Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 50:18
In this Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - Send the Children on a Sleepover and Enjoy Date Night; Christmas Turkey and Ham All Year Long; Saved by MOO Mixes
3. Share Your Tips
4. Cheapskates Gift Memberships
5. On the Menu - Taco Salad
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Shrewd Shopping
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. This Week's Question - Is there a MOO for dust mite spray?
9. Ask Cath
10. Join the Cheapskates Club
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
The sun is shining brightly, and my garden is calling. With this crazy weather it's growing like crazy, the veggies are looking very healthy, the fruit trees are loaded with lots of little apples, mandarins, limes and oranges. And the weeds - well what can I say but that the weeds are taking over. So as soon as I've finsihed here I'm off outside, hat on head, covered in sunscreen, to tackle the weeds and get the garden ready for the drenching we're expecting tonight and tomorrow.
There are some great money, time and energy saving tips for you this week, and one of my favourite dip recipes, although I often serve it in the middle of the table with fresh tortillas as a main course.
Have a great week 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
Send the Children on a Sleepover and Enjoy Date Night
Do you have some family or friends willing to babysit for you or have the children overnight for a sleepover? You can then have a lovely quiet romantic meal together at home with candles etc, and then do the same for a friend or family member say once a month taking turns. Alternatively put the kids to bed and have dinner a little later together with your wine and candles and something special to eat, we did that regularly when the kids were small as we had no family close by to help out.
Contributed by Gail
Christmas Turkey and Ham All Year Long
I know that most people know that in the lead up to Christmas, and straight after, turkeys are reduced. We don't own a freezer (it's on my wish list), so taking advantage of the sales and buying whole turkeys doesn't work for us. What does work though, is buying two or three turkeys when they are reduced to clear, and cooking them straight away. Then we pull all the meat off, portion it, vacuum seal the packages and freeze them. Vacuum sealing makes the packages quite flat, so they stack in the fridge freezer. If there's nothing else in the freezer, I put the carcasses in the slow cooker and make stock for soup. When it's done, it's put into 1 litre take-away containers and frozen for winter. The containers are cheap from a local $2 shop, and they stack in the freezer neatly too. I do this with the hams too. Towards the end of January hams are marked down to clear, often down to around $5/kg. I buy one or two, depending on the size and prepare them the same way we do the turkey. This way we have turkey for roast dinners and sandwiches, and ham for ham steaks, pizza, fried rice, sandwiches and salads all year round.
Contributed by Cate
Saved by MOO Mixes
When I went to the wholesale outlet to get the 12.5kg flour we use due to food intolerances, there was none for the second week in a row. I returned home thinking I would have to go to the supermarket and get it by the 1kg bag at three times the price. What great surprise when I opened the "store cupboard " to find I had enough MOO pancake mix, MOO chocolate cupcake mix and MOO cookies in a jar mix to last a week if I wasl. I was so encouraged by my stash that I have since added MOO bread mix and MOO vanilla and chocolate cake mixes as well.
Savings- $$$ on buying small amounts at large cost and trips to the shops, and peace of mind knowing that there is healthy food in the cupboard for my family.
Contributed by Julie
There are currently more than 12,000 great tips in the Tip Store
3. Share Your Tips
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. Christmas 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 $25 each! That's a saving of 30% off the regular price when you buy these limited time only gift memberships.
Order your Cheapskates Gift Memberships here
Like a Cheapskates Club membership for yourself?
Until 5pm, Friday 21st December 2018, new Cheapskates Club memberships are also on sale for just $25.
Click here to join the Cheapskates Club today.
5. On the Menu
Taco Salad
This is one of our favourite dips - so easy, looks great, makes heaps and tastes fantastic! This recipe serves 12 easily - halve the quantities for a smaller salad.
Taco Salad
Ingredients:
500g cream cheese (softened)
200ml jar taco sauce (choose mild, medium or hot)
1 small jar green chilli (choose mild, medium or hot) *optional
1 kg mince (cooked and drained)
2 200g bags corn chips
2 cans refried beans
600ml sour cream
500g bag grated cheese
4 tomatoes, diced
1/2 head lettuce, shredded
First Layer:
Using a mixer combine cream cheese, chilli, and taco sauce. Spread into the bottom of the dish. I use a deep pottery pie dish and it looks great.
Second Layer:
Spread mince on top of first layer.
Third Layer:
Spread refried beans on top of second layer.
Fourth Layer:
Spread sour cream on top of third layer.
Fifth layer:
Spread tomatoes (or salsa) and lettuce on top of fourth layer.
Sixth layer:
Cover with cheddar cheese
Serve with corn chips to dip!! ENJOY!
