Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 47:21
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Almost Free Iced Tea; Pay Special Prices for Specialty Teas? Not this Cheapskate; Things to do with Rhubarb
3. Share Your Tips
4. Own Your Christmas Challenge - Getting Ready to Decorate
5. On the Menu - Lemon Barley Water
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Set a Bargain Budget
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
9. The Weekly MOO Challenge - MOO Wholegrain Honey Mustard
10. 2021 Saving Revolution - Lesson 47: Smarter Shopping Leads to Thoughtful Gift Giving
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,
Welcome new Cheapskaters! Please introduce yourselves, we'd love to meet you and we are a very, very friendly bunch.
It has been a busy week here. Lots of work done in the garden. Hannah was home for a visit (yay!) last weekend. The last of the Christmas shopping has been done (another yay!). Presents have been wrapped and posted. Cards have been posted a little earlier than usual but delivery times are not getting faster and I really like to think cards will be delivered on 1st December. Lots of Christmas cleaning done, getting ready to get the Christmas tree up next weekend (yay!). And with the cleaning some more decluttering.
Decluttering is interesting. I'm being very mindful of what is being passed on. I look at everything and think about it's purpose, and why I'm considering passing it on. I'm asking if it has value if it's repurposed for something else we need and/or use. Does it have a bartering or trade value? Is there a chance that we will need it in the future? Can it be pulled apart and the pieces used for other things? Even with a yes to some of these questions, I've still be able to pass on quite a bit from our home.
We emptied, cleaned and repacked the camper, ready for our next adventure, whenever that may be.
And we celebrated a birthday. That meant a special dinner and of course a cake and presents.
And the week isn't over! Oh well, busy is good. Keeps me out of mischief!
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Pegged Up Christmas Tree Decorations
At Christmas my cards were always falling over with the breeze. Now I peg them to the Christmas tree as decorations. It makes a much more personalized tree and saves you having to pick up the cards all the time. I put a star on the top of the tree and that's it, apart from the cards. No other decorations go on the tree and it looks fabulous (but if you want to you could put more on.)
Contributed by Jen Orr
Editor's note: This is a great way to fill in the "holes" in the tree. Just peg or paperclip the cards to the branches around the hole and the tree will look full and lush. Cath
Get Your Christmas Clearance Bargains BEFORE Christmas
Approximate $ Savings: $250- $300
Everyone says that to buy cheap Christmas decorations, buy them after Christmas. Well I have found that if you go in before Christmas (as close as possible!), and go to the big department stores the better the bargain. I wanted a new Christmas tree (a big one) now that we have two beautiful children (22 months & 3 months), just to make it that bit more 'Christmassy' for the kids. But as I'm on maternity leave I resigned myself to the fact that we wouldn't be able to afford it this year. On the weekend my husband and I had the kids at the local shopping centre and knew that one of the big department store was having 50% off all their Christmas decorations, so we decided to go and look to see what they had left over. There were three trees left in boxes on the shelves with signs on them with the prices. My husband asked staff member some questions about the trees, the attendant then turned and said "We are selling this tree....with all the decorations". It was the display tree, you know the ones COVERED in decorations (and in small handwritten writing on the bottom of the sign, it said 'price includes all decorations'). So for $50 we got a new 6ft tree (originally $100) and at least $150 of decorations. We didn't get any packaging but they loaded it all into a trolley for us, and I will pack it into all those nappy boxes I go through once Christmas is over.
PS: The staff member said that they try to get rid of as much stuff BEFORE Christmas as they can, as its hard to get rid of after Christmas. Wow, who knew!
