Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter: 27:14 Bright ideas to save you money
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - Shower Glass Magic, $60 Free Groceries for Coles Survey, Don't Lose All Your Heat
3. Submit Your Tip - Have a great money saving tip? Share it here!
4. Living Green in 2014 - Going Green During the Darker Months
5. On the Menu with Anne - Colleen's Sausage Casserole
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. Member's Featured Blog - Pondering the Disappearing Act that Newborns Bring upon us...
9. Join the Cheapskates Club
10. Gift Memberships
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Happy New Year! No, I haven’t gone mad – it’s the start of a new financial year. And I hope that it’s the start of a whole new way of looking at money and how it affects your lives for all our new members.
If you need to make changes in your life, now is the time. There are a lot of things you can’t change, and you must just accept them. But you control the way you react to circumstances. And it’s your reaction that determines the result.
Only you can change your attitude – attitude determines your view of life, and your view of life determines your actions.
So be courageous, step forward in faith and start living the life you want now.
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!
PPS: You can read this newsletter and past copies on the website in the Newsletter Archive.
2. From The Tip Store
Shower Glass Magic
Approximate $ Savings: $50 per year
I have seen people buy every shower cleaning product on the market and they still spend twenty minutes trying to get their shower sparkling. I spend less than five minutes and the shower and glass is gleaming. I rinse the shower with hot water and then sprinkle a scoop or two of Fab or Surf washing powder over the wet surfaces. Using a face washer or micro fibre cloth rub, not scrub, over the surfaces. The powder instantly cuts through the grime especially on the glass. To finish just rinse off with hot water. The glass always looks as if you have spent ten minutes polishing it. This is the only thing I buy the washing powder for.
Contributed by Marie Hinkley
$60 Free Groceries for Coles Survey
Approximate $ Savings: $60
If you shop at Coles, even just for a few things and have a Flybuys card, make sure you fill in a tell Coles survey! Head to www.tellcoles.com.au and fill in the survey about your store visit (takes around 5 minutes.) At the end of the survey pick the 1,000 flybys points option. If you were to do this once a month for a year you would have 12,000 flybys points which can be converted to $60 Flybys dollars, can be used on shopping at Coles, Target, Kmart etc. And that's just for the survey!
Contributed by Erin Edwards
Website: www.tellcoles.com.au
Don't Lose All Your Heat
Approximate $ Savings: Any saving helps!
To help with the heating costs quite a few years ago my husband cut up square bits of timber and painted them white to put in the air conditioner vents in the ceiling, because the warm air rises and we didn't want to lose our heat. Our family members saw this and now they do it as well. When we remove the vents we wash them before storage so they're ready for next summer and all we have to do is swap them over.
Contributed by Trish Zuliani
There are more than 11,000 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. Living Green in 2014
Going Green During the Darker Months
While our carbon footprint and going green our important all year round, there are some important tips everyone should know about during the winter months especially. While your entire family heads indoors, it is important to note that not only is it important to keep your home and environment green, it is also important to keep your family safe.
Probably the best and most efficient way to stay green during the winter months are to seal your house up tight for the winter. Not only does this save the environment, it saves money, and keeps your family snug as bugs in a rug, as well.
Windows and Doors – the best way to save money and stay green during the winter is by sealing windows and doors properly. Caulking your windows or covering them up with plastic is a great way to keep drafts out, heat, and energy inside the home. You can purchase the appropriate plastic at any home store. Doors need sealing underneath and something as simple as a door sweep or caulking around the frame will keep you and your family toasty warm.
Caulk it Up/Seal it Tight – Many points of entry into your home such as pipes, at the bottom of the foundation, and wiring can leave space where drafts can enter. By using caulking, you seal these spots up tight. It may seem insignificant; however, when you put it all together, these little tips and tricks really add up both for the environment and for your wallet.
Regulating Your Thermostat – Using a programmable thermostat is a wise choice indeed. By selecting to lower your heat during intervals of the day when you are not home, makes sense both economically and environmentally. You save energy and you save money. There is no need to heat your home if you and your family are not in it.
