Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 20:17
In this Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - Mattress Turning by Number; Making it a Habit to Save the Leftovers at the End of the Month; A Secret, Super Effective Laundry Deodoriser
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - No Bake Coconut Key Lime Pie Squares
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - The Reason to Stockpile
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. Ask Cath
8. Join the Cheapskates Club
9. Frequently Asked Questions
10. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Welcome to another week of Cheapskating news.
On the Armstrong home front, so much has happened this week. Mother's Day was lovely and I was well and truly spoilt. We had morning tea with my mother and my aunty at the nursing home and it was nice to have the whole family, including grandkids and cousins, together again. I've tidied and inventoried our kitchen stockpile and made a shopping list of what needs to be bought. Cheapskater Pamela joined me on Tuesday for a day of card making for charity; between us we made 51 beautiful cards to donate to a worthy cause. And the weather has been so cold and foggy here in Melbourne that I've hardly ventured out, making for a very frugal week.
To bring a little summer back into a dull day, I made an extra special dessert this morning, I've shared the recipe below. Finally, we have fruit on the citrus trees - I just love free fruit, and it is when you grow your own.
Of course, there are lots of great ideas to save you money, time and energy in the newsletter, including some tips on stockpiling, one of my very favourite topics.
Have a great week everyone.
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
Mattress Turning by Number
When you buy a new mattress, the sales person tells you to 'turn' the mattress to keep it even and balanced (for example if it is a queen for two people). We are a family of five and I was always forgetting which way I had turned it the previous month, until I came up with this idea. In the top right hand corner, I wrote in a permanent marker pen a big number 1, then I flipped the mattress over and in that top right hand corner I wrote a 2, then I turned it upside down and wrote a 3, then I flipped it again and wrote a 4. In every top right hand corner, you should have a number and you will always know what side you are up to and what tail end. It also makes it easier to know which bed to vacuum on a monthly basis and whose mattress and pillow protectors to wash on a monthly basis.
Contributed by Julie
Editor's note: This works, we have always turned all the mattresses regularly. But it doesn't work on pillow top mattresses which are not meant to be turned. Cath
Making it a Habit to Save the Leftovers at the End of the Month
My husband and I have separate bank accounts that our pays go into. Out of his, the mortgage and everyday living comes out; from mine, all bills. The one area we had trouble with is actually saving! Every fortnight I realised that there is an amount of money left in each account, sometimes only 50 cents[!], but other times, maybe$70. So, I opened a third account and every fortnight, I transfer these "leftovers" into the third account. It has become a bit of a game now, I am more conscious of challenging myself to leave more money in each time. In just over 4 months, we now have $410 in the account. The potential is unlimited!
Contributed by Sally
A Secret, Super Effective Laundry Deodoriser
Approximate $ Savings: $10 - $15 on soakers and laundry sprays
My husband is a mechanic and his clothes get very sweaty and very smelly. After countless bars of stain soap and sprays, not to mention trying numerous brands of detergents I finally found an easy cheap way to get rid of the sweaty, smelly and time consuming stains, not only from his work overalls, but in kids’ t-shirts, ladies blouses and anywhere stained by sweat. Simply drop in half a bucket of cool water 3 or 4 aspirin tablets, add the clothes and leave for 2 hours to soak, problem solved. The aspirin tablets can be bought cheaply, just purchase a home brand from your local supermarket.
Contributed by Heather
Editor's note: With winter sports season upon us, finding a solution to those smelly footy and hockey uniforms, that won't cost a fortune or destroy the clothes, becomes something every mum is looking for. I used to soak Hannah's hockey uniforms and the boys' basketball and football uniforms in a bucket of water with 4 aspirin dissolved in it, then dump them into the washing machine. When they came out, they were always clean and never smelly. Cath
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
You may remember a few months ago I was sure all our citrus trees had died. Something stripped all of them bare, right down to the branches. They looked terrible and I was devastated. So much so that I ignored them for a few weeks. Then I happened to notice that they were slowly growing new leaves, them came some blossoms, followed by fruit on the mandarin, orange and lime trees. I was so excited, devastation was forgotten and the smile was back on my face.
