[just-us]

Yes I was thinking the same. I try to feed my children Organic food and due to allergies we have to avoid alot of grains and cheaper bulk foods. I buy tuna and the like as a cheaper option but the levels of mercury and overall quality of our diet concerns me.

I like the idea of growing your own veg but I have been warned to not start doing that until you have had your soil tested. In our area, for example, they used to spray DDT to ward off bugs back in the days when this area was market gardens. It can take 25 years or more for that to clear from the soil.

I find it very difficult to go to many different stores with my two! How do your kids all deal with that? Our one weekly shop (or fortnightly if I can) is like pulling teeth. I find that I whizz through so fast that often I'll forget things. I try to drag DH through on his day off but he just resents that and I get even more stressed!

Oh and fish! We try to eat fish as often as possible but I refuse to buy farmed or imported fish which means you have to pay big dollars! There doesn't seem to be any way to eat well and cheaply!

We recently began the switch to cloth nappies. I was more concerned about the environment and was buying biodegradable ones before, which is more expensive than Huggies! I'm already noticing an improvement in our weekly shopping costs but I'm a long way short of being 100% cloth! I probably need another 15nappies to get us through. I figure I'll buy one or two a week.

I also want to say how impressed I am with you guys. There are some very organised mummies out there. I find that I lag entirely when it comes to being organised and just sit back in awe at your work. I find chasing my two around all day so draining that I never have time to get on to a budget or meal planning. I do however work on the basis that I'll make a meal out of what is in my pantry. I try to work the pantry down until it's all gone...or close (minus flour etc) and then just buy very basic food, like beans, tinned tomatoes, tuna,quinoa, lentils, spices, fresh fruit/veg and meat/fish. We don't use much in the way of chemicals and yet our weekly bill would be more likely between $200-$300! Madness! With two in nappies it used to top $400 some weeks.

Does anybody have any very creative ways or getting around these monster hurdles I've placed before me!

Thanks guys
D

[daviesjv]

Hey D,

Just a quick response re the dragging kids around the supermarket - I just can't do it at all! With 3 under 5 it would drive me INSANE, not to mention, like you said, I'd forget half the things on my shopping list. Besides which, by the time they are all in the trolly there's no room for any food!! I actually do half my shopping (the non-refrigerated half) in my lunch break on one of the days that I work away from home. I then pop out one evening and do the other half when the kids have gone to bed.

If you don't work (and thus don't have the luxury of a lunch break), do you have a trusted neighbour who might be willing to pop in and mind the kids for one hour each week??

Cheers,
Justine

[Mintjelly]

For those sensitive to where your food comes from please DO NOT read my post.

If you live on a couple of acres, invest in a young steer, (6 to 10 mths). Cost around $200.00.
In around 18 - 22 months you will be able to have a market broker, pick your steer up, send it to the meat works (it is labelled as yours) then sent to a local butcher to package in the size servings you require. Cost around $250.00.

The meat that you get back will be the most tender you have ever eaten, free of preservatives and will end up costing around $5-$8 a kilo and you will have around 200kgs of meat. Our steers normally last us in meat for around 10months. A huge SAVING.

DON'T HAVE A huge FREEZER? -

Go halves with a friend, charge slightly more a kilo they will save heaps of money and will help you with the costs!

PS WHATEVER YOU DO....DO NOT NAME THEM WHEN YOU FIRST GET THEM IT MAKES IT PRETTY TOUGH TO SAY GOODBYE

PSS Thanks to everyone for their great tips!!

[eamber]

Nice money saving tips.


A good way to save on groceries.


Keep them coming.

[mumGP]

You can buy nappies and pull up cheaper at ALDI also baby wipes. They are much CHEAPER than other supermarkets anywhere. I also shop at NQR before going to the supermarket. My last shop at NQR was $70 dollars for a trolley FULL and that lasted us two weeks ,schools snacks and youghurts included.

[spunkalicious]

ALL of the suggestions I've read are fabulous! I'm a recent convert to Farmers Markets for my fruit and veg. I only buy what's in season and I plan my meals around the seasons. The farmers markets are cheaper than the supermarkets, the food is fresh, has travelled less and keeps longer.
You need to use cash (which helps with the budget), just avoid the yummy bread and cheese stalls!!

Marie Claire also has a seasonal cook book with great ideas that are simple and inexpensive!