Thread: Fighting the rising cost of groceries

G'day All, some interesting stuff in here and some "hey look at me, aren't I the ants pants with what I can do with a $1.00" type responses. I currently have 6 to feed, coming up for 7 when the new born comes along in April. I like to eat meat, good quality steak at least once to twice a week. Also seafood, chicken, quality lamb etc etc. So as I think Dobbo suggested for like minded people, makes friends with a farmer or a co op for meat and veges. I have put in an order for a whole cow, which will be slaughtered Monday, butchered that week and ready for pick up. We are taking a quarter and I have notified mates, who are taking the balance. Have done the same with pork and lamb. Works out at around $3-4 a kilo, in the case of the cow for steaks, roasts, sausages, mince, off cuts etc. Will last us months and months.

As for general shopping, as has been stated, buy bulk, check out the junk mail, do up a shopping list and stick to it ( Hence why SWMBO does the shopping ) and like anything if it gets tight find a way to earn additional income.....it can be done.

Regards

Stevo

P.S. I wont bore you with my weekly menu

Sunday:
Toast and apricot jam and cheese/vegemite and cheese, white tea.
---------

Can you talk me through this dish...... ?

Does the apricot jam go on first, followed by the first layer of cheese or vice versa.

Originally Posted by Ace

....I think some *snip* seem to think i started this thread because i cant afford to live or something and that rather than cut back on other luxuries i would rather skimp on shopping for my family.....

I hope I'm not in that category Ace as my statements are all to the general populus and not having a dip at anyone in particular...

even though my wife and I earn good money, we still buy wholesale meat, wholesale vegies, wholesale baking ingredients (flour, butter, dried fruit, nuts etc etc) and spend the time making all the meals we cook from scratch. All our breaky cereal, curries, sauces, pasta etc come from the base ingredients and are made on the day we eat them, then the intentionally made left overs go for lunch the next day.

Our kids also only eat home made food from fresh ingredients and they probably pay for that on occassions they over indulge in stuff like chocolates, soft drink and lollies at friends places as they will "redecorate" more often that not . But my 3.5 year old likes nothing more than making gnocci, biscuits, pizza... it's just like playdough but you are meant to eat it at the end and they all cost penuts to make....

We also have a fowlers system in the house for making jam, pasta sauces, bottled fruit etc - costs cents per serve as you only buy in bulk at the peak of the season. After a few years you can tailor the volumes to suit your consumption so you don't end up with leftovers at the end of the year... some of my favourite memories are standing with my parents and grandparents in the kitchen washing, cutting and filling bottles with fruit and tomatoes!

Originally Posted by EchiDna

I hope I'm not in that category Ace as my statements are all to the general populus and not having a dip at anyone in particular...

even though my wife and I earn good money, we still buy wholesale meat, wholesale vegies, wholesale baking ingredients (flour, butter, dried fruit, nuts etc etc) and spend the time making all the meals we cook from scratch. All our breaky cereal, curries, sauces, pasta etc come from the base ingredients and are made on the day we eat them, then the intentionally made left overs go for lunch the next day.

Our kids also only eat home made food from fresh ingredients and they probably pay for that on occassions they over indulge in stuff like chocolates, soft drink and lollies at friends places as they will "redecorate" more often that not . But my 3.5 year old likes nothing more than making gnocci, biscuits, pizza... it's just like playdough but you are meant to eat it at the end and they all cost penuts to make....

We also have a fowlers system in the house for making jam, pasta sauces, bottled fruit etc - costs cents per serve as you only buy in bulk at the peak of the season. After a few years you can tailor the volumes to suit your consumption so you don't end up with leftovers at the end of the year... some of my favourite memories are standing with my parents and grandparents in the kitchen washing, cutting and filling bottles with fruit and tomatoes!

No mate not at all. Some people seem to using this thread to attack the way others live, just because people dont buy rib eye or scotch fillet steak. For god sake people grow up, just because some people plan out what they eat over a month they are tigh wads or eat cheap crap.

Mods just lock the thread its ruined now.

No mate not at all. Some people seem to using this thread to attack the way others live, just because people dont buy rib eye or scotch fillet steak. For god sake people grow up, just because some people plan out what they eat over a month they are tigh wads or eat cheap crap.

Mods just lock the thread its ruined now.

Mate, I have read all the thread, and I don't think anyone has had a go at the way other people live. Some people just play the devils advocate. If someone says per se that I am struggling to pay my grocery bills but I almost have enough money saved for XYZ, one may question the anomaly. One would also assume that perhaps they are struggling. Some people can be loaded and still very tight with their dollars, it can depend on how the initial thread is presented or read. Besides mate you have been on forums long enough to know that not everyone is going to produce a cohesive view, there will be differings of opinion.

In the case of yourself, having read the initial thread, there could be 2 trains of thoughts. One.....how to reduce the cost of groceries in terms of what, how and why. Another train of thought would be to reduce ancilliary costs, get a part time job or the missus finds full time work. Its a good thread mate,

Regards

Stevo

Originally Posted by Ace

No mate not at all. Some people seem to using this thread to attack the way others live, just because people dont buy rib eye or scotch fillet steak. For god sake people grow up, just because some people plan out what they eat over a month they are tigh wads or eat cheap crap.

Mods just lock the thread its ruined now.

I don't think this either, in fact I agree, over the last 8 years my income has doubled, so has the size of my family, the amounts on our monthly bills has close to quadrupled. If there are was to save on consumable items great, lets here them. The fact is if you want to pay 1980's prices in 2008, you have to miss out on a few luxuries. One of my neighbours lives of $20 of meat in a week. I could do it but I prefer not to.

Originally Posted by stevo68

G'day All, some interesting stuff in here and some "hey look at me, aren't I the ants pants with what I can do with a $1.00" type responses. I currently have 6 to feed, coming up for 7 when the new born comes along in April. I like to eat meat, good quality steak at least once to twice a week. Also seafood, chicken, quality lamb etc etc. So as I think Dobbo suggested for like minded people, makes friends with a farmer or a co op for meat and veges. I have put in an order for a whole cow, which will be slaughtered Monday, butchered that week and ready for pick up. We are taking a quarter and I have notified mates, who are taking the balance. Have done the same with pork and lamb. Works out at around $3-4 a kilo, in the case of the cow for steaks, roasts, sausages, mince, off cuts etc. Will last us months and months.

As for general shopping, as has been stated, buy bulk, check out the junk mail, do up a shopping list and stick to it ( Hence why SWMBO does the shopping ) and like anything if it gets tight find a way to earn additional income.....it can be done.

Regards

Stevo

P.S. I wont bore you with my weekly menu

Fabulous post Stevo, you scored two childish hits against me, bluntly your intention...... and you contributed.....nothing.
Absolutely nothing here that wasn't already posted by others in trying to help other forumites with ideas on how to make ends meet.
My intention was to assist, not to glorify myself and my family. Nice twist.
My menu was an answer to another misguided post, I see it may have hit a nerve with you! That is proven by your meat content in your post.
You are what you eat, isn't that what they say?

Originally Posted by adm333

Can you talk me through this dish...... ?

Does the apricot jam go on first, followed by the first layer of cheese or vice versa.

LOL you'll figure it out!