Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter: 49:14 Bright ideas to save you money
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - Groceries for Christmas Lunch, Give Stains the Solar Treatment, Soft Drink Icy Poles
3. Submit Your Tip - You have to be in it to win it
4. Living Green in 2014 - DIY Snow Globes
5. On the Menu with Anne - Grapes in the Fruit Bowl and a recipe
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy - Christmas Dinner
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. Member's Featured Blog - Life's Just a Tad Different
9. Last Week's Question - How do I make candle melts?
10. This Week's Question - Plants to grow in water
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
12. Gift Memberships
13. Frequently Asked Questions
14. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
With just two weeks to go, it seems that everyone is well and truly in Christmas mode. We've been talking Christmas this week on television and radio, and I've heard some funny stories about decorating. I even shared the story of our first frugal Christmas tree. We laugh about it now but at the time....
We had no spare money (what was new?) and it was Christmas and I wanted a Christmas tree for the boys. Christmas Eve came and we didn't have a tree and I know, the boys didn't care, they were two and three months. Wayne came home from work and he was so proud of himself, he had found us a Christmas tree, bought it from Legacy so the money went to a good cause and best of all it only cost $5.
Do you want to know why it only cost $5? Because it was two sticks in a tub, one stick had two branches and the other stick had three. It was scrawny and scraggly and I just looked at it and cried. For a few minutes, then I realised that AJ was so excited, he thought it was wonderful. His little face was lit up and he was jumping up and down.
Moral of the story: I learnt a valuable lesson. My idea of perfect isn't necessarily so. Perfect is in the eye and the attitude of the beholder. We decorated that tree with all sorts of things, including our tree decorations. And it's the Christmas tree we all remember and talk about every year when we put up our "new", fake tree.
If you are stressing over the "perfect" Christmas stop right now and decide to make your Christmas celebration one you'll remember with joy in the future, not one you'll shudder to think of.
PS: Love our site? We love referrals! Send a note to your favourite newspapers, magazines, radio stations, TV stations, friends and relatives, and tell them about us!
PPS: You can read this newsletter and past copies on the website in the Newsletter Archive.
2. From The Tip Store
Groceries for Christmas Lunch
When doing your regular shopping, buy a store gift card or shopping centre gift card with any leftover money i.e. $10 or $20. These last a year and can be saved up and used to purchase your expensive items for Christmas lunch i.e. the ham, turkey, nibbles, drinks etc. You can even use them to purchase small gift items that the stores may have on special, like boxed chocolates, jars of nuts, kids' books or toys. By spending the money through the year on the gift cards, it saves having to fork out huge amounts of money at Christmas time when lots of money is already needed to spend on functions and buying presents. Keep them in a safe place and use the first cards purchased first so you don't go past the expiry date (especially if you start purchasing straight after New Year).
Contributed by Debra Cashmore
Give Stains the Solar Treatment
The best, easiest and cheapest solution to tomato based stains on clothes, tablecloths and tea towels is one we have in abundance in Australia - sunshine! Just wash the stained item in a normal wash and then hang it on the clothesline, stained side to the outside, and let the sun work its magic. Don't have a clothesline? Hang it over the back of a chair in front of a sunny window. Wash and dry again and the stain will be gone and you'll have saved the cost of a new garment.
Contributed by Elaine Wilson
Soft Drink Icy Poles
Approximate $ Savings: $5 to $10 per party
After any party we always seem to end up with several bottles of soft drink that have only a quarter or half left in them and have often not been sealed properly. Instead of tipping the flat soft drink down the sink I make frozen icy-poles like lemonade, raspberry and coke, the kids think they are great.
Contributed by Kathleen Morrow
There are more than 11,000 great tips in the Tip Store
3. 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
4. Living Green in 2014
Easy DIY Snow Globes
I love snow globes, those little dome shaped forms filled with water and glitter. Give them a shake and watch the "snow" gently fall. They are really easy to make, using things you most likely already have in the house and are a great craft idea to keep the kids amused for an hour or two.
You will need:
A jar, wide rimmed bottle or a snow globe form.
Figurines for your globe
Super glue
Bottle cap (optional)
Glitter
Water
Step 1. The first thing that you are going to do is glue your figurine to your lid with water safe super glue and let that dry for at least an hour. If you are using a mason jar this is where the bottle cap comes in handy, glue it to your lid and then glue the figurine to it.
Step 2. Next add a generous amount of glitter to your jar/globe and fill it with water. I like to cover the bottom of the jar with a good layer of glitter, about 10mm deep.
