Miracle Spray

I was talking to Michael Smyth on ABC Radio 891 in Adelaide on Tuesday afternoon. He was asking about things Cheapskaters do to save money - or rather the extreme things we do to save money. He seemed to think that making my own washing powder was extreme, which made me smile. I've been doing it so long I think buying washing powder is extreme.

As we talked I mentioned Miracle Spray. The name alone was enough to have him hone in on it. He wanted to know what it was and how it was made, what it was used for and how much it cost. His listeners wanted to know to. I'm still getting emails asking for the recipe.

Since the day Joyofquilting posted this recipe it has been a hit with Cheapskaters. We love it because it is a MOO, it is very, very cheap at around 35 cents a litre to make, and is an all-round super cleaner. It can be used in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry, makes short work of outdoor furniture and barbecues, it even cleans up joggers and dirty sport shoes. Use it in the toilet, on floors, to clean painted surfaces, to clean showers and tiled surfaces.

It was dubbed Miracle Spray and the name has stuck. This cleaner really is miraculous.

Miracle Spray

Ingredients:
1.5 litre water (1 cup boiled)
300ml vinegar 
60ml dishwashing liquid 
25ml eucalyptus
3 dessertspoons "Lectric" soda (washing soda)

Method:
Mix washing soda with about 1 cup boiling water to dissolve, add remaining  ingredients, pour into a 2 litre bottle (I use the vinegar ones). That's it folks!!!

To Use:
This nearly fills the 2 litre bottle, then I decant (don't you just love that word) into spray bottles for benches and laundry, and refill old toilet cleaner bottles to squirt under the rim in the loo etc.  It's also good to spray on the floor on tough stains, you know the stuff you dropped when cooking that dried. I originally found the recipe from another site and just tweaked it a bit. I love it, as I try to minimise the use of chemicals around the house. With the collars and cuffs, try to spray and leave to soak for a few minutes works best I've found, so I spray as I sort, then do the whites second rather than first load to give the spray a chance to work. 
Contributed by Joyofquilting

Here's an example of just how miraculous Miracle Spray is. I deliberately let the kids' shower get grungy - actually it's more than grungy, it's slimy and horrible. They've been complaining for weeks about the state of it, but I couldn't ask anyone if they had a revolting shower that needed to be cleaned, so theirs it was. As you'll see in the first picture, it had everything: soap scum, mould and mildew, verdigris built up on the shower floor - erk!  A few squirts of Miracle Spray, five minutes of rubbing with one of my favourite scrubbers and voila - sparkling clean and a pleasure to use again.

The filthy, revolting shower before Miracle Spray

Clean and bright, after Miracle Spray and about 5 minutes effort

Miracle Spray has proved so popular some Cheapskaters are making it up in double batches because they can't bear the thought of running out of it.

It certainly has been a hot topic in the Member Forum, with it's own threads and hundreds of posts dedicated to it.

I made up a Tip Sheet for Miracle Spray and it's in the Printables library. Members can download it and either save it to your computer or print it out and keep it in your cleaning cupboard so you'll always have the recipe and instructions on hand.

Cleaning the Wheelie Bin

Thursday is garbage pick-up for us, so each week out goes the small wheelie bin, and either the green waste or recycle bins.

We try really hard not to fill them up each week/fortnight, sometimes we win, sometimes we lose.  Last week the small bin was full, Christmas seemed to increase the rubbish. This week it wasn't quite so full, but it was definitely

We also try to keep the bins clean. After all, especially in an Australian summer, there is nothing quite as disgusting as a stinky bin.

I make sure that anything that goes into the bin is wrapped. I also try to only put things that can't be composted or recycled into the bin - saves space and mess. And if there is anything to go into the bin that is going to stink before pick-up on a Thursday, then I try to remember to wrap it and freeze, putting it in the bin just before it goes out.

But even with all these steps, the bin can get a bit on the nose.

So each Thursday, after they've been emptied, I wheel them around the back and clean them. It's not as hard, or as erky, as you may think, and it only takes about 5 minutes.

I use Miracle Spray and an old long-handled broom, the hose and then surface spray. Now surface spray isn't something I use in the house and I try to minimise its use but we seem to be living on a giant ant colony and they infest the bin within minutes if I don't spray. I do only spray around the top lip - that seems to be enough to keep the ants away.

So I tip the bin upside down, turn the hose onto the stream setting and give the inside a good squirt. This shifts anything that may be stuck to the sides or bottom. Tip the bin upside down to empty, then I turn it right side up, pour in 1 cup of Miracle Spray and fill it about a third with water. I use the old broom to scrub down the sides and bottom until they are sparkling (or as sparkling as an old, green wheelie bin can be). Tip the bin upside down again to empty, then it's turned right side up again and put in the sun to dry.

I let it sit in the sun for a couple of hours - the sun is a good disinfectant and to make sure it is thoroughly dry.

Once it's dry the lip gets a quick spray with the surface spray and it's ready to be put away.

