The Gift Cupboard

Homemade foodie gifts in the gift cupboard.

Now that it is mid year, I thought it would be a perfect time to tidy up and reassess the gift cupboard. Because, quite frankly, it was looking really cluttered in there and I had forgotten about half the things I had made! I wanted to take stock and focus on what kind of gifts I need to concentrate on making for the rest of the year.

I've mentioned before that this year I've been participating in Annabel's Christmas Challenge which involves crafting gifts for Birthdays and Christmas during the year. This really helps with being organized, saves money, avoids overspending and gives me craft to do all year around.  Also I have gifts at the ready if something unexpected pops up or someone I know is having a bad day. I wrote more about why stockpiling and having a gift cupboard is important to me here.

My gift cupboard is really just 5 shelves in my bedroom built in wardrobe, as this the only place I have room to keep everything. You don't need a designated cupboard really, just a bit of spare space to store the gifts.

I decided to designate the shelves for particular gifts. On the first shelf I have edible gifts like raspberry jam, onion jam, dandelion jelly, sweet mustard pickles, tomato relish, chilli and garlic oil, hot chocolate mix and herbal tea mix. I've just ordered some vanilla beans on Ebay (much cheaper than the supermarkets!) and plan to make some vanilla extract for gifts as well.

The second shelf is all store bought beauty products. There is moisturizers, bath soaks, body sprays, bath bombs and some make up. These were all bought for 50c-$2 each on clearance sales.

Third shelf is my handmade items. There are bottles of mineral bath salts, soy candles, natural face scrub, dandelion salve, bubble bath and soap packs, lip balm and bath bombs.

The fourth shelf is random handmade items like tea cup soy candles, heat bags, soy wax melts and a basket which holds packaged felt Christmas ornaments.

The bottom shelf is for kids gifts. Some hand made and some again, bought on clearance. Lots of colouring books and sticker packs, bubble wands, felt food, dress ups, sock dolls, paper window stars, and tie dyed/bleach resist tees.

By tidying up my shelves, it has become apparent that I have plenty of gifts for women/girls! For men I will probably make rocky road, fudge, biscuits, that sort of thing but this will be made closer to Christmas. I have a few friends with toddlers and babies due, and need to make some family gifts so I've been looking at Pinterest for ideas and that will be what I will focus on making for the rest of the year.

Do you make any homemade gifts?

One Ingredient Challenge

Broccoli, potato and kale soup.

This week, I was determined to stretch out my grocery shopping and put it off for a few days. We still had a little bit of vegetables and fruit, but were almost out of eggs and cheese, which are a staple in our *almost* vegetarian household.

I decided I would try to do some batch cooking and make some meals for the next few nights by using what we had, despite the fridge looking pretty bare. Normally I am on top of using up ingredients but I had started to fall behind a bit. For each recipe I would choose one ingredient that was close to being thrown away or needed to be used up.

First up meal number 1 involved using a really sad looking broccoli I had forgotten about sitting in the crisper. It was in a plastic bag, so was still kind of fresh, although its colour was more a shade of yellow than green it was to good to compost so I set about making a soup.  I chopped up and onion and a 2 cloves of garlic, and fried them in a splash of oil. Then diced the entire broccoli- including stems and leaves and added this to the pot, then covered it with water. I realised at this point one broccoli was going to make a pretty meager soup, so chopped up 5 whole small potatoes and some salt. Again making sure the vegies were covered with water. Once they were cooked, I added about a quarter cup of milk powder, some pepper and a couple of handfuls of kale and silverbeet from the garden. Voila- broccoli, potato and kale soup. We ate this for dinner with hot buttered toast and it was delicious! I will definitely make this again.

Meal 2 was based around a soft zucchini. One of our quick and easy meals here is zucchini slice, however I changed my regular recipe to accommodate for less egg and cheese and more vegies. I used 3 beaten eggs, 1 c plain flour, the grated zucchini,  a splash of water, 1/2 a c of oil and mixed this well. Then added some chopped silverbeet- thank goodness for our winter garden! I pored this into a non stick slice tray and used the last of our cheese grated on top which was under 1/4 of a cup. I then baked it in the oven for 20 minutes, until the top was brown and served it with some frozen corn cobs and  par cooked pumpkin. This was a busy evening, and I was so grateful to be able to just put it all in the oven for reheating.

