Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 37:19
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - No Fussing Earns Holiday Spending Money; Chopping Herbs; MOOing is so Much Better for Us
3. Share Your Tips -
4. The Living the Cheapskates Way Budget & Lifestyle Planner - Pre-orders are open!
5. On the Menu - Hotpot
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Spring Cleaning the Pantry
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
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,
And thank you, thank you, thank you for being so patient, because I'm not. Ten days and we still don't have Internet; 10 days of using our phones and tablets, the mobile wi-fi and I've even used some free wi-fi at our local shopping centre. You'll never know how much I appreciate you being so tolerant with late newsletters and slow email responses.
And then our website broke! Oh my giddy aunt, it never rains but it pours. Log ins are back, but the pages may look a little odd - out of line or with odd spacing. But they're all still there, and they will be even better when the upgrades are done.
All this happened just as we launched our Living the Cheapskates Way Budget & Lifestyle Planner. It's available on pre-order until Sunday night. All pre-orders will be dispatched early October. We have a limited number of planners available, and once they're gone that's it - we won't be doing another print run for next year. You can find out all about the LCW Planner here.
Before I go, I just have to share with you what greeted me last week as I was working in the kitchen. This gorgeous bird landed on the clothesline, then flew off to the top of the side fence, then back to the clothesline, then back to the roof of the shed. He and his partner usually visit the garden first thing in the morning and feast on bugs in the garden, but for some reason he came alone and at tea time. But he is gorgeous and I love having bush behind us, we get so many beautiful birds come to visit.
Have a lovely week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
No Fussing Earns Holiday Spending Money
Since we're coming up to school holidays soon I thought this tip might be appropriate. When I was young and we were going away on holidays it used to take 6 hours in the car each way. Being 3 kids between 5 and 10, in the backseat of the car, we used to argue ("Don't touch me" is hard to do when you're three abreast in the backseat) and drive Mum and Dad nuts. As it was holidays, we used to get spending money, not much, $10 each or so. To stop the fussing in the car, Mum decided that every time we argued she'd dock us 50c or so, and after a period of being good, we'd get it back. Strangely enough once the holiday funds started getting down past the $7 mark, we were fantastic kids the rest of the trip, and we managed to behave enough to get the full amount back just about the time the trip finished and we were there. We ended up having more fun on the trip because we were concentrated on amusing ourselves together rather than arguing, and Mum tells me it was the best idea she'd ever had for her and Dad's peace on the trip.
Contributed by Deanna
Chopping Herbs
When you need chopped herbs (e.g. parsley, coriander, chives, rosemary etc) for garnish or to add to recipes, simply put them into a straight sided mug and insert scissors, pointed ends down, and snip away. You can choose whether you want them fine or coarse, and it is very quick, with much less mess. Simply rinse your scissors under hot water when finished. Result, cup full of chopped herbs, no messy board.
Contributed by Robyn.
MOOing is so Much Better for Us
Amen Cath! Especially in this age where people's health actually doesn't matter to the food manufacturers, Making Our Own is so much better tasting and rewarding. I was very proud of myself tonight for putting together a rice and lentil one pot when it was very tempting to go get take out noodles, especially given I didn't get to do my regular fruit and veg shopping today - the crisper was very bare! Dinner was late to be started, kids were getting frantic! Anyway, I did it, and managed to find an eggplant the neighbour had given me, a zucchini, garlic and pumpkin from the garden and some corn in the fridge that needed to be used. It really paid to look around and was so much cheaper and better for us! Oh, and I kept the kids busy making chocolate and coconut Weetbix balls while the pot simmered away on the stove. It was all right in the end! Thanks for all the great tips and the motivation to keep saving and making my own stuff. My family appreciates you too!
Contributed by Sarah
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; 1,700 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. The Living the Cheapskates Way Budget & Lifestyle Planner
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - No Fussing Earns Holiday Spending Money; Chopping Herbs; MOOing is so Much Better for Us
3. Share Your Tips -
4. The Living the Cheapskates Way Budget & Lifestyle Planner - Pre-orders are open!
5. On the Menu - Hotpot
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Spring Cleaning the Pantry
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
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,
And thank you, thank you, thank you for being so patient, because I'm not. Ten days and we still don't have Internet; 10 days of using our phones and tablets, the mobile wi-fi and I've even used some free wi-fi at our local shopping centre. You'll never know how much I appreciate you being so tolerant with late newsletters and slow email responses.
