In this Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - Thighs Are Better Than Breasts; The Family That Cooks Together; Don`t be the First on the Bandwagon
3. Cheapskate's Winning Tip - Style on a Budget at Your Fingertips
4. Share Your Tips
5. Use It Up Month - Use It Up Challenge: Toiletries
6. On the Menu - Vegetable Moussaka
7. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Fresh Milk v Powdered Milk
8. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
9. Last Week's Question - What can I put in my compost bin? 10. This Week's Question -
11. Ask Cath
12. Join the Cheapskates Club
13. Frequently Asked Questions
14. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
This week has been topsy turvy in our house. Hannah and Wayne have both been sick, so lots of hot soup and sympathy has been the orders of the days. Thankfully they both seem to be on the mend.
Otherwise the days flow as they usually do. And I love that. We've worked and planned for a long time to be able to enjoy our days, and do the things we love rather than the things we need to do to survive.
Living the Cheapskates way has given us the freedom to live the lifestyle of our dreams. It wasn't easy for a few years, but in the grand scheme of things, those years where we worked hard to reach our goal are nothing. We have the rest of our lives to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our efforts.
If you're your decision to live the Cheapskates way, look ahead to your goal. If it seems a long way off, break it down to min-goals, and focus on one. When you reach that goal, celebrate and then focus on the next mini-goal. And so on. You can reach your ultimate goal, one min-goal at a time.
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
Thighs Are Better Than Breasts
Approximate $ Savings: $3 or $4.00 a meal
When making apricot chicken, use thigh fillets not breast fillets. I was always very anti thigh fillets, but now I know they are cheaper than breast fillets, and a have lot more taste. We use them at work, and they're great. They cook for longer, and they sure add flavour.
Contributed by Julie
Editor's note: Sometimes breast fillets are the cheaper option at the butcher I use (Australian Butcher), so it pays to check the per kilo price before deciding. But in saying that, bone in chicken thighs make the most delicious casseroles and stews, as the bone releases so much extra flavour, and they are often cheaper per kilo than the boneless fillets. Cath
The Family That Cooks Together
Approximate $ Savings: $20 a week, $1,040 a year
Being a busy working mum of four I find it hard to find quality time with each of my kids. I now shop and cook with my kids; this probably sounds stressful, but they are a great help. They look up recipes beforehand, write out all ingredients and when we get home we cook all sorts of biscuits and slices for the week. This saves me buying expensive "lunch box stuffers" and more importantly improves my relationships with my children.
Contributed by Janelle
Don`t be the First on the Bandwagon
A great way to save money is to delay trends. The media is great at hyping electronics, games, movies, CDs etc. that really may not be very good. Wait a while; use this time to read reputable reviews and make up your own mind. This can save you loads of money. For example, I did not read any of the Twilight books when they first came out: I waited until they were available at the library (even if I reserved them the most I would pay is $8). Considering that they retail for at least $20 each, this gives me a net profit of $72. Similarly, I could rent the Twilight movies from the library (if I reserved them - $4) and as they retail for approximately $30, this has given me a net profit of $56. Think about it - this saves heaps of shelf space and you do eventually get to see it/read it...just a little later!
Contributed by Ruth
There are currently more than 12,000 great tips in the Tip Store
3. Cheapskates Winning Tip
This week's winning tip is from Kaylene Murdoch. Kaylene has won a one-year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip.
Style on a Budget at Your Fingertips
"In January this year I became a full-time SAHM, thanks to all the great tips and ideas my DH and I have picked up from Cheapskates and put to use over the last three years. I wasn't looking forward to cutting back on fashion - yes, my hidden (or not so hidden) secret is that I am a closet fashionista!
Before I finished work in December 2017, we had a long talk about the expectations and realities of living on one wage, and about my fashion addiction. Even though I always bought on sale, or from outlets or op shops, my spending on clothes and shoes still added up. We came up with a plan that fed my need for fashion, without me spending a cent.
