Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 18:18
In this Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - Skip the Haggling & Still Save Money on Your Next Car; Buy it Cheaper; Negotiate Phone and Mobile Bills for Big Savings
3. Share Your Tips -
4. On the Menu - Apple Shortcake
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge -
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. Member's Featured Blog - Garden Progress
8. Last Week's Question - Fresh or Frozen? Which is better for the budget and our health?
9. This Week's Question - Help! How can I deal with doggy odour?
10. Ask Cath
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
This week's newsletter is another big one, full of great ideas to save you money, time and energy.
Hope you enjoy it.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
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!
2. From The Tip Store
Skip the Haggling & Still Save Money on Your Next Car
Buying a new car is an exciting time! It’s exhilarating to know that a new car will soon be yours. But the actual process of purchasing a new car can be less than enjoyable. Car salesman can be so pushy. How do you know you’re getting a good deal?
You could use a car buying service who will deal with the dealers directly on your behalf. By hiring a company to do the dirty work of negotiating, you can limit your involvement to simply communicating what you’re looking for. At the end of the process, you simply need to go pick up your car. In some cases, the car will be delivered to you.
Let the dealerships compete for your business. After doing the obligatory test-drives and determining what you want, contact competing dealerships and ask for their best price. You can then play the dealerships against each other. If you’re patient, you’ll save a significant amount of money.
Use an individual car broker. The process is similar to the company-run car buying services. In some cases, the broker negotiates his fee and receives it from the dealership. From a practical standpoint, this allows you to finance the fee rather than paying it out of your own pocket straight away. You need to take this into account when working out your finances - you'll be paying interest on this fee for the duration of the finance period.
It’s generally accepted that car buying services will save most people about $1,000 over what they would have done on their own. However, if you’re skilful at negotiating, you may be able to do better than the buying service, especially after the fee is taken into account. How good are you at negotiating?
Buying a car can be easier and less expensive than you might think!
Buy it Cheaper
When you are shopping (for anything at all) always look for the cheapest possible price. These days it is so easy to comparison shop, even for groceries, that there is no excuse for not getting the best possible price. Look online, go through the junk mail, read the ads in your local paper and ask around.
If you are shopping for a big ticket item, such as a washing machine or a new lounge suite, be prepared to haggle for a better deal. You will be stunned by just how much money you can save just by asking a simple little question "is this your best price?". Remember it is just a question, the worst thing that can happen is that the answer is yes, and that particular retailer won't discount. All you have to do then is say thanks for your time and walk away.
Negotiate Phone and Mobile Bills for Big Savings
I have just negotiated a new plan with my phone company which saves me $35 dollars per month. With competition you have much bargaining power. It's really worth haggling. I got out of my mobile phone contract by $ 200 less than the asking price. Just mention the competition and see how far you can get.
Contributed by Susie
There are currently more than 12,000 great tips in the Tip Store
3. 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
4. On the Menu
Apple Shortcake
I've been busy using up the apple in the freezer, and one of the ways we especially love apple is in this apple shortcake.
Ingredients:
125g butter
½ cup castor sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup self-raising flour
3/4 cup plain flour
400g stewed apple (or 410g can pie apple)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
extra castor sugar
Method:
Line base and sides of 20cm cake tin with baking paper. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Cream butter and sugar lightly, add egg, beat well. Beat in sifted flours. Turn out on to lightly floured surface; knead lightly until smooth, divide dough in half. This is a very soft pastry so roll each piece into a 20cm round between 2 sheets of plastic food wrap or greaseproof paper to prevent sticking. Place one round into tin, press edges to fit tin well. Mix lemon rind into stewed apple. Spread over shortcake base leaving a small border around edge. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of extra sugar. Place second round of pastry over fruit mixture, press edges together around side of tin. Brush top with water, sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake in moderate oven 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to stand 15 minutes before removing from tin.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Vegetarian Moussaka, tossed salad
Tuesday: Saturday Night Sour Cream Pasta Bake
Wednesday: Haystacks
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Honey mustard chicken
Saturday: Chicken Cordon Bleu Grilled Cheese
In the fruit bowl: apples
In the cake tin: fruit cake
There are over 1,500 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File.
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge
More on Making Meals Cheaper - The Sunday Roast
The price of meat has been going up, and up, and up, and up and up. Actually, let me clarify: the cost of what was once cheaper cuts of meat has been going up. The more expensive cuts have increased slightly, but not nearly as much as plain old mince or sausages or gravy beef.
