Tho there is not much at this time of year Then, we buy sheep/cows etc from local farmers as "home kill" and divide those up between us too.You have to be really careful when shopping if you do go to the supermarket.Buy pasta/rice etc when it is on special, dont just buy 4 get like 10!I have some large bins in the garage (from the local bakery) and I store excess in there until needed.Get apples/fruit from locals with trees.I am not over just knocking on the door of someone with a laden tree to ask them for some!Buy washing powder etc from Placemakers or Mitre 10 in bulk it is much cheaper than the supermarket.
amazing_grace,
Jul 9, 5:42am
I always buy "yesterdays bread" and I buy really cheap margarine etc, not butter, or flora or anything.Here you can get 1kg of marg (not sure of brand, poss Pams) for about $3.50.It is fine for baking too.I only buy cheese when it is cheap, and then I will buy 3 (it keeps well in the fridge).I dont buy yoghurt, or pasta sauces, or tomato sauce, or maggi packets.I make everything!
winnie15,
Jul 9, 8:57am
a.grace is making your own yogurt cheaper and taste ok!.do you use a special maker for this!
winnie15,
Jul 9, 9:54am
here's a good site http://www.destitutegourmet.com/ theres some great recipes in their.go through the newsletter part and you'll find some great yummies!
thank you soooo much . All of you.I feed our family of 6 on $130 each week.It is hard and a little stressful, umm a lot stressfull actually.Your ideas and support is amazing and a real lift to my spirit.It can be difficult timewise doing the research and planning but am getting into a 'swing' Will be much easier with all your wonderful ideas. will be watching
yduj,
Jul 9, 10:31am
Ange64 - back a bit you talked about using someone's offer of grapefruit and adding sugar to make juice.I find that if I juice grapefruit and put in into the milk containers as you said but dilute it ½ and ½ with water that it tastes just lovely if left for at least a day.After that time it no longer tastes 'watered down' and doesn't seem to need sugar.Give it a try.
ange164,
Jul 9, 10:13pm
thanks, I'll try it. will limit drinking of it to a glass a day as am on meds it could affect; but lovely idea.
ange164,
Jul 9, 10:19pm
Winnie, in the "we don't have to buy it, we can make it" thread, there is a post at #588 on how to make a"Hay box" which can be made out of newspaper and a box; this is what I used instead of a yogurt maker machine. I can use an easyyo packet or I can use a tub of natural yogurt added to a jar of warm water and milk powder, some sugar and vanilla, and half a tin of fruit salad chopped small to make tasty fruitsalad vanilla yoghurt. See post 616 for longer explaination in that same thread. I worked out that particular yoghurt cost me around $2.50to make a kilo. Easy yo on special would be the same and easier, but wouldn't contain the fruit.
winnie15,
Jul 10, 3:32am
hey ange thanks for those posts! I'm going to have to go back and re read a few times to get it in my head!
crails,
Jul 13, 11:25pm
Valentino How did your beef experiment go!
mcardnas,
Jul 13, 11:58pm
200$ oh poor you ! wish i had that to spend
valentino,
Jul 14, 12:23am
That beef experiment went okay. Cooked a little bit of mince, slightly savoured it and went as a treat.the meat pieces cut up as one expects. like meat. Only thing was that there was added moisture within the packages, wondering what it is noting on the package that contains preservatives. Overall, just a lttle down on normal meat. Oh, BTW, in UK, there is a person whom goes around and tastes all sorts of foods as such hence the thought of trying this. Must note the warning on doing this is that pet foods are designed for pets only. but neverless, these meats are pure. Cheers.
darlingmole,
Jul 14, 9:17am
mcardanus - so you've got 2 adults, 2 full grown teenage sons, 3 teenage daughters, 2 toddlers and it's all bliss on the $200/wk to feed us front (which must include cleaning product/womens monthly products/fruit/vege/milk and nappies).Yes I can I can see how you think I'm luky to do that for 9 people
toadfish,
Jul 14, 6:19pm
Ignore them DM I think people just wander into threads. don't read the whole thing. then compare themselves. when its apples to oranges. I find it hard to feed the 4 of us on $200. so you are doing a stunning job.Got some bargains at Foodtown yesterday. Popped in for Milk, HB Flour & Eggs.Got a whole tray (30) of size 5 Eggs for $2.99, I don;t mind them being small and at that price you can have 2!.Cruised the deli for reduced items and got a pack of pate for $1.07 and the best baragin was 6 small Tommos Pizzas for $3.05 a pack. there were 4 packs so grabbed them all.They usually retail at $7.80, I would never pay that for what I call a "treat" food. So 1 of the packs with vege soup will make a dinner well under $10. At 50c each mini pizza it will also be great for the girls if they have a DVD evening with friends. pizzas & chips.Easy as!
