Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 48:17
In this Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - Pre-Prepped Work Lunches Help Us to Live the Cheapskates Way; Cheaper, Healthier Option for Soft Drink; Savvy Christmas Gifts
3. Cheapskates Club Gift Memberships
4. Share Your Tips
5. On the Menu - Sausage Wellingtons
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy - Planning Your Christmas Menu
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. Member's Featured Blog - Thanksgiving
9. Last Week's Question - Help needed with stinky clothes
10. Ask Cath
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Welcome to another newsletter and another week of saving money, time and energy.
This past week has been busy with lots of little things happening in the Armstrong household. Things have been donated to our favourite op shops, leaving cupboards tidy and lots of "things" gone where they can benefit others. If you're thinking of donating and usually wait until after Christmas, think about doing it now. The op shops will have new stock to sell for Christmas and they (and you) won't be overwhelmed after Christmas. I've seen how much is donated between Christmas and New Year and how hard it is for the charities to cope. It works for me to declutter our home and donate before Christmas and it's easier on the amazing staff at our op shop.
Our garden is busy too. Every morning as I take a little wander around I see new things. This week I've found little tiny limes and small apples. The strawberry patch is producing better than it ever has. We've had enough to eat and to stash in the freezer to make jam when I get the time. The hydrangeas have little buds on them - I can't wait to see them in bloom again. The lemon tree is full of blossom (and yes, this is the lemon tree I thought was lost at the end of last summer). The raspberry canes have grown so much in the last week, and we are all waiting to see if we'll get some fruit off them this year.
Before I go, don't forget about our membership sale - new memberships are just $30 until 20th December, and if you are looking for a great Christmas gift, we have gift memberships on sale until then too, for just $30 each.
Finally, our office will be closed from 2pm Friday 1st December through to 10am Tuesday 12th December. All contact us requests will be answered as soon as possible when we re-open so please be patient during this time.
Have a great couple of weeks everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
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!
2. From The Tip Store
Pre-Prepped Work Lunches Help Us to Live the Cheapskates Way
I try but am not very good at saving money. I have reread the book Debt Free Cashed up and laughing and have been inspired again. I absolutely hate making work lunches. So usually say "just buy it. " but am making a big effort to try and live more frugally and save to pay off my house and retire. So, I have made our 3 adult lunches for the week and froze them. Now there are no excuses just grab your sandwich out of the freezer and add your fruit and snacks. Easily saving me at least a thousand a year. A step closer to retirement.
Contributed by Brenda Dawson
Cheaper, Healthier Option for Soft Drink
Not being a tea/coffee drinker, I like my fizzy drinks. But soft drinks can be so expensive nowadays and the sugar content is horrendous. So instead, I make myself a cordial and soda water. You make it the same as you would normal cordial, using soda water instead of water. The soda water gives it a nice fizz. Once you get used to the lack of sugar, they're delicious and you'll never go back to normal soft drink. And instead of paying $3 for a bottle of soft drink, you can get a 1.25L soda water from Aldi for $0.69c.
Contributed by Emma Seabrook
Savvy Christmas Gifts
A few years ago I was unable to decide what to give my Mum for Christmas, she's in her 70's and has everything she needs so wanting to give something practical, so I found a washing basket and over the course of a couple of months, purchased laundry and household cleaning items when on special, like good quality laundry liquid on special half price and that sort of thing. Not only was it a practical gift, it worked within our weekly budget and by Christmas the basket was full and best of all my Mum absolutely loved it! She has asked for the same gift every year since!
Contributed by Kae Smith
There are currently more than 12,000 great tips in the Tip Store
3. Cheapskates Club Gift Memberships
Does the thought of Christmas shopping stress you out?
It doesn't have to be that way....
Discover how you can have a stress free Christmas season.
Give a membership to the Cheapskates Club, the stress free, thoughtful and life-changing gift this Christmas.
This Christmas when you order Cheapskates Club gift memberships, you'll pay just $30 each! That's a saving of 20% off the regular price when you buy these limited time only gift memberships.
