Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 48:19
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Planning for Bumps; Hang a Picture Perfectly; Easy Aussie Christmas Lunch
3. Share Your Tips
4. Own Your Christmas Challenge Week 8 -
5. The Living the Cheapskates Way Budget & Lifestyle Planner 2020
6. On the Menu - Sweet Chilli Meat Loaf
7. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - MY OAMS Routine Part 3
8. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
9. The Cheapskates Club Show
10. Ask Cath
11. Join The Cheapskates Club
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
We're back, after an eventful trip and an even more eventful homecoming. I shared it all on Tuesday on our show, HOW TO STICK TO YOUR GROCERY BUDGET (WHATEVER IT IS)
Have a great week everyone, and enjoy your newsletter!
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Planning for Bumps
Nothing in life occurs without a few bumps along the way, especially the holiday season! Build extra time into your holiday plan for unexpected challenges. Sick children, unexpected guests or expenses, an appliance breakdown or cancelled plane flight can interfere with the smooth running of any holiday plan. Expect the unexpected, and leave some breathing room in your schedule.
Hang a Picture Perfectly
This is the formula that professional picture hangers use:
1. Measure up 1500mm from the floor.
2. To this, add half the height of the framed picture.
3. Subtract the height of the wire. (The height of the triangle that the wire would form if the frames were actually hanging in place.)
This magic number is the distance from the floor at which you should hang the nail and picture hook regardless of the height of the ceiling or even your height.
Easy Aussie Christmas Lunch
As a family we all agreed Christmas lunch doesn't have to be a 10 course meal that takes weeks to prepare and empties your bank account. This year we are going to make a few salads and head down to our local park which has a few free electric barbecues which we'll throw a couple of sausages for the kids and maybe a chop/steak for the adults on. Kids don't fuss about special Christmas fare and we can all enjoy a day at the park swings free. My friend and her family are heading to the beach with a similar plan.
Contributed by Jan Naylor
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 Week 9
It's almost over! This is the last week of the Own Your Christmas challenge. If you've stuck to the plan, come Sunday you'll be sitting back, ready to relax, celebrate and enjoy. If you're not quite there yet, there's still time so keep at it.
This week's tasks are outlined here in greater detail
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. The Living the Cheapskates Way Budget & Lifestyle Planner 2020
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Planning for Bumps; Hang a Picture Perfectly; Easy Aussie Christmas Lunch
3. Share Your Tips
4. Own Your Christmas Challenge Week 8 -
5. The Living the Cheapskates Way Budget & Lifestyle Planner 2020
6. On the Menu - Sweet Chilli Meat Loaf
7. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - MY OAMS Routine Part 3
8. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
9. The Cheapskates Club Show
10. Ask Cath
11. Join The Cheapskates Club
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
We're back, after an eventful trip and an even more eventful homecoming. I shared it all on Tuesday on our show, HOW TO STICK TO YOUR GROCERY BUDGET (WHATEVER IT IS)
Have a great week everyone, and enjoy your newsletter!
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Planning for Bumps
Nothing in life occurs without a few bumps along the way, especially the holiday season! Build extra time into your holiday plan for unexpected challenges. Sick children, unexpected guests or expenses, an appliance breakdown or cancelled plane flight can interfere with the smooth running of any holiday plan. Expect the unexpected, and leave some breathing room in your schedule.
Hang a Picture Perfectly
This is the formula that professional picture hangers use:
1. Measure up 1500mm from the floor.
2. To this, add half the height of the framed picture.
3. Subtract the height of the wire. (The height of the triangle that the wire would form if the frames were actually hanging in place.)
This magic number is the distance from the floor at which you should hang the nail and picture hook regardless of the height of the ceiling or even your height.
Easy Aussie Christmas Lunch
As a family we all agreed Christmas lunch doesn't have to be a 10 course meal that takes weeks to prepare and empties your bank account. This year we are going to make a few salads and head down to our local park which has a few free electric barbecues which we'll throw a couple of sausages for the kids and maybe a chop/steak for the adults on. Kids don't fuss about special Christmas fare and we can all enjoy a day at the park swings free. My friend and her family are heading to the beach with a similar plan.
Contributed by Jan Naylor
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 Week 9
It's almost over! This is the last week of the Own Your Christmas challenge. If you've stuck to the plan, come Sunday you'll be sitting back, ready to relax, celebrate and enjoy. If you're not quite there yet, there's still time so keep at it.
This week's tasks are outlined here in greater detail
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. The Living the Cheapskates Way Budget & Lifestyle Planner 2020
The last run of planners is selling quickly. We expect to receive them early December, and we'll be sending them out immediately (on a first ordered, first sent basis). So, it's not too late to order your 2020 Living the Cheapskates Way Budget and Lifestyle Planner.
