Hello Cheapskaters, Welcome to all our new Platinum and Silver members. It has been so nice to meet so many of you this week. Don't forget to introduce yourselves in our Forum, the other members are waiting to meet you too. The Member's forum is buzzing about homemade baby things and , what had to be bought and what could be made at home. I put the How To... For a pullover bib in the Printables and honestly it took me longer to upload the pictures and write the instructions than it did to make the bib. If you've ever wondered if it's worth making these things yourself, the bib I made cost $1.74 to make and Elissa saw them at a fair for $15 each! Makes me glad I'm a fully certified Knitwit (and that my kids don't need bibs anymore). I have a confession to make: I have developed an addiction. It's quite serious, and is causing me to forget my responsibilities to our home, well indoors anyway. I am addicted to growing our own food. We have always had a veggie garden of sorts, but this past summer I found an article about GM (genetically modified) seeds and that harm and potential damage they are causing to crops. I did some more in-depth research, asked a few questions, wrote some letters, made some calls and even attended some workshops and I have come to the conclusion that I want to grow our food so that I know what I am eating and more importantly what I am giving my family to eat. Over summer we have added another two veggie beds, 6 metres by 1.2 metres and a potato bed. We have lettuce, celery, bok choy, peas, turnips, carrots, beetroot, spinach, silverbeet, cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes, spring onions, egg plant, rhubarb, garlic, rosemary, basil, parsley and garlic chives growing. Enough to keep us in veggies for the winter and early spring. There are seeds and seedlings ready for autumn planting for spring and early summer veggies too. I plan to feed this addiction for as long as possible. In fact there's a garden bed in the front yard that would be perfect for pumpkins! I'm not the only one with an addiction, it seems to be common amongst Cheapskaters. I'm still totally addicted to your website, I love it. In my lunch breaks, I log on to see what’s new every week (sometimes get stuck reading over a period of a few days). You are doing a great job!! Renae Hutchison   Thanks to Cheapskates I've gone from a spendaholic to a savaholic, I am addicted to saving, and not only money. I love the tips that save me time too. My partner and kids were getting concerned until they saw that they were benefitting from my addiction. Now I'm addicted to cooking from scratch, baking, finding things to do with the kids and of course Cheapskates. I hope I never lose this addiction. Debra Tolland Oops! In my haste to get the newsletter out, I missed a typo in the ingredients list for the Hot Cross Buns. In the list is one teaspoon of gelatine.  This was used as a glaze in the original recipe, from Mrs. C., a friend of my mother's.  Over the years I have made some changes and don't use the gelatine glaze. The glaze I prefer and use when I make these buns now is the sugar/water glaze. Have a happy and safe Easter everyone. 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.

3

Cheapskates Tip of the Week

This week's winning tip is from Renata Darken.  Renata has won a one-year membership to the Cheapskates Club for submitting a winning tip. Free DVDs From a Vending Machine I have just discovered a new way to view DVD's - legally without downloading.  In my local supermarket is a vending machine - the selection changes regularly.  Your first hire is FREE and on Wednesdays they are also free (you need the promo code which is supplied after signing up) - if you go to www.oovie.com.au you will find a list of locations, movies etc.  If you don't go for a free movie they are a reasonable $2.99 overnight.  Hope this helps others like me who never make it to the movies and are a little hesitant about downloading. Website:  www.oovie.com.au This absolutely intrigued me so I had to check it out as soon as it popped into my inbox. The website is a little confusing but there are certainly plenty of Oovie kiosks around and with movies free on Wednesday (and they really are as long as you return them on time) it's a great opportunity for some free school holiday entertainment for the kids. Congratulations Renata, 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!

