9. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Rachel who wrote
"We grow some of our food - the usual tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower etc. - so I know what goes onto it. I try to buy organic for the other food, and free-range for our eggs, poultry and beef. Problem is the expense. We are on a budget (isn't everyone) and one income so I can be home with our two children (3-1/2 and 9 months). We live in a capital city, so are surrounded by shops. Does anyone have any tips on how I can shop for these things and not pay the outrageous supermarket prices? I'm prepared to travel a little way once a month or buy meat in bulk (Cath has opened my eyes to how much easier it is to shop this way). "
Susan Czermak answered
You don't say what capital city you live in, but in terms of meat, Tasman Meats is quite good and they have several outlets under different names around Melbourne. In Melbourne the cooler section of the NQR stores are good for cheese, free range eggs, butter, margarine, yoghurt and salami type items. It is luck of the draw as to what you get -so in my local store at present, among other things, there is organic butter, for example.
They have biscuits too and other things like pasta, toilet paper and shampoo. I tend to stick to the cooler section and muesli (although I quite often make my own and/or make my own yoghurt). Recently I bought a second hand bread maker for $15.00 which looks like new, and have been very pleased with the real wholemeal bread that results.
In a nearby suburb there are exchange meets where you can get homegrown vegies and take along any surplus you have yourself. In my small garden at present, I have lemons, kale, collards, carrots and have just finished the leeks. I like things like kale and collards because they keep giving, rather than a once off cauliflower but in summer the cabbage whites are a complete nuisance so I change what is planted - like zucchini. Sliced zucchini makes a good substitute for cooked apple in desserts, believe it or not. I find a certain variety of rhubarb keeps giving all year. Thinking carefully about what exactly you plant in your veggie patch can maximise your savings.
Sonja Smout answered
Look into CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes. In Brisbane there is one I especially like called Food Connect. They ensure that both the farmer and the customer get a good price. Food connect is all organic or pesticide free and don't support mono-cropping, so that there is a wide range of in-season fruit and veg available. It's more expensive than conventionally grown fruit and veg, but it's cheaper than organic from the supermarket. The quality is always excellent - even their "seconds/unruly" box. For meat, see if you can get together with a few other people and buy a whole cow or sheep. You get a much better price and you might be able to find a local farmer that you can actually talk to and see how the animal was raised.
Em Caulfield answered
In regards to your eggs, get a couple of hens. It might be a bit expensive to set up at first but it pays for itself very quickly. You only need 2 hens to get 2 eggs a day (do not get less than 2 as they need the company) - it only takes about 20 minutes a day to look after them. Well worth the time.
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 $30 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
Last week's question was from Rachel who wrote
"We grow some of our food - the usual tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower etc. - so I know what goes onto it. I try to buy organic for the other food, and free-range for our eggs, poultry and beef. Problem is the expense. We are on a budget (isn't everyone) and one income so I can be home with our two children (3-1/2 and 9 months). We live in a capital city, so are surrounded by shops. Does anyone have any tips on how I can shop for these things and not pay the outrageous supermarket prices? I'm prepared to travel a little way once a month or buy meat in bulk (Cath has opened my eyes to how much easier it is to shop this way). "
Susan Czermak answered
You don't say what capital city you live in, but in terms of meat, Tasman Meats is quite good and they have several outlets under different names around Melbourne. In Melbourne the cooler section of the NQR stores are good for cheese, free range eggs, butter, margarine, yoghurt and salami type items. It is luck of the draw as to what you get -so in my local store at present, among other things, there is organic butter, for example.
They have biscuits too and other things like pasta, toilet paper and shampoo. I tend to stick to the cooler section and muesli (although I quite often make my own and/or make my own yoghurt). Recently I bought a second hand bread maker for $15.00 which looks like new, and have been very pleased with the real wholemeal bread that results.
In a nearby suburb there are exchange meets where you can get homegrown vegies and take along any surplus you have yourself. In my small garden at present, I have lemons, kale, collards, carrots and have just finished the leeks. I like things like kale and collards because they keep giving, rather than a once off cauliflower but in summer the cabbage whites are a complete nuisance so I change what is planted - like zucchini. Sliced zucchini makes a good substitute for cooked apple in desserts, believe it or not. I find a certain variety of rhubarb keeps giving all year. Thinking carefully about what exactly you plant in your veggie patch can maximise your savings.