It took us three hours one Sunday afternoon, but here's what we did (yes, DH helped me - he's a keeper):
1. Went through my wardrobe, drawers and shelves and took everything out.
2. Sorted the clothes, putting aside a bag to donate. No point in keeping things that were too small, or maternity clothes that won't be needed in the future.
3. Laid everything out on our bed in outfits, including shoes, bags, scarves and jewellery.
4. Used my phone to record the outfits, so I have a record of what goes with what when I'm looking for an outfit.
Now when I'm stumped for something to wear, or feel the urge to go clothes shopping, I can browse through the folder on my phone and pick a "new" outfit to wear. As I nearly always buy classic styles and colours, I'll always look good, no matter what the occasion, without spending a cent.
We have a clothing budget each and using this method I can stick to it, often having some money left at the end of each quarter (when we top up our clothing money). "
Congratulations Kaylene, I hope you enjoy your Cheapskates Club membership and being a full-time stay-at-home mum.
4. 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
5. Use It Up Challenge
Use It Up Challenge: Toiletries
If there's one thing I've learned from have two sons before we were blessed with our daughter, it's that girls, no matter how old, rarely have just one of anything. I don't know where they come from (OK, I really do), and I don't know about your house, but in ours the toiletries just seem to multiply.
They are helped of course by the little samples we collect from motels. And the gift packs we are given. And of course Hannah's collection of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body sprays, make-up, skin care and all the relevant accessories for these things. Oh, and the stockpile! That consists of shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouth wash, body wash, soap, moisturiser, lip balms, hand cream, sunscreen, deodorant and make-up.
This week I went through both bathrooms and worked on consolidation. I took all the partially full bottles of shampoo and conditioner and poured them into one bottle (one for each, not the same bottle).
Then I did the same for the body washes. There may be some new fragrances for a while, but I managed to get rid of four - yes four - partially full bottles of body wash.
I collected the soap shards and put them into the food processor and whizzed them to make Cheapskates washing powder.
In the search I came across a couple of bottles of the same moisturiser, so one was decanted into the other. It was a work of art. I had to carefully prise the top off both bottles, and then I used my tiny funnel from the kitchen to hold the top bottle, propped it against the mirror and left it a couple of hours to drain.
I found quite a few tubes of toothpaste. A scrape with a spoon handle pushed the contents to the top, then I just rolled the tube up and secured the bottom with a bulldog clip. And I let everyone know that there would be no more new toothpaste until these had been used up!
There were a couple of conditioners that Hannah didn’t like. Conditioner makes a great wool wash so they were decanted into a single pump bottle and put in the laundry, ready for washing the woollens before they're put away for the summer.
We have plenty of toiletries in the house, more than enough to last until the end of the year, when I'll do another stocktake and adjust the shopping list.
Some of the unopened gift packs have been put aside to add to Dignity Bags, and the rest have been donated. They're gone from the house, and I know they'll be used by someone.
If you have toiletries you're not using, because they're too nice then remember: you're nice too, so go ahead and use them. Perhaps you don't like them as they are; think outside the square and find a way to use them. Shampoo can become general cleaner or even a liquid laundry liquid, conditioner can be wool wash.
Start using them up. You won't be spending on these things for a while so you'll have some spare cash, and you'll be decluttering. Getting rid of stuff and freeing up space helps keep you organised and gives you control over your environment and a wonderful sense of peace.
The Use It Up Challenge
6. On the Menu
Vegetable Moussaka
A really easy way to keep the grocery budget down, without compromising on health or taste, is to find a few meatless meals your family loves and slip them into the meal plan. We try to have at least one, preferably two, meatless meals a week. If you look at my meal plan, I'm thinking you'd be hard pressed to find the meatless options each week, but they are there.
On Monday when I did the fruit and veg top-up there was a great deal on zucchini, celery and egg plant - the key ingredients in my Vegetable Moussaka. It was already on the meal plan, and I had all three vegetables frozen, ready to use, so I simply swapped the frozen for the fresh, processed the fresh and now they are in the freezer, ready for another dish.