Order your Cheapskates Gift Memberships here
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. On the Menu
Sausage Wellingtons
These are great picnic food and are fantastic for lunchboxes as well as being a treat for dinner.
Ingredients:
6 thick sausages
3 sheets puff pastry
200g mushrooms, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp butter
1 egg
Method:
Cook the mushrooms, onion and garlic in the butter until soft. Add the breadcrumbs. This mixture should be fairly stiff – add more breadcrumbs if necessary. Cut each sheet of pastry in half. Spread with the evenly divided mushroom mixture. Lay a sausage in the centre of each piece of pastry. Bring the edges to the centre as though wrapping a parcel, pressing them together to form a seal. Brush with beaten egg. Bake in a hot oven for 20 – 25 minutes until pastry is cooked and golden.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Lamb
Monday: Curried tuna Slice, salad
Tuesday: Spag bol
Wednesday: Wellington Loaf, baked vegetables
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Haystacks
Saturday: Muffin Surprise
In the fruit bowl: Watermelon, strawberries, bananas
In the cake tin: Chocolate cake, raspberry muffins
There are over 1,600 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File.
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy
From the $300 a Month Food Challenge Archives: Planning Your Christmas Menu
With Christmas just around the corner, I'm sure you have all been very busy decorating your home and Christmas tree with special ornaments. Table runners, candles and Christmas lights can also bring the festive feeling to your home. A couple of months ago I started planning my Christmas Day menu too. Although I want this special day to be perfect, it is so easy to go overboard with the food.
Providing two meats, a couple of salads or roast veggies and two or three desserts is all that is needed to satisfy the hungry souls at your table. The more you have to choose from, the harder it is for the eaters to choose. How to fit it all on the plate? There is only so much you can eat at one meal and many people travel from table to table (family home to family home) in one day.
Also, the more you provide, the more likely you are to be left with leftovers for a week. To avoid gastro, food should be refrigerated between courses and consumed within 2 - 3 days of cooking. You are less likely to forget what is left in the fridge if it is consumed within a small time frame.
I've cooked traditional and casual Christmas lunches in the past. Here's what I've provided for my guests
TRADITIONAL
roast lamb served in gravy
roast chicken
roast potatoes, pumpkin and carrots
cauliflower and broccoli with white sauce and cheese on top
mint sauce
sticky date puddings in muffin size with caramel sauce, cream and ice-cream
CASUAL (BBQ)
rissoles
BBQ steaks (cut into smaller pieces)
sausages
mushrooms and onions
bread stick
green tossed salad
potato salad
pasta salad
plum pudding (no name) with homemade custard, cream and ice-cream
mini pavlovas (homemade) with cream and berries
Both have been hugely successful, and everyone is full and satisfied. The casual meal had a lot more leftovers. We just ate salads and sausages for the next two days. The best thing about these meals is that I have most of the ingredients on hand already so there are no grocery blowouts. The only extra expense is the meat and a few veggies / salad things.
Here are some handy hints for cutting costs:
*Grow your own lettuce and salad things. Lettuce grows all year round in pots or the ground.
*Buy your leg of lamb in Spring when it's about $6.99 a kilo.
*Keep a look out for BBQ meats on sale at the butcher. Freeze ahead of time in smaller portions. It's so easy to pull out the exact amount of meat needed from the freezer. Less waste and quite often dinner guest numbers are not known until a couple of days before.
*Spread the workload around and ask guests to bring a plate / dish. Most people are happy to help.
*Not everyone likes plum pudding. Single serve puddings might be your answer to reducing costs and left overs. I've found no name/ generic brands to be mild in flavour and well received by guests. Making your own could be another option.
*Buy your bon bons on Boxing Day at half price. I always buy enough for a couple of years. A cheaper option is to make your own from wrapping paper tubes, wrapping paper, ribbon, your own printed jokes and a trinket or lolly. Making your own costs next to nothing.
*Snacks like nuts, dried fruit, chocolates, chips, soft drinks and lollies should be bought ahead of time. Most of these items are on sale from week to week. Just check out my grocery specials post every Wednesday.
With some forward planning you can have a fabulous Christmas Day full of delicious food without blowing your budget.