Sonja Smout answered
Look into CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes. In Brisbane there is one I especially like called Food Connect. They ensure that both the farmer and the customer get a good price. Food connect is all organic or pesticide free and don't support mono-cropping, so that there is a wide range of in-season fruit and veg available. It's more expensive than conventionally grown fruit and veg, but it's cheaper than organic from the supermarket. The quality is always excellent - even their "seconds/unruly" box. For meat, see if you can get together with a few other people and buy a whole cow or sheep. You get a much better price and you might be able to find a local farmer that you can actually talk to and see how the animal was raised.
Em Caulfield answered
In regards to your eggs, get a couple of hens. It might be a bit expensive to set up at first but it pays for itself very quickly. You only need 2 hens to get 2 eggs a day (do not get less than 2 as they need the company) - it only takes about 20 minutes a day to look after them. Well worth the time.
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 $30 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
Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 36:19
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Cheap and Good Body Wash; MOO After Shower Moisturiser; Enjoying Deli Items on a Budget
3. This Week's Winning Tip - Tuck Shop Savings and a Bonus Lesson
4. Share Your Tips
5. On the Menu - Mexican Chicken Impossible Pie
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge- Grocery Shopping Ahead for the Holidays
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8.The Cheapskates Club Show - Join Cath & Hannah on You Tube every Tuesday and Thursday
9. Last Week's Question - Where to find cheaper free range food?
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,
At last! We still don't have internet, it vanished Monday and hasn't reappeared. We've been promised every day that it would be back - in 24 hours, before the end of the day, in two hours, in three hours and last promise was no longer than 48 hours - that puts it sometime Saturday night. Oh well!
I apologise for not getting your newsletter out on time. Normally it's well and truly finished before sending time, and for the most part it was. I just had to edit and add the answers to last week's question, and of course write this spiel, both of which are normally done on a Monday. Which was when I realised we didn't have internet.
Not only that, but there were no shows this week. Using the data from my tablet works for answering emails and checking Facebook, but when we tested it for the show the speed and buffering were dreadful. So no show. And I have so much to share with you all.
Anyhoo, it's beyond my control. I need to be patient and trust that it will be fixed properly and as soon as possible, so we can get back to normal because over the weekend we have a special announcement about some changes we are making and a new product we have been working on for months, just for Cheapskaters. Check Cheapskates Chatter regularly so you don't miss out - it really amazing and a must for living the Cheapskates way.
In the meantime, have a great week and don't take your internet connection for granted! (And yes, I am up and sending this at 3:50am!)
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Cheap and Good Body Wash
My daughter put me on to soap free body wash as a healthy alternative soapy ones. I use just plain sorbolene with added glycerine. My skin is nice and not drying out in the winter months. In my home country soap free washes are recommended for intimate hygiene too so it’s a win-win. I just bought the Redwin brand on special for $3.20 for a litre in Woolworths. Other washes can be up to $20-$25 a litre.
Contributed by Stine Baska
MOO After Shower Moisturiser
I make a skin cream/moisturiser that I apply after a shower. I use my face washer for a bit of a dry off in the shower, then get out and apply the oil from top to toe before applying my (MYO) deodorant and getting back in the shower to squeegee the glass and let the oil soak in a bit. Anyway the recipe for the oil is: 1/3 olive oil, 1/3 coconut oil (both cheap and fabulous), 1/6 macadamia, 1/6 almond or any good oil that you like, then a bit of rosehip (more expensive), and an essential oil that is recommended for topical use. I also put in some jojoba oil - which is fab for your skin, also. I put mine in a nice pump bottle as it can be a bit hard to dispense from other bottles.
Contributed by Susie Venkat
Enjoying Deli Items on a Budget
Our Coles is a smaller store, which we find more convenient (less miles of aisles means faster shopping!) but the deli has quite limited hours. As a shift worker, I am usually shopping well outside of deli hours! To counter the higher per kilo of packaged foods from the dairy department, I try to buy when our favourites are on special and sometimes choose to cook bacon or other meats for sandwiches etc. We bulk out sandwiches and wraps (e.g.) with non-deli fillings even when salad runs out before our next shop. For example roast beef or ham with veggies is a tasty filling, and the veggies can be leftovers, or microwaved from fresh or frozen. They taste great when freshly made, and also travel to work with an ice brick. Great for a shift worker's meal!