Do a Winter Walk Through – By taking some time and trouble to locate spots that are losing heat and allowing air to enter, you will find many spots that take need energy attention. Weather stripping, caulking, plastic, foam, and even covering your air conditioners will provide enough extra warmth for you and your family.
On the Outside – Do not forget your compost bin. Compost materials are useful for adding nutrients to soil that is used for gardening and farming. Your garden materials are vital to the composting process.
Car Pool – In the old days, carpooling was for the sole purpose of giving one driver a much-needed rest. Today, however, we know that carpooling saves wear and tear on our car and dangerous emissions into the atmosphere. It saves gas as well as keeping extra vehicles off the road in inclement winter weather.
By sealing your home up tight for the winter, you can keep warm, save money, and save the environment, as well.
5. On the Menu with Anne
Colleen's Sausage Casserole
This is another Recipe File favourite. I'm not a fan of sausages ususally but they are just delicious in this casserole. I serve it with a big dollop of mashed potato and a spoonful of peas.
Colleen's Sausage Casserole
Ingredients:
1kg potatoes, peeled, roughly chopped
40g butter, chopped
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, sliced
500g sausages
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
35g packet French onion soup
1 tablespoon plain flour
1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
Method:
Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender. Drain. Return to pan. Add butter, milk and salt and pepper. Mash until smooth.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Add sausages and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until browned. Chop sausages into bite size pieces. Whisk tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, soup, flour and 3/4 cup water in a jug. Stir into sausage mixture and bring to the boil.
Spoon sausage mixture into an 8-cup capacity casserole. Top with potato. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is golden.
This week we will be eating:
Friday: Fish'n'chips, coleslaw
Saturday: Hamburgers
Sunday: Roast beef, baked potatoes, broccoli, peas, pumpkin and gravy
Monday: Honey soy chicken and fried rice
Tuesday: Colleen’s Sausage Casserole, mashed potato, peas
Wednesday: Meatloaf, mash, peas, corn, carrots, gravy
Thursday: MOO meat pie, mash, peas, cauliflower and gravy
In the fruit bowl: apples, oranges, kiwi fruit
In the cake tin: Madeira cake, blueberry muffins, ANZAC slice
There are over 1,300 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
It's cold and very, very Wintery in Melbourne right now. So, I thought I'd defrost my little 120 liter freezer (why not?). It's the only freezer we have that isn't frost free and it needs to be defrosted about three times a year. I don't really like defrosting it in winter but it had to be done. I was having trouble fitting in the flat pastry container. It fits nicely on the small top shelf but it was getting a little too much ice on it.
So out came the rubber gloves to give my hands some protection as I emptied all the packages. I filled two large laundry baskets with the frozen food. Then I turned the freezer off and placed a large plastic bag and towel under it to protect the carpet. The kettle was filled and boiled then I filled two plastic mixing bowls with the boiled water and placed them in the freezer near the iced top shelves. I put a towel inside the freezer on the bottom shelf to catch all the drips.
Five minutes later my parents arrived for an unexpected visit. An hour and a half later when they left, it suddenly dawned on me that I'd forgotten about the freezer - OOPPPS!!! I quickly dashed to the freezer to find that all the ice had melted and the towel had soaked up the drips. All that was left to do was to give it a wipe out and to restock it. Of course I turned it back on again.
There were no surprises in the freezer but as I placed the food back on the shelves my daughter wrote down all the items and quantities. I now know that I have fourteen packages of frozen chicken stock. I think it's time to make some more soup!!!!
Having a freezer inventory can be handy for knowing what you have and knowing what you need to buy. Giving your freezer (or in my case freezers) a sort out a couple of times a year can eliminate food waste and surprise packages from days gone by.
How do you keep your freezers in order?
Do you have a freezer inventory on the go all the time?
Have a great week and BE ENCOURAGED!!!!!
The Post that Started it All
http://www.cheapskates.com.au/pages/default.cfm?page_id=44265
7.Cheapskates Buzz
This week's hot forum topics
Help me make "Cook in a Bag" Please!