Notes:
This recipe can be halved to make a smaller salad that will serve 4 - 6.
Use low fat tasty cheese, cream cheese and sour cream to reduce fat content.
Substitute two tins of baked beans mixed with a packet (or MOO equivalent) of taco seasoning for the refried beans.
Instead of corn chips make pita chips by slicing pita bread into pieces and baking in a hot oven for a few minutes to dry and crisp. You can season the pita chips if you wish.
Do you have a favourite dip recipe? Share it with us here, we can't wait to try it.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Vegetable Moussaka
Tuesday: Pasta bake, salad
Wednesday: Chicken & mushroom pie, steamed vegetables
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Mock fish, wedges & salad
Saturday: Stuffed Spuds (cheese, coleslaw, sour cream, spring onion, beetroot)
In the fruit bowl: oranges, mandarins
In the cake tin: Tim Tam Yum Yum Balls, White Christmas Slice, fruit cake
There are over 1,600 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File.
1. Cath's Corner
2. In the Tip Store - Send the Children on a Sleepover and Enjoy Date Night; Christmas Turkey and Ham All Year Long; Saved by MOO Mixes
3. Share Your Tips
4. Cheapskates Gift Memberships
5. On the Menu - Taco Salad
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge - Shrewd Shopping
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. This Week's Question - Is there a MOO for dust mite spray?
9. Ask Cath
10. Join the Cheapskates Club
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
The sun is shining brightly, and my garden is calling. With this crazy weather it's growing like crazy, the veggies are looking very healthy, the fruit trees are loaded with lots of little apples, mandarins, limes and oranges. And the weeds - well what can I say but that the weeds are taking over. So as soon as I've finsihed here I'm off outside, hat on head, covered in sunscreen, to tackle the weeds and get the garden ready for the drenching we're expecting tonight and tomorrow.
There are some great money, time and energy saving tips for you this week, and one of my favourite dip recipes, although I often serve it in the middle of the table with fresh tortillas as a main course.
Have a great week 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
Send the Children on a Sleepover and Enjoy Date Night
Do you have some family or friends willing to babysit for you or have the children overnight for a sleepover? You can then have a lovely quiet romantic meal together at home with candles etc, and then do the same for a friend or family member say once a month taking turns. Alternatively put the kids to bed and have dinner a little later together with your wine and candles and something special to eat, we did that regularly when the kids were small as we had no family close by to help out.
Contributed by Gail
Christmas Turkey and Ham All Year Long
I know that most people know that in the lead up to Christmas, and straight after, turkeys are reduced. We don't own a freezer (it's on my wish list), so taking advantage of the sales and buying whole turkeys doesn't work for us. What does work though, is buying two or three turkeys when they are reduced to clear, and cooking them straight away. Then we pull all the meat off, portion it, vacuum seal the packages and freeze them. Vacuum sealing makes the packages quite flat, so they stack in the fridge freezer. If there's nothing else in the freezer, I put the carcasses in the slow cooker and make stock for soup. When it's done, it's put into 1 litre take-away containers and frozen for winter. The containers are cheap from a local $2 shop, and they stack in the freezer neatly too. I do this with the hams too. Towards the end of January hams are marked down to clear, often down to around $5/kg. I buy one or two, depending on the size and prepare them the same way we do the turkey. This way we have turkey for roast dinners and sandwiches, and ham for ham steaks, pizza, fried rice, sandwiches and salads all year round.
Contributed by Cate
Saved by MOO Mixes
When I went to the wholesale outlet to get the 12.5kg flour we use due to food intolerances, there was none for the second week in a row. I returned home thinking I would have to go to the supermarket and get it by the 1kg bag at three times the price. What great surprise when I opened the "store cupboard " to find I had enough MOO pancake mix, MOO chocolate cupcake mix and MOO cookies in a jar mix to last a week if I wasl. I was so encouraged by my stash that I have since added MOO bread mix and MOO vanilla and chocolate cake mixes as well.
Savings- $$$ on buying small amounts at large cost and trips to the shops, and peace of mind knowing that there is healthy food in the cupboard for my family.
Contributed by Julie
There are currently more than 12,000 great tips in the Tip Store
3. Share Your Tips
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. Christmas 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 $25 each! That's a saving of 30% off the regular price when you buy these limited time only gift memberships.
Order your Cheapskates Gift Memberships here
Like a Cheapskates Club membership for yourself?
Until 5pm, Friday 21st December 2018, new Cheapskates Club memberships are also on sale for just $25.
Click here to join the Cheapskates Club today.
