Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 22:23
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Keeping Track of Recipes - Another Idea; Grocery Shopping the Week Before Pay Week; Save and Find Peace of Mind
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Swedish Meatballs with Cream Sauce
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Comparing Prices to Stay on Budget
6. The Weekly MOO Challenge - MOO Baked Beans
7. Cheapskates Buzz
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
9. Handmade Christmas
10. Join the Cheapskates Club
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Welcome to another newsletter!
We have some Cheapskaters on the sick list and a couple who are going through some tough times right now. Please know we all wish you the very best and are thinking of you, and wishing you speedy recoveries and good outcomes.
There are lots of reasons people become Cheapskaters, but the most popular is to save money. If I were to ask you how you save money I'd get lots of ways: buying things on sale, buying from factory outlets, buying in bulk, taking your lunch to work, using generic products, growing your own veggies, recycling and plenty more.
They are all great ways to not spend as much money, but they don't really save money.
Money isn't saved until it's safely in the bank. Until then it's just not spent!
We're going on a trip in November, with a group of friends, and the topic of money came up this week. It's not going to be an overly expensive trip but it will have costs - fuel and food for starters. We have 22 weeks until we leave, so that's 22 weeks for everyone going on the trip to save the money needed.
I suggested everyone get a clean soft drink can and save all their $2 coins. By the time the can is full there will be quite a few hundred dollars in it (I hear a soft drink can holds up to $600!). Once the can is full, the contents can be banked, ready to pay for the trip.
But if you really want to save the money you don't spend, each time you pay less for something, bank the difference. When you take your lunch rather than buying it, bank the difference. Put it into a soft drink can or a 50 box or a piggy bank or deposit it straight away. Get that unspent money into the bank and you really will be saving money - and lots of it.
Right now truly saving money is so vital for so many Australians, so don't just talk about the "saving" on your purchases, but actually save that money. Then you'll have it to spend when you need it.
Have a great week eeryone.
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
Keeping Track of Recipes - Another Idea
I have a lot of recipe books, and found it hard to remember which book a favourite recipe was in, particularly when there are similarly named recipes in different cookbooks (and even cookbooks with similar names)! So I got myself a good sized hard-cover notebook and made it into an index book for favourite and commonly used recipes. Now, of course, you can do it on your computer and print it out, reprinting if you wish from time to time after you've added sufficiently more to your lists. It took a while to set up, but works very well. I divided the book into sections: first, a list of all my cookbooks, giving each a short name as well i.e. you may have two or more cookbooks starting with "Healthy...", so you'll need a different short name to differentiate. I then divided the rest of the book up into sections, such as starters/entrees, soups, beef mains, seafood mains, cakes and baked goods, desserts, drinks, Christmas - however you want to divide up your recipes. Leave a sufficient number of pages for each section. Then I went through each cookbook, and listed the particular recipes into the relevant section/s of the index book, together with the cookbook name (short name) and page number. It makes it so much easier to find things. You can also add notations, e.g. Q (quick recipe), E (good for entertaining), or whatever you want. Any new recipe I try (and like) goes straight into the index book. No more searching - just use the index book!
Contributed by Judy
Grocery Shopping the Week Before Pay Week
Here's my tip for the last week of the pay cycle (monthly paid- I hate it!). Go to the Coles online site and create a shopping list of everything you need. Then delete anything you can go without until you reach your budget amount (or the amount you have to spend, we all know that sometimes they vary!). Print the list, then shop for it. Not only will it be cheaper in store but you can compare brands and prices easily and you already know exactly what you're buying and the estimated price. And remember while you're shopping that one week of frozen peas and corn instead of fresh won't kill them and generic canned fruit made into jelly cups at least gives them some fruit at a reasonable price.
Contributed by Melissa
Save and Find Peace of Mind
I finally cracked it six months ago and went through my home, decluttering, sorting and cleaning. It took a month to do the whole house. Since then I have saved so much money! I now know what I have, how much and where it is. I also know that buying something means finding a place for it and that is usually enough to change my mind! I have saved over $600 in the past 5 months due to knowing what I have and what I need!
Contributed by Ana
There are more than 12,000 great tips in the Tip Store
Add a Tip
3. Share Your Tips
The Cheapskate's Club website is over 2,000 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.
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.