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?508-Help-me-make-quot-Cook-in-a-Bag-quot-please!&highlight=keren
I'm Eeady to Re-live the Cheapskates Way
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?1113-I-m-ready-to-Re-live-the-Cheapskates-way&highlight=cutegroomz
Lifting the Lid on Tinned Goods
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?994-Lifting-the-lid-on-tinned-goods&highlight=cutegroomz
Most popular blog posts this week
Today is Shopping Day
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2013/06/today-is-shopping-day.html
Independence Day
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2013/08/independence-day.html
Make Your Own Gorgeous Mouse Pad
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2013/08/make-your-own-gorgeous-mouse-pad.html
8. Member's Featured Blog
Platinum Cheapskates Club members have their very own Cheapskating blogs, and they are wonderful and inspirational and encouraging and even funny. This week's featured blog is written by Penny2.
Pondering the Disappearing Act that Newborns Bring upon us...
On Thursday, it'll be two weeks till our second child is born. I thought I'd post something up now before I do the likely "disappearing act" that is so common of mothers with newborns. With DD1 I disappeared from society for a good four months or so. The first whole year saw us too busy to interact with the world really, but those first few months are the most hermit-creating. I'm wondering if its the same second time around? Or because you kind of know what your doing your able to cruise through it a bit more. I remember friends texting me asking me if I was still alive hahaha.
I'm not dreading the disappearing act though, I dont mind it at all. Family is whatis most important so my children consuming most of my time really doesn't upset me at all. It just amuses me that until you have kids you just don't get it. When I was a teenager one of my friends got pregnant at about 16 years old, she had her child just after she turned 17. I didn't think much of it in terms of spending time with her. I thought, yeh, the baby will be there...so??? BAHAHAHAHA. Anyways she did the disappearing act for a while and us young girls just didn't get how she couldn't come out with us just once a week...can't someone look after baby? umm duh...Shes breastfeeding silly girls! Plus... she just had a baby.... so... you know.. there is recovery time, adjusting to motherhood, growing up in many ways we wouldnt know until we had our own etc. After I had DD1, and she was about 7 months old...I got to thinking about that old friend. I called her up and actually apologised to her for my ignorance. If I'd known how busy and challenging it can be to have a newborn, I'd have been more supportive and offered some kind of help! She just laughed and said "serves me right for being a tart when I was so young!" I said, it doesn't make a difference. 16 or 26... it's still a big and new responsibility and it's so much nicer when you have people who understand around you!
I suppose I ought to tie this post in with something Cheapskatey... I think living the Cheapskates way allows us to be more helpful and thoughtful of others at times in their lives when they need it. By sticking to our budgets and thinking ahead, we are more able to contribute to others, without suffering any financial consequences ourselves. For example, making someone's birthday cake from scratch as a nice surprise, bringing a hearty meal over to a family whose mum is sick or has a newborn, buying the kid who is always riding his bike around the neighbourhood with his toes sticking out of his old to-small shoes a new pair. You know, kindness and charity. I mean I don't care how "poor" someone thinks they are in Australia, they can still show kindness without money, but when you live the Cheapskates way you're able to do a bit more than you could have if you were flippant with your money. I guess it helps us to be wiser with what we are blessed with, and gives us more room to think of others, not just me and mine. I'd love the opportunity to do more for others, but I think sometimes it's only a case of opening ones eyes and looking around.
So in that instance, I actually don't want to do a disappearing act so much when bub comes, coz it'll stop me from being thoughtful of others! But I suppose there are times when you're almost excused to be more selfish lol. Good thing is, sometimes just a phone call is enough to change someone's day, and a new mum can still do that :-)
*memo to self - stay in touch!*
Login to read more Cheapskates Club member blogs
9. Join the Cheapskates Club
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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!
http://www.cheapskates.com.au/members/join_form.cfm?item_id=2271
10. Gift Memberships
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It's so simple: just select the number of gift memberships required, click the Buy Now button and complete the Gift Membership order form (you must use this form to order gift memberships) and we'll get in touch with you to confirm the gift subscriptions.