And the increasing price of meat has had an impact on my grocery budget. I still do a big meat shop once a quarter, but I find myself looking every week for really good specials on mince, chicken fillets, whole chickens, legs of lamb and roasting beef.
With those prices in mind, here's how we can afford to have a roast dinner every Sunday (without fail, my family almost cry if there's no roast for some reason).
If you follow my meal plan, you'll see that I alternate chicken/beef/chicken/lamb/chicken/beef/chicken/lamb and repeat.
When we have roast lamb or beef I make sure I cut the meat so that we get at least two dinners from the one roast. I serve one for dinner that night and put the extra meat into a Tupperware container, cover it with gravy and freeze. It is then ready for the next time that particular roast is on the menu.
This saves money and makes roast lamb or beef affordable. It keeps the electricity bill or gas for the barbecue bill down as the meal just has to be thawed and then warmed in the microwave, again making the meal cheaper. And if there are bones then those bones are used to make stock for soup or gravy, or to cook rice or pasta - making the meal cheaper still.
Here are some of the ways I get more meals from one roast:
*Cut the slices thinly - this is easier if you let the roast sit for about 10 minutes before carving.
*Make sure all the meat is off the bone, even the tiniest shreds.
*Portion control - the boys get three slices of lamb or beef; Hannah and I have two. I do spread them around the plate, so they can be seen. It isn't mean folks, it's common sense - we don't need kilos of meat with every meal. 180g per person is the recommended amount, that's what I aim for.
*Cook the meat in an oven bag. This helps with shrinking, keeps the meat moist and contains the juices that I use to make gravy
Meat is expensive. I aim to keep it at $5 per meal, even with the rising cost of meat. To do this I need to have cheaper cuts and stretch them, add some meatless meals into our meal plan and keep an eye out for the cheapest possible prices - then go crazy and fill the freezers.
Just recently chicken fillets were very, very cheap. You can be sure I stocked up! Over the course of three weeks I bought 40 kilos (enough for at least 80 meals), brought them home, skinned them, pulled the tenderloins off and vacuum sealed them.
At that price ($3.69/kg) the cost per meal for chicken is just $1.85! Or if you prefer, just 31 cents per serve! That means I could afford to pay a little more per meal for the steak I bought on special at the same time.
Swings and roundabouts; as long as my average cost for the meat component of each meal is between $4 - $6 (rising prices are affecting my budget too) I am happy, we eat well and most importantly my family is happy.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
Most popular forum posts this week
How do You Menu Plan?
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2155-How-do-you-menu-plan
How do I Cheapskate and Maintain My Ethical Moral High Ground?
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2133-How-do-I-Cheapskate-and-maintain-my-ethical-moral-high-ground
Cookie Dough to Freeze
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?428-Cookie-dough-to-freeze
Most popular blog posts this week
The Value of a Present Box
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2016/01/the-value-of-present-box.html
Cheapskating on Autopilot
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2016/06/cheapskating-on-autopilot.html
Earning Pocket Money
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2016/02/earning-pocket-money.html
7. Members 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 thalawest.
Garden Progress
I did plant a little bit of a garden last spring. Not much, because study was busy (still is!) and I didn't have time.
The pumpkins haven't done anything, but at least the seeds were free, collected from every pumpkin I bought to eat. (One of the plants I gave my mother produced one nice big pumpkin and a couple of tiny green ones.) I've left my plants in, but it's getting cold now, so I don't think they'll do anything.
I just harvested my cabbages - none of them very big, but about 2 1/4 kg altogether, plus the meals I had from them along the way. Could have been better, probably if I'd taken better care of them, and/or had a garden bed that didn't face south. The seedlings cost me $3 last spring, so that hasn't ended up being cheaper (cabbage is pretty cheap at the market quite often), but that came out of what was left in my budget after buying my fruit and veg at the market one week.
The kale, being planted too close to the north fence, didn't give me any meals at all, but I was able to collect plenty of seeds for next year. They were another $3 for seedlings, but at least they're not finished, since I have the seeds.
The tamarillo ($8 the first time I went fruit/veg shopping at Caribbean Gardens Market) is not looking too happy, but I'll give it some compost later and see if that helps. It may need re-potting into something larger, which would be difficult, as it's already in a large upside-down lampshade, and I don't think I have a larger pot. I don't want to plant it directly in the ground because I don't expect to live here forever.
