Chappy’s Cost Cutting Tips:

Eating Well on a Tight Budget

One of our biggest living expenses is buying groceries. In fact, the average Australian family of four spends $207 per week on groceries, equalling $897 a month or $10 764 a year. With a bit of planning and savviness, however, this can be reduced.

Stock up on cheap, nutrient-dense food. While processed and junk foods seem cheaper and are more convenient, they are not great long term. In contrast, seasonal vegetables and legumes are low cost but highly nutritious. Coupled with starchy foods (e.g., whole grains) and cheap protein (e.g., eggs), you can make inexpensive, nutritious meals that will leave you feeling fuller for longer, meaning that you will eat less.

Plan your meals so you can make the most of cheap staples, reduce waste, and avoid going shopping each day. Brainstorm breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks that include a variety of good starches (e.g., brown rice, wholemeal pasta, potatoes) and protein (e.g., eggs, beans, lentils, tofu, mince). Sample meals are:

• Breakfast: porridge or overnight oats with yoghurt and fruit; eggs or baked beans on wholemeal toast; wholemeal pancakes served with yoghurt and fruit.
• Lunch: leftovers; soup; sandwiches; wraps; noodles.
• Dinner: frittatas; omelettes; soups; casseroles; stir fries; curries; fritters; fried rice; burritos; baked potatoes with filling.
• Snacks: homemade popcorn; fruit; vegetables and dip; homemade baked goods.

Make weekly plans that use your meal ideas. You can also incorporate leftovers and plan times to make double batches into your plan. Thus, when you don’t have time to cook (or don’t feel like it!), you can avoid forking out money on take away. Then, write out your grocery list. Put asterisks next to optional items that you can put back on the shelf if you go over budget.

Build up and maintain a supply of pantry staples. By having certain foods on hand, you will always be able to prepare a variety of cheap meals. Building up your supply can be done slowly and over time by, for instance, buying a few items each week. While you may have a tighter budget for a few weeks as you stock up, you will save money in the long-run. Basic staples include:

• Rolled oats
• Rice
• Wholemeal flour
• Tinned fish
• Canned tomatoes
• Tinned/dry beans, lentils, chickpeas
• Pasta
• Sugar
• Spices
• Cooking oil
• Vinegar
• Baking powder
• Milk (fresh and/or dried)
• Salt and pepper
• Miso paste
• Butter
• Eggs
• Frozen vegetables
• Nuts and seeds
• Tinned/bottled tomatoes

Eat cheap protein. This could include cheese and other dairy, tinned fish, dried or tinned beans, lentils, tempeh, tofu, chicken wings or drumsticks, sausages, mince, and organ meat. You can save costs by eating less meat, stretching what meat you do eat, and buying economical cuts. For instance, you can mix vegetarian meals with meat meals across the week, or use meat as a condiment rather than the focus of a meal. Casseroles, soups, stews, pastas, bakes, and stir fries, for example, can be loaded up with veges, lentils or beans to make a little bit of meat go a long way. Also, while cheaper cuts of meat can be tougher, cooking them in a slow cooker will bring out their flavour. Further, getting dinner into the slow cooker at the start of a busy day means that you will have a meal ready to go when you are tired and not wanting to cook at night-time.

Freeze and preserve seasonal and cheap food. Several Gympie butchers often have cheap meat, so follow them on Facebook to keep up with their specials and buy bulk lots of cheap meat to freeze. Also, you can make jam with cheap fruit, and freeze seasonal fruit and vegetables to use later in the year. Finally, supermarkets often have marked-down meat, bakery and deli goods, and BBQ chickens that can be frozen for later use.

Buy home-brand and items on sale. A lot of staple items are the same as name-brands except in price. For instance, there’s little difference in quality between different brands of rice or pasta. Thus, you can save a lot of money on items like tinned foods and dried foods that will last for ages if you buy them when they are on sale, especially when they are half price.

Get help if you need it. These Gympie organisations provide assistance in the form of hampers, discounted/free food, and grocery vouchers:

• St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies): (07) 5482 7429, https://qld.vinnies.org.au/services/child-and-family/child-family-services?suburbid=?dioceseid=
• Community Action: (07) 5482 1147, https://communityactiongympie.com.au/emergency-relief/
• Gympie Salvation Army (Salvos): (07) 5482 1710, https://www.salvationarmy.org.au/gympie/
• Victory Care Services: (07) 5482 7248, victorychurch.com.au

Happy saving!

Chappy Rachel

[1] https://www.frugalandthriving.com.au/eat-healthy-tight-budget/

[2] https://www.canstarblue.com.au/groceries/average-grocery-bill/