Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 28:23
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Giving Handmade Gifts? Start Making them Now; Money for Sales and Christmas; Plan and Save for those Service Gifts
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Rhubarb and Apple Sponge
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Eating on the Road
6. The Weekly MOO Challenge - Pickled Rhubarb
7. Cheapskates Buzz
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
9. Handmade Christmas Challenge - Create a No-fail Homemade Gift Giving Plan
10. Join the Cheapskates Club
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Welcome new Cheapskaters! We're so glad you are here, and can't wait to meet you. Don't forget to say hello in the forum.
Our goal as Cheapskaters is to live life debt free, cashed up and laughing. Here's one of my most favourite quotes, that helps me, and it can help you, live the Cheapskates way (debt free, cashed up and laughing).
“The most successful people are those who are good at plan B.”
James Yorke
It is almost my life plan (I usually have Plans A, B, C and D with a Plan E as a backup).
For new Cheapskates it's a matter of determining what you want and where you want to be and then how to get it. Step-by-step, consistency will get you there without major dramas, or worse still, withdrawals from extravagance.
This is Plan A. Nice, easy to follow and straightforward. Until that curve ball comes out of nowhere and knocks Plan A to pieces. It might be something unexpected like the car needing a major overhaul or the washing machine falling apart or it could just be something as simple as regular over-time being cut and the budget taking a serious beating.
When this happens you fall back on Plan B.
For a Cheapskater Plan B is exactly the same as Plan A: you decide on your goals and how to reach them. Then step-by-step, steadily and consistently you work towards them.
Use the tools you have available: The Article Archive, Cheapskates Tip Store, our fantastic Tip Sheets, the Recipe File, the Member's Forum, even the weekly newsletter will give you ideas that will help you complete not only your Plan A but your Plans B, C, D and E if you ever need them.
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
Giving Handmade Gifts?
Start Making them Now!If you are going to be making your gifts this year START NOW! Christmas Eve is not the time to be putting the finishing (and starting) touches on Grandma's quilt or your cousin's new baby's memory album. And if you are planning to give edible gifts, you can start gathering the ingredients now. Keep an eye on the supermarket specials and buy ingredients when they are cheap, start collecting jars, baskets and other containers you might need come December.
Money for Sales and Christmas
Talking of Christmas in July reminded me of what I do to have money when sales or Christmas comes along. I buy a gift card when I do my weekly shopping, or when I go to a major hardware store. I don't miss the $20 each week. Then I use these cards when sales are on and last Christmas the cards helped us through two very expensive weeks without touching our savings. Twenty dollars in a purse disappears very quickly, the cards tend not to be used except in an 'emergency'. Any cards left over can be used as Christmas gifts.
Contributed by Iva
Plan and Save for those Service Gifts
Do you give gifts to teachers, day carers, the garbo? Perhaps you like to thank the staff in the Post Office for always being cheerful no matter how long and cranky the queue is or you may have a gift exchange at work or your craft group. Start saving now, just $2 or $5 a week. While you're saving look around for suitable gifts on sale, on the 'reduced to clear' table or that you can make that will fit within your budget. Search op shops, dollar stores, discount department shops, local markets and even garage sales. With time and ready cash you will be able to find the perfect gift of the garbo and the Post Office staff, and give your child's teacher a gift they'll really love.
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 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
Rhubarb and Apple Sponge
This is a delicious pudding for a cold winter's night. I serve it with custard and stretch it to eight serves, which gives us dessert for two nights.
Rhubarb and Apple Sponge
Ingredients:
500g rhubarb cut into 2cm pieces
2 medium apples, thinly sliced
¼ cup castor sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
¼ cup water
2 eggs
1/3 cup caster sugar, extra
2 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp self-raising flour
Method:
Combine rhubarb, apples, sugar, lemon rind and water in a large saucepan. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or until tender. Pour hot rhubarb mixture into deep, greased, ovenproof casserole dish (6 cup capacity). Beat eggs in small bowl with electric mixer until thick and creamy, about five minutes. Gradually add extra sugar, beating until dissolved between each addition. Sift flours over egg mixture, fold through gently. Spread mixture evenly over hot rhubarb mixture, bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Swedish Meatballs, Cream Sauce, noodles
Tuesday: Pasta Bake, salad
Wednesday: Chicken pie, veggies
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Fish cakes, salad
Saturday: Hamburgers
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
Eating on the Road
We are away at the moment, travelling in the outback, and thoroughly enjoying being away. And we are doing it on a budget, as always.
