Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 45:21
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Gift Wrapping with a Difference; MOO Parcel Packaging and Save; Nifty Sticky Tape Starter
3. Share Your Tips
4. Own Your Christmas Challenge 2021 - It's Getting Ready to Decorate Week
5. On the Menu - Apricot Chicken
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Budget Your Eating Expenses
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
9. The Weekly MOO Challenge - Slow Cooker Fruit Mince
10. 2021 Saving Revolution - Lesson 45: Stay Sane - Go Back to Basics
11. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
12. Join the Cheapskates Club
13. Frequently Asked Questions
14. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
You can tell it is spring in Australia. We've had rain. We have had wind. We have had hail. We have had sunshine. Clouds. Hot days. Cold days. It's never dull!
But it is good for the garden. The veggie garden is going crazy! I am watching the tomatoes grow overnight. And the capsicums. And eggplant. The strawberries I transplanted have taken off and now I'm racing the birds in the mornings to get the best berries.
We had such strong winds last week, you may have heard. I was praying the fruit trees would be safe. They were, they are! I was sure all those precious baby peaches I've been nursing along would be gone. Not one! They are all still on the branches. And the apple trees still have blossom. The lemon and lime trees still have plenty of teeny tiny fruit on them. And now I'm getting excited, waiting to be able to pick fruit straight from the trees.
With the prices I've been seeing, growing some of what we are eating will be a blessing and a big saving. It will free up money for the things we can't grow, that are costing more and more. And gardening is exercise, relaxation and I get a good dose of Vitamin D for nothing too.
Even being just a little self-sufficient boosts food and financial security. If you aren't already trying it, what's stopping you? Because when prices go sky high (and you know they do this time every year) and there is less on the shelves, knowing you can just wander into the backyard or to the balcony and pick some lettuce and a tomato, maybe some strawberries for a snack, gives great peace of mind.
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Gift Wrapping with a Difference
Last year my daughter asked me to sew her some Christmas gift bags for her children's presents. Simply to save on the amount of Christmas paper they throw in the bin post Christmas. 3 kids adds up to a lot of paper. Seeing the success and fun I had in making them, I am continuing to sew more this year for myself. With the 30 gifts I give to family for birthdays and Christmas (without including friends) and making my own cards/gift tags as well. I am on track to save approximately $50 - $70 annually. If you have no material, start by looking in your linen press for any unused pillow cases, great for kids prints, old tablecloths, usually quite durable material. Start making just square sacks and tie with a ribbon. I like to sew a French seam, no raw edges on inside of bag. As you get more creative, and you will, making perfect sized bags to match your gift, drawstring bags, some with ribbon 🎀 sewed into side seams. Get creative and personalise, use favourite colours, make patchwork bags using up scraps of material. Once you start, you will not stop. Enjoy making the gift that keeps on giving. Yes, pass it on, who knows you may even get your own gift bag back (with a gift).🎁
Contributed by Lynne Adams
MOO Parcel Packaging and Save
Approximate $ Savings: $6-$10 per parcel
I had a few pressies I needed to send in the post. Some of my items needed to be boxed, wrapped in satchels etc. Purchasing cardboard packaging and satchels from Australia Post, Office Works or even Big W can become quite costly. I had this idea to save all my boxes i.e. small, medium, large, for any items I had purchased during the year. I also saved plastic fashion bags. I used these cardboard boxes to package my Christmas gift items. I then took my plastic bags (please note these are not like the plastic bags you get at Woolies or Coles but rather the type of bags you get if you shop at Millers, Katies etc.) and turned the bags back to front so the store name/logo didn't show and wrapped them around my cardboard box containing the gift item. I then taped the parcel securely and wrote the address on front. If the inside of the bag was black, I just taped a label on the front and wrote the address so that it could be seen but most of the bags I used were of a light colour. I found that I saved around $6-$10 for each item by providing my own packaging. I only had to pay for the cost of the postage at Australia Post!
