Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 25:21
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - New Shoes at No Extra Cost; Cooking for One; Fantastic Gravy without Gravy Powder
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Sweet Lamb Curry
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - How to Stick to the $300 a Month Food Challenge
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
8. The Weekly MOO Challenge - MOO Body Lotion
9. 2021 Saving Revolution - Lesson 25: Surviving Unemployment
10. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
The days are getting longer! Yes, we've had the shortest day of the year, and now our days are getting longer. Oh, sure, they are still cold, and some are wet, but every day we have a little more daylight. It's like nature is drip feeding us light.
About this time of year, I start to seriously plan the spring and summer gardens, and this year, with the price of fruit and veg increasing almost daily. $8.90/kg tomatoes? $5.99/kg broccoli? And don’t get me started on the cost of fruit, it is ridiculous. Even citrus, which is in season, is expensive.
The garden planner has been out, and the seed box checked and double checked. There are some seeds we need more of, and they have been ordered. I'm trying to only have heirloom seeds in my collection, so some of the plants can go to seed and the seed saved for next season.
Making the garden bigger is part of the plan. We extended it last year, and spring we plan to add another two beds, and perhaps some pots. All this takes work. Hard work in winter is fine - it keeps me warm. I'd rather do the hard stuff in winter than in the blazing heat of summer. It gives the new beds time to settle before planting too.
Wayne emptied the worm castings and the bokashi into the compost pile, and tossed it all around to mix it up. Then he shoveled and I dug it all into the gardens. Gotta love free fertiliser!
And the reward will be pesticide free vegetables and berries for a lot less than at the greengrocer!
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
New Shoes at No Extra Cost
I decided I needed a new pair of shoes and as my Mother always taught me to buy leather shoes regardless of my financial situation because the leather breathes and stretch. I suddenly remembered what I did when I was 18 and worked opposite the Victoria Market. I bought court shoes for work that were out of fashion in colour and painted them with shoe colour. So I took a pair of old shoes (still in reasonable condition) and bought some black shoe paint for $10 and painted my old plum coloured shoes black, then some shoes I had bought cheaply from a out of stock store and painted them black and then a silver pair of sandals and painted them also. So I now have 3 pairs of new shoes so to speak for less than $10 as I still have 3/4 of the bottle full of paint. Now I have shoes that are fashionable with any colour I wear, just like the old days - new again!
Contributed by Carol Heagney
Cooking for One
Having had to cook the evening meals since the age of 11 I'm bored with it all. So now
in my 60's and only two of us I find setting aside a weekend and cooking a few of our favourite dishes (they always seem to be for 4 but you can find some for two) then packing in them into single meals to freeze. I make casseroles, curries, rissoles/meatballs.
With the rissoles I make them up to cooking stage and then freeze even putting a couple aside flattened to have as hamburgers.
I even cook up a batch of rice for four and freeze that in meals size portions, just thaw and heat in the microwave and it comes out as if freshly cooked. If I have too much rice for the meals to accompany it I still freeze it and then on a night when you have a little more time you can turn it into fried rice. I always have the ingredients in the pantry. It is so easy to take a ready-made meal out of the freezer in the morning put it in the fridge to thaw and then just heat it or finish cooking it at night.
If you like to have dessert there are several dishes including single serve fruit pies you can make and freeze. We like crumbles but instead of making the crumble each time, I again make a full batch and freeze it so I always have it on hand and once again there are always apples, tinned fruit or frozen berries on hand.
I have to start all over with this regime as last week due to the Hunter Region storms I was without power for five days and lost the contents of a fully stocked fridge and deep freezer. I will have to see how much I can reduce my grocery bill by to save enough to restock.
Contributed by Suzanne McEwen
Fantastic Gravy without Gravy Powder
Approximate $ Savings: $2.65 per 120gms
When roasting any meats/chicken place a couple of teaspoons of sugar in the corner of the pan and let it caramelise during the cooking of the roast. This sugar will add colour and flavour to your gravy. When everything is cooked, drain most of the fat and sprinkle in some flour and cook like at roux. Remember to scrap all the goodness off of the bottom of the pan. Add salt (if required) and add any vegetable water that you may have. Add additional water if required. Stir until all lumps are removed. Optional Add a squirt of tomato sauce and a spoon full of either a plum jam or cranberry sauce for additional depth and flavour. Freeze any left over sauce and this can be used in any dish that you want to have gravy with such as Sausages, Onions and Gravy or add to a Shepherd's Pie etc. For Christmas time and that extremely special occasion add a couple of tablespoons of red wine or brandy during the cooking process of the gravy. Always reduce the gravy to the consistency that you require. Don't throw away any peelings as these can be used to make vegetable stock or added to the roasting pan for additional flavour.
