Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 32:17
In this Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - Microfibre Cloths for Chemo Patients; Recycle Disposable Cups into Pooper Scoopers; Tissue Box Gift Tags & Magazine Gift Wrap
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Cream Cheese Patties
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - How to Build Your Stockpile
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. Member's Featured Blog - Pregnancy Cravings & Spending Freeze just don't Mix!
8. Last Week's Question - Where to buy bulk bicarb and citric acid
9. This Week's Question - How to clean a leather lounge without spending a fortune
10. Ask Cath
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Welcome to all our new Cheapskates Club members, it's great to have you join the club. And welcome to all the new monthly members too, I had no idea there would be so many. Don't forget to log in to the Member's Forum and introduce yourselves, we are a very friendly bunch, I promise.
The sun is shining through the window as I'm typing this, and it is so warm, I'm itching for spring and warmer weather.
This week's birthday celebration bonus is three months free for new members. Just join the Cheapskates Club before 8pm Wednesday 16th July 2017 and you'll automatically receive three months free membership.
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
Microfibre Cloths for Chemo Patients
Good oral hygiene is essential during chemotherapy, however many patients become afflicted with multiple mouth ulcers. Whilst undergoing chemo, my mouth quickly became too sore to clean my teeth with even the softest baby's toothbrush. Toothpaste and bicarb soda further irritated the ulcers. In desperation, I discovered gently rubbing with microfibre cloths left my teeth feeling clean but was gentle to my gums. I cut a couple of cloths into nine smaller pieces and zig-zagged the edges with my sewing machine. I used a square each time I wanted to "clean" my teeth. The squares were easily washed and dried ready for re-use. As recommended, I also rinsed my mouth several times daily with a mild salt water. Microfibre cloths are also much gentler than face washers for your skin when going through chemo.
Contributed by Simone Button
Recycle Disposable Cups into Pooper Scoopers
We quite often buy takeaway coffee form the Coles Service Stations and I take the cups home rinse them out and use them for picking up doggy poop. It's then easy to dispose of in the rubbish bin. I used to use plastic bags, this way is much easier and cleaner.
Contributed by Jan Carstairs
Tissue Box Gift Tags & Magazine Gift Wrap
Since becoming a Cheapskate I've started to look at everyday items a bit differently and wondered how I could re-use rather than recycle, them. I choose my tissues with the attractiveness of the box in mind, so it seemed a waste to throw it away once it was empty. Nowadays I cut my empty tissue boxes up to create gift tags - punch a hole and add a coordinating ribbon or string (I cut out the shoulder hanging-ribbons from my clothing and save these) and you have a personalized gift tag). I do the same with attractive magazine pages; before putting them out to recycle, I flick through and tear out any full page or large pretty pictures and save these to use these as wrapping papers. The effect of this can be both unique and attractive, not 'cheap'. I've even been complemented on my creative gift-wrapping. All this costs you is a little time, with a potential saving of approximately $2-$8 per gift.
Contributed by Therese Krix
There are currently more than 12,000 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. On the Menu
Cream Cheese Patties
I LOVE these patties. They are my all-time favourite patty/burger/rissole. My Aunty Gloria taught me to make them when I was about 15 - 16 so I've been making them and loving them for a long time. They are so good hot, but they're even better cold, on a bun with salad. Or on a plate with salad. Or just on their own for a quick snack. And they're cheap - the most expensive ingredient is the cream cheese. I buy either Aldi or Coles cream cheese for this recipe (Kraft Philadelphia is just too expensive, even on sale). Occasionally the deli will have Neufchâtel on sale and it makes a good substitute.
Cream Cheese Patties
Ingredients:
250g cream cheese
1 cup rice
1 large onion, grated
1 large carrot, grated
1 egg
1/2 tsp mixed herbs
Olive oil for frying
Shake'n'bake
1/2 cup milk
Method:
Cook the rice in boiling salted water for 12 minutes. Dice cream cheese into 2cm cubes (this makes it easier to melt). Drain rice. Add remaining ingredients, except shake'n'bake, milk and olive oil, to the hot rice, stirring to melt the cream cheese. Take 1/4 cup of mixture, shape into a patty. Dip in milk then in shake'n'bake to coat. Let the patties rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before frying in hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Can be served hot or cold.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Lamb
Monday: Rissoles, veggies, gravy
Tuesday: Mushroom & Parmesan Risotto
Wednesday: Finger food– spring rolls, dim sims, samosas, salad
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Haystacks
Saturday: Homemade Subs
In the fruit bowl: lemons, bananas, apples
In the cake tin: Coffee cake, chocolate slab cake, orange cup cakes
There are over 1,500 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File.