Have you started planning your Christmas Day menu?
Have a great week and BE ENCOURAGED!!!!
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
Most popular forum posts this week
Christmas 2017
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3664-Christmas-2017.
TLC for Pets
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?1996-TLC-for-Pets
Protecting Plants from Birds
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3665-Protecting-Plants-from-Birds
Most popular blog posts this week
I Love Coffee
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/11/i-love-coffee.html
Good Gravy
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/12/good-gravy.html
Fruity Tea Cake
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/11/fruity-tea-cake.html
8. Members 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 hevva.
Thanksgiving
The last Thursday in November is Thanksgiving. We are having a small family gathering because we all have so many blessings to celebrate and be grateful for. No turkey at our house, though last night I saw a large and healthy scrub turkey running home at dusk along our beach and laughed to myself and said, 'Just be glad you don't live in the US, mate!'
Wishing all of you blessings as we approach Christmas and another New Year. If I could give everyone a gift, it would be an Attitude of Gratitude.
Hugs to all.
Login to read more Cheapskates Club Member blogs
9. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Melissa who wrote
"My teenager's school uniform polo t-shirts stink in the armpit area, despite using deodorants. Even after a wash in our front loader (used several brands of detergent, including Aldi, Cold Power, OMO) they still stink. Any help will be most appreciated. I am willing to spray the armpits with something before washing or adding something to the wash. I end up washing several times and still smell stays."
Ruth K answered
Pop an aspirin tablet inside the shirts, under each arm, before you put them in the machine. Just use the cheapest aspirin from the supermarket. (I think I learnt this from the Cheapskates Club!)
Alisa Perks answered
I have not found any way to get rid of these smells from knit fabric tops. If it's any consolation, I believe that the fabric smells bad because it has started to rot and break down. Knit fabrics sometimes seem to do this, especially when worn in hot conditions. It's nothing to do with the wearer! They probably can't be handed on, unfortunately.
Allison Morphett answered
You could try making a paste with carb soda and water, then leave for a while, then wash as normal. I used to do this for my daughter’s school shirts.
Cheryl Hughes answered
Rub Isocol (isopropyl rubbing alcohol, available at any pharmacy) until quite wet, sit for half hour and wash as usual.
Despina Hatzis answered
Turn polo shirts inside out, squirt armpits with dishwashing liquid rub well, then make a paste using Napisan or equivalent (I use the Aldi brand) and water apply on top of dish liquid and rub well. Wash as usual; shirts should come out stain free and odour free. It helps to dry in direct sunlight. I hope this helps, it works for me every time.
Li Ying Hong answered
Melissa, sorry your kid is going through what could be an embarrassing lifetime problem. I only have one million dollar Cheapskates solution called Crystal Rock. I suffer from excessive sweats my whole life and it can be debilitating, especially the strong smell!! My shoes were the worst as my feet were trapped all day long in sweaty socks. I discovered Crystal Rock by pure luck when I worked for a direct sales company and one of their bestsellers was this rock. They come in many brands: most important criteria are no Aluminium Chlorohydrate (made with natural mineral salts) and fragrance free. Just use a spray bottle to moisten clean skin: armpits or feet or any other sweat prone area, then apply rock like you would a roll-on. They also sell roll-on and spray bottle versions, but the rock is the best value for money. Just be aware it can shatter easily if dropped on floor. Perhaps start your kid with a roll-on or spray bottle first. Coles used to or still sell “Crystal Body Deodorant Stick 120g” which says lasts a year for about $7. Woolies sell a different brand. Melissa and others with this problem trust me when I say this product in most any brand saved my LIFE from a lifelong curse of smelly body odour. I use it every day and because it’s fragrance free, I still get to use deodorant sprays (at a distance from the top of my head) to smell nice.
There are more answers to Melissa's question in the Laundry Tip Store, click here for a sneak peek.
10. Ask Cath
We have lots of resources to help you as you live the Cheapskates way but if you didn't find the answer to your question in our extensive archives please just drop me a note with your question.
I read and answer all questions, either in an email to you, in my weekly newsletter, the monthly Journal or by creating blog posts and other resources to help you (and other Cheapskaters).
