Educate Yourself about the Economy.

Ask the opinion of five different economists and you will get five different opinions.

This doesn't mean that you can't educate yourself and be aware of the economic climate and conditions and what will happen in the future. A lot of money can be saved if you are aware of potential economic downturns and prepare.

From all of the research I have done from media stories in Australia and around the world (online newspapers are a great source) and youtube.com clips/ lectures I have formed the opinion that the global financial crisis is far from over.
Point to start researching:

• What happens when Australian and global stimulus money runs out (there is only so much money govts can borrow to spend).
• Potential slowdown in Australia due to Chinas growth (and demand for our resources) slowing.
• The huge and unsustainable debt levels in America (and some countries in Europe) and their continued spending.
• The large personal debt levels in Australia increasing and our inflated property markets.

Here are some great website to start:

• There is a lot of information (and misinformation) on www.youtube. This link is a speech given by David Walker, former comptroller general of the USA, warning about future problems due to their current debt levels/spending: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjZBOCAgR64

• Informative Australian Blog: http://www.whocrashedtheeconomy.com/  

• Informative Australian Forum: http://www.aussiestockforums.com/

• Funny personal finance blog: http://www.punchdebtintheface.com/

Credit Card Rewards; Getting Free Stuff From Banks

Paying interest on a credit card is throwing money away especially when the interest rates can be 25%+.

Click here to calculate the total interest you will pay if you don't clear the balance each month.


ONLY if you are very disciplined with credit read on....


Banks are not the favourite corporation charging fees for everything. Now it is time to get something back. A credit card used wisely can be a good personal financial tool.

Using a credit card with rewards can give you a bonus for just doing your shopping. Using the interest free period the money can also sit in a mortgage offset account or high interest savings account.

Most have joining/ annual fees but if you shop around you can find a good deal.

The GO Mastercard is good value (if not paying interest which is high). It has no annual fee or rewards club fee. It also pays $1 reward dollar for every $130 spent and can be used for petrol vouchers or Harvey Norman vouchers.

www.gomastercard.com.au

(Do your own research when deciding if a credit card is a wise financial decision for your situation)

Pizza Base

Pizza is a great way to use up the left overs in the fridge. Great toppings include baked dinner (meat, potato, pumpkin), sausages, burrito mince plus other veges lurking in the fridge (spinach, pinapple, mushrooms).

Making your own base is easy:

 INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups SR flour(I use wholemeal)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 dessertspoon olive oil
• 1 1/4 cups cold water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix it all in a box and knead until in a ball.
2. Divide into three or four pieces depending on size of pizzas
3. I find it better to cook the base only for 10-20min at 180deg to keep from going soggy.
4. Put on topping and cheese and cook for a further 20min or until cheese browns.
5. Enjoy

GENERAL BENEFITS: Much healthier that frozen or take away pizza.

TIGHTWAD BENEFITS:Cheaper than buying a base and using up left overs saves money too.

GREEN BENEFITS: Less packaging and food waste.

Zucchini Wholemeal Chocolate Cake

The hidden vege within.....


INGREDIENTS:

• 125g butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup yogurt (any type)
• 2 1/2 cups plain flour
• 3 cups grated zucchini
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 t sp cinnamon or mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup choc chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 180 degrees
2. Beat butter and sugar
3. Mix in eggs, vanilla, youghurt and 1 cup flour
4. Stir in Zucchini 
5. Stir in Flour and rest of ingredients
6. Put in muffin forms and bake for about 20 minutes or until firm.

GENERAL BENEFITS: Freezes well. I am also going to try replacing some of the butter with mashed carrot or pumpkin.

TIGHTWAD BENEFITS: Cheaper than buying processed snack food.

GREEN BENEFITS: Less packaging.

Ground Breaking Teaspoon Research

Being frugal doesn't mean you lose your sense of humour.

Laughs can be free too.....

The case of the disappearing teaspoons: longitudinal cohort study of the displacement of teaspoons in an Australian research institute

Just Use Less!

As well as trying to get product at a discounted price try and use less as well.

Think about how much shampoo and conditioner you use compared to what you really need. Same goes for toothpaste and dish washing liquid. Instead of slurping a huge amount out of the container use only what is required.



TIGHTWAD BENEFITS: Saving money.

GREEN BENEFITS: Saving resources and packaging.