For meal number 3 was 3/4 of a Dolmio tuna pasta bake sauce jar. This was given to me by a friend and I had opened the jar and added a couple of tablespoons to another recipe, which was fine but we decided by itself it tasted strange. I don't buy any prepared sauce jars so think we are just to used to my homemade white sauce! But now wasn't the time to fussy so I found 2 quarter filled bags of different shaped pasta-spiral and penne and added these to a pot of boiling water. Then when cooked stirred in the jar of sauce, half a tin of tuna, along with some salt, pepper and more chopped kale. I topped it all with some breadcrumbs and baked in the oven. Most of us didn't mind it, Mr 10 ate it but was not impressed and would not eat any of the leftovers lol. I think you could make a similar meal just using a tomato based jar or tinned tomatoes if you had them in the pantry.

I really enjoyed my little self imposed challenge and am happy these ingredients didn't end up in the bin. Have you ever made a "fridge soup" or any other super frugal meals?

Zucchini slice with extra greens

The Value of Stockpiling

Stockpile of milk and flour.

Stockpiling is something I feel is very important in any home. It is security in times of need. Whether it be loss of income, illness or another crisis, having a stockpile is something reliable in a stressful time. Honestly I was never more grateful for my snap frozen, ready prepped vegetables than when we were all sick recently. It allowed to me make quick, healthy and easy meals for my family and I didn't have to go shopping which was a blessing.

I grew up in a house where the food cupboard and fridge were perpetually empty, so food scarcity is a fear I have dealt with and having enough food on hand to feed everyone is very important to me. I remember when we ran out of food and my mum would send me to go and stay at my Nan's house for a few days. Nanna's pantry and freezer was always brimming with food and she had a little overflow cupboard laden with tinned food, sugar and tea. I would often go to that cupboard and just open it's doors to look at the contents. It is no coincidence that having a full belly also brings feelings of happiness and being loved I think, and I always felt that when I was at Nan's house.

Most of my friends think I'm a crazy doomsday prepper for having my stockpile stashes around the house and one laughed at me for buying a 16 kilo bag of carrots! But right now my job is to home educate my son, help keep our home clean and tidy and to work around our home to keep everyone well fed and comfortable. Part of that is also saving money where ever I can. Right now because I do not work outside the home I have the luxury of time and can tend a garden, make homemade gifts, cook jam, bake our meals from scratch or spend time peeling and preparing loads of vegetables for the freezer! I appreciate that everyone does not have the time to do this and I understand that my life might not always be this way so I'm enjoying saving as much money now while I can.

Stockpiling also allows you save money by buying items when they are on a great sale. Items like 5kg bags of  rice often go on sale for half price every few weeks and this is a great time to buy in bulk. I also stock up on deodorant for hubby and the teens at this time too. This way they get the brand they like and I'm happy because I've bought enough to last ages at much cheaper than normal.

You do not need heaps of room to have a stockpile either. My kitchen is an older style one with no pantry so I have a few different cupboards where I store our food. Anything that doesn't fit in the cupboards goes under our bed in banana boxes or if its grains or something very perishable it goes in a sealed container. The big bags of rice are also stored in our bedroom.

There does not need to be a lot of money invested when beginning a stockpile and extra $5 or $10 can go a long way. I like to buy pantry staples like cupboard milk, flour, sugar, cocoa, pasta etc most fortnights so that I always keep my supply up.

Stockpiling does not need to be limited to food either. You can buy cleaning supplies, toothpaste and toiletries. I have not needed to buy toothpaste for years because I bought several tubes at my co-op for only a couple of dollars. The same goes for shampoo, conditioner, sunscreen, body wash and sanitary pads. If they are very cheap I will buy heaps! I do not normally buy expensive brands- I am a generic girl all the way, but I have these in my cupboard thanks to co-op. I also buy bi carbonate soda and Epsom salts in 25kg bags which is a great investment and saves me loads of money in cleaning products.

You can also stockpile gifts and I have a couple of shelves in my built in robe which are used for this. Sometimes I will find something very cheap at an op-shop which would make a great gift, or make homemade gifts like preserves, relishes, infused oils, bath salts, bubble bath, soy candles, cards or something I've sewed. I package it up prettily using what I have on hand and then into the cupboard it goes.I've been participating in Annabel's Christmas Challenge  which involves crafting items during the year so you have heaps ready for giving at birthdays and Christmas. This avoids much stress later in the year and you have something to craft all year round! I need to keep busy so I love this. Being a part of the challenge has really motivated me, and I'm pleased to say I have been steadily adding to my gift stash. This is another way that you can save heaps of money and lovely homemade gifts can cost only a few dollars rather than needing to rush out to a store and end up spending $20-$50! If you are not crafty you can also keep an eye out for items on clearance that would make great gifts and stash them away for later.

