Make 2010 Your Year to Save Happy New Year! Welcome to the first edition of our newsletter for 2010. If you are new to the Cheapskates Club you've picked a great time to join us and if you've been a member for a while, you are going to love what 2010 brings to members. Every day I do something to save money. Every single day. It may be to make sure appliances are switched off at the wall or it may be to put back something I was thinking of buying. It could be using the veggies from the garden to make a green salad rather than buying cabbage to make coleslaw. I may spend 5 minutes sewing a button back on a shirt before it comes off and gets lost or I could take a walk to the library and choose some books to read instead of going to a book shop. All these little things on their own may not appear to be saving anything. But they all add up. Each individual task may not equal too many cents, but add them up and then combine the lot of them and it sure does add up to a lot of money over the course of a year, around $22,000 for my family. Which got me to thinking. I've done some calculations and if everyone who receives this newsletter today saves just $150 in 2010, that will be $10,000,000.00 saved! Yes, you read that right - ten million dollars! And that's just the people on our mailing list. Our weekly newsletter is forwarded and passed on to many more people than we have on the mailing list, so imagine how much we could save if everyone who read it saved $150!  We here at Cheapskates Central have decided 2010 is the year to save and my challenge to you is to do just that! I want to know what you are doing every day  to save, even if it's only a few cents. Remember, lots of little amounts add up to big dollars very quickly.  Send your daily savings to www.debtfreecashedupandlaughing/A_Year_of_Savings  and post your savings in hte comments and help us reach our goal of $10,000,000.00.      I have made goals for the year and for January. I am excited by the possibilities of a brand new year ahead and the opportunities that it brings. I'm exited about our Year of Saving challenge too and can't wait to start tallying up those savings. 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.

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Cheapskates Tip of the Week

This week's winning tip is from Karon Sharp. Karon has won a one year Platinum Cheapskates Club membership valued at $29.20 for submitting her winning tip. Printed Canvas Art the Cheapskates Way Approximate $ Savings:     Approximately $55.00 per item     I love to decorate my home with original artworks and have noticed the trend for printed canvas art has grown significantly during the past few years. Wanting this type of art in our home to showcase our beautiful new baby girl, I was astounded by the price of a small 12" x 12" printed canvas ($59.95) so I thought up a cheaper way of achieving the same affect at a fraction of the cost. I bought a cheap framed canvas from Noys Nik Nacs for $5 and a packet of Iron-on transfer paper from Office Works (A4, 12 sheets per pack) for $32.44, which equates to $2.70 per sheet. Using my colour printer, I printed out the photos I wanted to display and ironed them directly onto the canvas. Not only have I saved approximately $55.00 on the cost of EACH canvas art, I can create new art to display as my daughter grows and changes (being a single-income family now, every cent helps!).   Congratulations Karon, I hope you enjoy your Cheapskates Club membership.

The Cheapskate's Club website is over 2,000 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 Tuesday, so enter your great money, time or energy saving idea now!

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Submit a Tip

Share your favourite hint or tip that saves money, time and energy and be in the running to win a one-year membership to the Cheapskates Club valued at $29.20. Remember, you have to be in it to win it! Enter your tip here

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Money Saving Meals

When I was a child fruit salad was a regular dessert item and I loathed it. It consisted of pineapple pieces, slimy banana slices, orange or mandarin segments, glace cherries and passionfruit pulp. Sometimes, if it was a particularly posh do, there would be watermelon chunks and it would be served in the watermelon shell. Fruit salads have come a long way since those days and since summertime means an abundance of beautiful fresh fruits, at their very best, now is a great time to try some of these delectable fruit salad ideas. Frozen Banana Berry Salad This dessert is a good way to use up that jar of cranberry sauce bought for the Christmas turkey. Ingredients: 800g can pineapple pieces in juice 5 bananas, sliced 1/2 cup sugar 300g jar whole cranberry sauce 1/3 cup pecans, chopped 1 cup whipped cream Method: Drain the juice from the pineapple into a mixing bowl. Add the sliced bananas to the juice and let stand 5 minutes. Place the sugar into a separate mixing bowl. Add the cranberry sauce to the sugar and blend together well. Use a slotted spoon and remove the bananas from the juice and discard the juice. Fold the pineapple into the mixture. Add the pecans and stir to combine.  Fold the cream in until all the ingredients are combined well. Spread into a very lightly greased 20 x 30 freezer safe glass dish. Cover and place in the freezer at least 4 hours or until frozen through. Allow the salad to stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving. Minted Kiwi Fruit and Grapefruit Salad Ingredients: 1 cup plain yoghurt 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped 3 tbsp icing sugar 4 kiwis fruit, peeled and cut lengthwise into 6 sections 8 ruby red grapefruit 1 cup shredded coconut, lightly toasted 1/2 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted   Method: Place the yogurt into a small mixing bowl. Add the mint and sugar. Whisk the ingredients until completely combined. Place the kiwi segments into a salad bowl. Trim the peel and pith from the grapefruit. Hold the grapefruit over the salad bowl to catch the juice and pull the segments apart. Place the grapefruit segments into the bowl with the kiwi fruit. Sprinkle the coconut into the bowl. Add the nuts and toss gently to combine all the ingredients together well. Pour the yogurt mixture over the salad just before serving.   Fruit a le Crème Ingredients: 250g cream cheese, softened 1 jar peach baby food 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 800 peaches, lightly stewed and drained 410g can fruit cocktail, drained 300g mandarins, segmented and peeled 1/4 cup crushed pineapple 1 cup whipped cream 1 cup miniature marshmallows 1/2 cup pecan pieces   Method: Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the jar of baby food and mix until blended in well. Sprinkle in the ginger and nutmeg and stir to combine. With a rubber spatula fold in the stewed peaches.  Pour the fruit cocktail, mandarin segments and pineapple into the mixture. Stir until the ingredients are mixed together well. Fold the whipped cream through the salad. Sprinkle in the marshmallows and the pecan pieces. Stir with the spatula until all the ingredients are incorporated together well. Cover and refrigerate no less than 4 hours, preferably overnight to let the flavours meld. Pineapple Cheese Salad This is a refreshing dessert that looks spectacular. Use ginger snap baskets or muffin sized white chocolate cups to serve the salad. Ingredients: 800g can pineapple pieces in juice 250g Philadelphia cream cheese, cut into small cubes (can use Neufchatel) 2 cups miniature marshmallows 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg, slightly beaten 3 tbsp plain flour 8 ginger snap baskets   Method: Drain the pineapple juice into a saucepan and set aside. Place the pineapple pieces into a mixing bowl. Add the cream cheese cubes. Dump the marshmallows into the bowl. Place the saucepan of pineapple juice on the stove over low heat. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Beat the egg into the juice/sugar mixture. Add the flour and stirring continuously, cook the mixture 5 minutes or until thickened to your liking. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Pour the mixture over the pineapple mixture and blend it in well. Divide evenly between ginger snap baskets. Chill. Decorate with glace cherries. This is best made the day of serving. There are over 500 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File