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge
How to Build Your Stockpile Part 1
"Stockpile -
A supply stored for future use, usually carefully accrued and maintained"
I've had a lot of questions about my stockpile: how big it is, how long it took to get to this stage, what I stockpile, where I store it, where I buy the groceries, how much do I pay for them, how do I use them all - so many good questions, especially if you are new to living the Cheapskates way and/or just starting a grocery stockpile.
Over the next few weeks I'll cover the different steps to establishing a stockpile that will save you money, time and energy, but more importantly that you will use. There's no point in having a pantry full of groceries if you never use them.
When you first start to live the Cheapskates way you are very conscious of where you spend your money, especially when it is in the supermarket. Convenience packets and mixes are swapped for raw ingredients and basic pantry items in an effort to get the most from your grocery money.
Indeed, many new Cheapskaters find that in the beginning they are spending more on groceries each week than they were in their spendthrifting days. This isn't unusual and is to be expected; after all many households are building a pantry from scratch as well as learning to cook this way.
It won't be long before spending will swing around and you'll be spending less, keeping a better stocked pantry and eating better than ever before. You'll also start accumulating some of your more frequently used items to use in the future. This is the start of your pantry stockpile.
Building a stockpile takes time. While it would be fun to go to the supermarket and load those trolleys with six months' worth of groceries, it's just not practical. Cost is of course a big factor, but more than that you need to have a plan, somewhere to store everything and ways to use it all up.
Start off with adding one or two extra basics to your list next time you shop. It might be an extra packet of pasta or sugar or another box of cereal. Continue in this way until you have your stockpile. Aim to have a stockpile that will let you skip grocery shopping for a week. Then aim for a fortnight, a month and build up to three months.
The thing to remember is that not everyone cooks or eats the same foods, so not everyone will stockpile the same foods, or even the same quantities.
Your stockpile, like your Emergency Fund, will be unique to you and your situation. Build it up until you are comfortable.
Then you can shop at home first, and use supermarkets to replace your stockpile items.
Next week I'll share some practical tips that will help you get your stockpile started.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
Most popular forum posts this week
Sharing Advice About How to Teach Children Live Frugally
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3611-Sharing-advice-about-how-to-teach-children-live-frugally&p=64878#post64878
Getting Back on the Cheapskate Path
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3615-Getting-Back-on-the-Cheapskate-Path
Breakfast Club for School Kids!
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3617-Breakfast-Club-for-school-kids!
Most popular blog posts this week
Finding a Substitute for that Weird Ingredient
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2014/07/this-week-in-300-month-food-challenge.html
The Cheapskates Way to Stretch Expensive Cheeses
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2014/08/the-cheapskates-way-to-stretch.html
MOO Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/05/moo-condensed-cream-of-chicken-soup.html
7. Members 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 Stewpod.
Pregnancy Cravings & Spending Freeze just don't Mix!
Okay, so having a spending freeze, and being pregnant do not go well together. All last week I had cravings, which I ended up giving into, because if they last more than 24 hours they drive me crazy. So, our spending freeze was non-existent last week. However...not once did we use a credit card!
Everything I got was bought with cash, and it was spare cash so our bills are still all paid.
My POM account actually came in handy also! As Saturday I was taking Caitlin, my Nice, and Nephew to a free carnival that our council had going. On our way, my car broke down! I was stressing out thinking of all the $$ it would cost, my car never brakes down! I luckily, on a Saturday at 10 am, broke down right outside a mechanics! I walked in, and explained I had 3 kids in the car, plus I am obviously pregnant, told them what happened, and even though they were closing at 12 pm, they looked at my car. I am so lucky that a part of my hand brake got jammed (which happened on the driveway of my Niece and nephew as it is very steep), and all that was needed to fix it was to take it apart and reset it! No parts, just labour. So even though I was out of pocket unexpectedly, I covered it out of my POM account. My POM is now super low...but my emergency savings is still going strong.
So, we are getting back on track this week, once again. I don't feel too bad because for once, we have gotten things with cash, but at the same time, our POM savings won't be much this month, because all the extra we have basically spent! Today I am writing out my menu for next month, I will be doing a lot of super easy meals, a lot of stir fry's etc, as I am getting very tired at the end of this pregnancy. I also have a list of things that need to be done by the last week of April which is when I'll be 37 weeks pregnant, I'd like everything done by then so I am ready.
My list is:
Pre-prepare at least 20 meals for freezing
Put a shelf up in baby's room
Pack hospital bags
Get some new Pjs
Get haircut
Get eyebrow wax & tint
Get make up - foundation & mascara (I am running very low)
It would be so much easier if we had room for a chest freezer, but alas that isn't possible. I need to be creative with meal storage in our freezer.
