Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter: 38:14 Bright ideas to save you money
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - Getting the Most out of Nut Butter, Meatballs from Leftovers, MOO a Birthday Cake and Keep $60 in Your Pocket
3. Cheapskate's Winning Tip - Spatula Savings
4. Submit Your Tip - Share your favourite tip for a chance to win!
5. Living Green in 2014 - Reduce Your Carbon Footprint at Home
6. On the Menu with Anne - A question about potato bake
7. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy - Preparing for the holiday stockpile
8. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
9. Member's Featured Blog - Changes Ahead by Kirsty
10. Last Week's Question - Ideas to mend my favourite socks?
11. This Week's Question - Is there a recipe for MOO floor polish?
12. Join the Cheapskates Club
13. Gift Memberships
14. Frequently Asked Questions
15. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
I hope you are all having a wonderful week. Things are almost back to normal in our house, Hannah is well and truly on the mend. How do I know this? She's already making plans for catching up with friends next week and she's back to being Miss Independent. It's so nice. Thank you, from both of us, to everyone who sent her get well wishes and prayers. She is a little blown away that so many of you would think of her. I explained that’s what we Cheapskaters do - look after members of our community because we all really care. It's really nice, thank you all so much.
I know that we just accept the Internet now and that for our kids it's nothing special but I can remember in the not too distant past having to type (on a real typewriter to boot) and then print or photocopy newsletters, fold them, stuff them into envelopes, stick on address labels and then put them through the franking machine! Now I can send your newsletter to you from wherever I am just by clicking on a button. And I don't send just one with that click, I send tens of thousands all around Australia and the world. It still leaves me awestruck when I think about it because you're reading your newsletter and I'm not anywhere near my computer. In fact I wasn't even home when it was sent to you (it's Thursday, the day I take my mother to do her errands, shopping and so on)! Sometimes I love that technology makes our lives so much easier.
One thing modern technology hasn't been able to fix is the strawberry problem. You know, when you get strawberries at a fantastic price only to find that within a day or so they are soggy and mouldy and you add them to the chooks or the compost. Well modern technology may not have been able to solve the problem, but my mother-in-law Pat did, and she shared her secret with me a few years ago!
She would choose her strawberries carefully and then when she took them home they would go onto a baking tray, lined with paper towel. The secret is to keep a space between the fruit, no touching allowed, for the air to circulate. Then she'd cover them with another paper towel and put them into the fridge. She has been able to keep strawberries in tip top condition for almost three weeks with this method. Know I use it and while they don't last three weeks (they're long eaten before then) I haven't throw out a mouldy or musty strawberry in years. Strawberries have been cheap lately, if you're enjoying them and want to enjoy them a little longer try Pat's Strawberry Storage method.
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!
PPS: You can read this newsletter and past copies on the website in the Newsletter Archive.
2. From The Tip Store
Getting the Most out of Nut Butter
Approximate $ Savings: At least a jar or two a year-minimum $16
I buy the expensive nut butter because we can't eat peanuts. When I open a new jar there is a thick layer of oil on top which I try to stir in. When I get towards the end of the jar there is always a few tablespoons of the nut butter left but it is too dry to spread easily. Now I spoon the dry nut butter leftovers into the new jar, right on top of the oil and stir gently with a knife. It all incorporates really well so none is wasted.
Contributed by Sharon Benjamin
Editor's note: I do this with peanut butter, hazelnut spread, Vegemite, jam - any spread that comes in a jar. Before the jar is put into the recycle bin it gets cleaned out with the spatula and the "scrapings" added to the new jar. You can easily get enough from the supposedly empty jar for at least two, often three sandwiches - see this week's Winning Tip, below. Cath
Meatballs from Leftovers
If I have leftover hamburgers from a BBQ (homemade) I cut them into quarters, add them to a homemade tomato sauce and use it as spaghetti and meatballs.
Contributed by Sandi Langridge
MOO a Birthday Cake and Keep $60 in Your Pocket
Bakeries make a lot of money every year from parents who don't want to make their children's birthday cakes. While ordering a cake is convenient, it can be outrageously expensive. Save yourself some money and make the cake yourself.
Here are some ideas for simple cakes even a beginner can decorate that look fantastic:
Make a train cake out of two or three small loaf-shaped cake pans.
Make a flower cake by baking two round layer cakes and cutting one up for the petals. You can also use cupcakes for the petals.
Bake a sheet cake use icing to create roadways and decorate it with toy cars, construction trucks or other vehicles little boys like.
Bake two sheet cakes and decorate them as a computer and keyboard.
There are more than 11,000 great tips in the Tip Store
3. Cheapskates Winning tip
This week's winning tip is from Sarah Pateman. Sarah has won a one year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip.