There are a few well-established fruit trees here (can't claim any credit, as I haven't even found time to give them a long-overdue pruning in all the time I've been here): a couple of plums, a loquat, and an apple. The apple tree hangs over this wire netting fence that's around what used to be a swimming pool. The fence is mostly covered in a very rambling rose bush, and I can't get over the only exposed bit. I could see a couple of apples on the other side, though, so last week I tried to push through the far end of the garden. (The near end had the pot of the rose bush.) Turns out the netting fence doesn't go all the way to the boundary fence, and I was able to push through the jungle there and pick the apples. There were five of them, mostly quite big! I have put them by my north-facing window to sweeten up.
Oh, and what I thought were choko vines all over the garage are apparently moth vines, but still quite edible. They are producing less than last year because they've been badly cut back, but I've still had a few good meals from them. Less than I might have, but only because I've either prioritised the veg in my fridge or been lazy and used frozen.
Overall, I'm happy with my garden and the fact that it's feeding me despite my not having time to do much for it.
Login to read more Cheapskates Club Member blogs
8. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Kathy who wrote
"Just wondering what other Cheapskates think of cooking with frozen vegetables instead of fresh vegetables, is it a healthy option? Frozen vegetables are much cheaper than fresh, but do they have as many vitamins?"
Anne Ponton answered
I always buy frozen peas, beans, broccoli, cauliflower and sometimes potato and sweet potato chips. All these vegetables are snap-frozen so possibly even fresher than those in the fruit and vegetable section at the supermarket and so much cheaper. I also buy frozen berries for smoothies and to add to porridge. I only buy Australian or New Zealand produce to be assured of the best quality.
Leanne Stevens
I always use frozen vegetables. I can buy a variety and keep them in the freezer. Both my husband and I work, and our 4 kids have sports/dance commitments every week night. I find it much easier to just grab a bag out of the freezer and heat some up in the microwave or toss into a mornay/casserole etc., than having to prepare fresh. From what I've read online about the nutritional difference, there appears to be none to very little as the vegetables are picked when they are at their best and frozen straight away. I also find that there is zero waste as there is nothing going bad while sitting in the back corner of the fridge.
Kellie Ball answered
It has been proven that frozen vegetables retain more nutrients and vitamins as they are frozen closer to the time they are picked, whereas fresh produce can take up to a week before hitting the shelves. So, if you do not grow it yourself or you cannot get to a farmer’s market, then yes, the next best thing to fresh is frozen.
Courtney Allison answered
Depending on where you live and how far your food must travel to get to you, frozen fruit and veg can be a much healthier option. We lived overseas for several years, where fresh produce was trucked cross country before being loaded onto shipping containers and traveling to us by sea. Where canned and frozen produce is picked and preserved at the height of freshness, so called ‘fresh’ food was often harvested before it was ripe, refrigerated for extended periods of time for transport and ended up bland and tasteless by the time it makes it to our table. While the texture of frozen veg isn’t always the same, the flavour and nutritional value was almost always better.
Natalie Oakley answered
Studies have been done showing that frozen vegetables are often more nutritious than fresh vegetables, because they are snap frozen right after harvest, and don't spend days or weeks traveling to get to you as they slowly degrade. Don't feel bad about using frozen vegetables. They're a fantastic convenience, and not at all bad for your family.
9. This Week's Question
Toni writes:
"As well as our two children, our family has two fur-babies, that we love to bits. We have a three-year-old staffy and her five-year-old mother. Even though they are bathed every Sunday, their beds, the laundry (where they eat), carpets and even our lounge have a distinct doggy smell that can be very off-putting, especially for visitors. It's really noticeable after we've been out of the house for a while. Their beds are washed regularly, I've gone through cans and cans of Febreeze (bought and MOO) and Glen20, tried burning candles and essential oils, spent a fortune on carpet cleaning and room deodorisers and the odour still lingers. What else can I do? Please help!"
Do you have the answer?
If you can help Toni, let us know. We'll enter your answer into our Tip of the Week competition, with a one-year membership to the Cheapskates Club as the prize too.
Send your answer
10. Ask 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
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
For just 10 cents a day you can join the Cheapskates Club and get exclusive access to the Cheapskate Journal, the monthly e-journal that shows you how to cut the costs of everyday living and still have fun.
Joining the Cheapskates Club gives you 24/7 access to the Members Centre with 1000's of money saving tips and articles.
Click here to join the Cheapskates Club today!
12. Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change my email address?