I had a friend visit the other day to drop of some candle jars ready for me to refill with wax for her. I pulled out some candles I've made recently with new scents to show her and she asked me why I had so many candles in my wardrobe, I told her it is my gift cupboard. She then asked if she could buy some of  my pretties because she has a few birthdays coming up and then told me she will have to come "shopping" at my house more often!

Do you have a stockpile?

Laundry cupboard stockpile

Sugar and breadcrumbs.

Canned food cupboard.

Under bed stockpile.

Under bed stockpile.

Gift stockpile, getting very full.

Jams, relishes, teas and flavoured oils in the gift cupboard.

Paid Surveys

$50 in vouchers I earned this fornight.

I have been doing online surveys with one company for a few years now and discovered this when we first started living cheaply, as a way of making a bit of extra money. I recently discovered a few more sites and am now registered with about half a dozen.

I have had many readers ask about what websites I use, and how much I get paid as there is very little information available about this. There is also a big misconception that these websites are "scams". Let me say that I have never had any problem with this. There are some sites that seem to offer minimal rewards for the time spent but if this is an issue I just stop doing surveys for that company, if I don't feel it is worth my time.

In saying that, because I am registered with quite a few companies to increase me odds, it can be very hard for me to keep up. I get a great deal of participation emails every day and can not possibly do them all. Therefore I just choose the ones I like. My advice is to register with a couple of companies and see if you get any survey offers. If after a few weeks you want more, then just register with another few sites.

Once you have registered, most of these sites will send you an email notification if you have an invitation to participate. There are a couple that don't sent emails, so I just keep the sites bookmarked and check them each day. Some of these sites will make you answer a few pre-survey questions to see if you are eligible, at this point it is possible you might not make the criteria and get screened out. Don't worry you generally will still earn a few points if this happens. Most sites also let you know haw long each survey will take and how many points you will receive.

I get up early every morning before starting home school, to do a few surveys. This is working out quite well for me. I definitely suggest trying to make time everyday to do a few. I have listed the sites below in my order of preference.


Nine Rewards- This was the first one I ever signed up to and I have been with Nine Rewards for a few years now and currently have over $100 ready to redeem in vouchers. This site let you know exactly how long each survey will take and much many dollars you will get paid. Unfortunately you can't redeem them for grocery vouchers, but for JB HiFi, Chemist Warehouse, iTunes and a few other places.  I generally save up my points until the end of the year and cash out the gift cards to use as Christmas gifts.At the moment I am only getting invites every month or 2 so this is why I've joined up with other survey sites.

Survey Choice- This one seems pretty good. Last week I had an invite to participate in a 2 hour survey, which could be completed over 2 days. I received a $30 reward for that. You can get the money you earn paid into your account, or vouchers for Kmart, Bunnings, JB HiFi, Coles etc.

Valued Opinions- I have $11.50 in this account which is redeemable at $20 for a Coles, Woolworths, Hoyts, Bunnings and Myer vouchers. I really like this site, purely because the points are good value for the surveys and you can cash them in for well known store vouchers.

Rewards Central- I get lots of invites for this one. It is best to respond immediately to a survey as they often fill up fast. You will also be made aware of approximately how long the survey will take and how many points you will receive. You need to earn 1100 points to receive a $10 Flexi E gift card,  so far I have 451 points. You can also redeem the points for real cash.

My View-  You need to earn a minimum of 1000 points to redeem a $20 GiftPax Gift Card I have just earned enough points for one. The site says you can redeem the points for Nandos and Coles Express, but instead it is a GiftPax giftcard which to me is misleading. While it is free, I don't think any of them are very good value for money. I was hoping to be able to get a gift card to use for groceries. Instead they have vouchers for coffee, snacks, magazines and take away which are things I don't normally buy. For example they have a Cafe Break gift pack for $20 which includes 3 coffees a magazine and a chocolate.In saying that is is very easy to accumulate points.

Your Voice- I haven't done many for this company but payment is via paypal. 200 points = $20.

E-Rewards- I have been invited to a lot of surveys but because I'm busy doing the other ones, I havent had much time to spend investing in this site.

Global Test Market- You need to earn 385 points to redeem a $20 Coles gift card. So far I have only 52 points. I find with this site, you generally only earn 10-20 points per survey. However I do get invited to participate in loads of them but haven't had much time to give this site a chance.