The beauty of this recipe is that the ingredients can be switched around. If I don’t have mushrooms, I'll add extra egg plant or zucchini. I've added thinly sliced sweet potato and pumpkin, used fresh tomatoes in place of tinned.
It freezes well, and tastes better if made a day or two ahead.
Vegetable Moussaka
Ingredients:
2 large egg plant, sliced into 1cm rounds
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large brown onion, diced
125g mushrooms, sliced
2 zucchini, cut into 1cm rounds
2 sticks celery, sliced thinly
2 tins diced tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp tomato paste
extra parmesan to sprinkle on top
White Sauce:
1 egg
2 tbsp grated parmesan
1 cup Greek yoghurt
pinch nutmeg
Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Sauté the sliced egg plant for about 5 minutes, turning after 3 minutes.
Remove from the pan. Add the tomato paste, onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, until onion is clear. Add the mushroom, zucchini slices, celery and tinned tomatoes. Stir in the oregano. Bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes until mixture is thickened.
Oil a lasagne dish. Layer the egg plant slices and vegetable mixture.
Make the sauce by beating together the egg, parmesan, yoghurt and nutmeg. Spread over the top of the moussaka.
Sprinkle with extra parmesan.
Bake for 45 minutes until moussaka is bubbling and golden on top.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Curried tuna slice, tossed
Tuesday: Spaghetti Bolognese, salad
Wednesday: Wellington loaf, baked veg
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Vegetable moussaka
Saturday: Soup & crumpets
In the fruit bowl: apples, mandarins
In the cake tin: Choc chip biscuits
There are over 1,600 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File.
7. The $300 a Month Food Challenge
Fresh Milk v Powdered Milk
We prefer to use fresh milk for drinking, coffee and on our cereals, rather than powdered, although I use powdered milk for baking and UHT when we go camping.
It seems the fresh v powdered milk debate is a very emotional one, I had no idea! There are the die-hard fresh milk drinkers who won't even consider powdered milk. Then there are the confirmed powdered milk drinkers who believe they are real Cheapskates because generally powdered milk is cheaper than fresh and then the fanatical powdered milk drinkers who like saving money and believe they are doing the green thing and being kind to the environment.
Here's my take on the topic.
On average, I buy 6 litres of fresh milk each week. When it comes to fresh milk I'm not brand or store loyal (usually buying milk from my local Aldi). The cost is $6 a week. That cost is built into our food budget,
In an ideal world we'd have a house cow and I could have all the truly fresh, raw milk I want and not have to buy it from a supermarket. Enough for milk, pure, thick cream, rich butter and even cheeses. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
We don't live in an ideal world (and our council has strict rules about keeping livestock on a suburban block - go figure!) so I have to buy our fresh milk from the supermarket. And when it comes to powdered milk I usually buy it from Aldi when I do my yearly shop. Aldi powdered milk is the cheapest I've found locally. And it tastes OK if you must use it in coffee or on cereal.
I use powdered milk in all baking. I use powdered milk to make custards and sauces. I use powdered milk to make MOO evaporated and condensed milk (and save a fortune too!). I use powdered milk to make up cake mixes, scone mixes, damper mixes and pancake mixes to save time in the kitchen and to take camping with us. I use powdered milk to make up Hot Chocolate Drink Mix. Powdered milk certainly has a place in my kitchen.
Which had me thinking about just how green powdered milk really is. I've been looking and searching, and I haven't really come across anything that will say one way or the other whether using powdered milk is environmentally friendly.
Personally, I think powdered milk has to be a greener option than fresh milk even though it takes a considerable amount of energy to make it, especially if that energy comes from a renewable resource such as wind or solar power (and I've not been able to find that information either).
For a start there's far less packaging. My six litres a week comes in two plastic bottles with plastic lids and a plastic label. Sometimes I can repurpose them for other uses but more often than not they are rinsed over the pot plants (the dregs of milk are a great fertiliser for your pot plants), squashed and put into the recycle bin. My one kilo packet of powdered milk comes in a foil packet, that can be folded flat and put into the bin or it can be cut into ribbons and used to make bows for presents or to tie plants in the garden before finally going in the bin.
