Hello Cheapskaters, Welcome to this weeks Cheapskates Club newsletter. This is newsletter twenty-one for the year, before we know it half the year will be gone. Yikes! Did you take up my No Spend challenge in last weeks newsletter?  We have had some hilarious solutions to spending money.  I used a voucher for a free coffee to meet some friends for morning tea, which was just lovely, and in the process picked up another voucher for a free coffee later on. The boys wanted to join a gym this week, which is fine with me, but of course they had to join without spending any money. Their solutions? The first was that they would dress up as me (I told them it was OK as long as they didn't want my clothes and I could take pictures!) and use my membership. The most practical and one they finally chose was to "cash in" a free pass for two weeks membership for two. Go on over to my blog and let us know how you went, we can't wait to hear how much money you didn't spend last week. Here are some Not Spending successes from inspirational Cheapskaters. Way to go, and thank you all for reminding us that the Cheapskates way really does work. Thank you for such a wonderful website.  Your hints have helped me on my journey to become debt free and I am currently saving at least $80 per week.  Kind Regards, Colleen My husband has retired and we thought we would have to cut back on a lot of things but I have been reading and using so many ideas from the Tip Store. and we haven't had to cut back at all. Cath, The Cheapskates Club has set me up with heaps to work with on making our money go further. Thanks so much for all your hard work. I wait for my newsletter each week and the Journal every month and really enjoy them so I just want to thank you personally.  Thank you again and keep up the good work.  Kelly Robinson I love my newsletter each week, it reminds me to login and see what's new. Every week I find at least one new idea that will save me money or time without any effort on my part. I love how without trying I have gained fifty-two new money saving tricks. I have just renewed my membership and can't wait to learn another fifty-two ideas without trying.  Jan Riesand 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 Kayse Perry.  Kayse has won a one-year membership to the Cheapskates Club for submitting a winning tip. Use Online Grocery Shopping to Slash Your Grocery Bill Approximate $ Savings:      $720 (for a 3 person family) Once upon a time I used to spend $160 a week on groceries, that's $640 a month. Now I spend $240 once every four weeks and $80 every other week and that works out to $480 a month.  That is $160 in my pocket every month! Recently I discovered online shopping and home delivery. Once every four weeks I shop at Aldi and buy four weeks of everything that is cheaper than at Woolworths or Coles.  I also buy anything else I need for that week at Aldi (dairy, fruit, veg, cold meats, meat etc.) The other three weeks I order online through Woolworths Homeshop  or Colesonline and it is delivered to my door. On my three weeks of online shopping I buy the perishables that can't survive more than a week or two (milk/ bread/cold meats/ fruit/veg etc).  This method works because I don't buy things just because I see them and three weeks out of four I am not buying that drink and chocolate at the counter for myself and my son. I have told all my friends and we are all now saving money, time and TANTRUMS (if you have ever shopped with young children then you know what I mean :-). Congratulations Kayse, 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

Orange Upside Down Cake Ingredients: 1/4 cup butter 1 cup packed brown sugar 4 oranges 2 cups SR flour 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup orange juice 2 eggs 3 tbsp butter, extra and melted 1 1/2 tablespoons orange zest 1/2 cup Orange Marmalade 1 tablespoons water    Method: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.  Grate the zest from the oranges.  With a paring knife, peel the oranges, removing the outer white membrane.  Slice the oranges horizontally into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Remove the seeds.  Set aside. In 32cm x 22cm baking dish melt the 1/4 cup of butter in the oven. Spread brown sugar over butter and stir in and then spread evenly across the bottom of the pan. Arrange orange slices on the brown sugar.  Combine flour and sugar. Beat in orange juice, eggs and extra melted butter. Add the orange zest. Pour the batter over the orange slices and brown sugar.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool for about three minutes.  Place a large serving plate or cutting board upside down on pan so that the pan is covered.  Turn the plate and cutting board over and, holding the pan and cutting broad together about five centimetres off the benchtop, drop the two together.  The cake will pop out onto the cutting board.  Remove the pan. Cool 20 minutes.  While the cake is cooling, make the orange marmalade glaze.  Add the marmalade and water to a small saucepan.  Heat until the marmalade is melted.  Strain the marmalade to remove the pieces.  Brush the glaze over the cake.  Serve with Orange Cloud Whipped Cream. Orange Cloud Whipped Cream Ingredients: 2 cups whipping cream 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 tsp orange essence (add more or less to taste) 1 tablespoon orange zest Method: Whip the cream to soft peaks.  Add the sugar, juice, and zest and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. There are over 700 other great money saving meal ideas in the Recipe File.

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Last Weeks Question

Last week's question was from  Sonya, asking for strategies to show her mother-in-law the Cheapskates way of budgeting and grocery shopping. This question brought in a lot of replies. You will find all the answers in the Tip Store.