The recycle bin and the green waste bin get the same treatment when they are emptied.

I know some folk swear by kitty litter in the bottom to absorb leaks and odours - I find it too messy for me.

I've also heard that a sprinkle of bicarb in the bottom and over rubbish as it's added helps. Again, this is too messy for me and I just know that I'd be the only one adding the bicarb.

It only takes about five minutes a week to clean the bin and keep it as sweet smelling as a bin can be.

A Mixed Up Kind of Day

 I like Friday. It's my puttering day. I putter around the house and garden, tidying up,  doing little cleaning jobs and getting the house ready for the weekend. I often do extra baking and cooking so I don't have to do any over the weekend, after all I like some time off too.

Today was no different. I tidied up the kitchen after breakfast and folded some washing. Put another load on. Had a walk around the garden and checked up on my seedlings, they're doing well, even after this week's frosts. Swept and mopped the kitchen floor and tidied the lounge. 

And at 11 o'clock I put the kettle on for a hot chocolate and realised the jar was empty. If I wanted a hot chocolate for morning tea I would have to make some more mix up, which is what I did. While I was fishing around for the cocoa and milk powder I realised I had enough Weetbix crumbs to make some more shake'n'bake. While I was getting the ingredients for the shake'n'bake out the KFC coating container felt a bit light on so I thought I'd make some more up seeing I was making mixes.


Now all the containers are full of fresh mixes and I did enjoy my hot chocolate. Tom came in just as the kettle boiled so he had one with me and we chatted about the week and the coming weekend. He's really enjoying his studies and we are so proud of the smart, independent young man he has become. He's forming opinions and planning his future and that old saying about watching what you say in front of your kids is true, they do parrot it back to you. He was talking about buying a house and how he'd furnish it. I suggested he might like some of the more modern furnishings only to be told in no uncertain terms that he wasn't wasting his money on cheap modern stuff - he wants what we have. He knows how much it's worth and how to buy it at auction or garage sales, what to look for and how much to pay. Yes, my constantly talking about buying quality second-hand being good value has come back to bite me, but in the nicest possible way.

After our chat I put a load of washing on and realised it was time to make more washing powder. This time I made a double batch and filled the container up. That will see us through winter and spring.

And then I sat down and checked the forum. The excitement about Miracle Spray finally had me itching to make some so now there's a big bottle sitting on the sink, all ready to use for cleaning. I tend to use the Super Six and microfibre cloths for cleaning.  I'm not a huge fan of commercial cleaners but the rave reviews about Miracle Spray have me curious so I am going to test it out - on the boys' shower and the kitchen floor. If it can get those two clean I will be forever a fan. I don't know how the boys manage to get their shower into such a mess, it's cleaned thoroughly every Tuesday, but it's always a scrubbing job.

And of course the kitchen floor just gets grimy from everyday cooking, eating and living. Oh, and from my "experiments", they tend to be messy, but it's all in the name of research.

Ok, I have time to do the shower and the floor before I zip out to pick up Hannah so I'm off to try out the Miracle Spray!

My Cleaning Stockpile

A few common household products can keep the house clean for a year - for around $20!

Not too many prepared cleaning products are used in our home. In fact aside from dishwasher powder and dishwashing detergent, and laundry soaker, everything else is made from ingredients I keep in the cleaning stockpile.

From these ingredients I can keep our whole home clean and fresh, and do all our laundry.

Yesterday I made a double batch of Miracle Spray. Wayne used it to clean some mildew off a tent we were given, with great results. It cleaned the mildew stains and didn't bleach the canvas.

This morning I filled a dishwasher detergent bottle with water and topped it up with full strength detergent - two bottles of dishwashing detergent for the price of one and it works just as well at half-strength as it does at full strength. As an aside, I noticed on Friday that Aldi have dropped the price of their dishwashing concentrate again - it's down to $1.59 a bottle.

Between Christmas and New Year I'll be doing my cleaning stockpile shop to see us through 2018, so a list of what's needed has been started.

So what's in my cleaning stockpile?

• Bicarbonate Soda
• Borax
• Citric acid
• Dishwasher powder
• Dishwashing detergent
• Eucalyptus oil
• Laundry soap 
• Lavender oil
• Scrub buds
• Washing Soda
• White vinegar

Where do I buy cleaning ingredients?

Borax and dishwashing detergent come from Aldi (the borax is a special buy - keep an eye open in the catalogue for when it comes on sale as it's around half the price of borax from the supermarket and in a reasonably sized tub).

Laundry soap and dishwasher powder come from Coles. They are both generic. You'll find laundry soap in the cleaning aisle, usually on either the very top shelf or the very bottom shelf near the laundry powders.

Dishwasher powder is normally on the bottom shelf with the dishwasher powders.

Eucalyptus oil and lavender oil I buy direct from Bosistos. They have great sales and this year they had a 4 litre bottle that I was able to share with friends that brought the cost down to $23 a litre - the cheapest price at the time for pure eucalyptus oil.