Click here to order a gift membership right now!
11. Frequently Asked Questions
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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.
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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.
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12. Contact Details
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152
www.cheapskates.com.au
[email protected]
2. In the Tip Store - Shower Glass Magic, $60 Free Groceries for Coles Survey, Don't Lose All Your Heat
3. Submit Your Tip - Have a great money saving tip? Share it here!
4. Living Green in 2014 - Going Green During the Darker Months
5. On the Menu with Anne - Colleen's Sausage Casserole
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. Member's Featured Blog - Pondering the Disappearing Act that Newborns Bring upon us...
9. Join the Cheapskates Club
10. Gift Memberships
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Happy New Year! No, I haven’t gone mad – it’s the start of a new financial year. And I hope that it’s the start of a whole new way of looking at money and how it affects your lives for all our new members.
If you need to make changes in your life, now is the time. There are a lot of things you can’t change, and you must just accept them. But you control the way you react to circumstances. And it’s your reaction that determines the result.
Only you can change your attitude – attitude determines your view of life, and your view of life determines your actions.
So be courageous, step forward in faith and start living the life you want now.
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!
PPS: You can read this newsletter and past copies on the website in the Newsletter Archive.
2. From The Tip Store
Shower Glass Magic
Approximate $ Savings: $50 per year
I have seen people buy every shower cleaning product on the market and they still spend twenty minutes trying to get their shower sparkling. I spend less than five minutes and the shower and glass is gleaming. I rinse the shower with hot water and then sprinkle a scoop or two of Fab or Surf washing powder over the wet surfaces. Using a face washer or micro fibre cloth rub, not scrub, over the surfaces. The powder instantly cuts through the grime especially on the glass. To finish just rinse off with hot water. The glass always looks as if you have spent ten minutes polishing it. This is the only thing I buy the washing powder for.
Contributed by Marie Hinkley
$60 Free Groceries for Coles Survey
Approximate $ Savings: $60
If you shop at Coles, even just for a few things and have a Flybuys card, make sure you fill in a tell Coles survey! Head to www.tellcoles.com.au and fill in the survey about your store visit (takes around 5 minutes.) At the end of the survey pick the 1,000 flybys points option. If you were to do this once a month for a year you would have 12,000 flybys points which can be converted to $60 Flybys dollars, can be used on shopping at Coles, Target, Kmart etc. And that's just for the survey!
Contributed by Erin Edwards
Website: www.tellcoles.com.au
Don't Lose All Your Heat
Approximate $ Savings: Any saving helps!
To help with the heating costs quite a few years ago my husband cut up square bits of timber and painted them white to put in the air conditioner vents in the ceiling, because the warm air rises and we didn't want to lose our heat. Our family members saw this and now they do it as well. When we remove the vents we wash them before storage so they're ready for next summer and all we have to do is swap them over.
Contributed by Trish Zuliani
There are more than 11,000 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. Living Green in 2014
Going Green During the Darker Months
While our carbon footprint and going green our important all year round, there are some important tips everyone should know about during the winter months especially. While your entire family heads indoors, it is important to note that not only is it important to keep your home and environment green, it is also important to keep your family safe.
Probably the best and most efficient way to stay green during the winter months are to seal your house up tight for the winter. Not only does this save the environment, it saves money, and keeps your family snug as bugs in a rug, as well.
Windows and Doors – the best way to save money and stay green during the winter is by sealing windows and doors properly. Caulking your windows or covering them up with plastic is a great way to keep drafts out, heat, and energy inside the home. You can purchase the appropriate plastic at any home store. Doors need sealing underneath and something as simple as a door sweep or caulking around the frame will keep you and your family toasty warm.
Caulk it Up/Seal it Tight – Many points of entry into your home such as pipes, at the bottom of the foundation, and wiring can leave space where drafts can enter. By using caulking, you seal these spots up tight. It may seem insignificant; however, when you put it all together, these little tips and tricks really add up both for the environment and for your wallet.
