Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 32:21
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Dress-up Pasta Sauce; Budget Grated Cheese; Budget Friendly MOO Relaxing Bath Salts
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Mexican Meatballs
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Keeping Food Weevil Free
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
8. The Weekly MOO Challenge - Worcestershire Sauce
9. 2021 Saving Revolution - Dare to Dream
10. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Happy birthday! I know I said that last week, but for new newsletter subscribers, August is our birthday month, and as this is our 20th birthday, it's going to be a month long party! Sometimes when I realise I've been living the Cheapskates way for 27 years I wonder where the time has gone. This has been some journey, from extravagance to poverty (yes, we were poor, we had NO money, NO income, NO jobs) to living life debt free.
When Disaster Struck I was stunned. We lived a good life. We lived in a nice house. We lived in a nice suburb, wore nice clothes, went out often, enjoyed lovely holidays. We couldn't be poor. But we were.
It took me six months to get my act together (that's how stunned I was). But once I chose to start Cheapskating, I couldn't stop. I loved that we could have the things we wanted without the debt. I loved that our lifestyle changed for the better. I loved that we controlled our money, it didn't control us or rule how we lived.
It wasn't easy. It was simple. We made simple changes to the way we did things, one change at a time. Simple changes like putting on a jumper instead of turning the heater up. Making sure there was a full load before putting the washing on. Only putting enough water in the bath to actually wash the kids. Planning how we'd use the car. Trying cheaper and even generic (shock! horror!) products from the discount supermarket. Cooking from scratch. Growing our own food. Making the local Op Shop my department store of choice. There are lot's more things we did, but you get the idea.
If you are in debt, or if you want to build up savings, or even if you just want to live a more responsible life - you can do it.
There's a little saying, it's been floating around for years. "If it is to be, it is up to me". The choice is yours.
And to celebrate another year of the Cheapskates Club, new memberships are on sale until 8pm, 31at August 2021. You can click here to order your membership, and I hope to see you in the Member's Centre very soon.
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Dress-up Pasta Sauce
If you don't have the time or inclination to make your own spaghetti sauce try revamping prepared sauces by adding a few ingredients. Bilo pasta sauce is quite nice at only $1.45 a bottle and the Aldi pasta sauce is just as good and the same price. Here are a few suggestions for you to try:
sliced olives
sliced mushrooms
small can champignons
sliced or diced red or green capsicum
artichoke hearts
red pepper flakes
parmesan cheese
minced garlic
hot salami
browned minced beef or chicken
tinned tomatoes
grated carrot
grated zucchini
Budget Grated Cheese
Keep grated cheese in the freezer, ready to use. Buying the packets of grated cheese is convenient, but can almost double the price per kilo. If you buy a 1kg block of tasty cheese ($4.99 at Aldi) and grate it yourself you'll save $1.53 per kilo, as the packaged grated cheese is $3.26 for a 500g packet. To make the cheese easier to grate, slice it into four or five pieces and freeze them for about 30 minutes before you start to grate. The cold, solid cheese is less likely to melt and stick to the grater as you work.
Budget Friendly MOO Relaxing Bath Salts
At the end of a long, hot, stressful day take a nice relaxing bath. Save yourself a fortune - don't buy those commercial and very expensive bath additives. Buy a box of bi-carb soda and keep it in the bathroom (the size doesn't matter!). You might like to store it in a moisture-proof container if you are going to leave it there. Then just add about 1/2 cup (about a handful) to your bath while it's running. Climb in, lay back and relax! The Bi-carb neutralizes acids on your skin and washes away the grime and perspiration, leaving your skin feeling soft and silky smooth.
Add a Tip
3. 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
4. On The Menu
Mexican Meatballs
Ingredients:
500g mince
1 egg
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 cup beef stock (stock cube with water)
1 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tsp cornflour
Method
Mix beef stock, tomato sauce, cornflour and 1/2 packet taco seasoning in microwave jug and cook on high for 2 minutes.
Mix mince with the egg and 1/2 packet taco seasoning.
Shape teaspoons full of mixture into balls. Makes approximately 25.
Place into a 1.5L casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Pour sauce over meatballs.