Click here to find out more and order your 2020 Living the Cheapskates Way Budget and Lifestyle Planner.
6. On The Menu
Sweet Chilli Meat Loaf
This meatloaf is a great hot or cold, and it freezes well too. It began with Grandma’s recipe, but was punched up a bit by adding seasonings and sweet chilli sauce on top. Serve hot with mash and steamed greens, or cold with salad. Slice thinly for a sandwich.
Sweet Chilli Meat Loaf
Ingredients:
500g mince
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup rolled oats
1 small onion, finely diced
1 small green capsicum, finely diced
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 cup sweet chilli sauce
Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
In mixing bowl combine all ingredients, except sweet chilli sauce.
Press mixture into a greased loaf pan.
Top with chilli sauce and cover with foil.
Bake in for 35 minutes.
Remove foil, drain fat from loaf pan, then return to oven uncovered continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes.
Remove and enjoy.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Lamb
Monday: Steak & salad
Tuesday: Spag Bol, salad, garlic bread
Wednesday: French Shepherd's pie, beans, corn, carrots
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: BBQ, salad
Saturday: Tacos
In the fruit bowl: mandarins, bananas
In the cake tin: Yum Yum Balls, Lemon Ginger Slice
There are over 1,700 budget and family friendly recipes in the Cheapskates Club Recipe File, all contributed by your fellow Cheapskates, so you know they're good.
Add A Recipe
Recipe File Index
7. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
My OAMS Routine Part 3
This is the last part of the OAMS series. It's how I use the groceries I buy so they stretch to feed my family of four (three of whom are hefty males) and stick to my budget.
I've talked about how I make up a shopping list and shown you what I buy on a monthly grocery shop. I love shopping once a month. Then I just pop into my local Aldi on a Thursday or Friday morning and top up the fresh milk and cheese if it's needed. Then it's a quick stop at the greengrocer to top up the fruit and veg and I'm done for the week - and it usually takes under 30 minutes.
I always buy meat and chicken in bulk. I try to buy meat by the side and I shop around butchers for the best price. I do the same for chicken. We do have a 300 litre chest freezer and a side of beef almost fills it. By the time I add 30 kilos of chicken there is just enough room for the frozen veggies. That is enough to give me main meals for 8 months, 9 months if I use leftovers as main meals and up to 12 months if I include a couple of meatless meals each week, which I normally try to do.
How do I stretch the meat and chicken? I portion it out before it's frozen and use one portion per family meal. I use 500g mince per meal, or 2 chicken fillets per meal. The steaks I cut into at least 3 pieces and we use 4 pieces per meal, they are around 200g each which is the recommended portion.
I use potatoes or rice to bulk out our meals, with other veggies. I always dish the veggies up first so they fill the plate and put the meat on as a "side" rather than the main.
We always (well almost always) have a roast on a Sunday and then I either use the leftover meat for another dinner later that week or on sandwiches for a couple of days.
We have pasta of some kind once a week - either a spag bol or lasagne or pasta bake. I make a basic sauce of 500g mince, 1 grated carrot, 1 grated zucchini, 2 grated onions, 2 tins tomatoes, 2 cloves crushed garlic, good dash mixed herbs. That is the basic sauce for over spaghetti. To make a pasta bake it is mixed through 500g cooked noodles and put into an oiled baking dish. Then it's covered with a mixture of 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs and 1 cup grated cheese and baked for 20 - 25 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the crumbs are golden.
We always have a salad and bread of some kind with our pasta, garlic bread if I have time or parmesan toast or just fresh bread rolls.
To make tacos/enchiladas/burritos I add a tin of baked beans and the MOO Taco Seasoning.
To make lasagne I whizz 2 tins baked beans a la Refrigerator Lasagne and add to the mix. Layer mix, lasagne, white sauce, lasagne. I usually do 3 layers, ending with white sauce. Sprinkle with grated parmesan and bake.
To make meatloaf I use 500g mince, 500g sausage mince, 6 slices bread soaked in boiling water, then squeezed out, 1 grated onion, 2 tbsp tomato sauce, 2tbsp bbq sauce, 1tsp Vegemite, 2 eggs. Mix up well. Makes 2 meatloaves. Bake in moderate oven 20 minutes, remove and drain fat. Glaze with 1 tablespoon bbq sauce, return to oven and bake a further 20 minutes.
I use one for dinner, the other one I either freeze for the next week or wait until the next day when it is cold and then slice thinly for sandwiches or salad dinners. It's easier to slice if it's cold.