Regulating Your Thermostat – Using a programmable thermostat is a wise choice indeed. By selecting to lower your heat during intervals of the day when you are not home, makes sense both economically and environmentally. You save energy and you save money. There is no need to heat your home if you and your family are not in it.
Do a Winter Walk Through – By taking some time and trouble to locate spots that are losing heat and allowing air to enter, you will find many spots that take need energy attention. Weather stripping, caulking, plastic, foam, and even covering your air conditioners will provide enough extra warmth for you and your family.
On the Outside – Do not forget your compost bin. Compost materials are useful for adding nutrients to soil that is used for gardening and farming. Your garden materials are vital to the composting process.
Car Pool – In the old days, carpooling was for the sole purpose of giving one driver a much-needed rest. Today, however, we know that carpooling saves wear and tear on our car and dangerous emissions into the atmosphere. It saves gas as well as keeping extra vehicles off the road in inclement winter weather.
By sealing your home up tight for the winter, you can keep warm, save money, and save the environment, as well.
5. On the Menu with Anne
Colleen's Sausage Casserole
This is another Recipe File favourite. I'm not a fan of sausages ususally but they are just delicious in this casserole. I serve it with a big dollop of mashed potato and a spoonful of peas.
Colleen's Sausage Casserole
Ingredients:
1kg potatoes, peeled, roughly chopped
40g butter, chopped
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, sliced
500g sausages
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
35g packet French onion soup
1 tablespoon plain flour
1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
Method:
Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender. Drain. Return to pan. Add butter, milk and salt and pepper. Mash until smooth.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Add sausages and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until browned. Chop sausages into bite size pieces. Whisk tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, soup, flour and 3/4 cup water in a jug. Stir into sausage mixture and bring to the boil.
Spoon sausage mixture into an 8-cup capacity casserole. Top with potato. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is golden.
This week we will be eating:
Friday: Fish'n'chips, coleslaw
Saturday: Hamburgers
Sunday: Roast beef, baked potatoes, broccoli, peas, pumpkin and gravy
Monday: Honey soy chicken and fried rice
Tuesday: Colleen’s Sausage Casserole, mashed potato, peas
Wednesday: Meatloaf, mash, peas, corn, carrots, gravy
Thursday: MOO meat pie, mash, peas, cauliflower and gravy
In the fruit bowl: apples, oranges, kiwi fruit
In the cake tin: Madeira cake, blueberry muffins, ANZAC slice
There are over 1,300 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
It's cold and very, very Wintery in Melbourne right now. So, I thought I'd defrost my little 120 liter freezer (why not?). It's the only freezer we have that isn't frost free and it needs to be defrosted about three times a year. I don't really like defrosting it in winter but it had to be done. I was having trouble fitting in the flat pastry container. It fits nicely on the small top shelf but it was getting a little too much ice on it.
So out came the rubber gloves to give my hands some protection as I emptied all the packages. I filled two large laundry baskets with the frozen food. Then I turned the freezer off and placed a large plastic bag and towel under it to protect the carpet. The kettle was filled and boiled then I filled two plastic mixing bowls with the boiled water and placed them in the freezer near the iced top shelves. I put a towel inside the freezer on the bottom shelf to catch all the drips.
Five minutes later my parents arrived for an unexpected visit. An hour and a half later when they left, it suddenly dawned on me that I'd forgotten about the freezer - OOPPPS!!! I quickly dashed to the freezer to find that all the ice had melted and the towel had soaked up the drips. All that was left to do was to give it a wipe out and to restock it. Of course I turned it back on again.
There were no surprises in the freezer but as I placed the food back on the shelves my daughter wrote down all the items and quantities. I now know that I have fourteen packages of frozen chicken stock. I think it's time to make some more soup!!!!
Having a freezer inventory can be handy for knowing what you have and knowing what you need to buy. Giving your freezer (or in my case freezers) a sort out a couple of times a year can eliminate food waste and surprise packages from days gone by.