Taco Mix

INGREDIENTS:

• 1kg mince
• 2 chopped onions
• 2 cups of cooked red lentils
• a couple of cups of pureed vegetables - whatever is left in the fridge.
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• Chili if the kids will eat it
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown mince and cook onion.
2. Add veges if not cooked.
3. Add everything else and simmer for a while (10 minutes)
4. Can serve on burrito wrap with salad (see previous recipe). Also good as meat on pizza.
   

 The lentil are undetectable if cooked enough before adding and actually give the mix a nice texture.

GENERAL BENEFITS: Much healthier than the packet mix and also tastier.

TIGHTWAD BENEFITS:Cost much less that packet mix.

GREEN BENEFITS: Not as much packaging.

Flour Tortillas / Flat Bread

Great for burritos or wraps. Makes 10-12

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp oil
• about 1 cup water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl or food processor,
2. add the oil 
3. then gradually add enough warm water to form a soft dough.
4. Knead for a couple of minutes.
5. Allow dough to rest - this makes it much easier to roll out.
6. Cook in a dry pan until lightly brown on each side.

GENERAL BENEFITS:Wholemeal flour can be used which is much healthier.

TIGHTWAD BENEFITS: Much cheaper than buying pre-made.

GREEN BENEFITS: Not as much packaging.

Powdered Milk - Handy for Disorganised Eco-Tightwads

Powdered milk for drinking is best made up before you need it to give it time to dissolve properly (I usually do it overnight). You just add 1/3 powdered milk to 1 cup of water.


Powered milk is must have for the pantry for a number of reasons:


GENERAL BENEFITS: Don't run out of milk again! Avoiding a quick trip to the shop means less impulse purchases you don't really need.


TIGHTWAD BENEFITS: Powdered milk is cheaper than regular milk. If you don't like the flavour for drinking it is still fine in cooking. When you make a cake, pancakes, white sauce, custard or yoghurt use powdered milk. Home brand tastes as good as the expensive brand and you can add exactly how much you need.


GREEN BENEFITS: Less wastage if you don't tend to finish regular milk before it expires. Just make up the amount you need for cooking at the time.

What 'Stuff' Babies Really Need.

PROBLEM:What to buy for a new baby?

The answer is not much!

Babies are big business. The apprehension/ excitement of becoming a parent is a marketing dream. Free yourself of the guilt that your baby will not develop to their full potential without the latest equipment and toys.

Newborn babies are pretty simple. As long as they are clean, fed and cuddled they are in bliss. You and your baby will cope without the latest gadgets and you will feel better when you realise how much money you saved to spend on something else - like affording to stay at home longer.

This is what I found:

Necessary Basics:

• Clothes - a few singlets and all-in-one suits.
  
• Cot (conforming to Australian standards).
• Reversible car seat- can go from new born to over 2 years old.
  
• Lay-back Stroller- light weight and easy to put in car (way easier than lugging the pram around!).
• A Baby Bottle (BPA free of course) - even if you are breastfeeding the bottle is handy for giving expressed milk. Also water can be given on a hot day or to settle wind.
• A Good Nappy Rash Cream.
• Cheap Dummies - if you are going to use them, midwives recommend the cherry type one over the expensive designer ones. I agree they are better.
  
• Cloth nappies - are really handy, even if you use disposable nappies, as a change mat and wiping up spills.
  

Optional Extras:

• Cute Outfits - Babies grow so fast they will hardly wear all of those cute outfits. Before they are a few months old they will be permanently wrapped anyway. Don't knock back hand me downs.
  
• Pram - I found a lay-back stroller ok from birth.
• Port-a-cot - We used the change table attachment on top (biger kids are changed on the floor). Also good for keeping playing baby safe from older siblings or alternatively keeping stuff safe from baby.
• Breast Pump - if you are breast feeding it is great to have some milk in the freezer so you can go out without worrying.
• Baby Car Capsule - we got this for free with our third child and it was awesome! You can transfer them for school pick up while they are asleep. Try hiring as a cheaper option if you can't borrow one.
  

Totally Unnecessary:

• Expensive Toys - Kids will happily play with other children, cardboard boxes, sticks, rocks, pegs, pots and pans and cardboard rolls (I will write another post with more kids play ideas soon). It is actually beneficial for their brains to play with toys that are 'incomplete' requiring imagination to use them. Also less toys means less to keep clean.
  
