Your Cheapskates CLub Newsletter 34:21
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Potted Colour for the Garden for Less; Helping Fresh Mushrooms Stay Fresh Longer; How to Tell Pure Wool Yarn from Synthetics
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Curried Sausages
5 The $300 a Month Food Challenge - The True Price of Meat
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
8. The Weekly MOO Challenge - Sweet'n'Sour Sauce
9. 2021 Saving Revolution - Lesson 34: Who Gets What - Drawing up a Will
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,
The new veggie beds have arrived. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, the excitement level has been so high. Of course the weather has turned, but we have a couple of fine days over the weekend so it will be all hands in the garden, getting them set up and planted.
With everyone working from home, lunches have been interesting. A normal lunch for me would be soup or a sandwich or in summer a salad bowl. Well Mum's Vegemite sandwich was OK for a while, and soup works if it's really cold and miserable, but I have noticed that the troops are a little lunch weary. The solution? Going back to their old school lunch system. Now everyone is happy, grocery budget hasn't been harmed and no one is bored. If you need some lockdown lunch inspiration, you are welcome to download my tip sheet Tasty School Lunchbox Ideas
After my Double-Up Cooking show last week, I had lots of requests for recipes that can be doubled, so you'll notice a note under this week's recipe in On The Menu - "This is a double-up recipe" and the instructions to double it. In the future, if an On The Menu recipe is a double-up recipe, it will include the instructions and any other information needed. Double-Up cooking is the fastest, easiest way to build a stash of ready freezer meals.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Potted Colour for the Garden for Less
If you have a large garden buy the bulk trays of seedlings. Pot them on into small pots. Water regularly with liquid fertilizer until they are as big as "potted colour". Plant them where they are required to grow. There is no setback and you will have a lovely display. This also works well with vegetables.
Contributed by Patricia
Helping Fresh Mushrooms Last Longer
When you buy mushrooms, put them in the brown paper bags, usually provided where you shop, then place the paper bag into a plastic freezer bag before putting in the fridge drawer. This will extend the life of the mushrooms for at least another week.
Contributed by Frances
How to Tell Pure Wool Yarn from Synthetics
When you need some wool for a project look in the op shops first. Don't be put off if labels are missing from the balls though, there is a simple way to tell if the yarn is real wool or synthetic. Buy a ball, or negotiate with staff to cut a small strand from the end of a ball. Take it outside, out of the wind, and burn the end of the strand. You only need to burn an inch or two and I keep a box of matches in my car for this purpose. If it is wool it will form a small ball of carbon on the end that smells like burnt hair and crumbles like a burnt match head. If it is synthetic it melts instead, leaving a hard, plastic feeling ball. You haven't lost much if it isn't what you need. Usually only about 50c if you buy the ball and you can probably find a use for it anyway. If it is what you need you can scoop up the rest of the batch in confidence at a great price. For enough wool to make an average project you can easily save $20 - $40 by buying from the op shop rather than new, just because of labels. I recently bought 8 large balls for a felting project, so it had to be 100% wool, for $7!
Contributed by Lisa
Add a Tip
3. Share Your Tips
The Cheapskate's Club website is thousands of pages of money saving hints, tips and ideas. There are over 12,000 tips to save you money, time and energy; 1,600 budget and family friendly recipes, hundreds of printable tip sheets and ebooks.
Let's get together and make the Cheapskates Club Australia's largest online hint, tip and idea library. Share your favourite money saving, time saving or energy saving hint and be in the running to win a one-year membership to The Cheapskate Club.
Share your favourite hint or tip that saves money, time and energy and be in the running to win a one-year subscription to The Cheapskate Journal.
Remember, you have to be in it to win it!
Share Your Tip
4. On The Menu
Curried Sausages
Ingredients:
4 sausages
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp curry powder (more or less to taste)
1 tin coconut cream
Oil
Method:
Bring the sausages to a boil in a pot of cold water. Boil 1 minute. Drain. Remove skins. Let the sausages cool. You can skip this if you don't mind the sausage skins, but they get tough and fall off in the sauce so it's easier to slip them off then add them to the sauce. When the sausages are cool, slice them into rounds. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the onion, garlic and curry powder and stir. Cook until onion is clear, stirring all the time. Add the sausages and coconut cream. Stir to mix. Simmer 15 minutes over a low heat. Serve with rice.
