How my LOW SPEND year is going | I was shocked!
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- Опубликовано: 23 авг 2024
- #farmerswifehomestead #lowspender #recession2024 #budgeting
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Stacey
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Thank you all so much for your amazing tips! I really hope others have got some great ideas that we can all start doing. I have been MIA as I lost my very loved pet Pig I raised from birth. She died on Saturday and I have been heart broken. She has been in my videos and is also is in my Logo. RIP Miss Piggy. ❤
Rest in peace and love Miss Piggy, big hugs Stacey 🩷
Oh, I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s like losing a child. I’m sure you are constantly looking for her. Let yourself grieve, my Friend. You need your time for that right now ❤️
Whenever one of my pets died I would write down all my memories of them so I could read them years later and remember them. It helped me grieve I think. I'm petless at the moment 😥
😥♥
So sorry to hear yr sad news. These pets become so.much part of our family. Very much like kids. ❤🎉❤
Oh, well done!!
My tip: When I want to tighten my food budget, I will order online and schedule a pick-up, thus avoiding entering the grocery store and being tempted to add the odd item into the basket. It forces me to stick strictly to my shopping list and avoid temptations.
I was just coming here to say this exact thing! It has really helped me trim down my spending for sure.
That’s exactly how I do it too. Entering the store is so tempting!
I go shopping fortnightly (or longer if I can make it), if I run out of milk or bread in the meantime i'll run into the local 4 square or Dairy just for the 1 item. The supermarkets are very good at tempting you into buying stuff you didnt plan to get so best avoided if you can. Ive got an extra freezer to store bread, milk etc
Because of your videos I've been saving my receipts to keep a tally. One of a few things I have done over the last year is buy milk powder. Bottles no longer take up space in the freezer & no empties in the rubbish either. No more dashes to the supermarket, saving extra $s & petrol 🥳
I do this too
Love You, Stacey!! One thing that I grew up with & still do to this day, is a Soup Bucket. We always used a plastic ice cream bucket, but you can use any freezer safe container. After every meal, any bits of leftover veggies (even if it was a tablespoon) got dumped into the Soup Bucket. Green beans, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, squash, whatever, Liquid & all. It was kept in the freezer & when it was full, it was time to make soup! You can add any meat or pasta when cooking, if you like. The extra benefit is that you usually don’t have to season, because you seasoned the veggies before the leftovers went in the freezer. Dump it all in a big pot, add your broth, etc & you will be shocked at how good the soup will be. Hope this helps!! xoxoxo
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I love this idea! Such a good way to stop wasting our food.
Reducing food waste has been a big one for us. ❤
The freezer is your best friend, save it or use it up
You already know this but I will say it anyway cook from scratch and eat from the freezer and pantry . Make whatever you can and buy the specials .
My husband and I downsized so we could retire early (one year ago this month). My tip: We have a giant whiteboard (24"x30") in the kitchen which we have divided into "big freezer", "little freezer" (these are inventories), "meal plan" (what we are going to eat for the week), "wish list" (treats, food gifts), "needs" (grocery list) and "baking schedule" (generally what day for which kind of baked good). My husband does all the cooking, while I do all the inventory keeping, date rotation, planning, and most of the shopping. Because we're on a fixed income, our goal has been that if we had a low-budget month, we could eat almost entirely from the freezer/pantry and still meet an unexpected expense. Love watching your videos, even from the other side of the world!
Great idea- we are aiming for early retirement and are 1.5 years away- I'm always looking for tips to speed this up!
What a great tip. I have a wipe clean blackboard, I’ve just drawn out the idea you suggest on it - and like you I have a big freezer and little freezer.