Then there is the transport problem. Powdered milk is compact - you can get a lot more packets of powdered milk on a truck than you can fresh milk in bottles. One packet of powdered milk is the equivalent of between 7 and 10 litres of fresh milk (depending on the brand and the strength you make it up), a huge difference in transport costs and fuel for fresh milk.
Which reminds me of another point: powdered milk has a long shelf life, it doesn't require refrigeration until it is made up into a liquid (note: I store powdered milk in the freezer long term, as it can go rancid if left on the shelf too long). It can be stored in a warehouse rather than a giant fridge and put on a regular semi-trailer instead of a refrigerated van. More energy savings to be had there.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
The Post that Started it All
8. Cheapskates Buzz
Most popular forum posts this week
MOO Challenge
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3780-MOO-Challenge
Goals for Saving
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3777-goals-for-saving
How do I Plan Personal Home Projects?
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2081-How-do-I-plan-personal-home-projects
Most popular blog posts this week
Use It Up - Day 2
https://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2018/08/use-it-up-day-2.html
MOOing Yoghurt
https://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/01/mooing-yoghurt.html
Oils Aint Oils
https://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2013/10/oils-aint-oils.html
9. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Denise who wrote
"What can I put in my compost bin? Most especially can I put used kitty litter, the clay and stone type, with the kitty poo into my compost bin? And how long should it take from go to whoa to turn to compost? I have had a compost bin for a few years, and it never seems to fill up, but I never seem to get anything out of the bottom of it. Any advice would be helpful."
Jess answered
We started composting last Summer after we went to a free council seminar to learn what to do.
We were recommended that the best compost comes from 50% "green" waste and 50% "brown" waste:
- Green waste is comprised of fruit and veg, grass clippings, tea bags and coffee grounds.
- Brown waste is comprised of dry leaves, torn paper and cardboard, paper towels, egg cartons, egg shells, untreated sawdust etc.
You should not put any animal products other than eggshells into the compost - no hair or faeces, no meat, no dairy.
Clay and stone aren't in the list above, so I would avoid. It should take 8-12 weeks to break down.
Advice:
- You will need to put the compost bin somewhere it gets a lot of sun/heat and has good drainage.
- Keep it moist. Water it as needed until the compost is moist but not wet.
- Aerate with a garden fork at least weekly. You can aerate easily using a compost tool that looks like a large corkscrew (you can buy these at hardware stores).
- Don't ever put too much of any one thing or you will distort the composition.
- The smaller you cut things up, the faster they will break down.
- If it starts to smell, aerate. It is either too wet or doesn't have enough air.
- Don't put anything that is not "of the earth" into your compost.
Good luck and happy composting!
Estel answered
I don't know about the kitty litter (can't have a cat where I am), but I put just about everything in my compost: kitchen scraps, dust, dropped hair, even small pieces of paper such as tin labels. Pretty much if it came from plants or animals, it goes in the compost.
I know some people say not to put in onion skins, citrus peels, or paper with ink, but that's for worm farms. I recommend building a compost heap on a plot of dirt and walling it with wood or anything convenient (we used to use corrugated plastic) held up with star-posts - they're easy to use and you can make it whatever size according to the walls you have. If you don't have anything to make walls, you can just make a pile. Either way, be sure to seal it with a layer of dirt every so often.
I move my in-progress compost heap every few months, and when I do, anything that hasn't composted just goes onto the next heap, so you could experiment with the kitty litter for a while and see if it composts.
10. This Week's Question
Michelle writes
"Like Cath, I use Coles dishwashing powder in our dishwasher. We have "hard" water and need to use apple cider vinegar in the rinse cycle. My problem lies in drying (especially the plastics). I don't want to waste power (and money) by using the extra drying feature. Other than spending the money each month on special rise aide, what do my fellow Cheapskaters do to avoid having wet dishes?"
Do you have a Cheapskates style solution for Michelle?
If you have a suggestion or idea for Michelle, 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
11. 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
12. 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!
13. 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.
How Did You Get on Our List?