Ask Your Question
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
For just 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!
12. 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.
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.
Read our privacy policy
How Did You Get on Our List?
You signed up to receive our Free Newsletter at our Cheapskates Club Web site or are a Platinum Cheapskates Club member
13. Contact Details
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - Pre-Prepped Work Lunches Help Us to Live the Cheapskates Way; Cheaper, Healthier Option for Soft Drink; Savvy Christmas Gifts
3. Cheapskates Club Gift Memberships
4. Share Your Tips
5. On the Menu - Sausage Wellingtons
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy - Planning Your Christmas Menu
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. Member's Featured Blog - Thanksgiving
9. Last Week's Question - Help needed with stinky clothes
10. Ask Cath
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
Welcome to another newsletter and another week of saving money, time and energy.
This past week has been busy with lots of little things happening in the Armstrong household. Things have been donated to our favourite op shops, leaving cupboards tidy and lots of "things" gone where they can benefit others. If you're thinking of donating and usually wait until after Christmas, think about doing it now. The op shops will have new stock to sell for Christmas and they (and you) won't be overwhelmed after Christmas. I've seen how much is donated between Christmas and New Year and how hard it is for the charities to cope. It works for me to declutter our home and donate before Christmas and it's easier on the amazing staff at our op shop.
Our garden is busy too. Every morning as I take a little wander around I see new things. This week I've found little tiny limes and small apples. The strawberry patch is producing better than it ever has. We've had enough to eat and to stash in the freezer to make jam when I get the time. The hydrangeas have little buds on them - I can't wait to see them in bloom again. The lemon tree is full of blossom (and yes, this is the lemon tree I thought was lost at the end of last summer). The raspberry canes have grown so much in the last week, and we are all waiting to see if we'll get some fruit off them this year.
Before I go, don't forget about our membership sale - new memberships are just $30 until 20th December, and if you are looking for a great Christmas gift, we have gift memberships on sale until then too, for just $30 each.
Finally, our office will be closed from 2pm Friday 1st December through to 10am Tuesday 12th December. All contact us requests will be answered as soon as possible when we re-open so please be patient during this time.
Have a great couple of weeks everyone.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
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!
2. From The Tip Store
Pre-Prepped Work Lunches Help Us to Live the Cheapskates Way
I try but am not very good at saving money. I have reread the book Debt Free Cashed up and laughing and have been inspired again. I absolutely hate making work lunches. So usually say "just buy it. " but am making a big effort to try and live more frugally and save to pay off my house and retire. So, I have made our 3 adult lunches for the week and froze them. Now there are no excuses just grab your sandwich out of the freezer and add your fruit and snacks. Easily saving me at least a thousand a year. A step closer to retirement.
Contributed by Brenda Dawson
Cheaper, Healthier Option for Soft Drink
Not being a tea/coffee drinker, I like my fizzy drinks. But soft drinks can be so expensive nowadays and the sugar content is horrendous. So instead, I make myself a cordial and soda water. You make it the same as you would normal cordial, using soda water instead of water. The soda water gives it a nice fizz. Once you get used to the lack of sugar, they're delicious and you'll never go back to normal soft drink. And instead of paying $3 for a bottle of soft drink, you can get a 1.25L soda water from Aldi for $0.69c.
Contributed by Emma Seabrook
Savvy Christmas Gifts
A few years ago I was unable to decide what to give my Mum for Christmas, she's in her 70's and has everything she needs so wanting to give something practical, so I found a washing basket and over the course of a couple of months, purchased laundry and household cleaning items when on special, like good quality laundry liquid on special half price and that sort of thing. Not only was it a practical gift, it worked within our weekly budget and by Christmas the basket was full and best of all my Mum absolutely loved it! She has asked for the same gift every year since!
Contributed by Kae Smith
There are currently more than 12,000 great tips in the Tip Store
3. Cheapskates Club Gift Memberships
Does the thought of Christmas shopping stress you out?
It doesn't have to be that way....
Discover how you can have a stress free Christmas season.
Give a membership to the Cheapskates Club, the stress free, thoughtful and life-changing gift this Christmas.
