Your Cheapskates Club Newsletter 50:19
In This Newsletter
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Vinegar for the Laundry; Red Wine Stains in Wine Glasses; No Chemical General Cleaner
3. Share Your Tips
4. 2020 Saving Revolution - Registration is now open!
5. On the Menu - Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge- How Long Could You Survive?
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
9. Last Week's Question - When's the best time to buy a new car?
10. This Week's Question - Best, cheapest way to clean laminate floors?
11. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
12. Join the Cheapskates Club
13. Frequently Asked Questions
14. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
I was writing this last night, by the glow from the lights on the Christmas tree. It looks so pretty lit up, I can't help but feel peace and joy when I look at it.
This week's newsletter is huge. Lots of tips, one of my favourite "new" recipes (I've only been making this dish about five years), registration for the 2020 Saving Revolution has opened (see the info below), lots happening in the Member Forums and on YouTube, and some great answers to last week's question, so I won't keep you by blathering on.
Enjoy the read, join the Revolution, and have a great week.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Vinegar for the Laundry
My tip is one I read quite a while back but took many years before I actually used it. I'm surprised that it actually works well. Skin irritations caused by detergents often occur as a result of residue that is left on your clothes. Using white vinegar leaves no residue at all. For those of you who still use detergent, adding just half a cup of white vinegar will remove all residue from your clean clothes. One of the biggest reasons that people use detergents is they fear that natural alternatives won’t fight off odours. White vinegar fights off bad smells, even those socks that have sat in your gym bag for a while! For stains with the potential to ruin your clothes, e.g. red wine, coffee, grease, etc., simply mixing half a cup of white vinegar and hot water will remove almost any stain. Leave the article of clothing in the solution overnight and then wash them as usual afterwards. So next time you go to throw your clothes in the machine try white vinegar, it might be the healthiest decision you’ve ever made.
Contributed by Michaela Coombs
Red Wine Stains in Wine Glasses
I had several beautiful wine glasses that had dreadful red wine stains at the bottom of the glass. Tip: rinse glass in water and add some bi-carb to bottom of glass, add a little water and wipe clean with sponge. Rinse well. Result: Nice clean sparkling wine glasses like new.
Contributed by Chris Prendergast
No Chemical General Cleaner
Mix equal parts vodka and water in spray bottle -add small amount of essential oil e.g. citrus and shake well. Great for bathrooms/toilets etc. as it kills germs and has a fresh scent.
Contributed by Rose Mason
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. 2020 Saving Revolution
Registration for the 2020 Cheapskates Club Saving Revolution is now open, but will close at 5pm on 31st December 2019.
If you'd like to join the Saving Revolution, and get your finances under control so you too can live life debt free, cashed up and laughing you'll need to register before 5pm on Tuesday, 31st December 2019. Late registrations will not be accepted so get in early!
Click here to register.
Registration is open to anyone, but there are advantages to joining the Saving Revolution as a Cheapskates Club member.
As well as weekly lessons and challenges (which everyone will receive) Cheapskates Club members will have access to the 2020 Saving Revolution Forum, Saving Revolution tools, tip sheets, videos and webinars (you can join the Cheapskates Club here). https://www.cheapskatesclub.net/join-the-cheapskates-club.html
Have questions? I've answered the most common Saving Revolution questions here.
5. On The Menu
Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups
Ingredients:
12 uncooked lasagne sheets
3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
450ml jar alfredo pasta sauce (or MOO it)
Salt and pepper
1-1/2 cups grated cheese (mozzarella is good if you have it)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Boil the lasagne noodles and rinse with cool water. Lay on a clean tea towel and pat dry. Add two tablespoons of sauce onto each noodle and spread evenly over each noodle. Add two tablespoons of shredded chicken onto the sauce on each noodle and spread out. Top with one tablespoon of shredded cheese. Add salt and pepper, as desired. Rollup each lasagne noodle and place into a well-oiled baking dish. Top with alfredo sauce, sprinkle with remaining grated cheese. Finish with grated parmesan. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese has melted on top and is golden brown. Prepare fresh veggies or small side salad.