And then our website broke! Oh my giddy aunt, it never rains but it pours. Log ins are back, but the pages may look a little odd - out of line or with odd spacing. But they're all still there, and they will be even better when the upgrades are done.
All this happened just as we launched our Living the Cheapskates Way Budget & Lifestyle Planner. It's available on pre-order until Sunday night. All pre-orders will be dispatched early October. We have a limited number of planners available, and once they're gone that's it - we won't be doing another print run for next year. You can find out all about the LCW Planner here.
Before I go, I just have to share with you what greeted me last week as I was working in the kitchen. This gorgeous bird landed on the clothesline, then flew off to the top of the side fence, then back to the clothesline, then back to the roof of the shed. He and his partner usually visit the garden first thing in the morning and feast on bugs in the garden, but for some reason he came alone and at tea time. But he is gorgeous and I love having bush behind us, we get so many beautiful birds come to visit.
Have a lovely week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
No Fussing Earns Holiday Spending Money
Since we're coming up to school holidays soon I thought this tip might be appropriate. When I was young and we were going away on holidays it used to take 6 hours in the car each way. Being 3 kids between 5 and 10, in the backseat of the car, we used to argue ("Don't touch me" is hard to do when you're three abreast in the backseat) and drive Mum and Dad nuts. As it was holidays, we used to get spending money, not much, $10 each or so. To stop the fussing in the car, Mum decided that every time we argued she'd dock us 50c or so, and after a period of being good, we'd get it back. Strangely enough once the holiday funds started getting down past the $7 mark, we were fantastic kids the rest of the trip, and we managed to behave enough to get the full amount back just about the time the trip finished and we were there. We ended up having more fun on the trip because we were concentrated on amusing ourselves together rather than arguing, and Mum tells me it was the best idea she'd ever had for her and Dad's peace on the trip.
Contributed by Deanna
Chopping Herbs
When you need chopped herbs (e.g. parsley, coriander, chives, rosemary etc) for garnish or to add to recipes, simply put them into a straight sided mug and insert scissors, pointed ends down, and snip away. You can choose whether you want them fine or coarse, and it is very quick, with much less mess. Simply rinse your scissors under hot water when finished. Result, cup full of chopped herbs, no messy board.
Contributed by Robyn.
MOOing is so Much Better for Us
Amen Cath! Especially in this age where people's health actually doesn't matter to the food manufacturers, Making Our Own is so much better tasting and rewarding. I was very proud of myself tonight for putting together a rice and lentil one pot when it was very tempting to go get take out noodles, especially given I didn't get to do my regular fruit and veg shopping today - the crisper was very bare! Dinner was late to be started, kids were getting frantic! Anyway, I did it, and managed to find an eggplant the neighbour had given me, a zucchini, garlic and pumpkin from the garden and some corn in the fridge that needed to be used. It really paid to look around and was so much cheaper and better for us! Oh, and I kept the kids busy making chocolate and coconut Weetbix balls while the pot simmered away on the stove. It was all right in the end! Thanks for all the great tips and the motivation to keep saving and making my own stuff. My family appreciates you too!
Contributed by Sarah
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; 1,700 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. The Living the Cheapskates Way Budget & Lifestyle Planner
After years of using frustrating diaries and planners that didn't have everything we wanted in the one place, we've developed the perfect planner for Cheapskates!
It has everything you need to keep you organised as you live the Cheapskates way - debt free, cashed up and laughing!
I've tried so many planners and diaries over the years. Some of them have been cheap (from $2 shops); some of them have been expensive (I've paid up to $50 for a planner); some of them have been given to me. The best I could find that worked reasonably well was a 98 cent paperback school diary from Aldi! But not one of the many I've tried over the years had everything I needed. Sure, they all had some of what I needed to live the Cheapskates way, but not one of them had all the things I need in the one place.