This is a Double-Up recipe. Double the ingredients, serve half to eat. Cool the remaining half, put into a ziplock freezer bag, label and freeze. To use: thaw and reheat in microwave on MEDIUM-HIGH for 3 - 4 minutes, stir, continue heating in 1 minute bursts until warmed through. OR thaw, and reheat over a low heat on the stove.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Curried sausages
Tuesday: Refrigerator Lasagne
Wednesday: Apricot Chicken
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Chicken soup
Saturday: Hamburgers.
There are over 1,800 budget and family friendly recipes in the Cheapskates Club Recipe File, all contributed by your fellow Cheapskates, so you know they're good.
Add A Recipe
Recipe File Index
5. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
The True Price of Meat
All I've been hearing for months now, and I've been experiencing it too, is how much meat is going up, and how expensive even cheap meat is. And it is going up, so it pays to know whether what you're buying is a good deal or not. Sometimes those sale ads look too good to be true, so in true Cheapskate fashion we stock up. But how much are we really paying, especially when that meat is full of bones?
Bone-in or skin on chicken (breast or thigh fillets, whole chickens, wings, drumsticks, marylands etc.) is about one-third waste. Bone in red meat (steaks, chops etc.) is about one-fifth waste. Minced beef is about 20% fat, unless you pay the premium for low-fat mince. You are paying for that waste, it's money in the bin unless you really are getting a great deal.
How do you calculate the true price of the meat?
The calculation is quite easy.
Chicken: multiply by 1.5 to get the boneless/skinless price
Beef: multiply by 1.25 to get the boneless price
Mince: multiply by 1.2 to account for the fat (you usually drain it off rather than eat it).
For example Store A has T-bone steak on sale for $7.99/kg while Store B has Porterhouse on sale for $8.99/kg. Which one is the best buy? Initially it looks like the T-bone as it's cheaper. But don't forget you are paying for the bone, and you can't eat bone so why pay for it?
To find the best buy do your sums:
Multiply the price of the T-bone by $7.99 x 1.25 = $9.99/kg
Looks, or rather price tags, can be deceiving. The porterhouse is actually the best buy with a saving of $1 per kilo.
Use the calculator on your phone to calculate the true cost of the meat you are buying (or carry a little calculator with you) to make sure that sale price really is going to give you more bang for your buck.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
How to Build Your Stockpile
How to Keep your Pantry Organized
How to Know When to Start Vegetable Seeds Indoors
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Use It or Lose It
The Weekly MOO Challenge
Windows Made Easy
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join us live on YouTube every Tuesday and see how we are living debt free, cashed up and laughing - and find out how you can too!
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 - Potted Colour for the Garden for Less; Helping Fresh Mushrooms Stay Fresh Longer; How to Tell Pure Wool Yarn from Synthetics
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Curried Sausages
5 The $300 a Month Food Challenge - The True Price of Meat
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
8. The Weekly MOO Challenge - Sweet'n'Sour Sauce
9. 2021 Saving Revolution - Lesson 34: Who Gets What - Drawing up a Will
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,
The new veggie beds have arrived. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, the excitement level has been so high. Of course the weather has turned, but we have a couple of fine days over the weekend so it will be all hands in the garden, getting them set up and planted.
With everyone working from home, lunches have been interesting. A normal lunch for me would be soup or a sandwich or in summer a salad bowl. Well Mum's Vegemite sandwich was OK for a while, and soup works if it's really cold and miserable, but I have noticed that the troops are a little lunch weary. The solution? Going back to their old school lunch system. Now everyone is happy, grocery budget hasn't been harmed and no one is bored. If you need some lockdown lunch inspiration, you are welcome to download my tip sheet Tasty School Lunchbox Ideas
After my Double-Up Cooking show last week, I had lots of requests for recipes that can be doubled, so you'll notice a note under this week's recipe in On The Menu - "This is a double-up recipe" and the instructions to double it. In the future, if an On The Menu recipe is a double-up recipe, it will include the instructions and any other information needed. Double-Up cooking is the fastest, easiest way to build a stash of ready freezer meals.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Potted Colour for the Garden for Less
If you have a large garden buy the bulk trays of seedlings. Pot them on into small pots. Water regularly with liquid fertilizer until they are as big as "potted colour". Plant them where they are required to grow. There is no setback and you will have a lovely display. This also works well with vegetables.