Contributed by Chris Arenelli
Add a Tip
3. Share Your Tips
Share your favourite hint or tip that saves money, time and energy and be in the running to win a one-year subscription to The Cheapskate Journal.
Remember, you have to be in it to win it!
Share Your Tip
4. On The Menu
Sweet Lamb Curry
Lamb is expensive, so making sure you use all of it, without waste is important. Getting more than one meal from a leg of lamb brings the cost per meal down, and one of the ways I like to get more than one meal is with this curry dish. I'm not sure it's authentic to any particular cuisine, I am sure this is the way my father made it for us, using leftover roast lamb.
Sweet Lamb Curry
Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2-3 tbsp curry powder
1/2 cup fruit chutney
1 green apple, peeled, cored and diced
3 - 4 slices cooked, roast lamb
1/2 cup sultanas
1-1/2 cups beef stock
Method:
Sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add curry powder and chutney, and stir until well combined. Add apple, lamb and sultanas and stir well. As the stock and slowly bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 - 20 minutes until everything is warmed through and liquid has thickened. Serve over steamed rice.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Lamb
Monday: Chicken pie
Tuesday: Pasta Alfredo, salad
Wednesday: Sweet Lamb Curry
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Stuffed Potatoes
Saturday: Meatball Subs
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
How to Stick to the $300 a Month Food Challenge
1. Find your $300 a Month. This figure is for a family of four. If your family is bigger, add $75 per month per person.
2. Brands - always choose the cheapest, usually a generic, but not always. And sometimes a special isn't really a special - always check the unit price.
3. Portion control - remember if a recipe serves six, get six serves. Put the two spare into the freezer for freezer meals - they are free dinners and will really help keep your grocery budget low.
4. Cook from scratch - no buying pre-prepared or packaged or convenience meals or parts of meals. MOO yoghurt, muffins, biscuits, pastry for the sausage rolls, dip, pita chips, gravy, wedges, pancakes and pancake syrup.
5. Making a shopping list, after doing a fridge, freezer and pantry check, only adding the ingredients you need to buy. If you only need 5 apples, buy just 5 apples, don't spend money on food you don't need.
6. Sticking to the list. If it's not on the list, you don't buy it. If you think you'll need it, find a substitute in the ingredients you already have.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
7 Freezer Meals in One Hour for under $30
30 Minute Meals
Oh How I Love Freeze-Ahead Meals
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
MOO Sweetened Condensed Milk
MOO Toothpaste
MOO Grout and Tile Cleaner
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join us live on YouTube every Tuesday and see how we are living debt free, cashed up and laughing - and find out how you can too!
Show Schedule
Tuesday: Around the Kitchen Table - join Cath and Hannah for a cuppa and a chat around the kitchen table as they talk about living the Cheapskates way.
Latest Shows
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - New Shoes at No Extra Cost; Cooking for One; Fantastic Gravy without Gravy Powder
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Sweet Lamb Curry
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - How to Stick to the $300 a Month Food Challenge
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
8. The Weekly MOO Challenge - MOO Body Lotion
9. 2021 Saving Revolution - Lesson 25: Surviving Unemployment
10. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
The days are getting longer! Yes, we've had the shortest day of the year, and now our days are getting longer. Oh, sure, they are still cold, and some are wet, but every day we have a little more daylight. It's like nature is drip feeding us light.
About this time of year, I start to seriously plan the spring and summer gardens, and this year, with the price of fruit and veg increasing almost daily. $8.90/kg tomatoes? $5.99/kg broccoli? And don’t get me started on the cost of fruit, it is ridiculous. Even citrus, which is in season, is expensive.
The garden planner has been out, and the seed box checked and double checked. There are some seeds we need more of, and they have been ordered. I'm trying to only have heirloom seeds in my collection, so some of the plants can go to seed and the seed saved for next season.
Making the garden bigger is part of the plan. We extended it last year, and spring we plan to add another two beds, and perhaps some pots. All this takes work. Hard work in winter is fine - it keeps me warm. I'd rather do the hard stuff in winter than in the blazing heat of summer. It gives the new beds time to settle before planting too.
Wayne emptied the worm castings and the bokashi into the compost pile, and tossed it all around to mix it up. Then he shoveled and I dug it all into the gardens. Gotta love free fertiliser!
And the reward will be pesticide free vegetables and berries for a lot less than at the greengrocer!