Variation: If I'm in a hurry and don’t have time to make lasagne sheets, I use Mountain Bread. It's quick and easy and slightly healthier than pasta too. Just cut each piece of Mountain Bread in half, and follow the directions for delicious Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Beef
Monday: Curried chicken & noodles
Tuesday: Fettucine Alfredo, salad
Wednesday: Haystacks
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Meat fritters, salad
Saturday: BBQ & salad
In the fruit bowl: mandarins, bananas
In the cake tin: Lemon Slice, Butternut Pineapple Ripple Cake
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
6. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
How Long Could You Survive?
I listened to part of an interesting interview on ABC 774 yesterday afternoon, about preppers. The quetion being asked was "how long could you survive?" - in the event of a natural disaster, war, unemployment, illness or even the oft mentioned zombie apocalypse.
Most of the answers were thoughtful, with callers for the most part not being preppers, but instead what I call prepared. And yes, there is a difference - preppers got to extremes and become fanatical. Being prepared is simply making a plan, and slowly working that plan to reach a solid end goal.
And that had me wondering: how long could you survive?
Having lived through a disaster, as well as under threat of being cut off by flood and having to rely on tank water, I aim to be prepared for whatever the future throws at us, within the bounds of our current grocery budget..
My pantry is stocked with up to twelve months of some staples (canned goods, cleaning supplies, toiletries) and up to six month of others. I buy them once a year between Christmas and New Year - the kids dread it because it's a huge shopping day/week.
I'm moving away from freezing fruit and veg and bottling or drying more simply because if the power goes out for longer than 3 - 4 days full freezers are an issue. I'd open them once, take out what we needed for the 72 hours and then close them tight, and wrap them in as many blankets and doonas as I could to keep them insulated.
I keep a six month supply of beans/lentils/flours/ that would fill the protein gap if the freezers full of meat, poultry and fish failed.
We also have a good supply of water on hand at all times - the suggested minimum is 10 litres per person per day, extreme rationing is 5 litres per person per day. It can be done - we "budget" the 5L/pp when we are camping/travelling - you quickly learn to not waste a drop.
We built a solar cooker a while back, and it's going to be worth the time to make it this summer. It will be at least mid- January before I get a working kitchen again. With Christmas and the silly season in full swing, I'm working ahead and have the gas bbq and the gas camp stoves and bottles filled. Also a good wood pile and the combustion heater/stove for heat, hot water and cooking if required.
I know how to use the camp oven for bread, cakes, dampers, stews, roasts and soups so I could prepare meals over a fire or on the barbecue or wood heater. I also have a lot of kitchen utensils that rely solely on manual labour: an old fashioned grater, an egg beater (it was my mother's and is older than me - a genuine vintage item), whisks, good knives, strainers, wooden spoons, a Quick Shake, a bamboo steamer and a V-Slicer. Even my Fowlers Vacola is a stovetop model - no electricity required.
Straw broom, carpet sweeper (it was Mum's too), mop and bucket take care of the floors.
We'd drag out the solar shower for baths/showers and recycle the water (cleanest person first, dirtiest person last).
Washing is covered with our camp washer - a bucket with a lid. I fill it with water, add a teaspoon of washing powder, drop in the clothes, put the lid on and give it a few shakes. Let it soak for a half hour or so, a few more shakes and it's time to rinse (same process with clean water). To "spin" the clothes I wrap them in a towel and twist the ends. You'd be surprised just how much excess water this gets out of them, they're almost dry when they come out. Shake and hang on the line to dry.
We all have bikes to ride - no need to use the car and waste fuel if it's scarce. But, I'll 'fess up, riding a bike in summer isn't my idea of a fun time, so it would need to be an absolute emergency before I'd happily pedal off.
So we'd survive, and probably better than many of our neighbours, if we were stranded. 72 hours would be like a long weekend camping for us.
How would you survive? Would you have enough water? Could you prepare three meals a day for yourself and your family? Would you be able to keep your frozen food frozen? Is your garden big enough to feed you for a few days continuously? Would you have transport? How would you cook? Heat water? Wash clothes? Flush toilets? How would the kids cope - would they be able to amuse themselves without TV, iPods, computers, mobile phones etc.?