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
4. On The Menu
Swedish Meatballs with Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
750g mince
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 onion, grated
1/8 tsp allspice
1 egg, beaten
1 cup beef stock
1 tsp cornflour
1/2 cup cream
Method:
Combine mince, grated onion, allspice and egg until well combined. Roll teaspoonfuls into balls. Chill for 30 minutes. Brown in a lightly greased fry pan until browned all over and cooked through. Set aside to stay warm. In a small sauce pan whisk the beef stock and cornflour and bring to the boil. Whisk in the cream and simmer, stirring continually, 3 minutes. Pour sauce over meatballs and serve with mashed potato.
Serves 6
Cost $8.90 or $1.48 per serve
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Swedish meatballs, cream sauce, mash
Tuesday: Spag Bol, salad
Wednesday: Chicken pot pie, veggies
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Soup & crumpets
Saturday: Sausage Rolls
There are over 1,800 budget and family friendly recipes in the Cheapskates Club Recipe File, all contributed by your fellow Cheapskates, so you know they're good.
Add A Recipe
Recipe File Index
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge
Comparing Prices to Stay on Budget
I use the online shopping lists from Coles and Woolworths, and my price book for Aldi, to compare prices between the three supermarkets to help stay on budget.
What I've found is because I buy ingredients (flour, sugar, butter, eggs, salt, oil, pasta etc.) rather than pre-made or convenience, and generic or home brands rather than branded products, that the prices between Coles and Woolworths are often the same with Aldi usually being 1 or 2 cents cheaper.
But I've also found that stock levels are low across all three supermarkets. Last week, out of curiosity, I tried putting the same shopping list into both Coles and Woolworths. Coles was out of tomato soup, Woolworths had it. Coles had limits on some things, I didn’t come across this on the Woolworths site. Prices were identical on everything on my lists.
Yesterday I did the same thing. I had to chuckle because this week Woolworths was out of tomato soup and Coles had it in stock (80 cents/420g can) and it's out of stock on the Woolworths site. My local Aldi didn't have any on the shelf last week or this week.
I like to do this every now and then, to make sure I'm buying the things on my list at the lowest price, and now I have a Woolworths in the same centre with Aldi and Coles, shopping there is easier and worth it if it is going to save me money, time and energy.
It pays to compare prices and update your price book, especially if you want to stick to your grocery budget.
Do you compare prices before you shop? Do you update your price book regularly?
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. The Weekly MOO Challenge
MOO Baked Beans
These are the closest to Heinz or SPC that I've come across. They have flavour! And they are saucy, but still thick enough to stay on your toast. And best of all, they can be frozen, so double or triple the recipe (trust me, you will love it) and have some on hand ready to heat and eat. They are just as convenient as tinned, without the stuff no one really needs or wants to eat.
Ingredients:
3 cans haricot (navy) beans* (or any other white bean really - use what you like)
2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 cup water
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
6 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp cornflour
1/4 cup water
Method:
Place all ingredients except the 3 cans of beans in a large pot and stir. Open the beans and drain, then add to the pot and stir gently to combine. Bring to a simmer, then lower heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes, without the lid. Stir every now and then so the beans don't stick and burn. The sauce will start to thicken and reduce. After 20 minutes, mix the cornflour and water to a slurry. Stir into the pot of beans and continue to cook for 2 - 3 minutes until the sauce thickens. It will thicken quickly so keep stirring and watching. As soon as it is to your liking, remove from the heat. The sauce will continue to cook and thicken for a few minutes from the residual heat. Taste and adjust salt, adding more if necessary.
They should be about the same consistency as canned baked beans. If the sauce is too thin, cook it a little longer.
Now the sourdough. It is out to defeat me I'm sure. But I'm not giving up. Sourdough starter No. 2 went mouldy overnight - I have no idea what I did to cause that. But I am determined to win this battle so I've started another batch. Still using the spelt flour but I'm thinking that if this one fails I'll go to white flour and see if that's not better.
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Cath's Simple Bulk Pasta Sauce
When to Invest, When to Pay Off Debt, and When to Do Both
What's the Point of a Stockpile?
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Meal Planning 101
Housekeeping on a Thursday
Tatey Bags
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays and Thursdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AET
Latest Shows
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Keeping Track of Recipes - Another Idea; Grocery Shopping the Week Before Pay Week; Save and Find Peace of Mind
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Swedish Meatballs with Cream Sauce
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Comparing Prices to Stay on Budget
6. The Weekly MOO Challenge - MOO Baked Beans
7. Cheapskates Buzz
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
9. Handmade Christmas
10. Join the Cheapskates Club
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Welcome to another newsletter!
We have some Cheapskaters on the sick list and a couple who are going through some tough times right now. Please know we all wish you the very best and are thinking of you, and wishing you speedy recoveries and good outcomes.