5. On the Menu
Taco Salad
This is one of our favourite dips - so easy, looks great, makes heaps and tastes fantastic! This recipe serves 12 easily - halve the quantities for a smaller salad.
Taco Salad
Ingredients:
500g cream cheese (softened)
200ml jar taco sauce (choose mild, medium or hot)
1 small jar green chilli (choose mild, medium or hot) *optional
1 kg mince (cooked and drained)
2 200g bags corn chips
2 cans refried beans
600ml sour cream
500g bag grated cheese
4 tomatoes, diced
1/2 head lettuce, shredded
First Layer:
Using a mixer combine cream cheese, chilli, and taco sauce. Spread into the bottom of the dish. I use a deep pottery pie dish and it looks great.
Second Layer:
Spread mince on top of first layer.
Third Layer:
Spread refried beans on top of second layer.
Fourth Layer:
Spread sour cream on top of third layer.
Fifth layer:
Spread tomatoes (or salsa) and lettuce on top of fourth layer.
Sixth layer:
Cover with cheddar cheese
Serve with corn chips to dip!! ENJOY!
Notes:
This recipe can be halved to make a smaller salad that will serve 4 - 6.
Use low fat tasty cheese, cream cheese and sour cream to reduce fat content.
Substitute two tins of baked beans mixed with a packet (or MOO equivalent) of taco seasoning for the refried beans.
Instead of corn chips make pita chips by slicing pita bread into pieces and baking in a hot oven for a few minutes to dry and crisp. You can season the pita chips if you wish.
Do you have a favourite dip recipe? Share it with us here, we can't wait to try it.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Chicken
Monday: Vegetable Moussaka
Tuesday: Pasta bake, salad
Wednesday: Chicken & mushroom pie, steamed vegetables
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Mock fish, wedges & salad
Saturday: Stuffed Spuds (cheese, coleslaw, sour cream, spring onion, beetroot)
In the fruit bowl: oranges, mandarins
In the cake tin: Tim Tam Yum Yum Balls, White Christmas Slice, fruit cake
There are over 1,600 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File.
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge
Shrewd Shopping
Everyone wants to save money on groceries. How to cut the grocery bill is the number one question I'm asked, every day. It doesn't matter where you live, how many supermarkets, greengrocers, butchers, discount grocers etc. you have to choose from. It doesn't matter if you're gluten free, vegan, dedicated carnivores or just plain fussy. It doesn't matter the size of your family, or their ages. Your grocery budget isn't really that important. The rules for cutting your grocery bill are the same; most of the time it's the way you think about grocery shopping that will bring about the biggest savings.
Here's what you can do:
· Try to shop at the rear of the store first as essentials such as milk, eggs and meat are always here. Supermarkets try to expose consumers to those very tempting and expensive non-essentials by having them in the aisles, where you're closer to them.
· Make it a shopping habit to simply shop the perimeter. These days, I don't even do that. I go down three aisles (cereals, flour, sugar, tea, coffee and the cleaning aisles) then skip straight to the milk and cheese case. Then I've finished and can hit the checkout queue. I generally spend less than 20 minutes a week in the supermarket.
· Don't buy your fruit and vegetables until last. As the marketing gurus tend to place this department at the front of the store, right where you enter, many consumers buy perishables on impulse.
· Don't be lured into buying products because they're advertised as "specials". Check your price book or look at equivalent products on the shelves and compare price and value for money.
· Look at top and bottom rows of shelves for cheap equivalents. Expensive products are at eye level.
· Complementation is used to trick consumers into purchasing. For example, tea is often displayed near biscuits.
· Items in display baskets are often not on special but can appear to give the impression they are discounted. Again, check your price book or the shelves.
· Don't fall for handwritten signs. They are designed to make consumers think the item is heavily discounted. Often the item is the regular price; the store simply wants to draw attention to that product. Ditto the bright red or yellow tags with the price in big print. They're not necessarily showing a discounted price, but rather are designed to draw your attention and subliminally you'll believe you're picking up a bargain.
· Buying in bulk doesn't necessarily mean savings. Just as we say bigger isn't always better, so bulk isn't always cheaper - always check the unit price and then make your choice.
· Buy generic. You can cut your grocery bill by more than 40 percent if you do so. And the quality for most generic items is good - remember my old saying "flour is flour, sugar is sugar. A fancy packet doesn't increase the quality, just the price".
