Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 35:21
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Save Your Hair Ties; Another Stocktake to Save Money; My Personal Fire Box
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - 3 Ingredient Pineapple Muffins
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - How Long Does Food Last
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
8. The Weekly MOO Challenge - Hummus
9. 2021 Saving Revolution - Lesson 35: Get off the Debt Cycle with a Payment Push!
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,
Welcome to Spring! Oh my goodness today is glorious, and the perfect start to spring (yes, I'm writing this yesterday). When the sky is so blue and the sun is shining, and the Kookaburras are laughing, well it's a great day.
Our garden renovation/redesign/landscaping project is coming along. Of course it changed again, once we started we realised that the plan we had drawn up could be tweaked just a little to make it work even better. Yay! The fun part is reusing what we can so we don't need to buy as much. All those branches pruned off the apple tree are being put to good use now, a much better option than putting them out for green waste.
With heavy garden work comes sore muscles and aching knees (well my muscles are sore and my knees are aching), but it's a good ache. I can't wait for the first bed to be done so I can plant out the tomato seedlings and get some other veggies in and going.
Growing food is one of the easiest ways to prepare, well for the expected and the unexpected. And that brings me to Get Prepared Month. September is Get Prepared Month, the time to make your plans for becoming debt free, Christmas, stockpiling, disasters, anything and everything. Because "I'm too prepared" said no one ever when a disaster happened. I'll be posting different ways to prepare all month long. Remember: Don't be afraid, be prepared.
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Save Your Hair Ties
I was constantly losing my hair ties (costing me lots of $$) and would find them all over the house, under the couch cushions etc. but most got lost. So I bought a packet of carabiners from the $2 shop for $2. When I take out my hair tie I put it straight onto the carabiner and now I don't lose them, don't have to buy any, don't have to clean them up and have saved lots of money ($50 a year for 3 years so far).
Contributed by Margaret
Another Stocktake to Save Money
I regularly do a pantry stocktake however, while 'playing' in the shed recently, I discovered another stocktake that will also save money. I was getting some plant food from the shed, and noticed how many containers of seaweed solution, fertilizer and general plant products I had, including double ups, so promptly did a stocktake of what I had on hand. Next time I go to the hardware store, I'll know what I have and what I am running low on, rather than buying something 'just in case.'
Contributed by Paula
My Personal Fire Box
As I live in a bushfire prone area, each season I put together my "bushfire box". I get a big plastic box and I put in anything I think I will need in a big hurry, like old photos, birth certificates, our wills, insurance paperwork and any other important paperwork. Irreplaceable trinkets like the kids things also go in as well. I also scan important things and burn onto disc and put in there as well. Having this box prepared means we can evacuate in a hurry. When you make your evacuation box you will of course be limited by the size of your box and it is hard to choose what you can and can't afford to replace. But having this box will hopefully mean that if or when you and your family are told you have to evacuate, you can leave easily and quickly without worrying and fretting that you have left something behind. All you have to do is grab the box, the kids and the pets. This little bit of organization will mean that the fireys can do what they do best, putting out the fires, instead of hanging around waiting on you.
Contributed by Denise
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
3 Ingredient Pineapple Muffins
These are so good, and so very simple and easy to make. If you cut them down to cupcake size, instead of muffin size, you'll get 24 - and really, one cupcake is plenty in a lunchbox. Cut the baking time down to about 12 - 15 minutes (I check after 12 minutes). Cool. Put some in the cake tin and the rest in the freezer for a quick treat another time.
3 Ingredient Pineapple Muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups SR flour
1 cup sugar
820g can crushed pineapple
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Line a muffin pan with 12 muffin liners.
Combine the flour, sugar and pineapple with all the juice. Mix well.
Fill muffin papers 2/3 full.
Bake for 20 minutes until cooked in the centre and golden.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Beef
Monday: Grilled marinated chicken pieces, salad
Tuesday: Tortellini in Tomato Sauce
Wednesday: Roast Beef & gravy sandwiches
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Fish, potato gems, coleslaw
Saturday: Sausage Rolls
There are over 1,700 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
How Long Does Food Last?