There are lots of reasons people become Cheapskaters, but the most popular is to save money. If I were to ask you how you save money I'd get lots of ways: buying things on sale, buying from factory outlets, buying in bulk, taking your lunch to work, using generic products, growing your own veggies, recycling and plenty more.
They are all great ways to not spend as much money, but they don't really save money.
Money isn't saved until it's safely in the bank. Until then it's just not spent!
We're going on a trip in November, with a group of friends, and the topic of money came up this week. It's not going to be an overly expensive trip but it will have costs - fuel and food for starters. We have 22 weeks until we leave, so that's 22 weeks for everyone going on the trip to save the money needed.
I suggested everyone get a clean soft drink can and save all their $2 coins. By the time the can is full there will be quite a few hundred dollars in it (I hear a soft drink can holds up to $600!). Once the can is full, the contents can be banked, ready to pay for the trip.
But if you really want to save the money you don't spend, each time you pay less for something, bank the difference. When you take your lunch rather than buying it, bank the difference. Put it into a soft drink can or a 50 box or a piggy bank or deposit it straight away. Get that unspent money into the bank and you really will be saving money - and lots of it.
Right now truly saving money is so vital for so many Australians, so don't just talk about the "saving" on your purchases, but actually save that money. Then you'll have it to spend when you need it.
Have a great week eeryone.
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
Keeping Track of Recipes - Another Idea
I have a lot of recipe books, and found it hard to remember which book a favourite recipe was in, particularly when there are similarly named recipes in different cookbooks (and even cookbooks with similar names)! So I got myself a good sized hard-cover notebook and made it into an index book for favourite and commonly used recipes. Now, of course, you can do it on your computer and print it out, reprinting if you wish from time to time after you've added sufficiently more to your lists. It took a while to set up, but works very well. I divided the book into sections: first, a list of all my cookbooks, giving each a short name as well i.e. you may have two or more cookbooks starting with "Healthy...", so you'll need a different short name to differentiate. I then divided the rest of the book up into sections, such as starters/entrees, soups, beef mains, seafood mains, cakes and baked goods, desserts, drinks, Christmas - however you want to divide up your recipes. Leave a sufficient number of pages for each section. Then I went through each cookbook, and listed the particular recipes into the relevant section/s of the index book, together with the cookbook name (short name) and page number. It makes it so much easier to find things. You can also add notations, e.g. Q (quick recipe), E (good for entertaining), or whatever you want. Any new recipe I try (and like) goes straight into the index book. No more searching - just use the index book!
Contributed by Judy
Grocery Shopping the Week Before Pay Week
Here's my tip for the last week of the pay cycle (monthly paid- I hate it!). Go to the Coles online site and create a shopping list of everything you need. Then delete anything you can go without until you reach your budget amount (or the amount you have to spend, we all know that sometimes they vary!). Print the list, then shop for it. Not only will it be cheaper in store but you can compare brands and prices easily and you already know exactly what you're buying and the estimated price. And remember while you're shopping that one week of frozen peas and corn instead of fresh won't kill them and generic canned fruit made into jelly cups at least gives them some fruit at a reasonable price.
Contributed by Melissa
Save and Find Peace of Mind
I finally cracked it six months ago and went through my home, decluttering, sorting and cleaning. It took a month to do the whole house. Since then I have saved so much money! I now know what I have, how much and where it is. I also know that buying something means finding a place for it and that is usually enough to change my mind! I have saved over $600 in the past 5 months due to knowing what I have and what I need!
Contributed by Ana
There are more than 12,000 great tips in the Tip Store
Add a Tip
3. Share Your Tips
The Cheapskate's Club website is over 2,000 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.
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.
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
4. On The Menu
Swedish Meatballs with Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
750g mince
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 onion, grated
1/8 tsp allspice
1 egg, beaten
1 cup beef stock
1 tsp cornflour
1/2 cup cream
Method:
Combine mince, grated onion, allspice and egg until well combined. Roll teaspoonfuls into balls. Chill for 30 minutes. Brown in a lightly greased fry pan until browned all over and cooked through. Set aside to stay warm. In a small sauce pan whisk the beef stock and cornflour and bring to the boil. Whisk in the cream and simmer, stirring continually, 3 minutes. Pour sauce over meatballs and serve with mashed potato.
Serves 6
Cost $8.90 or $1.48 per serve
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Swedish meatballs, cream sauce, mash
Tuesday: Spag Bol, salad
Wednesday: Chicken pot pie, veggies
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Soup & crumpets
Saturday: Sausage Rolls
There are over 1,800 budget and family friendly recipes in the Cheapskates Club Recipe File, all contributed by your fellow Cheapskates, so you know they're good.