And so I had planners and notebooks everywhere - on my desk, in my handbag, on the bookshelf (because they were too painful to use), even on my phone! And it wasn't working. It was messy. It was time consuming. It was just plain annoying to have multiple dairies, planners, journals to organise our life.
I started plotting and planning and thinking about just what I need in a planner, then handed it all over to Hannah.
The result is the Living the Cheapskates Way Lifestyle and Budget Planner.
Everything you need in the one convenient, handbag sized, hardcover (so it lasts the full year) planner for just $29.95 plus p&h.
Click here to find out more and pre-order your copy for delivery in early October.
5. On The Menu
Hot Pot
When I need a tasty dinner that doesn't need a lot of input from me, or close watching, this is one of my go-to recipes.
Ingredients:
6 BBQ chops (or any other meat, I often just use chuck steak)
1 sliced onion
2 potatoes thinly sliced
1 thinly sliced carrot
beef stock cube
water – eyeball it, about 1 ½ cups
Method:
Grease a casserole dish and put the chops on the bottom. Then layer the vegetables over the top. Mix the stock cube with the water and pour over. Cover with a lid and bake in a moderate oven until meat and veggies are cooked, about 1 ½ - 2 hours depending on size of chops. The meat will fall off the bones, be very tender and you will have lovely gravy to spoon over the meat and veggies.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Fish, wedges, salad
Tuesday: Spinach Ricotta Lasagne, salad
Wednesday: Lancashire hot pot, mash
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Soup & Crumpets
Saturday: Hot Dogs
In the fruit bowl: Oranges
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
6. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
Spring Cleaning the Pantry
It's that time of year, when thoughts turn to spring cleaning. Cupboards are the usual, but do you spring clean your pantry? You should - and not just to give it a clean and tidy, but to make sure you don't have any money lurking on the shelves, waiting to be used. And that money is in the form of food you've bought and forgotten.
It could be an ingredient you bought for something and only used it once, or perhaps it was a half-price special you stocked up on and then forgot. Or perhaps it's a favourite cereal that's no longer a favourite.
It's time to spring clean the pantry and put that money to work!
Empty each shelf. Wipe it over with Miracle Spray and dry with a towel. Put a bay leaf in each of the back corners to deter bugs. Then wipe over all the jars and tins and canisters.
As you put things back, jot down how much of each thing you have (use our Pantry Inventory to do this, then keep track of what you have by updating it regularly). I like to have like things together.
Top shelf in my pantry is the bulk buys of coffee and tea, the vanilla and Worcestershire sauce that are brewing, and things I don't use often.
The next shelf is the baking shelf. It has flours, sugars, cocoa, nuts, breadcrumbs, dried fruits and pasta in canisters.
The middle shelf is for cereal - wheat biscuits, Ricies and muesli; condiments - sauces, jam, peanut butter and Vegemite and seasonings; cooking spray, olive oil, sesame oil, vinegar, balsamic.
The bottom shelf holds more baking needs: sprinkles, fruit mince, icing sugar, choc bits, MOO mixes etc.
And on the floor are the bins of bread flour and rolled oats, the big tins of oil, and the veggie box for potatoes.
As you clean and tidy and find odd bits of money, jot them down and put them all together in one spot. When you've finished tidying write up a meal plan or two and use up all that money that's sitting on the pantry shelf.
Your pantry will be clean and tidy, you won't have any lost ingredients, and by using them up you will free up some of the grocery budget - perhaps to build your stockpile or your slush fund.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Make Money with Spring Cleaning
Spring Cleaning Your Finances
Spring Cleaning Checklist
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Spring Time Housekeeping
Home Management Binder
Op Shopping Bargains
Most Popular Blog Posts This Week
MOO Household Cleaning Solutions
From the Tip Store: MOO Wool Mix
MOO Toilet Bombs
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.
Coming Up
Tuesday 17th September: Planning Ahead
Popular Shows
It has everything you need to keep you organised as you live the Cheapskates way - debt free, cashed up and laughing!
I've tried so many planners and diaries over the years. Some of them have been cheap (from $2 shops); some of them have been expensive (I've paid up to $50 for a planner); some of them have been given to me. The best I could find that worked reasonably well was a 98 cent paperback school diary from Aldi! But not one of the many I've tried over the years had everything I needed. Sure, they all had some of what I needed to live the Cheapskates way, but not one of them had all the things I need in the one place.