I'm heading into my shopping season, the time of year when I start work on the yearly shopping list and begin to look for the things I need on sale. This means that a lot of what I buy, I buy in bulk, because I buy enough to last us a year.
Before you fill your cupboards with bulk items, you may want to review the average "life" of what you're going to buy. Ask yourself if you have adequate storage space, freezer space, and how much your family enjoys the products you are purchasing; no point in buying tinned tuna if no one likes it and it will sit on the shelf for 20 years (it will still be edible, but what a waste of shelf space and money).
This is a list of the average life of some common pantry and fridge/freezer foods.
Meat & Poultry - Uncooked:
Chicken/Turkey - 9 months
Steaks, beef - 6 to 12 months
Chops, pork - 4 to 6 months
Chops, lamb - 6 to 9 months
Roasts, beef - 6 to 12 months
Roasts, lamb - 6 to 9 months
Roasts, pork and veal - 4 to 6 months
Stew Meats - 3 to 4 months
Ground meats - 3 to 4 months
Organ meats - 3 to 4 months
Dairy Products:
Butter/margarine - 6-9 months
Cheese, soft and spreads, dips - 1 months
Cheese, hard or semi-hard - 6 months
Eggs in shell- Do not freeze
Ice cream - 1 months
Milk / Cream- 3 weeks
*Dried Food Items - Shelf Life:
Baking powder/bi-carb soda - 18 months
Bread Crumbs - 6 months
Cereals - 6 months
Flour/cake mixes - 1 year
Gelatin/pudding mixes - 1 year
Herbs/spices - 6-12 months
Milk, nonfat dry - 6 months
Pancake/pastry mixes - 6 months
Pasta/noodles - 2 years
Potatoes, instant - 18 months
Rice, white - 2 years
Sugar, white - 2 years
Sugar, brown - 4 months
*These are very conservative times. Most of these dry goods will last years if stored properly, and some are what I call forever foods. If you're not sure, watch my video on Forever Foods for a more detailed explanation and a more comprehensive list.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Don't be Afraid, be Prepared
What's the Point of a Stockpile?
Zucchinis and Zinnias
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
How We Reduced, and Then Eliminated, Our Debt
Sterilising Jars and Preserving Tips
How to make a Quillow
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 - Save Your Hair Ties; Another Stocktake to Save Money; My Personal Fire Box
3. Share Your Tips
4. On the Menu - 3 Ingredient Pineapple Muffins
5. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - How Long Does Food Last
6. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
7. The Cheapskates Club Show
8. The Weekly MOO Challenge - Hummus
9. 2021 Saving Revolution - Lesson 35: Get off the Debt Cycle with a Payment Push!
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,
Welcome to Spring! Oh my goodness today is glorious, and the perfect start to spring (yes, I'm writing this yesterday). When the sky is so blue and the sun is shining, and the Kookaburras are laughing, well it's a great day.
Our garden renovation/redesign/landscaping project is coming along. Of course it changed again, once we started we realised that the plan we had drawn up could be tweaked just a little to make it work even better. Yay! The fun part is reusing what we can so we don't need to buy as much. All those branches pruned off the apple tree are being put to good use now, a much better option than putting them out for green waste.
With heavy garden work comes sore muscles and aching knees (well my muscles are sore and my knees are aching), but it's a good ache. I can't wait for the first bed to be done so I can plant out the tomato seedlings and get some other veggies in and going.
Growing food is one of the easiest ways to prepare, well for the expected and the unexpected. And that brings me to Get Prepared Month. September is Get Prepared Month, the time to make your plans for becoming debt free, Christmas, stockpiling, disasters, anything and everything. Because "I'm too prepared" said no one ever when a disaster happened. I'll be posting different ways to prepare all month long. Remember: Don't be afraid, be prepared.
