Life on a budget

This is a topic close to my heart. Being a family of four with a mortgage and having growing boys who will no doubt eat us out of house and home when they turn into those beastly things called teenagers I am always keen to hear about any tips that will help to save $$$ especially on the grocery bill. I love cheap, nutritious and if possible one pot meals as I HATE doing dishes, loathe it honestly, infact I would rather clean the toilet or weed my garden than clean the kitchen and that job (when he's not work ) falls on the shoulders of my man, he's lovely like that. Anyway back to budgeting...both my boys were born in March so of course February the month leading up to presents and parties for us, is tight. So I thought I'd share some tips on how to make food go further and good choices for those on a budget. At Bigs kindy they have a "no junk food" policy-this includes no home baking and they have also had an emphasis on using containers and cutting down on packaging, obviously meaning less rubbish which is better for the earth plus Big gets a stamp whenever he has no rubbish in his lunch box, which is very motivating for a four year old. This comes to the first of my tips-no individually packaged lunch foods, yup no little packets of chippies, no snack bars or cheese slices covered in plastic, none of that stuff. So what do you give them? Fruit, sultanas or any dried fruit, canned fruit, veggie sticks, sandwhiches, cheese, crackers, pickles, yogurt, water-it's free and very important to keep your little ones hydrated in these muggy summer days. Buy a large packet of your kids fav crackers or chippies if you must and divide it into smaller containers yourself, much cheaper especially if you buy things in bulk or when they are on special. Go for store brands, yup the cheap ones, things like flour, sugar, salt, and butter all taste the same so buy the cheapest one. If you can afford it stock up on things like butter and cheese when they are on special they freeze fine although certain types of cheese will crumble on defrosting, but it still tastes just as good. Go for a cheap supermarket my favourite is Pakn' Save the best value for money by far and if you go to the larger ones they have a huge range of products as good as those more expensive supermarkets! Take your own bags its cheaper in the long run and more eco friendly which is always a plus, right. Meat is always the most expensive of staples in the freezer, mince goes a long way depending on how you cook it and I've always been a fan of cooking cheaper cuts of meat leaving them deliciously tender and melt in the mouth tasty when chucked in the slow cooker with a few herbs and spices. I find good quality bacon can stretch a meal further too, macaroni and cheese full of veggies and a bit of bacon is filling and delish. I actually use cooked bacon in sandwhich fillings in place of cold deli meats as they only last a few days where cured bacon lasts longer in the fridge or you can devide a packet in to portions and freeze, then you have meat for lunches all week, super! Rice and pasta are family favourites to that go further and leave you feeling full and satisfied. Growing your own veggies also helps with cutting back on weekly costs at the super market having your own source of greens to collect each night for tea means a few more dollars in your pocket, always a good thing! And lastly, write a list and make sure you look through your cupboards to ensure your buying what you need and aren't doubling up on ingredients. Stick to your budget and pay with cash.  Here are some awesome books that give me inspiration for tasty meals when I'm in a pinch, I highly recommend them.

Live well, Spend less - Destitute Gormet Sophie Gray

Awesome tips in here, on a range of topics!

Easy, inexpensive family meals - Simon Holst

100+ Tasty $10 Meals - Sophie Gray

Enjoy - Sophie Gray

Delicious - Sophie Gray