Jo & Steve H.
Add a Tip
3. This Week's Winning Tip
This week's winning tip is from Jo Aspin. Jo has won a one year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip.
Tuckshop or canteen can be a difficult decision to make. We all know how much cheaper it is to pack a lunch, but of course kids don't like to be too different. We solved the problem by allowing tuckshop once a week to the value of $2 (in primary school each child could spend $1). The advantage to me was it had to be a Monday, and the school supplied a menu at the start of each year. Orders had to be written out and handed in first thing each morning. And like Jo, our kids had the choice to buy tuckshop or save the money for holiday spending. I'd say they chose tuckshop half the time, and saved their $1 for the school holidays.
And if you don't have children in school yet, it's not too early to start thinking about how you'll deal with the tuckshop issue when it arises - and it will! I built it into our school budget along with excursions and camps, music and sport fees so I wouldn't be scrabbling for the money when they chose tuckshop.
Tuck Shop Savings and a Bonus Lesson
I found that was buying tuckshop once a week; now our school tuckshop range is not extensive but I have two kids so this cost about $10 a week over 10 weeks (a term). Then school holidays would rock around and it would be "mum can you buy this" and if I did 10 seconds later it would be "mum can you buy that". So I came up with a plan. I sat the kids down and told them I was going to let them be in charge of their tuckshop. They had $30 each (so I’m already $40 ahead) for tuckshop but once the money was gone there was no more. I also told them that what they had left over at the end of term they could spend during the school holidays. So now they decide if they want tuckshop or nor and this term so far only one has had it one day and spent $3. I save during the school term and then again during the school holidays when they ask for money.
Congratulations Jo, I hope you enjoy your Cheapskates Club membership.
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.
4. 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
5. On The Menu
This pie is a quick and easy weeknight meal made with leftover cooked chicken and pantry ingredients, just perfect for zero waste in the kitchen. Because it's based on the famous Impossible Pie, you don't need to worry about pastry, it bakes its own crust.
Mexican Chicken Impossible Pie
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 green capsicum, seeded and diced
1/2 cup diced onion
2 tablespoons taco seasoning*
1 cup SR flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Mix chicken, onion, and taco seasoning. Put into a large, greased quiche or pie plate. Mix milk, eggs and flour and pour into pan. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes until top is golden and custard is set.
*Note: You can make your own taco seasoning rather than open a packet. You'll find the ingredients and quantities here, store it in a glass jar so it stays fresh.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Lamb
Monday: Mexican Chicken Impossible Pie, salad, french bread
Tuesday: Spag Bol, salad, garlic bread
Wednesday: Satay chicken, rice, naan
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Steak, chips, salad
Saturday: Muffin Surprise
In the fruit bowl: oranges and lemons, apples
In the cake tin: Ginger Crisp Slice, fruit cake
There are over 1,600 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
6. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
Grocery Shopping Ahead for the Holidays
Everyone knows I have a grocery stockpile that I use throughout the year. But I still need to shop for perishables, and I do this on a weekly basis, with every second week being a slightly bigger shop. And everybody knows I love to have all my Christmas shopping finished by the end of November, so that I can sit back and relax and enjoy December.
That includes the Christmas groceries too. Many years ago, starting when AJ started school, I would shop ahead, starting in September, so that once the school year was over (it was usually the first few days of December) the groceries were done and dusted until school went back in the new year.
To do this I broke the December and January shopping lists down, and added them to the September, October and November lists. About 10 years ago I extended this so that I was buying ahead for December, January and February - three months off grocery shopping! This worked well for non-perishables, and it was the beginnings of my enduring love of stockpiling.
But what about the perishables? Well lots of them will freeze, and lots of perishables have a very long shelf-life, so I buy them ahead in the last week of November. And then the grocery shopping is done and I can stay out of the supermarkets and butcher for three whole months! That means avoiding crowds. No struggling to find parking. No sweltering in shops during an Australian summer. It is bliss.
This leaves just fresh fruit and veg that needs to be bought. A quick trip to Pellegrino's once a fortnight and I can buy what we need and be home again in under 30 minutes.