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Save Your Hair Ties
I was constantly losing my hair ties (costing me lots of $$) and would find them all over the house, under the couch cushions etc. but most got lost. So I bought a packet of carabiners from the $2 shop for $2. When I take out my hair tie I put it straight onto the carabiner and now I don't lose them, don't have to buy any, don't have to clean them up and have saved lots of money ($50 a year for 3 years so far).
Contributed by Margaret
Another Stocktake to Save Money
I regularly do a pantry stocktake however, while 'playing' in the shed recently, I discovered another stocktake that will also save money. I was getting some plant food from the shed, and noticed how many containers of seaweed solution, fertilizer and general plant products I had, including double ups, so promptly did a stocktake of what I had on hand. Next time I go to the hardware store, I'll know what I have and what I am running low on, rather than buying something 'just in case.'
Contributed by Paula
My Personal Fire Box
As I live in a bushfire prone area, each season I put together my "bushfire box". I get a big plastic box and I put in anything I think I will need in a big hurry, like old photos, birth certificates, our wills, insurance paperwork and any other important paperwork. Irreplaceable trinkets like the kids things also go in as well. I also scan important things and burn onto disc and put in there as well. Having this box prepared means we can evacuate in a hurry. When you make your evacuation box you will of course be limited by the size of your box and it is hard to choose what you can and can't afford to replace. But having this box will hopefully mean that if or when you and your family are told you have to evacuate, you can leave easily and quickly without worrying and fretting that you have left something behind. All you have to do is grab the box, the kids and the pets. This little bit of organization will mean that the fireys can do what they do best, putting out the fires, instead of hanging around waiting on you.
Contributed by Denise
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
3 Ingredient Pineapple Muffins
These are so good, and so very simple and easy to make. If you cut them down to cupcake size, instead of muffin size, you'll get 24 - and really, one cupcake is plenty in a lunchbox. Cut the baking time down to about 12 - 15 minutes (I check after 12 minutes). Cool. Put some in the cake tin and the rest in the freezer for a quick treat another time.
3 Ingredient Pineapple Muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups SR flour
1 cup sugar
820g can crushed pineapple
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Line a muffin pan with 12 muffin liners.
Combine the flour, sugar and pineapple with all the juice. Mix well.
Fill muffin papers 2/3 full.
Bake for 20 minutes until cooked in the centre and golden.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Beef
Monday: Grilled marinated chicken pieces, salad
Tuesday: Tortellini in Tomato Sauce
Wednesday: Roast Beef & gravy sandwiches
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Fish, potato gems, coleslaw
Saturday: Sausage Rolls
There are over 1,700 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
How Long Does Food Last?
I'm heading into my shopping season, the time of year when I start work on the yearly shopping list and begin to look for the things I need on sale. This means that a lot of what I buy, I buy in bulk, because I buy enough to last us a year.
Before you fill your cupboards with bulk items, you may want to review the average "life" of what you're going to buy. Ask yourself if you have adequate storage space, freezer space, and how much your family enjoys the products you are purchasing; no point in buying tinned tuna if no one likes it and it will sit on the shelf for 20 years (it will still be edible, but what a waste of shelf space and money).
This is a list of the average life of some common pantry and fridge/freezer foods.
Meat & Poultry - Uncooked:
Chicken/Turkey - 9 months
Steaks, beef - 6 to 12 months
Chops, pork - 4 to 6 months
Chops, lamb - 6 to 9 months
Roasts, beef - 6 to 12 months
Roasts, lamb - 6 to 9 months
Roasts, pork and veal - 4 to 6 months
Stew Meats - 3 to 4 months
Ground meats - 3 to 4 months
Organ meats - 3 to 4 months
Dairy Products:
Butter/margarine - 6-9 months
Cheese, soft and spreads, dips - 1 months
Cheese, hard or semi-hard - 6 months
Eggs in shell- Do not freeze
Ice cream - 1 months
Milk / Cream- 3 weeks
*Dried Food Items - Shelf Life:
Baking powder/bi-carb soda - 18 months
Bread Crumbs - 6 months
Cereals - 6 months
Flour/cake mixes - 1 year
Gelatin/pudding mixes - 1 year
Herbs/spices - 6-12 months
Milk, nonfat dry - 6 months
Pancake/pastry mixes - 6 months
Pasta/noodles - 2 years
Potatoes, instant - 18 months
Rice, white - 2 years
Sugar, white - 2 years
Sugar, brown - 4 months
*These are very conservative times. Most of these dry goods will last years if stored properly, and some are what I call forever foods. If you're not sure, watch my video on Forever Foods for a more detailed explanation and a more comprehensive list.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
6. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Don't be Afraid, be Prepared
What's the Point of a Stockpile?
