Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 17:19
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Tablecloth Magic; Sweetest Smelling Little Room; Cheaper and Better Tea - Ditch the Bag
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Banana Choc Chip Muffins
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Economy Gastronomy
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
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,
Welcome to another Cheapskates newsletter. Again, it's full of good ideas tosave you money time and energy, and a tasty muffin recipe you're sure to love.
Enjoy your newsletter.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Tablecloth Magic
When needing new tablecloths, I look at the curtain material on sale for about $2-4 per metre. Last year I was able to make two sets for a total of $10 instead of paying 40.00 for one white one. You do need to hem around all sides but it's energy and effort well worth expending for the huge savings achieved. Each tablecloth measured 2.5 metres, and when adding a trestle table to the original dining table I had two matching tablecloths blending into one and able to sit 12 people. Plus the fabric is much stronger and therefore will last longer.
Contributed by Vai Lynch
Sweetest Smelling Little Room
Instead of buying those costly sprays etc for the bathroom to help it stay smelling nice I buy the "tree" air fresheners for the car. I buy a big pack of 6. I use them just like you would in your car and pull the plastic down just a little bit every other week. I hang these at the back of the toilet by the water supply hose-out of the way & discrete. (I clean houses for people & they love this! I clean for them every 2 weeks & fix them for them.) Just my special little thing I do for them & for my home as well. These come in different scents so if you don't care for vanilla you can choose lemon or whatever.
Contributed by Angie Steele
Cheaper and Better Tea - Ditch the Bag
I like my tea black and weak. Using a tea bag I only need to dip it 2 or 3 times before it becomes too strong. If I put it aside to use again it’s usually not until the next day and not very appealing. For a weak cup, a teabag seems such a waste. And, although they’re convenient to use, the leaves are heavily processed, the bags tend to sit around in warehouses and shops for a long time and they lose potency and benefits.
A cheaper, more authentic, flavourful and probably more nutritious way is to buy a good brand of loose leaf tea on special, pop a pinch into your mug and pour on hot water. You could even go to the bother of warming your mug first with a swirl of hot water. If you like your tea strong, add more leaves and place a saucer on top to brew it longer. The tea leaves just sink to the bottom.
When you get to the bottom, if you like, you can read your fortune. Swirl the leaves around the cup and see how they fall. Check the websites of the major tea brands to find out how to read them.
Finally, add water and toss the leaves in the garden where they can return to the earth in a dignified way.
No waste whatsoever, and you’re value-adding besides!
At the time of writing, Coles were selling 100 bags (200 gm net) of Madura premium blend tea on special for $8.40 and 200 gm of the same loose leaf tea for $5.60. There’s a saving already, and these are the regular prices. On top of that, does the net weight given on the box of tea bags include the weight of the bags and staples? We don’t know – they don’t say. But with loose leaf tea you’re well ahead anyway, particularly if you only use what you need per cup.
Contributed by Miranda Roccisano
Add a Tip
3. Share Your Tips
Share your favourite hint or tip that saves money, time and energy and be in the running to win a one-year subscription to The Cheapskate Journal.
Remember, you have to be in it to win it!
Share Your Tip
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. On The Menu
Banana Choc Chip Muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups self-raising flour
2-3 over-ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup choc chips
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Combine all ingredients, beating with a fork until just mixed. Pour into greased and floured or paper lined muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Sir-fry with left-over chicken & noodles
Tuesday: Lasagne & salad
Wednesday: Corn fritters & salad
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Veggie Burgers, salad
Saturday: Hot Dogs
In the fruit bowl: Bananas!
In the cake tin: Banana Choc Chip Muffins, Tim Tam Yum Yum Balls, chocolate cup cakes, vanilla cup cakes
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
Economy Gastronomy
A couple of years ago I found, quite by accident, an English TV show called Economy Gastronomy and before I knew it, I was hooked. I couldn't not watch it - it was like a train wreck happening in slow motion before my very eyes.
In one episode, the family of 7 (Mum, Dad and 5 kids) were spending £408 (around $733AUD - a week's wage) on food. To make matters worse they had a garbage disposal in the kitchen and used it - tossing £7,000 (or $12,578.95AUD) down it every year!
I'm gobsmacked! We don't even spend that much a year on food, let alone waste it! It makes my $3,840 a year grocery budget look really poor, and yet we eat well, never go hungry, enjoy good quality fresh food (including organic fruit and veg, dairy, meat and poultry when possible) and still have plenty to share with visitors.
