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April 11, 2006
Hi,
How are you this week? I'm looking forward to the Easter break, the days are just getting busier and busier. I have been working on an extra special project for a little while, working out the nuts and bolts and all the other possible problems. And it's very close to being finished, just a week or so away. I just know you are going to love it.
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I'm so excited about it I can hardly sleep and I can't wait to let you know all the fabulous details but I've been told I have to. I guess I've kept the secret this long I can keep it another few days.
Easter is only a couple of days away, so if you are like me and still thinking about it, here are some ideas that you can use. Or they may just inspire you.
Have an Easter egg hunt. I have just bought a packet of strawberry filled mini eggs from GoLo for $2. There were 40 little eggs in the packet! On Easter Sunday morning, we'll hide them around the back yard. I'll put out three little baskets (50 cents each from KMart Plaza, East Burwood)for the kids to use to hold their eggs. When they wake up, they can go and have some fun hunting for Easter eggs. Total cost: $3.50
If you like to make different gifts, why not be creative and dip some cookies in melted chocolate? They look elegant, don't take long to do, are cheap and you still get the chocolate fix! A pack of shortbread fingers is under a dollar, depending on where you buy them and a small block of chocolate shouldn't cost more than $2. Total cost: $3.00
Easter Egg Nests: Make up a recipe of Chocolate Crackles and use this as the base to form baskets. Press the mixture into muffin pans to set. Tip them out and then pop in 6 mini eggs (5 cents each from GoLo) and top the nest with a fluffy yellow chick (10 cents each from GoLo). Total Cost: $1.50
Fill a small terracotta pot with shredded cellophane or tissue. Then sit three 40g chocolate eggs on top ($2 from dollar shops). Perch a small stuffed rabbit on top, wrap with cellophane and tie with a big bow. The rabbits cost $1.50 each from the $2 and more shop at North Blackburn, cellophane is 80 cents a sheet (you ll use about half a sheet for this) and ribbon you most likely will have. Total Cost $3.90
If you're travelling this Easter, have a safe and happy trip. And have a happy Easter,
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Have a great money, time and energy saving week,
Till next time,
Happy Cheapskating, Cath.
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In this newsletter
1. In the Tip Store
2. Cheapskate's Winning Tip
3. Submit Your Tip
4. Last Weeks Question
5. This Weeks Question
6. Subscription Information
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1. From The Tip Store
Saving on Insurance When you receive your renewal for any kind of insurance, ring around and get more quotes. If you have more than one insurance to renew see if there is a multiple policy discount and also if you only have to pay one administrative fee for pay by the month for both policies. Even better save the money prior to renewal as if you pay one annual amount you will save a lot of money. I recently changed my car and contents insurance and paying in this way I saved $356 per year (enough to pay to car's registration for 6 months!) - Contributed by Elly, Brisbane
Eating Out Whilst out shopping the other day my husband wanted lunch in the food >court (typical!) Rather than spending the usual $20-$25 to feed both of us and our 1 and 2 year olds, I purchased 1/2 a roast chook and 1 serve of chips(chook =$6.00and chips = $2.50 from a take away) 4 bread rolls (40c each from a bakery)and we all drank water (brought from home). Then the kids went to play in the FREE playground whilst my husband and I had a coffee and 2 donuts each for desert ($4 with a buy 1 get 1 free voucher). All up we had a lovely lunch (with leftovers to take home) AND desert for under $15 - BARGAIN! - Contributed by Jacqui, Gungahlin
Smarter Shopping Plan Go to the web pages of the online shopping sites, like Coles and Woolworths, etc (or any store offering on line services.) Have a look at these web sites to see weekly specials and prices etc, and you can plan your budget by knowing exactly what your” shopping” will be and how much it will cost and also can save time by seeing who stocks what you want to get. You can of course order on line (if available in your area) or print off list (s) and go shopping at the store, and already know how much you will be spending and what you intend to purchase. - Contributed by Vicki, Baranduda
There are more great tips in the Tip Store
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2. Cheapskate's Winning Tip
This week's winning tip comes from Andrea, from Adelaide. Andrea uses a bread machine in her tip, but you don't have to. You can prove your dough in a warm spot like a sunny window if you don't have a bread maker and it will work just as well.
Andrea writes "Great gift for Easter and cheap! I purchased a 10 kg bag of bun mix on special the other day for $6.99 (even if you don't get it on special - this still works out cheaper than buying a lot of chocky eggs or hot cross buns). Inside the bag was all the yeast that I would need. I had to buy a bottle of bun spice for $4.99. I already had the currants /cinnamon / mixed spice and self-raising flour for the cross in the cupboard. So in total it cost me $11.98. If you are handy in the kitchen you most probably don't need to buy the bun mix you could make it from scratch with what you have in the pantry and find the recipe on the Internet. I dragged out my bread maker, threw it all in and went from there (see recipe and method for details). A couple of minutes of my time and I ended up with a dozen of great looking and tasting Hot Cross buns. Instead of going out and buying chockies for everybody this year they all will be getting a lovely batch of home made Hot Cross buns. My next batch is going to have apricot in them for my nieces who don't like currants. You could even add chocky bits or what ever else takes your fancy. Cheers and Happy Easter :)
Hot Cross Buns
Basic Ingredients: 3 cups of Bun premix, 275 mls water, 1 1/4 teaspoons dried yeast, 5 drops of bun spice, 1-heaped teaspoon mixed spice, 1 heaped teaspoon cinnamon, 3 to 4 heaped tablespoons mixed fruit or currants
For Crosses: 1/2 cup self raising flour. 2 teaspoons caster sugar. enough cold water to make a stiff batter
Glaze: 1 teaspoon honey, 2 teaspoons boiling water, 2 or 3 drops of bun spice
Method: Load all ingredients except fruit into your breadmaker, add fruit on beep or 5 mins into the second kneading cycle. When the kneading cycle is finished take the dough out. Place dough onto a floured board and roll dough to approx 3cm thick, using a floured knife, cut into 12 to 14 pieces 4cm square. Form dough into round buns and place 3 cm apart onto a greased oven tray. Leave the tray in a warm humid place to prove until it has doubled in size. Preheat your oven to 200c. Mix the batter ingredients together and pipe the crosses on the buns after proving. Cook in the oven for 14 to 16 mins, being careful not to overcook or your buns will become leathery. Dissolve the honey in boiling water and add the bun spice. Brush the glaze onto the cooked buns as soon as they come out of the oven. Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
If you love hot cross buns (we do, toasted with butter and honey, yum) making them your self will save you a fortune. $3.99 a pack is the cheapest I've seen them at the supermarket, they are even more expensive from the baker. I use mixed spice rather than a special “bun spice”; it's less than half the price and just as good. Cath.