The advantage is that I stick to the shopping list, and therefore the grocery budget, always a good thing, especially at the most expensive time of year.
Do you grocery shop ahead for the holidays?
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Attitude Differences between Those with Debt and Those Without
Fast Party Food Cheapskates Style
Real World Tips to Stop Spending and Start Saving
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Check Your Shopping Dockets
The Value of the Emergency Fund
Question: What are Your Financial Goals?
Most Popular Blog Posts This Week
MOO Toilet Bombs
Zero Waste
MOO Household Cleaning Solutions
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays and Thursdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AET
Join us live on YouTube every Tuesday and Thursday 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.
Thursday: Cheapskates in the Kitchen - want to know how to cook delicious, healthy and cheap meals? Watch Cath and Hannah as they create cheapskates style cuisine and share their favourite recipes.
Most Popular Shows
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Cheap and Good Body Wash; MOO After Shower Moisturiser; Enjoying Deli Items on a Budget
3. This Week's Winning Tip - Tuck Shop Savings and a Bonus Lesson
4. Share Your Tips
5. On the Menu - Mexican Chicken Impossible Pie
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge- Grocery Shopping Ahead for the Holidays
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8.The Cheapskates Club Show - Join Cath & Hannah on You Tube every Tuesday and Thursday
9. Last Week's Question - Where to find cheaper free range food?
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,
At last! We still don't have internet, it vanished Monday and hasn't reappeared. We've been promised every day that it would be back - in 24 hours, before the end of the day, in two hours, in three hours and last promise was no longer than 48 hours - that puts it sometime Saturday night. Oh well!
I apologise for not getting your newsletter out on time. Normally it's well and truly finished before sending time, and for the most part it was. I just had to edit and add the answers to last week's question, and of course write this spiel, both of which are normally done on a Monday. Which was when I realised we didn't have internet.
Not only that, but there were no shows this week. Using the data from my tablet works for answering emails and checking Facebook, but when we tested it for the show the speed and buffering were dreadful. So no show. And I have so much to share with you all.
Anyhoo, it's beyond my control. I need to be patient and trust that it will be fixed properly and as soon as possible, so we can get back to normal because over the weekend we have a special announcement about some changes we are making and a new product we have been working on for months, just for Cheapskaters. Check Cheapskates Chatter regularly so you don't miss out - it really amazing and a must for living the Cheapskates way.
In the meantime, have a great week and don't take your internet connection for granted! (And yes, I am up and sending this at 3:50am!)
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Cheap and Good Body Wash
My daughter put me on to soap free body wash as a healthy alternative soapy ones. I use just plain sorbolene with added glycerine. My skin is nice and not drying out in the winter months. In my home country soap free washes are recommended for intimate hygiene too so it’s a win-win. I just bought the Redwin brand on special for $3.20 for a litre in Woolworths. Other washes can be up to $20-$25 a litre.
Contributed by Stine Baska
MOO After Shower Moisturiser
I make a skin cream/moisturiser that I apply after a shower. I use my face washer for a bit of a dry off in the shower, then get out and apply the oil from top to toe before applying my (MYO) deodorant and getting back in the shower to squeegee the glass and let the oil soak in a bit. Anyway the recipe for the oil is: 1/3 olive oil, 1/3 coconut oil (both cheap and fabulous), 1/6 macadamia, 1/6 almond or any good oil that you like, then a bit of rosehip (more expensive), and an essential oil that is recommended for topical use. I also put in some jojoba oil - which is fab for your skin, also. I put mine in a nice pump bottle as it can be a bit hard to dispense from other bottles.
Contributed by Susie Venkat
Enjoying Deli Items on a Budget
Our Coles is a smaller store, which we find more convenient (less miles of aisles means faster shopping!) but the deli has quite limited hours. As a shift worker, I am usually shopping well outside of deli hours! To counter the higher per kilo of packaged foods from the dairy department, I try to buy when our favourites are on special and sometimes choose to cook bacon or other meats for sandwiches etc. We bulk out sandwiches and wraps (e.g.) with non-deli fillings even when salad runs out before our next shop. For example roast beef or ham with veggies is a tasty filling, and the veggies can be leftovers, or microwaved from fresh or frozen. They taste great when freshly made, and also travel to work with an ice brick. Great for a shift worker's meal!