Contributed by Margaret
Nifty Sticky Tape Starter
Always have trouble finding where the sticky tape ends on a roll ? I use the plastic clip from any loaf of bread and put it on the sticky tape roll so I know where the tape on the roll has ended.
Contributed by Will Bow
Add a Tip
3. Share Your Tips
The Cheapskate's Club website is thousands of pages of money saving hints, tips and ideas. There are over 12,000 tips to save you money, time and energy; 1,600 budget and family friendly recipes, hundreds of printable tip sheets and ebooks.
Let's get together and make the Cheapskates Club Australia's largest online hint, tip and idea library. Share your favourite money saving, time saving or energy saving hint and be in the running to win a one-year membership to The Cheapskate Club.
Share your favourite hint or tip that saves money, time and energy and be in the running to win a one-year subscription to The Cheapskate Journal.
Remember, you have to be in it to win it!
Share Your Tip
4. Own Your Christmas Challenge
It's Getting Ready to Decorate Week!
For our home, Melbourne Cup weekend signals that Christmas is really almost here. Decorations start to appear in yards in our neighbourhood, and we start to get organised to put up the lights and decorate the house.
Are you enjoying your Christmas preparations this year? I've heard from a few Cheapskaters who are telling me that for the first time they are looking forward to the Christmas and New Year holidays because they'll be ready, and better still they'll own their celebrations. Three of you already have your Christmas trees up and the house decorated! Everything is so much more enjoyable when you can take your time and work to your plan.
And according to the Own Your Christmas Countdown, this week is the week we drag out the decorations and check them over. Even if you put everything away carefully last year, you still need to do this. Lightbulbs will blow, ornaments will break, get squashed or even dusty no matter how carefully they are stored so checking now means that when it's time to decorate you can just get it done, without the added stress and workload of fixing things.
It's also time to think about any parcels you normally post and work out the fastest, safest and cheapest way to get them to their destination. Australia Post is good, especially at this time of year when business is brisk, but don't discount couriers, they can often be a little cheaper and deliver to the door which is sometimes more convenient. Officeworks offers a parcel delivery service that is sometimes the cheapest option (of course it depends on what you're sending and where so do your research).
Christmas Central has some new tools and resources to help you with your Week 6 tasks so don't forget to visit soon.
You can get the Own Your Christmas planners here too.
If you'd like the weekly tasks and round-up, you can join the Own Your Christmas challenge here
5. On The Menu
Apricot Chicken
We were talking about Apricot Chicken on Tuesday night during our show, and here it is on the meal plan for next week. I have to say I like it. It's tasty, but it is quick and easy too, and goes well with vegetables or rice. And leftovers freeze well.
Ingredients:
3 small or 2 large chicken fillets, skin off and diced
1 tbsp butter
1 pkt French onion soup
410g can apricot nectar
Method:
Melt the butter and then brown the chicken well on all sides. Mix the French onion soup with the apricot nectar. Pour over the chicken, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Serves 6.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Sausages, salad
Tuesday: Spinach Ricotta Canelloni
Wednesday: Apricot Chicken, mash, veggies
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Spring rolls, fried rice
Saturday: Sausages, salad, bread
There are over 1,800 budget and family friendly recipes in the Cheapskates Club Recipe File, all contributed by your fellow Cheapskates, so you know they're good.
Add A Recipe
Recipe File Index
6. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
Budget Your Eating ExpensesI know, if you have joined the $300 a Month Food Challenge, then you are already budgeting your eating expenses. Or are you? Could you do better if you really tried? Could you do better if you actually stuck to the meal plan?
For most of us, trying to get under that $300 a month just seems impossible. Well Australians spend on average $200 a week on groceries and around $50 a week on take-away and restaurant meals and another $20 at the bakery - that's $270 a week!