Sarah's tip is after my own heart. I love my spatulas and use them every single day for something or other. This morning I scraped the supposedly empty peanut butter jar and put two tablespoons of peanut butter into the new jar (yep, I measured it!). Last night I used a spatula to scrape the saucepan to get every last drop of cheese sauce for the mac'n'cheese dish we had for dinner. Every kitchen should have a set of spatulas. You can read more about my love affair with these simple kitchen tools here: A Good Set of Spatulas
Spatula Savings
Approximate $ Savings: $100's
My best purchase ever, has been a set of spatulas, they cost around $7 and have saved me money on all sorts of items. From emptying jars of jam/peanut butter/margarine from the tub - to making sure I get the bits out of the bottom of the jar of my favourite and expensive face cream. You can use them on emptying products used inside the home e.g. food, toiletries, to using them on outside items such as garden spray containers or even oil! The options are endless.
Congratulations Sarah, I hope you enjoy your Cheapskates Club membership.
4. Submit your tip
The Cheapskate's Club website is over 3,000 pages of money saving hints, tips and ideas. 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. We publish a Winning Tip each Thursday, so enter your great money, time or energy saving idea now.
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!
Submit your tip
5. Living Green in 2014
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint at Home
The first step to reducing your carbon footprint is by figuring out how much you are using right now. There are several websites online that provide calculators. Try to find one that asks you a lot of questions because these will be the most accurate. Not only will the questions they ask guide you to ways to use less energy, but they often gives you tips on how you specifically can make changes.
A great way to reduce your carbon footprint is to use less petrol. This is one of the biggest sources of carbon release. Here are some tips for using less petrol every day.
Drive less
• Plan ahead so you can do all your errands in one trip. This will cut your kilometres and probably save you time too. Since Hannah finished school I only use the car twice a week and I'm loving the fuel savings only filling up once a month! I plan the trips to get the best value errand-wise from each one and if something gets forgotten it gets done the next time I go out. I've stopped trips for just one errand completely.
• Carpool. Work with neighbours and coworkers or fellow parents at your school, pre-school or daycare. Every shared trip cuts down on total kilometres driven.
• Walk or use a bike instead of driving. Not only is it better for the environment, it’s better for your health too. Now the weather is getting better I've brought my bike out of its winter hibernation, ready for running local errands.
Hybrid or electric. These vehicles are a fantastic way to use less petrol and produce less carbon. When it comes time to upgrade your vehicle think seriously about a hybrid or even electric car (especially if you don't do a lot of kilometres).
Biomass fuels. These are fuels produced from plants. The most common one is ethanol. While they still release carbon, it’s a lot lower than from fossil fuels.
Buy locally grown food in season. Ever wonder how supermarkets get such great looking veggies in the winter? They ship them in from all over the world. Even though you’re not the one driving, your food still used all that gas to get to your plate. Try joining a co-op or going to a farmer’s market and research which foods are grown when in your local area.
If you live in an area where power is generated by coal burning (which many of us still do), using less electricity is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint.
Turn off lights. This one is simple, but also very easy to forget. You could try Wendy's two light rule, only having two lights on at once. In our house the rule is no lights on during the day. Of an evening we use table lamps with compact fluorescent bulbs in them or desk lamps that use LEDs if we are working.
Unplug appliances. You can also use power strips and turn them off when you’re not using them. Seriously phantom power use is huge in modern households and it's not just bad for the environment it's costing you a fortune.
Use alternative energy. You can do research on installing solar power or even small wind turbines to your house. This can help supplement or even replace your current power source.
There’s a good chance you’ve heard about the three Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle. And when it comes to reducing your carbon footprint, these three Rs are extremely important. Go through your garbage and figure out what you can keep from going into the trash. This means fewer new products will need to be made by companies and less energy will be used.
6. On the Menu with Anne
Potato Bake
I mentioned last week that we were having potato bake for two dinners and Claire emailed asking "I noticed in this week's newsletter that on Tuesday and Thursday you're having your selected meat, plus potato bake and veggies. Is Thursday's potato bake leftovers from Tuesday or do you make a new batch? And if it is leftovers, does the cream curdle when reheated?"
When I make potato bake I use my large Corningware baking dish, which makes enough for three dinners or 12 serves. I like the idea of cooking ahead, it saves time later on. Once the casserole has cooled I just pack two meal sized portions and freeze them or as last week, put one in the fridge and one in the freezer. I use MOO evaporated milk instead of cream and it doesn't curdle. The potato will continue to absorb the sauce while it is cooling so I usually just drizzle a little extra milk (regular or evaporated if I still have it) over the top before reheating. I always reheat slowly in the oven to keep the texture of the casserole.