Cook on HIGH for 20 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through and sauce has thickened.
Serve with steamed rice or mash.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Mexican Meatballs
Tuesday: Spinach Ricotta Canelloni
Wednesday: Sweet'n'Sour chicken
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Mock Schnitzels, tomato gravy, mash
Saturday: Enchiladas
There are over 1,800 budget and family friendly recipes in the Cheapskates Club Recipe File, all contributed by your fellow Cheapskates, so you know they're good.
Add A Recipe
Recipe File Index
5. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
Keeping Food Weevil Free
Last week I mentioned briefly weevils. Awful little creatures they are, and so very hard to get rid of an infestation.
There is nothing so disappointing as going to the pantry and opening a new packet of food only to find it is infested with weevils. There seems to be an unusually large plague of weevils (and other creepy crawlies) at the moment and while we can't tell if they are in the food we buy until we get it home, we can do our bit to control them.
To keep your pantry and food weevil free, put it straight into the freezer for at least 72 hours, preferably a week, as soon as you bring it home. Leave it in the packaging, it will be fine. They are in flour, cereals, rice, grains even pulses. Freezing will stop the breeding cycle and kill any live weevils in the food.
After a week you can either transfer it to clean, dry, airtight containers and keep it in the pantry or leave it in the freezer. Choose a canister or container with a tight seal to keep out air, moisture and any bugs that happen to be flying around. Adding a bay leaf to each canister will also act as a deterrent, as will sprinkling bay leaves on your pantry shelves.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Feed the Family for $80 a Week
Beat the Morning Rush
Cheapskates Ways to Cut Energy Costs
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
What Would You Like to MOO?
Baked Rice Custard
Don't be a Brand Snob!
7. 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.
Latest Shows
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Dress-up Pasta Sauce; Budget Grated Cheese; Budget Friendly MOO Relaxing Bath Salts
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Mexican Meatballs
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Keeping Food Weevil Free
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
8. The Weekly MOO Challenge - Worcestershire Sauce
9. 2021 Saving Revolution - Dare to Dream
10. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Happy birthday! I know I said that last week, but for new newsletter subscribers, August is our birthday month, and as this is our 20th birthday, it's going to be a month long party! Sometimes when I realise I've been living the Cheapskates way for 27 years I wonder where the time has gone. This has been some journey, from extravagance to poverty (yes, we were poor, we had NO money, NO income, NO jobs) to living life debt free.
When Disaster Struck I was stunned. We lived a good life. We lived in a nice house. We lived in a nice suburb, wore nice clothes, went out often, enjoyed lovely holidays. We couldn't be poor. But we were.
It took me six months to get my act together (that's how stunned I was). But once I chose to start Cheapskating, I couldn't stop. I loved that we could have the things we wanted without the debt. I loved that our lifestyle changed for the better. I loved that we controlled our money, it didn't control us or rule how we lived.
It wasn't easy. It was simple. We made simple changes to the way we did things, one change at a time. Simple changes like putting on a jumper instead of turning the heater up. Making sure there was a full load before putting the washing on. Only putting enough water in the bath to actually wash the kids. Planning how we'd use the car. Trying cheaper and even generic (shock! horror!) products from the discount supermarket. Cooking from scratch. Growing our own food. Making the local Op Shop my department store of choice. There are lot's more things we did, but you get the idea.
If you are in debt, or if you want to build up savings, or even if you just want to live a more responsible life - you can do it.
There's a little saying, it's been floating around for years. "If it is to be, it is up to me". The choice is yours.
And to celebrate another year of the Cheapskates Club, new memberships are on sale until 8pm, 31at August 2021. You can click here to order your membership, and I hope to see you in the Member's Centre very soon.