Contributed by Patricia
Helping Fresh Mushrooms Last Longer
When you buy mushrooms, put them in the brown paper bags, usually provided where you shop, then place the paper bag into a plastic freezer bag before putting in the fridge drawer. This will extend the life of the mushrooms for at least another week.
Contributed by Frances
How to Tell Pure Wool Yarn from Synthetics
When you need some wool for a project look in the op shops first. Don't be put off if labels are missing from the balls though, there is a simple way to tell if the yarn is real wool or synthetic. Buy a ball, or negotiate with staff to cut a small strand from the end of a ball. Take it outside, out of the wind, and burn the end of the strand. You only need to burn an inch or two and I keep a box of matches in my car for this purpose. If it is wool it will form a small ball of carbon on the end that smells like burnt hair and crumbles like a burnt match head. If it is synthetic it melts instead, leaving a hard, plastic feeling ball. You haven't lost much if it isn't what you need. Usually only about 50c if you buy the ball and you can probably find a use for it anyway. If it is what you need you can scoop up the rest of the batch in confidence at a great price. For enough wool to make an average project you can easily save $20 - $40 by buying from the op shop rather than new, just because of labels. I recently bought 8 large balls for a felting project, so it had to be 100% wool, for $7!
Contributed by Lisa
Add a Tip
3. Share Your Tips
The Cheapskate's Club website is thousands of pages of money saving hints, tips and ideas. There are over 12,000 tips to save you money, time and energy; 1,600 budget and family friendly recipes, hundreds of printable tip sheets and ebooks.
Let's get together and make the Cheapskates Club Australia's largest online hint, tip and idea library. Share your favourite money saving, time saving or energy saving hint and be in the running to win a one-year membership to The Cheapskate Club.
Share your favourite hint or tip that saves money, time and energy and be in the running to win a one-year subscription to The Cheapskate Journal.
Remember, you have to be in it to win it!
Share Your Tip
4. On The Menu
Curried Sausages
Ingredients:
4 sausages
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp curry powder (more or less to taste)
1 tin coconut cream
Oil
Method:
Bring the sausages to a boil in a pot of cold water. Boil 1 minute. Drain. Remove skins. Let the sausages cool. You can skip this if you don't mind the sausage skins, but they get tough and fall off in the sauce so it's easier to slip them off then add them to the sauce. When the sausages are cool, slice them into rounds. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the onion, garlic and curry powder and stir. Cook until onion is clear, stirring all the time. Add the sausages and coconut cream. Stir to mix. Simmer 15 minutes over a low heat. Serve with rice.
This is a Double-Up recipe. Double the ingredients, serve half to eat. Cool the remaining half, put into a ziplock freezer bag, label and freeze. To use: thaw and reheat in microwave on MEDIUM-HIGH for 3 - 4 minutes, stir, continue heating in 1 minute bursts until warmed through. OR thaw, and reheat over a low heat on the stove.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Curried sausages
Tuesday: Refrigerator Lasagne
Wednesday: Apricot Chicken
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Chicken soup
Saturday: Hamburgers.
There are over 1,800 budget and family friendly recipes in the Cheapskates Club Recipe File, all contributed by your fellow Cheapskates, so you know they're good.
Add A Recipe
Recipe File Index
5. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
The True Price of Meat
All I've been hearing for months now, and I've been experiencing it too, is how much meat is going up, and how expensive even cheap meat is. And it is going up, so it pays to know whether what you're buying is a good deal or not. Sometimes those sale ads look too good to be true, so in true Cheapskate fashion we stock up. But how much are we really paying, especially when that meat is full of bones?
Bone-in or skin on chicken (breast or thigh fillets, whole chickens, wings, drumsticks, marylands etc.) is about one-third waste. Bone in red meat (steaks, chops etc.) is about one-fifth waste. Minced beef is about 20% fat, unless you pay the premium for low-fat mince. You are paying for that waste, it's money in the bin unless you really are getting a great deal.
How do you calculate the true price of the meat?
The calculation is quite easy.
Chicken: multiply by 1.5 to get the boneless/skinless price
Beef: multiply by 1.25 to get the boneless price
Mince: multiply by 1.2 to account for the fat (you usually drain it off rather than eat it).
For example Store A has T-bone steak on sale for $7.99/kg while Store B has Porterhouse on sale for $8.99/kg. Which one is the best buy? Initially it looks like the T-bone as it's cheaper. But don't forget you are paying for the bone, and you can't eat bone so why pay for it?
