Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 34:22
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Freezing Quantities; Pegged the Bag; Gluten Free Pie Bases
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Gingernuts
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - I'm Not Worried about Fruit and Veg Prices
6. The Weekly MOO Challenge - How to Make Pancakes
7. Cheapskates Buzz
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
9. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
10. Join the Cheapskates Club
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
After a very busy few days, it has been nice to get back to our regular routine.
This week I dehydrated some veggies for the pantry, to add to build our food security and use every little bit. I love seeing jars of food on the shelf, knowing it will keep until I am ready to use it. While the dehydrator was on the beetroot leaves went in too. No point in running the dehydrator half full, it costs the same to run it regardless. And those leaves were powdered and put into the green jar. That jar is filling up quickly; there will be plenty of nutrient dense powder to use next winter. Have you been able to preserve anything this week?
Winter is almost over, although you'd never know it. We've had a lot of rain, and it has been so cold that I thought the garden would be suffering. Seems the plants are loving the rain and the cold, they are growing like weeds, and you know how well weeds grow! I'm looking forward to the weekend, the weather is supposed to be fine and warm (well warm for this time of year) and I have grand plans to spend it outside!
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
PS: Love our site? We love referrals! Send a note to your favourite newspapers, magazines, radio stations, TV stations, friends and relatives, and tell them about us!
2. From The Tip Store
Freezing Quantities
We eat a far amount of yoghurt from Aldi. I wash the empty containers and when I make soup, always in double amount and I freeze soup or meals in these yoghurt containers. The size is just right for two people. If they get stained or smelly after a few uses, I can throw them out as it has not cost me anything. Also I save rain water in my 3 litre empty milk bottles. Very easy to take the milk bottle to the pot plants. We have had a lot of rain lately, so I have about 100 bottles sitting waiting to be used.
Contributed by Irene
Pegged the Bag
For many years I have kept an old Tupperware container with no lid in my pantry and one in my fridge, in it are a bunch of wooden pegs. I use these to reseal my freezer bags, fridge bags and anything in the pantry that needs resealing. I have seen many people swear by the use of those specific bag closure clips, the pegs use the same principal.
Contributed by Deborah
Gluten Free Pie Bases
Having been on a GF diet for many years I’ve always struggled to find the perfect pastry for pie bases and believe me I’ve tried many recipes! But surprise, surprise I recently discovered that the white corn tortillas (Mission) are the size to fit the base of my pie maker. So just place the base cutter on top of the tortilla and press down to make the cuts to overlap, place in pie maker, add filling and add a top from GF puff pastry and you have a great pie. I thaw out my puff pastry sheet and roll it out slightly larger than packet size and I can get four tops from 1 sheet!
Contributed by Lyn
There are more than 12,000 great tips in the Tip Store
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
Ginger Nuts
This week I have an old favourite for you – Ginger Nuts. These delicious biscuits are quick and easy to make and are real favourites in our house. They don't last long at all!
Ginger Nuts
125g butter
180g white sugar
250g self raising flour
2 tbsp Golden syrup
2 level tsp ground ginger
pinch salt
1 egg, beaten
Melt butter, sugar and syrup together in saucepan. Cool slightly. Add beaten egg, and mix well. Then add to sifted dry ingredients. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Put small teaspoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet (I use greased greaseproof paper or silicone paper if I have it). Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes until nice and brown and cooked.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Rissoles & Salad
Tuesday: Grilled Chicken Pesto Pasta
Wednesday: Chicken pie, veggies
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Steak Sandwiches
Saturday: Muffin Surprise
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
I'm Not Worried about Fruit and Veg Prices
If you've been grocery shopping lately, and bought produce, then you'll know it is rather expensive. The much talked about $11 lettuce (it's OK, they're down this week to $5.50) and even potatoes at $3.80 a kilo could sure put a dent in your grocery budget.
You and I have no control over the charged prices of things but we do have control over the prices we pay.
I grow most of the veg we eat, even at this time of year. I usually only buy potatoes, onion and sweet potato and I'll keep an eye on the prices. I have a very good greengrocer whose prices are always reasonable, especially as they sell mostly locally grown, in season produce. Growing what we eat, or even some of what we eat, really helps the grocery budget.