Once a week I use all the sad veggies and leftover veggies to make a casserole - combine all the veggies with a thick white sauce, put in a greased casserole dish, cover with a mixture of breadcrumbs and grated cheese and bake until bubbly. It's like a "scalloped everything" and tastes great no matter what the combination. Add a pinch of nutmeg to the white sauce for a really nice flavour. It can be a standalone main course served with bread rolls or used as a side dish with other meat or chicken, it's especially nice with fish.
OAMS isn't hard and you don't need to be particularly organised either. In fact you only need to be organised one day a month - the day you do your shopping list, meal plan and shopping. After that it's just checking the meal plan and cooking. Anyone can do this - it really is easy.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
8. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
3 Steps to an Impressive Christmas Dinner Even on a Cheapskates Budget
6 Ways to Save on Christmas Holiday Travel
Making Sure You Own Your Christmas
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Plastic Free Tips
Stockpiling Advice Please
Single and Savvy
Most Popular Blog Posts This Week
Teaching Children the Meaning of Christmas
How to Decorate the Christmas Tree
(Finally) Making the Christmas Soaps
9. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays and Thursdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AET
Join us live on YouTube every Tuesday and Thursday and see how we are living debt free, cashed up and laughing - and find out how you can too!
Show Schedule
Tuesday: Around the Kitchen Table - join Cath and Hannah for a cuppa and a chat around the kitchen table as they talk about living the Cheapskates way.
Thursday: Cheapskates in the Kitchen - want to know how to cook delicious, healthy and cheap meals? Watch Cath and Hannah as they create cheapskates style cuisine and share their favourite recipes.
Latest Shows
Click here to find out more and order your 2020 Living the Cheapskates Way Budget and Lifestyle Planner.
6. On The Menu
Sweet Chilli Meat Loaf
This meatloaf is a great hot or cold, and it freezes well too. It began with Grandma’s recipe, but was punched up a bit by adding seasonings and sweet chilli sauce on top. Serve hot with mash and steamed greens, or cold with salad. Slice thinly for a sandwich.
Sweet Chilli Meat Loaf
Ingredients:
500g mince
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup rolled oats
1 small onion, finely diced
1 small green capsicum, finely diced
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 cup sweet chilli sauce
Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
In mixing bowl combine all ingredients, except sweet chilli sauce.
Press mixture into a greased loaf pan.
Top with chilli sauce and cover with foil.
Bake in for 35 minutes.
Remove foil, drain fat from loaf pan, then return to oven uncovered continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes.
Remove and enjoy.
Next week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Lamb
Monday: Steak & salad
Tuesday: Spag Bol, salad, garlic bread
Wednesday: French Shepherd's pie, beans, corn, carrots
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: BBQ, salad
Saturday: Tacos
In the fruit bowl: mandarins, bananas
In the cake tin: Yum Yum Balls, Lemon Ginger Slice
There are over 1,700 budget and family friendly recipes in the Cheapskates Club Recipe File, all contributed by your fellow Cheapskates, so you know they're good.
Add A Recipe
Recipe File Index
7. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
My OAMS Routine Part 3
This is the last part of the OAMS series. It's how I use the groceries I buy so they stretch to feed my family of four (three of whom are hefty males) and stick to my budget.
I've talked about how I make up a shopping list and shown you what I buy on a monthly grocery shop. I love shopping once a month. Then I just pop into my local Aldi on a Thursday or Friday morning and top up the fresh milk and cheese if it's needed. Then it's a quick stop at the greengrocer to top up the fruit and veg and I'm done for the week - and it usually takes under 30 minutes.
I always buy meat and chicken in bulk. I try to buy meat by the side and I shop around butchers for the best price. I do the same for chicken. We do have a 300 litre chest freezer and a side of beef almost fills it. By the time I add 30 kilos of chicken there is just enough room for the frozen veggies. That is enough to give me main meals for 8 months, 9 months if I use leftovers as main meals and up to 12 months if I include a couple of meatless meals each week, which I normally try to do.
How do I stretch the meat and chicken? I portion it out before it's frozen and use one portion per family meal. I use 500g mince per meal, or 2 chicken fillets per meal. The steaks I cut into at least 3 pieces and we use 4 pieces per meal, they are around 200g each which is the recommended portion.
I use potatoes or rice to bulk out our meals, with other veggies. I always dish the veggies up first so they fill the plate and put the meat on as a "side" rather than the main.
We always (well almost always) have a roast on a Sunday and then I either use the leftover meat for another dinner later that week or on sandwiches for a couple of days.
