GIVE UP
TAKEAWAY FOODI have to be blunt – you’ll never save
money if you buy food someone else
has cooked. End of story.
For some people, the idea of having
to spend more time in the kitchen is
scary – we’re so used to fast-food
giants on every corner, and aisles of
packaged meals in our supermarkets.
And I totally get why we succumb.
When we’re knackered and have to
pick up the kids from sport or music or
whatever, it’s so tempting to pop into a
takeaway place on our way home. But
this is where you really waste money.
I kept my takeaway receipts for a
year and, when I added them up, it was
frightening. The average burger, drinks
and chips for the four of us was nearly
$40! And we were doing this at least
twice a week, also with the occasional
takeaway breakfast when we were
driving somewhere on weekends.
Plus, all that takeaway was expanding
our waistlines (especially mine!), so
there was the added cost of buying
new clothes, as well as the incalculable
long-term cost to our health.
If your family only has takeaway as
an occasional treat, this will be easy.
But, if you have it more than a few
times a week (I’m including takeaway
breakfast, lunch and dinner here), it’s
going to be more of a challenge. But
don’t be too hard on yourself. You are
changing habits built over a lifetime,
so give yourself a break. If it’s too hard
to ditch takeaway all at once,
wean yourself off slowly.
Reduce it by one meal a
week, or whatever works.
To make this easier, make
sure you have soups,
pasta sauces, casseroles
and other premade
dishes ready in your
fridge or freezer to
help you resist
any takeaway
temptation.‘Fancy value’ is the name I give anything with the words ‘gourmet’ or
‘organic’ on the label, or any luxury ingredient that inflates the price.
Now, I do value organic foods, and I love that some people work hard
to produce them, but I would never buy them from a supermarket.
If you want to buy organic fruit and veg, go to a farmers' market or
a local grocer and buy the real deal. (Smaller organic farmers often
can’t afford the exorbitant costs for certification, but that doesn’t
mean their produce isn’t nutritious and delicious!) Also, I hate to be
the bearer of bad news, but research has shown organic fruit and
veg is no healthier than standard fruit and veg. What’s way more
important is whether or not you eat enough vegetables and fruit.
DITCH THE ‘FANCY
VALUE’ FOODS