Contributed by Rachelle
Light Up the Yard with a Christmas Light Tree
This year we wanted to do something special for our 4 and 5 year olds re Christmas lights as they so enjoyed walking around our neighbourhood looking at everyone else's lights, so we made our own homemade Christmas light tree. My husband hammered a star stake into our front yard and then gaffer taped an old tent pole onto the stake to make it approx 3m high. He then used whipper snipper cable and tent pegs to make the 'branches' of the tree, forming a conical shape. Then it was just a matter of stringing outdoor Christmas lights to the branches, both up and down as well as around the tree. It cost us nothing and neighbours were very impressed! And because the whipper snipper cable was not cut, we can still use the cable!
Contributed by Andrea
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!
Submit your tip
4. Own Your Christmas Challenge
Can you believe the Own Your Christmas Challenge is almost over? How good does it feel to know the presents are wrapped and under the tree. All the cards have been written and addressed, ready to pop in the mail on Monday.
Shortages, lockdowns, rising prices - nothing has stopped you from owning your Christmas this year.
Now you get to sit back and relax. Enjoy the festive season. Take the time to remember what Christmas is about.
And bask in the wonderful thought of no Christmas bills arriving in January, wanting to be paid, because you have paid all your Christmas bills. You really own your Christmas.
There are few things you may still need to do, and those very last tasks are all at Christmas Central, waiting for you. https://www.cheapskatesclub.net/christmas-countdown-week-9.html
You can get the Own Your Christmas planners here.
If you'd like the weekly tasks and round-up, you can join the Own Your Christmas challenge here
5. On The Menu
The Perfect Chicken Schnitzel
Here's the recipe and how chicken fillets are processed in our house to make the perfect chicken schnitzel.
Ingredients:
2 chicken breast fillets (skin, fat and tenderloins removed)
1 cup MOO KFC Coating Mix
MOO fresh breadcrumbs - about 8 slices of bread, processed to make breadcrumbs
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
300ml cream
2 eggs, well beaten (so they're frothy and light)
Olive oil - for frying - enough to just cover the base of your frypan
Vegetable Oil - for frying, enough to just cover the base of your frypan
Method:
Use a large mixing bowl to combine the whisked eggs and cream.
Combine the breadcrumbs and the parmesan and tip onto a dinner plate. Make sure the parmesan is evenly distributed (you can add a little more if you want to, I often do).
Put the KFC mix onto a dinner plate.
Slice each chicken fillet in half through the centre so you have four schnitzels.
Take a piece of chicken and dip it in the KFC mix, coating both sides.
Then dip it in the cream mixture, then the breadcrumb mixture. Place on a plate.
Repeat with the other three schnitzels.
Put the schnitzels into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes. This sets the crumb and stops it from falling off when it is fried.
To cook cover the base of your frying pan with the oils - so it is about 1cm deep. Heat the oil until a crumb dropped into it fizzes and rises immediately. Using a mixture of oils lets you use a higher heat so you get a crisper crumb.
Turn the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper and then place a roasting rack on top.
When the oil is hot place one or two schnitzels into the pan, don't crowd it. Give the schnitzels room to cook. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes, checking the crumbs don't burn. Turn and cook until the crumbs are golden. Remove from the frying pan and place on the roasting rack on the baking sheet.
Let the oil heat up again, and repeat with remaining schnitzels. It's important to let the oil come back to temperature between batches, or you'll end up with soggy crumbs.
When all the schnitzels have been browned, place the baking tray in the oven and bake 12 minutes. Turn, and cook a further 12 - 15 minutes, until the crumbs are golden and the chicken has cooked through.
Serve immediately, or let them cool and refrigerate to enjoy cold later.
The fresh breadcrumbs give a much nicer texture to the coating than the bought dried crumbs and the olive oil gives them a delicious flavour.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Beef
Monday: Schnitzels, veg, tomato gravy
Tuesday: Ricotta Gnocchi
Wednesday: Beef & Gravy Sandwiches
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Fish, potato gems, coleslaw
Saturday: Hamburgers
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
Where I Store Things
People look at me like I'm a mad woman when I tell them I shop once a year for most of our groceries, and fortnightly for the perishables, and I have been asked over and over where I store it all. I can tell you that a year’s worth of food isn't really that much.