Step 3. If you haven't glued the figurine to the lid, drop in it into the jar. Screw the lid in place, making sure it is tight. Your globe shouldn’t leak but you can add a thin layer of clear glue around the seal if you want to make extra sure.
Now turn your globe over and enjoy!
5. On the Menu with Anne
Grapes in the Fruit Bowl
It seems that my having grapes in our fruit bowl the last week has upset some newsletter readers. Here's the thing folks: the grapes were a treat for my family because we've been eating the same fruit for months. Oh, they were Australian, bought from Aldi, were $4.99 a kilo and I had the money in my grocery slush fund to pay for them. And grapes (Australian) are cheaper at my local Coles this week at $3.89 a kilo.
Seeing as we're talking grapes I thought I'd share a dessert recipe using grapes. I often make this over the Christmas break. It is quick, easy and looks spectacular layered in dessert glasses.
Grape Fool
Ingredients:
1/2 cup cream
1 cup sour cream
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 cups grapes (red or green, doesn't matter)
Method:
Beat the cream until it is very thick, but not butter. It should be able to hold a peak. Carefully fold through the sour cream and chill for an hour. Halve the grapes. Evenly divide the grapes and cream mixture between 4 dessert dishes, layering them. Start with a layer of cream and finish with a layer of the grapes. I just dollop the cream layers, I like the "rustic" look of the cream falling through the gaps between the grapes. Sprinkle the top of each glass with brown sugar. Chill. Serve.
This week we will be eating:
Friday: Chicken Kiev, wedges & salad
Saturday: Tacos
Sunday: Roast chicken, baked vegetables, beans, gravy
Monday: Sausages and salad
Tuesday: Pasta bake and salad
Wednesday: Rissoles, mash, peas, corn, cauliflower, gravy
Thursday: Muffin pizzas, green salad
In the fruit bowl: Apples, oranges, kiwi fruit
In the cake tin: Lunchbox Cookies, sultana cake, White Christmas
There are over 1,400 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy
With Christmas just around the corner, I'm sure you have been very busy decorating your house and Christmas tree with special ornaments. Table runners, candles and Christmas lights can help to bring the festive feeling to your home. Cheapskaters have started planning their Christmas Day menus too. Although we 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 vegies 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
Cauli 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 MOO custard, cream and ice-cream
Mini pavlovas (MOO) 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 vegies / salad things. The leg of lamb is bought in spring when it is $6.99 a kilo and usually costs me under $20. Snacks are bought on sale in November and bon bons are bought at half price on Boxing Day the year before
Have you started planning your Christmas Day menu?
How do you cut costs but still provide a great Christmas meal?
Have a great week and BE ENCOURAGED!!!!
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?24-Take-up-the-challenge-!!!!
The Post that Started it All
http://www.cheapskates.com.au/pages/default.cfm?page_id=44265
7. Cheapskates Buzz
This week's hot forum topics
What's Growing in Your Veg Garden?
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?47-What-s-growing-in-your-veg-garden
Gratitude Journal
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2404-Gratitude-Journal
2015 Budget
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2694-2015-bdget
Most popular blog posts this week
Just a Typical Tuesday
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2011/08/just-typical-tuesday.html
Thank Goodness for the Slush Fund
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2011/03/thank-goodness-for-slush-fund.html
Healthy Eating
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2011/02/healthy-eating.html
8. Member's Featured Blog
Platinum Cheapskates Club members have their very own Cheapskating blogs, and they are wonderful and inspirational and encouraging and even funny. This week's featured blog is written by Cutegroomz.
Life's Just a Tad Different
I would like to say Christmas will be a tad different this year but in reality it is huge. I am not having Christmas Eve Dinner at my place this year which is the first time I think in maybe 12 years. It will held by other family members.
My new eating habits have me having roast turkey and steamed vegies for Christmas. No dessert or maybe just one Ferrero Rocher. I won't be indulging myself in snack foods or chocolates over the Christmas break which seems totally bizarre but I am actually okay with it. For the first time in years I feel really good, I know I am healthy and that finally I have learnt that comfort food is not only hurting me but is working at taking me away from my boys a lot sooner than it should. You are what you eat is so true, didn't want to hear that but unfortunately it's true. We often hear that we need to see the good in every situation, I can honestly say if this gall bladder attack hadn't happened I would still be pretending everything's all right while comforting myself with a chocolate bar. I would like to say it's willpower but it's more the fear of having that happen to me again has helped me stay strong. Plus the added bonus of losing the weight has also helped see the effort and commitment has been worthwhile.