Now the limes are ready to pick. The branches are hanging low, full of the biggest limes we've had yet. I've juiced some, made cordial with some and early this morning I made this pie for dessert tonight.
No Bake Coconut Key Lime Pie Squares
Ingredients:
3 cups vanilla wafers, crushed into fine crumbs*
3 tbsp sugar
125g butter, melted
1 can sweetened condensed milk**
250g cream cheese, softened***
125ml lime juice
1 tsp vanilla extract (or use MOO vanilla extract!)
1/2 cup flaked coconut
Method:
Line a 20cm square cake tin or baking dish with baking paper.
Crush the vanilla wafers into fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar and melted butter. Pour into the prepared pan. Press into the bottom evenly.
In a mixing bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, softened cream cheese, key lime juice, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
Stir in the coconut flakes and then pour the mixture over the top of the crust. Smooth out the mixture until it’s even all over the pan. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours until the mixture is firm. Cut into squares.
Serve No Bake Coconut Key Lime Pie Squares chilled.
*I used the sweet biscuit crumbs I'd been saving in the freezer to make a pie or slice because I didn't have wafers and I didn't want to buy them just for this recipe.
**I also used MOO condensed milk, it's half the price of a tin and leftovers can be frozen (or eaten off a spoon).
***Cream cheese from Aldi, it's half the price of Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese. You can substitute mascarpone if you have it or use it.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Sausage Casserole, veggies or salad
Tuesday: Spaghetti pie, tossed green salad
Wednesday: Chilli Con Carne, corn bread
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Hamburgers
Saturday: Fried Rice, Spring Rolls
In the fruit bowl: Rockmelon (it's in the fridge!), grapes, apples
In the cake tin: Muffins, ANZAC biscuits
There are over 1,500 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File.
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge
The Reason to Stockpile
The basic reason to stockpile is to save money in the long run by buying more when your favourite groceries are on a big sale. Other reasons are for security in hard times (it's nice to know you can still feed the family), if you live in a remote area and shopping trips are few and far between, if you live in a cyclone or flood prone area it's nice to have enough groceries on hand to see you through a weather event. Some people build a stockpile as a security against political upheaval.
Whatever your reason, stockpiling is a wise thing to do.
Let's say you use four boxes of "Good Morning" breakfast cereal in one month. If you buy whenever you run out without paying attention to the price, you will pay more because some of those times it won't be on sale.
Week 1: Buying when you need it: First box $7.00 (not on sale)
Week 2: Second box $6.30 (ten percent off sale)
Week 3: Third box $3.50 (fifty percent off sale)
Week 4: Fourth box $7.00 (not on sale)
Total cost for the month: $23.80
Stockpiling: Buy eight boxes at $3.50 when on a half-price sale. You'll spend $28.00, you'll save $28 and have four boxes of cereal to add to your stockpile - effectively getting four boxes of cereal, for the next month's breakfasts, free. You were going to pay the $7 a box, buying double on half price is the same as a buy one, get one free (of course you don't need to be that savvy, you can just buy one box at half price and go back to paying full price next week).
Start by stockpiling things you use regularly and watch the sale cycles. The aim of a stockpile is to never, ever pay full price for anything you need, use or want.
How to Build Your Stockpile Part 1
How to Build Your Stockpile Part 2
How to Build Your Stockpile Part 3
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
Most popular forum posts this week
Visit to a Financial Advisor
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3552-Vist-to-a-Financial-Advisor
May Menu
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3572-May-Menu
Freezing Sour Cream
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3575-Freezing-sour-cream
Most popular blog posts this week
Our Frugal Wedding Anniversary has changed Our Marriage
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/02/our-frugal-wedding-anniversary-has.html
31 Days of MOO No. 7 - MOO Bulk Taco Seasoning
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/03/moo-bulk-taco-seasoning.html
Slow Cooker Chicken Curry Update
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2017/05/slow-cooker-chicken-curry-update.html
7. 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
8. 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!
9. 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?
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.
Read our privacy policy
How Did You Get on Our List?