Add A Recipe
Recipe File Index
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge
Comparing Prices to Stay on Budget
I use the online shopping lists from Coles and Woolworths, and my price book for Aldi, to compare prices between the three supermarkets to help stay on budget.
What I've found is because I buy ingredients (flour, sugar, butter, eggs, salt, oil, pasta etc.) rather than pre-made or convenience, and generic or home brands rather than branded products, that the prices between Coles and Woolworths are often the same with Aldi usually being 1 or 2 cents cheaper.
But I've also found that stock levels are low across all three supermarkets. Last week, out of curiosity, I tried putting the same shopping list into both Coles and Woolworths. Coles was out of tomato soup, Woolworths had it. Coles had limits on some things, I didn’t come across this on the Woolworths site. Prices were identical on everything on my lists.
Yesterday I did the same thing. I had to chuckle because this week Woolworths was out of tomato soup and Coles had it in stock (80 cents/420g can) and it's out of stock on the Woolworths site. My local Aldi didn't have any on the shelf last week or this week.
I like to do this every now and then, to make sure I'm buying the things on my list at the lowest price, and now I have a Woolworths in the same centre with Aldi and Coles, shopping there is easier and worth it if it is going to save me money, time and energy.
It pays to compare prices and update your price book, especially if you want to stick to your grocery budget.
Do you compare prices before you shop? Do you update your price book regularly?
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. The Weekly MOO Challenge
MOO Baked Beans
These are the closest to Heinz or SPC that I've come across. They have flavour! And they are saucy, but still thick enough to stay on your toast. And best of all, they can be frozen, so double or triple the recipe (trust me, you will love it) and have some on hand ready to heat and eat. They are just as convenient as tinned, without the stuff no one really needs or wants to eat.
Ingredients:
3 cans haricot (navy) beans* (or any other white bean really - use what you like)
2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 cup water
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
6 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp cornflour
1/4 cup water
Method:
Place all ingredients except the 3 cans of beans in a large pot and stir. Open the beans and drain, then add to the pot and stir gently to combine. Bring to a simmer, then lower heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes, without the lid. Stir every now and then so the beans don't stick and burn. The sauce will start to thicken and reduce. After 20 minutes, mix the cornflour and water to a slurry. Stir into the pot of beans and continue to cook for 2 - 3 minutes until the sauce thickens. It will thicken quickly so keep stirring and watching. As soon as it is to your liking, remove from the heat. The sauce will continue to cook and thicken for a few minutes from the residual heat. Taste and adjust salt, adding more if necessary.
They should be about the same consistency as canned baked beans. If the sauce is too thin, cook it a little longer.
Now the sourdough. It is out to defeat me I'm sure. But I'm not giving up. Sourdough starter No. 2 went mouldy overnight - I have no idea what I did to cause that. But I am determined to win this battle so I've started another batch. Still using the spelt flour but I'm thinking that if this one fails I'll go to white flour and see if that's not better.
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Cath's Simple Bulk Pasta Sauce
When to Invest, When to Pay Off Debt, and When to Do Both
What's the Point of a Stockpile?
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Meal Planning 101
Housekeeping on a Thursday
Tatey Bags
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays and Thursdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AET
Latest Shows
Subscribe to our You Tube channel and never miss a show.
9. Handmade Christmas Challenge
Week 22! Can you believe we are almost half-way through the year, and almost half-way to Christmas?
This week I tidied up the Christmas wrapping box. Sorted the paper and bags. Counted the gift tags and sorted them in their themes, and made a note to make some more (I'll use the dividers from the tea bag box). Counted the Christmas cards and made a note of how many to make. Put al the bows in a box so they don't get squashed, and wound the ribbons on bobbins (I made a lot earlier this year, the big ones are ideal for this).
I still have sewing to finish off too, and the finished items will go into the present box for Christmas and birthdays.
How are you going with your handmade Christmas?
Don't forget to check in for our Make It Monday show and tell over at Cheapskates Chatter, we'd love to see what you've made.
Handmade Christmas Central
The Handmade Christmas Forum
10. Join The Cheapskates Club
For just $30 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 for a full year.
That's unlimited 24/7 access to EVERYTHING in the Member's Centre!
Click here to join the Cheapskates Club today!
11. 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.
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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.
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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 either signed up to receive our Free Newsletter at our Cheapskates Club Web site or are a Platinum Cheapskates Club member.
12. Contact Cheapskates
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152