Anne's Potato Bake
Ingredients:
8 large potatoes, washed and thinly sliced
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 can evaporated milk (or MOO equivalent)
½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 cup grated tasty cheese
1tbsp butter
Method:
Grease a large casserole dish well. Layer the potato, onion and half the cheese, ending with a potato layer. Pour the evaporated milk over the potato and onion. Mix the remaining grated cheese and the breadcrumbs together and sprinkle evenly over the top of the potato. Dot with butter. Cover with foil and bake in a moderate oven for 1 hour. Remove the foil and cook a further 10 minutes until the cheese and crumbs are golden brown and the potato is cooked.
Evaporated Milk
Ingredients:
2/3 cup milk powder
1 cup cold water
Method:
Dissolve milk powder in cold water. This recipe makes the equivalent of one can of evaporated milk.
Variation:
Light evaporated milk: Substitute skim milk powder for full cream for a lower fat version.
This week we will be eating:
Friday: Fish cakes, wedges, salad
Saturday: MOO meat pies
Sunday: Roast chicken, baked vegetables, cauliflower with cheese sauce, corn
Monday: Sausage casserole, sweet potato mash, broccoli, carrots, corn
Tuesday: Spaghetti carbonara, salad, garlic toast
Wednesday: Meatloaf, smashed spuds, carrots, broccoli, gravy
Thursday: Impossible quiche and salad
In the fruit bowl: apples and bananas
In the cake tin: Cornflake Cookies, Gingerbread, Blueberry Muffins
There are over 1,400 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File
7. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy
Welcome fellow Cheapskaters.
Last week I posted about Cath's idea to stockpile basic groceries ahead of the Christmas rush. She'll be able to spend the holiday time with her family and out of the supermarket.
I've taken on Cath's idea and I've been very busy this week. Over two days I sorted and wiped out my pantry. I restacked things to use the space a little better. I filled up every container to the brim using my usual stockpile of basic pantry items like flour, sugar, baking ingredients and rice etc. etc. I moved the paper towel to the linen cupboard and a few medicines back to the bathrooms. This gave me extra room on the shelves.
I HAD SPACE!!!!!
Oh, it was so exciting to see so much space in my pantry. I kept opening the doors and exclaiming to anyone who was near how much space I had. The family could see my excitement and knew why this made me happy.
Having space meant I could go shopping to start filling up before the Christmas rush. Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE grocery shopping. I love grocery shopping because I can spend money. I love grocery shopping because I only do it once a month and all the buildup and planning gets me excited. But most of all I love it because I feel rich and can afford to feed my family.
So today Darren and I went food shopping. We had the bulk of the shopping done in an hour. My shopping list was written in order of where items are in the supermarkets. I write the quantities needed too. I just follow the list. I only need to duck into Coles to get a few items and to the fruit and veg shop for (you guessed it) fruit and veg for the week.
I've just unpacked the groceries and started filling up the spaces in my pantry. Over the next two months those spaces will disappear altogether as I stock up.
If you are wondering how I can afford to buy the extra groceries with my $300 grocery budget there is a reason - MY GROCERY SLUSH FUND!!! It comes in handy for times like these and means that I'm not going over budget. When December and January come and I'm only buying milk, fruit and veg, my slush fund will be topped up again.
So after all this typing, who's ready to give their pantry a good clean out?
How much space do you think you'll find after a sort out?
Have you started stockpiling ahead of the busy season?
Have a great week and BE ENCOURAGED!!!!!!
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2587-300-a-month-food-challenge-11-08-14
The Post that Started it All
http://www.cheapskates.com.au/pages/default.cfm?page_id=44265
8. Cheapskates Buzz
This week's hot forum topics
What's growing in your veg garden?
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?47-What-s-growing-in-your-veg-garden
Sometimes it's the simple things in life ....
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?1760-Sometimes-it-s-the-simple-things-in-life-....
My new cheapskate inspired adventure
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2477-my-new-cheapskate-inspired-adventure
Most popular blog posts this week
How to Slow Down and Enjoy the Simple Life
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2012/11/how-to-slow-down-and-enjoy-simple-life.html
Please, Please, Please Don't Let Marketing Dumb You Down!
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2012/06/please-please-please-dont-let-marketing.html
Miracle Spray
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2012/05/miracle-spray.html
9. Member's Featured Blog
Platinum Cheapskates Club members have their very own Cheapskating blogs, and they are wonderful and inspirational and encouraging and even funny. This week's featured blog is written by Kirsty.