Jo & Steve H.
Add a Tip
3. This Week's Winning Tip
This week's winning tip is from Jo Aspin. Jo has won a one year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip.
Tuckshop or canteen can be a difficult decision to make. We all know how much cheaper it is to pack a lunch, but of course kids don't like to be too different. We solved the problem by allowing tuckshop once a week to the value of $2 (in primary school each child could spend $1). The advantage to me was it had to be a Monday, and the school supplied a menu at the start of each year. Orders had to be written out and handed in first thing each morning. And like Jo, our kids had the choice to buy tuckshop or save the money for holiday spending. I'd say they chose tuckshop half the time, and saved their $1 for the school holidays.
And if you don't have children in school yet, it's not too early to start thinking about how you'll deal with the tuckshop issue when it arises - and it will! I built it into our school budget along with excursions and camps, music and sport fees so I wouldn't be scrabbling for the money when they chose tuckshop.
Tuck Shop Savings and a Bonus Lesson
I found that was buying tuckshop once a week; now our school tuckshop range is not extensive but I have two kids so this cost about $10 a week over 10 weeks (a term). Then school holidays would rock around and it would be "mum can you buy this" and if I did 10 seconds later it would be "mum can you buy that". So I came up with a plan. I sat the kids down and told them I was going to let them be in charge of their tuckshop. They had $30 each (so I’m already $40 ahead) for tuckshop but once the money was gone there was no more. I also told them that what they had left over at the end of term they could spend during the school holidays. So now they decide if they want tuckshop or nor and this term so far only one has had it one day and spent $3. I save during the school term and then again during the school holidays when they ask for money.
Congratulations Jo, I hope you enjoy your Cheapskates Club membership.
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.
4. 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
5. On The Menu
This pie is a quick and easy weeknight meal made with leftover cooked chicken and pantry ingredients, just perfect for zero waste in the kitchen. Because it's based on the famous Impossible Pie, you don't need to worry about pastry, it bakes its own crust.
Mexican Chicken Impossible Pie
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 green capsicum, seeded and diced
1/2 cup diced onion
2 tablespoons taco seasoning*
1 cup SR flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Mix chicken, onion, and taco seasoning. Put into a large, greased quiche or pie plate. Mix milk, eggs and flour and pour into pan. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes until top is golden and custard is set.
*Note: You can make your own taco seasoning rather than open a packet. You'll find the ingredients and quantities here, store it in a glass jar so it stays fresh.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Lamb
Monday: Mexican Chicken Impossible Pie, salad, french bread
Tuesday: Spag Bol, salad, garlic bread
Wednesday: Satay chicken, rice, naan
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Steak, chips, salad
Saturday: Muffin Surprise
In the fruit bowl: oranges and lemons, apples
In the cake tin: Ginger Crisp Slice, fruit cake
There are over 1,600 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
6. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
Grocery Shopping Ahead for the Holidays
Everyone knows I have a grocery stockpile that I use throughout the year. But I still need to shop for perishables, and I do this on a weekly basis, with every second week being a slightly bigger shop. And everybody knows I love to have all my Christmas shopping finished by the end of November, so that I can sit back and relax and enjoy December.
That includes the Christmas groceries too. Many years ago, starting when AJ started school, I would shop ahead, starting in September, so that once the school year was over (it was usually the first few days of December) the groceries were done and dusted until school went back in the new year.
To do this I broke the December and January shopping lists down, and added them to the September, October and November lists. About 10 years ago I extended this so that I was buying ahead for December, January and February - three months off grocery shopping! This worked well for non-perishables, and it was the beginnings of my enduring love of stockpiling.
But what about the perishables? Well lots of them will freeze, and lots of perishables have a very long shelf-life, so I buy them ahead in the last week of November. And then the grocery shopping is done and I can stay out of the supermarkets and butcher for three whole months! That means avoiding crowds. No struggling to find parking. No sweltering in shops during an Australian summer. It is bliss.
This leaves just fresh fruit and veg that needs to be bought. A quick trip to Pellegrino's once a fortnight and I can buy what we need and be home again in under 30 minutes.
The advantage is that I stick to the shopping list, and therefore the grocery budget, always a good thing, especially at the most expensive time of year.
Do you grocery shop ahead for the holidays?
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