Newsletter 18:20
In This Newsletter
1. From the Tip Store - Dine Out at Home; Kebabs During Lockdown; Double Dipping Casseroles
2. Share Your Tips
3. On the Menu - French Shepherd's Pie
4. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Cut the Cost of a Roast by 75%
5. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
6. The Cheapskates Club Show
7. This Week's Question - Why is keeping the pantry full so important?
8. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
9. Join the Cheapskates Club
10. Frequently Asked Questions
11. Contact Details
1. From The Tip Store
Dine Out, at Home!
Approximate $ Savings: $30/week = $1560/yr
Our family enjoys take-away as much as the next. We especially enjoy Thai takeaway, but find once a couple of different stir fries are ordered plus rice, the bill hits $50 very quickly. Now, as our Friday night dinner treat, I will visit our local butcher. They make delicious ready-to-go stir fries, so I choose a couple, and with rice feed the family for under $20. We still get a selection of plates, I get a rest as meal preparation is literally just tossing the stir fry in a pan, and I'm sure it's a lot healthier too. Everyone wins! We have also taken to resisting the temptation to eat out at a restaurant by treating ourselves to a premium steak (or other favourite) from the butcher. By spending a little more on top quality cuts you actually SAVE on not going out. Don't pay over $30 for a steak at a restaurant when you CAN cook one that good yourself if you start with the right meat (usually for under $10).
Contributed by Kirrily
Kebabs During Lockdown
Approximate $ Savings: $30 a week
Our local Kebab restaurant sells takeaway kebab wraps for close to $12 each, costing us (a family of 4) around $48 once a week. Lately I've only been buying a packet of 4 turkish breads from Coles for $2.70 and picking up a tub of their cooked and sliced lamb for $13 and we add our own shredded lettuce, sliced onion and tomatoes and garlic sauce at home to make our own wraps at a savings of just over $30 a week. Even after lockdown ends, we'll be MOOing our kebabs on a Friday or Saturday night.
Contributed by Elise
Double Dipping Casseroles
Approximate $ Savings : Approx. $10 that you would have spent for another meal
I often find that at the end of a meal there is an extra amount of sauce left-over from the casseroles that I have cooked e.g. Mediterranean Chicken Bake or Chicken Dijonnaise. Rather than throwing away this delicious and flavoursome sauce, I boil some pasta, add it into the sauce and hey presto: lunch for the following day! I have utilised the sauce instead of wasting it and more importantly, I save time!
Contributed by Marie
2. 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
3. On The Menu
French Shepherd's Pie
This recipe stretches a tiny bit of leftover roast and mashed potato to an amazing number of serves. I don't know how it was named, but I do remember Mum making this for us after a lamb roast, and we loved it. It's yet another way to stretch a roast, to not only bring the cost per meal down, but not waste anything. It freezes too, so you can make a dish and put the leftovers in the freezer for a mufti night because who doesn't like a nigh off cooking and a free meal!
Ingredients:
Leftover roast lamb or beef, about 200g or 200g mince
1 large onion, grated
1 tsp mixed herbs
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 large potatoes, peeled and boiled
Olive oil for frying
1 beaten egg
Method:
Oil a lasagne dish well. Cut lamb or beef into 1cm cubes or brown and drain mince. In a large fry pan heat a little olive oil and fry onion until transparent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add meat and herbs, mix to combine. Mash potatoes and stir through the meat mixture. Pat the potato mixture into the lasagne dish. Run a fork over the top of the potato to rough up. Brush with beaten egg. Cook in a moderate oven for 25 - 30 minutes until heated through and top is golden brown. Serve warm.
Notes: Add cooked and mashed sweet potato or pumpkin to the mash.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Beef
Monday: Curried Sausages, rice, naan
Tuesday: Ravioli in Tomato Sauce
Wednesday: Cottage Pie
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Tuna Casserole, salad
Saturday: Steak Sandwiches
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
4. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
Cut the Cost of a Roast by 75%
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.
We still like our roasts though, so they need to be affordable. That means getting more than one meal from a roast. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it needs a little creative thinking.