Voxpopme - This is one my best friend told me about and she loves it. You install the app on your smartphone and then participate in 30 second video surveys which you get paid for. Unfortunately the app is not compatible on my older Samsung phone.

Good luck and I'd love to hear how you get on with these sites!

$20 worth of treat vouchers.

$30 worth of Coles and Kmart vouchers.

Frugal Bugeting Tips

Today I am sharing some of the things our family does to save money. Here are a few of the things we do to stay on budget:

-Make notes. I keep a book for our house finances. This is just a cheap exercise book which I write our expenses, budget and cash envelope totals in. Because I constantly am checking our budget and seeing what works and getting rid of what doesn't, this is great for keeping track.

- Implement a cash envelope system. In August last year I noticed we were spending more money on little things which all add up. Then I started using a cash envelope system for day-to-day expenses. I love this, because it means I can only spend the amount that is in the envelope. Basically I have a designated amount for areas like groceries, petrol etc, and put cash in the envelope. I can only spend less or equal to what is in that envelope. Obviously if the money isn't spent in one fortnight it just rolls over to the next which I find is a great saving initiative! I will make another post on how much goes into each category of the envelopes.

-Compare bill providers: I regularly change phone/internet and insurance companies. Last year I also changed gas providers and our bill is down by $40 quarterly already! Don't be afraid to do some research and see if other companies can offer a better deal. Doing this saves us hundreds of dollars per year.

-Reduce bill costs by using less:

Water: Limit showers to 4 minutes- I have a timer with a suction cup that sticks on the shower screen which I bought for a couple of dollars at Bunnings. I also put a bucket in the shower to collect the warm up water. this is used to water our seedlings.

Gas: When using the oven, try and cook multiple foods to make use of the heat. When dinner is in the oven, whip up a batch of muffins or a cake for later in the week. Cooking in bulk is a great time saver too. If I'm making a zucchini slice, I'll often make an extra one for the freezer. When cooking on the stove top, adding a lid to a boiling pot helps keep the heat in too.

Power: Heating and cooling are the biggest causes of a high power bill. In summer use fans instead of an air conditioner when possible. My air con costs 70c and hour to run compared to my fan which is only 6c an hour. 70c an hour might not seem like much but if the air con is run for 6 hours a day that comes to $4.20. If it was run every day of the week that then becomes $29.40! In a 3 month bill cycle our power would be $360 higher- just from using the air con! Also turn power points off at night when not in use. Most appliances like TV's and DVD players have a standby mode that when plugged in still use power. When we first did this a few years ago we noticed a significant reduction in our power bill.

We have a clothes dryer, but it is only used in an emergency. Washing is hung outside or on airers to dry. 

-Aim to reduce the amount spent on groceries. It's taken me a few years but I am now happy with our budget. We eat a minimal amount of meat, I shop around to make the most of the specials and buy primarily generic brands. I can also pick up fruit at a local orchard for $1 a kilo and will bulk buy and freeze large amounts of produce when I get a great deal. We also grow as much of our own fruit and vegies as possible. Cleaning supplies can take a chunk out of a grocery budget, so why not try and make your own? White vinegar and bi-carb are great budget and eco friendly cleaners. Recently I have started doing online surveys and cashing my points in for supermarket vouchers, which is like free groceries. I also save up my Fly Buys points and use them at the end of the year to buy our Christmas food.

-Eat at home. We eat out probably once a year. I am a decent cook and just can't justify spending money on overpriced food, when I can cook a yummy meal at home. A meal of takeaway can cost our family of 5 over $50. I could buy heaps of groceries for that price.

-Free entertainment and frugal hobbies.  Since implementing our new budget, I've allowed no money for entertainment. Instead we can watch movies for free at home, go to the beach, on picnics or day trips, visit friends or pursue frugal hobbies like gardening, cooking etc. There are often free events held at our local library, and we can borrow books and movies from there too.

-Buy second hand when possible. We recently needed a new fridge and upright freezer and saved hundreds on not buying new. Check out Gumtree, buy, swap and sell sites or op shops before buying anything new. Also we have inherited used furniture that friends have been happy to get rid of.

-Use what you have. Make do and mend, that kind of thing.This applies to all resources you have before buying new. Get creative! Take some time to think twice before buying into the endless cycle of consumerism. Upcycling can be fun.

-Have a present stockpile and make gifts. I have a couple of shelves in my wardrobe which are for this purpose. I also make a note of when my family and friends birthdays are and write them on my calender, so I can see at a glance who's Birthdays are coming up. This way I have a gift ready to go and it stops the mad rush of running to the shops and impulse spending $20-$40 on a gift. Sometimes I'll buy items at end of year sales or on clearance. I also make presents during the year and put them away, adding a few "bonus" presents for the kids friends or unexpected events.