Citric acid and washing soda come in 5kg buckets direct from Aurora Cleaning Supplies.

White vinegar I buy at Aldi.

Bicarbonate soda can be bought in 5kg bags from Costco. If you don't have a Costco membership then you can buy it from pool shops under the name "ph buffer". Just be prepared to have to buy it in bulk - perhaps you could share it with a couple of friends.

What do I make with these ingredients?

• Cheapskates washing powder
• Miracle Spray
• Super Strength Shower Cleaner
• Floor cleaner
• Weed killer

The Week that Was

Hannah made double choc M&M biscuits and chocolate M&M muffins for dessert on Sunday

Life has been hectic this week, with a trip to the airport on Tuesday, getting ready for the Adelaide workshop (which was a huge success and so much fun), a trip to the doctor, and of course actually travelling to Adelaide for the workshop!

In-between all this I've managed to come up with a workable shopping list designed specifically to boost our stockpile and fit within our grocery budget, a huge weight off my mind.

This week's tasks that saved us money, time and energy are:

Made a batch of Miracle Spray to use in the laundry. It is great in the washing machine for really dirty clothes (think sports uniforms, dirty overalls etc). Two pumps and three teaspoons of Cheapskates Washing Powder and those erky clothes come out clean and smelling fresh.

Miracle Spray in a pump bottle, just for the laundry

Patching the knee of a pair of Wayne's work pants saving $50 on new uniform pants.

Used MOO Cream of Chicken soup to make Tuna Surprise for tea on Monday night (another meal plan change!).

Gratefully accepted milk, eggs, potatoes, onions, tomatoes and apples from my aunty who was going away for two months, a very welcome boost to the pantry and fridge.

We were blessed with apples, potatoes, onions, eggs, tomatoes and milk this week

Made some flan bases to freeze. We have a couple of birthdays coming up and strawberry flans have been requested for dessert. I know I will be busy in the days before they are needed so while I had the baking ingredients out and the mixer going I made four shortcrust pastry flan bases, par-baked them then froze them when they were cool in a container (so they won't get crushed). When I need to use them I can finish baking them from frozen then fill them.

Shortcrust flan bases, pre-made for some birthday celebrations we have coming up

Kept drying the washing by the fire.

Bought three kilos of pickling onions for $1.50. They'll be made into pickled onions ready to add to the Christmas hampers. I'll use some lovely jars I've been saving and cut jar toppers from some gingham I have in the cupboard (leftover from one of Hannah's school sewing projects) and print off labels to finish them.

Made a batch of yoghurt, using frozen starter and powdered milk from the stockpile. Flavoured it with some frozen blueberries to eat with our breakfast muesli.

MOO yoghurt - less than half the price per litre of commercial yoghurt and nicer

Worked on a birthday present for my niece - a little personalised sewing kit to go with the sew-your-own teddy bear I have for her. Made her birthday card using card, paper and embellishments from my stash and a lovely gift bag to hold it all.

Used a  roll of wrapping paper I bought for $5 years ago at a warehouse sale to make gift bags seeing I was on a roll. They'll be used at Christmas to hold the hampers I make as gifts.

Had a wonderful day in Adelaide with some lovely Cheapskates Club members and some new Cheapskaters. Brought home the pens and notebooks and the lollies from the tables that weren't used at the workshop. Also accepted the bottle of water offered on the flight home and put it in the fridge for when I go out. It is a half size bottle and fits perfectly in my handbag.

Ready for the very first Art of Living the Cheapskates Way workshop in Adelaide

Met Tania from the blog Out Back   and of course Annabel from The Bluebirds are Nesting. It is so nice to be able to chat in person. Even if we "get together" via blogland regularly meeting face-to-face is special.

No roast for tea tonight, I'm too tired to cook it and no one took it out of the freezer to thaw. Take away was tossed around but it just doesn't fit our new budget so I made Mexican Meatballs (which were last night's tea that didn't get used) instead. Everyone fed, no extra money spent and I'm happy :)

Wayne picked Wendy and I up from the airport and we came home to a lovely lunch of freshly baked sausage rolls, mini quiche and M&M muffins Hannah made to share with Wendy's family when they came to pick her up.

How blessed I am to have a family who helps and supports me so I can spread the Cheapskates message.

Spray and Wait

Miracle Spray - the Cheapskate friendly wonder cleaner

Most cleaners need time to work, so while the name may imply that you can simply spray and wipe, you can't if you want the product to work properly.  Instead spray and wait two or three minutes, then wipe over with a damp cloth.  You'll find the product works much better and requires less elbow grease to get the job done.

Practical Gift Hampers Cheapskates Style

Take a basket or a bucket or even a tub, pack it with useful, interesting and frugal ingredients and what do you have? A very practical, totally wonderful Cheapskates Style gift hamper!