When I do a roast beef or leg of lamb it is always cut up before I serve. Then I dish up what we're eating that night. What is left is then portioned into a container and covered with gravy for another roast dinner (I love these easy roast nights!). If there is any meat left, but not enough for a roast dinner, I use it to make another meal.
It could be curry (either lamb or beef or chicken), sweet'n'sour, chicken fried rice, French Shepherd's Pie, meat pie, cottage pie, fritters and so on.
I love when this happens because the cost of that original roast just came down by two thirds!
And if there are bones, from a leg of lamb or roast chicken, they go into the stockpot. That stock is then used to make soup (bringing the cost of the original roast down by three-quarters) or the stock is used to cook rice or make gravy and sauces.
Sounds like a lot of work and a lot of repeating the same meal, but it's not. And it makes having and truly enjoying a Sunday roast affordable, even with this week's meat prices!
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
5. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Facing an Uncertain Future
Zucchinis and Zinnias
Are You a Shopaholic?
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
The $5 Pantry Challenge
Grow It: Growing what you eat is worth it!
Cath’s MOO Worcestershire Sauce
Most Popular Blog Posts This Week
MOO Soothing Eczema Cream
What Should You Have In A Cleaning Stockpile?
Roast Vegetable Lasagne
6. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays and Thursdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AET
Join us live on YouTube every Tuesday and Thursday and see how we are living debt free, cashed up and laughing - and find out how you can too!
Show ScheduleTuesday: 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 ShowsHow to Survive a 14 Day Home Quarantine the Cheapskates Way
Prepping or Preparing?
Forever Foods
Why a Stockpile is Important
How to Make Miracle Spray
Can You Feed A Family On A Budget With Just A Few Ingredients?
Stockpiling 101 Part 2
Stockpiling 101
7. This Week's Question
Q. Why do you place so much emphasis on building a stockpile and keeping lots of food in the pantry when everything comes on sale regularly and supermarkets are everywhere? It doesn't make sense to me to put money into groceries I can buy anytime when I can use it for something else. Rosalie
A. Well this is an old question, but one that is very relevant in these times. We've all witnessed the madness that has taken hold of society in light of the COVID-19 crisis.
There have been fist-fights in the aisles of supermarkets over toilet paper! Shelves were cleared of basic grocery items; queues were to get into the stores, not just out of them.
Supermarkets implemented rationing on everything.
So do you understand why buying on sale regularly, and building up a pantry is important?
Yes, things have a sale cycle, and you can buy what you need, and just enough of what you need, until the next sale cycle.
But keeping a stocked pantry, is not just to save money (although that is a primary reason). It is to give you breathing room in a financial crisis. How much do you spend on groceries each week? Fortnight? Month? In a crisis, that money could be used to help, but not if you don't have a stocked pantry so you can stop shopping for a week, a fortnight, a month or even longer.
What if there is a natural disaster? While you may not think it will happen to you, there is always the chance of a cyclone, flood, earthquake that will disrupt supply chains for a while.
Or a strike. We haven't had serious strikes in Australia for a long, long time, but a transport strike would interrupt the supply chain and empty supermarket shelves in days.
Illness could strike. It may just be flu, that will knock you down for a week. Or it could be something more serious that will lay you flat for longer. You wouldn't be able to get out to shop, and may not feel up to doing an online order. Having groceries in the house means you can concentrate on getting well instead of getting to the supermarket.
Building a pantry is an investment, and it will save you money. And time. And energy. The size of your pantry is up to you, your budget and your lifestyle. There is no right or wrong size.
But you should at least have enough to cover one extra pay period. For instance if you get paid weekly, aim to have an extra weeks food in the house; if you get paid fortnightly aim for a fortnight, a month - yes, a month's worth of groceries. At least then if you can't shop for a pay period, you'll be able to eat for that long, possibly a bit longer if you stretch your groceries.
Send Your Answer
8. Ask 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
9. Join The Cheapskates Club
MOO Month Sale Extended!