Changes Ahead
Well I am almost back on the Cheapskates wagon. Since paying off our house I have taken a bit of time off. I am still a cheapskate but I am not quite as cheapskate as I was when I was paying down my mortgage. We felt a little lost after paying off the house but have now finally decided on a financial planner that we feel really comfortable with who gets us. He tells me that we are not like the usual new clients that walk through the door in that we have come in with no debt at all and quite a bit of an asset in the fact that we own our own home. He thinks I’m OCD about how I manage my bank accounts (this I learned from Cheapskates) and jokingly tells his staff that Kirsty has no debt because she doesn’t spend any money LOL (this I also learned from Cheapskates. It isn’t that we don’t spend money it’s just that we only buy what we need and Cheapskates has taught me over the years that we really don’t need a lot of stuff to feel happy and content).
We are about buy a block of land and build a new house as an investment property so about to get another mortgage EEEEK. So it’s time to get back on the Cheapskates wagon, to be honest I am quite looking forward to it. I find it so much easier to be a cheapskate when I have a goal to motivate me.
My first change is this week to stop buying espresso coffee in the morning on my way into work. I went into Aldi today and bought some pods to take into work instead as we have one of their machines in the office. I haven’t been to Aldi in ages. I love Aldi but I don’t have one that is conveniently located near my house unless I want to go to Westfield. I am an odd female in that I detest shopping centres. I avoid them like the plague. There is one being built in my local smaller shopping centre which when it does open I will be there all the time. I spotted the mixed packs of fruit which is something I haven’t seen before. How long have they had these? Very handy for lunch boxes and minimises fruit going over ripe.
I was reading everyone’s posts about spring cleaning. You have all motivated me. This afternoon I started a spring cleaning to do list. Oh my it’s a long list. I think this is going to take me a bit of time to get through.
Login to read more Cheapskates Club member blogs
10. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Pam who wrote
"I have several pairs of hiking socks that have worn thin on the back of the heel where they rub on my boots. The rest of the sock is in perfect condition. I know I can darn the thin patch with wool, but this tends to rub my skin. Does anyone have another way to mend the worn areas?"
Andrea Sproule answered
I mend my husband's work socks when they get worn out at the heels by cutting a fairly large piece of felt material and sewing that on with running stitch. The material is soft and covers the area, and stops it from fraying further.
Saadia Thomson answered
Bamboo yarn is very soft and great to knit, crochet and darn with. It has similar properties to wool and cotton in that it breathes, absorbs moisture etc. It doesn't rub like wool or wear as thin as cotton yarn can quickly do. 1 ball for between $3-5 will last for a really long time if used just for darning! Your feet will LOVE you.
Georgia Richard answered
You can actually patch socks, believe it or not. You need to sacrifice another sock but one will be enough to patch several pairs. Find a sock that is similar in texture and thickness, and if possible in colour, to the socks you need to repair. Cut them from top to bottom and along the toes so you end up with a flattish piece. Then cut pieces large enough to cover the thin places on the recipient socks. Pin or sticky-tape in place on the outside of the socks and hold with a few stitches around the edge, keeping your stitches quite loose. Hold the ends with back-stitches not knots. It might take a couple of tries to get it right, but really it only takes a few minutes and is worth the trouble. Just be careful not to have any folds of the patch under your foot or you will get blisters.
Ask Your Question
11. This Week's Question
Lynette writes
"I have wooden floors and I don't want them natural and I have looked for floor polish to no avail. Does anyone have a recipe for making my own polish for the floor?"
Do you have the answer?
If you have a suggestion or idea for Lynette let us know. We'll enter your answer into our Tip of the Week competition, with a one-year membership to the Cheapskates Club as the prize too.
Send your answer
12. Join the Cheapskates Club
For just 10 cents a day 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!
http://www.cheapskates.com.au/members/join_form.cfm?item_id=2271
13. Gift Memberships
Your family and friends will thank you for a whole year when you give them a Platinum Cheapskates Club membership as a gift.
It's so simple: just select the number of gift memberships required, click the Buy Now button and complete the Gift Membership order form (you must use this form to order gift memberships) and we'll get in touch with you to confirm the gift subscriptions.
Click here to order a gift membership right now!
14. Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change my email address?
This one is easy. Members can update their email address or any other details by clicking on "Edit Profile" directly under their membership number after they have logged in to the Member's Centre. Subscribers to our free newsletter can use the Change Your Address form (under Customer Service in the menu) and fill it out. Once you've filled it in click the send button and we'll do the rest. Please remember to include your old email address so we can find it in the list as well as the new one.
How do I know when my membership should be renewed?
When you login to the Member's Centre you will be told how many days of membership you have left once you have 30 days left. Just click on the link to renew and your membership will just continue on, uninterrupted.