Great tip! Inventory freezer management is what I’m working on now. Ive used Stacey’s freezer printable to list what I have but I need to do better. I have a big chest freezer in my garage, a standup freezer & a smaller freezer below a spare fridge. Just yesterday I went through my standup which is my ‘inside’ freezer & organized it so my top shelf has all my freezer meals for the week so I don’t need to be looking in 3 places where I put things. I also put my packet frozen vegetables here too & found quite a few half opened pkts which will be used first. I went to the secondhand shop & brought these plastic file binders which I used to put my frozen vegetables into. For the rest of my freezer I organized my shelves by type (idesserts, meat etc). I have been ‘living’ off my freezer meals for a couple of months now & have noticed massive savings planning meals by the month. Not wasting what I have is my big takeout. I have a winter vegetable garden & access to lots of fruit trees. I’m going to make apple pie filling following Stacey’s video using grannysmith apples & freeze those. I like the whiteboard tip & will use a 3M Post It dry erase surface ‘whiteboard’ sheet to put these on a side of each of my freezers & write up what’s inside. My chest freezer is what scares me because I know lots of kai has just been ‘dumped’ in it without thought. I probably need to bin a fair bit. The monthly meal planning combined with freezer meal prep eating seasonally & using what I can access around me has been a godsend - I haven’t felt like I’ve needed to be in the kitchen so much & when I’ve felt knackered those freezer meals have saved me 😊 The upside is that when I do cook I’m enjoying it so much more!
My suggestion on how to save money is really for other Kiwis. You're already here so this is the month to make soup for the freezer. Pumpkin. Vegetable (onion carrot celery leek swede and potato). Leek and potato. And my favorite broccoli and blue cheese. All of these veges are about as inexpensive as they will get and it's healthy, delicious, easy food. Serve with some homemade bread on a cold Sunday night all winter in front of the fire watching a cosy murder NZ mystery on the telly. Or reading a book from the library with your feet up listening to the rain and wind against the windows. This is living when it's cold out and work is still another sleep way.
Beautiful description!
My #1 tip: Don't be swayed by sales. Set a fixed figure in your head what you are willing to pay for an item and don't be influenced to pay more. Example: my local supermarket tinkers with the price of ground beef (mince) quite a lot.The price usually runs about $12 for a 3-lb. chub of 80/20. They will raise the price gradually over the period of 4-5 weeks until the price is $16. Then they will have a huge advertisement "SALE" for $13 and in big letters say SAVE $1 PER POUND. You aren't saving, you are losing $1 over the normal price. The sale must not have gone over very well because about a month later there was a real sale on the same product for $8 and I bought 30 pounds of ground beef, which will last for a very long time as I have a household of one person. That's my tip ... the word SALE can be attached to anything ... it doesn't mean you are saving money.
So true! I receive emails for the specials, and keep a price book, even of meats that I buy only rarely, then it's easy to follow the price cycle.
This is so true!!!
Stacey - I just love your videos. You have to be the most genuine person on this platform! Though I am not a farmers wife, I am a kiwi's wife living in the USA. I just made your tomato relish recipe and my husband absolutely loved it. He has not had it in years! Next time I make sausage rolls I am for sure going to try adding potatoes like you did. Genius! I was thinking, what if you did a Kiwi classics series? It could help you when you get stumped for ideas. New Zealand has so many yummy things, all of your delicious slices would be a lovely to share! Or any other kiwi recipes you can think of. Thank you for sharing YOU and your time with US! ❤
I would love that. One of my favorite things to do is try other countries food. Living in Missouri, US we eat boring food (😊 boring to us anyway)
She is a wonderful cook, I'm also a kiwi, living in my country, and I love her recipes
@@maureengibbons9472 She reminds me of my husbands auntie - the kind of cook that knows how to make everything with out a recipe!
Another vote for Kiwi classics.
@daniellebath3029 - You can also add a cupful of rolled oats to every cupful of mince, to extend the servings of the mince-based meal. Whatever the mince-based dish, I always add the 1:1 of mince/rolled oats, to lasagne, rissoles, patties, tacos etc. or whatever involves a mince base.
I live alone, no children/grandchildren, and I struggle with a daily routine that’s actually productive. Even though you have a husband and family, I’d love to see how you structure your days on a day-to-day basis. Also, a walk around your farm as you move toward winter would be interesting - do you have animals, what kind of crops does the farm produce, that sort of thing. I hope neither of these suggestions seem too intrusive - they aren’t meant to be! Also, having worked for many years for non-profits (meaning, very low pay for me!), my best money saving tip is not to go into stores. If I don’t go in, I won’t be tempted to buy something. 😊
Not a money saving idea, but just wanted to say thank you for your channel and also to say, your hair colour is gorgeous.
