Stretching dinner a little further
I can foresee over the course of the next few months we will see a procession of so-called celebrity experts with a range of 'typical' financial tips and tricks to get your through this financial fork in the road.
I was listening to such advice this week including that from a dietician who was advocating ways to save money by swapping calories for cash. Noble idea? yet my beef with this dietary come budgeting advice pardon the pun is with the level of the advice. They went on to explain instead of drinking three litres of soft drink a day if you swap to water you can save up to $5 a day!
Really? Say it ain?t so? Hello! Does the media really think Australians are that stupid, that we don?t recognise three litres of soft drink a day is not only expensive, its bad for us?
The advice went on to recommend swapping meat for bake beans to save dollars, true but really a life of baked beans? My kids would have constipation for weeks I would be forking out on laxatives ? perhaps he meant I would save on toilet paper.
As a parent on a mission to save money in a realistic and viable way, the dietary advice I really want to know is how can I stretch bulk buys for example one cut of meat into three different meals suitable for my fussy feeders. How can I maximise my groceries and make them go further?
I have mincemeat down pat, (full of puns in this blog). I can turn mincemeat into three dinners, first night with a little liquid beef stock, tomato paste, herbs and grated vegetables I create a base. Using some of this base I top with a little mash spud, melted cheese and I have shepherds pie.
Second night, I add a jar of bolognaise sauce to the remainder of my base sauce and now I have a new base for a delicious lasagne.
Third night with the remaining bolognaise sauce I add a little taco seasoning and we have a stress free dinner with the kids putting together their own tacos, with a little chopped tomatoes, cheese and lettuce.
That?s three dinners for just under $20. I also take a 'brought' cooked chook, which makes great fillings for lunch, then boil it up and make a soup, with a few extra vegs to soak up the stock I can make a yummy filling for a pie... all from the one chook and perhaps an extra breast of chicken.
I also weave a little creative magic at desert time with a sponge, from a jam sponge, to a pudding to a trifle. Now that?s the advice I want to know about!
In my endeavours to stretch dinner a little further I have discovered some great sites: www.leftoverchef.com, www.lovefoodhatewaste.com and www.teriskitchen.com/leftovers.html. There is also a great book '4 Ingredients', funnily enough written by two mums, with recipes that only need four ingredients, this book also helps save money on groceries.
To cut costs in these tough economic times you need to be smart about how and where you spend your money to make it go that bit further. Sure you need to tighten the belt ? but be sensible about how you do it. The grocery bill is one of the main expenses we can actually control, especially the food component, so I think this is an ideal area to start when reviewing a cut back.
Personally I have discovered a great deal about my family's eating habits by simply tracking my receipts and spending on food. I found I was spending a lot on ingredients that would quickly spoil and only using them once, I simply was not taking advantage of my stock in due time. I had to experience this the hard way, when I was cleaning out the fridge and I realised just how much food I had wasted because I didn?t plan.
Review what are you throwing out. Are you wasting money buying too much fresh produce? Are you storing your produce correctly? And are you picking the freshest produce? Could you buy the same produce from an alternative? For example, instead of buying our meat from the supermarket we buy direct from a wholesaler we save 50% and best of all they deliver.
Don?t rely on the large supermarket chains to always provide the best deal. We have found much to our surprise our local green grocer?s prices are quite comparable to the supermarkets and better yet the produce is fresher, it lasts longer which limits the amount we have to throw out due to rapid spoilage.
I was spending a fortune on food until I started planning meals, identifying how I could maximise the same ingredients so I could really get the best bang for my buck and also just as important, being creative about where I purchased my groceries.
With the emphasis now on cautionary spending, many people will cut costs across the board. Cutting costs to save money is fantastic and I applaud anyone who looks at their budget.
However a word of caution, when some people decide to put themselves on a strict financial diet, they cut out all and every expense ? the typical ?baked bean diet?, and just like dieting this nearly always results in a massive blow out. You can cut costs and still have a life; you just need to get a little creative and plan.
So mums, I encourage you to share your recipes, tips and tricks to maximising your grocery dollars. Let's create a catalogue of recipes that can adequately cover more than one night?s dinner! Martha Stewart, eat your heart out!
Sonia Williams a mother of two, qualified accountant, author and founder of the free online magazine Show Mummy the Money, designed to help mums, save, make and protect their money.
This information is correct at time of writing. It is general advice only and has not been tailored to your personal circumstances. Please seek personal financial advice prior to acting on this information.
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