-Put money aside for bills. In the beginning I wrote down all the bills we pay over the year, not including the mortgage. Then for each one I worked out how much that costs over the year and then divide it by 26 because we get paid fortnightly. For example we pay:

Home insurance $38
Car Insurance $13
Gas $30
Power $20
Rates $42
Car Rego $11
Amulance Cover $5
Phone/ Internet $50
Licences $5
Water $5

Total- $  220

Each fortnight this amount is transferred into a savings account and bills are paid from there. Doing this stops me from stressing out when bills come in as there is already money ready to pay them. At the start it was tricky as bills were coming in and because there was only a few hundred dollars there I had to just pay the necessary bills and put only a bit towards the others. Eventually there was no bills for a few months and this allowed the amount to build up. Currently the bill fund sits on a little over $1000 most of the time.

 Everyone has what I call a "frugal comfort zone". Some people may not be comfortable with making too many changes in order to save money or might think some of the things I do to save money is extreme. That's okay, any kind of changes you make to save money will definitely make a difference. 

I'm sure there are many more things we do to save, but these are the basics. If you have any to add, feel free to leave me a comment. 

$1 a kilo fruit at our local orchard.

Homemade laundry gel costs 20c a bottle.

Hubby's vegetable seedlings.

Homemade gifts for the stockpile.

Tips for Saving Money on Groceries

Groceries from last year, clearly before I switched to using generic toilet paper

Today I thought I would share some of the things we do to save money on our grocery bill. Buying food can take up a big chunk of income so it makes sense to spend as little as possible. Doing this can save a few thousand dollars a year.


1. Use up your pantry.
 Do a pantry/fridge/freezer audit before you go shopping. Chances are you've already got the makings of a few meals right there before even leading the house!

2. Buy generic. 
I buy mostly generic grocery items like cheese, butter, milk, freezer bags, glad wrap, dish washing liquid, dishwasher powder, flour, sugar, cereals and have recently graduated to using generic tea bags and toilet paper! I have not found any difference in quality at all.  If there's a generic brand version, I'll try it!

3. Shop for the specials. I like to check all of the supermarket catalogues to find items I need on sale. I will often shop at Spud Shed or a local orchard for our fruit and veg, Coles for our "main" shop and a cheap butcher for occasional meat. I also travel into the city to buy our spices, polenta, Himalayan salt and dried fruits every few months from a wholesale bulk store. Before this I would buy spices from my local Asian grocery store which is still much cheaper than supermarket prices.

4. Make a list and stick to it. 
Pretty easy right? My only exception to this rule is half price loss leader items. Otherwise, only buy what you really need.

5. Avoid processed foods and "snack" serves.
Make your own food from scratch. My mind boggles at packaged slow cooker and meal bases. Check out the ingredients on the back, most of them are just a tomato base! Tomatoes cost 65c a tin and tomato paste is $1.30 for a large jar. If you build up your pantry with staple spices, there will be no need to buy meals bases again. Even a jar of bought pasta sauce is just diced tomatoes with some tomato paste added! Cakes, muffins and in store bakery items are ridiculously overpriced too. Some loaf cakes cost $4 each and that is on sale! Honestly, I am so shocked by some of the prices. Self raising flour is only $1.85 for 2 kilos, and sugar is around the same. Cakes and muffins can be made so cheaply at home. Packaged muesli bars or any kind of single serve snacks like yoghurt can be really overpriced. Museli bars can be made super cheaply at home and money and packaging can be saved by purchasing a big tub of yoghurt rather than individual potion packs.

6. Shop only weekly or fortnightly. 
This is a big one. Go shopping only once a week or fortnight. Plan your shopping list according to your families needs and make sure you have enough toilet paper etc. This is really crucial because how many times have we called into the shops for 1 item and ended up spending $20-$50? If you run out of an item for cooking just improvise and write it on the shopping list for next time. I think a lot of my ability to save money started from avoiding the shops. 

7. Use homemade green cleaning products.
Homebrand vinegar and bi carb can be bought really cheaply and you don't need fancy bottles of chemicals to clean your house. Check out my thrifty cleaning tab for some frugal recipes.

8. Avoid the "lolly aisle".
Unless you need to buy items for a celebration, just avoid this aisle completely!

9. Stock up on 1/2 price loss leader sales.
Half price catalogue sales can be great. I often pick up 5 kilo bags of rice and brand name deodorant at these times. I will stock up, so I have enough to last until the next time it goes on sale. 

