Hiya Readers!
Food glorious food! If there is one subject I love to talk about, it is food :)
I also happen to love cooking food - luckily for me.
I did not get an opportunity to post last weekend because I spent most of my time in the kitchen.
Food and cooking is a huge part of my frugal living journey.
It all starts in the supermarkets where I only buy food at the very lowest price. Most people HATE grocery shopping with a passion. I am one of those unusual people that love grocery shopping. To me its a game. Trying to get my fav ingredients at the lowest prices and then beating the lowest price again!
Grocery shopping is a necessary evil so why not make it fun?! I feel there are SO many things we have to do as responsible adults that we find boring, annoying, laborious...insert more negatives adjectives here!
I want to live a fun and enjoyable life. So that means making activities such as boring grocery shopping a game to play - not hard if you are competitive by nature!
I race around the supermarket, nap my bargains and then get the hell out of there!
I allocate $200.00 a month for groceries. This feeds my husband and I plus our two fur babies - Rover the cat and Cookie (Cookie Monster for short!) the dog.
I have no loyalty and I take no prisoners. If it is not the cheapest price I have ever seen then I do not buy the product. Unless, of course, I am having major chocolate withdrawals (there has to be at least one exception to every rule!).
Months ago I bought a beautiful piece of beef at Coles. How is it that a roast on sale is cheaper than mince full price?! We live in a crazy world people!
Last weekend, I put the roast in the slow cooker early in the morning and by mid afternoon it was ready to shred to start making meals to freeze.
I made four different dishes equating to 34 serves - whoa!
I made Thai beef curry, beef enchiladas, beef fritters and a beef pie filling.
To make the beef stretch I add tonnes of vegies to each dish. I also happen to LOVE vegies. My mum doesn't even need to pay me to say that!
It gives me so much satisfaction to be able to work full time and cook delicious and healthy meals. It does take a full day out of my weekend but the money I save and the enjoyment I get makes it worthwhile.
All that savory made me crave something sweet.. brownies and chocolate covered strawberries were next on the menu. A match made in heaven! My brownie recipe was from Cath Armstrong's blog - cashed up debt free and laughing. BEST BROWNIE RECIPE EVER!!
I don't only eat these freezer meals during the week - I would get bored with the beef and start looking at expensive alternatives like takeaway...
So in between freezer meals I make fresh meals. usually there are leftovers and I freeze these too. I am so incredibly grateful for my chest freezer!
Spending a day cooking may not be everyones cup of tea but its how I live on my frugal terms.
Jen xx
Hi Jen well done on taking this first step!
ReplyDeleteLiving a frugal, intentional lifestyle becomes one of those things where the sum is greater than the parts. There is so much to be gained by living this way, not just saving money, but by preventing food waste you are stopping food going to landfill, which is helping the environment. Bulk cooking saves on electricity, a win for your budget and the environment too.
I'm excited for you taking the first steps towards what I consider to be a better life, well done :)
Thanks Cheryl! It's definitely a satisfying way to live life.
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