Bindii B. answered
Oh Sonya - I feel for you!! I just had my parents come and visit us for two weeks and luckily I had already bought my weekly shop and managed to feed them happily - I must admit I needed to buy more milk, bread but that was reasonable. They couldn't see my point about the home made washing powder nor the washing out of snap lock bags for re-use. You can't tell your parents to budget!! So we had a bit of compromise - they wanted to go out for dinner twice a week (we don't eat out) so when we did eat out, they shouted (i.e. paid me back). 

Melinda Nelson answered
Sonya, Make saving money fun! I take my kids to the clearance markets at Canning Vale every Saturday morning. You can do this too as it is an early start. The doors go up at 7.30am and we race around grabbing our next months fruit and veg for half an hour and then its over! At the back of the fruit and veg is a great seafood and meat market too. At first the kids moaned and groaned about going to the markets, but once they realised it took us only 30 minutes to get a whole months fruit and veg, they started to enjoy it. A months worth of fruit and veg usually comes in at under $50 for three of us. I know its hard to go to the shops after work, but as a single mum working full time I have no choice. Offer to do the shopping one week and let your mum in law see how much she can save. Go to IGA or another shop that has longer hours. Let your mum in law know that with saving money on groceries she can have money for other things..a bottle of wine maybe or a new top. Im sure it wont be long before she can see the advantages of saving money on groceries. 

Lyndall Vaughan answered
I think the best way is to introduce a meal plan for a fortnight/month. You and your mother in law can work on it together and maybe split the shopping. For example, she could buy the groceries at Woolworths and you could buy the meat on a Saturday morning. There is a great discount butcher called Mondos in Osborne Park. You have to buy the meat in two kilo packs but if you have the freezer room then that's easy. It also means you only have to go to the butcher once a month or even once a quarter. If you explain to her that you are on a budget and don't ask her to change too much hopefully she will be a bit more receptive. Hope this helps!  

Kellie Van Dongen answered
Sonya if you have/had a budget for your household shopping prior to the new living arrangements, then I suggest you draw up the budget in two ways. One with as much detail as possible i.e. what you get, from where and how much you pay, with the other being a brief breakdown of items and how much you have to spend on them. I would offer the second budget first to your mother-in-law and let her know that this is how much money you are able to contribute and as a general rule what you would spend it on, then if she asks for more details you have the first budget that you can pass on. It would also be good if you could show just how much difference there is from her approach (that works well for her situation) and the reality that you have to live with. You could also ask her to help you with your budget so that she can see just how much you (don't) have to spend.  This will work in two ways: you are acknowledging her capabilities as a housewife and letting her see just how much money you have available to spend as apposed to what she is used to. 

Anna Bourke answered
Sonya, Move out before it turns rancid! You will save more by renting a one-bedroom apartment with your husband where you can control your own food budget, and your life as well. Two thousand dollars a month for groceries is unacceptable. I noticed last year while holidaying in (gorgeous) Perth that the Woolworths in the city centre was open good long hours. Worth checking out on Woolworth's website for shop opening hours near you. You and your husband are always going to be lesser partners in this relationship because its their house, HER kitchen etc.  Do the maths. Talk about your dreams/plans with them, how you are saving for x+y+z, need to budget, future grandchildren etc.  I would move out if the candid talk fails to register. 

Sarah Hedger answered
I would say don't try to convert her. She is your mother in law and you don't want things to go sour. I have had family members turn on me when I make a suggestion because people are very touchy about money. We are newly weds and decided to stay with my Dad while looking for the right place. It ended up costing a fortune from food to utilities. So we kept quiet about our money and just moved. We are so much better off now. I find two things interesting about your question: one is that you were paying them rent and two the huge contribution to the food. I would suggest that you find somewhere in your price range and move, just the savings on food would pay for it. Protect your relationship with your husband and in-laws. Just remember women in her age bracket are very house proud. Good luck to you and your husband and glean all you can from this website.  

Melissa Lemesi answered
Sonya, perhaps you and your mother in law could sit down together one evening and do an on-line grocery order. Be armed with a shopping list of what you think you and your husband will need for a fortnight and tell her you have to stick to a budget. If you are intent on using the local butcher or farmer's markets, see if they have a leaflet or flyer with their prices on them that you can use show her the great specials. My butcher has an e-newsletter with his weekly prices. It may also be worth going with her once to see just what drives up the cost of the groceries - I would be able to feed my entire street on $2,000 per month!     

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

Buster's Mum asks "I have just bought my first home at the age of 51(!) in rural Tassie. It's a small, old miners cottage and I have no idea where to start with renovating and redecorating inside and out. I also have never been a DIY gal, but want to learn how as money is extremely tight.  Any hints, thoughts, advice would be so welcome!  It's just me and my little dog and I'm overwhelmed by the very thought of it all."

Do you have some advice or a solution? If you have a helpful idea or suggestion for Buster's Mum, send it in. We'd love to hear them. Click here to send your answer

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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