You signed up to receive our Free Newsletter at our Cheapskates Club Web site or are a Platinum Cheapskates Club member
10. Contact Details
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152
www.cheapskatesclub.net
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - Mattress Turning by Number; Making it a Habit to Save the Leftovers at the End of the Month; A Secret, Super Effective Laundry Deodoriser
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - No Bake Coconut Key Lime Pie Squares
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - The Reason to Stockpile
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. Ask Cath
8. Join the Cheapskates Club
9. Frequently Asked Questions
10. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Welcome to another week of Cheapskating news.
On the Armstrong home front, so much has happened this week. Mother's Day was lovely and I was well and truly spoilt. We had morning tea with my mother and my aunty at the nursing home and it was nice to have the whole family, including grandkids and cousins, together again. I've tidied and inventoried our kitchen stockpile and made a shopping list of what needs to be bought. Cheapskater Pamela joined me on Tuesday for a day of card making for charity; between us we made 51 beautiful cards to donate to a worthy cause. And the weather has been so cold and foggy here in Melbourne that I've hardly ventured out, making for a very frugal week.
To bring a little summer back into a dull day, I made an extra special dessert this morning, I've shared the recipe below. Finally, we have fruit on the citrus trees - I just love free fruit, and it is when you grow your own.
Of course, there are lots of great ideas to save you money, time and energy in the newsletter, including some tips on stockpiling, one of my very favourite topics.
Have a great week everyone.
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
Mattress Turning by Number
When you buy a new mattress, the sales person tells you to 'turn' the mattress to keep it even and balanced (for example if it is a queen for two people). We are a family of five and I was always forgetting which way I had turned it the previous month, until I came up with this idea. In the top right hand corner, I wrote in a permanent marker pen a big number 1, then I flipped the mattress over and in that top right hand corner I wrote a 2, then I turned it upside down and wrote a 3, then I flipped it again and wrote a 4. In every top right hand corner, you should have a number and you will always know what side you are up to and what tail end. It also makes it easier to know which bed to vacuum on a monthly basis and whose mattress and pillow protectors to wash on a monthly basis.
Contributed by Julie
Editor's note: This works, we have always turned all the mattresses regularly. But it doesn't work on pillow top mattresses which are not meant to be turned. Cath
Making it a Habit to Save the Leftovers at the End of the Month
My husband and I have separate bank accounts that our pays go into. Out of his, the mortgage and everyday living comes out; from mine, all bills. The one area we had trouble with is actually saving! Every fortnight I realised that there is an amount of money left in each account, sometimes only 50 cents[!], but other times, maybe$70. So, I opened a third account and every fortnight, I transfer these "leftovers" into the third account. It has become a bit of a game now, I am more conscious of challenging myself to leave more money in each time. In just over 4 months, we now have $410 in the account. The potential is unlimited!
Contributed by Sally
A Secret, Super Effective Laundry Deodoriser
Approximate $ Savings: $10 - $15 on soakers and laundry sprays
My husband is a mechanic and his clothes get very sweaty and very smelly. After countless bars of stain soap and sprays, not to mention trying numerous brands of detergents I finally found an easy cheap way to get rid of the sweaty, smelly and time consuming stains, not only from his work overalls, but in kids’ t-shirts, ladies blouses and anywhere stained by sweat. Simply drop in half a bucket of cool water 3 or 4 aspirin tablets, add the clothes and leave for 2 hours to soak, problem solved. The aspirin tablets can be bought cheaply, just purchase a home brand from your local supermarket.
Contributed by Heather
Editor's note: With winter sports season upon us, finding a solution to those smelly footy and hockey uniforms, that won't cost a fortune or destroy the clothes, becomes something every mum is looking for. I used to soak Hannah's hockey uniforms and the boys' basketball and football uniforms in a bucket of water with 4 aspirin dissolved in it, then dump them into the washing machine. When they came out, they were always clean and never smelly. Cath
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
You may remember a few months ago I was sure all our citrus trees had died. Something stripped all of them bare, right down to the branches. They looked terrible and I was devastated. So much so that I ignored them for a few weeks. Then I happened to notice that they were slowly growing new leaves, them came some blossoms, followed by fruit on the mandarin, orange and lime trees. I was so excited, devastation was forgotten and the smile was back on my face.
