diabetic living MARCH/APRIL 2019 83OTHER NIFTY WAYS
TO SAVE MONEY
DRINKS
Kids don’t need cordial, fruit juices
or soft drinks. Water is a perfectly
acceptable liquid to consume – and
it’s good for you.
If you are a tea drinker, buy leaf
tea. It is cheaper than tea bags, goes
further and making tea in a teapot just
like Nanna used to is a really lovely way
to serve it – and I think it tastes better!
When you’re on the go, take some
green tea bags with you in a zip-lock
bag. When you feel desperate for a
caffeine hit, get a cup of boiling water
instead and enjoy your green tea,
knowing you’ve just saved yourself
$5 and will be doing your body good!
If you drink coffee, either buy the
beans in bulk and grind them as you
need them (keep the beans in the
freezer). Or, just go instant.
Always carry your own water bottle
in the car and your bag. Never buy
bottled water – it is expensive and
all of that plastic is bad for the
environment. You are better off
spending that money on a good-
quality drink bottle that will last
you for years!MEAT
Meat is notoriously expensive, so if
you’re serious about saving money,
you’re going to have to forget rib
fillet, scotch fillet, lamb cutlets, etc.
There are loads of cuts of meats that
are reasonably cheap to buy. Here
is a list of what to look out for.- Minced meat: If you have mince
in the freezer, you’ll always be able
to prepare something for dinner!
[Turn to page 58 for some of our fave
mince meals.] Beef, pork, turkey and
chicken mince each have their own
unique taste. I like to buy my mince
in bulk and then separate it into
family meal-sized portions (about
500g) and freeze it right away. - Sausages: Sausages are amazingly
versatile. I buy mine from the butcher
instead of the supermarket, as the
price is about the same but they
taste much better than
mass-produced
supermarket snags. - Chicken pieces: A lot of
people are reluctant to buy
chicken on the bone.
However, it is not only cheap
to buy, but also far more
nutritious than muscle meat. Plus,
chicken on the bone tastes better!
You can often buy whole, generic-
brand chickens from as little as $5.
Sure, they aren’t huge, but I bring
them home and cut them up into
chicken pieces and they will easily
feed a family for two or three meals
if you stretch them right!
The great thing about the $50
weekly shop challenge is that you
can’t mess it up – every dollar you
save on groceries is a success. And
really, the most important factor is
your mindset. If you really want to
do it, you will. Here are some of the
ways I kept myself motivated –
they might work for you.TAKING FIVE
MINUTES EVERY
NIGHT TO PREPARE
FOR THE NEXT DAYThe kids are in bed, you’ve had your
cup of tea and a biscuit. Before you
go to bed at night – if you can –
think about what you may want
for dinner the next night.Take the meat or meal
out of the freezer
and place it on a
plate in the fridge.
This has so many
advantages:- There’s no need
to use the microwave,
which adds to your energy
bill and cooks food unevenly. - You will have your meal ready
to be reheated or your meat or
other ingredients ready for cooking. - You have a better chance of
sticking to your $50 budget,
because once you have thawed
that meal/meat, you won’t want
to waste it. (Whereas, if you’d come
home from work and had to defrost
something for 15 minutes in the
microwave before you could start
cooking, there’s a greater risk you’d
give up and reach for the takeaway
brochures.)
Top^ Tip
Always^ think^ about^what^ youcan^ do^ today^to^ make^ your^ life^
easier^ tomorrow!Keep a record of your shop totals
I know it sounds nerdy, but I really like doing this! I used some graph
paper and plotted the total of each shop over a few months and kept it
on the fridge. I saw that graph every time I opened the fridge (and
apparently, the average person opens their fridge 50 times per day!).Staying
motivated