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14. Contact Details
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
Contact Cheapskates
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - Thighs Are Better Than Breasts; The Family That Cooks Together; Don`t be the First on the Bandwagon
3. Cheapskate's Winning Tip - Style on a Budget at Your Fingertips
4. Share Your Tips
5. Use It Up Month - Use It Up Challenge: Toiletries
6. On the Menu - Vegetable Moussaka
7. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Fresh Milk v Powdered Milk
8. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
9. Last Week's Question - What can I put in my compost bin? 10. This Week's Question -
11. Ask Cath
12. Join the Cheapskates Club
13. Frequently Asked Questions
14. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
This week has been topsy turvy in our house. Hannah and Wayne have both been sick, so lots of hot soup and sympathy has been the orders of the days. Thankfully they both seem to be on the mend.
Otherwise the days flow as they usually do. And I love that. We've worked and planned for a long time to be able to enjoy our days, and do the things we love rather than the things we need to do to survive.
Living the Cheapskates way has given us the freedom to live the lifestyle of our dreams. It wasn't easy for a few years, but in the grand scheme of things, those years where we worked hard to reach our goal are nothing. We have the rest of our lives to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our efforts.
If you're your decision to live the Cheapskates way, look ahead to your goal. If it seems a long way off, break it down to min-goals, and focus on one. When you reach that goal, celebrate and then focus on the next mini-goal. And so on. You can reach your ultimate goal, one min-goal at a time.
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
Thighs Are Better Than Breasts
Approximate $ Savings: $3 or $4.00 a meal
When making apricot chicken, use thigh fillets not breast fillets. I was always very anti thigh fillets, but now I know they are cheaper than breast fillets, and a have lot more taste. We use them at work, and they're great. They cook for longer, and they sure add flavour.
Contributed by Julie
Editor's note: Sometimes breast fillets are the cheaper option at the butcher I use (Australian Butcher), so it pays to check the per kilo price before deciding. But in saying that, bone in chicken thighs make the most delicious casseroles and stews, as the bone releases so much extra flavour, and they are often cheaper per kilo than the boneless fillets. Cath
The Family That Cooks Together
Approximate $ Savings: $20 a week, $1,040 a year
Being a busy working mum of four I find it hard to find quality time with each of my kids. I now shop and cook with my kids; this probably sounds stressful, but they are a great help. They look up recipes beforehand, write out all ingredients and when we get home we cook all sorts of biscuits and slices for the week. This saves me buying expensive "lunch box stuffers" and more importantly improves my relationships with my children.
Contributed by Janelle
Don`t be the First on the Bandwagon
A great way to save money is to delay trends. The media is great at hyping electronics, games, movies, CDs etc. that really may not be very good. Wait a while; use this time to read reputable reviews and make up your own mind. This can save you loads of money. For example, I did not read any of the Twilight books when they first came out: I waited until they were available at the library (even if I reserved them the most I would pay is $8). Considering that they retail for at least $20 each, this gives me a net profit of $72. Similarly, I could rent the Twilight movies from the library (if I reserved them - $4) and as they retail for approximately $30, this has given me a net profit of $56. Think about it - this saves heaps of shelf space and you do eventually get to see it/read it...just a little later!
Contributed by Ruth
There are currently more than 12,000 great tips in the Tip Store
3. Cheapskates Winning Tip
This week's winning tip is from Kaylene Murdoch. Kaylene has won a one-year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip.
Style on a Budget at Your Fingertips
"In January this year I became a full-time SAHM, thanks to all the great tips and ideas my DH and I have picked up from Cheapskates and put to use over the last three years. I wasn't looking forward to cutting back on fashion - yes, my hidden (or not so hidden) secret is that I am a closet fashionista!
Before I finished work in December 2017, we had a long talk about the expectations and realities of living on one wage, and about my fashion addiction. Even though I always bought on sale, or from outlets or op shops, my spending on clothes and shoes still added up. We came up with a plan that fed my need for fashion, without me spending a cent.