We have pasta of some kind once a week - either a spag bol or lasagne or pasta bake. I make a basic sauce of 500g mince, 1 grated carrot, 1 grated zucchini, 2 grated onions, 2 tins tomatoes, 2 cloves crushed garlic, good dash mixed herbs. That is the basic sauce for over spaghetti. To make a pasta bake it is mixed through 500g cooked noodles and put into an oiled baking dish. Then it's covered with a mixture of 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs and 1 cup grated cheese and baked for 20 - 25 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the crumbs are golden.
We always have a salad and bread of some kind with our pasta, garlic bread if I have time or parmesan toast or just fresh bread rolls.
To make tacos/enchiladas/burritos I add a tin of baked beans and the MOO Taco Seasoning.
To make lasagne I whizz 2 tins baked beans a la Refrigerator Lasagne and add to the mix. Layer mix, lasagne, white sauce, lasagne. I usually do 3 layers, ending with white sauce. Sprinkle with grated parmesan and bake.
To make meatloaf I use 500g mince, 500g sausage mince, 6 slices bread soaked in boiling water, then squeezed out, 1 grated onion, 2 tbsp tomato sauce, 2tbsp bbq sauce, 1tsp Vegemite, 2 eggs. Mix up well. Makes 2 meatloaves. Bake in moderate oven 20 minutes, remove and drain fat. Glaze with 1 tablespoon bbq sauce, return to oven and bake a further 20 minutes.
I use one for dinner, the other one I either freeze for the next week or wait until the next day when it is cold and then slice thinly for sandwiches or salad dinners. It's easier to slice if it's cold.
Once a week I use all the sad veggies and leftover veggies to make a casserole - combine all the veggies with a thick white sauce, put in a greased casserole dish, cover with a mixture of breadcrumbs and grated cheese and bake until bubbly. It's like a "scalloped everything" and tastes great no matter what the combination. Add a pinch of nutmeg to the white sauce for a really nice flavour. It can be a standalone main course served with bread rolls or used as a side dish with other meat or chicken, it's especially nice with fish.
OAMS isn't hard and you don't need to be particularly organised either. In fact you only need to be organised one day a month - the day you do your shopping list, meal plan and shopping. After that it's just checking the meal plan and cooking. Anyone can do this - it really is easy.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
8. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
3 Steps to an Impressive Christmas Dinner Even on a Cheapskates Budget
6 Ways to Save on Christmas Holiday Travel
Making Sure You Own Your Christmas
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Plastic Free Tips
Stockpiling Advice Please
Single and Savvy
Most Popular Blog Posts This Week
Teaching Children the Meaning of Christmas
How to Decorate the Christmas Tree
(Finally) Making the Christmas Soaps
9. The Cheapskates Club Show
Join Cath and Hannah live Tuesdays and Thursdays on You Tube at 7.30pm AET
Join us live on YouTube every Tuesday and Thursday and see how we are living debt free, cashed up and laughing - and find out how you can too!
Show Schedule
Tuesday: Around the Kitchen Table - join Cath and Hannah for a cuppa and a chat around the kitchen table as they talk about living the Cheapskates way.
Thursday: Cheapskates in the Kitchen - want to know how to cook delicious, healthy and cheap meals? Watch Cath and Hannah as they create cheapskates style cuisine and share their favourite recipes.
Latest Shows
10. 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
11. Join The Cheapskates Club
For just $30 a year, you can join the Cheapskates Club and get exclusive access to the Cheapskate Journal, the monthly e-journal that shows you how to cut the costs of everyday living and still have fun.
Joining the Cheapskates Club gives you 24/7 access to the Members Centre with 1000's of money saving tips and articles.
Click here to join the Cheapskates Club today!
12. 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?
As per the terms of sbucription, your renewal will be processed on the due date. Renewal notices are not sent. You can find your membership expiry date on your profile page (membership are active for one year from the date of joining/renewing).
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.
13. Contact Cheapskates
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152
Contact Cheapskates
We have lots of resources to help you as you live the Cheapskates way but if you didn't find the answer to your question in our extensive archives please just drop me a note with your question.
I read and answer all questions, either in an email to you, in my weekly newsletter, the monthly Journal or by creating blog posts and other resources to help you (and other Cheapskaters).
Ask Your Question
11. Join The Cheapskates Club
For just $30 a year, you can join the Cheapskates Club and get exclusive access to the Cheapskate Journal, the monthly e-journal that shows you how to cut the costs of everyday living and still have fun.
Joining the Cheapskates Club gives you 24/7 access to the Members Centre with 1000's of money saving tips and articles.
Click here to join the Cheapskates Club today!
12. 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?
As per the terms of sbucription, your renewal will be processed on the due date. Renewal notices are not sent. You can find your membership expiry date on your profile page (membership are active for one year from the date of joining/renewing).
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.
13. 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