The biggest expense is fuel, the next biggest is food. And just like at home, we have a grocery budget and we have to stick to it. To keep our costs down, because prices in remote areas are expensive and choice is limited (many places only have frozen bread for instance because they only get a delivery once a week or once a fortnight), we fill our travelling pantry and prepare meals at home.
Before we leave home I do a meal plan. It looks something like this:
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Giving Handmade Gifts? Start Making them Now; Money for Sales and Christmas; Plan and Save for those Service Gifts
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Rhubarb and Apple Sponge
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Eating on the Road
6. The Weekly MOO Challenge - Pickled Rhubarb
7. Cheapskates Buzz
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
9. Handmade Christmas Challenge - Create a No-fail Homemade Gift Giving Plan
10. Join the Cheapskates Club
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Welcome new Cheapskaters! We're so glad you are here, and can't wait to meet you. Don't forget to say hello in the forum.
Our goal as Cheapskaters is to live life debt free, cashed up and laughing. Here's one of my most favourite quotes, that helps me, and it can help you, live the Cheapskates way (debt free, cashed up and laughing).
“The most successful people are those who are good at plan B.”
James Yorke
It is almost my life plan (I usually have Plans A, B, C and D with a Plan E as a backup).
For new Cheapskates it's a matter of determining what you want and where you want to be and then how to get it. Step-by-step, consistency will get you there without major dramas, or worse still, withdrawals from extravagance.
This is Plan A. Nice, easy to follow and straightforward. Until that curve ball comes out of nowhere and knocks Plan A to pieces. It might be something unexpected like the car needing a major overhaul or the washing machine falling apart or it could just be something as simple as regular over-time being cut and the budget taking a serious beating.
When this happens you fall back on Plan B.
For a Cheapskater Plan B is exactly the same as Plan A: you decide on your goals and how to reach them. Then step-by-step, steadily and consistently you work towards them.
Use the tools you have available: The Article Archive, Cheapskates Tip Store, our fantastic Tip Sheets, the Recipe File, the Member's Forum, even the weekly newsletter will give you ideas that will help you complete not only your Plan A but your Plans B, C, D and E if you ever need them.
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
Giving Handmade Gifts?
Start Making them Now!If you are going to be making your gifts this year START NOW! Christmas Eve is not the time to be putting the finishing (and starting) touches on Grandma's quilt or your cousin's new baby's memory album. And if you are planning to give edible gifts, you can start gathering the ingredients now. Keep an eye on the supermarket specials and buy ingredients when they are cheap, start collecting jars, baskets and other containers you might need come December.
Money for Sales and Christmas
Talking of Christmas in July reminded me of what I do to have money when sales or Christmas comes along. I buy a gift card when I do my weekly shopping, or when I go to a major hardware store. I don't miss the $20 each week. Then I use these cards when sales are on and last Christmas the cards helped us through two very expensive weeks without touching our savings. Twenty dollars in a purse disappears very quickly, the cards tend not to be used except in an 'emergency'. Any cards left over can be used as Christmas gifts.
Contributed by Iva
Plan and Save for those Service Gifts
Do you give gifts to teachers, day carers, the garbo? Perhaps you like to thank the staff in the Post Office for always being cheerful no matter how long and cranky the queue is or you may have a gift exchange at work or your craft group. Start saving now, just $2 or $5 a week. While you're saving look around for suitable gifts on sale, on the 'reduced to clear' table or that you can make that will fit within your budget. Search op shops, dollar stores, discount department shops, local markets and even garage sales. With time and ready cash you will be able to find the perfect gift of the garbo and the Post Office staff, and give your child's teacher a gift they'll really love.