It took us three hours one Sunday afternoon, but here's what we did (yes, DH helped me - he's a keeper):
1. Went through my wardrobe, drawers and shelves and took everything out.
2. Sorted the clothes, putting aside a bag to donate. No point in keeping things that were too small, or maternity clothes that won't be needed in the future.
3. Laid everything out on our bed in outfits, including shoes, bags, scarves and jewellery.
4. Used my phone to record the outfits, so I have a record of what goes with what when I'm looking for an outfit.
Now when I'm stumped for something to wear, or feel the urge to go clothes shopping, I can browse through the folder on my phone and pick a "new" outfit to wear. As I nearly always buy classic styles and colours, I'll always look good, no matter what the occasion, without spending a cent.
We have a clothing budget each and using this method I can stick to it, often having some money left at the end of each quarter (when we top up our clothing money). "
Congratulations Kaylene, I hope you enjoy your Cheapskates Club membership and being a full-time stay-at-home mum.
4. 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
5. Use It Up Challenge
Use It Up Challenge: Toiletries
If there's one thing I've learned from have two sons before we were blessed with our daughter, it's that girls, no matter how old, rarely have just one of anything. I don't know where they come from (OK, I really do), and I don't know about your house, but in ours the toiletries just seem to multiply.
They are helped of course by the little samples we collect from motels. And the gift packs we are given. And of course Hannah's collection of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body sprays, make-up, skin care and all the relevant accessories for these things. Oh, and the stockpile! That consists of shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouth wash, body wash, soap, moisturiser, lip balms, hand cream, sunscreen, deodorant and make-up.
This week I went through both bathrooms and worked on consolidation. I took all the partially full bottles of shampoo and conditioner and poured them into one bottle (one for each, not the same bottle).
Then I did the same for the body washes. There may be some new fragrances for a while, but I managed to get rid of four - yes four - partially full bottles of body wash.
I collected the soap shards and put them into the food processor and whizzed them to make Cheapskates washing powder.
In the search I came across a couple of bottles of the same moisturiser, so one was decanted into the other. It was a work of art. I had to carefully prise the top off both bottles, and then I used my tiny funnel from the kitchen to hold the top bottle, propped it against the mirror and left it a couple of hours to drain.
I found quite a few tubes of toothpaste. A scrape with a spoon handle pushed the contents to the top, then I just rolled the tube up and secured the bottom with a bulldog clip. And I let everyone know that there would be no more new toothpaste until these had been used up!
There were a couple of conditioners that Hannah didn’t like. Conditioner makes a great wool wash so they were decanted into a single pump bottle and put in the laundry, ready for washing the woollens before they're put away for the summer.
We have plenty of toiletries in the house, more than enough to last until the end of the year, when I'll do another stocktake and adjust the shopping list.
Some of the unopened gift packs have been put aside to add to Dignity Bags, and the rest have been donated. They're gone from the house, and I know they'll be used by someone.
If you have toiletries you're not using, because they're too nice then remember: you're nice too, so go ahead and use them. Perhaps you don't like them as they are; think outside the square and find a way to use them. Shampoo can become general cleaner or even a liquid laundry liquid, conditioner can be wool wash.
Start using them up. You won't be spending on these things for a while so you'll have some spare cash, and you'll be decluttering. Getting rid of stuff and freeing up space helps keep you organised and gives you control over your environment and a wonderful sense of peace.
The Use It Up Challenge
6. On the Menu
Vegetable Moussaka
A really easy way to keep the grocery budget down, without compromising on health or taste, is to find a few meatless meals your family loves and slip them into the meal plan. We try to have at least one, preferably two, meatless meals a week. If you look at my meal plan, I'm thinking you'd be hard pressed to find the meatless options each week, but they are there.
On Monday when I did the fruit and veg top-up there was a great deal on zucchini, celery and egg plant - the key ingredients in my Vegetable Moussaka. It was already on the meal plan, and I had all three vegetables frozen, ready to use, so I simply swapped the frozen for the fresh, processed the fresh and now they are in the freezer, ready for another dish.