Now according to ABS A frugal food budget is $15 per week per person (and it can be done - see the $300 a Month Food Challenge over at the Cheapskates Club and you'll find plenty of Cheapskaters rocking this challenge) while a slightly more luxurious budget is around $25 per week per person. Really want to live it up? Budget for $30 per week per person. With these figures, even a luxurious grocery budget is just $120 a week for a family of four.
Sort of makes you think doesn't it? Every single day I get someone who tells me they can't possibly stick to the $300 a Month Food Challenge because they live somewhere or they have dietary restrictions or they work or they don't work or they don't have a vegetable garden or they only buy organic grass fed beef or a gazillion other excuses. And that's what they are - excuses.
Just do it. If you only had $300 for the month, you'd make it do. So do it. Check to see what you have. Make a meal plan using what you have and only buy the things you need - need, not want, or think you might use sometime. Need.
Understanding to only buy what you need makes a huge difference to your grocery budget, or rather your grocery bill. Try it - it works!
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Zucchinis and Zinnias
Create Your Own Homegrown Citrus Garden
Get Your Green Thumbs Growing
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Warning - phone scam and they are darn persistent!
My Craft Room
Biscuits on $300 a Month Food Challenge
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AEDT and see how we are living debt free, cashed up and laughing - and find out how you can too!
Show Schedule
Tuesday: Around the Kitchen Table - join Cath and Hannah for a cuppa and a chat around the kitchen table as they talk about living the Cheapskates way.
Latest Shows
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Gift Wrapping with a Difference; MOO Parcel Packaging and Save; Nifty Sticky Tape Starter
3. Share Your Tips
4. Own Your Christmas Challenge 2021 - It's Getting Ready to Decorate Week
5. On the Menu - Apricot Chicken
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Budget Your Eating Expenses
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
9. The Weekly MOO Challenge - Slow Cooker Fruit Mince
10. 2021 Saving Revolution - Lesson 45: Stay Sane - Go Back to Basics
11. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
12. Join the Cheapskates Club
13. Frequently Asked Questions
14. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
You can tell it is spring in Australia. We've had rain. We have had wind. We have had hail. We have had sunshine. Clouds. Hot days. Cold days. It's never dull!
But it is good for the garden. The veggie garden is going crazy! I am watching the tomatoes grow overnight. And the capsicums. And eggplant. The strawberries I transplanted have taken off and now I'm racing the birds in the mornings to get the best berries.
We had such strong winds last week, you may have heard. I was praying the fruit trees would be safe. They were, they are! I was sure all those precious baby peaches I've been nursing along would be gone. Not one! They are all still on the branches. And the apple trees still have blossom. The lemon and lime trees still have plenty of teeny tiny fruit on them. And now I'm getting excited, waiting to be able to pick fruit straight from the trees.
With the prices I've been seeing, growing some of what we are eating will be a blessing and a big saving. It will free up money for the things we can't grow, that are costing more and more. And gardening is exercise, relaxation and I get a good dose of Vitamin D for nothing too.
Even being just a little self-sufficient boosts food and financial security. If you aren't already trying it, what's stopping you? Because when prices go sky high (and you know they do this time every year) and there is less on the shelves, knowing you can just wander into the backyard or to the balcony and pick some lettuce and a tomato, maybe some strawberries for a snack, gives great peace of mind.