So how has this helped my Cheapskates journey, well I see now that when you commit to something no matter how big or small you need to commit 100%. You either do it or you don't. I have learnt to set goals for myself and when I seem to be comfortable in one area am I getting complacent, does this area need tweaking or is it as good as it gets and I can move on. Trial and error is not a bad thing as long as lessons are learnt and repeated behavior are not from laziness but learning to fight the habit. Probably a bit deep and longwinded but it has been on my mind the last couple of days and writing it out helps re-evaluate and determine my next steps.
Life is certainly just a tad different.
Login to read more Cheapskates Club member blogs
9. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Rhonda who wrote
"I was wondering if any members have a recipe on how to make candle melts, the nice smelly ones as they are expensive to buy and would like to make my own. Thank you."
Peta Fowler answered
I used to make a lot of soy candles, which are great as they have a lower melting temperature, and spills can be cleaned up easily. From memory, you only need to melt soy wax flakes, add a drop of colour and a few drops of essential oil/blend and pour into your mould (cupcake etc.). Probably best to do an Internet search for exact recipe and stockists. Good luck!
Julie Taylor answered
Hi Rhonda I, too, couldn't afford to purchase candle melts so I went online and found a website called www.aussiecandlesupplies.com.au and found a recipe under the heading of Basic Massage Candle. I haven't had a chance to try the recipe out yet but am looking forward to doing so. I hope this helps. Enjoy.
Do you have a question that needs an answer?
Send us your question and receive the combined knowledge of your fellow Cheapskates to solve your problem!
Ask Your Question
10. This Week's Question
E writes
"I am looking for suggestions for propagating plants in water to establish roots. As I do a lot of windowsill gardening I would appreciate the names of some plants which are easy to get going in water. Also to say I had great success with Rosemary cuttings. Thanks!"
Do you have the answer?
If you have a suggestion or idea for E. let us know. We'll enter your answer into our Tip of the Week competition, with a one-year membership to the Cheapskates Club as the prize too.
Send your answer
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!
http://www.cheapskates.com.au/members/join_form.cfm?item_id=2271
12. Gift Memberships
Your family and friends will thank you for a whole year when you give them a Platinum Cheapskates Club membership as a gift.
It's so simple: just select the number of gift memberships required, click the Buy Now button and complete the Gift Membership order form (you must use this form to order gift memberships) and we'll get in touch with you to confirm the gift subscriptions.
Click here to order a gift membership right now!
13. 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.
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When you login to the Member's Centre you will be told how many days of membership you have left once you have 30 days left. Just click on the link to renew and your membership will just continue on, uninterrupted.
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Read our privacy policy
How Did You Get on Our List?
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14. Contact Details
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152
www.cheapskates.com.au
[email protected]
2. In the Tip Store - Groceries for Christmas Lunch, Give Stains the Solar Treatment, Soft Drink Icy Poles
3. Submit Your Tip - You have to be in it to win it
4. Living Green in 2014 - DIY Snow Globes
5. On the Menu with Anne - Grapes in the Fruit Bowl and a recipe
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy - Christmas Dinner
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. Member's Featured Blog - Life's Just a Tad Different
9. Last Week's Question - How do I make candle melts?
10. This Week's Question - Plants to grow in water
11. Join the Cheapskates Club
12. Gift Memberships
13. Frequently Asked Questions
14. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
With just two weeks to go, it seems that everyone is well and truly in Christmas mode. We've been talking Christmas this week on television and radio, and I've heard some funny stories about decorating. I even shared the story of our first frugal Christmas tree. We laugh about it now but at the time....
We had no spare money (what was new?) and it was Christmas and I wanted a Christmas tree for the boys. Christmas Eve came and we didn't have a tree and I know, the boys didn't care, they were two and three months. Wayne came home from work and he was so proud of himself, he had found us a Christmas tree, bought it from Legacy so the money went to a good cause and best of all it only cost $5.
Do you want to know why it only cost $5? Because it was two sticks in a tub, one stick had two branches and the other stick had three. It was scrawny and scraggly and I just looked at it and cried. For a few minutes, then I realised that AJ was so excited, he thought it was wonderful. His little face was lit up and he was jumping up and down.
Moral of the story: I learnt a valuable lesson. My idea of perfect isn't necessarily so. Perfect is in the eye and the attitude of the beholder. We decorated that tree with all sorts of things, including our tree decorations. And it's the Christmas tree we all remember and talk about every year when we put up our "new", fake tree.