Because I shop once a year and have a stockpile of groceries, most grocery items are kept in the kitchen pantry or on the store shelves in the laundry until they are needed in the kitchen. In the pantry I keep the things we use everyday – cereals, spreads, baking supplies, oil and so on.
Bread goes into the little freezer over the fridge so it doesn't get squashed and bent out of shape. I keep pastry sheets, spices and stock cubes in there too.
The door of the fridge holds four bottles of milk, plus cream, sour cream and salad dressings. Eggs go on the top shelf of the fridge along with butter and cheeses. The top shelf also holds three Tupperware containers: one for beetroot, one for pineapple slices and one for pickled onions. I keep jams, mustards and pickles on the top shelf too.
The second shelf holds containers of sliced meat for lunches and leftovers. The third shelf has Tupperware containers holding fruit and vegetables, as do the crispers in the bottom.
Meat is packaged up in meal sizes and vacuum sealed and then stored in the chest freezer. Frozen vegetables are kept in the basket in the chest freezer, along with a spare bottle of milk.
In my kitchen dry goods are put into the freezer, in the packaging, as soon as they enter the house. I do this to kill any weevils that may be in the foods. Once they come out of the freezer (after at least seven days, usually longer if I don't need them in a hurry) they are either stacked in the store cupboard or used to top up a canister in the pantry.
I prefer to decant everything into labelled canisters, rather than keep open packets on the pantry shelf. Open packets are an invitation to bugs to have a party – at my cost. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on canisters. Coffee jars or formula tins are a uniform size and stack neatly and best of all because they are recycled they are free. Ask friends and relatives to keep them for you to build your supply quickly. When a canister is empty, it is washed and dried and refilled from the stockpile and I make a note on the appropriate inventory, ready for making up my shopping list.
Storing a year's worth of groceries isn't difficult. My kitchen isn't huge. In fact it is quite small. I don't have an abundance of cupboard space, I just use what I do have to its full advantage.
Putting it all away is the hardest part of the whole exercise, but it only takes about half an hour. Everything fits in. And I don’t have to unpack groceries for another four weeks.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
The Golden Rule of Cheapskating: Spend Less, Save More
How to be a Single Cheapskate - a Saving Story
Mocha Fudge
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Advice from Camping Gurus Please!
Restocking Pantries
A MOOry Christmas
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join us live on YouTube every Tuesday and see how we are living debt free, cashed up and laughing - and find out how you can too!
Show Schedule
Tuesday: Around the Kitchen Table - join Cath and Hannah for a cuppa and a chat around the kitchen table as they talk about living the Cheapskates way.
Latest Shows
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Almost Free Iced Tea; Pay Special Prices for Specialty Teas? Not this Cheapskate; Things to do with Rhubarb
3. Share Your Tips
4. Own Your Christmas Challenge - Getting Ready to Decorate
5. On the Menu - Lemon Barley Water
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Set a Bargain Budget
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
9. The Weekly MOO Challenge - MOO Wholegrain Honey Mustard
10. 2021 Saving Revolution - Lesson 47: Smarter Shopping Leads to Thoughtful Gift Giving
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,
Welcome new Cheapskaters! Please introduce yourselves, we'd love to meet you and we are a very, very friendly bunch.
It has been a busy week here. Lots of work done in the garden. Hannah was home for a visit (yay!) last weekend. The last of the Christmas shopping has been done (another yay!). Presents have been wrapped and posted. Cards have been posted a little earlier than usual but delivery times are not getting faster and I really like to think cards will be delivered on 1st December. Lots of Christmas cleaning done, getting ready to get the Christmas tree up next weekend (yay!). And with the cleaning some more decluttering.
