Tips to save you time & money on your food bills

I have a hungry husband and 3 children so shopping on a budget is a 'must' in our house.  We don't have money to burn (who does?) and I find that I can keep the food bills low by planning ahead.  Each week, I sit down with a copy of 'Food before 5' and it takes about 10 mins to choose 5 meals to cook this week and write a list of ingredients I need.  I stick to my list whilst shopping (within reason) and this helps eliminate food wastage and impulse purchases.  I check my list of recipes for the week which I have pinned up on my calendar and each day I choose a meal from the list - depending on the time I have and what we feel like :)

Rachael Hallett from Click Your Heels - Professional Organisation has stopped by and given us some tips on meal planning. This is what she has to say:

Spending less is always something I keep in mind and my food budget is not immune. I like to eat flavoursome meals which are easy to prepare and fit well within my budget. This can be really hard to accomplish with today’s busy lifestyles.

My yearly food budget is pretty modest and I enjoy the task of creating balanced, flavoursome, budget friendly meals. To help me keep my food budget under control I use several tools. I have a set budget, I stock up on some items at Costco and I meal plan.

Meal planning is probably the best tool any home cook can use. It saves you loads of money on wasted foods and eliminates stopping at the shops every afternoon to grab that missing ingredient. It’s also very quick and easy, requiring less than 30 minutes per week to plan breakfasts lunches and dinners.

If you really want to slash your grocery bill, here are a couple of my handy hints:

•  Plan around your schedule! Busy evening on Thursdays? A meal from ‘Food Before 5’ could be perfect.

• Make all your lunches ahead of time then just grab and pack in the morning. Most simple sandwiches and baked goods can be frozen and will defrost perfectly while sitting in a lunch box.

• BE FLEXIBLE! Life happens; don’t be too ridged in your meal planning. It’s okay to just go with the flow now and then.

If you need help getting started and motivation to keep on going then why not purchase a Deluxe Meal Planning Folder from my website www.clickyourheels.com.au.  See below for details.

More about Rachael: My name is Rachael and I am a full time employee, part time house wife and also help my husband run his plumbing business. I not only love to save myself time and money where I can, I have to.

I am passionate about helping people also save their time and money so I started Click Your Heels – Professional Organisation. As a part of my business I have created a meal planning folder which includes heaps of information on meal planning, templates for planning and shopping along with some simple meal ideas. You can find more information about my services on my website www.clickyourheels.com.au or purchase a meal planner via the online store.