Thank you for sharing so openly. Watching your videos I feel like I'm having a visit with a dear friend.
As requested, here's a way I save on home expenses: instead of reaching for a paper towel to handle most kitchen spills and cleaning I use terry cloth towels. With a stockpile of 50+ washcloth-sized white terry cloth towels I have plenty to use for about a week. They wash and dry quickly, and can handle bleach.
When my children were little and we had very little money coming in, I was asked to donate to a charity that I believed in. I could not find even 10.00 to give and I felt terrible. My employer at that time would do a payroll deduction, gather everyone’s donations and send them it. Mine they would match! I decided I could give a dollar a paycheck, only two a month but 24.00 a year and matched it was 48.00. That was an eye opener for me. Spread it out and it was achieved. I used this many times to pay for many things, I just saved it up and if we had extra, that when in the pot too. I love you channel and your ideas. Thank you for sharing!
Love this idea. So small amounts add up,but I used to be so impatient waiting,but these days it’s tons easier. Thanks for the tip☺️
Loving your hair down! Some of our cost saving tips are: 1 Turn off all of your appliances when not in use, tv included! I saved a load by doing this. 2. I add kidney beans and black beans to my Mexican. It makes it stretch so much and tastes great! 3. We dont buy any takeaways. 4. I make 1 kg of mince stretch to 4 separate meals! Each of those meals generally have leftovers which are used for another dinner, or taken to work for lunch! Leftovers lie savoury mince, spag bol, Mexican etc are delicious in a toasted sandwich/ jaffle! 5. I dont buy unnecessary cleaning products. I item is used pretty much for everything! I dont use dishwashing liquid, i use soap in a metal soap dish shaker! Hope some of those ideas help! Would love to see more budget meals and also can we conquer sourdough starter together!
1 sachet dried yeast, pinch salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 cup of flour, & water you've cooked potatos in to create smooth, pancake like mix. Cover & put in warm place until bubbles form & dough starts to rise & voila sourdough starter. Use 1cup of starter to make first sourdough bread, adding 1 cup flour to left over starter to 'feed' it.
Store starter in fridge & bring to room temp to use & feed ❤
@@gr8fng which type of flour do you use? I've had no success with rye, which I'd prefer.
Growing some of my own veggies indoors year round using hydroponics. Start with lettuce and you can grow anything. I’ve been doing it for the past five years and it really helps my food budget. God bless. 🥰❤️🙏🏻🇨🇦🍁
I make my own spray and wipe cleaner, with vinager Little bit of rinse aid a little bit of morning fresh detergent and water in a spray bottle saves me so much over a year.
How about making a vanilla slice ? ❤
I’ve subscribed to a couple of wholesalers - Gilmours and Preston’s, for their weekly specials especially meat emails and also our local butcher. I will buy meat in bulk and freeze it in 2 meal portion lots for my husband and I. I also make up freezer meals as I have a permanent medical condition where some nights I just don’t have the energy to cook and it just about stops us from getting takeaways. Stacey I got a 10kg bag of onions from Gilmores for 10.99 as opposed to the 1kg bag for 3.99. I chop them up and freeze them.
My tip: I live on my own and would often throw out a lot of green veg. Hard to buy some things for one person. Now when I buy veg and have unused things, before it is at risk of going off I prep and freeze it in meal portions, ready to use for the next time I want it. And making and freezing my own bread. Both inspiration from Stacey. Thanks so much for all your guidance, it has transformed my view on making and preserving food.
I am 83 have cooked and baked most of my life but I love your videos and am learning different things all the time I also am in NZ Thanks
Hi there. I would love it if you could come up with some drink mixes to save buying them. I think Alison Holtz used to make them using citric acid or something like that. You just had to add water. I am certain this could be useful.
My biggest money saving tip is for fruit. Never be too afraid to knock on the door of a home where fruit is falling on the ground and not being used. I have had access to a lot of fruit this way. I usually return with baking or jam, etc, from the fruit as a thank you. Often, the homes I have approached are elderly folk who just can't manage the fruit themselves anymore. However, they are overjoyed to see it get used and also enjoy the goodies I make and the chat. Thanks for your good channel.
