Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 29:19
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Free Fire Starters; Never Lose a Recipe, Price or Shopping List Again; Quick Bathroom Clean-Up
3. This Week's Winning Tip - Portion Control Cheese to Make it Last
4. Share Your Tips
5. On the Menu - Sausage & Vegetable Casserole
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Double the Groceries, Half the Cost
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. The Cheapskates Club Show - Live Tuesday & Thursday
9. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
10. Join the Cheapskates Club
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Another week of living the Cheapskates way is over. And a new week, and new opportunities to save money, time and energy is ahead. Oh, the possibilities!
What can you do to save $5 this week? Or perhaps save $50? Better still, what can you do to put and extra $100 in your Emergency Fund? Do you wonder if it's worth making a change to save $5?
Well let me tell you it is. Most savings aren't huge, they're small, and done often, so that they add up to something big. Knocking $200 off your insurances is great, and something we should aspire to, but that's a one off. Saving $5 on a tank of petrol or $17 off the grocery bill, or $50 on clothes by shopping at the op shop all add up. In fact those three simple things add up to $72 alone. Repeat those small savings over a year, add them to the one-off bigger savings, and before you know it, your savings are growing, and growing, and you've become a champion at saving.
Think about the small savings you can make this week, then get to it!
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Free Fire Starters
When we had a wood fire place we used to buy fire lighters, that got expensive! I discovered that the lint from your clothes dryer stuffed into a empty toilet roll did an amazing job at lighting the fire, you only need 1 or two and you are all set for a cosy night in!
Contributed by Rachael Ryan
Note: We don't have a dryer, so we don't have dryer lint. But I do save the "splinters" from the hearth each morning after it's been swept to use as fire lighters. They are light and catch straight away, so don't just toss them into fire, save them in a container to use as fire lighters. Cath
Never Lose a Recipe, Price or Shopping List Again
There is a free app called Trello which was designed for project management that has helped me organize my entire life. I really needed that becoming a mom during a difficult financial period for our family. Within the app I have a menu planning board where I can quickly save all of my recipes and find them in once place on any device easily. They are organized very well, include checklists of ingredients, cooking times, links, images and it integrates into a calendar. I may only plan 4-5 meals a week and can easily move the meal cards around the calendar to work with my changing schedule. I also have a board for my shopping needs. When I am
I’m a shop, I never forget what I need anymore. I have a Christmas list where I note what my family members are really wanting so I can keep that in mind all year to pick up those items on sale. I have boards for my business, my garden, property projects. I don’t stock pile, or keep track of prices the way you do, however this app is so flexible and dynamic you can design your boards to easily to keep track of everything and I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it too. The possibility is endless
Contributed by Dana Sziklay
Quick Bathroom Clean-Up
I think we all love the convenience of disposable bathroom wipes to do the daily 'swish and swipe' of the bathroom/, as they easily get into crevices that is not always possible with a rag. They are, however, an unnecessary expense. Besides, those disinfectant wipes from Aldi fall apart and I find I need two per bathroom to do a reasonable job. Not so the Textured Wipes from Aldi. These can be soaked after use and machine washed several times (5 and counting). Then I reuse them using Miracle Spray - the best of both worlds.
Contributed by Jill Histon
Add a Tip
3. This Week's Winning Tip
This week's winning tip is from Sharyn. She has won a one year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip - and it's so doable for everyone.
Portion Control Cheese to Make it Last
"I bought a 1 kg block of cheese ($6) as part of my ‘first’ one month challenge. I portioned 10 small zip bags for what we will use in meals i.e. spag bol, nachos, tuna bake etc. and popped them in the freezer. Then I used an egg cup as a guide to measure individual portions for sandwiches/toasties and wrapped each in a small piece of cling wrap, twisted to seal like a parcel. I made 16 portions, then separated them into four Tupperware containers one for each week of the month and put them in the fridge. "
I do a similar thing, to make sure the cheese lasted the month. I'd cut each block in half and use my cheese slicer to slice one half, then grate the other half. Everyone knew the grated cheese wasn't to be touched, but they could use the sliced cheese. But once it was gone, that was it until the next month.