I know I harp on about this, and there are those folk who roll their eyes and mutter in their beards about it being OK if you have a back yard, time, a green thumb yada yada yada, and there are those who nod their heads and smile as they munch on a homegrown orange or enjoy fresh broccoli with their dinner.
The thing is if you don't grow your own food, you are hostage to the store prices. You will need to put in more time and effort to shop around and find the lowest prices and hope that the quality is still first grade. Or you put that time and effort into growing some food and saving a lot of money.
As for meat - I'll do the same things I've been doing for the last 5 years - watch prices and buy on sale, look for substitutes for meats that are ridiculously priced, make sure it's all used, watch portion sizes, and stretch it with vegetables, legumes etc. if that's appropriate.
I'm certainly not going to start worrying about prices, and you shouldn't either - that's wasted energy. I'd rather put my energy into using the food we have to make meals we all enjoy, and that will keep us healthy, and into growing food and shopping around for what we can't grow.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. The Weekly MOO Challenge
How to Make Pancakes
There’s nothing quite like fluffy pancakes from scratch for brunch on a weekend morning or for an afternoon tea treat. We even have them for lunch when there is no bread. Here’s a recipe to help you whip up some great comfort food for breakfast. These don’t include a lot of sugar because the addition of syrup as a topping adds plenty of sweetness.
Ingredients:
2 cups SR flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1 ¾ cups milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
This recipe makes approximately 14 pancakes.
Step 1: Preheat Pan or Griddle
Preheat your pan or griddle to medium high heat. If it is not non-stick, add a little butter to keep pancakes from sticking.
Step 2: Mix Dry Ingredients
Add the flour and sugar to a large bowl. Whisk until well combined and lumps are removed.
Step 3: Mix Wet Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and vegetable oil until fully combined.
Step 4: Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients
Add the wet ingredients to the dry.
Whisk until combined, but don’t worry about removing all the lumps as this will cause you to over mix the batter.
Step: 5 Time to Cook
Using a ladle, spoon about ¼ cup of batter per pancake on your pan or griddle.
Your pancakes are ready to flip when they become firm on top and lots of bubbles appear.
Once you’ve flipped your pancakes, they will only take a minute or two to be done. Make sure you don’t over brown them.
Serve the pancakes warm and top with MOO pancake syrup, butter, stewed fruit or whatever suits your fancy.
These pancakes freeze well and are a nice addition to lunchboxes. Butter them and spread with jam or lemon butter and sandwich two together, wrap in clingwrap and freeze. Then just pop one or two into lunchboxes, straight from the freezer. By lunchtime they will be thawed and just right for eating.
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
3 Great Reasons To Grow Your Own Salad
Cheapskates Ways to Cut Energy Bills
Easing the Financial Burden of Becoming a One-Income Household
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Feeding two Adults also a Cat and Dog
Newest Recipes
Cheeseburger Impossible Pie
8. 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!
Latest Shows
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Freezing Quantities; Pegged the Bag; Gluten Free Pie Bases
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - Gingernuts
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - I'm Not Worried about Fruit and Veg Prices
6. The Weekly MOO Challenge - How to Make Pancakes
7. Cheapskates Buzz
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
9. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
10. Join the Cheapskates Club
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
After a very busy few days, it has been nice to get back to our regular routine.
This week I dehydrated some veggies for the pantry, to add to build our food security and use every little bit. I love seeing jars of food on the shelf, knowing it will keep until I am ready to use it. While the dehydrator was on the beetroot leaves went in too. No point in running the dehydrator half full, it costs the same to run it regardless. And those leaves were powdered and put into the green jar. That jar is filling up quickly; there will be plenty of nutrient dense powder to use next winter. Have you been able to preserve anything this week?
Winter is almost over, although you'd never know it. We've had a lot of rain, and it has been so cold that I thought the garden would be suffering. Seems the plants are loving the rain and the cold, they are growing like weeds, and you know how well weeds grow! I'm looking forward to the weekend, the weather is supposed to be fine and warm (well warm for this time of year) and I have grand plans to spend it outside!
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
PS: Love our site? We love referrals! Send a note to your favourite newspapers, magazines, radio stations, TV stations, friends and relatives, and tell them about us!