Pack your hamper with:
A box of Cheapskates washing powder and a copy of the recipe
2 cakes of Stain Removing Soap and a copy of the recipe
A bottle of Miracle Spray and a copy of the recipe
A spray bottle of Super Shower Cleaner and a copy of the recipe
2 knitted dishcloths

For a laundry hamper take a bucket and fill it with:
A copy of the Cheapskates Washing Powder Tip Sheet
1 tub borax
1 packet laundry soap
1 packet of washing soda
A grater

For a cleaning hamper take a tub and fill it with
A knitted dishcloth 
A packet of washing soda
A box of bicarbonate soda
A bottle of Eucalyptus oil
A bottle of white vinegar
A grater
A spray bottle
Vileda Naturals All Purpose Scouring Pads 
A copy of Cleaning with the Super Six 

Our Tight Budget Holiday

Melinda wrote that she would love to hear about our holiday this year, and how we are going to do it as Cheapskates.

First, let me clarify: we have always enjoyed holidays, and, even before disaster struck, we enjoyed them on a budget.

Where are we going?

Back to Cape York! Yes, we were there two years ago, but we only managed to see a fraction of the area and decided back then that we'd be back this year.

How do we get so much leave? 

This year we will be away for six weeks.

Wayne will have four weeks annual leave owing to him, and he will take two weeks as long service leave. This means that we will still get a wage while we are away and our spending plan will just roll along just as if we were home.

I, of course, am my own boss, so getting time off wasn't that hard - I just had to convince myself it was a good thing (absolutely not hard, I love spending time with my husband).

How will we get there?

We will be driving. Our 4WD is fully set up for off-road adventures, and we can be self-sufficient for up to two weeks if we can't get fresh water, longer if we have access to fresh water.

Driving means no fares, but we will have fuel costs. On our last trip the most we paid for fuel was $2.63/litre at Bamaga, otherwise it wasn't too much more than we were paying here at home.

The Patrol carries 227L of fuel (70L in the main tank and a 157 in the long-range tank, so filling up hurts when prices are high. I will start tracking fuel prices in mid-April so we'll have a rough idea of how much it's going to cost.

Right now I'm budgeting 10 fill-ups. We probably won't need that many, but it gives me wriggle room. I'm also working on an average of $2 per litre for fuel at the moment, giving me a fuel budget of $4,500. Last trip we came home with fuel money, and I'm certain we will this time, but I'd rather leave home with more than have to come up with it if we under-budget.

Where will we stay?

We will have seven nights in caravan parks while we are away. We always aim for and plan one night a week in a caravan park so we can have real showers, although our camp shower is lovely and works really well, and to have access to a washing machine. The budget for accommodation on this trip is $700. Again, we'll probably come home with some left.

The rest of the time we will camp, and we always choose free camps, and not just because they are free. They are usually off the beaten track, quiet and in beautiful spots. We're hoping to go back to a few we loved last trip. Free camping isn't a problem for us, as I mentioned above we are self-sufficient for food, water, cooking, showering, sleeping and yes, even toileting. Some campsites will have toilets - they are checked and if not up to snuff then we don't bother with them. In the box of goodies under the back seat is a can of surface spray, a can of Glen20 (it's the only reason I buy it), a brush, a bottle of Miracle Spray, paper towel and disposable rubber gloves. They are used if the toilet isn't completely gross - it may look clean, but it has to be clean if you get my drift.

What will we eat?

There isn't much of a budget for food, it's covered in the monthly grocery budget. Just like at home, we have a meal plan, and while it may get moved around a bit, we pretty much stick to it.  Between now and when we leave I'll be vac sealing meat, chicken and ready made meals and freezing them. I'll also add UHT milk to the monthly shopping list, and that's about the only extra grocery item we use when we're camping.

I'll also make up crumble, custard, donut and damper kits, vac seal and freeze them ready to take with us.

Vegetables are easy to take with us when they're vac sealed. We tend to have lots of camp oven roasts, so I make up packs of roasting veggies: potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, onion, carrots. Because they're vacuum sealed they last for weeks in the fridge and we get to eat fresh veggies. As a side, I do this at home too - a whole pumpkin can take a long time to get through, prepping it and vac sealing means I can keep the packs in the crisper for weeks - no more mildewed pumpkin.

Bread is very expensive and is usually frozen, so instead we take wraps, Mountain Bread and English muffins.

We usually eat out once or twice while we're away, so we put aside $200 for meals and another $100 for treats - coffee, ice- creams etc.

One of traditions we have on any of our trips is to always stop and buy something - fuel, and ice-cream or a cold drink or sometimes a meal - at the small towns and communities we visit. It's one way we can treat ourselves and support these remote communities. They need all the support they can get, this is our way of helping keep them in business, and it blesses everyone - these little stores and roadhouses and cafes stay open and support locals, and they're there when visitors and travellers need them.

Incidentals

With this trip there will be the ferry fee to cross the Jardine, although we're not sure we'll actually cross - we've been to the Tip, taken the obligatory photos, done the walks, driven the Five Beaches (and found eight!), spent some time on Thursday Island (a highlight of the last trip - glorious spot), looked at the WWII memorials and spent a lot of time walking and exploring around them, so for me I'd rather spend time exploring spots we haven't seen yet. We'll see. I've budgeted $130 for the return ferry fee - right now I can't find an accurate cost. The National Parks fee is included in the ferry fee, so for parks on the Cape we won't need to pay extra.