Congratulations Sharyn, I hope you enjoy your Cheapskates Club membership.
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; 1,700 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.
4. 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
5. On The Menu
I'm not a fan of grilled, fried or barbecued sausages, but I love them curried and in a casserole, and this casserole is tasty, easy, and perfect winter comfort food.
Sausage & Vegetable Casserole
Ingredients:
8 sausages
1 tbsp oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp mixed herbs
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
2 large carrots, sliced
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
600ml chicken or vegetable stock
Method:
Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
Boil the sausages for five minutes, drain and remove skins. Cut into chunks.
Heat oil in frying pan. Add garlic, onion, mixed herbs, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard and tomato paste. Stir to combine and cook until onion is soft - about five minutes.
Place in an oiled casserole dish. Add vegetables, stock and sausages. Stir gently to combine.
Put lid on casserole dish. Bake for 2 hours, stirring every half hour.
Serve with mash.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Fish, wedges, salad
Tuesday: Spinach Ricotta Lasagne, salad
Wednesday: Vegetable curry, rice, naan
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Sausage & veg casserole
Saturday: Leftover roast pies
In the fruit bowl: mandarins, bananas
There are over 1,700 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
6. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
Double the Groceries, Half the Cost
Idilute just about everything! Why? Because most things can be diluted up to half and still give the same excellent results.
Case in point dishwashing detergent. I buy the Tandil Ultra Dishwashing Detergent from Aldi or concentrated Morning Fresh when It's on half-price and under $2 a bottle. I buy six bottles a year and dilute each bottle 50:50 with cool water, giving me twelve bottles for the price of six - enough to last a year. I also add 500 grams of bicarb soda to the dishwashing powder to stretch it. That 1.5 kilos of powder then does 60 washes (two level teaspoons per load, and yes I measure it, there is a spoon in the detergent container). I only need to buy six boxes of dishwasher powder a year, saving $7.20 (I buy Savings brand dishwasher powder from Coles).
Shampoo and conditioner are diluted 50:50 with water and then dispensed with a pump - one pump for short hair, two pumps for long hair.
I also “dilute” groceries: I use half the quantity of mince in a recipe and bulk it out with either rolled oats, TVP, rice or grated vegetables; I add stock to stretch soup; I add milk to salad dressing and mayonnaise; I add breadcrumbs to grated cheese in a recipe; there are so many ways you can stretch your groceries when you get creative.
Baking is diluted too. Biscuits are no more than two teaspoons of dough, rolled and flattened. I use the smaller cutter to make scones. When I make a slice, it is cut into 3cm squares; that gives me 15 pieces from one slice tray, three more serves than most recipes give.
Diluting groceries saves a lot of money, and no, it's not being mean. It is frowned upon by manufacturers and grocers (I've been told in person that they don't like me sharing the Rule of Half) - that's fine, they're not living on my grocery budget. If they were they'd be diluting too - and loving it just as much as I do.
If I dilute something and it isn't just as good then I don't bother again. But I always try because I just love getting double the groceries for half the cost.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Create MOO Mixes in 5 Easy Steps
Finding the Time to Live Like a Cheapskat
Gourmet Coffee the Cheapskates Way
Most Popular Blog Posts This Week
Simple Trim Makes Pretty Face Washers
Is This All Just About Frugality?
How I Write My Shopping List
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays and Thursdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AET
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.
Thursday: Cheapskates in the Kitchen - want to know how to cook delicious, healthy and cheap meals? Watch Cath and Hannah as they create cheapskates style cuisine and share their favourite recipes.