And the most important question: would you be able to do this without going over budget?
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
MOO Almond Rocca, a Quick Gift Idea
A Foodie Gift Suggestion: Soft Maple Salted Caramels
The Rules of Re-gifting
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Christmas 2019
Christmas Goodies
MOO Gift Ttags
Most Popular Blog Posts This Week
Microwave Christmas Cake
Last Minute Christmas Gifts Day 3: Cheapskates Hotcakes Hamper
Simple Trim Makes Pretty Face Washers
8. 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.
Coming Up
Tonight (Thursday 12/12/19)
Tuesday 17/12/2019 Halve Your Grocery Bill - Instantly!
Latest Shows
1. Cath's Corner
2. From the Tip Store - Vinegar for the Laundry; Red Wine Stains in Wine Glasses; No Chemical General Cleaner
3. Share Your Tips
4. 2020 Saving Revolution - Registration is now open!
5. On the Menu - Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups
6. The $300 a Month Food Challenge- How Long Could You Survive?
7. Cheapskates Buzz - Cheapskaters are talking in the Forum and on Cath's blog
8. The Cheapskates Club Show
9. Last Week's Question - When's the best time to buy a new car?
10. This Week's Question - Best, cheapest way to clean laminate floors?
11. Ask A Question - Have a question? Ask it here
12. Join the Cheapskates Club
13. Frequently Asked Questions
14. Contact Details
1. Cath's Corner
Hello Cheapskaters,
I was writing this last night, by the glow from the lights on the Christmas tree. It looks so pretty lit up, I can't help but feel peace and joy when I look at it.
This week's newsletter is huge. Lots of tips, one of my favourite "new" recipes (I've only been making this dish about five years), registration for the 2020 Saving Revolution has opened (see the info below), lots happening in the Member Forums and on YouTube, and some great answers to last week's question, so I won't keep you by blathering on.
Enjoy the read, join the Revolution, and have a great week.
Happy Cheapskating,
Cath
2. From The Tip Store
Vinegar for the Laundry
My tip is one I read quite a while back but took many years before I actually used it. I'm surprised that it actually works well. Skin irritations caused by detergents often occur as a result of residue that is left on your clothes. Using white vinegar leaves no residue at all. For those of you who still use detergent, adding just half a cup of white vinegar will remove all residue from your clean clothes. One of the biggest reasons that people use detergents is they fear that natural alternatives won’t fight off odours. White vinegar fights off bad smells, even those socks that have sat in your gym bag for a while! For stains with the potential to ruin your clothes, e.g. red wine, coffee, grease, etc., simply mixing half a cup of white vinegar and hot water will remove almost any stain. Leave the article of clothing in the solution overnight and then wash them as usual afterwards. So next time you go to throw your clothes in the machine try white vinegar, it might be the healthiest decision you’ve ever made.
Contributed by Michaela Coombs
Red Wine Stains in Wine Glasses
I had several beautiful wine glasses that had dreadful red wine stains at the bottom of the glass. Tip: rinse glass in water and add some bi-carb to bottom of glass, add a little water and wipe clean with sponge. Rinse well. Result: Nice clean sparkling wine glasses like new.
Contributed by Chris Prendergast
No Chemical General Cleaner
Mix equal parts vodka and water in spray bottle -add small amount of essential oil e.g. citrus and shake well. Great for bathrooms/toilets etc. as it kills germs and has a fresh scent.
Contributed by Rose Mason
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. 2020 Saving Revolution
Registration for the 2020 Cheapskates Club Saving Revolution is now open, but will close at 5pm on 31st December 2019.
If you'd like to join the Saving Revolution, and get your finances under control so you too can live life debt free, cashed up and laughing you'll need to register before 5pm on Tuesday, 31st December 2019. Late registrations will not be accepted so get in early!
Click here to register.
Registration is open to anyone, but there are advantages to joining the Saving Revolution as a Cheapskates Club member.