There will also be the ferry fee to cross the Daintree, at least one way. At the moment the fee is $24 return, so that's what I've budgeted.

I mentioned washing - it is so expensive at coin laundries - around $4 a load. Over the six weeks I've budgeted for 10 loads - so I've already saved $40 in $1 and $2 coins and they are safely in a zippy bag, ready to go into the laundry box.  I take washing powder, stain removing soap, a nail brush and pegs - I flatly refuse to pay for drying too.

National Park fees - there will be some fees to pay to visit National Parks. They vary, depending on the park. I've allowed $100 for park fees.

RACV Total Care - we don't leave home without it, ever. Yes, it is expensive, but absolutely, totally, completely and utterly worth it. You only need to use it once to recoup the cost and save a bundle.  I am a gold member, so it costs $200.60 a year. The benefits have changed since we first took this cover out, but for us and the travelling we do, it is not only good value, but great peace of mind. And yes, we have used it, twice in the last six years! This isn't really a holiday expense, we take it out every year, but it is worth mentioning if you don't have it. As a bonus there are other benefits to RACV membership, such as discounts to attractions, accommodation and so on.

How much is all this going to cost?

Our budget for this trip is $6,500.

We have been saving and planning and budgeting for two years for this trip, and we're not going to skimp on anything. There most likely will be money left in the holiday fund  when we get home, and if there is it will roll over to start the next holiday fund - and we'll start planning another trip.

I'll share how we saved, made or found the money next Wednesday.

The Week that Was 29th October 2017

Not much conscious saving of money, time or energy done this week. I picked up a virus sometime over the weekend and spent most of the week in bed feeling sad and sorry for myself.

But, having a well-trained family, they managed to:

Cook all meals, using either freezer meals or ingredients on hand. Nothing fancy, but take away didn't appear once.

Dry the washing on the clothesline.

Do the weekly grocery top-up and stuck to the list.

Towards the end of the week:

I took advantage of a sale and Hannah's staff discount and ordered hair spray and dry shampoo. The hairspray is for me, the dry shampoo is for the Dignity Bags we're putting together. Saved 60% off RRP.

Didn't drive very far, so no need to get petrol this week (a good thing - it jumped up 32c a litre in the 20 minutes it took to drive past the service station, drop Hannah off and come back the other way!). I've put this week's petrol money into our holiday fund.

Put more fruit to soaking for two more Christmas cakes.

I made a batch of Christmas cupcakes.

I made a double batch of Miracle Spray.

I now own a mobile phone that won't need recharging every 4 hours, with more data, and 650 minutes a month international calls free, plus a $25 discount on my first bill and two movie tickets (I see a date night in my future) and all for $3.71 LESS that what I've been paying.

Wayne cooked our roast on the barbecue (we decided to stick to the meal plan and have a roast), so no need to use the oven - keeping the house cool and saving on electricity.

Downloaded free ebooks for my Kindle.

​An Easy Way to Sort and Treat Stained Laundry

With a tradie husband and kids who play sport and me being a very messy cook and gardener, stains are inevitable. Unfortunately they always seem to happen on good clothes so I'm always looking for ways to treat them. I use Miracle Spray on most stains and fabrics (test it first if you're not sure) and Stain Removing Soap for those stubborn, older stains and the yellow underarm area on t-shirts.

A big help in getting rid of stains is finding them early. Jena's advice works - I've been doing this for years. I even have a stain bucket in the laundry and everyone knows to drop any stained laundry straight into it.

​An Easy Way to Sort and Treat Stained Laundry

Approximate $ Savings: $2.00 per week

​ Stains on clothes are much easier to remove if you find them before you wash, so hang a bag in the laundry for clothes with stains. The stain can be treated at once and not found after washing and drying. Even small children can recognise a stain and put their dirty items in the special bag. This saves double washing and allows stain treatment before it sets. Ordinary dish detergent is great for removing grease stains and some diluted in a spray bottle will make pre-treating easier.
Contributed by Jena

From Spendthrift to Cheapskate in 4 Easy Stagesc

When someone is a new Cheapskate it can sometimes be overwhelming hearing about how other Cheapskates manage to live. Experienced Cheapskates tend to automatically live the Cheapskates way, saving money, time and energy has become an ingrained habit for them and they don't even think about how to stay within budget. Sometimes we forget the stages we went through on our journey to frugality:

S - Spendthrift Extraordinaire - buys name brands
1 - Fiscally Conscious - buys name brands on sale
2 - Bargain Hunter  - has switched to cheaper or generic brands
3 - Novice Cheapskate - makes own at home using commercial mixes
4 - Champion Cheapskate - makes own at home from scratch

Here are some examples of the differing stages and what they could involve:

Washing powder

S - buy brand name, use full scoop
1 - buy on special
2 - use 1/2 scoop
3 - change brands
4 - make Cheapskates Washing Powder

Snacks

S - Buy brand name multi packs
1 - Buy brand name bulk pack and portion out
2 - Switch to generic multi-packs
3 - switch to generic bulk packs and portion out
4 - make your own (pita chips, crackers)

Takeaway Pizza

S - buy from the pizza parlour, have it delivered
1 - buy from the pizza parlour, pick it up
2 - buy from the pizza parlour with a discount voucher, pick it up
3 - switch to fresh pizzas from supermarket
4 - make them at home (see Penny Pinching Pan Pizza) and have 3 for the price of one bought

Nappy Wipes

S - buy brand name
1 - buy brand name on special
2 - buy brand name, cut in half
3 - switch to generic
4 - use wet face washers and a plastic bag

Spray and Wipe

S - buy brand name
1 - buy on special
2 - use less/dilute
3 - cheaper brand
4 - switch to Miracle Spray

Finding your perfect level of Cheapskateness is personal. What is ideal for one person or family may be extravagant to another and make another feel completely impoverished. Not everyone is at the same place on their journey to finding the Cheapskates way and not everyone will find their ideal level of Cheapskating at the same place.

As you travel the road to the Cheapskates way take the time to try each step and evaluate whether it works for you or not. There will be times when a level four change won't bother you at all and other times and situations when you won't be able to cope with anything other than sticking at Spendthrift Extraordinaire (mine is coffee; I have a brand I like that I buy on sale and I won't change it, so for coffee I'm at a level 1).

As you go from buying brand names without a thought, to checking the price and buying if on sale through to switching brands, cutting the amount you use and making things yourself from scratch you will find the level you are happy at. It won't be the same for everything either.  As I've confessed, when it comes to coffee I'm a dedicated spendthrift. And that's ok. I am more than happy to go to Champion level on something that's not as important to me (washing powder for instance) so I can stay at Spendthrift level with the things that are important to me.

Take each stage slowly and remember:  we are all at differing stages. This is your personal journey. Enjoy the trip.

A 15 Minute Emergency Kitchen Clean-up

How many times have you had a call from friends or your mother-in-law, checking to see if you were home so they could come over in just a few minutes, but your kitchen was a mess and you don’t feel comfortable with them seeing it like that? Sometimes I think the only time we get visitors is when the house is trashed!  Here are some tips to help you organize your kitchen in a matter of minutes.

1.  If you have a dishwasher full of clean dishes, leave it. Stack the dirty ones neatly in the sink, as if you were just about to unload it, otherwise, place the dirty dishes in the dishwasher…even if it’s not neatly, for now.

2.  Instead of sweeping with a broom and dustpan, vacuum your kitchen floor. It will pick up the dust, crumbs and dog hair much quicker than sweeping.

3.  Spot clean your benchtops with a microfibre cloth and Miracle Spray. If you’re out the wet cloth and elbow grease will do. Also wipe down the front of the microwave, stove and fridge.

6. If you have other clutter lying around, pitch what you can. If it’s dishes, stack them neatly, as if they’re supposed to go on the bench, or fill them with fruit and use as a decoration. If you have cupboard space, quickly place any items in there you don’t know what to do with for now.

7.  If your rubbish bin sits out in the open, empty it and replace with a new bag.

8.  Quickly spray your home with a nice air freshener. A nice scent when entering the home is always a good first impression and tricks your brain into thinking “clean”.

Once the unexpected guest has left, then you get to take the necessary time to put things away properly.

Friday!

It's Friday already. This week has flown by, and yet every morning when I've woken up, I've wished it was the weekend.

Not sleeping well really throws my energy levels out, and then I feel like I work all day and get nothing done, and that's disheartening.

So this morning, while I was drinking my coffee (yes, I've given in and am having one cup of coffee a day) I thought I'd make a list to see just what I've accomplished this week. Looking back, I'm stunned, because it sure doesn't feel like I've done all these things.

• Daily routines have been completed every day.
• All our meals have been cooked from scratch.
• Made a triple batch of Miracle Spray (it's red again).
• Refilled the vinegar decanter.
• Topped up all the canisters in the pantry. While I was doing this, I emptied each shelf and wiped it over. I did this a couple of weeks ago, but it doesn't take long for it to get messy if I'm not vigilant in making sure everything is put back properly.
• Took a bundle of text books to the op shop.
• Knitted four dishcloths for the Crafy Mums Christmas Garage Sale.
• Completed calendars for the Crafty Mums Christmas Garage Sale.
• Made a batch of yoghurt.
• Made a quadruple batch of MOO Condensed Milk and froze it, ready for Christmas baking.
• Made a batch of fruit cup cakes.
• Spent half a day with Wendy, packing pamper packs for the charity hampers and making cards.
• Visited Mum twice.
• Researched natural pain relief and made a tincture that will hopefully help with the pain in my feet, which in turn should help with my sleeping issues.
• Watched Pine Gap on iview while I was knitting - much better than I thought it would be, it has held my interest this week.
• Pottered around in the garden, picking strawberries and getting another two beds ready for planting.
• Sprinkled herb seeds around the potted fruit trees. If they grow the plants will fill the gaps and make mowing easier. And I'll have sweet basil and dill to pick fresh from the garden.
• Sowed more lettuce seeds and the first lot of radish seeds. I'm the only one who likes radishes, but I use them in coleslaw so I succession plant a row every couple of weeks.
• Picked oranges for the fruit bowl.
• And of course worked on the Cheapskates Club, especially the Own Your Christmas Challenge and the newsletters for the next few weeks.