Decluttering is interesting. I'm being very mindful of what is being passed on. I look at everything and think about it's purpose, and why I'm considering passing it on. I'm asking if it has value if it's repurposed for something else we need and/or use. Does it have a bartering or trade value? Is there a chance that we will need it in the future? Can it be pulled apart and the pieces used for other things? Even with a yes to some of these questions, I've still be able to pass on quite a bit from our home.
We emptied, cleaned and repacked the camper, ready for our next adventure, whenever that may be.
And we celebrated a birthday. That meant a special dinner and of course a cake and presents.
And the week isn't over! Oh well, busy is good. Keeps me out of mischief!
Have a great week everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Pegged Up Christmas Tree Decorations
At Christmas my cards were always falling over with the breeze. Now I peg them to the Christmas tree as decorations. It makes a much more personalized tree and saves you having to pick up the cards all the time. I put a star on the top of the tree and that's it, apart from the cards. No other decorations go on the tree and it looks fabulous (but if you want to you could put more on.)
Contributed by Jen Orr
Editor's note: This is a great way to fill in the "holes" in the tree. Just peg or paperclip the cards to the branches around the hole and the tree will look full and lush. Cath
Get Your Christmas Clearance Bargains BEFORE Christmas
Approximate $ Savings: $250- $300
Everyone says that to buy cheap Christmas decorations, buy them after Christmas. Well I have found that if you go in before Christmas (as close as possible!), and go to the big department stores the better the bargain. I wanted a new Christmas tree (a big one) now that we have two beautiful children (22 months & 3 months), just to make it that bit more 'Christmassy' for the kids. But as I'm on maternity leave I resigned myself to the fact that we wouldn't be able to afford it this year. On the weekend my husband and I had the kids at the local shopping centre and knew that one of the big department store was having 50% off all their Christmas decorations, so we decided to go and look to see what they had left over. There were three trees left in boxes on the shelves with signs on them with the prices. My husband asked staff member some questions about the trees, the attendant then turned and said "We are selling this tree....with all the decorations". It was the display tree, you know the ones COVERED in decorations (and in small handwritten writing on the bottom of the sign, it said 'price includes all decorations'). So for $50 we got a new 6ft tree (originally $100) and at least $150 of decorations. We didn't get any packaging but they loaded it all into a trolley for us, and I will pack it into all those nappy boxes I go through once Christmas is over.
PS: The staff member said that they try to get rid of as much stuff BEFORE Christmas as they can, as its hard to get rid of after Christmas. Wow, who knew!
Contributed by Rachelle
Light Up the Yard with a Christmas Light Tree
This year we wanted to do something special for our 4 and 5 year olds re Christmas lights as they so enjoyed walking around our neighbourhood looking at everyone else's lights, so we made our own homemade Christmas light tree. My husband hammered a star stake into our front yard and then gaffer taped an old tent pole onto the stake to make it approx 3m high. He then used whipper snipper cable and tent pegs to make the 'branches' of the tree, forming a conical shape. Then it was just a matter of stringing outdoor Christmas lights to the branches, both up and down as well as around the tree. It cost us nothing and neighbours were very impressed! And because the whipper snipper cable was not cut, we can still use the cable!
Contributed by Andrea
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!
Submit your tip
4. Own Your Christmas Challenge
Can you believe the Own Your Christmas Challenge is almost over? How good does it feel to know the presents are wrapped and under the tree. All the cards have been written and addressed, ready to pop in the mail on Monday.
Shortages, lockdowns, rising prices - nothing has stopped you from owning your Christmas this year.
Now you get to sit back and relax. Enjoy the festive season. Take the time to remember what Christmas is about.
And bask in the wonderful thought of no Christmas bills arriving in January, wanting to be paid, because you have paid all your Christmas bills. You really own your Christmas.
There are few things you may still need to do, and those very last tasks are all at Christmas Central, waiting for you. https://www.cheapskatesclub.net/christmas-countdown-week-9.html
You can get the Own Your Christmas planners here.