Zucchinis and Zinnias
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
How We Reduced, and Then Eliminated, Our Debt
Sterilising Jars and Preserving Tips
How to make a Quillow
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
Hummus
Did you know that hummus has it's own day? May 13 is International Hummus Day, and yes I know it's not May. But I think hummus should be celebrated every day, it's that good. I know people who spread avocado on their bread instead of butter. Well skip the avo folks, and try hummus. On a salad sandwich or a cheese sandwich or even with a Vegemite sandwich it is the bomb!
Then you can use carrot sticks or celery to dip and scoop, or pita chips, for a snack. And it's almost guilt-free because it's full of good things, especially if you MOO it.
Ingredients:
3 cups cooked chickpeas (or use 2 cans, rinsed and drained)
5 - 6 garlic cloves, minced
3 spring onions, finely minced
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
Method:
Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender and purée. You can cut down the garlic if you don't like it as strong. Serve as a dip or sandwich spread.
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
9. 2021 Saving Revolution
Lesson 35: Get off the Debt Cycle with a Payment Push!
Now is not the time to be in debt. Regular work and pay packets can't be relied on right now. Between work at home, lockdowns, shutdowns, businesses closing every day, debt is another thing you don't want to have to worry about.
This week I'm going to teach you how to get out of debt, fast and once and for all. It's a simple program, one anyone can use to make a huge dent in their debt. And boy is that dent needed!
This is one of the most important lessons in the whole Saving Revolution, so please, please, please don't skip it.
Cheapskates Club members can log in and get more information on the Payment Push and how to use it to fast-track that goal of being debt free.
The Payment Push
How to Spend the Rest of Your Life Debt Free
Household Budgeting Basics
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
Hummus
Did you know that hummus has it's own day? May 13 is International Hummus Day, and yes I know it's not May. But I think hummus should be celebrated every day, it's that good. I know people who spread avocado on their bread instead of butter. Well skip the avo folks, and try hummus. On a salad sandwich or a cheese sandwich or even with a Vegemite sandwich it is the bomb!
Then you can use carrot sticks or celery to dip and scoop, or pita chips, for a snack. And it's almost guilt-free because it's full of good things, especially if you MOO it.
Ingredients:
3 cups cooked chickpeas (or use 2 cans, rinsed and drained)
5 - 6 garlic cloves, minced
3 spring onions, finely minced
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
Method:
Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender and purée. You can cut down the garlic if you don't like it as strong. Serve as a dip or sandwich spread.
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
9. 2021 Saving Revolution
Lesson 35: Get off the Debt Cycle with a Payment Push!
Now is not the time to be in debt. Regular work and pay packets can't be relied on right now. Between work at home, lockdowns, shutdowns, businesses closing every day, debt is another thing you don't want to have to worry about.
This week I'm going to teach you how to get out of debt, fast and once and for all. It's a simple program, one anyone can use to make a huge dent in their debt. And boy is that dent needed!
This is one of the most important lessons in the whole Saving Revolution, so please, please, please don't skip it.
Cheapskates Club members can log in and get more information on the Payment Push and how to use it to fast-track that goal of being debt free.
The Payment Push
How to Spend the Rest of Your Life Debt Free
Household Budgeting Basics
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