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Gift Wrapping with a Difference
Last year my daughter asked me to sew her some Christmas gift bags for her children's presents. Simply to save on the amount of Christmas paper they throw in the bin post Christmas. 3 kids adds up to a lot of paper. Seeing the success and fun I had in making them, I am continuing to sew more this year for myself. With the 30 gifts I give to family for birthdays and Christmas (without including friends) and making my own cards/gift tags as well. I am on track to save approximately $50 - $70 annually. If you have no material, start by looking in your linen press for any unused pillow cases, great for kids prints, old tablecloths, usually quite durable material. Start making just square sacks and tie with a ribbon. I like to sew a French seam, no raw edges on inside of bag. As you get more creative, and you will, making perfect sized bags to match your gift, drawstring bags, some with ribbon 🎀 sewed into side seams. Get creative and personalise, use favourite colours, make patchwork bags using up scraps of material. Once you start, you will not stop. Enjoy making the gift that keeps on giving. Yes, pass it on, who knows you may even get your own gift bag back (with a gift).🎁
Contributed by Lynne Adams
MOO Parcel Packaging and Save
Approximate $ Savings: $6-$10 per parcel
I had a few pressies I needed to send in the post. Some of my items needed to be boxed, wrapped in satchels etc. Purchasing cardboard packaging and satchels from Australia Post, Office Works or even Big W can become quite costly. I had this idea to save all my boxes i.e. small, medium, large, for any items I had purchased during the year. I also saved plastic fashion bags. I used these cardboard boxes to package my Christmas gift items. I then took my plastic bags (please note these are not like the plastic bags you get at Woolies or Coles but rather the type of bags you get if you shop at Millers, Katies etc.) and turned the bags back to front so the store name/logo didn't show and wrapped them around my cardboard box containing the gift item. I then taped the parcel securely and wrote the address on front. If the inside of the bag was black, I just taped a label on the front and wrote the address so that it could be seen but most of the bags I used were of a light colour. I found that I saved around $6-$10 for each item by providing my own packaging. I only had to pay for the cost of the postage at Australia Post!
Contributed by Margaret
Nifty Sticky Tape Starter
Always have trouble finding where the sticky tape ends on a roll ? I use the plastic clip from any loaf of bread and put it on the sticky tape roll so I know where the tape on the roll has ended.
Contributed by Will Bow
Add a Tip
3. Share Your Tips
The Cheapskate's Club website is thousands of pages of money saving hints, tips and ideas. There are over 12,000 tips to save you money, time and energy; 1,600 budget and family friendly recipes, hundreds of printable tip sheets and ebooks.
Let's get together and make the Cheapskates Club Australia's largest online hint, tip and idea library. Share your favourite money saving, time saving or energy saving hint and be in the running to win a one-year membership to The Cheapskate Club.
Share your favourite hint or tip that saves money, time and energy and be in the running to win a one-year subscription to The Cheapskate Journal.
Remember, you have to be in it to win it!
Share Your Tip
4. Own Your Christmas Challenge
It's Getting Ready to Decorate Week!
For our home, Melbourne Cup weekend signals that Christmas is really almost here. Decorations start to appear in yards in our neighbourhood, and we start to get organised to put up the lights and decorate the house.
Are you enjoying your Christmas preparations this year? I've heard from a few Cheapskaters who are telling me that for the first time they are looking forward to the Christmas and New Year holidays because they'll be ready, and better still they'll own their celebrations. Three of you already have your Christmas trees up and the house decorated! Everything is so much more enjoyable when you can take your time and work to your plan.
And according to the Own Your Christmas Countdown, this week is the week we drag out the decorations and check them over. Even if you put everything away carefully last year, you still need to do this. Lightbulbs will blow, ornaments will break, get squashed or even dusty no matter how carefully they are stored so checking now means that when it's time to decorate you can just get it done, without the added stress and workload of fixing things.
It's also time to think about any parcels you normally post and work out the fastest, safest and cheapest way to get them to their destination. Australia Post is good, especially at this time of year when business is brisk, but don't discount couriers, they can often be a little cheaper and deliver to the door which is sometimes more convenient. Officeworks offers a parcel delivery service that is sometimes the cheapest option (of course it depends on what you're sending and where so do your research).
Christmas Central has some new tools and resources to help you with your Week 6 tasks so don't forget to visit soon.
You can get the Own Your Christmas planners here too.
If you'd like the weekly tasks and round-up, you can join the Own Your Christmas challenge here
5. On The Menu
Apricot Chicken
We were talking about Apricot Chicken on Tuesday night during our show, and here it is on the meal plan for next week. I have to say I like it. It's tasty, but it is quick and easy too, and goes well with vegetables or rice. And leftovers freeze well.