We have decide do to extend the MOO Month membership sale for the duration of the Coronavirus crisis,
What does this mean? It means that new Cheapskates Club memberships are just $25 for the first year
For just $25 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. From the Tip Store - Dine Out at Home; Kebabs During Lockdown; Double Dipping Casseroles
2. Share Your Tips
3. On the Menu - French Shepherd's Pie
4. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Cut the Cost of a Roast by 75%
5. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
6. The Cheapskates Club Show
7. This Week's Question - Why is keeping the pantry full so important?
8. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
9. Join the Cheapskates Club
10. Frequently Asked Questions
11. Contact Details
1. From The Tip Store
Dine Out, at Home!
Approximate $ Savings: $30/week = $1560/yr
Our family enjoys take-away as much as the next. We especially enjoy Thai takeaway, but find once a couple of different stir fries are ordered plus rice, the bill hits $50 very quickly. Now, as our Friday night dinner treat, I will visit our local butcher. They make delicious ready-to-go stir fries, so I choose a couple, and with rice feed the family for under $20. We still get a selection of plates, I get a rest as meal preparation is literally just tossing the stir fry in a pan, and I'm sure it's a lot healthier too. Everyone wins! We have also taken to resisting the temptation to eat out at a restaurant by treating ourselves to a premium steak (or other favourite) from the butcher. By spending a little more on top quality cuts you actually SAVE on not going out. Don't pay over $30 for a steak at a restaurant when you CAN cook one that good yourself if you start with the right meat (usually for under $10).
Contributed by Kirrily
Kebabs During Lockdown
Approximate $ Savings: $30 a week
Our local Kebab restaurant sells takeaway kebab wraps for close to $12 each, costing us (a family of 4) around $48 once a week. Lately I've only been buying a packet of 4 turkish breads from Coles for $2.70 and picking up a tub of their cooked and sliced lamb for $13 and we add our own shredded lettuce, sliced onion and tomatoes and garlic sauce at home to make our own wraps at a savings of just over $30 a week. Even after lockdown ends, we'll be MOOing our kebabs on a Friday or Saturday night.
Contributed by Elise
Double Dipping Casseroles
Approximate $ Savings : Approx. $10 that you would have spent for another meal
I often find that at the end of a meal there is an extra amount of sauce left-over from the casseroles that I have cooked e.g. Mediterranean Chicken Bake or Chicken Dijonnaise. Rather than throwing away this delicious and flavoursome sauce, I boil some pasta, add it into the sauce and hey presto: lunch for the following day! I have utilised the sauce instead of wasting it and more importantly, I save time!
Contributed by Marie
2. 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
3. On The Menu
French Shepherd's Pie
This recipe stretches a tiny bit of leftover roast and mashed potato to an amazing number of serves. I don't know how it was named, but I do remember Mum making this for us after a lamb roast, and we loved it. It's yet another way to stretch a roast, to not only bring the cost per meal down, but not waste anything. It freezes too, so you can make a dish and put the leftovers in the freezer for a mufti night because who doesn't like a nigh off cooking and a free meal!
Ingredients:
Leftover roast lamb or beef, about 200g or 200g mince
1 large onion, grated
1 tsp mixed herbs
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 large potatoes, peeled and boiled
Olive oil for frying
1 beaten egg
Method:
Oil a lasagne dish well. Cut lamb or beef into 1cm cubes or brown and drain mince. In a large fry pan heat a little olive oil and fry onion until transparent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add meat and herbs, mix to combine. Mash potatoes and stir through the meat mixture. Pat the potato mixture into the lasagne dish. Run a fork over the top of the potato to rough up. Brush with beaten egg. Cook in a moderate oven for 25 - 30 minutes until heated through and top is golden brown. Serve warm.
Notes: Add cooked and mashed sweet potato or pumpkin to the mash.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Beef
Monday: Curried Sausages, rice, naan
Tuesday: Ravioli in Tomato Sauce
Wednesday: Cottage Pie
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Tuna Casserole, salad
Saturday: Steak Sandwiches
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
4. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
Cut the Cost of a Roast by 75%
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.
We still like our roasts though, so they need to be affordable. That means getting more than one meal from a roast. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it needs a little creative thinking.