So yeah that's it for my week, a complete blow out, but yeah, life happens!
Login to read more Cheapskates Club Member blogs
8. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Barbara who wrote
"I am hoping that you can help me, please. I want to make some bath bombs, soap, and other similar things with my granddaughter. Many of the simple recipes ask for bicarbonate of soda and citric acid but I can't find a bricks and mortar place to buy either substance in large quantities, say 1lb or 1kg. Would you know of anywhere in the Melbourne area or suburbs, that I could try? I'd rather not buy online."
Elly S. answered
Asian grocers are a great place to buy bi carb, you can buy bulk, 1-2kgs bags for about $5. They also have other cupboard staples for a lot cheaper than even the big supermarkets.
Niki C. answered
Both are used in cleaning products, so try commercial cleaners’ suppliers. They're also used in baking so ditto commercial bakery suppliers. Try Melbourne Food Distributors in Clayton for 1kg citric acid, 500g bicarb. Aurora Cleaning in Dandenong South has citric acid in bulk 5kg buckets too.
Kellie Paul answered
Try your local stock feed merchant. I can buy 25kg bags of Sodium bicarbonate, used for horses and cattle, for around $20 (although I am in regional NSW).
Kate Crawford answered
I would try catering suppliers for the citric acid, I'm in a large regional town and we have three catering warehouses.
Alison Horner answered
Costco is the place for bicarb soda. It is in 5kg bags and under $15.
9. This Week's Question
Rebecca writes
"I have been given a beautiful cream coloured leather lounge but I can see a few marks and dirt on it. What do I use to clean it? I feel like it needs a good scrub with a scourer but obviously that would wreck the leather. Any suggestions?
Do you have the answer?
If you can help Rebecca, let us know. We'll enter your answer into our Tip of the Week competition, with a one-year membership to the Cheapskates Club as the prize too.
Send your answer
10. Ask Cath
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 10 cents a day 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. 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.
How do I know when my membership should be renewed?
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.
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.
Read our privacy policy
How Did You Get on Our List?
You signed up to receive our Free Newsletter at our Cheapskates Club Web site or are a Platinum Cheapskates Club member
13. Contact Details
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - Microfibre Cloths for Chemo Patients; Recycle Disposable Cups into Pooper Scoopers; Tissue Box Gift Tags & Magazine Gift Wrap
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Cream Cheese Patties
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - How to Build Your Stockpile
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. Member's Featured Blog - Pregnancy Cravings & Spending Freeze just don't Mix!
8. Last Week's Question - Where to buy bulk bicarb and citric acid
9. This Week's Question - How to clean a leather lounge without spending a fortune
10. Ask Cath
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Welcome to all our new Cheapskates Club members, it's great to have you join the club. And welcome to all the new monthly members too, I had no idea there would be so many. Don't forget to log in to the Member's Forum and introduce yourselves, we are a very friendly bunch, I promise.
The sun is shining through the window as I'm typing this, and it is so warm, I'm itching for spring and warmer weather.
This week's birthday celebration bonus is three months free for new members. Just join the Cheapskates Club before 8pm Wednesday 16th July 2017 and you'll automatically receive three months free membership.
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
Microfibre Cloths for Chemo Patients
Good oral hygiene is essential during chemotherapy, however many patients become afflicted with multiple mouth ulcers. Whilst undergoing chemo, my mouth quickly became too sore to clean my teeth with even the softest baby's toothbrush. Toothpaste and bicarb soda further irritated the ulcers. In desperation, I discovered gently rubbing with microfibre cloths left my teeth feeling clean but was gentle to my gums. I cut a couple of cloths into nine smaller pieces and zig-zagged the edges with my sewing machine. I used a square each time I wanted to "clean" my teeth. The squares were easily washed and dried ready for re-use. As recommended, I also rinsed my mouth several times daily with a mild salt water. Microfibre cloths are also much gentler than face washers for your skin when going through chemo.
Contributed by Simone Button
Recycle Disposable Cups into Pooper Scoopers
We quite often buy takeaway coffee form the Coles Service Stations and I take the cups home rinse them out and use them for picking up doggy poop. It's then easy to dispose of in the rubbish bin. I used to use plastic bags, this way is much easier and cleaner.