I think where I went astray was in thinking I hadn't done anything major this week. I haven't, or at least not one big job.

Looking back, it was lots of little things that made up the week, so when I told Wayne I was just puddling around, I was. But I was puddling around getting things done!

Do you ever have days or weeks when you feel like you've accomplished nothing? Do you make a list of what you've done, just so you'll know?

WHAT WE SPENT, WHAT WE DIDN'T SPEND AND WHAT WE SAVED WEEK 3

This is what we spent:

Petrol:  $36.65
Onions: $2.99
Aldi: $5.98
Ceiling Fans: $408

Petrol: Prices around here are crazy, with as much as 16c/litre difference. Even with the 4c/litre discount and any possible Flybuys/Rewards points, our local 7Eleven has been the cheapest petrol this week @$123.9/L.  Filled my car, cost $36.65 - a saving of $5.12 over Woolworths, which was again cheaper than Coles this week. Shifted $23.35 to holiday petrol account and $5.12 to savings.

Onions: Joy was able to get me a 10 kilo bag of onions for $2.99, which is my buy now price of 30c/kg. The cheapest I've been able to get them locally is 80c/kg, so a 50c/kg saving. $5.00 doesn't sound like much on its own, but when it's added to all the other savings we make, it adds up to a lot over a year. Watching the small spends has a big impact on overall savings.

Aldi: Milk, $2.99 and I splurged and bought a box of icy poles on Thursday, when it was so hot. Yes, I could've made them, but freezer space is at a premium so 20 for $2.99 made them 15 cents each, and I used my pocket money to buy them (and we all enjoyed them).

Ceiling fans: This was  a planned and saved for expense. We are gradually updating all the ceiling fans in our home. This week we replaced two in the family room and one in our bedroom. After spending hours online and even more hours tramping from store to store, taking photos and sending them to Wayne to approve or ignore (that means he didn't like it, but if it was what I wanted he'd be OK with it - he's a keeper!), I finally chose the two styles. Cost for the three fans came from the home maintenance account, for a total of $408, a saving of $429 (it really pays to shop around and compare prices online and instore before buying. Yes, I had to go to two different stores but the saving was over 50% - well worth it!).

This is what we didn't spend (and what was moved into savings/slush fund/holiday fund):

Meals: All our meals were cooked at home, using ingredients from the pantry, fridge and freezer. According to a survey (Eating Out in Australia 2017)  http://www.the-drop.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/EatingOutinAustralia_2017_Respondent-Summary.compressed.pdf, Australians spend an average of $94 a week on eating out and takeaway meals, and that's per person. Using this as a guide, we've saved $376 by eating homecooked meals! That's a month's grocery budget for my family, for just three meals! So glad I cook at home.

Lunches: Packed Wayne's lunch and snacks every day this week. He's still taking a MOO latte every morning in his keep cup. Saved $21.35 on lattes ($24, the cost of five large lattes, less  $2.65, the cost of five MOO lattes). Saved $60 on lunches and another $30 on snacks.

Baking: This week was card making week, so I made a batch of vanilla slices to take for afternoon tea. Because it was hot, they were my favourite no-bake style. The batch cost  $7.50 to make (a little more expensive than usual because I used biscuits for the base rather than pastry - it was just too hot to put the oven on). Vanilla slices sell for $3.20 each at our local bakery. My batch made 24 for $7.50 or 31 cents each; a few minutes in the kitchen filled the cake container and I didn't spend $69.30  ($76.80 less the cost of ingredients, $7.50) on vanilla slices!

Nails: Years ago I used to splurge and get my nails done at a salon. It was so long ago it only cost $10. This week I did my nails myself, using tools and nail polishes and hand cream I already had. I didn't spend $60 on a set of gel nails.

Made a batch of Miracle Spray. This filled the dispenser for a cost of $1.75, or 87 cents per litre. I didn't spent $9.90 per litre, a saving of $9.03 per litre or $18.06 for the batch.

Total spent this week: $453.63
Total not spent this week: $1070.71
And moved to savings: $452.35 (leftover petrol money  and saving on ceiling fans moved from house maintenance account)

Remember, money isn't saved until it is safely in the bank. Until then it is just not spent - hence my "what we didn't spend" list and making sure I move money from the relevant categories into our savings accounts.

Ten and a bit Years

Wow! I've been blogging for over 10 years!