As well as weekly lessons and challenges (which everyone will receive) Cheapskates Club members will have access to the 2020 Saving Revolution Forum, Saving Revolution tools, tip sheets, videos and webinars (you can join the Cheapskates Club here). https://www.cheapskatesclub.net/join-the-cheapskates-club.html
Have questions? I've answered the most common Saving Revolution questions here.
5. On The Menu
Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups
Ingredients:
12 uncooked lasagne sheets
3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
450ml jar alfredo pasta sauce (or MOO it)
Salt and pepper
1-1/2 cups grated cheese (mozzarella is good if you have it)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Boil the lasagne noodles and rinse with cool water. Lay on a clean tea towel and pat dry. Add two tablespoons of sauce onto each noodle and spread evenly over each noodle. Add two tablespoons of shredded chicken onto the sauce on each noodle and spread out. Top with one tablespoon of shredded cheese. Add salt and pepper, as desired. Rollup each lasagne noodle and place into a well-oiled baking dish. Top with alfredo sauce, sprinkle with remaining grated cheese. Finish with grated parmesan. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese has melted on top and is golden brown. Prepare fresh veggies or small side salad.
Variation: If I'm in a hurry and don’t have time to make lasagne sheets, I use Mountain Bread. It's quick and easy and slightly healthier than pasta too. Just cut each piece of Mountain Bread in half, and follow the directions for delicious Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups.
This week we will be eating:
Sunday: Roast Beef
Monday: Curried chicken & noodles
Tuesday: Fettucine Alfredo, salad
Wednesday: Haystacks
Thursday: MOO Pizza
Friday: Meat fritters, salad
Saturday: BBQ & salad
In the fruit bowl: mandarins, bananas
In the cake tin: Lemon Slice, Butternut Pineapple Ripple Cake
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
6. The $300 A Month Food Challenge
How Long Could You Survive?
I listened to part of an interesting interview on ABC 774 yesterday afternoon, about preppers. The quetion being asked was "how long could you survive?" - in the event of a natural disaster, war, unemployment, illness or even the oft mentioned zombie apocalypse.
Most of the answers were thoughtful, with callers for the most part not being preppers, but instead what I call prepared. And yes, there is a difference - preppers got to extremes and become fanatical. Being prepared is simply making a plan, and slowly working that plan to reach a solid end goal.
And that had me wondering: how long could you survive?
Having lived through a disaster, as well as under threat of being cut off by flood and having to rely on tank water, I aim to be prepared for whatever the future throws at us, within the bounds of our current grocery budget..
My pantry is stocked with up to twelve months of some staples (canned goods, cleaning supplies, toiletries) and up to six month of others. I buy them once a year between Christmas and New Year - the kids dread it because it's a huge shopping day/week.
I'm moving away from freezing fruit and veg and bottling or drying more simply because if the power goes out for longer than 3 - 4 days full freezers are an issue. I'd open them once, take out what we needed for the 72 hours and then close them tight, and wrap them in as many blankets and doonas as I could to keep them insulated.
I keep a six month supply of beans/lentils/flours/ that would fill the protein gap if the freezers full of meat, poultry and fish failed.
We also have a good supply of water on hand at all times - the suggested minimum is 10 litres per person per day, extreme rationing is 5 litres per person per day. It can be done - we "budget" the 5L/pp when we are camping/travelling - you quickly learn to not waste a drop.
We built a solar cooker a while back, and it's going to be worth the time to make it this summer. It will be at least mid- January before I get a working kitchen again. With Christmas and the silly season in full swing, I'm working ahead and have the gas bbq and the gas camp stoves and bottles filled. Also a good wood pile and the combustion heater/stove for heat, hot water and cooking if required.
I know how to use the camp oven for bread, cakes, dampers, stews, roasts and soups so I could prepare meals over a fire or on the barbecue or wood heater. I also have a lot of kitchen utensils that rely solely on manual labour: an old fashioned grater, an egg beater (it was my mother's and is older than me - a genuine vintage item), whisks, good knives, strainers, wooden spoons, a Quick Shake, a bamboo steamer and a V-Slicer. Even my Fowlers Vacola is a stovetop model - no electricity required.
Straw broom, carpet sweeper (it was Mum's too), mop and bucket take care of the floors.
