$1000 in the Rubbish.

It’s estimated that the average household in Australia throws out over $1000 of food per year. And it’s easily done. Left overs on a plate are thrown out at the end of a meal. Families are over busy and items in the fridge go mouldy in the rush. Diet fads change and food needs are replaced. Food items sitting outside the fridge too long. Uncertainty of use by and before dates. Lunch boxes with crusts and soggy items brought back from school. All of this contributes to food wastage.

Now let me put it another way. Would you place $1000 from your purse to the rubbish bin? Ouch right? You wouldn’t and yet we are so relaxed about throwing food, which hurts our opportunity to save and create wealth.

In the past 6 years I have become aware of food I throw out. After researching on the internet and discovering people who are making conscience changes in how they manage their wastage, I was determined to do something about mine. I reduced it and found that some food items I was discarding was actually nutritious food in other countries or ethnic groups. So yes – some items you are tossing out, I am cooking up for health, wealth and a better conscience.

Here is an example I have for you today. A few days ago I was gifted a beautiful juicy watermelon that was grown on a local farm. My family has been eating and juicing the ruby red flesh and leaving behind mounds of rind. However in my internet travels I have learnt that many people juice the white rind and green skin for nutritional benefits. And in countries such as India it is used in vegetable curries. Other countries stir fry watermelon rind and pickling is popular too. So instead of filling up my compost bin I slice and cook it. It has a lovely sweet taste reminding me of a mix of cucumber and choko.

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So take some time to think before you throw food out, on how the waste really affects your bottom dollar and think outside the box. Find out if those leaves, stalk or skin are really rubbish or a flavoursome addition to a meal.

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Shop on a Budget.

One of the easiest ways to save money is to budget your grocery shopping. Personally I like to write a menu plan and then go shopping with my menu and shopping list in hand. It makes me feel more in control of my cash and my time.

Menu and shopping list planning can be done in a few stolen moments on a scrap piece of paper – it doesn’t need to be in fancy organisation books or spreadsheets if you don’t have the time or inclination. But I can tell you budgeting for food allows you to be smarter with your dollar and allows you to get the better deals. And think about it, every dollar tucked away and saved can help you create your wealth to financial freedom.

My family’s weekly budget is $110AUS for groceries (2 adults and one 6-year-old child). We live in an expensive city and people often ask me how can I possibly have such a low grocery budget and eat properly. Well in my family we are not deprived at all and we eat very well. However I also add to my food items by growing a little fresh organic produce in a community garden and my partner’s hobby of fishing brings in a catch from time to time.

Here’s my shopping from last Monday and the evening meals I cooked this week with these groceries and items left over from previous weeks.

A weekly shop.

A weekly shop.

Monday: Fresh fish my partner caught oven baked and served with shop bought salad ingredients and herbs from my garden.

Fish for Dinner.

Fish for Dinner.

Tuesday was my daughter’s last day with her best friend who was leaving town so I organised a special cooking playdate. I whizzed watermelon in my blender to make fresh juice. I organised pizza ingredients on the table and they created their own dinner. To end the meal they made decadent Ice Cream Sundays. My partner and I also had the same for dinner – delicious, and it all came to about $15 for the whole meal of pizza and ice-cream for four people. Much cheaper than having taken the girls out for dinner and I believe much more stress free fun for them.

Homemade Pizza Playdate

Homemade Pizza Playdate

The Tropical Thirst Quencher - Watermelon Juice

Tropical Thirst Quencher – Watermelon Juice

Wednesday: couscous accompanied by slow cooked lamb with carrot, potato, olives, capers, tomato sauce, herbs and gifted dried organic raisins (from a friend’s farm).

Couscous with Slow Cooked Lamb.

Couscous with Slow Cooked Lamb.

Thursday: Fresh fish caught by my partner, pan seared with sage from my garden. Served with a salad of tomatoes and greens from my garden plot.

Pan Seared Fish and Garden Salad.

Pan Seared Fish and Garden Salad.

Friday: Soft and Hard Tacos filled with mince and fresh corn. Topped with 5 varieties of tomatoes, Thai coriander and salad greens all from my garden. Grated cheese topped it off.

Mexican Inspired Taco Dinner.

Mexican Inspired Taco Dinner.

Saturday: Fried rice made with purchased rice, cauliflower, carrot, garlic, 2 eggs and a splash of soy sauce. Also added are kale, spinach and herbs from my garden.

Simple Fried Rice.

Simple Fried Rice.

Our breakfasts consists of a fresh fruit/veggie/green juice that I make fresh in the morning and then toast, cereal, rice, yoghurt or eggs. Lunches are left overs, sandwiches or sushi accompanied by fruit, veggie sticks and biscuits. Dessert is not a regular item on our table but when it appears it’s cake, ice cream, yogurt or fresh fruit salad.

So as you can see – we eat well on our smaller than average grocery budget. I supplement with a few garden ingredients and I’m lucky when my partner catches a fish suitable for eating from time to time. At the end of each week I have a few ingredients left that can be carried over to the following week’s meals.

You can feed your family on less than the average spend for your region. It just takes a little planning, a sharp eye for the worthwhile bargains and the desire to save some cash. Imagine stashing away $20 a week by shopping smarter and wasting less. At the end of the year that’s $1,040 for you add to your savings for wealth creation or any other money plans. When added to your other savings made here and there, it can really add up.

Beginning.

Hi Readers,

Thank you for coming by. This is a new blog where I hope to share information in the aim to inspire you to live abundantly while avoiding or creating debt. Living on the money you have with care and maybe even creating wealth. I hope that readers will respond by sharing their on wealth of experiences and wisdom.

This is a place where we can talk about money; saving some, spending some and using it wisely as to look after the people and things that we care about. A place to talk about earth, it’s beauty and some of the impacts us humans have on her. A place to talk about family, community, society, culture and all the interesting things that interlink in those areas of our lives. A place to talk about crafting as a way to save money, feel pride, nourish our creativity and be kinder to the planet when pursuing upcyling. A place to talk about food, what we eat, how we cook it, where we obtain it, how we grow it, preserve it, save it and waste it. A place to talk about hobbies and passions whatever they may be and a place to talk about relationships, love and even hate.

That’s a lot, I know. But this Blog is about the things that enrich our lives and also about finding abundance in the everyday we lead even when we are on a shoe string budget. I hope you will join me as I aim to live a joyous life with what I have in my pocket.