And so I had planners and notebooks everywhere - on my desk, in my handbag, on the bookshelf (because they were too painful to use), even on my phone! And it wasn't working. It was messy. It was time consuming. It was just plain annoying to have multiple dairies, planners, journals to organise our life.
I started plotting and planning and thinking about just what I need in a planner, then handed it all over to Hannah.
The result is the Living the Cheapskates Way Lifestyle and Budget Planner.
Everything you need in the one convenient, handbag sized, hardcover (so it lasts the full year) planner for just $29.95 plus p&h.
Click here to find out more and pre-order your copy for delivery in early October.
5. On The Menu
Hot Pot
When I need a tasty dinner that doesn't need a lot of input from me, or close watching, this is one of my go-to recipes.
Ingredients:
6 BBQ chops (or any other meat, I often just use chuck steak)
1 sliced onion
2 potatoes thinly sliced
1 thinly sliced carrot
beef stock cube
water – eyeball it, about 1 ½ cups
Method:
Grease a casserole dish and put the chops on the bottom. Then layer the vegetables over the top. Mix the stock cube with the water and pour over. Cover with a lid and bake in a moderate oven until meat and veggies are cooked, about 1 ½ - 2 hours depending on size of chops. The meat will fall off the bones, be very tender and you will have lovely gravy to spoon over the meat and veggies.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Fish, wedges, salad
Tuesday: Spinach Ricotta Lasagne, salad
Wednesday: Lancashire hot pot, mash
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Soup & Crumpets
Saturday: Hot Dogs
In the fruit bowl: Oranges
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
6. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
Spring Cleaning the Pantry
It's that time of year, when thoughts turn to spring cleaning. Cupboards are the usual, but do you spring clean your pantry? You should - and not just to give it a clean and tidy, but to make sure you don't have any money lurking on the shelves, waiting to be used. And that money is in the form of food you've bought and forgotten.
It could be an ingredient you bought for something and only used it once, or perhaps it was a half-price special you stocked up on and then forgot. Or perhaps it's a favourite cereal that's no longer a favourite.
It's time to spring clean the pantry and put that money to work!
Empty each shelf. Wipe it over with Miracle Spray and dry with a towel. Put a bay leaf in each of the back corners to deter bugs. Then wipe over all the jars and tins and canisters.
As you put things back, jot down how much of each thing you have (use our Pantry Inventory to do this, then keep track of what you have by updating it regularly). I like to have like things together.
Top shelf in my pantry is the bulk buys of coffee and tea, the vanilla and Worcestershire sauce that are brewing, and things I don't use often.
The next shelf is the baking shelf. It has flours, sugars, cocoa, nuts, breadcrumbs, dried fruits and pasta in canisters.
The middle shelf is for cereal - wheat biscuits, Ricies and muesli; condiments - sauces, jam, peanut butter and Vegemite and seasonings; cooking spray, olive oil, sesame oil, vinegar, balsamic.
The bottom shelf holds more baking needs: sprinkles, fruit mince, icing sugar, choc bits, MOO mixes etc.
And on the floor are the bins of bread flour and rolled oats, the big tins of oil, and the veggie box for potatoes.
As you clean and tidy and find odd bits of money, jot them down and put them all together in one spot. When you've finished tidying write up a meal plan or two and use up all that money that's sitting on the pantry shelf.
Your pantry will be clean and tidy, you won't have any lost ingredients, and by using them up you will free up some of the grocery budget - perhaps to build your stockpile or your slush fund.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Make Money with Spring Cleaning
Spring Cleaning Your Finances
Spring Cleaning Checklist
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Spring Time Housekeeping
Home Management Binder
Op Shopping Bargains
Most Popular Blog Posts This Week
MOO Household Cleaning Solutions
From the Tip Store: MOO Wool Mix
MOO Toilet Bombs
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.
Coming Up
Tuesday 17th September: Planning Ahead
Popular 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 $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!
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 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!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152
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 $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!
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 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!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152
Contact Cheapskates