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
New Shoes at No Extra Cost
I decided I needed a new pair of shoes and as my Mother always taught me to buy leather shoes regardless of my financial situation because the leather breathes and stretch. I suddenly remembered what I did when I was 18 and worked opposite the Victoria Market. I bought court shoes for work that were out of fashion in colour and painted them with shoe colour. So I took a pair of old shoes (still in reasonable condition) and bought some black shoe paint for $10 and painted my old plum coloured shoes black, then some shoes I had bought cheaply from a out of stock store and painted them black and then a silver pair of sandals and painted them also. So I now have 3 pairs of new shoes so to speak for less than $10 as I still have 3/4 of the bottle full of paint. Now I have shoes that are fashionable with any colour I wear, just like the old days - new again!
Contributed by Carol Heagney
Cooking for One
Having had to cook the evening meals since the age of 11 I'm bored with it all. So now
in my 60's and only two of us I find setting aside a weekend and cooking a few of our favourite dishes (they always seem to be for 4 but you can find some for two) then packing in them into single meals to freeze. I make casseroles, curries, rissoles/meatballs.
With the rissoles I make them up to cooking stage and then freeze even putting a couple aside flattened to have as hamburgers.
I even cook up a batch of rice for four and freeze that in meals size portions, just thaw and heat in the microwave and it comes out as if freshly cooked. If I have too much rice for the meals to accompany it I still freeze it and then on a night when you have a little more time you can turn it into fried rice. I always have the ingredients in the pantry. It is so easy to take a ready-made meal out of the freezer in the morning put it in the fridge to thaw and then just heat it or finish cooking it at night.
If you like to have dessert there are several dishes including single serve fruit pies you can make and freeze. We like crumbles but instead of making the crumble each time, I again make a full batch and freeze it so I always have it on hand and once again there are always apples, tinned fruit or frozen berries on hand.
I have to start all over with this regime as last week due to the Hunter Region storms I was without power for five days and lost the contents of a fully stocked fridge and deep freezer. I will have to see how much I can reduce my grocery bill by to save enough to restock.
Contributed by Suzanne McEwen
Fantastic Gravy without Gravy Powder
Approximate $ Savings: $2.65 per 120gms
When roasting any meats/chicken place a couple of teaspoons of sugar in the corner of the pan and let it caramelise during the cooking of the roast. This sugar will add colour and flavour to your gravy. When everything is cooked, drain most of the fat and sprinkle in some flour and cook like at roux. Remember to scrap all the goodness off of the bottom of the pan. Add salt (if required) and add any vegetable water that you may have. Add additional water if required. Stir until all lumps are removed. Optional Add a squirt of tomato sauce and a spoon full of either a plum jam or cranberry sauce for additional depth and flavour. Freeze any left over sauce and this can be used in any dish that you want to have gravy with such as Sausages, Onions and Gravy or add to a Shepherd's Pie etc. For Christmas time and that extremely special occasion add a couple of tablespoons of red wine or brandy during the cooking process of the gravy. Always reduce the gravy to the consistency that you require. Don't throw away any peelings as these can be used to make vegetable stock or added to the roasting pan for additional flavour.
Contributed by Chris Arenelli
Add a Tip
3. Share Your Tips
Share your favourite hint or tip that saves money, time and energy and be in the running to win a one-year subscription to The Cheapskate Journal.
Remember, you have to be in it to win it!
Share Your Tip
4. On The Menu
Sweet Lamb Curry
Lamb is expensive, so making sure you use all of it, without waste is important. Getting more than one meal from a leg of lamb brings the cost per meal down, and one of the ways I like to get more than one meal is with this curry dish. I'm not sure it's authentic to any particular cuisine, I am sure this is the way my father made it for us, using leftover roast lamb.
Sweet Lamb Curry
Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2-3 tbsp curry powder
1/2 cup fruit chutney
1 green apple, peeled, cored and diced
3 - 4 slices cooked, roast lamb
1/2 cup sultanas
1-1/2 cups beef stock
Method:
Sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add curry powder and chutney, and stir until well combined. Add apple, lamb and sultanas and stir well. As the stock and slowly bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 - 20 minutes until everything is warmed through and liquid has thickened. Serve over steamed rice.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Lamb
Monday: Chicken pie
Tuesday: Pasta Alfredo, salad
Wednesday: Sweet Lamb Curry
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Stuffed Potatoes
Saturday: Meatball Subs
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
How to Stick to the $300 a Month Food Challenge
1. Find your $300 a Month. This figure is for a family of four. If your family is bigger, add $75 per month per person.
2. Brands - always choose the cheapest, usually a generic, but not always. And sometimes a special isn't really a special - always check the unit price.