Ingredients:
3 small or 2 large chicken fillets, skin off and diced
1 tbsp butter
1 pkt French onion soup
410g can apricot nectar
Method:
Melt the butter and then brown the chicken well on all sides. Mix the French onion soup with the apricot nectar. Pour over the chicken, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Serves 6.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Sausages, salad
Tuesday: Spinach Ricotta Canelloni
Wednesday: Apricot Chicken, mash, veggies
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Spring rolls, fried rice
Saturday: Sausages, salad, bread
There are over 1,800 budget and family friendly recipes in the Cheapskates Club Recipe File, all contributed by your fellow Cheapskates, so you know they're good.
Add A Recipe
Recipe File Index
6. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
Budget Your Eating ExpensesI know, if you have joined the $300 a Month Food Challenge, then you are already budgeting your eating expenses. Or are you? Could you do better if you really tried? Could you do better if you actually stuck to the meal plan?
For most of us, trying to get under that $300 a month just seems impossible. Well Australians spend on average $200 a week on groceries and around $50 a week on take-away and restaurant meals and another $20 at the bakery - that's $270 a week!
Now according to ABS A frugal food budget is $15 per week per person (and it can be done - see the $300 a Month Food Challenge over at the Cheapskates Club and you'll find plenty of Cheapskaters rocking this challenge) while a slightly more luxurious budget is around $25 per week per person. Really want to live it up? Budget for $30 per week per person. With these figures, even a luxurious grocery budget is just $120 a week for a family of four.
Sort of makes you think doesn't it? Every single day I get someone who tells me they can't possibly stick to the $300 a Month Food Challenge because they live somewhere or they have dietary restrictions or they work or they don't work or they don't have a vegetable garden or they only buy organic grass fed beef or a gazillion other excuses. And that's what they are - excuses.
Just do it. If you only had $300 for the month, you'd make it do. So do it. Check to see what you have. Make a meal plan using what you have and only buy the things you need - need, not want, or think you might use sometime. Need.
Understanding to only buy what you need makes a huge difference to your grocery budget, or rather your grocery bill. Try it - it works!
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
Zucchinis and Zinnias
Create Your Own Homegrown Citrus Garden
Get Your Green Thumbs Growing
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Warning - phone scam and they are darn persistent!
My Craft Room
Biscuits on $300 a Month Food Challenge
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AEDT and see how we are living debt free, cashed up and laughing - and find out how you can too!
Show Schedule
Tuesday: Around the Kitchen Table - join Cath and Hannah for a cuppa and a chat around the kitchen table as they talk about living the Cheapskates way.
Latest Shows
9. The Weekly MOO Challenge
Slow Cooker Fruit Mince
Who doesn't love a fruit mince tart or pie at Christmastime? They're a Christmas treat tradition, delicious for morning tea, afternoon tea, supper or just to enjoy with a cuppa.
This is my easy peasy version of fruit mince, all done in the slow cooker, and it is delicious. It makes the best fruit mince pies and tarts, big and small. Enjoy it as a part of your own Christmas celebration or make it, bottle it and give it as gifts to the gourmets and bakers on your gift list.
Slow Cooker Fruit Mince
Ingredients:
500g apples, cored and cut into small dice (no need to peel)
250g shredded suet
1kg mixed fruit
250g glace peel, finely chopped
350g dark brown sugar
grated zest and juice of 2 oranges
grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
50g slivered almonds
4 tsp mixed ground spice
½ tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
150ml brandy
Method:
Combine everything except the brandy in a 6 litre slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours until fruit is very soft. Don't worry if the mixture seems to be very runny and swimming in fat - it should look like that. It's the suet. Sit the crock of mincemeat on the sink with a tea towel over it to cool completely. As the fruit mince cools the suet will coat the fruit and it will thicken. Pour in the brandy and stir. Spoon the mincemeat into hot sterilised jars and seal. As the mincemeat cools it will form a layer of fat on top - this is fine, it is supposed to do this. The fat will help to preserve the mincemeat. Mincemeat prepared this way will keep in a cool, dark cupboard indefinitely but I guarantee you won't need to worry about keeping it that long.