So what were the money wasters that stood out?
1. No meal plan.
We all know that's a big mistake. Without even a simple meal plan it's just too easy to decide cooking is hard and order take-away or resort to convenience meals. Writing up a basic meal plan won't take more than 5 minutes. Just choose seven dinners and jot them down. Breakfasts and lunches are usually the same thing in most households - cereal and toast for breakfast, sandwiches or rolls for lunches.
2. No shopping list - the mother thought she was buying bargains, but most of it was junk food.
Again, we all know this is a food budget disaster just waiting to happen. Without a list you just won't know what to buy so you can stick to your meal plan. It takes just a few minutes to jot down what food to buy, and how much of it. And it saves you a fortune. When you have a list you can get in, buy what you need and get out. No tempting wandering up and down the aisles trying to remember what you need. And if it's not on the list - don't buy it.
3. No pantry/fridge/freezer inventory done before going shopping - there were 7 jars of English mustard in the fridge, all opened and part-used.
What a waste, of food and of money. Always, always, always have a quick look at what food you have on hand and think about how it can be used in your meal plan. You'll avoid waste, save money and not end up with seven jars of English mustard in the fridge.
To speed up your inventory try to keep your pantry and fridge tidy. That just means always putting things back where they came from and re-stocking in the same place. When the pantry is tidy you can see at a glance that you have three tins of tomatoes but only one of chickpeas. It's a simple thing but it saves you a lot of time.
4. No meal portions - food was just served up, and the children scraped most of it into the garbage disposal (it wasn't even composted or fed to the dog).
When a recipe states "serves 6" then make it serve six. And when you are feeding young children remember their appetites and capacity for eating are much, much smaller than an adults and dish up accordingly.
I'm not saying don't let them eat the same meals you do - just give them appropriate sized portions.
5. Everyone ate at different times.
This would send me nuts. Two lots of cooking, two lots of cleaning up. And no family time. Eating is a communal activity. Turn off the television. Set the table. Sit down and take half an hour to eat together. Discuss the meal. Talk about the day. Slow down and enjoy what you are eating and who you are eating with.
6. Three different meals were cooked every night (one daughter is vegetarian, children ate "child friendly" food and Mum and Dad ate something different again).
Picky eaters are made, not born. You're not running a restaurant, so don't take orders. Unless there is a medically diagnosed health reason not to, even very young children can eat what you eat. From the day they went on to solids our kids all ate exactly what we did. When our kids were younger "I don't like it" didn't work until they had tried it. The rule was one spoonful. They had to try it and eat the spoonful, and then if they really didn't like it I left it off their plate or changed the way it was served. For example Tom hates mashed potato, he just loathes the texture, so I just take his potato out of the pot before I mash the rest. Easy. Hannah doesn't like red meat so she gets a small portion and extra vegetables. AJ doesn't like fresh tomato, so I leave it off his plate and add a little extra of another vegetable. Wayne eats anything :)
The family was challenged to eat for a week on a budget of £260 and I think they managed it - It was interesting to see them shop, cook and eat together for the first time.
There are lessons to be learned from this show.
1.Shop with a list and if it's not on the list don't buy it.
2.Cook from scratch.
3.Cook once.
4.Eat the meal that has been prepared together, as a family - if this means Mum and Dad have to eat early so the kids can get to bed at a decent time then so be it. Family comes first and must stick together and the best way to ingrain this is around the dinner table.
5.Leftovers aren't scraps - they are the ingredients for tomorrow's dinner.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
7 Ways to Save Big with a Simple Savings Jar
Finding the Time to Live Like a Cheapskate
Saving Story: Waste Not, Want Not
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Coconut Curry
Autumn to Winter April Activities
The Garden Project
Most Popular Blog Posts This Week
The Bare Bones Grocery Challenge Week 1
5 Simple Ways We Save On Groceries
44 Budget Friendly Snacks Kids and Mums Will Love
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays and Thursdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AET
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
Our Budget Purses
Super Easy Easter Brownie Cup Cakes
Stockpiling 101 Part 3
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 $36.50 a year, you can join the Cheapskates Club and get exclusive access to the Cheapskate Journal, the monthly e-journal that shows you how to cut the costs of everyday living and still have fun.
Joining the Cheapskates Club gives you 24/7 access to the Members Centre with 1000's of money saving tips and articles.
Click here to join the Cheapskates Club today!