10.  Don't shop on an empty stomach.
Pack a bottle of water and a light snack, or eat before you go. Research shows that if you shop when you are hungry, you are more likely to make impulse purchases.

11. Eat less meat.
 I've steadily seen 1kg mince packs at Coles rise from $5 a kilo to now $8 a kilo.I can buy a whole lot of nutritious vegetables for much cheaper! Potatoes here are only 50c a kilo. I don't believe that the amount of meat humans consume is a viable option for our environment and for several months we have been reducing our meat intake to once or twice a week. You could try incorporating a veg meal once or twice a week into your meal planning.

12. Grow your own.
Herbs are very expensive in supermarkets and are so easy and cheap to grow at home. We only have a small garden but grow as much as we can. Even if its only a tomato bush or lettuce, you will be getting organic quality vegetables for a fraction of the cost.

13. Use less.
This applies to almost everything. Use less shampoo and conditioner, washing powder etc. When I was using commercial washing powder, I found I could successfully use half of the amount stated on the box without any difference. I feel like the recommended amounts on packaging are deliberately on the higher end so consumers use more product and will need to buy more at a faster rate.  I've started using less milk and sugar in my cup of tea as well.

14. Every dollar counts.
 Value your money-even $1. I see a dollar in terms of how much food could I buy? Mr 9 will sometimes ask for "a $1 treat" when we go shopping, these days I say no and look at what else I could buy. One dollar will buy 1kg of carrots, 1kg of rolled oats, a litre of milk or 1 litre of dish washing liquid. I buy our "treats" at the food co-op where I can buy 10kg of food for $15. They often have biscuits or chips and it is so much cheaper.

15. Plan a budget.
Have a goal of how much ideally you want to spend each shopping day. Any money leftover can be used for the following week and can be used to fund a stockpile. You can do this by buying some half price items on sale or spending say $10 of the money left on items you use regularly. I did this recently and spent bought $20 worth of sugar, milk and dish liquid to have on hand.

16. Make use of loyalty programs.
I buy most of my groceries from Coles because I love their Fly Buys program. Even though my family are not typical shoppers we still manage to accumulate enough points by the end of the year to add up to $70-$100 of free groceries. I use this to purchase our Christmas ham and any other special items.


What are some of your tips for saving on groceries?

Bulk spices from Kakulas Bros.

Meat bought cheaply from a butcher.

Fruit for $1 a kilo at a local orchard.

I stock up on deodorants for the teens.

I did pass up on this sale, because at the time we had an abundance of tomatoes in our garden.

Silverbeet from our garden.

Tips For Avoiding Food Waste

Image: liverpool.nsw.gov.au

I've been asked to write a post by one of my delightful Instagram followers about how to avoid food waste, which is something I am very passionate about. My family often hear me getting my rant on about not eating leftovers and how much food is thrown into landfill every year -4,000,000 tonnes!

Food waste has so many impacts. Not only is it costing Australian families thousands of dollars per year- $1036 according to statistics, but the environmental impact is awful. All of that time, energy and resources which go into growing food is just wasted effort, when it goes in the bin without a second thought. 

I'm not going to spend too much time delving into that abyss, but if you are interested, here's a great website with the Australian  food waste statistics

Here are some of the things I have done at some point in our in our household to avoid food waste:

Meal plan- do a fridge/freezer/cupboard audit to see what you have on hand and build a meal plan from there.Then when you do go grocery shopping only buy what you need.

Buy only what you need or buy in bulk- This varies according to your families needs. If you work or study and have limited time, don't buy 5kg of carrots or any fresh items in bulk unless you make time to chop, blanch and freeze said items. Just buy smaller quantities, even if it means paying a bit more because your free time is precious. But if, like me, you have spare time then by all means buying like this can work out cheaper in the long run. I recently bought 8 kg of onions for a couple of dollars and diced them all for the freezer. I'm not sure if I would recommend this as my chest freezer now smells like onions, but it has saved me some money. I also buy carrots in bulk and will keep 1kg in the fridge to use in salads etc and peel, chop, blanch and snap freeze the rest then store in medium sized ziplock bags in the freezer. I also do this with broccoli and cauliflower.

Invest in a freezer- This will allow you extra space to freeze all those extra prepped fruit and vegies and also take advantage of other items on sale. Currently we have 2 fridge/freezers and 2 deep freezers. The amount of money I save in food far outweighs the amount it costs to run these items.