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Dress-up Pasta Sauce
If you don't have the time or inclination to make your own spaghetti sauce try revamping prepared sauces by adding a few ingredients. Bilo pasta sauce is quite nice at only $1.45 a bottle and the Aldi pasta sauce is just as good and the same price. Here are a few suggestions for you to try:
sliced olives
sliced mushrooms
small can champignons
sliced or diced red or green capsicum
artichoke hearts
red pepper flakes
parmesan cheese
minced garlic
hot salami
browned minced beef or chicken
tinned tomatoes
grated carrot
grated zucchini
Budget Grated Cheese
Keep grated cheese in the freezer, ready to use. Buying the packets of grated cheese is convenient, but can almost double the price per kilo. If you buy a 1kg block of tasty cheese ($4.99 at Aldi) and grate it yourself you'll save $1.53 per kilo, as the packaged grated cheese is $3.26 for a 500g packet. To make the cheese easier to grate, slice it into four or five pieces and freeze them for about 30 minutes before you start to grate. The cold, solid cheese is less likely to melt and stick to the grater as you work.
Budget Friendly MOO Relaxing Bath Salts
At the end of a long, hot, stressful day take a nice relaxing bath. Save yourself a fortune - don't buy those commercial and very expensive bath additives. Buy a box of bi-carb soda and keep it in the bathroom (the size doesn't matter!). You might like to store it in a moisture-proof container if you are going to leave it there. Then just add about 1/2 cup (about a handful) to your bath while it's running. Climb in, lay back and relax! The Bi-carb neutralizes acids on your skin and washes away the grime and perspiration, leaving your skin feeling soft and silky smooth.
Add a Tip
3. 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
4. On The Menu
Mexican Meatballs
Ingredients:
500g mince
1 egg
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 cup beef stock (stock cube with water)
1 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tsp cornflour
Method
Mix beef stock, tomato sauce, cornflour and 1/2 packet taco seasoning in microwave jug and cook on high for 2 minutes.
Mix mince with the egg and 1/2 packet taco seasoning.
Shape teaspoons full of mixture into balls. Makes approximately 25.
Place into a 1.5L casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Pour sauce over meatballs.
Cook on HIGH for 20 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through and sauce has thickened.
Serve with steamed rice or mash.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Mexican Meatballs
Tuesday: Spinach Ricotta Canelloni
Wednesday: Sweet'n'Sour chicken
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Mock Schnitzels, tomato gravy, mash
Saturday: Enchiladas
There are over 1,800 budget and family friendly recipes in the Cheapskates Club Recipe File, all contributed by your fellow Cheapskates, so you know they're good.
Add A Recipe
Recipe File Index
5. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
Keeping Food Weevil Free
Last week I mentioned briefly weevils. Awful little creatures they are, and so very hard to get rid of an infestation.
There is nothing so disappointing as going to the pantry and opening a new packet of food only to find it is infested with weevils. There seems to be an unusually large plague of weevils (and other creepy crawlies) at the moment and while we can't tell if they are in the food we buy until we get it home, we can do our bit to control them.
To keep your pantry and food weevil free, put it straight into the freezer for at least 72 hours, preferably a week, as soon as you bring it home. Leave it in the packaging, it will be fine. They are in flour, cereals, rice, grains even pulses. Freezing will stop the breeding cycle and kill any live weevils in the food.
After a week you can either transfer it to clean, dry, airtight containers and keep it in the pantry or leave it in the freezer. Choose a canister or container with a tight seal to keep out air, moisture and any bugs that happen to be flying around. Adding a bay leaf to each canister will also act as a deterrent, as will sprinkling bay leaves on your pantry shelves.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Feed the Family for $80 a Week
Beat the Morning Rush
Cheapskates Ways to Cut Energy Costs
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
What Would You Like to MOO?
Baked Rice Custard
Don't be a Brand Snob!
7. 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.
Latest Shows
8. The Weekly MOO Challenge
MOO Worcestershire Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce is such a handy pantry staple. Of course you can use it as sauce on meat or chicken, but it adds a nice zing to a brown gravy and adds a depth of flavour to casseroles, stews and meat pie fillings. A splash in a bland soup makes it something special too.
This is a recipe from my mother's recipe book. It was originally in pints and ounces, I converted the measurements to metric when I started making it. It really is as easy as mix and let it steep. I like it because it doesn't have the traditional anchovies in it, but still has a good bite,and the longer the sauce matures the hotter it becomes.
