmania to Queensland and back a few times. It does cost a lot to move your items here. If you have good quality furniture, keep it and ship it over. If not have a garage sale and when you arrive have fun picking out new here. Good luck with your move.
Do you have 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
12. Join The Cheapskates Club
For just $25 for the first 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!
13. 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.
14. 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
www.cheapskatesclub.net
For just $25 for the first 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!
13. 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.
14. 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
www.cheapskatesclub.net