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 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
Rhubarb and Apple Sponge
This is a delicious pudding for a cold winter's night. I serve it with custard and stretch it to eight serves, which gives us dessert for two nights.
Rhubarb and Apple Sponge
Ingredients:
500g rhubarb cut into 2cm pieces
2 medium apples, thinly sliced
¼ cup castor sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
¼ cup water
2 eggs
1/3 cup caster sugar, extra
2 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp self-raising flour
Method:
Combine rhubarb, apples, sugar, lemon rind and water in a large saucepan. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or until tender. Pour hot rhubarb mixture into deep, greased, ovenproof casserole dish (6 cup capacity). Beat eggs in small bowl with electric mixer until thick and creamy, about five minutes. Gradually add extra sugar, beating until dissolved between each addition. Sift flours over egg mixture, fold through gently. Spread mixture evenly over hot rhubarb mixture, bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Swedish Meatballs, Cream Sauce, noodles
Tuesday: Pasta Bake, salad
Wednesday: Chicken pie, veggies
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Fish cakes, salad
Saturday: Hamburgers
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
Eating on the Road
We are away at the moment, travelling in the outback, and thoroughly enjoying being away. And we are doing it on a budget, as always.
The biggest expense is fuel, the next biggest is food. And just like at home, we have a grocery budget and we have to stick to it. To keep our costs down, because prices in remote areas are expensive and choice is limited (many places only have frozen bread for instance because they only get a delivery once a week or once a fortnight), we fill our travelling pantry and prepare meals at home.
Before we leave home I do a meal plan. It looks something like this:
Then I shop the pantry. There's nothing on the list that needs to be bought other than UHT milk and cream. Everything else comes from the pantry, just as it would if we were eating at home.
To make life easier when we're travelling I'll cook ahead and freeze meals. Haystacks, stews and casseroles, meatballs, spag bol etc. are all frozen in meal sizes and then I vacuum seal them so they can be heated in the bag in a pot of boiling water. It saves on cleaning up and water, and when we only have the water we can carry, we don't want to waste it.
Cheese is grated or sliced or cubed, depending on how it's going to be used and put in ziplock bags. We use wraps when the fresh bread runs out, as they keep fresh longer.
We use UHT milk and cream because they don't need to be refrigerated until they are opened, and fridge space is at a premium.
Vegetables are put into meal portions and vac sealed. Then we have the option of boiling them in the bag or baking them in the camp oven. And they stay fresh longer.
Before we leave home the cake and biscuit tins are filled with things like boiled fruit cakes, Lunchbox Cookies, shortbread, ANAZAC slice - all things that carry well and last a decent length of time.
We eat well when we travel, and it doesn't cost any more than it would to eat at home.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. The Weekly MOO Challenge
Pickled RhubarbIt's delicious! It goes well with cheese, it's great on a salad plate, and it is so easy to MOO. And it makes a nice gift too, or addition to a hamper. Just saying.
A few weeks ago I was gifted a bunch of rhubarb and I whipped up a batch of pickled rhubarb, just in time to put a jar in the fridge to take away with us.
Pickled rhubarb is easy to make, and if you grow rhubarb, it's cheap too. If you MOO apple cider vinegar too, then you can make it for just a few cents.
Always start with sterilised jars, just to be safe.
Wash the rhubarb well, and then cut it into 1 inch chunks, the perfect size to stab with a toothpick and eat with a cheese cube.
You will need:
500g rhubarb stalks, washed and cut into 2 - 3 cm chunks
1-½ cups water
¾ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
Method:
Bring the water, sugar, cider vinegar and salt to a boil. Stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Cool slightly. Pack the rhubarb into clean, sterilised jars. Pour the brine over, to cover the rhubarb. Seal straight away. Place in fridge to chill. Can be eaten as soon as chilled, but the pickles are better if left for a week. They will keep in the fridge for months..
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Rock Cakes - An Afternoon Tea Tradition
Spice Up Your Cooking with These Simple Food Storage Mixes
Stuck Inside? Get a Head start on Your Summer Clothing Saving Plan
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Dehydrating - tips, hints and recipes!