How do you keep your freezers in order?
Do you have a freezer inventory on the go all the time?
Have a great week and BE ENCOURAGED!!!!!
The Post that Started it All
http://www.cheapskates.com.au/pages/default.cfm?page_id=44265
7.Cheapskates Buzz
This week's hot forum topics
Help me make "Cook in a Bag" Please!
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?508-Help-me-make-quot-Cook-in-a-Bag-quot-please!&highlight=keren
I'm Eeady to Re-live the Cheapskates Way
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?1113-I-m-ready-to-Re-live-the-Cheapskates-way&highlight=cutegroomz
Lifting the Lid on Tinned Goods
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?994-Lifting-the-lid-on-tinned-goods&highlight=cutegroomz
Most popular blog posts this week
Today is Shopping Day
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2013/06/today-is-shopping-day.html
Independence Day
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2013/08/independence-day.html
Make Your Own Gorgeous Mouse Pad
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2013/08/make-your-own-gorgeous-mouse-pad.html
8. Member's Featured Blog
Platinum Cheapskates Club members have their very own Cheapskating blogs, and they are wonderful and inspirational and encouraging and even funny. This week's featured blog is written by Penny2.
Pondering the Disappearing Act that Newborns Bring upon us...
On Thursday, it'll be two weeks till our second child is born. I thought I'd post something up now before I do the likely "disappearing act" that is so common of mothers with newborns. With DD1 I disappeared from society for a good four months or so. The first whole year saw us too busy to interact with the world really, but those first few months are the most hermit-creating. I'm wondering if its the same second time around? Or because you kind of know what your doing your able to cruise through it a bit more. I remember friends texting me asking me if I was still alive hahaha.
I'm not dreading the disappearing act though, I dont mind it at all. Family is whatis most important so my children consuming most of my time really doesn't upset me at all. It just amuses me that until you have kids you just don't get it. When I was a teenager one of my friends got pregnant at about 16 years old, she had her child just after she turned 17. I didn't think much of it in terms of spending time with her. I thought, yeh, the baby will be there...so??? BAHAHAHAHA. Anyways she did the disappearing act for a while and us young girls just didn't get how she couldn't come out with us just once a week...can't someone look after baby? umm duh...Shes breastfeeding silly girls! Plus... she just had a baby.... so... you know.. there is recovery time, adjusting to motherhood, growing up in many ways we wouldnt know until we had our own etc. After I had DD1, and she was about 7 months old...I got to thinking about that old friend. I called her up and actually apologised to her for my ignorance. If I'd known how busy and challenging it can be to have a newborn, I'd have been more supportive and offered some kind of help! She just laughed and said "serves me right for being a tart when I was so young!" I said, it doesn't make a difference. 16 or 26... it's still a big and new responsibility and it's so much nicer when you have people who understand around you!
I suppose I ought to tie this post in with something Cheapskatey... I think living the Cheapskates way allows us to be more helpful and thoughtful of others at times in their lives when they need it. By sticking to our budgets and thinking ahead, we are more able to contribute to others, without suffering any financial consequences ourselves. For example, making someone's birthday cake from scratch as a nice surprise, bringing a hearty meal over to a family whose mum is sick or has a newborn, buying the kid who is always riding his bike around the neighbourhood with his toes sticking out of his old to-small shoes a new pair. You know, kindness and charity. I mean I don't care how "poor" someone thinks they are in Australia, they can still show kindness without money, but when you live the Cheapskates way you're able to do a bit more than you could have if you were flippant with your money. I guess it helps us to be wiser with what we are blessed with, and gives us more room to think of others, not just me and mine. I'd love the opportunity to do more for others, but I think sometimes it's only a case of opening ones eyes and looking around.
So in that instance, I actually don't want to do a disappearing act so much when bub comes, coz it'll stop me from being thoughtful of others! But I suppose there are times when you're almost excused to be more selfish lol. Good thing is, sometimes just a phone call is enough to change someone's day, and a new mum can still do that :-)
*memo to self - stay in touch!*
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