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
10. 2021 Saving Revolution
Lesson 45: Stay Sane - Go Back to Basics
This week I'm going to describe the top four things that require extra cash outlay at this time of year.
1. Gifts
2. Entertaining
3. Decorations
4. Travel
This year, probably more than any other year in living memory, you need to really think, plot, plan and work so that we can enjoy Christmas and the summer holidays without going over budget and adding to your debt.
Lesson 45 covers each of the four items in detail. Look for it in your inbox tomorrow morning.
Log into the 2021 Saving Revolution forum and join the discussions too. They're fun, keep you accountable, and over the course of the year will be an amazing source of valuable hints and tips for you too.
11. 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
12. Join The Cheapskates Club
For just $25 a year, you can join the Cheapskates Club and get exclusive access to the Cheapskate Journal, the monthly e-journal that shows you how to cut the costs of everyday living and still have fun.
Joining the Cheapskates Club gives you 24/7 access to the Members Centre with 1000's of money saving tips and articles.
Click here to join the Cheapskates Club today!
13. 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 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.
14. 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
Slow Cooker Fruit Mince
Who doesn't love a fruit mince tart or pie at Christmastime? They're a Christmas treat tradition, delicious for morning tea, afternoon tea, supper or just to enjoy with a cuppa.
This is my easy peasy version of fruit mince, all done in the slow cooker, and it is delicious. It makes the best fruit mince pies and tarts, big and small. Enjoy it as a part of your own Christmas celebration or make it, bottle it and give it as gifts to the gourmets and bakers on your gift list.
Slow Cooker Fruit Mince
Ingredients:
500g apples, cored and cut into small dice (no need to peel)
250g shredded suet
1kg mixed fruit
250g glace peel, finely chopped
350g dark brown sugar
grated zest and juice of 2 oranges
grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
50g slivered almonds
4 tsp mixed ground spice
½ tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
150ml brandy
Method:
Combine everything except the brandy in a 6 litre slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours until fruit is very soft. Don't worry if the mixture seems to be very runny and swimming in fat - it should look like that. It's the suet. Sit the crock of mincemeat on the sink with a tea towel over it to cool completely. As the fruit mince cools the suet will coat the fruit and it will thicken. Pour in the brandy and stir. Spoon the mincemeat into hot sterilised jars and seal. As the mincemeat cools it will form a layer of fat on top - this is fine, it is supposed to do this. The fat will help to preserve the mincemeat. Mincemeat prepared this way will keep in a cool, dark cupboard indefinitely but I guarantee you won't need to worry about keeping it that long.
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
10. 2021 Saving Revolution
Lesson 45: Stay Sane - Go Back to Basics
This week I'm going to describe the top four things that require extra cash outlay at this time of year.
1. Gifts
2. Entertaining
3. Decorations
4. Travel
This year, probably more than any other year in living memory, you need to really think, plot, plan and work so that we can enjoy Christmas and the summer holidays without going over budget and adding to your debt.
Lesson 45 covers each of the four items in detail. Look for it in your inbox tomorrow morning.
Log into the 2021 Saving Revolution forum and join the discussions too. They're fun, keep you accountable, and over the course of the year will be an amazing source of valuable hints and tips for you too.
11. 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
12. Join The Cheapskates Club
For just $25 a year, you can join the Cheapskates Club and get exclusive access to the Cheapskate Journal, the monthly e-journal that shows you how to cut the costs of everyday living and still have fun.
Joining the Cheapskates Club gives you 24/7 access to the Members Centre with 1000's of money saving tips and articles.
Click here to join the Cheapskates Club today!
13. 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 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.
14. 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