This one is easy. Members can update their email address or any other details by clicking on "Edit Profile" directly under their membership number after they have logged in to the Member's Centre. Subscribers to our free newsletter can use the Change Your Address form (under Customer Service in the menu) and fill it out. Once you've filled it in click the send button and we'll do the rest. Please remember to include your old email address so we can find it in the list as well as the new one.
How do I know when my membership should be renewed?
When you login to the Member's Centre you will be told how many days of membership you have left once you have 30 days left. Just click on the link to renew and your membership will just continue on, uninterrupted.
What will you do with my email address?
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How Did You Get on Our List?
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13. Contact Details
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
Contact Cheapskates
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - Skip the Haggling & Still Save Money on Your Next Car; Buy it Cheaper; Negotiate Phone and Mobile Bills for Big Savings
3. Share Your Tips -
4. On the Menu - Apple Shortcake
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge -
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. Member's Featured Blog - Garden Progress
8. Last Week's Question - Fresh or Frozen? Which is better for the budget and our health?
9. This Week's Question - Help! How can I deal with doggy odour?
10. Ask Cath
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
This week's newsletter is another big one, full of great ideas to save you money, time and energy.
Hope you enjoy it.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
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!
2. From The Tip Store
Skip the Haggling & Still Save Money on Your Next Car
Buying a new car is an exciting time! It’s exhilarating to know that a new car will soon be yours. But the actual process of purchasing a new car can be less than enjoyable. Car salesman can be so pushy. How do you know you’re getting a good deal?
You could use a car buying service who will deal with the dealers directly on your behalf. By hiring a company to do the dirty work of negotiating, you can limit your involvement to simply communicating what you’re looking for. At the end of the process, you simply need to go pick up your car. In some cases, the car will be delivered to you.
Let the dealerships compete for your business. After doing the obligatory test-drives and determining what you want, contact competing dealerships and ask for their best price. You can then play the dealerships against each other. If you’re patient, you’ll save a significant amount of money.
Use an individual car broker. The process is similar to the company-run car buying services. In some cases, the broker negotiates his fee and receives it from the dealership. From a practical standpoint, this allows you to finance the fee rather than paying it out of your own pocket straight away. You need to take this into account when working out your finances - you'll be paying interest on this fee for the duration of the finance period.
It’s generally accepted that car buying services will save most people about $1,000 over what they would have done on their own. However, if you’re skilful at negotiating, you may be able to do better than the buying service, especially after the fee is taken into account. How good are you at negotiating?
Buying a car can be easier and less expensive than you might think!
Buy it Cheaper
When you are shopping (for anything at all) always look for the cheapest possible price. These days it is so easy to comparison shop, even for groceries, that there is no excuse for not getting the best possible price. Look online, go through the junk mail, read the ads in your local paper and ask around.
If you are shopping for a big ticket item, such as a washing machine or a new lounge suite, be prepared to haggle for a better deal. You will be stunned by just how much money you can save just by asking a simple little question "is this your best price?". Remember it is just a question, the worst thing that can happen is that the answer is yes, and that particular retailer won't discount. All you have to do then is say thanks for your time and walk away.
Negotiate Phone and Mobile Bills for Big Savings
I have just negotiated a new plan with my phone company which saves me $35 dollars per month. With competition you have much bargaining power. It's really worth haggling. I got out of my mobile phone contract by $ 200 less than the asking price. Just mention the competition and see how far you can get.
Contributed by Susie
There are currently more than 12,000 great tips in the Tip Store
3. 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
4. On the Menu
Apple Shortcake
I've been busy using up the apple in the freezer, and one of the ways we especially love apple is in this apple shortcake.
Ingredients:
125g butter
½ cup castor sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup self-raising flour
3/4 cup plain flour
400g stewed apple (or 410g can pie apple)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
extra castor sugar
Method:
Line base and sides of 20cm cake tin with baking paper. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Cream butter and sugar lightly, add egg, beat well. Beat in sifted flours. Turn out on to lightly floured surface; knead lightly until smooth, divide dough in half. This is a very soft pastry so roll each piece into a 20cm round between 2 sheets of plastic food wrap or greaseproof paper to prevent sticking. Place one round into tin, press edges to fit tin well. Mix lemon rind into stewed apple. Spread over shortcake base leaving a small border around edge. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of extra sugar. Place second round of pastry over fruit mixture, press edges together around side of tin. Brush top with water, sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake in moderate oven 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to stand 15 minutes before removing from tin.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Vegetarian Moussaka, tossed salad
Tuesday: Saturday Night Sour Cream Pasta Bake
Wednesday: Haystacks
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Honey mustard chicken
Saturday: Chicken Cordon Bleu Grilled Cheese
In the fruit bowl: apples
In the cake tin: fruit cake
There are over 1,500 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File.