If you'd like the weekly tasks and round-up, you can join the Own Your Christmas challenge here
5. On The Menu
The Perfect Chicken Schnitzel
Here's the recipe and how chicken fillets are processed in our house to make the perfect chicken schnitzel.
Ingredients:
2 chicken breast fillets (skin, fat and tenderloins removed)
1 cup MOO KFC Coating Mix
MOO fresh breadcrumbs - about 8 slices of bread, processed to make breadcrumbs
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
300ml cream
2 eggs, well beaten (so they're frothy and light)
Olive oil - for frying - enough to just cover the base of your frypan
Vegetable Oil - for frying, enough to just cover the base of your frypan
Method:
Use a large mixing bowl to combine the whisked eggs and cream.
Combine the breadcrumbs and the parmesan and tip onto a dinner plate. Make sure the parmesan is evenly distributed (you can add a little more if you want to, I often do).
Put the KFC mix onto a dinner plate.
Slice each chicken fillet in half through the centre so you have four schnitzels.
Take a piece of chicken and dip it in the KFC mix, coating both sides.
Then dip it in the cream mixture, then the breadcrumb mixture. Place on a plate.
Repeat with the other three schnitzels.
Put the schnitzels into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes. This sets the crumb and stops it from falling off when it is fried.
To cook cover the base of your frying pan with the oils - so it is about 1cm deep. Heat the oil until a crumb dropped into it fizzes and rises immediately. Using a mixture of oils lets you use a higher heat so you get a crisper crumb.
Turn the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper and then place a roasting rack on top.
When the oil is hot place one or two schnitzels into the pan, don't crowd it. Give the schnitzels room to cook. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes, checking the crumbs don't burn. Turn and cook until the crumbs are golden. Remove from the frying pan and place on the roasting rack on the baking sheet.
Let the oil heat up again, and repeat with remaining schnitzels. It's important to let the oil come back to temperature between batches, or you'll end up with soggy crumbs.
When all the schnitzels have been browned, place the baking tray in the oven and bake 12 minutes. Turn, and cook a further 12 - 15 minutes, until the crumbs are golden and the chicken has cooked through.
Serve immediately, or let them cool and refrigerate to enjoy cold later.
The fresh breadcrumbs give a much nicer texture to the coating than the bought dried crumbs and the olive oil gives them a delicious flavour.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Beef
Monday: Schnitzels, veg, tomato gravy
Tuesday: Ricotta Gnocchi
Wednesday: Beef & Gravy Sandwiches
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Fish, potato gems, coleslaw
Saturday: Hamburgers
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
Where I Store Things
People look at me like I'm a mad woman when I tell them I shop once a year for most of our groceries, and fortnightly for the perishables, and I have been asked over and over where I store it all. I can tell you that a year’s worth of food isn't really that much.
Because I shop once a year and have a stockpile of groceries, most grocery items are kept in the kitchen pantry or on the store shelves in the laundry until they are needed in the kitchen. In the pantry I keep the things we use everyday – cereals, spreads, baking supplies, oil and so on.
Bread goes into the little freezer over the fridge so it doesn't get squashed and bent out of shape. I keep pastry sheets, spices and stock cubes in there too.
The door of the fridge holds four bottles of milk, plus cream, sour cream and salad dressings. Eggs go on the top shelf of the fridge along with butter and cheeses. The top shelf also holds three Tupperware containers: one for beetroot, one for pineapple slices and one for pickled onions. I keep jams, mustards and pickles on the top shelf too.
The second shelf holds containers of sliced meat for lunches and leftovers. The third shelf has Tupperware containers holding fruit and vegetables, as do the crispers in the bottom.
Meat is packaged up in meal sizes and vacuum sealed and then stored in the chest freezer. Frozen vegetables are kept in the basket in the chest freezer, along with a spare bottle of milk.