We'd drag out the solar shower for baths/showers and recycle the water (cleanest person first, dirtiest person last).
Washing is covered with our camp washer - a bucket with a lid. I fill it with water, add a teaspoon of washing powder, drop in the clothes, put the lid on and give it a few shakes. Let it soak for a half hour or so, a few more shakes and it's time to rinse (same process with clean water). To "spin" the clothes I wrap them in a towel and twist the ends. You'd be surprised just how much excess water this gets out of them, they're almost dry when they come out. Shake and hang on the line to dry.
We all have bikes to ride - no need to use the car and waste fuel if it's scarce. But, I'll 'fess up, riding a bike in summer isn't my idea of a fun time, so it would need to be an absolute emergency before I'd happily pedal off.
So we'd survive, and probably better than many of our neighbours, if we were stranded. 72 hours would be like a long weekend camping for us.
How would you survive? Would you have enough water? Could you prepare three meals a day for yourself and your family? Would you be able to keep your frozen food frozen? Is your garden big enough to feed you for a few days continuously? Would you have transport? How would you cook? Heat water? Wash clothes? Flush toilets? How would the kids cope - would they be able to amuse themselves without TV, iPods, computers, mobile phones etc.?
And the most important question: would you be able to do this without going over budget?
The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
The Post that Started it All
7. Cheapskates Buzz
From The Article Archive
MOO Almond Rocca, a Quick Gift Idea
A Foodie Gift Suggestion: Soft Maple Salted Caramels
The Rules of Re-gifting
This Week's Hot Forum Topics
Christmas 2019
Christmas Goodies
MOO Gift Ttags
Most Popular Blog Posts This Week
Microwave Christmas Cake
Last Minute Christmas Gifts Day 3: Cheapskates Hotcakes Hamper
Simple Trim Makes Pretty Face Washers
8. 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.
Coming Up
Tonight (Thursday 12/12/19)
Tuesday 17/12/2019 Halve Your Grocery Bill - Instantly!
Latest Shows
9. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was from Marissa wrote "We are just about to buy a new car. What we want is a dual cab so we have a ute for saving on deliveries and can also use it as a car. Does anybody know what the best time of year to buy other than tax time? And any tips how to get the best deal? Thanks."
Wendy Mumford answered
Organise finance first if applicable. Runout models are an option however the cheapest initial purchase price may not be the best in the long run. Work out what you want in the vehicle i.e. cruise control, auto/ manual, look at servicing costs and intervals, cost of common replacement parts - light globes/ light fitting, tyres, windscreens etc. When you have those details then make your choice. If you can, buy it no trade and save $$$, selling the old car privately. Always ask for a better price. When we buy a car if the salesperson ignores me, we go elsewhere, as I count in the decision making.
Tracy Shilton answered
Marissa the next best time of the year to buy a car after tax time is the end the of year sales after Christmas and into the new year. Most car yards are desperate to get rid of old stock and end of year new car models. If you are prepared to buy a 2019 model in the new year they will happily negotiate with you. For the best price check online at car sales websites, ring around the local dealers and play them off against each other for extras such as car mats tinting and upgrades etc.
Joy Sleeman answered
Marissa, my husband and I were discussing this very thing not one hour ago after picking my Subaru up from the mechanic after a service. Mechanic said we’ll need to start thinking major repairs or replacing in the next 12 months as we’ve done 360,000km and it’s starting to use a bit more oil, fuel etc., and getting some noises which means things are wearing out. Hubby said if we can get to July or there about, he’ll start looking at Mannheim auction now, but the dealers are really quiet while the football season is on and you can get really good deals sometimes
Nayia Cominos answered
Think long and hard about whether you need to buy new, or whether new to you (second-hand} will do. The minute you leave the car yard, you've lost up to 10% of the value of your vehicle. Demonstration models, or cars a year or two old, are good value. If you do choose new, buy the model that is just being superseded, as these can be reduced or negotiated in price. You can check with brand car dealers when their next model is coming out. All the best with your search.