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Read our privacy policy
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15. Contact Details
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152
www.cheapskates.com.au
[email protected]
2. In the Tip Store - Getting the Most out of Nut Butter, Meatballs from Leftovers, MOO a Birthday Cake and Keep $60 in Your Pocket
3. Cheapskate's Winning Tip - Spatula Savings
4. Submit Your Tip - Share your favourite tip for a chance to win!
5. Living Green in 2014 - Reduce Your Carbon Footprint at Home
6. On the Menu with Anne - A question about potato bake
7. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy - Preparing for the holiday stockpile
8. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
9. Member's Featured Blog - Changes Ahead by Kirsty
10. Last Week's Question - Ideas to mend my favourite socks?
11. This Week's Question - Is there a recipe for MOO floor polish?
12. Join the Cheapskates Club
13. Gift Memberships
14. Frequently Asked Questions
15. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
I hope you are all having a wonderful week. Things are almost back to normal in our house, Hannah is well and truly on the mend. How do I know this? She's already making plans for catching up with friends next week and she's back to being Miss Independent. It's so nice. Thank you, from both of us, to everyone who sent her get well wishes and prayers. She is a little blown away that so many of you would think of her. I explained that’s what we Cheapskaters do - look after members of our community because we all really care. It's really nice, thank you all so much.
I know that we just accept the Internet now and that for our kids it's nothing special but I can remember in the not too distant past having to type (on a real typewriter to boot) and then print or photocopy newsletters, fold them, stuff them into envelopes, stick on address labels and then put them through the franking machine! Now I can send your newsletter to you from wherever I am just by clicking on a button. And I don't send just one with that click, I send tens of thousands all around Australia and the world. It still leaves me awestruck when I think about it because you're reading your newsletter and I'm not anywhere near my computer. In fact I wasn't even home when it was sent to you (it's Thursday, the day I take my mother to do her errands, shopping and so on)! Sometimes I love that technology makes our lives so much easier.
One thing modern technology hasn't been able to fix is the strawberry problem. You know, when you get strawberries at a fantastic price only to find that within a day or so they are soggy and mouldy and you add them to the chooks or the compost. Well modern technology may not have been able to solve the problem, but my mother-in-law Pat did, and she shared her secret with me a few years ago!
She would choose her strawberries carefully and then when she took them home they would go onto a baking tray, lined with paper towel. The secret is to keep a space between the fruit, no touching allowed, for the air to circulate. Then she'd cover them with another paper towel and put them into the fridge. She has been able to keep strawberries in tip top condition for almost three weeks with this method. Know I use it and while they don't last three weeks (they're long eaten before then) I haven't throw out a mouldy or musty strawberry in years. Strawberries have been cheap lately, if you're enjoying them and want to enjoy them a little longer try Pat's Strawberry Storage method.
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!
PPS: You can read this newsletter and past copies on the website in the Newsletter Archive.
2. From The Tip Store
Getting the Most out of Nut Butter
Approximate $ Savings: At least a jar or two a year-minimum $16
I buy the expensive nut butter because we can't eat peanuts. When I open a new jar there is a thick layer of oil on top which I try to stir in. When I get towards the end of the jar there is always a few tablespoons of the nut butter left but it is too dry to spread easily. Now I spoon the dry nut butter leftovers into the new jar, right on top of the oil and stir gently with a knife. It all incorporates really well so none is wasted.
Contributed by Sharon Benjamin
Editor's note: I do this with peanut butter, hazelnut spread, Vegemite, jam - any spread that comes in a jar. Before the jar is put into the recycle bin it gets cleaned out with the spatula and the "scrapings" added to the new jar. You can easily get enough from the supposedly empty jar for at least two, often three sandwiches - see this week's Winning Tip, below. Cath
Meatballs from Leftovers
If I have leftover hamburgers from a BBQ (homemade) I cut them into quarters, add them to a homemade tomato sauce and use it as spaghetti and meatballs.
Contributed by Sandi Langridge
MOO a Birthday Cake and Keep $60 in Your Pocket
Bakeries make a lot of money every year from parents who don't want to make their children's birthday cakes. While ordering a cake is convenient, it can be outrageously expensive. Save yourself some money and make the cake yourself.
Here are some ideas for simple cakes even a beginner can decorate that look fantastic:
Make a train cake out of two or three small loaf-shaped cake pans.
Make a flower cake by baking two round layer cakes and cutting one up for the petals. You can also use cupcakes for the petals.
Bake a sheet cake use icing to create roadways and decorate it with toy cars, construction trucks or other vehicles little boys like.
Bake two sheet cakes and decorate them as a computer and keyboard.