Latest Shows
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Free Fire Starters; Never Lose a Recipe, Price or Shopping List Again; Quick Bathroom Clean-Up
3. This Week's Winning Tip - Portion Control Cheese to Make it Last
4. Share Your Tips
5. On the Menu - Sausage & Vegetable Casserole
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Double the Groceries, Half the Cost
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. The Cheapskates Club Show - Live Tuesday & Thursday
9. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
10. Join the Cheapskates Club
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Another week of living the Cheapskates way is over. And a new week, and new opportunities to save money, time and energy is ahead. Oh, the possibilities!
What can you do to save $5 this week? Or perhaps save $50? Better still, what can you do to put and extra $100 in your Emergency Fund? Do you wonder if it's worth making a change to save $5?
Well let me tell you it is. Most savings aren't huge, they're small, and done often, so that they add up to something big. Knocking $200 off your insurances is great, and something we should aspire to, but that's a one off. Saving $5 on a tank of petrol or $17 off the grocery bill, or $50 on clothes by shopping at the op shop all add up. In fact those three simple things add up to $72 alone. Repeat those small savings over a year, add them to the one-off bigger savings, and before you know it, your savings are growing, and growing, and you've become a champion at saving.
Think about the small savings you can make this week, then get to it!
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Free Fire Starters
When we had a wood fire place we used to buy fire lighters, that got expensive! I discovered that the lint from your clothes dryer stuffed into a empty toilet roll did an amazing job at lighting the fire, you only need 1 or two and you are all set for a cosy night in!
Contributed by Rachael Ryan
Note: We don't have a dryer, so we don't have dryer lint. But I do save the "splinters" from the hearth each morning after it's been swept to use as fire lighters. They are light and catch straight away, so don't just toss them into fire, save them in a container to use as fire lighters. Cath
Never Lose a Recipe, Price or Shopping List Again
There is a free app called Trello which was designed for project management that has helped me organize my entire life. I really needed that becoming a mom during a difficult financial period for our family. Within the app I have a menu planning board where I can quickly save all of my recipes and find them in once place on any device easily. They are organized very well, include checklists of ingredients, cooking times, links, images and it integrates into a calendar. I may only plan 4-5 meals a week and can easily move the meal cards around the calendar to work with my changing schedule. I also have a board for my shopping needs. When I am
I’m a shop, I never forget what I need anymore. I have a Christmas list where I note what my family members are really wanting so I can keep that in mind all year to pick up those items on sale. I have boards for my business, my garden, property projects. I don’t stock pile, or keep track of prices the way you do, however this app is so flexible and dynamic you can design your boards to easily to keep track of everything and I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it too. The possibility is endless
Contributed by Dana Sziklay
Quick Bathroom Clean-Up
I think we all love the convenience of disposable bathroom wipes to do the daily 'swish and swipe' of the bathroom/, as they easily get into crevices that is not always possible with a rag. They are, however, an unnecessary expense. Besides, those disinfectant wipes from Aldi fall apart and I find I need two per bathroom to do a reasonable job. Not so the Textured Wipes from Aldi. These can be soaked after use and machine washed several times (5 and counting). Then I reuse them using Miracle Spray - the best of both worlds.
Contributed by Jill Histon
Add a Tip
3. This Week's Winning Tip
This week's winning tip is from Sharyn. She has won a one year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip - and it's so doable for everyone.
Portion Control Cheese to Make it Last
"I bought a 1 kg block of cheese ($6) as part of my ‘first’ one month challenge. I portioned 10 small zip bags for what we will use in meals i.e. spag bol, nachos, tuna bake etc. and popped them in the freezer. Then I used an egg cup as a guide to measure individual portions for sandwiches/toasties and wrapped each in a small piece of cling wrap, twisted to seal like a parcel. I made 16 portions, then separated them into four Tupperware containers one for each week of the month and put them in the fridge. "
I do a similar thing, to make sure the cheese lasted the month. I'd cut each block in half and use my cheese slicer to slice one half, then grate the other half. Everyone knew the grated cheese wasn't to be touched, but they could use the sliced cheese. But once it was gone, that was it until the next month.
Congratulations Sharyn, I hope you enjoy your Cheapskates Club membership.