If you are stressing over the "perfect" Christmas stop right now and decide to make your Christmas celebration one you'll remember with joy in the future, not one you'll shudder to think of.
PS: Love our site? We love referrals! Send a note to your favourite newspapers, magazines, radio stations, TV stations, friends and relatives, and tell them about us!
PPS: You can read this newsletter and past copies on the website in the Newsletter Archive.
2. From The Tip Store
Groceries for Christmas Lunch
When doing your regular shopping, buy a store gift card or shopping centre gift card with any leftover money i.e. $10 or $20. These last a year and can be saved up and used to purchase your expensive items for Christmas lunch i.e. the ham, turkey, nibbles, drinks etc. You can even use them to purchase small gift items that the stores may have on special, like boxed chocolates, jars of nuts, kids' books or toys. By spending the money through the year on the gift cards, it saves having to fork out huge amounts of money at Christmas time when lots of money is already needed to spend on functions and buying presents. Keep them in a safe place and use the first cards purchased first so you don't go past the expiry date (especially if you start purchasing straight after New Year).
Contributed by Debra Cashmore
Give Stains the Solar Treatment
The best, easiest and cheapest solution to tomato based stains on clothes, tablecloths and tea towels is one we have in abundance in Australia - sunshine! Just wash the stained item in a normal wash and then hang it on the clothesline, stained side to the outside, and let the sun work its magic. Don't have a clothesline? Hang it over the back of a chair in front of a sunny window. Wash and dry again and the stain will be gone and you'll have saved the cost of a new garment.
Contributed by Elaine Wilson
Soft Drink Icy Poles
Approximate $ Savings: $5 to $10 per party
After any party we always seem to end up with several bottles of soft drink that have only a quarter or half left in them and have often not been sealed properly. Instead of tipping the flat soft drink down the sink I make frozen icy-poles like lemonade, raspberry and coke, the kids think they are great.
Contributed by Kathleen Morrow
There are more than 11,000 great tips in the Tip Store
3. 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
4. Living Green in 2014
Easy DIY Snow Globes
I love snow globes, those little dome shaped forms filled with water and glitter. Give them a shake and watch the "snow" gently fall. They are really easy to make, using things you most likely already have in the house and are a great craft idea to keep the kids amused for an hour or two.
You will need:
A jar, wide rimmed bottle or a snow globe form.
Figurines for your globe
Super glue
Bottle cap (optional)
Glitter
Water
Step 1. The first thing that you are going to do is glue your figurine to your lid with water safe super glue and let that dry for at least an hour. If you are using a mason jar this is where the bottle cap comes in handy, glue it to your lid and then glue the figurine to it.
Step 2. Next add a generous amount of glitter to your jar/globe and fill it with water. I like to cover the bottom of the jar with a good layer of glitter, about 10mm deep.
Step 3. If you haven't glued the figurine to the lid, drop in it into the jar. Screw the lid in place, making sure it is tight. Your globe shouldn’t leak but you can add a thin layer of clear glue around the seal if you want to make extra sure.
Now turn your globe over and enjoy!
5. On the Menu with Anne
Grapes in the Fruit Bowl
It seems that my having grapes in our fruit bowl the last week has upset some newsletter readers. Here's the thing folks: the grapes were a treat for my family because we've been eating the same fruit for months. Oh, they were Australian, bought from Aldi, were $4.99 a kilo and I had the money in my grocery slush fund to pay for them. And grapes (Australian) are cheaper at my local Coles this week at $3.89 a kilo.
Seeing as we're talking grapes I thought I'd share a dessert recipe using grapes. I often make this over the Christmas break. It is quick, easy and looks spectacular layered in dessert glasses.
Grape Fool
Ingredients:
1/2 cup cream
1 cup sour cream
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 cups grapes (red or green, doesn't matter)
Method:
Beat the cream until it is very thick, but not butter. It should be able to hold a peak. Carefully fold through the sour cream and chill for an hour. Halve the grapes. Evenly divide the grapes and cream mixture between 4 dessert dishes, layering them. Start with a layer of cream and finish with a layer of the grapes. I just dollop the cream layers, I like the "rustic" look of the cream falling through the gaps between the grapes. Sprinkle the top of each glass with brown sugar. Chill. Serve.