There are more than 11,000 great tips in the Tip Store
3. Cheapskates Winning tip
This week's winning tip is from Sarah Pateman. Sarah has won a one year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership for submitting her winning tip.
Sarah's tip is after my own heart. I love my spatulas and use them every single day for something or other. This morning I scraped the supposedly empty peanut butter jar and put two tablespoons of peanut butter into the new jar (yep, I measured it!). Last night I used a spatula to scrape the saucepan to get every last drop of cheese sauce for the mac'n'cheese dish we had for dinner. Every kitchen should have a set of spatulas. You can read more about my love affair with these simple kitchen tools here: A Good Set of Spatulas
Spatula Savings
Approximate $ Savings: $100's
My best purchase ever, has been a set of spatulas, they cost around $7 and have saved me money on all sorts of items. From emptying jars of jam/peanut butter/margarine from the tub - to making sure I get the bits out of the bottom of the jar of my favourite and expensive face cream. You can use them on emptying products used inside the home e.g. food, toiletries, to using them on outside items such as garden spray containers or even oil! The options are endless.
Congratulations Sarah, I hope you enjoy your Cheapskates Club membership.
4. Submit your tip
The Cheapskate's Club website is over 3,000 pages of money saving hints, tips and ideas. 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. We publish a Winning Tip each Thursday, so enter your great money, time or energy saving idea now.
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!
Submit your tip
5. Living Green in 2014
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint at Home
The first step to reducing your carbon footprint is by figuring out how much you are using right now. There are several websites online that provide calculators. Try to find one that asks you a lot of questions because these will be the most accurate. Not only will the questions they ask guide you to ways to use less energy, but they often gives you tips on how you specifically can make changes.
A great way to reduce your carbon footprint is to use less petrol. This is one of the biggest sources of carbon release. Here are some tips for using less petrol every day.
Drive less
• Plan ahead so you can do all your errands in one trip. This will cut your kilometres and probably save you time too. Since Hannah finished school I only use the car twice a week and I'm loving the fuel savings only filling up once a month! I plan the trips to get the best value errand-wise from each one and if something gets forgotten it gets done the next time I go out. I've stopped trips for just one errand completely.
• Carpool. Work with neighbours and coworkers or fellow parents at your school, pre-school or daycare. Every shared trip cuts down on total kilometres driven.
• Walk or use a bike instead of driving. Not only is it better for the environment, it’s better for your health too. Now the weather is getting better I've brought my bike out of its winter hibernation, ready for running local errands.
Hybrid or electric. These vehicles are a fantastic way to use less petrol and produce less carbon. When it comes time to upgrade your vehicle think seriously about a hybrid or even electric car (especially if you don't do a lot of kilometres).
Biomass fuels. These are fuels produced from plants. The most common one is ethanol. While they still release carbon, it’s a lot lower than from fossil fuels.
Buy locally grown food in season. Ever wonder how supermarkets get such great looking veggies in the winter? They ship them in from all over the world. Even though you’re not the one driving, your food still used all that gas to get to your plate. Try joining a co-op or going to a farmer’s market and research which foods are grown when in your local area.
If you live in an area where power is generated by coal burning (which many of us still do), using less electricity is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint.
Turn off lights. This one is simple, but also very easy to forget. You could try Wendy's two light rule, only having two lights on at once. In our house the rule is no lights on during the day. Of an evening we use table lamps with compact fluorescent bulbs in them or desk lamps that use LEDs if we are working.
Unplug appliances. You can also use power strips and turn them off when you’re not using them. Seriously phantom power use is huge in modern households and it's not just bad for the environment it's costing you a fortune.
Use alternative energy. You can do research on installing solar power or even small wind turbines to your house. This can help supplement or even replace your current power source.
There’s a good chance you’ve heard about the three Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle. And when it comes to reducing your carbon footprint, these three Rs are extremely important. Go through your garbage and figure out what you can keep from going into the trash. This means fewer new products will need to be made by companies and less energy will be used.
6. On the Menu with Anne
Potato Bake
I mentioned last week that we were having potato bake for two dinners and Claire emailed asking "I noticed in this week's newsletter that on Tuesday and Thursday you're having your selected meat, plus potato bake and veggies. Is Thursday's potato bake leftovers from Tuesday or do you make a new batch? And if it is leftovers, does the cream curdle when reheated?"
When I make potato bake I use my large Corningware baking dish, which makes enough for three dinners or 12 serves. I like the idea of cooking ahead, it saves time later on. Once the casserole has cooled I just pack two meal sized portions and freeze them or as last week, put one in the fridge and one in the freezer. I use MOO evaporated milk instead of cream and it doesn't curdle. The potato will continue to absorb the sauce while it is cooling so I usually just drizzle a little extra milk (regular or evaporated if I still have it) over the top before reheating. I always reheat slowly in the oven to keep the texture of the casserole.