2. From The Tip Store
Freezing Quantities
We eat a far amount of yoghurt from Aldi. I wash the empty containers and when I make soup, always in double amount and I freeze soup or meals in these yoghurt containers. The size is just right for two people. If they get stained or smelly after a few uses, I can throw them out as it has not cost me anything. Also I save rain water in my 3 litre empty milk bottles. Very easy to take the milk bottle to the pot plants. We have had a lot of rain lately, so I have about 100 bottles sitting waiting to be used.
Contributed by Irene
Pegged the Bag
For many years I have kept an old Tupperware container with no lid in my pantry and one in my fridge, in it are a bunch of wooden pegs. I use these to reseal my freezer bags, fridge bags and anything in the pantry that needs resealing. I have seen many people swear by the use of those specific bag closure clips, the pegs use the same principal.
Contributed by Deborah
Gluten Free Pie Bases
Having been on a GF diet for many years I’ve always struggled to find the perfect pastry for pie bases and believe me I’ve tried many recipes! But surprise, surprise I recently discovered that the white corn tortillas (Mission) are the size to fit the base of my pie maker. So just place the base cutter on top of the tortilla and press down to make the cuts to overlap, place in pie maker, add filling and add a top from GF puff pastry and you have a great pie. I thaw out my puff pastry sheet and roll it out slightly larger than packet size and I can get four tops from 1 sheet!
Contributed by Lyn
There are more than 12,000 great tips in the Tip Store
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
Ginger Nuts
This week I have an old favourite for you – Ginger Nuts. These delicious biscuits are quick and easy to make and are real favourites in our house. They don't last long at all!
Ginger Nuts
125g butter
180g white sugar
250g self raising flour
2 tbsp Golden syrup
2 level tsp ground ginger
pinch salt
1 egg, beaten
Melt butter, sugar and syrup together in saucepan. Cool slightly. Add beaten egg, and mix well. Then add to sifted dry ingredients. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Put small teaspoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet (I use greased greaseproof paper or silicone paper if I have it). Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes until nice and brown and cooked.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Rissoles & Salad
Tuesday: Grilled Chicken Pesto Pasta
Wednesday: Chicken pie, veggies
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Steak Sandwiches
Saturday: Muffin Surprise
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
I'm Not Worried about Fruit and Veg Prices
If you've been grocery shopping lately, and bought produce, then you'll know it is rather expensive. The much talked about $11 lettuce (it's OK, they're down this week to $5.50) and even potatoes at $3.80 a kilo could sure put a dent in your grocery budget.
You and I have no control over the charged prices of things but we do have control over the prices we pay.
I grow most of the veg we eat, even at this time of year. I usually only buy potatoes, onion and sweet potato and I'll keep an eye on the prices. I have a very good greengrocer whose prices are always reasonable, especially as they sell mostly locally grown, in season produce. Growing what we eat, or even some of what we eat, really helps the grocery budget.
I know I harp on about this, and there are those folk who roll their eyes and mutter in their beards about it being OK if you have a back yard, time, a green thumb yada yada yada, and there are those who nod their heads and smile as they munch on a homegrown orange or enjoy fresh broccoli with their dinner.
The thing is if you don't grow your own food, you are hostage to the store prices. You will need to put in more time and effort to shop around and find the lowest prices and hope that the quality is still first grade. Or you put that time and effort into growing some food and saving a lot of money.
As for meat - I'll do the same things I've been doing for the last 5 years - watch prices and buy on sale, look for substitutes for meats that are ridiculously priced, make sure it's all used, watch portion sizes, and stretch it with vegetables, legumes etc. if that's appropriate.
I'm certainly not going to start worrying about prices, and you shouldn't either - that's wasted energy. I'd rather put my energy into using the food we have to make meals we all enjoy, and that will keep us healthy, and into growing food and shopping around for what we can't grow.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. The Weekly MOO Challenge
How to Make Pancakes
There’s nothing quite like fluffy pancakes from scratch for brunch on a weekend morning or for an afternoon tea treat. We even have them for lunch when there is no bread. Here’s a recipe to help you whip up some great comfort food for breakfast. These don’t include a lot of sugar because the addition of syrup as a topping adds plenty of sweetness.
Ingredients:
2 cups SR flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1 ¾ cups milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
This recipe makes approximately 14 pancakes.
Step 1: Preheat Pan or Griddle
Preheat your pan or griddle to medium high heat. If it is not non-stick, add a little butter to keep pancakes from sticking.