Use those leftovers- Use leftovers for lunch or to create a new meal. Think outside the box. Leftover gravy can be frozen and added to the next slow cooker meal for added flavour. Roast meat can be shredded and used in a shepherd's pie, along with some leftover veg. Mashed potato can be transformed into tuna patties or croquettes, or just freeze it and use in the next batch of soup for thickening. 

Keep the fridge tidy- Regularly tidy up the fridge so you can see what is in there. I've found that making food visually pretty helps. My kids are more likely to grab a healthy snack, if its prepared for them. I will take grapes off the bunch and place in a container, the same goes for cherry tomatoes and I'll chop carrot sticks. Storing salad in layered jars is also a great idea.

Freeze bits and pieces- Half a tomato, half a capsicum in the bottom of your fridge? Both of these items can be diced and frozen then added to recipes. I have a container in my freezer that over time gets filled up with random capsicum off cuts. I just keep adding until the container is full, then add that to the next batch of chilli con carne. 

Ignore the best before dates- Now that I've got your attention, let me explain. Most best before dates are merely a suggestion. I've found most chips, biscuits etc simply taste even after items have "expired" truth be told I've found the same for most dairy, like yoghurt. But just use your sound judgement on this one. Try the food, if it doesn't taste good, toss it. A great way to use up yoghurt is to put it in smoothies or freeze and make into icy poles. Biscuits and crackers can be refreshed by putting them on a plate in the microwave for 40 seconds, then let cool. 

No need to throw this melon out! Just cut off a thick slice on the exposed side, the rest is fine!

Salvage that fruit and veg- Most fruit and veggies are still fine to eat, even if they don't look as perfect as the day they were bought. Cauliflower often gets brown or black spots, just cut those off, same applies to carrots, fruit too squishy? Just cut the bruise out and eat the rest, or put the fruit in a blender and make a smoothie. No waste!

If all else fails, compost!- Sometimes life gets too busy and I forget about the bag of nectarines lying neglected in the fridge. They are to far gone to make into compote, so they go into my compost bin. Which in a few months will provide me with beautiful rich soil for free! All of my veggie scraps go in the compost bin. This year we were rewarded with an abundant crop of cherry tomatoes, chillies and pumpkin, which were all volunteer seeds. 

I will be doing a second post on food waste, with a list of fruits and vegetables and some ideas on how to use them. 

Lovely rich soil from our vegie scraps.

Loads of volunteer seedlings ready for transplanting. We also gave some to friends.

February Grocery Shop

Before I go shopping I withdraw the allocated $400 grocery budget out of the bank and keep it in a little zip lock bag. In this bag, I also keep any bonus Fly Buy coupons and my tell Coles survey which I do every month to get $5 off my grocery bill, adding up to a bonus saving of $60 a year!
I also store my receipts in the bag which helps to keep track of my spending.

If I see a great special I will buy enough to put in my stockpile, which saves money on the following months shopping bill.  For most items I buy generic brands or which ever item works out to be the cheapest per 100g. 

I used to only do a big shop each month with a top up for fresh produce in between, but by doing that I've found I've missed out on good specials. So these days if I am traveling pasta new shopping centre I will call in to check it out. A good example of this is while visiting my parents in law who live about half an hour away we had to call in to a chemist on the way home to pick up a script for hubby. I noticed there was a large oriental grocery store there, so had a browse. There I found eggs at $1.89 for 1 dozen and watermelon for 59c a kilo! Both of these items were at half the price compared to my local store and I still had quite a bit of money left in the food budget, so I could afford to buy them.

Woolworths

3 bags bi carb soda  $4.77
2 x 1.8 kg sausages (clearance)  $7.22
Polony  $2.42
6 x 2 ltrs milk (special) $9.00
Homebrand rice bubbles $2.00
Home Brand cocoa puffs  $2.00
  
Total                                                  $28.39

Foodworks

Rolled rib roast $14.86
Lamb leg roast $21.13
Pork leg roast  $13.82
Whole chicken $10.30
Chicken drumsticks $6.26
Cheese kansky $3.99
Bananas $2.95
Orange bubble bar $1.99