In my kitchen dry goods are put into the freezer, in the packaging, as soon as they enter the house. I do this to kill any weevils that may be in the foods. Once they come out of the freezer (after at least seven days, usually longer if I don't need them in a hurry) they are either stacked in the store cupboard or used to top up a canister in the pantry.
I prefer to decant everything into labelled canisters, rather than keep open packets on the pantry shelf. Open packets are an invitation to bugs to have a party – at my cost. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on canisters. Coffee jars or formula tins are a uniform size and stack neatly and best of all because they are recycled they are free. Ask friends and relatives to keep them for you to build your supply quickly. When a canister is empty, it is washed and dried and refilled from the stockpile and I make a note on the appropriate inventory, ready for making up my shopping list.
Storing a year's worth of groceries isn't difficult. My kitchen isn't huge. In fact it is quite small. I don't have an abundance of cupboard space, I just use what I do have to its full advantage.
Putting it all away is the hardest part of the whole exercise, but it only takes about half an hour. Everything fits in. And I don’t have to unpack groceries for another four weeks.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
The Golden Rule of Cheapskating: Spend Less, Save More
How to be a Single Cheapskate - a Saving Story
Mocha Fudge
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Advice from Camping Gurus Please!
Restocking Pantries
A MOOry Christmas
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join us live on YouTube every Tuesday and see how we are living debt free, cashed up and laughing - and find out how you can too!
Show Schedule
Tuesday: Around the Kitchen Table - join Cath and Hannah for a cuppa and a chat around the kitchen table as they talk about living the Cheapskates way.
Latest Shows
9. Last Week's Question
Bugs Be Gone Lotion Bars
If you're going to spend any time in the great outdoors, you'll need a good personal insect repellent. You could use a commercial product, but I'm not really keen on the ingredients in them.
Instead I like this recipe. It works, it's easy to make and it doesn't have any nasties in it.
Bugs Be Gone Lotion Bars
Ingredients:
1 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup shea or cocoa butter
1/2 cup beeswax + 2 tablespoons
1/4 cup dried rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon dried whole cloves
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 cup dried catnip leaf
1 tablespoon dried mint leaf
1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops lemon essential oil
Step 1. Infusing the oil. Using a double boiler or glass bowl on top of a small saucepan, heat about 3cm of water (in bottom pan) until starting to boil. Place the rosemary, cloves, thyme, cinnamon, catnip and mint in the top part of the double boiler and add the coconut oil
Step 2. Cover the bowl or top part of the double boiler and keep the water at medium high temperature for at least 30 minutes or until oil darkened and smells strongly of rosemary. Alternately, you can fill a crock pot about half full with water, put the coconut oil and herbs in a glass mason jar with a tight lid, cover and keep on lowest setting for several days to make an even stronger infused oil.
Step 3. When the oil has been infused with the herbs take off the heat. Strain the dried herbs out of the oil using a small mesh strainer or chux and pour the oil back into the double boiler. The oil will probably be reduced by almost half and you should have about 1/2 cup of the infused oil. If you have more, save it for next time!
Step 4. Add the shea or cocoa butter and beeswax to the double boiler and stir until all have melted. Remove from heat, add the Vitamin E oil and any other essential oils and pour into moulds. I use silicone cupcake moulds, they are just the right size for the palm of your hand. You can use any mould in any shape, as long as you can get the bar out cleanly when it has set.
Step 5. Leave in the moulds until completely set (overnight is best).
To use: Rub the bars on exposed areas of dry skin to protect against mosquitoes. If you are pregnant, check to make sure any herbs you use are safe for pregnancy and omit the ones that aren’t.
*Dried Catnip - Catnip is not just for cat toys. You can get catnip leaf online, from herbalists. Some pet shops also stock dried catnip leaf. It is used in this lotion bar as catnip is about 10 times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET, and a lot safer. It's easy to grow from a seedling and they should be available at your garden centre.