To find the best buy do your sums:
Multiply the price of the T-bone by $7.99 x 1.25 = $9.99/kg
Looks, or rather price tags, can be deceiving. The porterhouse is actually the best buy with a saving of $1 per kilo.
Use the calculator on your phone to calculate the true cost of the meat you are buying (or carry a little calculator with you) to make sure that sale price really is going to give you more bang for your buck.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
How to Build Your Stockpile
How to Keep your Pantry Organized
How to Know When to Start Vegetable Seeds Indoors
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Use It or Lose It
The Weekly MOO Challenge
Windows Made Easy
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join us live on YouTube every Tuesday and see how we are living debt free, cashed up and laughing - and find out how you can too!
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 Sweet'n'Sour Sauce
Who remembers going to the local Chinese restaurant and sitting down to sweet'n'sour chicken and special fried rice?
Well now you can cross that jar of sauce off the shopping list and make that delicious sauce right in your own kitchen using just a few pantry ingredients and a couple of veg from the fridge in minutes.
Sweet'n'Sour Sauce
Ingredients:
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp water
2/3 cup rice vinegar*
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tomato, diced
1 small onion, quartered and then pulled into leaves
1/2 green capsicum, cut into chunks
1 tin pineapple pieces
Method:
Mix cornflour and water in a small bowl until smooth and set aside. Add remaining ingredients to a small saucepan, and bring to a boil.
Add the cornflour mixture and stir constantly until the sauce thickens - this only takes a couple of minutes.
Remove from heat and pour over chicken or noodles and enjoy.
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
https://www.cheapskatesclub.net/forum.html?p=post%2Fthe-weekly-moo-challenge-10269683
9. 2021 Saving Revolution
Saving Revolution Lesson 34: Who Gets What - Drawing up a Will
If you've been faithfully living the Cheapskates way and following the lessons so far you will be able to achieve a level of financial security. You will build up your assets, and live the life you dream of, debt free and cashed up.
So who is going to inherit your estate and benefit from your wisdom? You want your belongings to go to the people you want them too. There's nothing sadder that watching family members fight and argue over a deceased loved one's estate, or worse still, have a complete stranger decide how your assets will be divided (and take a large chunk for the honour) because you didn't leave a valid will.
No one wants to think about dying, but it's a part of the cycle of life. We are all going to die eventually, and being responsible enough to plan ahead takes a burden off your family.
This week's lesson goes over the why and how to get a legally binding will in place. It's the least you can do to make things easier for your family after you're gone.
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 Sweet'n'Sour Sauce
Who remembers going to the local Chinese restaurant and sitting down to sweet'n'sour chicken and special fried rice?
Well now you can cross that jar of sauce off the shopping list and make that delicious sauce right in your own kitchen using just a few pantry ingredients and a couple of veg from the fridge in minutes.
Sweet'n'Sour Sauce
Ingredients:
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp water
2/3 cup rice vinegar*
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tomato, diced
1 small onion, quartered and then pulled into leaves
1/2 green capsicum, cut into chunks
1 tin pineapple pieces
Method:
Mix cornflour and water in a small bowl until smooth and set aside. Add remaining ingredients to a small saucepan, and bring to a boil.
Add the cornflour mixture and stir constantly until the sauce thickens - this only takes a couple of minutes.
Remove from heat and pour over chicken or noodles and enjoy.
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
https://www.cheapskatesclub.net/forum.html?p=post%2Fthe-weekly-moo-challenge-10269683
9. 2021 Saving Revolution
Saving Revolution Lesson 34: Who Gets What - Drawing up a Will
If you've been faithfully living the Cheapskates way and following the lessons so far you will be able to achieve a level of financial security. You will build up your assets, and live the life you dream of, debt free and cashed up.
So who is going to inherit your estate and benefit from your wisdom? You want your belongings to go to the people you want them too. There's nothing sadder that watching family members fight and argue over a deceased loved one's estate, or worse still, have a complete stranger decide how your assets will be divided (and take a large chunk for the honour) because you didn't leave a valid will.
No one wants to think about dying, but it's a part of the cycle of life. We are all going to die eventually, and being responsible enough to plan ahead takes a burden off your family.
This week's lesson goes over the why and how to get a legally binding will in place. It's the least you can do to make things easier for your family after you're gone.
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