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Last Weeks Question

  

Last week's question was from Amanda, looking for a recipe for popcorn balls that didn't need corn syrup or molasses. Lisa Wermenycz answered Just use honey instead. It is perfect to help form the popcorn balls and is high in nutritional benefits. Honey has many uses and a jar should be part of your pantry. Natasha  Swan answered Not sure if this is exactly what you are looking for, but here is my recipe for what I would class as popcorn balls. They are called Gobble It's. Ingredients: 180ml honey 55g marg 10ml cold water 330g icing sugar 50g marshmallows 220g plain popcorn, popped Vegetable  oil Method: Put margarine, honey, water, sugar and marshmallows in a pan and stir over medium heat til it boils. Put popcorn in a large bowl and pour over it the honey mixture, covering it evenly. Cool slightly. Grease your hands with the vegetable oil and shape the mixture into golf ball sized balls before it cools. Wrap in cling wrap and store at room temp. Hope this helps.    Makes 10-20 balls. Karen  Carroll answered Popcorn Balls with out Corn Syrup All you do is melt 28 caramels and 2 tablespoons of water over a double boiler then combine with two quarts salted popcorn. This is the American recipe I received from a friend who lives in the states.   Iris Carden answered Pink Caramel Popcorn Balls Ingredients:  20g low fat margarine 1/4 cup light brown sugar 60g marshmallows few drops pink food colouring 3 cups air-popped popcorn. Method: Melt the margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and marshmallows, and stir until melted and well combined. Add the food colouring. Serve.  From an old Weight Watchers recipe book - so a fairly healthy version. Natalie Munn answered Toffee Popcorn Crunch Preparation Time: 10 min Cooking Time: 15 min Serves: Makes about 8 cups Ingredients: ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar 60g butter or margarine 1 ½ tablespoons honey ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda ¼ teaspoon vanilla essence 7 cups plain popcorn (1/3 cup un-popped, cooked) ½ cup crushed nuts Method: Preheat oven to 160°c. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Place sugar, butter and honey in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly over medium heat until mixture boils. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir through soda and vanilla. Place popcorn, nuts and toffee in a large bowl; mix to combine. Spread mixture onto prepared tray and bake for 3 minutes. Remove from oven, stir, then bake for further 2 minutes. Remove from oven, stir, and allow to cool. Break into chunks and enjoy!   Hannah Bassett answered Popcorn Balls Ingredients: 6 tbsp butter 3 cups mini marshmallows 3 tbsp jelly crystals (any flavour) 9 cups unsalted popped popcorn butter for hands Method: Melt butter add marshmallows. Stir until blended. Blend in jelly crystals. Put popcorn into a large bowl with room to stir. Pour gelatine mixture over popcorn and stir. Butter hands and roll popcorn mixture into balls. Makes about 8-10 large balls or 20 small balls. One cup of peanuts and three-quarters of a cup of choc bits or milk choc candies can be added before rolling into balls. These are just a few of the recipes we received in answer to Amanda's question and they have all been uploaded to the Recipe File. I feel some popcorn ball making sessions coming up!

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 a question

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This Weeks Question

Liz asks "We have a large timber deck which the kids love playing on. I recently made them a hopscotch design out of masking tape, then was horrified to find out 3 weeks later that the tape has stuck fast to the deck. Even on the sections where i am able to take it off, it has left an ugly glue mark. Any suggestions fro removing tape off timber (treated with deck oil)?"

Do you have the answer? If you have a suggestion or idea for Liz let us know, and your answer could be published in our next newsletter. You'll also be automatically entered into our Tip of the Week competition, with a one-year membership to the Cheapskates Club as the prize. Click here to send your answer

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Join the Cheapskates Club

Join the Cheapskates Club for just  $29.20 for the first year ($18.25 to renew) 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. Join the Cheapskates Club today

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I change my email address? This one is easy. If you area Platinum member login and click on the Edit Profile button, then on Change Password. If you are a Silver member 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 Journal Web site or at the Channel 9 Money Expo. We never add names to our list unless you have voluntarily opted in.

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Contact Details

The Cheapskates Club - Showing you how to live life debt free, cashed up and laughing! Cheapskates Club PO Box 4232 Ringwood Vic 3134 www.cheapskates.com.au info@cheapskates.com.au