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge
More on Making Meals Cheaper - The Sunday Roast
The price of meat has been going up, and up, and up, and up and up. Actually, let me clarify: the cost of what was once cheaper cuts of meat has been going up. The more expensive cuts have increased slightly, but not nearly as much as plain old mince or sausages or gravy beef.
And the increasing price of meat has had an impact on my grocery budget. I still do a big meat shop once a quarter, but I find myself looking every week for really good specials on mince, chicken fillets, whole chickens, legs of lamb and roasting beef.
With those prices in mind, here's how we can afford to have a roast dinner every Sunday (without fail, my family almost cry if there's no roast for some reason).
If you follow my meal plan, you'll see that I alternate chicken/beef/chicken/lamb/chicken/beef/chicken/lamb and repeat.
When we have roast lamb or beef I make sure I cut the meat so that we get at least two dinners from the one roast. I serve one for dinner that night and put the extra meat into a Tupperware container, cover it with gravy and freeze. It is then ready for the next time that particular roast is on the menu.
This saves money and makes roast lamb or beef affordable. It keeps the electricity bill or gas for the barbecue bill down as the meal just has to be thawed and then warmed in the microwave, again making the meal cheaper. And if there are bones then those bones are used to make stock for soup or gravy, or to cook rice or pasta - making the meal cheaper still.
Here are some of the ways I get more meals from one roast:
*Cut the slices thinly - this is easier if you let the roast sit for about 10 minutes before carving.
*Make sure all the meat is off the bone, even the tiniest shreds.
*Portion control - the boys get three slices of lamb or beef; Hannah and I have two. I do spread them around the plate, so they can be seen. It isn't mean folks, it's common sense - we don't need kilos of meat with every meal. 180g per person is the recommended amount, that's what I aim for.
*Cook the meat in an oven bag. This helps with shrinking, keeps the meat moist and contains the juices that I use to make gravy
Meat is expensive. I aim to keep it at $5 per meal, even with the rising cost of meat. To do this I need to have cheaper cuts and stretch them, add some meatless meals into our meal plan and keep an eye out for the cheapest possible prices - then go crazy and fill the freezers.
Just recently chicken fillets were very, very cheap. You can be sure I stocked up! Over the course of three weeks I bought 40 kilos (enough for at least 80 meals), brought them home, skinned them, pulled the tenderloins off and vacuum sealed them.
At that price ($3.69/kg) the cost per meal for chicken is just $1.85! Or if you prefer, just 31 cents per serve! That means I could afford to pay a little more per meal for the steak I bought on special at the same time.
Swings and roundabouts; as long as my average cost for the meat component of each meal is between $4 - $6 (rising prices are affecting my budget too) I am happy, we eat well and most importantly my family is happy.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
Most popular forum posts this week
How do You Menu Plan?
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2155-How-do-you-menu-plan
How do I Cheapskate and Maintain My Ethical Moral High Ground?
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2133-How-do-I-Cheapskate-and-maintain-my-ethical-moral-high-ground
Cookie Dough to Freeze
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?428-Cookie-dough-to-freeze
Most popular blog posts this week
The Value of a Present Box
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2016/01/the-value-of-present-box.html
Cheapskating on Autopilot
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2016/06/cheapskating-on-autopilot.html
Earning Pocket Money
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2016/02/earning-pocket-money.html
7. Members 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 thalawest.
Garden Progress
I did plant a little bit of a garden last spring. Not much, because study was busy (still is!) and I didn't have time.
The pumpkins haven't done anything, but at least the seeds were free, collected from every pumpkin I bought to eat. (One of the plants I gave my mother produced one nice big pumpkin and a couple of tiny green ones.) I've left my plants in, but it's getting cold now, so I don't think they'll do anything.
I just harvested my cabbages - none of them very big, but about 2 1/4 kg altogether, plus the meals I had from them along the way. Could have been better, probably if I'd taken better care of them, and/or had a garden bed that didn't face south. The seedlings cost me $3 last spring, so that hasn't ended up being cheaper (cabbage is pretty cheap at the market quite often), but that came out of what was left in my budget after buying my fruit and veg at the market one week.