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 - Tablecloth Magic; Sweetest Smelling Little Room; Cheaper and Better Tea - Ditch the Bag
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Banana Choc Chip Muffins
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Economy Gastronomy
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
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,
Welcome to another Cheapskates newsletter. Again, it's full of good ideas tosave you money time and energy, and a tasty muffin recipe you're sure to love.
Enjoy your newsletter.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Tablecloth Magic
When needing new tablecloths, I look at the curtain material on sale for about $2-4 per metre. Last year I was able to make two sets for a total of $10 instead of paying 40.00 for one white one. You do need to hem around all sides but it's energy and effort well worth expending for the huge savings achieved. Each tablecloth measured 2.5 metres, and when adding a trestle table to the original dining table I had two matching tablecloths blending into one and able to sit 12 people. Plus the fabric is much stronger and therefore will last longer.
Contributed by Vai Lynch
Sweetest Smelling Little Room
Instead of buying those costly sprays etc for the bathroom to help it stay smelling nice I buy the "tree" air fresheners for the car. I buy a big pack of 6. I use them just like you would in your car and pull the plastic down just a little bit every other week. I hang these at the back of the toilet by the water supply hose-out of the way & discrete. (I clean houses for people & they love this! I clean for them every 2 weeks & fix them for them.) Just my special little thing I do for them & for my home as well. These come in different scents so if you don't care for vanilla you can choose lemon or whatever.
Contributed by Angie Steele
Cheaper and Better Tea - Ditch the Bag
I like my tea black and weak. Using a tea bag I only need to dip it 2 or 3 times before it becomes too strong. If I put it aside to use again it’s usually not until the next day and not very appealing. For a weak cup, a teabag seems such a waste. And, although they’re convenient to use, the leaves are heavily processed, the bags tend to sit around in warehouses and shops for a long time and they lose potency and benefits.
A cheaper, more authentic, flavourful and probably more nutritious way is to buy a good brand of loose leaf tea on special, pop a pinch into your mug and pour on hot water. You could even go to the bother of warming your mug first with a swirl of hot water. If you like your tea strong, add more leaves and place a saucer on top to brew it longer. The tea leaves just sink to the bottom.
When you get to the bottom, if you like, you can read your fortune. Swirl the leaves around the cup and see how they fall. Check the websites of the major tea brands to find out how to read them.
Finally, add water and toss the leaves in the garden where they can return to the earth in a dignified way.
No waste whatsoever, and you’re value-adding besides!
At the time of writing, Coles were selling 100 bags (200 gm net) of Madura premium blend tea on special for $8.40 and 200 gm of the same loose leaf tea for $5.60. There’s a saving already, and these are the regular prices. On top of that, does the net weight given on the box of tea bags include the weight of the bags and staples? We don’t know – they don’t say. But with loose leaf tea you’re well ahead anyway, particularly if you only use what you need per cup.
Contributed by Miranda Roccisano
Add a Tip
3. Share Your Tips
Share your favourite hint or tip that saves money, time and energy and be in the running to win a one-year subscription to The Cheapskate Journal.
Remember, you have to be in it to win it!
Share Your Tip
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. On The Menu
Banana Choc Chip Muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups self-raising flour
2-3 over-ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup choc chips
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Combine all ingredients, beating with a fork until just mixed. Pour into greased and floured or paper lined muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Sir-fry with left-over chicken & noodles
Tuesday: Lasagne & salad
Wednesday: Corn fritters & salad
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Veggie Burgers, salad
Saturday: Hot Dogs
In the fruit bowl: Bananas!
In the cake tin: Banana Choc Chip Muffins, Tim Tam Yum Yum Balls, chocolate cup cakes, vanilla cup cakes
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
Economy Gastronomy
A couple of years ago I found, quite by accident, an English TV show called Economy Gastronomy and before I knew it, I was hooked. I couldn't not watch it - it was like a train wreck happening in slow motion before my very eyes.
In one episode, the family of 7 (Mum, Dad and 5 kids) were spending £408 (around $733AUD - a week's wage) on food. To make matters worse they had a garbage disposal in the kitchen and used it - tossing £7,000 (or $12,578.95AUD) down it every year!
I'm gobsmacked! We don't even spend that much a year on food, let alone waste it! It makes my $3,840 a year grocery budget look really poor, and yet we eat well, never go hungry, enjoy good quality fresh food (including organic fruit and veg, dairy, meat and poultry when possible) and still have plenty to share with visitors.