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; 1,700 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.
4. 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
5. On The Menu
I'm not a fan of grilled, fried or barbecued sausages, but I love them curried and in a casserole, and this casserole is tasty, easy, and perfect winter comfort food.
Sausage & Vegetable Casserole
Ingredients:
8 sausages
1 tbsp oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp mixed herbs
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
2 large carrots, sliced
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
600ml chicken or vegetable stock
Method:
Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
Boil the sausages for five minutes, drain and remove skins. Cut into chunks.
Heat oil in frying pan. Add garlic, onion, mixed herbs, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard and tomato paste. Stir to combine and cook until onion is soft - about five minutes.
Place in an oiled casserole dish. Add vegetables, stock and sausages. Stir gently to combine.
Put lid on casserole dish. Bake for 2 hours, stirring every half hour.
Serve with mash.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Fish, wedges, salad
Tuesday: Spinach Ricotta Lasagne, salad
Wednesday: Vegetable curry, rice, naan
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Sausage & veg casserole
Saturday: Leftover roast pies
In the fruit bowl: mandarins, bananas
There are over 1,700 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
6. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
Double the Groceries, Half the Cost
Idilute just about everything! Why? Because most things can be diluted up to half and still give the same excellent results.
Case in point dishwashing detergent. I buy the Tandil Ultra Dishwashing Detergent from Aldi or concentrated Morning Fresh when It's on half-price and under $2 a bottle. I buy six bottles a year and dilute each bottle 50:50 with cool water, giving me twelve bottles for the price of six - enough to last a year. I also add 500 grams of bicarb soda to the dishwashing powder to stretch it. That 1.5 kilos of powder then does 60 washes (two level teaspoons per load, and yes I measure it, there is a spoon in the detergent container). I only need to buy six boxes of dishwasher powder a year, saving $7.20 (I buy Savings brand dishwasher powder from Coles).
Shampoo and conditioner are diluted 50:50 with water and then dispensed with a pump - one pump for short hair, two pumps for long hair.
I also “dilute” groceries: I use half the quantity of mince in a recipe and bulk it out with either rolled oats, TVP, rice or grated vegetables; I add stock to stretch soup; I add milk to salad dressing and mayonnaise; I add breadcrumbs to grated cheese in a recipe; there are so many ways you can stretch your groceries when you get creative.
Baking is diluted too. Biscuits are no more than two teaspoons of dough, rolled and flattened. I use the smaller cutter to make scones. When I make a slice, it is cut into 3cm squares; that gives me 15 pieces from one slice tray, three more serves than most recipes give.
Diluting groceries saves a lot of money, and no, it's not being mean. It is frowned upon by manufacturers and grocers (I've been told in person that they don't like me sharing the Rule of Half) - that's fine, they're not living on my grocery budget. If they were they'd be diluting too - and loving it just as much as I do.
If I dilute something and it isn't just as good then I don't bother again. But I always try because I just love getting double the groceries for half the cost.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Create MOO Mixes in 5 Easy Steps
Finding the Time to Live Like a Cheapskat
Gourmet Coffee the Cheapskates Way
Most Popular Blog Posts This Week
Simple Trim Makes Pretty Face Washers
Is This All Just About Frugality?
How I Write My Shopping List
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays and Thursdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AET
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.
Thursday: Cheapskates in the Kitchen - want to know how to cook delicious, healthy and cheap meals? Watch Cath and Hannah as they create cheapskates style cuisine and share their favourite recipes.
Latest Shows
Coming Up
Thursday 18th July: Aaahh, Waffles!
Tuesday 23rd: July: The Sneaky Way Packaging Costs You Money9. 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
10. Join The Cheapskates Club
For just $25 a 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!
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 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
Thursday 18th July: Aaahh, Waffles!
Tuesday 23rd: July: The Sneaky Way Packaging Costs You Money9. 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
10. Join The Cheapskates Club
For just $25 a 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!
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 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