1. When in doubt, make soup. Make a big batch of your favourite veggie soup, then do something different to it each time you serve it - blend some curry spices, add tomatoes, throw in some lentils, add bacon bits, serve with grilled garlic bread. (They were all different options, but you could do them all at once if you were really hungry).
2. Self-preservation - There is growing interest in home preserving, baking, curing, brewing, sausage making etc.
3. Listen to your grandmother - Turn off taps when you're done, save string, re-use bags and bottles, put lids on your saucepans (saves 20% energy and speeds everything up), and cut out waste. Think twice before you toss anything out. Greeks cook beetroot greens and toss in olive oil, Turks stew broad beans pods and serve with yogurt and dill, Chinese dry mandarin peel and add to stews for fragrance and flavour.
4. Grow Your Own - Funny how we're turning back to growing our own fruit and veg. Even if it's just a pot or two of herbs you can keep on the windowsill of a flat, you will suddenly feel completely self-sufficient.
5. Eat with the seasons - Because it's in season, it's more abundant, because it's more abundant it should be cheaper. Even if it isn't, it's better value because it's fresher and tastier. It also means the producers haven't had to find new ways of preserving shelf life and storage.
6. Send the food processors broke - Not the ones you plug in and whiz, but the middleman who buy fresh unprocessed foods and do things to them, offering them to you with extra flavours you don't want or need. Instead, buy the fresh, unprocessed food yourself and keep your own 'processing' to a minimum, e.g. buy whole fish and whole chicken rather than fillets and pieces - you'll get better quality, and learn how to fillet and joint like a chef. Whole lettuces last longer than bags of mixed leaves, and unwashed is cheaper than washed. Don't buy ready-made vinaigrette, breadcrumbs, pre-chopped vegetables and pre-grated cheese. It's money down the drain, when you can do it yourself and save.
7. Love your leftovers - Throwing food out is throwing money out. If you do have leftovers, take it for lunch the next day.
8. Steak. Get over it - A plateful of vegies and pulses with a little bit of red meat is a lot cheaper than a plate of meat with a little veg and a lentil. Striking a better balance is better for your pocket and for your overall health. Make fish, chicken and meat go further by adding beans, lentils, chickpeas and rice. Turn your meal - planning around so that the most expensive ingredient is the 'flavouring' rather than the main event.
9. Use eggs and cheese for protein, nuts and seeds for fibre and crunch, and yogurt and avocado for richness. And return to something as beautiful as a great steak-and-red-wine dinner to the special status it deserves... crave it, look forward to it, and enjoy the hell out of it. Just not every second day.
10. Cook your own 'take-away' - Love pizzas? Learn to make your own, or use pita breads as the bases, and get some help from the kids with doing the toppings so everyone has their own. Are you a burger person? Try cooking salmon burgers, chicken burgers, or normal burgers with a bit less meat and more of your other fillings, such as beetroot, avocado, tomato, cheese and lettuce. Craving Greek/Lebanese? Cover the table with little dishes of dips, breads, raw vegetables, herbed rice, and skewers of home-made lamb or tuna souvlaki.
11. Freeze - It's a fabulous feeling knowing you have tubs of chicken stock, pumpkin soup, chicken curry, Bolognese sauce, good bread, etc in the freezer. Frozen bananas make a great instant ice-cream - just soften and whiz.
12. Buy ten get one free - Beware of the supermarket bonus offers, which often tempt you into buying two for one of something you didn't really want in the first place.
For more savings tips, speak to one of our financial advisors at 1300 55 10 45 or visit www.intellichoice.com.au for more details.