Contributed by Jan Carstairs
Tissue Box Gift Tags & Magazine Gift Wrap
Since becoming a Cheapskate I've started to look at everyday items a bit differently and wondered how I could re-use rather than recycle, them. I choose my tissues with the attractiveness of the box in mind, so it seemed a waste to throw it away once it was empty. Nowadays I cut my empty tissue boxes up to create gift tags - punch a hole and add a coordinating ribbon or string (I cut out the shoulder hanging-ribbons from my clothing and save these) and you have a personalized gift tag). I do the same with attractive magazine pages; before putting them out to recycle, I flick through and tear out any full page or large pretty pictures and save these to use these as wrapping papers. The effect of this can be both unique and attractive, not 'cheap'. I've even been complemented on my creative gift-wrapping. All this costs you is a little time, with a potential saving of approximately $2-$8 per gift.
Contributed by Therese Krix
There are currently more than 12,000 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. On the Menu
Cream Cheese Patties
I LOVE these patties. They are my all-time favourite patty/burger/rissole. My Aunty Gloria taught me to make them when I was about 15 - 16 so I've been making them and loving them for a long time. They are so good hot, but they're even better cold, on a bun with salad. Or on a plate with salad. Or just on their own for a quick snack. And they're cheap - the most expensive ingredient is the cream cheese. I buy either Aldi or Coles cream cheese for this recipe (Kraft Philadelphia is just too expensive, even on sale). Occasionally the deli will have Neufchâtel on sale and it makes a good substitute.
Cream Cheese Patties
Ingredients:
250g cream cheese
1 cup rice
1 large onion, grated
1 large carrot, grated
1 egg
1/2 tsp mixed herbs
Olive oil for frying
Shake'n'bake
1/2 cup milk
Method:
Cook the rice in boiling salted water for 12 minutes. Dice cream cheese into 2cm cubes (this makes it easier to melt). Drain rice. Add remaining ingredients, except shake'n'bake, milk and olive oil, to the hot rice, stirring to melt the cream cheese. Take 1/4 cup of mixture, shape into a patty. Dip in milk then in shake'n'bake to coat. Let the patties rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before frying in hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Can be served hot or cold.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Lamb
Monday: Rissoles, veggies, gravy
Tuesday: Mushroom & Parmesan Risotto
Wednesday: Finger food– spring rolls, dim sims, samosas, salad
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Haystacks
Saturday: Homemade Subs
In the fruit bowl: lemons, bananas, apples
In the cake tin: Coffee cake, chocolate slab cake, orange cup cakes
There are over 1,500 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File.
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge
How to Build Your Stockpile Part 1
"Stockpile -
A supply stored for future use, usually carefully accrued and maintained"
I've had a lot of questions about my stockpile: how big it is, how long it took to get to this stage, what I stockpile, where I store it, where I buy the groceries, how much do I pay for them, how do I use them all - so many good questions, especially if you are new to living the Cheapskates way and/or just starting a grocery stockpile.
Over the next few weeks I'll cover the different steps to establishing a stockpile that will save you money, time and energy, but more importantly that you will use. There's no point in having a pantry full of groceries if you never use them.
When you first start to live the Cheapskates way you are very conscious of where you spend your money, especially when it is in the supermarket. Convenience packets and mixes are swapped for raw ingredients and basic pantry items in an effort to get the most from your grocery money.
Indeed, many new Cheapskaters find that in the beginning they are spending more on groceries each week than they were in their spendthrifting days. This isn't unusual and is to be expected; after all many households are building a pantry from scratch as well as learning to cook this way.
It won't be long before spending will swing around and you'll be spending less, keeping a better stocked pantry and eating better than ever before. You'll also start accumulating some of your more frequently used items to use in the future. This is the start of your pantry stockpile.
Building a stockpile takes time. While it would be fun to go to the supermarket and load those trolleys with six months' worth of groceries, it's just not practical. Cost is of course a big factor, but more than that you need to have a plan, somewhere to store everything and ways to use it all up.
Start off with adding one or two extra basics to your list next time you shop. It might be an extra packet of pasta or sugar or another box of cereal. Continue in this way until you have your stockpile. Aim to have a stockpile that will let you skip grocery shopping for a week. Then aim for a fortnight, a month and build up to three months.
The thing to remember is that not everyone cooks or eats the same foods, so not everyone will stockpile the same foods, or even the same quantities.
Your stockpile, like your Emergency Fund, will be unique to you and your situation. Build it up until you are comfortable.
Then you can shop at home first, and use supermarkets to replace your stockpile items.
Next week I'll share some practical tips that will help you get your stockpile started.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
Most popular forum posts this week
Sharing Advice About How to Teach Children Live Frugally
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3611-Sharing-advice-about-how-to-teach-children-live-frugally&p=64878#post64878
Getting Back on the Cheapskate Path
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3615-Getting-Back-on-the-Cheapskate-Path
Breakfast Club for School Kids!