I was sitting this morning doing officework, not my favourite thing to do, but essential in the grand scheme of my life. And it occurred to me that I've been writing this blog for a long time. Problem was I just couldn't remember how long, so back I went to my notes, and then to the posts archive on this blog and all of a sudden my very ordinary, rainy, cold, wintery Thursday morning turned into something special.

The first post on this blog, Debt Free, Cashed Up and Laughing went live on 4th January 2007 - that's over 10 years ago!

I have no idea how I could've missed such a milestone, but I did.

In that time I've published 2,638 blog posts.

The most popular blog post of all time is Miracle Spray, with 44,889 views.

The most visited page is MOO Cheapskates Washing Powder with 25,129 views.

Top 10 countries readers come from are:
Australia (whew! I'd hate Australia to not be at the top ;) )
United States
New Zealand
United Kingdom
Germany
Canada
France
India
Brazil
Ukraine

I'm surprised by the stats. I'm stunned that my blog has lasted this long. Even I'll admit that blogging regularly, keeping you all up to date with the goings on in the Armstrong household, isn't my strong point. I'm a bit of a closed book, really I am, so sharing the nitty gritty of our lifestyle doesn't come easy to me.

So thank you.

Thank you for reading.

Thank you for commenting.

Thank you for taking the time to come back, time and time again.

Thank you for sharing with me.

Thank you for supporting my wacky ideas, even if they don't seem to make sense to you.

And thank you for making blogging just a little bit easier and a little bit fun for me.

Now I'm off to make a cake so we can celebrate tonight after our pizzas.

The Week that Was 5th March 2017

Made a batch of Miracle Spray.

Made four loaves of bread this week.

Cooked all our meals from scratch, using ingredients on hand.

Mended the lining of my favourite handbag, where it had torn down the side.

Took the hem up on a pair of trousers for Mum.

Dried the washing on the line and carefully folded it as it came off to reduce ironing (not my favourite household task).

Cut the buttons off some of Wayne's old work shirts before tearing them into rags for the shed.

Gratefully accepted rhubarb from a friend and made a crumble for dessert - lasted three nights.

Spent a lovely day with Pamela making cards. We were super productive with 50 cards between us!

Kept the house shut during the heat of the day and used fans to circulate the air instead of using the air con. Opened the windows and doors wide overnight to let the cool air in.

Learned the hard way that gardens need water! I usually water in the early morning, around 6am. This week it has been a bit dark and of course I would get busy and forget to go and do the watering. The plants in post were looking very sad. Glad to say they've revived with a little regular watering.

Used a discount voucher to fill my car with petrol.

Picked lots of lovely tomatoes and zucchini from the garden.

What did you do to save money, time and energy last week?

The Week that was 11th December 2016

Here are the ways I saved money, time and energy this week.

Saved the warm-up water from the showers and used it to water the pot plants

Planted some petunia seedlings - then had to dig them up two days later so the Council could check  the stormwater easement! Thankfully they let me take them up and I was able to save then replant them.

Dried the washing on the clothesline.

Had the kids scrub their shower with Miracle Spray. It gets dried after every shower and spritzed on Mondays, but it's been a while since it was really given a hard scrub. Because it's cleaned every day it wasn't hard to scrub.

Made a quick cheats stir-fry using chicken and veggies from the freezer for Friday night's dinner.

Re-potted some plants into bigger pots using MOO potting mix and compost.

Cooked our meals from scratch.

Finally managed to get the spice cupboard sorted, tidied and cleaned. It looks much better and makes me smile when I reach for a spice or herb. I've posted an inventory of the herbs and spices on the inside of the door so I know what I have and what I need to buy or grow.

Went to Spotlight to buy some craft materials on sale and went through the self-serve checkout. I noticed that the total wasn't what I'd calculated so queried it. Turns out, and here's a warning for you, if there is a "store" special, one that is just for that particular store, then the item will scan at full price. For store specials you need to go to a regular checkout so the discount can be applied. I was overcharged $18.47 so I'm glad I noticed. It would have been better if I'd known before I chose self-serve but it's not advertised anywhere.

Petrol price has been stagnant for weeks. Thankfully I'm not doing too much driving, last time I filled up was three weeks ago. I've been putting the petrol money aside, this will pay for our trip in January.

AJ received a parcel and the packing was brown paper - lots of it!

I've carefully ironed it and cut it into lengths, some to share with the card making group, some to put in the kitchen to use for lining cake tins and some to put in the wrapping box.

Wayne and the boys cut down a small tree that was in the wrong place and making a huge mess, then moved a large tree fern into that spot for me. More light in the kitchen and less mess under the verandah.

Wayne trimmed the rose bushes along the driveway.

This week I made a quadruple batch of MOO condensed milk and froze it for Christmas baking.

This week I made cupcakes, shortbread and taco seasoning using pantry ingredients.

I recycled a small box into a gift box for a tiny, odd shaped gift.

What did you do to save money time and energy this week?