When I do a roast beef or leg of lamb it is always cut up before I serve. Then I dish up what we're eating that night. What is left is then portioned into a container and covered with gravy for another roast dinner (I love these easy roast nights!). If there is any meat left, but not enough for a roast dinner, I use it to make another meal.
It could be curry (either lamb or beef or chicken), sweet'n'sour, chicken fried rice, French Shepherd's Pie, meat pie, cottage pie, fritters and so on.
I love when this happens because the cost of that original roast just came down by two thirds!
And if there are bones, from a leg of lamb or roast chicken, they go into the stockpot. That stock is then used to make soup (bringing the cost of the original roast down by three-quarters) or the stock is used to cook rice or make gravy and sauces.
Sounds like a lot of work and a lot of repeating the same meal, but it's not. And it makes having and truly enjoying a Sunday roast affordable, even with this week's meat prices!
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
5. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Facing an Uncertain Future
Zucchinis and Zinnias
Are You a Shopaholic?
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
The $5 Pantry Challenge
Grow It: Growing what you eat is worth it!
Cath’s MOO Worcestershire Sauce
Most Popular Blog Posts This Week
MOO Soothing Eczema Cream
What Should You Have In A Cleaning Stockpile?
Roast Vegetable Lasagne
6. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays and Thursdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AET
Join us live on YouTube every Tuesday and Thursday and see how we are living debt free, cashed up and laughing - and find out how you can too!
Show ScheduleTuesday: 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 ShowsHow to Survive a 14 Day Home Quarantine the Cheapskates Way
Prepping or Preparing?
Forever Foods
Why a Stockpile is Important
How to Make Miracle Spray
Can You Feed A Family On A Budget With Just A Few Ingredients?
Stockpiling 101 Part 2
Stockpiling 101
7. This Week's Question
Q. Why do you place so much emphasis on building a stockpile and keeping lots of food in the pantry when everything comes on sale regularly and supermarkets are everywhere? It doesn't make sense to me to put money into groceries I can buy anytime when I can use it for something else. Rosalie
A. Well this is an old question, but one that is very relevant in these times. We've all witnessed the madness that has taken hold of society in light of the COVID-19 crisis.
There have been fist-fights in the aisles of supermarkets over toilet paper! Shelves were cleared of basic grocery items; queues were to get into the stores, not just out of them.
Supermarkets implemented rationing on everything.
So do you understand why buying on sale regularly, and building up a pantry is important?
Yes, things have a sale cycle, and you can buy what you need, and just enough of what you need, until the next sale cycle.
But keeping a stocked pantry, is not just to save money (although that is a primary reason). It is to give you breathing room in a financial crisis. How much do you spend on groceries each week? Fortnight? Month? In a crisis, that money could be used to help, but not if you don't have a stocked pantry so you can stop shopping for a week, a fortnight, a month or even longer.
What if there is a natural disaster? While you may not think it will happen to you, there is always the chance of a cyclone, flood, earthquake that will disrupt supply chains for a while.
Or a strike. We haven't had serious strikes in Australia for a long, long time, but a transport strike would interrupt the supply chain and empty supermarket shelves in days.
Illness could strike. It may just be flu, that will knock you down for a week. Or it could be something more serious that will lay you flat for longer. You wouldn't be able to get out to shop, and may not feel up to doing an online order. Having groceries in the house means you can concentrate on getting well instead of getting to the supermarket.
Building a pantry is an investment, and it will save you money. And time. And energy. The size of your pantry is up to you, your budget and your lifestyle. There is no right or wrong size.
But you should at least have enough to cover one extra pay period. For instance if you get paid weekly, aim to have an extra weeks food in the house; if you get paid fortnightly aim for a fortnight, a month - yes, a month's worth of groceries. At least then if you can't shop for a pay period, you'll be able to eat for that long, possibly a bit longer if you stretch your groceries.
Send Your Answer
8. Ask 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
9. Join The Cheapskates Club
MOO Month Sale Extended!
We have decide do to extend the MOO Month membership sale for the duration of the Coronavirus crisis,
What does this mean? It means that new Cheapskates Club memberships are just $25 for the first year
For just $25 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