• Nappy Bag - a back pack is fine. Sometimes I just take a nappy and small pack of wipes and a singlet in my handbag (I always have an emergency nappy, wrap, wipes supply in boot of car).
• Change Mat - I just use designated hand towels or cloth nappy on floor.
• Nappy Wrapper Bin - either take it straight to the outside bin or use plastic shopping bags.
• Baby Soap, shampoo, clensers etc - just bath in plain water. I have always done that and my kids are clean and have great skin.
• Baby Education Videos - how much education does a little tot need? Those videos creep me out anyway.
  
• Change Table - A towel on a bed or floor is OK. Make sure the baby is at a height that doesn't put stress on your back.
  
• Baby Bath - a basin or laundry tub is fine until they are big enough for the normal bath (makes good photos too), just take out the laundry/dishes first :-). Alternatively just take them in the shower with you.
  
• Stuffed toys - kids don't play with them and they breed in the dark.
• Bassinets - just put them straight into a big cot.
• Baby Wraps - I just used the flat sheet from the fitted cot sheet set. They are bigger and can wrap a much older baby.
  
• Baby Mobile - if you want one don't spend $80 just make your own. http://crafts.sleepingbaby.net/mobile.html

GENERAL BENEFITS: Spend the savings on their education - that's the best investment you'll ever make.

TIGHTWAD BENEFITS:Not wasting money on useless products. Especially when you are on maternity leave.

GREEN BENEFITS: Not buying so many unnecessary products saves a lot of resources.

Freecycle - a Virtual Eco-Tightwad Paradise!

 Being a tightwad I would prefer not to pay for anything. Being green I want to reduce the drain of the Earths resources.

SOLUTION:  Freecycle (free recycling)  http://www.freecycle.org/

Welcome! The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,876 groups with 6,901,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free.

 As the blurb from the website indicates it is a great forum for getting rid of 'stuff' you don't want and getting 'stuff' that you do want. It is an internet based community on Yahoo groups. Go to the main website and join a local group. You can list items you want to give away and also want. 

GENERAL BENEFITS: Being a tightwad isn't the same as being a scrooge. There is a warm fuzzy feeling you get when someone gratefully picks up an item you offered. I even do a special posting at Christmas of new-like items I don't want that can be re-gifted by someone without much money.

TIGHTWAD BENEFITS: Getting stuff for free. Some of the items we have picked up include - goldfish, a baby capsule, a desk, pumpkin seedlings, wiggles posters and an English power adapter. We have also given away mattresses which would have incurred a disposal fee at the tip.

GREEN BENEFITS: Keeping stuff out of landfill. Some of the items we have given away include - a freezer, 14 boxes of scrunched up packing paper, a lava lamp plus lots of other misc crap. You would be amazed at what some people want.

TIPS: Be super polite when asking for something (I am amazed how many people aren't). If listing something ask people to say when they can pick up when responding.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cake - The Hidden Pumpkin - Egg and Dairy Free

PROBLEM: The kids like fruit but wont eat vegetables - at least they are normal. Being a diligent parent I have resorted to covert vegetable hiding in food. They won't outsmart me!

GENERAL BENEFITS: Substituting hidden pumpkin substituted for butter is healthier removing a lot of fat from the cake. Mashed carrot, sweet potato or pumpkin can be used. Freeze the mash in ice cubes for convenience. The cakes also freeze well saving time in the kitchen.


TIGHTWAD BENEFITS: Cakes made with pumpkin are cheaper than cakes made butter. Grow your own pumpkins and it is cheaper again.

GREEN BENEFITS: A cow has more environmental impact than a pumpkin patch.

WHOLEMEAL CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN CAKE

contains no eggs, no milk and no butter.

INGREDIENTS:

•  1 and half cups plain wholemeal flour 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 3 tablespoons cocoa 
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar 
• 6 tablespoons of mashed pumpkin, carrot or sweet potato   
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• half teaspoon salt (iodised is best)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanills
• 1 cup water
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Turn oven to 180 degrees. 
2. Put it all in a bowl. 
3. Mix it. 
4. Put in muffin or cake tin. 
5. Bake at 180 deg for 15-20min if muffins or 35-40 minutes if cake (or get out of oven when top is springy). 
6. You can ice it but I don’t usually. 
7. Eat – yum!