Tuna Tuesdays
Breville Pie Maker
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays and Thursdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AET
Latest Shows
To make life easier when we're travelling I'll cook ahead and freeze meals. Haystacks, stews and casseroles, meatballs, spag bol etc. are all frozen in meal sizes and then I vacuum seal them so they can be heated in the bag in a pot of boiling water. It saves on cleaning up and water, and when we only have the water we can carry, we don't want to waste it.
Cheese is grated or sliced or cubed, depending on how it's going to be used and put in ziplock bags. We use wraps when the fresh bread runs out, as they keep fresh longer.
We use UHT milk and cream because they don't need to be refrigerated until they are opened, and fridge space is at a premium.
Vegetables are put into meal portions and vac sealed. Then we have the option of boiling them in the bag or baking them in the camp oven. And they stay fresh longer.
Before we leave home the cake and biscuit tins are filled with things like boiled fruit cakes, Lunchbox Cookies, shortbread, ANAZAC slice - all things that carry well and last a decent length of time.
We eat well when we travel, and it doesn't cost any more than it would to eat at home.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. The Weekly MOO Challenge
Pickled RhubarbIt's delicious! It goes well with cheese, it's great on a salad plate, and it is so easy to MOO. And it makes a nice gift too, or addition to a hamper. Just saying.
A few weeks ago I was gifted a bunch of rhubarb and I whipped up a batch of pickled rhubarb, just in time to put a jar in the fridge to take away with us.
Pickled rhubarb is easy to make, and if you grow rhubarb, it's cheap too. If you MOO apple cider vinegar too, then you can make it for just a few cents.
Always start with sterilised jars, just to be safe.
Wash the rhubarb well, and then cut it into 1 inch chunks, the perfect size to stab with a toothpick and eat with a cheese cube.
You will need:
500g rhubarb stalks, washed and cut into 2 - 3 cm chunks
1-½ cups water
¾ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
Method:
Bring the water, sugar, cider vinegar and salt to a boil. Stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Cool slightly. Pack the rhubarb into clean, sterilised jars. Pour the brine over, to cover the rhubarb. Seal straight away. Place in fridge to chill. Can be eaten as soon as chilled, but the pickles are better if left for a week. They will keep in the fridge for months..
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Rock Cakes - An Afternoon Tea Tradition
Spice Up Your Cooking with These Simple Food Storage Mixes
Stuck Inside? Get a Head start on Your Summer Clothing Saving Plan
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Dehydrating - tips, hints and recipes!
Tuna Tuesdays
Breville Pie Maker
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
Create a No-fail Homemade Gift Giving Plan
Homemade gifts are special. Receiving a gift that has been made by the giver, knowing that they have put time and effort into making something just for you is priceless. Occasionally though, those homemade gifts are not quite the success they are intended to be.
So what’s the secret of successful homemade gifts?
There are a couple of important things to remember. The first rule is that, as with any gift, the more it taps into the receiver’s interests and passions, the better.
The second is that homemade gifts shouldn’t be second rate products that are cobbled together inexpertly – so make sure you have the skills or a backup plan in case something goes wrong.
On this basis, the best place to start is to decide what you can make that will also be a good quality gift. Ideally it needs to be well made, useful, beautiful or perhaps a memorable keepsake in some other way. There are lots of things that you can make at home without special skills or craft equipment, but over-ambitiousness and poor workmanship can be the ruin of your gift giving plan.
If you’re going to try to save money by making homemade gifts, there are two strategies you’ll have to adopt. The first is to make sure it’s not going to cost you more than it would to buy an equivalent item at retail prices. The second is to make sure you have enough time to make things. The rule of thumb is that homemade gifts can turn out to be a bit more complicated and time-consuming than you may have anticipated.
Don't wait until the week before Christmas to start that hand-quilted knee rug for Granny, unless you have absolutely nothing else to do and are prepared to stay up 24 hours a day until Christmas Day to get it done.
I like to allow at least twice the amount of time I think a project will take. This leaves room for mistakes and repeat steps and still gives plenty of time to take things slowly and get them done properly.
