“I’m always surprised by how well we eat for less than $50 a week,” said my husband this week.
We were sitting down to a quick dinner of impossible egg and bacon slice, a recipe that my mother-in-law had given me not long after my husband and I started dating.I used eggs that my inlaws had given us from the chooks on their farm, bacon bought in bulk, and I grated the cheese myself rather than paying extra for pre-grated stuff. (If you are wondering, based on the same cheddar cheese at Woolworths you would pay $11.60 a kilo rather than $17 a kilo for the same product). I tried to include some green vegetables for my sons, aka peas, which they promptly picked off. The slice underneath, however, was a winner. And it was super easy and quick.
In September 2016, I embarked on a year of eating on a budget of $50 a week. That included food, drinks (yes, alcohol!), treats such as chocolate and cleaning items.At that time, I was cooking for myself and two young boys.
I started the challenge to use up stuff as, while I prided myself on my frugality, I was throwing out food.While I wasn’t wasting as much as many people (the average Australian family throws out one in five bags of groceries each week), I was still ashamed and embarrassed.And I also wanted to save money. As the average weekly grocery spend for a family our size was at that time over $150 a week, I calculated we could save at least $100. I decided to put away that money for Christmas. And then at Christmas, I decided to keep going.
Four months ago – with a new husband who has a relatively robust appetite – I convinced the family to have another go at the $50 a week budget.My motivation once again was using up stuff.I’ve come to realise that I’m more of a hoarder than a minimalist, albeit a frugal one.
Second time around, I’m finding the challenge is harder than back in 2016/17. But once I (or rather, we) got into it, it was oddly manageable and even fun. I find it easier to shop for less: we waste less time in supermarket queues, there are less items to cart upstairs and less food to put away. And a bonus is less science experiments lurking in the back of the fridge. I still waste food, but it is much, much less than before.
Think a $50 a week budget is impossible?It does require organisation, motivation and a willingness to shop and cook in new ways. If you have a horde of hungry teenagers, you might need to tweak to find a frugal balance that works for you.That said, I am conscious that for many people doing it tough, a $50 budget is generous.Food security is an issue for many people in my community, and throughout Australia.
Here are some of my tips for surviving and thriving on a $50 a week budget:
1. Use a shopping list
Perhaps you think this is a no-brainer, but many people routinely go shopping without a shopping list.And essentials like milk and bread are often hidden at the back of the supermarket, which means temptation to buy other things while you are on the hunt.How many times have you gotten home only to realise you forgot eggs, bread, milk or other things and had to go back shopping again? We keep a shopping list in a drawer in our kitchen and we add to it whenever we run out of something.And I go through the list as we are shopping and cross off items as we buy them.
2. Meal plan
I’m a self-confessed foodie. I get so excited when I go shopping. I love to buy things, especially things that are in season. I admit that sometimes I get carried away with possibilities and buy too much, which is why I use a meal plan. When I plan my meals, I factor in when we are not actually at home (e.g. out for birthday parties or dinner at the inlaws home).On average, I find I only need to cook five or six nights a week. And I also factor in how to use over leftovers, e.g. a roast making its reappearance in croquettes or Asian style noodle soups.This helps me focus when I am shopping.
3. Eat less meat – and cheaper cuts
We save money by bulking out meat with other proteins such as eggs, lentils, beans, rice, noodles or whatever.And we use cheaper cuts of meat such as minced meat, chicken drumsticks and wings, as well as tougher cuts suitable for stews and casseroles.Usually, we will have one meat-based dish that we extend or reuse for leftovers.For instance, my spaghetti bolognese always has secret ingredients hidden in it such as red lentils, zucchini and carrots.And a roast chicken later becomes chicken soup and risotto.A bonus is that limiting the amount of red meat in your diet is also good for you – and the environment. The Heart Foundation recently released guidance encouraging people to eat less than 350g of red meat a week.As my husband has a heart condition (he nearly died of a heart attack 18 months ago), we take their advice seriously.Meanwhile, the UK’s Chief Environment Scientist, Professor Sir Ian Boyd, recently urged people to eat less red meat to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Accordingly, you can save money, improve your health and help the environment by eating less meat.
4. Eat fruit and vegetables in season – preferably homegrown
As a teenager, I had a part-time job at a fruit and vegetable market.While stuffing carrots and potatoes into bags did little for my fingernails, I developed an innate awareness of how fruit and vegetables not only taste better when in season but are much cheaper as well.Currently I am enjoying strawberries and the last of the brassica crops (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage). Friends are gifting me lemons, and the parsley on my balcony is thriving.I love the bounty that each season brings.
5. Cook from scratch
Home cooking is made with love. It isn’t always plated like a fine dining restaurant, and it’s rarely made the same way twice.It often incorporates leftovers or last-minute impromptu creativity.But as the recipes you will find here on Budget Club attest, you can save a fortune when you cook from scratch. This is probably why many top chefs credit their mother, or their grandmother, as their key culinary influences. Home food is soul food; pure and simple.
Hungry for more? Add a few of these budget-friendly dinners to your own family meal plan:
- Impossible Egg and Bacon Slice
- French Onion Mince
- Chicken, Bacon and Pea Risotto
- Sticky Sausages
- Curried Lentil and Vegetable Soup
- Easy Roast Pumpkin Soup
- Speedy Thai Chilli Jam Chicken
- Cheesey Crust Casserole
- Creamy Tuna Mornay