Cheapskate's Journal is over 2,000 pages of money saving hints, tips and ideas. Let's get together and make Cheapskates Journal 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 Journal. We publish a Winning Tip each Tuesday, so enter your great money, time or energy saving idea now!
Enter your tip here
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3. Submit your tip
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
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4. Last Week's Question
Last week's question was about finding cheaper baby formula and food. The response was overwhelming. Here are some of your great suggestions.
Fellow Cheapskates answered:
Making Easy Baby Meals I NEVER bought baby food! I brought a Baby Mouli from the chemist. I can't remember how much it was but it was worth every penny. Anything we ate, would get put into the Mouli with a little of the cooking liquid...and it became instant warm baby food. Later I used a small food processor. The baby Mouli makes very smooth paste like mixture of the food. In the beginning I would put a bit of potato or carrot, then later I started mixing foods (when you see the baby is not allergic to anything) and eventually I would even put spaghetti bolognaise or chilli con carne in it! It comes out smooth but you need to add a bit of liquid. If there is no cooking liquid then add a bit of water or milk...remember that babies shouldn't have salt...or at least very little so watering it down might make it tasteless for you but it's good for baby. Of course if you have extra you can freeze it in the middle of a small piece of gladwrap, wrapped up like a parcel, or a small container. But because I cook dinner every night I didn't need to as I always had something different to give the baby. Also, for nappies if you use disposables try this site www.dealsdirect.com.au. Sometimes, not always they sell bulk nappies really cheap. Look under the bulk section. Good luck! - Contributed by Silvia, Port Kennedy
Baby Product Warehouses New Life Nappy is a company that operates in Mt Druitt, Penrith and Wetherill Park (02 9725 3844). They sell everything from nappies to formula, baby wipes to shampoo. They also have a wide range of Johnson and Johnson products that are traditionally expensive in the supermarkets. Baby food is the cheapest if you make it yourself and freeze portions that are easily defrosted for later use. - Contributed by Rochelle, Penrith
Australian Made Generic Brands I saw a Today Tonight article on formula a while ago. They said that the Australian Standards for Baby formula are quite strict and that there isn't much of a variation in quality and nutritional value between the various Australian brands. After paying nearly $20 per canister of 'the best brand' I found a generic chemist brand of formula for only $13. Also suited my baby better, and constipation stopped. Try a few brands and see what works for you. - Contributed by Lisa, Barbara
The Discount Chemist In Melbourne we have "The Discount Chemist" they sell the Gold formulas for $14.99 which is sold in supermarkets for $21.00. They also sell all chemist products for around 10 - 30% cheaper all year round. Nappy outlet shops are great too you can get boxes of quality seconds nappies for almost 50% off retail. I used them for my baby and they did the trick. Even if you are uncertain they will stay dry through the night I would put her in a Huggies at night and use the seconds during the day - saving heaps of money and peace of mind! - Contributed by Sharon, Ferntree Gully
Golden Circle Outlet for Cheaper Baby Food I live in Brisbane. We have a Golden Circle Cannery/Factory Shop Outlet at Virginia - northern suburb of Brisbane. They sell all forms of canned and glass bottled Golden Circle brand baby food. It is a terrific place to visit, with extremely discounted prices. Better still, the food is all Australian made and owned! You can buy one flavour or a selection of flavours in a carton. - Contributed by Natalie, McDowall
Stock Up at Sale Time We would always stock up on my son's formula when it was special at the supermarket (or when Kmart & Target had 15% off), saving about $3 per tin. Just make sure you check the use-by dates on the tins first to make sure they'll last long enough. With other food, I always made my own (except for a couple of jars for emergencies/travel). I'd cook up 3 or 4 types of veggies twice a week; cutting up the next veggie while one was steaming. Once mashed and cooled, I froze them in ice-cube trays, and then transferred the cubes to airtight bags to store. By doing each veg separately, each meal I could give him a different mix for variety. It only cost me about $5/week (and he's a big eater). - Contributed by Anne, Lara
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5. This Week's Question
This weeks question is from Lisa in Bundaberg.
Lisa writes "My husband has had to go on a wheat free, yeast free, and cane sugar free diet. His health has dramatically improved, but our grocery bill has blown out. Even though I try to bake and not buy pre paked 'health foods' as they are so expensive, even the gluten free flour alone, can set you back $4 for 500g, and that isn't even one loaf of bread! Cereal is another killer at $8 per box. Any thoughts?"
If you have a suggestion for Lisa, send it in.
Send your answer
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6. Subscription Information
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| HINTS & TIPS |
For buying bulk - check out the ShopFast website (for Sydney siders only I think) at www.shopfast.com.au and go to the Food Service category. I buy 2kg bags of bicarb, 20 ltrs vinegar. bulk coffee, a
Leisha
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