Step 2: Mix Dry Ingredients
Add the flour and sugar to a large bowl. Whisk until well combined and lumps are removed.
Step 3: Mix Wet Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and vegetable oil until fully combined.
Step 4: Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients
Add the wet ingredients to the dry.
Whisk until combined, but don’t worry about removing all the lumps as this will cause you to over mix the batter.
Step: 5 Time to Cook
Using a ladle, spoon about ¼ cup of batter per pancake on your pan or griddle.
Your pancakes are ready to flip when they become firm on top and lots of bubbles appear.
Once you’ve flipped your pancakes, they will only take a minute or two to be done. Make sure you don’t over brown them.
Serve the pancakes warm and top with MOO pancake syrup, butter, stewed fruit or whatever suits your fancy.
These pancakes freeze well and are a nice addition to lunchboxes. Butter them and spread with jam or lemon butter and sandwich two together, wrap in clingwrap and freeze. Then just pop one or two into lunchboxes, straight from the freezer. By lunchtime they will be thawed and just right for eating.
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
3 Great Reasons To Grow Your Own Salad
Cheapskates Ways to Cut Energy Bills
Easing the Financial Burden of Becoming a One-Income Household
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Feeding two Adults also a Cat and Dog
Newest Recipes
Cheeseburger Impossible Pie
8. 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!
Latest Shows
9. Ask A Question
We have lots of resources to help you as you live the Cheapskates way but if you didn't find the answer to your question in our extensive archives please just drop me a note with your question.
I read and answer all questions, either in an email to you, in my weekly newsletter, the monthly Journal or by creating blog posts and other resources to help you (and other Cheapskaters).
Ask Your Question
10. Join The Cheapskates Club
For just $25 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 for a full year.
That's unlimited 24/7 access to EVERYTHING in the Member's Centre!
Click here to join the Cheapskates Club today!
11. Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change my email address?
This one is easy. When you login to the Member's Centre just click on your name at the top of the page to go straight to your profile page where you can update your details, change your password and find your subscription details.
Not a Cheapskates Club member? Then please use the Changing Details form found here to update your email address.
How do I know when my membership should be renewed?
Memberships are active for one year from the date of joining. You will be sent a renewal reminder before your subscription is due to renew. You can also find your membership expiry date on your profile page.
When you login to the Member's Centre just click on your name to go straight to your profile page where you can will find your join date and your expiry date.
What will you do with my email address?
We never rent, trade or sell our email list to anyone for any reason whatsoever. You'll never get an unsolicited email from a stranger as a result of joining this list.
How did I get on this list?
The only way you can get onto our newsletter mailing list is to subscribe yourself. You either signed up to receive our Free Newsletter at our Cheapskates Club Web site or are a Platinum Cheapskates Club member.
12. Contact Cheapskates
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
Contact Cheapskates
We have lots of resources to help you as you live the Cheapskates way but if you didn't find the answer to your question in our extensive archives please just drop me a note with your question.
I read and answer all questions, either in an email to you, in my weekly newsletter, the monthly Journal or by creating blog posts and other resources to help you (and other Cheapskaters).
Ask Your Question
10. Join The Cheapskates Club
For just $25 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 for a full year.
That's unlimited 24/7 access to EVERYTHING in the Member's Centre!
Click here to join the Cheapskates Club today!
11. Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change my email address?
This one is easy. When you login to the Member's Centre just click on your name at the top of the page to go straight to your profile page where you can update your details, change your password and find your subscription details.
Not a Cheapskates Club member? Then please use the Changing Details form found here to update your email address.
How do I know when my membership should be renewed?
Memberships are active for one year from the date of joining. You will be sent a renewal reminder before your subscription is due to renew. You can also find your membership expiry date on your profile page.
When you login to the Member's Centre just click on your name to go straight to your profile page where you can will find your join date and your expiry date.
What will you do with my email address?
We never rent, trade or sell our email list to anyone for any reason whatsoever. You'll never get an unsolicited email from a stranger as a result of joining this list.
How did I get on this list?
The only way you can get onto our newsletter mailing list is to subscribe yourself. You either signed up to receive our Free Newsletter at our Cheapskates Club Web site or are a Platinum Cheapskates Club member.
12. Contact Cheapskates
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
Contact Cheapskates