10. This Week's Question
Nance writes"I have recently had Laminate flooring put in and wondered the best way to “wash” it as liquids are a no=no on laminate. I vacuum it but there are still spots to be seen. What is the best value for money cleaner to use? Thanking you for your help."
Do you have the answer?
If you have a suggestion or idea for Nance, 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. Ask A Question
We have lots of resources to help you as you live the Cheapskates way but if you didn't find the answer to your question in our extensive archives please just drop me a note with your question.
I read and answer all questions, either in an email to you, in my weekly newsletter, the monthly Journal or by creating blog posts and other resources to help you (and other Cheapskaters).
Ask Your Question
12. Join The Cheapskates Club
For just $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!
13. Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change my email address?
This one is easy. When you login to the Member's Centre just click on your name at the top of the page to go straight to your profile page where you can update your details, change your password and find your subscription details.
Not a Cheapskates Club member? Then please use the Changing Details form found here to update your email address.
How do I know when my membership should be renewed?
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.
14. Contact Cheapskates
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152
Contact Cheapskates
Last week's question was from Marissa wrote "We are just about to buy a new car. What we want is a dual cab so we have a ute for saving on deliveries and can also use it as a car. Does anybody know what the best time of year to buy other than tax time? And any tips how to get the best deal? Thanks."
Wendy Mumford answered
Organise finance first if applicable. Runout models are an option however the cheapest initial purchase price may not be the best in the long run. Work out what you want in the vehicle i.e. cruise control, auto/ manual, look at servicing costs and intervals, cost of common replacement parts - light globes/ light fitting, tyres, windscreens etc. When you have those details then make your choice. If you can, buy it no trade and save $$$, selling the old car privately. Always ask for a better price. When we buy a car if the salesperson ignores me, we go elsewhere, as I count in the decision making.
Tracy Shilton answered
Marissa the next best time of the year to buy a car after tax time is the end the of year sales after Christmas and into the new year. Most car yards are desperate to get rid of old stock and end of year new car models. If you are prepared to buy a 2019 model in the new year they will happily negotiate with you. For the best price check online at car sales websites, ring around the local dealers and play them off against each other for extras such as car mats tinting and upgrades etc.
Joy Sleeman answered
Marissa, my husband and I were discussing this very thing not one hour ago after picking my Subaru up from the mechanic after a service. Mechanic said we’ll need to start thinking major repairs or replacing in the next 12 months as we’ve done 360,000km and it’s starting to use a bit more oil, fuel etc., and getting some noises which means things are wearing out. Hubby said if we can get to July or there about, he’ll start looking at Mannheim auction now, but the dealers are really quiet while the football season is on and you can get really good deals sometimes
Nayia Cominos answered
Think long and hard about whether you need to buy new, or whether new to you (second-hand} will do. The minute you leave the car yard, you've lost up to 10% of the value of your vehicle. Demonstration models, or cars a year or two old, are good value. If you do choose new, buy the model that is just being superseded, as these can be reduced or negotiated in price. You can check with brand car dealers when their next model is coming out. All the best with your search.
10. This Week's Question
Nance writes"I have recently had Laminate flooring put in and wondered the best way to “wash” it as liquids are a no=no on laminate. I vacuum it but there are still spots to be seen. What is the best value for money cleaner to use? Thanking you for your help."
Do you have the answer?
If you have a suggestion or idea for Nance, 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. Ask A Question
We have lots of resources to help you as you live the Cheapskates way but if you didn't find the answer to your question in our extensive archives please just drop me a note with your question.
I read and answer all questions, either in an email to you, in my weekly newsletter, the monthly Journal or by creating blog posts and other resources to help you (and other Cheapskaters).
Ask Your Question
12. Join The Cheapskates Club
For just $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!
13. Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change my email address?
This one is easy. When you login to the Member's Centre just click on your name at the top of the page to go straight to your profile page where you can update your details, change your password and find your subscription details.
Not a Cheapskates Club member? Then please use the Changing Details form found here to update your email address.
How do I know when my membership should be renewed?
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.
14. Contact Cheapskates
The Cheapskates Club -
Showing you how to live life
debt free, cashed up and laughing!
PO Box 5077 Studfield Vic 3152
Contact Cheapskates