To minimize expensive setup costs, it makes sense to specialize, and make several of the same (or similar) things. You’ll save by making half a dozen decoupage boxes, rather than having to shell out on the tools and materials needed for a variety of different crafts.
When it comes to the people for whom your gifts are intended, ask yourself whether whatever it is you are making is really their thing. Just because you love your chosen hobby or craft, is it what they really want? Some of us just aren’t handmade or rustic gift kind of people.
That doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy a conventional present. It does mean that you need to think it through. Someone who’ll blanch with horror when they open their gift to find a hand-knitted beanie may go crazy for home-made condiments or some mouth-watering, authentic gourmet snacks.
Sometimes the pleasure of a homemade gift is the creative idea behind it, rather than the master craftsmanship that you’re no doubt aiming for. Only you can come up with those creative ideas that make gifts personal and memorable for the recipient. A really humorous gift that is ideal for the receiver’s lifestyle and personality can be a hit because of the concept and the thought you’ve put into it – but that still doesn’t mean you can skimp on quality.
So don’t get carried away and remember that a successful homemade gift giving plan means making a bunch of smart decisions. Get it right and you’ll have the satisfaction of creating your gifts and of seeing the pleasure that your handiwork gives to others.
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.
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 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
Contact Cheapskates
9. Handmade Christmas Challenge
Create a No-fail Homemade Gift Giving Plan
Homemade gifts are special. Receiving a gift that has been made by the giver, knowing that they have put time and effort into making something just for you is priceless. Occasionally though, those homemade gifts are not quite the success they are intended to be.
So what’s the secret of successful homemade gifts?
There are a couple of important things to remember. The first rule is that, as with any gift, the more it taps into the receiver’s interests and passions, the better.
The second is that homemade gifts shouldn’t be second rate products that are cobbled together inexpertly – so make sure you have the skills or a backup plan in case something goes wrong.
On this basis, the best place to start is to decide what you can make that will also be a good quality gift. Ideally it needs to be well made, useful, beautiful or perhaps a memorable keepsake in some other way. There are lots of things that you can make at home without special skills or craft equipment, but over-ambitiousness and poor workmanship can be the ruin of your gift giving plan.
If you’re going to try to save money by making homemade gifts, there are two strategies you’ll have to adopt. The first is to make sure it’s not going to cost you more than it would to buy an equivalent item at retail prices. The second is to make sure you have enough time to make things. The rule of thumb is that homemade gifts can turn out to be a bit more complicated and time-consuming than you may have anticipated.
Don't wait until the week before Christmas to start that hand-quilted knee rug for Granny, unless you have absolutely nothing else to do and are prepared to stay up 24 hours a day until Christmas Day to get it done.
I like to allow at least twice the amount of time I think a project will take. This leaves room for mistakes and repeat steps and still gives plenty of time to take things slowly and get them done properly.
To minimize expensive setup costs, it makes sense to specialize, and make several of the same (or similar) things. You’ll save by making half a dozen decoupage boxes, rather than having to shell out on the tools and materials needed for a variety of different crafts.
When it comes to the people for whom your gifts are intended, ask yourself whether whatever it is you are making is really their thing. Just because you love your chosen hobby or craft, is it what they really want? Some of us just aren’t handmade or rustic gift kind of people.
That doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy a conventional present. It does mean that you need to think it through. Someone who’ll blanch with horror when they open their gift to find a hand-knitted beanie may go crazy for home-made condiments or some mouth-watering, authentic gourmet snacks.
Sometimes the pleasure of a homemade gift is the creative idea behind it, rather than the master craftsmanship that you’re no doubt aiming for. Only you can come up with those creative ideas that make gifts personal and memorable for the recipient. A really humorous gift that is ideal for the receiver’s lifestyle and personality can be a hit because of the concept and the thought you’ve put into it – but that still doesn’t mean you can skimp on quality.
So don’t get carried away and remember that a successful homemade gift giving plan means making a bunch of smart decisions. Get it right and you’ll have the satisfaction of creating your gifts and of seeing the pleasure that your handiwork gives to others.
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.
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 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
Contact Cheapskates