I remember that cordial yes it was Alison Holst. Old school and I have lost that book,even a ginger cordial would be great
Just looking in my Alison Holst book, think I’ve found what you’re looking for. There’s a tangelo one and raspberry soda
Yes please. Any would be welcome.
Thanks for another amazing video :)
Savings tip : Shopping pantry/freezer before doing grocery shopping is great way to not double up on items :)
Top tip. Don't shop on empty stomach!!
Making most of a chook. Bought frozen chook instead of frozen last week, so saved $7 and got an extra large bird. Put wings, legs and spine in pot and made broth then used that meat for several meals. Roasted breasts on crown and left over roast meat from that meal got eaten with leftover roasties. The 2.2kg chook cost $10 got 2L of broth and 8 meals off meat. Used 1L of broth with pumpkin from garden and left over slow cooked Moroccan lamb to make a tasty soup which stretched to 10 portions so got easily 16 meals from 1 bird and still have a litre of stock. Better living NZ!
I have started making my own seasonings like taco seasoning, I make my own enchilada, pizza and pasta sauces from Roma tomatoes I got for $1.80/kg. I bought my Australian garlic by the box and made pucs for the freezer. I make bread, rolls and fruit loaves. I also make my own laundry powder and cleaners.
My tip is vinegar and water for cleaning in a spray bottle so much cheaper than cleaning products. I also add a bit of dishwashing liquid for the bathroom.
TOPIC REQUEST - Hi Stacey, I'm continuously searching for new canned convenience meal ideas in a jar videos. I can a lot at home - an old school water bath can everything person and I love to get ready for the colder months in the South Island. It has been an absolute money saver to can meals that my family love to eat like butter chicken, curry beef, teriyaki chicken because the portions are enough for 2 servings (500ml) jars and dinner of choice is served in 15mins. This has reduced the need for take out on busy school days or tired mummy moments. Love your easy going and natural chat videos, feels like I'm chatting in the kitchen with an old friend💐💐
Hi Stacey, thank you for all your ideas, I'm using quite a few tips and pass them on the my friends. I'm in my 70's and only cook for one. You have got me back into freezing more than 1 meal again, thx for that. My money saving tip is not food related, When hand lotion, deoderant wont squeeze anymore out, I chop off the bottom of the container and scoop out the remainder of the product and put into a smaller jar. It's amazing how much is left in there . Have a great weekend. Blenheim NZ
Same age group and I do this also. I get at least another week or 2 from the container. I have done this for a long time. Amazing how much is thrown out because you think it's empty 🙃
Tip: gather up all the bits of soap that everyone leaves in the soap dish. After a few months when I have enough, & when it has dried out, I grate it ... then using wet hands I reconstitute into soap balls. I've found that the soap balls last longer than the normal cake of soap ... as they not dissolving in a wet soap dish.
💖Hi Stacey, I love your cooking & baking videos, my Mum always told me to use up what ever you didn’t eat that day for dinner the next day , so if I made a roast dinner , use up L/O Cauliflower make Cauliflower Cheese , L/O Broccoli make a Cheese & Broccoli Quiche, Even White L/O Roast Potatoes Make Bubble & Squeak, It saves a bit of money, that’s the little tip I was told by my Mum, anyway love thank you for sharing your great cooking tips & tricks, sending big love 💕 to you your husband & all your lovely family stay safe , all the way from England 🏴🇬🇧LorrXX🙋🏼♀️💖🐶💖🥰
Wow, I mowed my yard and came in, showered and sat down with a tall glass of iced tea for my Stacey fix… It’s hot and humid here in Ohio… Girl, you have the prettiest blue eyes! You need to give yourself a pass on your grocery budget… I have watched everyone of your videos and you have always bought sales and stretched chicken, veggies, minced meat further than most of your viewers! You have given us all some ‘ah-ha’ moments with your ideas. So much variety with the same ingredients… My hint and a way we make Christmas or a special trip a real treat, is we save $1 bills… if we break a bigger bill, the ones we get in change, go straight in a pretty tin I have in my kitchen window… It adds up! Last year, I opened it to count it to help with grandkids Christmas… I had 900 dollars in there! That brought a smile to my face and the realization that we never missed it. Thank you for your videos! We don’t care what you cook, just allow us to follow along!