Now the limes are ready to pick. The branches are hanging low, full of the biggest limes we've had yet. I've juiced some, made cordial with some and early this morning I made this pie for dessert tonight.
No Bake Coconut Key Lime Pie Squares
Ingredients:
3 cups vanilla wafers, crushed into fine crumbs*
3 tbsp sugar
125g butter, melted
1 can sweetened condensed milk**
250g cream cheese, softened***
125ml lime juice
1 tsp vanilla extract (or use MOO vanilla extract!)
1/2 cup flaked coconut
Method:
Line a 20cm square cake tin or baking dish with baking paper.
Crush the vanilla wafers into fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar and melted butter. Pour into the prepared pan. Press into the bottom evenly.
In a mixing bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, softened cream cheese, key lime juice, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
Stir in the coconut flakes and then pour the mixture over the top of the crust. Smooth out the mixture until it’s even all over the pan. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours until the mixture is firm. Cut into squares.
Serve No Bake Coconut Key Lime Pie Squares chilled.
*I used the sweet biscuit crumbs I'd been saving in the freezer to make a pie or slice because I didn't have wafers and I didn't want to buy them just for this recipe.
**I also used MOO condensed milk, it's half the price of a tin and leftovers can be frozen (or eaten off a spoon).
***Cream cheese from Aldi, it's half the price of Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese. You can substitute mascarpone if you have it or use it.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Sausage Casserole, veggies or salad
Tuesday: Spaghetti pie, tossed green salad
Wednesday: Chilli Con Carne, corn bread
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Hamburgers
Saturday: Fried Rice, Spring Rolls
In the fruit bowl: Rockmelon (it's in the fridge!), grapes, apples
In the cake tin: Muffins, ANZAC biscuits
There are over 1,500 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File.
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge
The Reason to Stockpile
The basic reason to stockpile is to save money in the long run by buying more when your favourite groceries are on a big sale. Other reasons are for security in hard times (it's nice to know you can still feed the family), if you live in a remote area and shopping trips are few and far between, if you live in a cyclone or flood prone area it's nice to have enough groceries on hand to see you through a weather event. Some people build a stockpile as a security against political upheaval.
Whatever your reason, stockpiling is a wise thing to do.
Let's say you use four boxes of "Good Morning" breakfast cereal in one month. If you buy whenever you run out without paying attention to the price, you will pay more because some of those times it won't be on sale.
Week 1: Buying when you need it: First box $7.00 (not on sale)
Week 2: Second box $6.30 (ten percent off sale)
Week 3: Third box $3.50 (fifty percent off sale)
Week 4: Fourth box $7.00 (not on sale)
Total cost for the month: $23.80
Stockpiling: Buy eight boxes at $3.50 when on a half-price sale. You'll spend $28.00, you'll save $28 and have four boxes of cereal to add to your stockpile - effectively getting four boxes of cereal, for the next month's breakfasts, free. You were going to pay the $7 a box, buying double on half price is the same as a buy one, get one free (of course you don't need to be that savvy, you can just buy one box at half price and go back to paying full price next week).
Start by stockpiling things you use regularly and watch the sale cycles. The aim of a stockpile is to never, ever pay full price for anything you need, use or want.
How to Build Your Stockpile Part 1
How to Build Your Stockpile Part 2
How to Build Your Stockpile Part 3
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
Most popular forum posts this week
Visit to a Financial Advisor
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3552-Vist-to-a-Financial-Advisor
May Menu
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3572-May-Menu
Freezing Sour Cream
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3575-Freezing-sour-cream
Most popular blog posts this week
Our Frugal Wedding Anniversary has changed Our Marriage
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/02/our-frugal-wedding-anniversary-has.html
31 Days of MOO No. 7 - MOO Bulk Taco Seasoning
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/03/moo-bulk-taco-seasoning.html
Slow Cooker Chicken Curry Update
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2017/05/slow-cooker-chicken-curry-update.html
7. 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
8. 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!
9. 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?
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.
Read our privacy policy
How Did You Get on Our List?
You signed up to receive our Free Newsletter at our Cheapskates Club Web site or are a Platinum Cheapskates Club member
10. Contact Details
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152
www.cheapskatesclub.net