Ingredients:
2 L vinegar
30g chopped garlic
30g cayenne pepper
30g whole cloves
30g salt
1 tin treacle
2 large lemons
Method:
Mix all ingredients together in a plastic bucket and stir to dissolve salt. Chop the 2 lemons and add to the mixture (skin and all). Cover with a tea towel or a cheesecloth. Stir daily for 6 days. Strain and bottle. Leave at least two weeks in a cool, dark cupboard to mature.
I use the glass 3 litre Ocean Spray cranberry juice bottles to store the sauce and decant into a smaller bottle for kitchen use.
This sauce just improves with age - the longer you leave it, the better it gets.
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
9. 2021 Saving Revolution
Lesson 32: Dare to Dream
Wayne and I have a plan. We love our current home but we know that it will just be too big for us when all the kids have moved out. We also know that it just doesn't have enough land to suit our plans. So we are looking for our retirement property. We (or rather I) would like a smaller, easier to care for house. I don't want to spend all my time cleaning and maintaining a big house just for the sake of having a big house, especially as I get older. And we would like a little more land, so we can have a decent size vegie garden, chickens and an orchard, and enough land to have a couple of house cows for our milk. If we can stretch the funds we'd really like enough land to run livestock for meat too. We'll have to see how far those funds will stretch when the time comes.
We know what we'll be doing in retirement. Apart from not working every day in paid employment, we pretty much have our time filled with the things we enjoy: gardening, caring for our home and travelling.
We have a plan and a dream for our future, that we'll be able to live because we've planned for the future.
This week's lesson is all about how your dreams can come true, with a little planning.
Log into the 2021 Saving Revolution forum and join the discussions too. They're fun, keep you accountable, and over the course of the year will be an amazing source of valuable hints and tips for you too.
10. 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
11. 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!
12. 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.
13. 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
MOO Worcestershire Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce is such a handy pantry staple. Of course you can use it as sauce on meat or chicken, but it adds a nice zing to a brown gravy and adds a depth of flavour to casseroles, stews and meat pie fillings. A splash in a bland soup makes it something special too.
This is a recipe from my mother's recipe book. It was originally in pints and ounces, I converted the measurements to metric when I started making it. It really is as easy as mix and let it steep. I like it because it doesn't have the traditional anchovies in it, but still has a good bite,and the longer the sauce matures the hotter it becomes.
Ingredients:
2 L vinegar
30g chopped garlic
30g cayenne pepper
30g whole cloves
30g salt
1 tin treacle
2 large lemons
Method:
Mix all ingredients together in a plastic bucket and stir to dissolve salt. Chop the 2 lemons and add to the mixture (skin and all). Cover with a tea towel or a cheesecloth. Stir daily for 6 days. Strain and bottle. Leave at least two weeks in a cool, dark cupboard to mature.
I use the glass 3 litre Ocean Spray cranberry juice bottles to store the sauce and decant into a smaller bottle for kitchen use.
This sauce just improves with age - the longer you leave it, the better it gets.
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
9. 2021 Saving Revolution
Lesson 32: Dare to Dream
Wayne and I have a plan. We love our current home but we know that it will just be too big for us when all the kids have moved out. We also know that it just doesn't have enough land to suit our plans. So we are looking for our retirement property. We (or rather I) would like a smaller, easier to care for house. I don't want to spend all my time cleaning and maintaining a big house just for the sake of having a big house, especially as I get older. And we would like a little more land, so we can have a decent size vegie garden, chickens and an orchard, and enough land to have a couple of house cows for our milk. If we can stretch the funds we'd really like enough land to run livestock for meat too. We'll have to see how far those funds will stretch when the time comes.
We know what we'll be doing in retirement. Apart from not working every day in paid employment, we pretty much have our time filled with the things we enjoy: gardening, caring for our home and travelling.
We have a plan and a dream for our future, that we'll be able to live because we've planned for the future.
This week's lesson is all about how your dreams can come true, with a little planning.
Log into the 2021 Saving Revolution forum and join the discussions too. They're fun, keep you accountable, and over the course of the year will be an amazing source of valuable hints and tips for you too.
10. 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
11. 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!
12. 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.
13. 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