toadfish,
Jul 14, 6:24pm
This is a make do with whats in the cupboards week for us as I have the cats annual trip to the vet to pay for. so apart from the basics I am trying to hold of shopping till Friday at the earliest.Need to do a vegie shop though but thats about all.Don't forget trade me though. I make a few extra $$$ clearing out the stuff i don't need, kind of like a continuous on line garage sale. You may think its only $5 but that $5 can buy a pack of patep plus a pack of 6 pizzas and give you change if you spend it right. or 4 loaves of bread.
mcardnas,
Jul 14, 8:08pm
146 your purposefulmis~spelling of my nametells me alOt about you, how sad that you feel you have to do that.be gratefulwith what you have.
mcardnas,
Jul 14, 8:09pm
and ps i have even lees to live on and feed my family than you . so i do understand what it is like . and yes i did read the whole thread
mcardnas,
Jul 14, 8:10pm
less* .
timetable,
Jul 14, 8:12pm
hi everyone! brought a catering can of tom paste for $13.00 so will make that up into pasta sauce this morning - will get around 14 1/2 size preserving jars out of that, that works out to be the same as 2 cans of bought stuff.it preserves really well and i use it in everything from pasta to sauce base for pizza, to stews soups etc.picked up chickpeas for 1.59 a med size can so will make hummus today as well - great protein hit for the kids and not fattening!chicken noodle soup for tea with homemade bread and pumkin soup in the crockpot for tea tomorrow night.woodlands butchery just beore ingill have buy 6 trays of meat for $25.brill value to top up our meat till the next pig and cattlebeast arrive.take care all and blessings!including christmas club vouchers spent 250.00 for the fortnight!God is good mostly specials!
helen59,
Jul 14, 8:16pm
Some ideas It is well worth reading Sophie Gray's Destitute Gourmet books - they are available at the library (You usually need to reserve them). Her recipes are great and it is worth reading the front section. There is an older book called 'How to Live off the Smell of an Oily Rag' which is great too - I bought it on TM several years ago. I reckon the easiest way to save on your grocery bill is to make your own bread. I use a breadmaker that I bought second hand for $40. It takes 5 mins to prepare and costs a fraction of a bought loaf.
kob,
Jul 14, 11:22pm
todays motto is to learn to complain Our grocery stores are dictated too by what they have to have inside them by there owning companies, eg: foodstuffs, or foodbrands etc etc so when we get our flyers on a sunday we worke out our lists for the shopping and we get to our supermarkets and they are dictating to uswhat we can buy by whats on the shelf if the said coffee that is on special is not on the shelf how many of us grab another brand unspecialed and think nothing of it WELL COMPLAIN because for every special item they have not put on the shlf they have incouraged you to spend $1 maybe more dollars that budgetted SO i have been going to the customer service desk and demanding a replacement item at the special price eg mocchone coffee is on special for pkts at $7.99 none on shelf so i take jar of same weight same brand for same price.it works & i get to stick to my budget rainchecks are no good cause you forget them
kob,
Jul 14, 11:26pm
i dont buy takeways much but kfc on friday night ws absolutely ridiculous, poor customer service, cold chips and 35 minutes from time entering store to leaving only 3 people in front of me PATHETIC so head office recieved am email from me this morning, we are geting a huge MacDonalds biult in town at the moment and we have more food shops than people so to succedd in this food industry service needs picking up, so I complined about the service, the length of time I waited, plus the shambles that was there staff they looked untidy and for gods sake I have to smile at my customers they looked like they were struggling to even carry there body weight regardless of the fact they were at work, so watch this spce I have become a complainer, will i get a reply i do not know!
kob,
Jul 14, 11:35pm
as good as I am in my job I am reminded each week in our staff meeting the customers secure you in your job, so for every customer lost is the potentail for your job to be lost too, so smile and give outstading customer service, IF i have to do that to keep my job can I not at least expect that when im going around trying to spend my hard earnt money.What do you think, we can chosse where to spend our cash we dont uneccasarily have to spend it anywahere, what brings you back to the place you shop apart from run of the mill like petrol & food its friendly customer service isnt it well I want the same when im shopping christ my smile somedays is very painted on but its still there, so please start complaining and get our customer service back where it should be
darlingmole,
Jul 15, 12:01am
gee mcardnas so you're allowed to make a spelling typo but I'm not!What tender feelings - my apologies.And yes, sucks doesn't it being broke . I'm not having a dig at you (or anyone for that matter) so you know little if anything about me.Best wishes feeding your family and thank you to every other poster on here for their continuing support and really helpful suggestions :-)
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