This week we will be eating:
Friday: Chicken Kiev, wedges & salad
Saturday: Tacos
Sunday: Roast chicken, baked vegetables, beans, gravy
Monday: Sausages and salad
Tuesday: Pasta bake and salad
Wednesday: Rissoles, mash, peas, corn, cauliflower, gravy
Thursday: Muffin pizzas, green salad
In the fruit bowl: Apples, oranges, kiwi fruit
In the cake tin: Lunchbox Cookies, sultana cake, White Christmas
There are over 1,400 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge with Wendy
With Christmas just around the corner, I'm sure you have been very busy decorating your house and Christmas tree with special ornaments. Table runners, candles and Christmas lights can help to bring the festive feeling to your home. Cheapskaters have started planning their Christmas Day menus too. Although we 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 vegies 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
Cauli 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 MOO custard, cream and ice-cream
Mini pavlovas (MOO) 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 vegies / salad things. The leg of lamb is bought in spring when it is $6.99 a kilo and usually costs me under $20. Snacks are bought on sale in November and bon bons are bought at half price on Boxing Day the year before
Have you started planning your Christmas Day menu?
How do you cut costs but still provide a great Christmas meal?
Have a great week and BE ENCOURAGED!!!!
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?24-Take-up-the-challenge-!!!!
The Post that Started it All
http://www.cheapskates.com.au/pages/default.cfm?page_id=44265
7. Cheapskates Buzz
This week's hot forum topics
What's Growing in Your Veg Garden?
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?47-What-s-growing-in-your-veg-garden
Gratitude Journal
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2404-Gratitude-Journal
2015 Budget
http://www.cheapskatesclub.com.au/memberforum/showthread.php?2694-2015-bdget
Most popular blog posts this week
Just a Typical Tuesday
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2011/08/just-typical-tuesday.html
Thank Goodness for the Slush Fund
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2011/03/thank-goodness-for-slush-fund.html
Healthy Eating
http://www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing.com.au/2011/02/healthy-eating.html
8. Member's Featured Blog
Platinum Cheapskates Club members have their very own Cheapskating blogs, and they are wonderful and inspirational and encouraging and even funny. This week's featured blog is written by Cutegroomz.
Life's Just a Tad Different
I would like to say Christmas will be a tad different this year but in reality it is huge. I am not having Christmas Eve Dinner at my place this year which is the first time I think in maybe 12 years. It will held by other family members.
My new eating habits have me having roast turkey and steamed vegies for Christmas. No dessert or maybe just one Ferrero Rocher. I won't be indulging myself in snack foods or chocolates over the Christmas break which seems totally bizarre but I am actually okay with it. For the first time in years I feel really good, I know I am healthy and that finally I have learnt that comfort food is not only hurting me but is working at taking me away from my boys a lot sooner than it should. You are what you eat is so true, didn't want to hear that but unfortunately it's true. We often hear that we need to see the good in every situation, I can honestly say if this gall bladder attack hadn't happened I would still be pretending everything's all right while comforting myself with a chocolate bar. I would like to say it's willpower but it's more the fear of having that happen to me again has helped me stay strong. Plus the added bonus of losing the weight has also helped see the effort and commitment has been worthwhile.
So how has this helped my Cheapskates journey, well I see now that when you commit to something no matter how big or small you need to commit 100%. You either do it or you don't. I have learnt to set goals for myself and when I seem to be comfortable in one area am I getting complacent, does this area need tweaking or is it as good as it gets and I can move on. Trial and error is not a bad thing as long as lessons are learnt and repeated behavior are not from laziness but learning to fight the habit. Probably a bit deep and longwinded but it has been on my mind the last couple of days and writing it out helps re-evaluate and determine my next steps.
Life is certainly just a tad different.
Login to read more Cheapskates Club member blogs
9. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Rhonda who wrote
"I was wondering if any members have a recipe on how to make candle melts, the nice smelly ones as they are expensive to buy and would like to make my own. Thank you."
Peta Fowler answered
I used to make a lot of soy candles, which are great as they have a lower melting temperature, and spills can be cleaned up easily. From memory, you only need to melt soy wax flakes, add a drop of colour and a few drops of essential oil/blend and pour into your mould (cupcake etc.). Probably best to do an Internet search for exact recipe and stockists. Good luck!
Julie Taylor answered
Hi Rhonda I, too, couldn't afford to purchase candle melts so I went online and found a website called www.aussiecandlesupplies.com.au and found a recipe under the heading of Basic Massage Candle. I haven't had a chance to try the recipe out yet but am looking forward to doing so. I hope this helps. Enjoy.
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