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3617-Breakfast-Club-for-school-kids!
Most popular blog posts this week
Finding a Substitute for that Weird Ingredient
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2014/07/this-week-in-300-month-food-challenge.html
The Cheapskates Way to Stretch Expensive Cheeses
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2014/08/the-cheapskates-way-to-stretch.html
MOO Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/05/moo-condensed-cream-of-chicken-soup.html
7. Members 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 Stewpod.
Pregnancy Cravings & Spending Freeze just don't Mix!
Okay, so having a spending freeze, and being pregnant do not go well together. All last week I had cravings, which I ended up giving into, because if they last more than 24 hours they drive me crazy. So, our spending freeze was non-existent last week. However...not once did we use a credit card!
Everything I got was bought with cash, and it was spare cash so our bills are still all paid.
My POM account actually came in handy also! As Saturday I was taking Caitlin, my Nice, and Nephew to a free carnival that our council had going. On our way, my car broke down! I was stressing out thinking of all the $$ it would cost, my car never brakes down! I luckily, on a Saturday at 10 am, broke down right outside a mechanics! I walked in, and explained I had 3 kids in the car, plus I am obviously pregnant, told them what happened, and even though they were closing at 12 pm, they looked at my car. I am so lucky that a part of my hand brake got jammed (which happened on the driveway of my Niece and nephew as it is very steep), and all that was needed to fix it was to take it apart and reset it! No parts, just labour. So even though I was out of pocket unexpectedly, I covered it out of my POM account. My POM is now super low...but my emergency savings is still going strong.
So, we are getting back on track this week, once again. I don't feel too bad because for once, we have gotten things with cash, but at the same time, our POM savings won't be much this month, because all the extra we have basically spent! Today I am writing out my menu for next month, I will be doing a lot of super easy meals, a lot of stir fry's etc, as I am getting very tired at the end of this pregnancy. I also have a list of things that need to be done by the last week of April which is when I'll be 37 weeks pregnant, I'd like everything done by then so I am ready.
My list is:
Pre-prepare at least 20 meals for freezing
Put a shelf up in baby's room
Pack hospital bags
Get some new Pjs
Get haircut
Get eyebrow wax & tint
Get make up - foundation & mascara (I am running very low)
It would be so much easier if we had room for a chest freezer, but alas that isn't possible. I need to be creative with meal storage in our freezer.
So yeah that's it for my week, a complete blow out, but yeah, life happens!
Login to read more Cheapskates Club Member blogs
8. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Barbara who wrote
"I am hoping that you can help me, please. I want to make some bath bombs, soap, and other similar things with my granddaughter. Many of the simple recipes ask for bicarbonate of soda and citric acid but I can't find a bricks and mortar place to buy either substance in large quantities, say 1lb or 1kg. Would you know of anywhere in the Melbourne area or suburbs, that I could try? I'd rather not buy online."
Elly S. answered
Asian grocers are a great place to buy bi carb, you can buy bulk, 1-2kgs bags for about $5. They also have other cupboard staples for a lot cheaper than even the big supermarkets.
Niki C. answered
Both are used in cleaning products, so try commercial cleaners’ suppliers. They're also used in baking so ditto commercial bakery suppliers. Try Melbourne Food Distributors in Clayton for 1kg citric acid, 500g bicarb. Aurora Cleaning in Dandenong South has citric acid in bulk 5kg buckets too.
Kellie Paul answered
Try your local stock feed merchant. I can buy 25kg bags of Sodium bicarbonate, used for horses and cattle, for around $20 (although I am in regional NSW).
Kate Crawford answered
I would try catering suppliers for the citric acid, I'm in a large regional town and we have three catering warehouses.
Alison Horner answered
Costco is the place for bicarb soda. It is in 5kg bags and under $15.
9. This Week's Question
Rebecca writes
"I have been given a beautiful cream coloured leather lounge but I can see a few marks and dirt on it. What do I use to clean it? I feel like it needs a good scrub with a scourer but obviously that would wreck the leather. Any suggestions?
Do you have the answer?
If you can help Rebecca, let us know. We'll enter your answer into our Tip of the Week competition, with a one-year membership to the Cheapskates Club as the prize too.
Send your answer
10. Ask Cath
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 10 cents a day 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. 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.
How do I know when my membership should be renewed?
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.
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.
Read our privacy policy
How Did You Get on Our List?
You signed up to receive our Free Newsletter at our Cheapskates Club Web site or are a Platinum Cheapskates Club member
13. Contact Details
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!