This Christmas when you order Cheapskates Club gift memberships, you'll pay just $30 each! That's a saving of 20% off the regular price when you buy these limited time only gift memberships.
Order your Cheapskates Gift Memberships here
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. On the Menu
Sausage Wellingtons
These are great picnic food and are fantastic for lunchboxes as well as being a treat for dinner.
Ingredients:
6 thick sausages
3 sheets puff pastry
200g mushrooms, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp butter
1 egg
Method:
Cook the mushrooms, onion and garlic in the butter until soft. Add the breadcrumbs. This mixture should be fairly stiff – add more breadcrumbs if necessary. Cut each sheet of pastry in half. Spread with the evenly divided mushroom mixture. Lay a sausage in the centre of each piece of pastry. Bring the edges to the centre as though wrapping a parcel, pressing them together to form a seal. Brush with beaten egg. Bake in a hot oven for 20 – 25 minutes until pastry is cooked and golden.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Lamb
Monday: Curried tuna Slice, salad
Tuesday: Spag bol
Wednesday: Wellington Loaf, baked vegetables
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Haystacks
Saturday: Muffin Surprise
In the fruit bowl: Watermelon, strawberries, bananas
In the cake tin: Chocolate cake, raspberry muffins
There are over 1,600 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File.
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy
From the $300 a Month Food Challenge Archives: Planning Your Christmas Menu
With Christmas just around the corner, I'm sure you have all been very busy decorating your home and Christmas tree with special ornaments. Table runners, candles and Christmas lights can also bring the festive feeling to your home. A couple of months ago I started planning my Christmas Day menu too. Although I want this special day to be perfect, it is so easy to go overboard with the food.
Providing two meats, a couple of salads or roast veggies and two or three desserts is all that is needed to satisfy the hungry souls at your table. The more you have to choose from, the harder it is for the eaters to choose. How to fit it all on the plate? There is only so much you can eat at one meal and many people travel from table to table (family home to family home) in one day.
Also, the more you provide, the more likely you are to be left with leftovers for a week. To avoid gastro, food should be refrigerated between courses and consumed within 2 - 3 days of cooking. You are less likely to forget what is left in the fridge if it is consumed within a small time frame.
I've cooked traditional and casual Christmas lunches in the past. Here's what I've provided for my guests
TRADITIONAL
roast lamb served in gravy
roast chicken
roast potatoes, pumpkin and carrots
cauliflower and broccoli with white sauce and cheese on top
mint sauce
sticky date puddings in muffin size with caramel sauce, cream and ice-cream
CASUAL (BBQ)
rissoles
BBQ steaks (cut into smaller pieces)
sausages
mushrooms and onions
bread stick
green tossed salad
potato salad
pasta salad
plum pudding (no name) with homemade custard, cream and ice-cream
mini pavlovas (homemade) with cream and berries
Both have been hugely successful, and everyone is full and satisfied. The casual meal had a lot more leftovers. We just ate salads and sausages for the next two days. The best thing about these meals is that I have most of the ingredients on hand already so there are no grocery blowouts. The only extra expense is the meat and a few veggies / salad things.
Here are some handy hints for cutting costs:
*Grow your own lettuce and salad things. Lettuce grows all year round in pots or the ground.
*Buy your leg of lamb in Spring when it's about $6.99 a kilo.
*Keep a look out for BBQ meats on sale at the butcher. Freeze ahead of time in smaller portions. It's so easy to pull out the exact amount of meat needed from the freezer. Less waste and quite often dinner guest numbers are not known until a couple of days before.
*Spread the workload around and ask guests to bring a plate / dish. Most people are happy to help.
*Not everyone likes plum pudding. Single serve puddings might be your answer to reducing costs and left overs. I've found no name/ generic brands to be mild in flavour and well received by guests. Making your own could be another option.
*Buy your bon bons on Boxing Day at half price. I always buy enough for a couple of years. A cheaper option is to make your own from wrapping paper tubes, wrapping paper, ribbon, your own printed jokes and a trinket or lolly. Making your own costs next to nothing.