P.s. you’re fab! I’d love to see some of your family heirloom recipes the recipes that your Mum, Aunties and Grandmas used to make for you. Or you Dad, Uncle’s and Grandpa’s 😊 The ones you looked forward to and still think of fondly ❤️💕❤️
I grow as much of our vegetables as possible from seed. For example, a packet of carrot seeds might be approximately $5 but you get 100 seeds so it turns out cheaper than buying seedlings from the nursery.
Your budget tips Stacey are making a huge difference at our house. Something as simple as freezing leftover cooked chicken, the reduction of waste is significant so thank you Stace ♥️
Hi Stacey, I'm a fairly recent viewer of your videos, and am enjoying them. I don't have any tips for saving money that relate to cooking, but I've been making my own deodorant for about 15 years now. I originally did it because I'm allergic to all anti-perspirants and all the deodorants I'd ever tried (though I've now found one I can use). So I found a "recipe" that worked for me, and it's certainly cheaper than buying the proprietary stuff.
In case anyone is interested to try it, it's one part bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to three parts of cornflour (corn starch) and three parts of coconut oil - ideally melted so it's easy to mix in. Mix those together well (I have a small hand-held mixer that I keep for this purpose). Then you can stir in essential oils to make it smell however you like it - I use patchouli and sweet orange; but it could be ylang ylang or vetiver or whatever you prefer. Then decant it into a pot or a tub and let it set a bit. You could also add vitamin E oil or shea butter. Or I think beeswax pellets might be good too, though I haven't tried those.
I have all the ingredients, will make a small batch to try it. Thank you
@@coolgirls4855 Great! Good luck, I hope it works out for you as well as it has for me.
I’ve moved to 8 hr free power days on the weekend and make, then freeze,most of the weeks dinners. I’ve also been taking advantage of frozen chickens on special. Each one is two dinners plus shredded and frozen into small freezer bags for work lunches. On the second power free day I use the carcass and make chicken soup. This year I’ve been more organised with vacuum packing/freezing ….not only saving money but a great time saver to not have to prepare veges after a long work day. I’ve been inspired to do this and so much more from your videos. Thanks a million!😁
Thank you for all you do, Stacey
You are truly an inspiration to me...
I've been making all my meals from scratch all my adult life and I much prefer home cooked food to anything that comes out of a packet!
Healthwise as well as tastewise.
I'm in my 76th year..
Watching you in the kitchen gives me many ideas for variety in meals as well as determination to stick to my very tight budget.
"Managing with what I have left" without going back to the Supermarket for 'top-ups' is my No.1 money-saving method.
😊
Budgeting makes me mindful with every dollar…… not always easy but in the long run better than it would be without it…. I also find that only shopping once or twice a month and making what I do have stretch helps keeping me focused as to what is really needed as opposed to stopping at a store here and there more often and grabbing this and grabbing that. Great job on keeping to your plan…. Some months will always be more and as long as it is balanced out somewhere else it’s fine. Be well 😊
Thank you Stacy, I have only recently found your channel and am very grateful to be learning from someone down under (I’m in West Aust) and someone who is so real and normal (as in like most of us), and nice too.
My tip is FREEZE rather than refrigerate leftovers. So many times I have popped a plastic container into the fridge to “have later” only to find it a week later growing mould 😢. Jan from Kalamunda
One saving tip is i joined kiwi electric a few years ago and i make the most of the power hour which is a free hour of power. You cant choose any hour youd like but the hour i choose really benefits my family of 6. When the kids get home from school its straight in the shower, i cook tea in that time, i use my dryer and washing machine, charge anything that needs it. Our power sits around $35-40 pw in summer and $55-60 in winter (saying that i do buy firewood so that figure isn't for heating).
My other tip is ive always put $5-10 extra on bills when i can (rates, power bill, school etc) so that when times are tougher, im already in credit and i can feel less squeezed when it really counts.
