Friday 15 February 2019

My Routines for Saving Money on Food

Working part-time takes me away from our home for a significant portion of the the week now. That's a lot less time in the kitchen but I am looking for and finding routines that see us continuing to save money on food. Given food can be one of a household's biggest expenses, I am trying to make sure the amount we spend doesn't blow out with last-minute takeaways!

One of the routines that I find really works for me, in terms of keeping homemade food on our table and in our lunchboxes, is baking on Sunday mornings. I get up early, when all is still quiet, and bake at least two items ready for the week ahead. Biscuits, slices, muffins and cupcakes that freeze well are popped into lunchboxes for morning tea and are ready for a hungry, high school boy to "gobble up" after school.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Being organised for breakfasts is another routine that is working well. There's always eggs and either baby spinach or leftover roasted veggies for omelettes at our place. This is my favourite breakfast, as I really believe that it's important to have some veg at brekkie time. I am NOT a fan of boxed cereals as they typically have significant amounts of sugar in them, so on my days off work I make homemade granola and batches of breakfast muffins. I adore Jude Blereau's muffin recipes as they are made with healthy and nourishing ingredients.  I have a tub of her breakfast muffins, from her cookbook Whole Food for the Family, in my freezer right now and it's just so easy to take one or two out to defrost for a quick breakfast if I'm running late. Faster that a drive through queue even!  

 Homemade Granola
(A lot less sugar than supermarket cereals.)

Using up the food we do spend our money on is something else that I am trying to keep on top of. If I buy fruit in bulk, like the tray of mangoes I bought earlier in the Summer for a really good price, then I chop them up and freeze portions. It's easy then take out a portion of frozen fruit chunks for smoothies. There's always at least one banana in our fruit bowl and at times they reach that over-ripe state where the only thing I think they are good for is banana bread. 

 Making sure food, like these over-ripe bananas, doesn't go to waste...
 Banana bread instead!

Freezing extra fruit. 
(Ready for quick and easy smoothies after school.)

Making breadcrumbs from the ends of loaves.
(I use these when I'm make meatballs.)

Another routine working for me is doing my grocery shopping on Friday mornings straight after school drop-off. I don't work Fridays so this means I am not rushing around the shops and I have time to spot bargains. I picked up some bottles of our favourite pasta sauce (and one with a much lower % of sugar than many on the shelves) for half price last week. I bought bulk and have these stored in my little stockpile. 

 A bargain on our favourite pasta sauce.
(I now have many bottles in my stockpile.)

When I do forget to defrost something for dinner, which I inevitably do, then these bottles of pasta sauce come in very handy. One of my go-to meals, besides homemade pizza, is to fry up a chopped onion with some diced bacon and capsicum (if I have it). I then add lots of diced zucchini (I always have zucchini) and fry that until it's cooked but not squishy. I usually throw in a handful of frozen peas too! I then turn the heat down and add a bottle of this pasta sauce. While all that is happening, I boil some pasta. Mixed through the pasta, and with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, it's yum and it costs a lot less than takeaway.

Leftovers are still making it into lunchboxes though we have 'tweaked' the lunch-making routine somewhat. When I wasn't working, I would pack lunches each morning. Now, my sweet hubby makes his own lunch the night before, popping leftovers in, making sandwiches and getting fruit and yoghurt ready. I still make my lunch and my son's lunch early in the morning but somehow, only having two to pack instead of three seems to work better up at our kitchen bench. I have no idea why!

These are the routines working for us at the moment. I think those working and trying to save money at the same time would have their own routines that work for them. I'd love to hear what you do at your place!

Meg









27 comments:

  1. Hi Meg, I enjoyed reading this post. When I was working outside of the home, I used to make casseroles for dinner, and then take a portion with me for lunch. There was usually a microwave where I could warm up what I had packed. I also brought my own coffee in a traveling cup. I loved having a hot lunch. Meatloaf sandwiches, lasagna, and chef's salads were some of my favorites. It really does save money. I used to do a lot of baking, but stopped after I got arthritis in my hips. That was another way to reduce expenses, too. Now that I work from home, I still prepare all of my meals. I eat mostly nuts, salads, and fruit. I also cook meat and poultry, which I buy on sale. Great post!

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    1. Leftovers are just he best, aren't they! There's usually leftovers for my husband's lunch and I always have a salad of some kind because I love them. My son takes a sandwich, homemade slice or cookies and dried fruits. It does save so much money, buying food each day would add up to so much over a year. Meg:)

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  2. My goodness, sounds like you are very busy and organized.
    Have you thought about an Airfryer? My daughter gave me one and it is amazing, anything that can be cooked in the oven or under grill is perfect. Low power use, shorter cooking time and timer turns off when done, also doesn't heat up the kitchen.
    Mine is a Phillips, 3years used nearly every day and still going strong.
    I don't use a microwave.
    Working mums need all the help they can get !☺

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    1. Your Airfryer sounds like it's a really useful, money-saving appliance. I don't have one but will look into it. Thanks for the idea! Meg:)

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  3. towards the end of every week I begin to plan the next weeks menu. Then over the weekend (normally Sunday after noon) I also batch cook a few things. Most times I make a couple of trays of roast vegetables, as they can be added to so many things. I also like to make a different dressing or dip as they can add so much to a salad or bunch of veggies. I also like to make up batches of meatballs, tuna patties, broccoli cheese bits. These all freeze well.