3. Portion control - remember if a recipe serves six, get six serves. Put the two spare into the freezer for freezer meals - they are free dinners and will really help keep your grocery budget low.
4. Cook from scratch - no buying pre-prepared or packaged or convenience meals or parts of meals. MOO yoghurt, muffins, biscuits, pastry for the sausage rolls, dip, pita chips, gravy, wedges, pancakes and pancake syrup.
5. Making a shopping list, after doing a fridge, freezer and pantry check, only adding the ingredients you need to buy. If you only need 5 apples, buy just 5 apples, don't spend money on food you don't need.
6. Sticking to the list. If it's not on the list, you don't buy it. If you think you'll need it, find a substitute in the ingredients you already have.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
7 Freezer Meals in One Hour for under $30
30 Minute Meals
Oh How I Love Freeze-Ahead Meals
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
MOO Sweetened Condensed Milk
MOO Toothpaste
MOO Grout and Tile Cleaner
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join us live on YouTube every Tuesday and see how we are living debt free, cashed up and laughing - and find out how you can too!
Show Schedule
Tuesday: Around the Kitchen Table - join Cath and Hannah for a cuppa and a chat around the kitchen table as they talk about living the Cheapskates way.
Latest Shows
8. The Weekly MOO Challenge
MOO Body Lotion
This body lotion is just scrumptious. It is so light and silky, and so moisturising that winter dryness just doesn't stand a chance. It's great for those extra dry areas too - elbows, feet, knees and hands.
You will need:
1 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup sweet almond oil
20 drops geranium essential oil
10 drops lime essential oil
Step 1. Mix all the ingredients together. If you are having trouble getting the coconut oil and almond oil to mix try using a whisk.
Step 2. Store in a clean, dry container with a good lid.
To use wipe a little of the lotion onto your fingertips and massage it into those dry spots.
9. 2021 Saving Revolution
Lesson 25: Surviving Unemployment
It's not something we plan for, often coming out of the blue and leaving us devastated. But unemployment should be planned for. It should be one of the reasons we faithfully build our Emergency Fund.
Losing your job could well be the hardest financial blow you will ever receive, yet people survive unemployment; in fact they often emerge in a much stronger financial situation. I know, because I've been there.
In the space of 72 hours we went from a two income family of four to a no income family of four with one on the way. And yes, it was scary. But we survived, and indeed thrived, and you can too, if you are ever in this position.
Lesson 25 outlined the steps you can take to make sure you survive unemployment, step-by-step, to help you through.
Did you complete the challenge? It is worth taking the few minutes to tackle it, even if you're not unemployed. Remember, it's better to prepare than be caught out.
Log into the 2021 Saving Revolution forum and join the discussions too. They're fun, keep you accountable, and over the course of the year will be an amazing source of valuable hints and tips for you too.
10. 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
11. Join The Cheapskates Club
For just $25 the first 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!
12. 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.
13. 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
MOO Body Lotion
This body lotion is just scrumptious. It is so light and silky, and so moisturising that winter dryness just doesn't stand a chance. It's great for those extra dry areas too - elbows, feet, knees and hands.
You will need:
1 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup sweet almond oil
20 drops geranium essential oil
10 drops lime essential oil
Step 1. Mix all the ingredients together. If you are having trouble getting the coconut oil and almond oil to mix try using a whisk.
Step 2. Store in a clean, dry container with a good lid.
To use wipe a little of the lotion onto your fingertips and massage it into those dry spots.
9. 2021 Saving Revolution
Lesson 25: Surviving Unemployment
It's not something we plan for, often coming out of the blue and leaving us devastated. But unemployment should be planned for. It should be one of the reasons we faithfully build our Emergency Fund.
Losing your job could well be the hardest financial blow you will ever receive, yet people survive unemployment; in fact they often emerge in a much stronger financial situation. I know, because I've been there.
In the space of 72 hours we went from a two income family of four to a no income family of four with one on the way. And yes, it was scary. But we survived, and indeed thrived, and you can too, if you are ever in this position.
Lesson 25 outlined the steps you can take to make sure you survive unemployment, step-by-step, to help you through.
Did you complete the challenge? It is worth taking the few minutes to tackle it, even if you're not unemployed. Remember, it's better to prepare than be caught out.
Log into the 2021 Saving Revolution forum and join the discussions too. They're fun, keep you accountable, and over the course of the year will be an amazing source of valuable hints and tips for you too.
10. 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
11. Join The Cheapskates Club
For just $25 the first 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!
12. 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.
13. 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