· Pay for your groceries using cash. You'll be more aware of how much you are spending.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
The Post that Started it All
Shrewd Shopping
Everyone wants to save money on groceries. How to cut the grocery bill is the number one question I'm asked, every day. It doesn't matter where you live, how many supermarkets, greengrocers, butchers, discount grocers etc. you have to choose from. It doesn't matter if you're gluten free, vegan, dedicated carnivores or just plain fussy. It doesn't matter the size of your family, or their ages. Your grocery budget isn't really that important. The rules for cutting your grocery bill are the same; most of the time it's the way you think about grocery shopping that will bring about the biggest savings.
Here's what you can do:
· Try to shop at the rear of the store first as essentials such as milk, eggs and meat are always here. Supermarkets try to expose consumers to those very tempting and expensive non-essentials by having them in the aisles, where you're closer to them.
· Make it a shopping habit to simply shop the perimeter. These days, I don't even do that. I go down three aisles (cereals, flour, sugar, tea, coffee and the cleaning aisles) then skip straight to the milk and cheese case. Then I've finished and can hit the checkout queue. I generally spend less than 20 minutes a week in the supermarket.
· Don't buy your fruit and vegetables until last. As the marketing gurus tend to place this department at the front of the store, right where you enter, many consumers buy perishables on impulse.
· Don't be lured into buying products because they're advertised as "specials". Check your price book or look at equivalent products on the shelves and compare price and value for money.
· Look at top and bottom rows of shelves for cheap equivalents. Expensive products are at eye level.
· Complementation is used to trick consumers into purchasing. For example, tea is often displayed near biscuits.
· Items in display baskets are often not on special but can appear to give the impression they are discounted. Again, check your price book or the shelves.
· Don't fall for handwritten signs. They are designed to make consumers think the item is heavily discounted. Often the item is the regular price; the store simply wants to draw attention to that product. Ditto the bright red or yellow tags with the price in big print. They're not necessarily showing a discounted price, but rather are designed to draw your attention and subliminally you'll believe you're picking up a bargain.
· Buying in bulk doesn't necessarily mean savings. Just as we say bigger isn't always better, so bulk isn't always cheaper - always check the unit price and then make your choice.
· Buy generic. You can cut your grocery bill by more than 40 percent if you do so. And the quality for most generic items is good - remember my old saying "flour is flour, sugar is sugar. A fancy packet doesn't increase the quality, just the price".
· Pay for your groceries using cash. You'll be more aware of how much you are spending.
The $300 a Month Food Challenge
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From the Article Archive
8 Tips to Protect Your Identity While Holiday Shopping Online
A Christmas Ready Fridge
Learn to Haggle and Never Pay Full Price
Most popular forum posts this week
Getting Ready for Christmas 2018
TLC for Pets
Groceries I Don't Buy - Week 47
Most popular blog posts this week
Would You Just Put $500 in the Rubbish Bin?
Re-use Household Items
You don't Need to Spend $140 to Make Great Pizza
8. This Week's Question
Q. I would like a cheap and inexpensive way to treat dust mites. After the dust storms we have had I feel like they must be everywhere. The commercial dust mite sprays smell bad and are expensive. Alanna
A. You can kill dust mites with a simple homemade spray. Steep a regular tea bag in a spray bottle of cool water for 5 minutes. Then lightly mist the mattress and pillows with the cold tea. Allow the bedding to dry thoroughly before you remake the bed. It is the tannins in the tea that kills the dust mites. A tea bag costs around 5 cents, you can't get a much cheaper or less perfumed remedy than this one and it is safe to use on children's and pet's bedding too.
18bce
9. 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
10. 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!
11. 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.
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
12. Contact Details
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152
www.cheapskatesclub.net
From the Article Archive
8 Tips to Protect Your Identity While Holiday Shopping Online
A Christmas Ready Fridge
Learn to Haggle and Never Pay Full Price
Most popular forum posts this week
Getting Ready for Christmas 2018
TLC for Pets
Groceries I Don't Buy - Week 47
Most popular blog posts this week
Would You Just Put $500 in the Rubbish Bin?
Re-use Household Items
You don't Need to Spend $140 to Make Great Pizza
8. This Week's Question
Q. I would like a cheap and inexpensive way to treat dust mites. After the dust storms we have had I feel like they must be everywhere. The commercial dust mite sprays smell bad and are expensive. Alanna
A. You can kill dust mites with a simple homemade spray. Steep a regular tea bag in a spray bottle of cool water for 5 minutes. Then lightly mist the mattress and pillows with the cold tea. Allow the bedding to dry thoroughly before you remake the bed. It is the tannins in the tea that kills the dust mites. A tea bag costs around 5 cents, you can't get a much cheaper or less perfumed remedy than this one and it is safe to use on children's and pet's bedding too.
18bce
9. 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
10. 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!
11. 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.
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
12. Contact Details
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152
www.cheapskatesclub.net