Moderator
I have to declare an interest here (DP works for Woolworths) but it's not right that Aldi is cheaper. Compare like with like and they are on par and often cheaper. Aldi is the equivalent of generic or homebrand products. So if you buy the equivalent at Coles or Woolworths (Preferably Woolworths - mumma needs some new shoes) you will find you are not paying extra. It also helps to look out for specials (obviously
) and buy meat, etc when it is on clearance at the end of the day.
Registered User
Ok, so you can live well and cheaply, but it often requires a bit of time and planning.
My big tip - get the "infrastructure" you need to support your low-cost outings. Start with a good quality stainless steel travel mug and make yourself a nice coffee/chai latte (or whatever) before you leave the house (I got mine @ the health food shop, and if you preheat the mug with boiling water before you add the hot drink it stays hot for hours). Get a collection of good qual drink bottles, and make some drinks for the kids before you leave. In summer I keep a supply ready in the fridge/freezer. Have a good medium-sized lightweight backpack to carry them in, and add a waterproof picnic rug so you can just stop wherever and enjoy the outdoors.
I agree with the PP who suggested doing whatever you could to get a bigger freezer on board. The savings to both time and money if you cook in batches and freeze, then you have an endless supply of yummy dinners you can just pull out when you CBF'd. It also means that you can do a big veggie shop at the markets less often when you're planning to have a cook-up, rather than schlepping there every week/fortnight. It also means you can buy what you cook with when it's in season, eg, we're still eating yum pumpkin soup that we made back in March when pumpkin was 90c a kilo, whereas now it's nearly $4/kg. We save yoghurt tubs to freeze things in.
Learn to love pasta/rice/couscous. And tuna. And pasta with tuna. LOL. Also, experiment with the wonderful world of frozen veggies. Not so much on your dinner plate, but if you use them in your soups/casseroles etc they can be excellent (just respect that they've been frozen once already and keep them 'fresh' but not cooking them as long). Also mince, you can make pretty much any casserole type thing with mince instead of chunks of meat, it still tastes the same, and you'll save a fortune.
It might be worth also thinking about getting some childcare. Even just one day a week can give you the capacity to whip through a lot of those errandy/shopping/organising type things, or you could organise your market trips around those times. It might seem counter-intuitive (as it costs more $) but if you're on a very low income you might find you're not paying much at all. And if you're efficient with that time, it can mean that you enjoy having a cafe stop occasionally with your girls, instead having to stop and feed and water everyone in the middle of trying to get whatever errand/shopping done.
Moderator
Agree with that one. I find I can get so much done, with little extra expenditure, as I am on my own. Also lets me have time to check out the clearance rack for specials or to really compare pricing.
Also childcare is entertainment for them. As they can paint, craft etc there, it means I can cut back on that type of expense at home. Plus they are also fed, which means less out of your budget
Registered User
And re you phone/internet/mobile - there are savings to be had with these. Are you really using every penny worth of that expenditure? Think about whether it would be cheaper just to have a mobile plan and a prepaid dongle, or naked adsl and make your phone calls via the internet, for example. I don't know how much your Foxtel costs, or whether the number of hours you're using represents good value or not. We have a DVD/harddrive recorder thing, so we just tape what we want to see (free to air) and then watch it when we want. Combined with the occasional trip to the DVD store/public library DVDs (where you can hire an entire telly series for <$10) we pretty much have more good telly than we have time to watch.
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