Anne's Potato Bake
Ingredients:
8 large potatoes, washed and thinly sliced
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 can evaporated milk (or MOO equivalent)
½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 cup grated tasty cheese
1tbsp butter
Method:
Grease a large casserole dish well. Layer the potato, onion and half the cheese, ending with a potato layer. Pour the evaporated milk over the potato and onion. Mix the remaining grated cheese and the breadcrumbs together and sprinkle evenly over the top of the potato. Dot with butter. Cover with foil and bake in a moderate oven for 1 hour. Remove the foil and cook a further 10 minutes until the cheese and crumbs are golden brown and the potato is cooked.
Evaporated Milk
Ingredients:
2/3 cup milk powder
1 cup cold water
Method:
Dissolve milk powder in cold water. This recipe makes the equivalent of one can of evaporated milk.
Variation:
Light evaporated milk: Substitute skim milk powder for full cream for a lower fat version.
This week we will be eating:
Friday: Fish cakes, wedges, salad
Saturday: MOO meat pies
Sunday: Roast chicken, baked vegetables, cauliflower with cheese sauce, corn
Monday: Sausage casserole, sweet potato mash, broccoli, carrots, corn
Tuesday: Spaghetti carbonara, salad, garlic toast
Wednesday: Meatloaf, smashed spuds, carrots, broccoli, gravy
Thursday: Impossible quiche and salad
In the fruit bowl: apples and bananas
In the cake tin: Cornflake Cookies, Gingerbread, Blueberry Muffins
There are over 1,400 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File
7. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy
Welcome fellow Cheapskaters.
Last week I posted about Cath's idea to stockpile basic groceries ahead of the Christmas rush. She'll be able to spend the holiday time with her family and out of the supermarket.
I've taken on Cath's idea and I've been very busy this week. Over two days I sorted and wiped out my pantry. I restacked things to use the space a little better. I filled up every container to the brim using my usual stockpile of basic pantry items like flour, sugar, baking ingredients and rice etc. etc. I moved the paper towel to the linen cupboard and a few medicines back to the bathrooms. This gave me extra room on the shelves.
I HAD SPACE!!!!!
Oh, it was so exciting to see so much space in my pantry. I kept opening the doors and exclaiming to anyone who was near how much space I had. The family could see my excitement and knew why this made me happy.
Having space meant I could go shopping to start filling up before the Christmas rush. Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE grocery shopping. I love grocery shopping because I can spend money. I love grocery shopping because I only do it once a month and all the buildup and planning gets me excited. But most of all I love it because I feel rich and can afford to feed my family.
So today Darren and I went food shopping. We had the bulk of the shopping done in an hour. My shopping list was written in order of where items are in the supermarkets. I write the quantities needed too. I just follow the list. I only need to duck into Coles to get a few items and to the fruit and veg shop for (you guessed it) fruit and veg for the week.
I've just unpacked the groceries and started filling up the spaces in my pantry. Over the next two months those spaces will disappear altogether as I stock up.
If you are wondering how I can afford to buy the extra groceries with my $300 grocery budget there is a reason - MY GROCERY SLUSH FUND!!! It comes in handy for times like these and means that I'm not going over budget. When December and January come and I'm only buying milk, fruit and veg, my slush fund will be topped up again.
So after all this typing, who's ready to give their pantry a good clean out?
How much space do you think you'll find after a sort out?
Have you started stockpiling ahead of the busy season?
Have a great week and BE ENCOURAGED!!!!!!
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2587-300-a-month-food-challenge-11-08-14
The Post that Started it All
http://www.cheapskates.com.au/pages/default.cfm?page_id=44265
8. Cheapskates Buzz
This week's hot forum topics
What's growing in your veg garden?
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?47-What-s-growing-in-your-veg-garden
Sometimes it's the simple things in life ....
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?1760-Sometimes-it-s-the-simple-things-in-life-....
My new cheapskate inspired adventure
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2477-my-new-cheapskate-inspired-adventure
Most popular blog posts this week
How to Slow Down and Enjoy the Simple Life
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2012/11/how-to-slow-down-and-enjoy-simple-life.html
Please, Please, Please Don't Let Marketing Dumb You Down!
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2012/06/please-please-please-dont-let-marketing.html
Miracle Spray
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2012/05/miracle-spray.html
9. Member's Featured Blog
Platinum Cheapskates Club members have their very own Cheapskating blogs, and they are wonderful and inspirational and encouraging and even funny. This week's featured blog is written by Kirsty.