Total $65

Bunnings

Borax $8.20

Total $8.20


Coles

2 x 12packs toilet paper $9.00
2 x 2 litre  white vinegar $2.78
Frozen blueberries $4.50
Frozen rasberries $4.50
2x 1kg frozen corn $5.00
2 x 1kg mince $10.00
4 kg chicken thighs $25.82
Sour cream  $2.20
5x 500g butter $15.00
2 kg plain flour $1.85
2kg self raising flour $1.85
2 x taco shells $4.80
Tomato paste $1.28
Caramel topping $2.65
Wraps $6.00
Sandwich bags 50 pack $2.00
Large ziplock bags 20 pack $2.40
Mini zip lock bags 50 pack $1.90
2 x 500g brown sugar $3.38
Cling wrap $2.15
2 x marshmallows  $3.00
Cooking choc chips $ 1.75
2x 1kg dish powder $ 4.58
Hair dye $10.00
2x 500ml shampoo $3.80
Corn chips $4.32

 Total $ 136.51

Armadale Fresh

2 x coconut cream $1.98
1 ltr coconut oil $8.99
1 ltr sweet chilli sauce $2.49
2 doz eggs $5.00
Butternut pumpkin 3 for $1
Rice paper $ 1.29
Red plums $ 1.74
Mandarin and zucchini 2 bags for $1
Red and green capsicum 4 bags for $1.50 (lady only charged me for 2)
Pocky $1.99

Total $26.48

Kakulas Brothers

350 g dried cranberries $2.78
.875g Himalayan pink salt  $ 10.06
2 vanilla pods $3.98

Total $16.92


Woolworths

1 ltr shower gel $4.99
4 x deodorant  (half price sale) $13.08

 Total $18.07

Coles 

Mushrooms (clearance)  50c
2 x Vietnamese salad kit $1.20

Total $1.70

Oriental Supermarket

4.8 kg watermelon $2.86
Sushi rice $3.34
4 dozen eggs $7.56
Nori wraps $1.65

Total $15.40

Total Cost=  $316.60



 

February Meal Plan

Lemon and garlic chicken with cous cous and salad

I did not end up doing a monthly grocery shop for the month of January because we had heaps of extra food left over from Christmas. I diced the extra ham and turkey and put it in the freezer to use for meals and instead tried the $21 challenge which you can read more about here . It is essentially trying hard to stay out of the supermarket and use up what you have on hand to build meals for a week. The $21 figure is based on 4 people and should be used only to buy ingredients to add to the meals. It is a great tool to use occasionally when you just need to save a few extra dollars fast, or need to use up food in your freezer!

Because we still had lots of meat, frozen vegetables and fruit this was easily achievable. Plus I finally got to use up some random items of food lurking in my pantry.

Roast beef with potato, pumpkin and peas

Which now brings us to February and here are the meals I planned:

1. Roast chicken with roast potato, pumpkin, peas and homemade gravy.
2. Chicken risotto (using leftover chicken)
3. Tacos with lettuce, cheese and tomato
4. Spinach quiche and green salad
5. Pan fried fish and vegetables
6. Potato croquettes with broccoli and carrots
7. Roast beef with roast potato, pumpkin, peas and homemade gravy
8. Slow cooked beef and barley casserole (using leftover beef)
9. Tomato and ham pasta bake
10. Tee hee min and rice
11. Cheese and onion pie with vegetables
12 Peri peri chicken and salad wraps
13. Vegetable fried rice and pork steamed buns
14. Pork roast with roast vegetables
15.BBQ pulled pork and salad (using leftover pork)
16. Meatball casserole and pasta
17. Coconut vegetable curry and rice
18. Spaghetti or beans on toast (mama cbf cooking night)
19. Roast lamb and vegetables
20. Hot lamb rolls (using leftover lamb)
21 Nachos
22. Chrorizo and lentil soup
23.Omelets and vegetables
24. Potato bake and salad
25. Curried sausages mashed potato, carrots and peas
26. Vegetable pizza subs
27. Lentil and potato pie
28.Stuffed potatoes and salad

 Being summer I try to avoid using the oven where possible as it heats up my house too much. I have learned to adapt the majority of these meals to be made in the slow cooker.

Slow cooker meatballs with pasta

For snacks I also made:

Muesli
Homemade yoghurt
Banana bread (using frozen bananas)
Orange and cranberry muffins
Blueberry muffins (frozen blueberries)
Peanut butter balls
Anzac slice
Mango icypoles (frozen mangoes)
Sweet chilli dip (served with vegie sticks)
Rice bubble slice
Choc muesli slice

I always have a variety of fresh, frozen or dried fruit on hand for snacking. Also by making cakes, slices and lunch box bars from scratch really impact positively on the budget. I can make these things for only a few cents each compared to buying the processed, heavily packaged version available in stores.

What types of meals are always on your plan?