So what were the money wasters that stood out?
1. No meal plan.
We all know that's a big mistake. Without even a simple meal plan it's just too easy to decide cooking is hard and order take-away or resort to convenience meals. Writing up a basic meal plan won't take more than 5 minutes. Just choose seven dinners and jot them down. Breakfasts and lunches are usually the same thing in most households - cereal and toast for breakfast, sandwiches or rolls for lunches.
2. No shopping list - the mother thought she was buying bargains, but most of it was junk food.
Again, we all know this is a food budget disaster just waiting to happen. Without a list you just won't know what to buy so you can stick to your meal plan. It takes just a few minutes to jot down what food to buy, and how much of it. And it saves you a fortune. When you have a list you can get in, buy what you need and get out. No tempting wandering up and down the aisles trying to remember what you need. And if it's not on the list - don't buy it.
3. No pantry/fridge/freezer inventory done before going shopping - there were 7 jars of English mustard in the fridge, all opened and part-used.
What a waste, of food and of money. Always, always, always have a quick look at what food you have on hand and think about how it can be used in your meal plan. You'll avoid waste, save money and not end up with seven jars of English mustard in the fridge.
To speed up your inventory try to keep your pantry and fridge tidy. That just means always putting things back where they came from and re-stocking in the same place. When the pantry is tidy you can see at a glance that you have three tins of tomatoes but only one of chickpeas. It's a simple thing but it saves you a lot of time.
4. No meal portions - food was just served up, and the children scraped most of it into the garbage disposal (it wasn't even composted or fed to the dog).
When a recipe states "serves 6" then make it serve six. And when you are feeding young children remember their appetites and capacity for eating are much, much smaller than an adults and dish up accordingly.
I'm not saying don't let them eat the same meals you do - just give them appropriate sized portions.
5. Everyone ate at different times.
This would send me nuts. Two lots of cooking, two lots of cleaning up. And no family time. Eating is a communal activity. Turn off the television. Set the table. Sit down and take half an hour to eat together. Discuss the meal. Talk about the day. Slow down and enjoy what you are eating and who you are eating with.
6. Three different meals were cooked every night (one daughter is vegetarian, children ate "child friendly" food and Mum and Dad ate something different again).
Picky eaters are made, not born. You're not running a restaurant, so don't take orders. Unless there is a medically diagnosed health reason not to, even very young children can eat what you eat. From the day they went on to solids our kids all ate exactly what we did. When our kids were younger "I don't like it" didn't work until they had tried it. The rule was one spoonful. They had to try it and eat the spoonful, and then if they really didn't like it I left it off their plate or changed the way it was served. For example Tom hates mashed potato, he just loathes the texture, so I just take his potato out of the pot before I mash the rest. Easy. Hannah doesn't like red meat so she gets a small portion and extra vegetables. AJ doesn't like fresh tomato, so I leave it off his plate and add a little extra of another vegetable. Wayne eats anything :)
The family was challenged to eat for a week on a budget of £260 and I think they managed it - It was interesting to see them shop, cook and eat together for the first time.
There are lessons to be learned from this show.
1.Shop with a list and if it's not on the list don't buy it.
2.Cook from scratch.
3.Cook once.
4.Eat the meal that has been prepared together, as a family - if this means Mum and Dad have to eat early so the kids can get to bed at a decent time then so be it. Family comes first and must stick together and the best way to ingrain this is around the dinner table.
5.Leftovers aren't scraps - they are the ingredients for tomorrow's dinner.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
7 Ways to Save Big with a Simple Savings Jar
Finding the Time to Live Like a Cheapskate
Saving Story: Waste Not, Want Not
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Coconut Curry
Autumn to Winter April Activities
The Garden Project
Most Popular Blog Posts This Week
The Bare Bones Grocery Challenge Week 1
5 Simple Ways We Save On Groceries
44 Budget Friendly Snacks Kids and Mums Will Love
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays and Thursdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AET
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
Our Budget Purses
Super Easy Easter Brownie Cup Cakes
Stockpiling 101 Part 3
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 $36.50 a year, you can join the Cheapskates Club and get exclusive access to the Cheapskate Journal, the monthly e-journal that shows you how to cut the costs of everyday living and still have fun.
Joining the Cheapskates Club gives you 24/7 access to the Members Centre with 1000's of money saving tips and articles.
Click here to join the Cheapskates Club today!
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