Changes Ahead
Well I am almost back on the Cheapskates wagon. Since paying off our house I have taken a bit of time off. I am still a cheapskate but I am not quite as cheapskate as I was when I was paying down my mortgage. We felt a little lost after paying off the house but have now finally decided on a financial planner that we feel really comfortable with who gets us. He tells me that we are not like the usual new clients that walk through the door in that we have come in with no debt at all and quite a bit of an asset in the fact that we own our own home. He thinks I’m OCD about how I manage my bank accounts (this I learned from Cheapskates) and jokingly tells his staff that Kirsty has no debt because she doesn’t spend any money LOL (this I also learned from Cheapskates. It isn’t that we don’t spend money it’s just that we only buy what we need and Cheapskates has taught me over the years that we really don’t need a lot of stuff to feel happy and content).
We are about buy a block of land and build a new house as an investment property so about to get another mortgage EEEEK. So it’s time to get back on the Cheapskates wagon, to be honest I am quite looking forward to it. I find it so much easier to be a cheapskate when I have a goal to motivate me.
My first change is this week to stop buying espresso coffee in the morning on my way into work. I went into Aldi today and bought some pods to take into work instead as we have one of their machines in the office. I haven’t been to Aldi in ages. I love Aldi but I don’t have one that is conveniently located near my house unless I want to go to Westfield. I am an odd female in that I detest shopping centres. I avoid them like the plague. There is one being built in my local smaller shopping centre which when it does open I will be there all the time. I spotted the mixed packs of fruit which is something I haven’t seen before. How long have they had these? Very handy for lunch boxes and minimises fruit going over ripe.
I was reading everyone’s posts about spring cleaning. You have all motivated me. This afternoon I started a spring cleaning to do list. Oh my it’s a long list. I think this is going to take me a bit of time to get through.
Login to read more Cheapskates Club member blogs
10. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Pam who wrote
"I have several pairs of hiking socks that have worn thin on the back of the heel where they rub on my boots. The rest of the sock is in perfect condition. I know I can darn the thin patch with wool, but this tends to rub my skin. Does anyone have another way to mend the worn areas?"
Andrea Sproule answered
I mend my husband's work socks when they get worn out at the heels by cutting a fairly large piece of felt material and sewing that on with running stitch. The material is soft and covers the area, and stops it from fraying further.
Saadia Thomson answered
Bamboo yarn is very soft and great to knit, crochet and darn with. It has similar properties to wool and cotton in that it breathes, absorbs moisture etc. It doesn't rub like wool or wear as thin as cotton yarn can quickly do. 1 ball for between $3-5 will last for a really long time if used just for darning! Your feet will LOVE you.
Georgia Richard answered
You can actually patch socks, believe it or not. You need to sacrifice another sock but one will be enough to patch several pairs. Find a sock that is similar in texture and thickness, and if possible in colour, to the socks you need to repair. Cut them from top to bottom and along the toes so you end up with a flattish piece. Then cut pieces large enough to cover the thin places on the recipient socks. Pin or sticky-tape in place on the outside of the socks and hold with a few stitches around the edge, keeping your stitches quite loose. Hold the ends with back-stitches not knots. It might take a couple of tries to get it right, but really it only takes a few minutes and is worth the trouble. Just be careful not to have any folds of the patch under your foot or you will get blisters.
Ask Your Question
11. This Week's Question
Lynette writes
"I have wooden floors and I don't want them natural and I have looked for floor polish to no avail. Does anyone have a recipe for making my own polish for the floor?"
Do you have the answer?
If you have a suggestion or idea for Lynette let us know. We'll enter your answer into our Tip of the Week competition, with a one-year membership to the Cheapskates Club as the prize too.
Send your answer
12. Join the Cheapskates Club
For just 10 cents a day 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!
http://www.cheapskates.com.au/members/join_form.cfm?item_id=2271
13. Gift Memberships
Your family and friends will thank you for a whole year when you give them a Platinum Cheapskates Club membership as a gift.
It's so simple: just select the number of gift memberships required, click the Buy Now button and complete the Gift Membership order form (you must use this form to order gift memberships) and we'll get in touch with you to confirm the gift subscriptions.
Click here to order a gift membership right now!
14. Frequently Asked Questions
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This one is easy. Members can update their email address or any other details by clicking on "Edit Profile" directly under their membership number after they have logged in to the Member's Centre. Subscribers to our free newsletter can use the Change Your Address form (under Customer Service in the menu) and fill it out. Once you've filled it in click the send button and we'll do the rest. Please remember to include your old email address so we can find it in the list as well as the new one.
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15. Contact Details
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152
www.cheapskates.com.au
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