Categories
Budgeting Economy

Rachel’s Top Six Tips for Feeding a Family on a Budget

#Budget #FoodShopping #BigFamily

Rachel shares her top six tips for feeding a family of six on a budget. You would be shocked at how much you can save!

Watch on YouTube
Listen to Podcast

My top 6 tips for feeding a family on a budget

1 – Buy your meat in bulk = no meal planning.

  • If you cant buy in bulk, look for cheaper cuts
    • Sausages, mince, silverside, chicken drumsticks, organ meat
  • Meal prep  
    • slow-cook meals
    • Frozen bakes – only when in season
      • Write instructions on alfoil

2 – Don’t eat out

  • Have easy quick meals always available
  • Organise your recipes to reduce the ‘what are we going to have’
  • Buy snack food that will fill you up like Cheese and Salami
  • Cook food at work – even breakfast

3 – Separate your shop

  • Meat from butcher
  • Vegies from greengrocer
    • Only when required
    • Only when you have eaten everything
    • Time it so that you have space in the fridge
    • Minimise food waste
  • Wholesaler for spices
  • Groceries
    • Aldi, Woolworths, coles

4 – shopping frequency

Monthly / bimonthly – Only 24 not 26 shops a year

  • Long-life milk, bread in the freezer
  • Get organised, it will take a while

5 – Minimise food waste

  • Long-life milk – 1L with kids
  • Bread in freezer
  • Only defrost today and tomorrow?
  • Leftovers blended to make baby food – freeze in ice cubes
  • It’s not a good buy if you don’t use it
  • Fresh fruit and veg – shop for 2 weeks, it will usually last 3
  • Meal planning leads to wastage if you don’t freeze everything but today and tomorrow
  • Buy smaller containers ie. Corn for kids, Chickpea story
  • Eat leftovers before you cook
  • Learn how to preserve food when in season
    • Garlic cloves in vinegar
    • Sliced beetroot
    • Onion and garlic jam

6 – Cook from basics

  • Better for you but not always the lowest cost
  • Often the only way to eliminate sugar/vegetable oil
  • Cheaper things
    • bolognese sauce
    • Stock
    • Rendered beef drippings/tallow
    • Taco spices
    • Play-doh
    • Anzac biscuits
    • pavlova
  • Expensive things
    • Bread
    • Mayo
    • Tomato sauce
    • Chicken strips – good freezer meal
    • Cakes

Other tips

  • $/kg – Costco is not always cheaper
  • SAHM – opportunity cost