*Snacks like nuts, dried fruit, chocolates, chips, soft drinks and lollies should be bought ahead of time. Most of these items are on sale from week to week. Just check out my grocery specials post every Wednesday.
With some forward planning you can have a fabulous Christmas Day full of delicious food without blowing your budget.
Have you started planning your Christmas Day menu?
Have a great week and BE ENCOURAGED!!!!
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
Most popular forum posts this week
Christmas 2017
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3664-Christmas-2017.
TLC for Pets
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?1996-TLC-for-Pets
Protecting Plants from Birds
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?3665-Protecting-Plants-from-Birds
Most popular blog posts this week
I Love Coffee
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/11/i-love-coffee.html
Good Gravy
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/12/good-gravy.html
Fruity Tea Cake
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2015/11/fruity-tea-cake.html
8. Members 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 hevva.
Thanksgiving
The last Thursday in November is Thanksgiving. We are having a small family gathering because we all have so many blessings to celebrate and be grateful for. No turkey at our house, though last night I saw a large and healthy scrub turkey running home at dusk along our beach and laughed to myself and said, 'Just be glad you don't live in the US, mate!'
Wishing all of you blessings as we approach Christmas and another New Year. If I could give everyone a gift, it would be an Attitude of Gratitude.
Hugs to all.
Login to read more Cheapskates Club Member blogs
9. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Melissa who wrote
"My teenager's school uniform polo t-shirts stink in the armpit area, despite using deodorants. Even after a wash in our front loader (used several brands of detergent, including Aldi, Cold Power, OMO) they still stink. Any help will be most appreciated. I am willing to spray the armpits with something before washing or adding something to the wash. I end up washing several times and still smell stays."
Ruth K answered
Pop an aspirin tablet inside the shirts, under each arm, before you put them in the machine. Just use the cheapest aspirin from the supermarket. (I think I learnt this from the Cheapskates Club!)
Alisa Perks answered
I have not found any way to get rid of these smells from knit fabric tops. If it's any consolation, I believe that the fabric smells bad because it has started to rot and break down. Knit fabrics sometimes seem to do this, especially when worn in hot conditions. It's nothing to do with the wearer! They probably can't be handed on, unfortunately.
Allison Morphett answered
You could try making a paste with carb soda and water, then leave for a while, then wash as normal. I used to do this for my daughter’s school shirts.
Cheryl Hughes answered
Rub Isocol (isopropyl rubbing alcohol, available at any pharmacy) until quite wet, sit for half hour and wash as usual.
Despina Hatzis answered
Turn polo shirts inside out, squirt armpits with dishwashing liquid rub well, then make a paste using Napisan or equivalent (I use the Aldi brand) and water apply on top of dish liquid and rub well. Wash as usual; shirts should come out stain free and odour free. It helps to dry in direct sunlight. I hope this helps, it works for me every time.
Li Ying Hong answered
Melissa, sorry your kid is going through what could be an embarrassing lifetime problem. I only have one million dollar Cheapskates solution called Crystal Rock. I suffer from excessive sweats my whole life and it can be debilitating, especially the strong smell!! My shoes were the worst as my feet were trapped all day long in sweaty socks. I discovered Crystal Rock by pure luck when I worked for a direct sales company and one of their bestsellers was this rock. They come in many brands: most important criteria are no Aluminium Chlorohydrate (made with natural mineral salts) and fragrance free. Just use a spray bottle to moisten clean skin: armpits or feet or any other sweat prone area, then apply rock like you would a roll-on. They also sell roll-on and spray bottle versions, but the rock is the best value for money. Just be aware it can shatter easily if dropped on floor. Perhaps start your kid with a roll-on or spray bottle first. Coles used to or still sell “Crystal Body Deodorant Stick 120g” which says lasts a year for about $7. Woolies sell a different brand. Melissa and others with this problem trust me when I say this product in most any brand saved my LIFE from a lifelong curse of smelly body odour. I use it every day and because it’s fragrance free, I still get to use deodorant sprays (at a distance from the top of my head) to smell nice.
There are more answers to Melissa's question in the Laundry Tip Store, click here for a sneak peek.
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