I also online shop groceries and i always shop at both Woolworths and paknsave every week, i keep both tabs open so i can see which has the best prices and then i choose a time where husband will be going past the stores so its not extra gas. We spend around 150$ a week and thats with four growing kids 💖
You are awesome ❤
My tip - buy whole frozen chickens, especially when they are on special. Only 2 adults to feed. Once cooked it gives us two dinners and one lunch.
I’d love to see more home preserving videos please.
Shop clearance items and before you buy it have an idea of how you are going to use it, fresh - freezing -drying - canning - fermenting etc...
Really loving your channel!!! My Tip: Being from farming families, we often barter/swap with friends and family. A really good example was during Covid, we would barter our own homegrown/homemade items eg cackleberries ( eggs), baking, fruit and veggies for other items. We've actually always done this but during Covid it was especially helpful. Its something that our great grandparents and grand parents would have done in there day and other generations continue to do in our family😀😀😀
My two cents worth on saving money....while I shop fortnightly for the most part, I try to make each shop last two days longer than the two weeks. I don't have a designated day to shop. Monday this week, Wednesday in two weeks, etc. This means there is an unused food allowance roughly every two months to be spent on extras, hobbies, emergencies, or saved. I also do the common stretch meals practises most people mention,as well as making from scratch most things. Lunches are usually a small meal too, more work but cheaper than buying as is most cooking. Every family really needs a stay at home cook and chief bottle washer, to be able to save money and this is not the reality for most these days. But pushing the shopping back one to two days each time does give you extra money and doesn't require a huge effort.
You are doing great! Give yourself some grace considering you were trying to get ready for surgery. Hope recovery is going well and not too painful.
Hi a video I would like to see is how you cook one of your frozen meals to see how it's done and how it turns out. Lots of people show how to freeze the meals but I've never seen anyone cook one from the freezer.
With only 290 a month for a family of three. I found the biggest way was to cut out, processed foods, quick foods, and make real serving sizes. L O L that was the hardest one.
Enjoy your videos, thank you. I'm a grandma living with my disabled daughter and her 15 yr old daughter. Our budget MUST stretch! I think one huge way we save is to not eat out... no take aways, either. Nope. My granddaughter gets her McDonald's fish sandwich meal once or twice a month, otherwise, we cook all our own food. It's better, and definitely healthier, to say nothing of cheaper. We also have an AWESOME food co-op in this city. It has helped us so much. I haven't looked at your video list, you may have already done this... but I'd love to see a fruit pie from scratch. /Chris
Top tip would be grow from seed rather than using seedlings. Also I dehydrate naturally rather than in a dehydrator. I try to save power where I can. Dry clothes on a line rather than using a dryer. Hope this helps someone. Your tips and tricks have helped me. Thank you
I dilute many things with plain ol' water - 2l of milk becomes 3, sauces, condiments get thinned down, when I had juice drinkers in the house 2l became 4. I also do many of the things this lovely community has suggested. My greatest savings come from making my dogs food, raw diet for him plus all bones and veggie scraps are saved until I have enough for a full load in the pressure cooker, then puree in the Ninja. Couple of tablespoons in every meal, he is age regressing before my eyes!
You are doing so well. Be proud of yourself and your budgeting. I think I saw it on Jordan Page’s channel but her budget is $300 per month base then $100 p/m per person. So if you have 5 household members then $800 p/m for groceries. I love that Depression motto, “Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do or Do without “. It’s so hard to do this in our consumer obsessed society. Good luck with the budget.
I have never heard that motto but I do love it. That is absolutely my motto.
Putting $5 or $10 a fortnight into another savings account for Christmas.
Stacy I really enjoyed learning to make my own golden syrup, thank you.
I'd never heard of golden syrup before Stacy enlightened me!!
My tip is always read these threads and try them all because you won't know what you don't know! If you try something and it doesn't work then you can quickly try something else!
A wonderful video. One of my best tips is to add leftover veges to the next meal. Even a small amount of mashed potato added to the next night's potatoes helps. I make extra of parsnip carrot mash, carrots in white sauce,whole roasted pumpkin mash, all in sandwich bags for quick sides to any meal.Also make use of the variety of frozen local vegetables. There is a huge variety in the freezer section.