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    1. Your menu planning routine sounds like it really works for you. I really need to find a routine around menu planning that works because I do it in "fits and starts" around here. I make mini meatballs to freeze too. So easy to defrost and make a meal with. Meg:)

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  4. It sounds like you are very well organized and entered into your job with a good rhythm/momentum! I made banana bread today. I will look at your muffin link now! Andrea

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    1. The little muffins were delicious. I used spelt flour and reduced sugar a bit. Rather than baking them in little ramekins, to make cookie dough "pots", I just put them in little muffin cases. They make lovely little afternoon tea treats or even a dessert. Enjoy! Meg:)

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  5. Isn't pasta just the best quick and easy meal? I too like those bottles of pasta sauce and do exactly the same as you when we are tired and need a super quick meal. I often fry off a little salami and throw in a few black olives too.

    xx

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    1. Pasta is definitely a "go-to" around here, Emma. So quick and easy and cheap! Meg:)

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  6. Thanks for your timely post Meg. I used to regularly bake and have a freezer full of goodies for school and after school snacks but have been really slack in that department the last year or so. I had just been telling myself that I need to get back into the routine again and then up popped your post. I love making a double batch of pikelets then freezing the leftovers. They take seconds to reheat in the microwave for a filling pancake breaky before school. xx Susan

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    1. Pikelets are a wonderful suggestion, Susan. I don't have a stash of those in the freezer. I do have some breakfast pancakes though these are really suitable for lunchbox. Meg:)

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  7. It sounds like you have a very good routine going there Meg. I can’t add any more suggestions. I often find myself asking myself “What can I do today that will make life easier tomorrow” and I can usually always thing of something!

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    1. I think I could think of a list of somethings, Cheryl. It's finding the time to do them all now. Meg:)

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  8. My daughter was on camp this week so I only had one lunch to make it seemed like a treat...yet as you say when I make two lunches it's just double the same items so not sure why it feels less work or not. My kids have Aldi wraps with lettuce, cheese and some sort of meat or leftovers which they love too.

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    1. I don't know why three lunches now seems like more work either, Kathy. It just does. Wraps are a go-to here too, so easy and quick to make up and a nice change to a sandwich. Meg:)

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  9. Love your routine Meg. You are very organized.

    My weekday breakfast is normally a bowl of oats with dried fruits & pumpkin seeds, or a fruit salad. I also have tea , and a small glass of vegetable/fruit juice. I make a big batch of juice and it lasts about 3 days in the fridge. I soak oats in the fridge overnight, so it doesn't take long time to cook in the morning.

    I stopped eating store bought cereal after I read an article about arsenic in cereals. I buy organic oats now. And sometimes make granola at home.

    I take lunch (leftovers) to work. I have a mini fridge and a microwave in my office room, so I keep milk, fruits and can always have a hot lunch.

    I don't mind eating the same thing for 2-3 days and that helps a lot too. :)

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    1. I buy organic oats too, Nil. I can get them in bulk so that saves a bit of money on them. Meg:)

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  10. One of my resolutions for this year was to "Buy Less - Make More". I'm gluten intolerant and buying ready made baked goods adds a lot of extra dollars to the fortnightly shopping budget so like you I have set aside one day a week to bake those things that I used to buy. It's a learning curve, but one I am determined to master.

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    1. That's a great resolution, Jan. Making your own baked goods does save money and I like that I can "tweak" ingredients and lessen the sugar in things. I typically substitute spelt flours here but also gluten-free flours too and most things turn out okay. Meg:)

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  11. You're really getting to grips with your backto-work routine Meg. I love the look of all your baked goodies getting tucked away in the freezer....amnd your tummies😊 And I agree, anything with veg in it for breakfast is on my list too.

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    1. Thanks, I'm not always sure I am on top of things but I'm tyring! I think homemade baked goods are usually nicer than store bought, Nanette. I made some little caramel and banana cupcakes yesterday; a melt 'n' mix recipe all made in the one saucepan. They turned out well. Meg:)

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    2. I just think being aware of what you're wanting to achieve is half the battle Meg, and then being gentle with yourself if you're not quite on top of it every time. It's early days yet for your routine to be second nature. And your cupcakes sound delicious. I
      don't have a sweet tooth, and very rarely eat cakes, so I don't do any baking, but I always enjoy seeing and hearing about what you make.

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  12. It sounds like you are very nicely organized with your meal prep, Meg. When I used to work, I used to grocery shop on Saturdays, cook a couple of different entrees for the week on Sundays and make extra side dishes, so all I had to do when I came home in the evening was serve to plates and reheat. I'd pack our lunches in the night, after dinner, and include items for both breakfasts and snacks, as we left the house very early in the morning on a cup of coffee (too early to eat!) and got home, late. These days, I am retired, but still cook enough for a couple of meals at a time.

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    1. My grocery day is Friday, Bless. I find that means a full fridge for the weekends where we tend to have relaxed lunches. Making lunches at night is such a great routine but it's one that escapes me! I don't know why...perhaps because I am like a muddle-headed wombat come the evenings.
      Meg:)

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  13. Those are some great routines to save money and waste less. My husband has found, since the floods in North Qld and bananas have gone up to $4 a kilo, more bananas are being sold as seconds. Simply because people aren't buying them at the higher price. Or buying less. He's been getting some good bucket buys of bananas (seconds) and we've been freezing them. They're used for smoothies or baking. Bananas go brown quickly, on our benchtop anyway, so it's better to store them in the freezer.

    A great lunch tip, I used to use, back when my daughter was fond of them, was keeping a packet of wraps on hand, filled with whatever leftovers we had from the night before. Roast chicken with mayo, corned beef with mustard, or chilli con carne with cheese. Anything, so long as it wasn't too wet and make the wrap, too soggy by lunchtime.

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    1. Hi, Chris. I was having a chat the other day with the owner of the little market shop I get some of my fruit/veg from. He was saying to expect the price of broccoli etc. to go up because the growers he buys from haven't got the water to plant or get water to some of their crops. Sounds like price increases coming in the months ahead. Good you can get bananas for good price, I picked a few over-ripe ones up the other day and made banana bread. Meg:)

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