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
10. 2021 Saving Revolution
Lesson 48: Celebrate Christmas (or any other occasion) with Family
Christmas Dinner is the mother of all dinner parties. It's the biggest meal of the year, and if you are the planner and host then you can do just about anything to make it special for your family and friends. Of course "just about anything" comes at a price, often out of your Christmas budget.
Not this year! This year you are going to be the Martha Stewart of your family. No detail will be left to chance. Not only will you be able to afford your celebration, you will enjoy it, especially as it will be paid in full.
Very often hosting Christmas dinner, whether it's for your immediate family or a large, extended group, is mixed with tradition and emotion to make it the best Christmas ever. Learning to distinguish between emotion and reality will ensure you have a celebration everyone will enjoy.
Lesson 48 will guide you through Christmas celebrations with less stress, less work and less expense! 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
Bugs Be Gone Lotion Bars
If you're going to spend any time in the great outdoors, you'll need a good personal insect repellent. You could use a commercial product, but I'm not really keen on the ingredients in them.
Instead I like this recipe. It works, it's easy to make and it doesn't have any nasties in it.
Bugs Be Gone Lotion Bars
Ingredients:
1 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup shea or cocoa butter
1/2 cup beeswax + 2 tablespoons
1/4 cup dried rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon dried whole cloves
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 cup dried catnip leaf
1 tablespoon dried mint leaf
1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops lemon essential oil
Step 1. Infusing the oil. Using a double boiler or glass bowl on top of a small saucepan, heat about 3cm of water (in bottom pan) until starting to boil. Place the rosemary, cloves, thyme, cinnamon, catnip and mint in the top part of the double boiler and add the coconut oil
Step 2. Cover the bowl or top part of the double boiler and keep the water at medium high temperature for at least 30 minutes or until oil darkened and smells strongly of rosemary. Alternately, you can fill a crock pot about half full with water, put the coconut oil and herbs in a glass mason jar with a tight lid, cover and keep on lowest setting for several days to make an even stronger infused oil.
Step 3. When the oil has been infused with the herbs take off the heat. Strain the dried herbs out of the oil using a small mesh strainer or chux and pour the oil back into the double boiler. The oil will probably be reduced by almost half and you should have about 1/2 cup of the infused oil. If you have more, save it for next time!
Step 4. Add the shea or cocoa butter and beeswax to the double boiler and stir until all have melted. Remove from heat, add the Vitamin E oil and any other essential oils and pour into moulds. I use silicone cupcake moulds, they are just the right size for the palm of your hand. You can use any mould in any shape, as long as you can get the bar out cleanly when it has set.
Step 5. Leave in the moulds until completely set (overnight is best).
To use: Rub the bars on exposed areas of dry skin to protect against mosquitoes. If you are pregnant, check to make sure any herbs you use are safe for pregnancy and omit the ones that aren’t.
*Dried Catnip - Catnip is not just for cat toys. You can get catnip leaf online, from herbalists. Some pet shops also stock dried catnip leaf. It is used in this lotion bar as catnip is about 10 times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET, and a lot safer. It's easy to grow from a seedling and they should be available at your garden centre.
Get in on the fun and discussions here.
10. 2021 Saving Revolution
Lesson 48: Celebrate Christmas (or any other occasion) with Family
Christmas Dinner is the mother of all dinner parties. It's the biggest meal of the year, and if you are the planner and host then you can do just about anything to make it special for your family and friends. Of course "just about anything" comes at a price, often out of your Christmas budget.
Not this year! This year you are going to be the Martha Stewart of your family. No detail will be left to chance. Not only will you be able to afford your celebration, you will enjoy it, especially as it will be paid in full.
Very often hosting Christmas dinner, whether it's for your immediate family or a large, extended group, is mixed with tradition and emotion to make it the best Christmas ever. Learning to distinguish between emotion and reality will ensure you have a celebration everyone will enjoy.
Lesson 48 will guide you through Christmas celebrations with less stress, less work and less expense! 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