Sentry Page Protection
Dear Cath - February 2018
Q. Dear Cath, I am trying to save on our grocery budget. We are a family of 7. My husband and I. My 18 year old son, 16 year old daughter, 14 year old daughter and 13 year old twins. All of my children - particularly the boys - are always hungry. Our grocery bill is often $600 a week. Can you help? We eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and small portions of meat - mostly mince, chicken, roast lamb, salmon and tuna and lots of pasta. Should i assume that if you feed a family of 4 for $80 a week i should be able to feed my family for double that $160? I would appreciate your advice around this. Sharon
A. The $300 a month food challenge is based on a family of four. If you have a larger family add $75 a month per person.
The challenge covers all food, cleaning products and toiletries.
It does not include takeaway meals, every item being a branded product or luxuries.
It's not hard, but it is different. Once you stop stressing on the "$300 a month, that's all I have to spend" it becomes very easy.
You do need to be organised with a detailed shopping list made up from your meal plan and pantry/fridge/freezer inventories and then your need to stick to it. If it's not on the list it waits until next shopping day and you find substitutes using what you have on hand to replace said item.
You will also find that you are probably doing more cooking - especially as you have a growing family that includes teenage boys, they seem to have hollow legs, I know, but not using any more time. The time you used to spend at the supermarket has simply been transferred to the kitchen.
I found that offering bread with meals and always having a dessert of some kind kept them full. I also kept, and still do, hard boiled eggs in the fridge for snacks. Pita chips and MOO dips or salsas are also good snacks. In our house we all love cake and biscuits, but I keep them for desserts rather than snacks (they last longer). MOO yoghurt, frozen in summer, with diced fruit or muesli is also a good dessert/snack option.
You have nothing to lose and the potential to save quite a bit of money by giving it a go.
A. The $300 a month food challenge is based on a family of four. If you have a larger family add $75 a month per person.
The challenge covers all food, cleaning products and toiletries.
It does not include takeaway meals, every item being a branded product or luxuries.
It's not hard, but it is different. Once you stop stressing on the "$300 a month, that's all I have to spend" it becomes very easy.
You do need to be organised with a detailed shopping list made up from your meal plan and pantry/fridge/freezer inventories and then your need to stick to it. If it's not on the list it waits until next shopping day and you find substitutes using what you have on hand to replace said item.
You will also find that you are probably doing more cooking - especially as you have a growing family that includes teenage boys, they seem to have hollow legs, I know, but not using any more time. The time you used to spend at the supermarket has simply been transferred to the kitchen.
I found that offering bread with meals and always having a dessert of some kind kept them full. I also kept, and still do, hard boiled eggs in the fridge for snacks. Pita chips and MOO dips or salsas are also good snacks. In our house we all love cake and biscuits, but I keep them for desserts rather than snacks (they last longer). MOO yoghurt, frozen in summer, with diced fruit or muesli is also a good dessert/snack option.
You have nothing to lose and the potential to save quite a bit of money by giving it a go.