4

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

5

Money Saving Meals

Quick meals for a long weekend The Easter long weekend is my favourite of the year. Four days to rest, relax and work like crazy in the garden! Of course spending so much time outside means I don't spend a lot of time in the kitchen so quick and easy is the name of our Easter meals.  Here are Taco Salad This is one of our favourite dips - so easy, looks great, makes heaps and tastes fantastic! If you are entertaining over Easter, try this recipe - your guests will be amazed at what a great cook you are Ingredients: 2 250g packets cream cheese (softened) 1 small jar taco sauce(choose mild, medium or hot) 1 small jar green chilli (choose mild, medium or hot) 1 kilo mince (cooked and drained) 2 large bags corn chips 2 cans refried beans 2 300ml containers sour cream 1 500g bag shredded cheddar cheese 4 tomatoes or 2 jars of salsa can be substituted. That's what I use & it's easier!! 1/2 head shredded lettuce 1st 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. 2nd layer: spread mince on top of 1st layer 3rd layer: spread refried beans on top of 2nd layer 4th layer: spread sour cream on top of 3rd layer 5th layer: spread tomatoes (or salsa) and lettuce on top of 4th layer 6th layer: cover with cheddar cheese Serve with corn chips to dip!! ENJOY! Quick Rice Patties If you're stuck for something quick to make for dinner, try these rice patties. They are really, really, quick and very, very cheap.  These patties are really quick, easy and very cheap. They can be served hot with veggies or in a bun as a burger if you are eating on the go. But are even better cold with salad or on a sandwich.   They are also really tasty - they don't last long in our house. Even a double batch can disappear overnight when the 'fridge fairy' strikes! Ingredients: 1 onion, chopped 1 cup rice 1 tsp marmite 2 tbsp peanut butter 1 egg good pinch mixed herbs Method: Cook the rice in boiling, salted water. Drain well. While the rice is still hot, add the marmite, peanut butter, onion and herbs and mix well. Stir in the egg. Take tablespoonfuls of the mixture and shape into patties. Fry in shallow oil until lightly brown and golden on both sides. Drain on absorbent paper. Alternatively, for a low fat version, spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and bake the patties in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes, turning halfway through. Mums Speedy Noodle Casserole This is a great way to use up left over noodles whether they are lasagne, macaroni or any other kind. We love having a variety of noodles, spirals, spaghetti, shells, macaroni combined adds fun and interest to this meal. Fry a chopped onion in a pan with a small amount of butter. Add all the leftover noodles and fry lightly. If they are lasagne noodles slice them into smaller pieces. Add a can of champignons with its water, a can of mushroom soup, and about half a cup of water. Simmer together until smooth and mixed. Leftover vegetables and meat can also be added. Top with grated parmesan and cheddar cheese and bake or grill until golden. This is a deliciously creamy dish, great with crusty bread. There are over 700 budget friendly recipes in the Cheapskates Club Recipe File

6

Last Weeks Question

  

Last week's question was from Magda, asking for cheap or even free ways to move excess soil. Pauline Gresswell answered Our local newspaper has a section called 'Readers Bargains' where you can advertise for free if your item costs $50 or less. See if your local newspaper has something equivalent to this. You may even be able to sell you excess soil & make a profit instead of spending money for disposal. Just advertise that it is for pick up only. Another alternative would be to advertise it on www.freecycle.org. although I am unsure if there is any cost involved. A lot of people are looking for soil for their gardens so you shouldn't have any trouble getting rid of it. Good luck and enjoy you new garden! Website:   www.freecycle.org Karen Petrovski answered There are so many people who would love your clean fill as they have to pay to buy soil. Put up a sign Clean Fill Free with your mobile number out the front of your home or on a nearby busy road or the local paper or Sunday paper if they have free ad's - you will be inundated with calls! Also for those looking for free clean fill ring the local pool company as they dig out sand and have to pay to dispose of it so you can get lucky. Tracey Ashley answered We are about to cut into our block when we raise our house and put in a pool and we are going to use all the excess dirt to level out our backyard which has a slight slope. It is saving $3000 off our pool and more for our renovations as we are not even paying for a truck to take it away. Justine Diver answered We needed clean landfill for our block of land and it was going to cost a fortune for truckloads to be delivered. I did a Google search for landfill and came across a couple of landfill register websites that are free to register your details and requirements on. This is a fantastic service because there are people out there who need to get rid of landfill and people out there who need landfill. The website enables each person to get in contact with one another and make your own arrangements in regards to the delivery of the landfill. It is usually the person getting rid of the fill that pays for the transport of the fill to the new location. The websites that are free to register on for fill wanted or fill available are - www.auslandfill.com.au www.landfillregister.com.au There is another website that is free to register if you need landfill but there is a small cost if you are wanting to get rid of fill, it is www.cleanfillregistry.com.au The savings from using the clean fill registers are enormous. It costs around $12 per cubic metre for fill to be delivered, we needed 600 cubic metres of fill. By having the fill delivered for free and helping someone else dispose of it we saved $7200, which is a huge saving to put towards our new house. I know the cost of dumping at the rubbish tip is expensive so if you can find someone locally in your area who needs fill it will be a big saving. Hope this helps. Websites:   www.auslandfill.com.au www.landfillregister.com.au www.cleanfillregistry.com.au Jo McEwan answered There is a fantastic website called www.soilswap.com.au It's a great way to get rid of unwanted soil or find some free soil someone else is wanting to move!  It is completely free to advertise your offer or want ad and operates Australia wide. Website:  www.soilswap.com.au There are more answers to this question in the Gardening section of the Tip Store

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

7

This Weeks Question

Karyn asks "We are a young couple starting out - and we love everything cheapskate. But recently we have taken in my partners little sister  who is very fussy about food. We used to shop about $70-$90 per fortnight, but now we struggle to get it under $150 per week! That is a huge jump. Little Sis is lactose intolerant, so milk and things like that have risen (which is understandable). We are planning to start a family - where I will leave work, but we can't seem to save anything with this happening. Does anyone have any cheap ideas for lactose intolerant meals or substitutes? And also for family members living in the house who don't believe in living like a cheapskate? Thanks heaps!"

Do you have the answer? If you have a suggestion or idea for Karyn 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

8

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 Cheapskates Club Platinum Member's Centre containing thousands of ideas to save you money, time and energy. Join the Cheapskates Club today

9

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.

10

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