The beauty of this recipe is that the ingredients can be switched around. If I don’t have mushrooms, I'll add extra egg plant or zucchini. I've added thinly sliced sweet potato and pumpkin, used fresh tomatoes in place of tinned.
It freezes well, and tastes better if made a day or two ahead.
Vegetable Moussaka
Ingredients:
2 large egg plant, sliced into 1cm rounds
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large brown onion, diced
125g mushrooms, sliced
2 zucchini, cut into 1cm rounds
2 sticks celery, sliced thinly
2 tins diced tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp tomato paste
extra parmesan to sprinkle on top
White Sauce:
1 egg
2 tbsp grated parmesan
1 cup Greek yoghurt
pinch nutmeg
Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Sauté the sliced egg plant for about 5 minutes, turning after 3 minutes.
Remove from the pan. Add the tomato paste, onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, until onion is clear. Add the mushroom, zucchini slices, celery and tinned tomatoes. Stir in the oregano. Bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes until mixture is thickened.
Oil a lasagne dish. Layer the egg plant slices and vegetable mixture.
Make the sauce by beating together the egg, parmesan, yoghurt and nutmeg. Spread over the top of the moussaka.
Sprinkle with extra parmesan.
Bake for 45 minutes until moussaka is bubbling and golden on top.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Curried tuna slice, tossed
Tuesday: Spaghetti Bolognese, salad
Wednesday: Wellington loaf, baked veg
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Vegetable moussaka
Saturday: Soup & crumpets
In the fruit bowl: apples, mandarins
In the cake tin: Choc chip biscuits
There are over 1,600 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File.
7. The $300 a Month Food Challenge
Fresh Milk v Powdered Milk
We prefer to use fresh milk for drinking, coffee and on our cereals, rather than powdered, although I use powdered milk for baking and UHT when we go camping.
It seems the fresh v powdered milk debate is a very emotional one, I had no idea! There are the die-hard fresh milk drinkers who won't even consider powdered milk. Then there are the confirmed powdered milk drinkers who believe they are real Cheapskates because generally powdered milk is cheaper than fresh and then the fanatical powdered milk drinkers who like saving money and believe they are doing the green thing and being kind to the environment.
Here's my take on the topic.
On average, I buy 6 litres of fresh milk each week. When it comes to fresh milk I'm not brand or store loyal (usually buying milk from my local Aldi). The cost is $6 a week. That cost is built into our food budget,
In an ideal world we'd have a house cow and I could have all the truly fresh, raw milk I want and not have to buy it from a supermarket. Enough for milk, pure, thick cream, rich butter and even cheeses. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
We don't live in an ideal world (and our council has strict rules about keeping livestock on a suburban block - go figure!) so I have to buy our fresh milk from the supermarket. And when it comes to powdered milk I usually buy it from Aldi when I do my yearly shop. Aldi powdered milk is the cheapest I've found locally. And it tastes OK if you must use it in coffee or on cereal.
I use powdered milk in all baking. I use powdered milk to make custards and sauces. I use powdered milk to make MOO evaporated and condensed milk (and save a fortune too!). I use powdered milk to make up cake mixes, scone mixes, damper mixes and pancake mixes to save time in the kitchen and to take camping with us. I use powdered milk to make up Hot Chocolate Drink Mix. Powdered milk certainly has a place in my kitchen.
Which had me thinking about just how green powdered milk really is. I've been looking and searching, and I haven't really come across anything that will say one way or the other whether using powdered milk is environmentally friendly.
Personally, I think powdered milk has to be a greener option than fresh milk even though it takes a considerable amount of energy to make it, especially if that energy comes from a renewable resource such as wind or solar power (and I've not been able to find that information either).
For a start there's far less packaging. My six litres a week comes in two plastic bottles with plastic lids and a plastic label. Sometimes I can repurpose them for other uses but more often than not they are rinsed over the pot plants (the dregs of milk are a great fertiliser for your pot plants), squashed and put into the recycle bin. My one kilo packet of powdered milk comes in a foil packet, that can be folded flat and put into the bin or it can be cut into ribbons and used to make bows for presents or to tie plants in the garden before finally going in the bin.