The kale, being planted too close to the north fence, didn't give me any meals at all, but I was able to collect plenty of seeds for next year. They were another $3 for seedlings, but at least they're not finished, since I have the seeds.
The tamarillo ($8 the first time I went fruit/veg shopping at Caribbean Gardens Market) is not looking too happy, but I'll give it some compost later and see if that helps. It may need re-potting into something larger, which would be difficult, as it's already in a large upside-down lampshade, and I don't think I have a larger pot. I don't want to plant it directly in the ground because I don't expect to live here forever.
There are a few well-established fruit trees here (can't claim any credit, as I haven't even found time to give them a long-overdue pruning in all the time I've been here): a couple of plums, a loquat, and an apple. The apple tree hangs over this wire netting fence that's around what used to be a swimming pool. The fence is mostly covered in a very rambling rose bush, and I can't get over the only exposed bit. I could see a couple of apples on the other side, though, so last week I tried to push through the far end of the garden. (The near end had the pot of the rose bush.) Turns out the netting fence doesn't go all the way to the boundary fence, and I was able to push through the jungle there and pick the apples. There were five of them, mostly quite big! I have put them by my north-facing window to sweeten up.
Oh, and what I thought were choko vines all over the garage are apparently moth vines, but still quite edible. They are producing less than last year because they've been badly cut back, but I've still had a few good meals from them. Less than I might have, but only because I've either prioritised the veg in my fridge or been lazy and used frozen.
Overall, I'm happy with my garden and the fact that it's feeding me despite my not having time to do much for it.
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8. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Kathy who wrote
"Just wondering what other Cheapskates think of cooking with frozen vegetables instead of fresh vegetables, is it a healthy option? Frozen vegetables are much cheaper than fresh, but do they have as many vitamins?"
Anne Ponton answered
I always buy frozen peas, beans, broccoli, cauliflower and sometimes potato and sweet potato chips. All these vegetables are snap-frozen so possibly even fresher than those in the fruit and vegetable section at the supermarket and so much cheaper. I also buy frozen berries for smoothies and to add to porridge. I only buy Australian or New Zealand produce to be assured of the best quality.
Leanne Stevens
I always use frozen vegetables. I can buy a variety and keep them in the freezer. Both my husband and I work, and our 4 kids have sports/dance commitments every week night. I find it much easier to just grab a bag out of the freezer and heat some up in the microwave or toss into a mornay/casserole etc., than having to prepare fresh. From what I've read online about the nutritional difference, there appears to be none to very little as the vegetables are picked when they are at their best and frozen straight away. I also find that there is zero waste as there is nothing going bad while sitting in the back corner of the fridge.
Kellie Ball answered
It has been proven that frozen vegetables retain more nutrients and vitamins as they are frozen closer to the time they are picked, whereas fresh produce can take up to a week before hitting the shelves. So, if you do not grow it yourself or you cannot get to a farmer’s market, then yes, the next best thing to fresh is frozen.
Courtney Allison answered
Depending on where you live and how far your food must travel to get to you, frozen fruit and veg can be a much healthier option. We lived overseas for several years, where fresh produce was trucked cross country before being loaded onto shipping containers and traveling to us by sea. Where canned and frozen produce is picked and preserved at the height of freshness, so called ‘fresh’ food was often harvested before it was ripe, refrigerated for extended periods of time for transport and ended up bland and tasteless by the time it makes it to our table. While the texture of frozen veg isn’t always the same, the flavour and nutritional value was almost always better.
Natalie Oakley answered
Studies have been done showing that frozen vegetables are often more nutritious than fresh vegetables, because they are snap frozen right after harvest, and don't spend days or weeks traveling to get to you as they slowly degrade. Don't feel bad about using frozen vegetables. They're a fantastic convenience, and not at all bad for your family.
9. This Week's Question
Toni writes:
"As well as our two children, our family has two fur-babies, that we love to bits. We have a three-year-old staffy and her five-year-old mother. Even though they are bathed every Sunday, their beds, the laundry (where they eat), carpets and even our lounge have a distinct doggy smell that can be very off-putting, especially for visitors. It's really noticeable after we've been out of the house for a while. Their beds are washed regularly, I've gone through cans and cans of Febreeze (bought and MOO) and Glen20, tried burning candles and essential oils, spent a fortune on carpet cleaning and room deodorisers and the odour still lingers. What else can I do? Please help!"
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