Then there is the transport problem. Powdered milk is compact - you can get a lot more packets of powdered milk on a truck than you can fresh milk in bottles. One packet of powdered milk is the equivalent of between 7 and 10 litres of fresh milk (depending on the brand and the strength you make it up), a huge difference in transport costs and fuel for fresh milk.
Which reminds me of another point: powdered milk has a long shelf life, it doesn't require refrigeration until it is made up into a liquid (note: I store powdered milk in the freezer long term, as it can go rancid if left on the shelf too long). It can be stored in a warehouse rather than a giant fridge and put on a regular semi-trailer instead of a refrigerated van. More energy savings to be had there.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
The Post that Started it All
8. Cheapskates Buzz
Most popular forum posts this week
MOO Challenge
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3780-MOO-Challenge
Goals for Saving
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3777-goals-for-saving
How do I Plan Personal Home Projects?
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2081-How-do-I-plan-personal-home-projects
Most popular blog posts this week
Use It Up - Day 2
https://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2018/08/use-it-up-day-2.html
MOOing Yoghurt
https://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/01/mooing-yoghurt.html
Oils Aint Oils
https://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2013/10/oils-aint-oils.html
9. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Denise who wrote
"What can I put in my compost bin? Most especially can I put used kitty litter, the clay and stone type, with the kitty poo into my compost bin? And how long should it take from go to whoa to turn to compost? I have had a compost bin for a few years, and it never seems to fill up, but I never seem to get anything out of the bottom of it. Any advice would be helpful."
Jess answered
We started composting last Summer after we went to a free council seminar to learn what to do.
We were recommended that the best compost comes from 50% "green" waste and 50% "brown" waste:
- Green waste is comprised of fruit and veg, grass clippings, tea bags and coffee grounds.
- Brown waste is comprised of dry leaves, torn paper and cardboard, paper towels, egg cartons, egg shells, untreated sawdust etc.
You should not put any animal products other than eggshells into the compost - no hair or faeces, no meat, no dairy.
Clay and stone aren't in the list above, so I would avoid. It should take 8-12 weeks to break down.
Advice:
- You will need to put the compost bin somewhere it gets a lot of sun/heat and has good drainage.
- Keep it moist. Water it as needed until the compost is moist but not wet.
- Aerate with a garden fork at least weekly. You can aerate easily using a compost tool that looks like a large corkscrew (you can buy these at hardware stores).
- Don't ever put too much of any one thing or you will distort the composition.
- The smaller you cut things up, the faster they will break down.
- If it starts to smell, aerate. It is either too wet or doesn't have enough air.
- Don't put anything that is not "of the earth" into your compost.
Good luck and happy composting!
Estel answered
I don't know about the kitty litter (can't have a cat where I am), but I put just about everything in my compost: kitchen scraps, dust, dropped hair, even small pieces of paper such as tin labels. Pretty much if it came from plants or animals, it goes in the compost.
I know some people say not to put in onion skins, citrus peels, or paper with ink, but that's for worm farms. I recommend building a compost heap on a plot of dirt and walling it with wood or anything convenient (we used to use corrugated plastic) held up with star-posts - they're easy to use and you can make it whatever size according to the walls you have. If you don't have anything to make walls, you can just make a pile. Either way, be sure to seal it with a layer of dirt every so often.
I move my in-progress compost heap every few months, and when I do, anything that hasn't composted just goes onto the next heap, so you could experiment with the kitty litter for a while and see if it composts.
10. This Week's Question
Michelle writes
"Like Cath, I use Coles dishwashing powder in our dishwasher. We have "hard" water and need to use apple cider vinegar in the rinse cycle. My problem lies in drying (especially the plastics). I don't want to waste power (and money) by using the extra drying feature. Other than spending the money each month on special rise aide, what do my fellow Cheapskaters do to avoid having wet dishes?"
Do you have a Cheapskates style solution for Michelle?
If you have a suggestion or idea for Michelle, 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
11. 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
12. 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.
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14. Contact Details
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