Love your channel and all the wonderful tips and tricks you share. After I watched your freezer meals video I worked for two + days in my kitchen following your lead and ended up with a few dozen freezer meals. Whew! Thank you for your inspiration.
On another note, as far as a tip on grocery spending, Don't go food shopping when you're hungry! You (I) tend to spend more when you're hungry. Also, when it comes to household items, I will browse/shop online at Amazon and one or two box stores and put those items in my cart. I'll leave them there for a while and if the need (want) passes, I will have saved on an impulse purchase. Sorry for the long winded comment.
Growing giving vegetables as celery leaves and stalks edible. Plant lasts 2 years. Onion tops everlasting green tops. I call them giving as they are always giving. Swap and share with neighbours your over abundance. One sweet potato gives you a couple of kilos. Herbs can change a meal. Buy what's on sale in larger portions to freeze. Leeks and peppers. I buy second hand clothes. Holiday out of season. Facebook marketplace for furniture. Buy large items toilet paper, laundry detergent etc on sale for the year. Knowing how much you use helps calculate. Asking for any discount works. Be brave.
Hi! I’m a new subscriber loving all your videos. I brought up 4 kids on one very low wage but God got us through. Now my husband is not working (made redundant 2019) and at 61 now 65 won’t work again so volunteers for the dole, but got his super and paid off our home. Praise God
So we have had a bit of extra money until now. Now it’s getting tough again. Time to go back to a budget.
Looking forward to hearing the tips !! I’ve been there. I can do it.
A simple but effective saving is for every cupful of mince in a recipe, you can also use a cupful of uncooked rolled oats to extend the mince. I do it in ordinary mince dishes, cottage pies, lasagne, meatballs/rissoles, tacos, etc. Mince dishes are really cheap but with the addition of rolled oats, it can be used in so many different recipes to extend the number of servings.
I am in the US so I’m not sure what is available in NZ but I hope this will help some. I have saved money by using technology as much as I can. Using RUclips and watching channels like this; as another commenter mentioned, I use a store’s shopping app to make purchases and just pick up curbside; I have a budgeting app (YNAB) that tells me how much I have to spend in each category of my budget so it’s easy to keep track of on my phone and minimal effort (downside is it is a yearly subscription). I follow some good homestead channels that teach about producing your own “products” (like what other commenters have mentioned); buying in bulk things like wheat and/or flour, beans, rice, meats, etc; and, where possible, buying directly from farmers or local small businesses. Thanks, Stacey, for your update and I hope you can get back on track with your budget but don’t worry about it too much.
I live in a colder climate than you, and I have foods in my garden all winter. Leeks, pulled as you need them, Swiss chard is year round, sowed twice, and we can grow roots like beet, carrot, parsnips only in cold weather to avoid worms. I don’t have a separate veg garden, but a 360 SM garden that is planted to trees, shrubs and flowers. The vegetables and herbs grow among them, and it’s not ugly. A cabbage is a beautiful thing, and dill, fennel, or leeks are as pretty as any other leafy plant. The only liner is green beans, planted in meter squares, 4” apart, which keeps them weed free and easy to pick. I guess my tip is avoid lawns, keep just enough grass to play bowls.
You made me think about how I can budget.
Live in flat no garden. Only a flower border. I planted some herbs in amongst the flowers.
I have a window box with fresh herbs too. Save on dry herbs they cost £3.00 a small jar.
I learned to make my own soap powder for £3.00. Lasts me 100 washes. Soap tabs cost around £8.00 for 25 washes. I wash every 2 weeks instead of weekly.
I cook from scratch and cook extra for the freezer. Using less energy as I dont need to cook every day. Make my own butter yogurt and soft cheese and bread .
We only shop twice a month. I freeze my semi skimmed milk so I dont need to nip out.
I buy things in bulk to save a little.
Still struggle with reducing my electric bill. Got my gas bill down to £15.00 a month.
I will look out for tips on that. Xx
I love this channel - thank you for sharing your practical and easy recipes and ideas Stacey.
My tip - When I prepare meals, whenever I can, I make extra portions to freeze. It saves both money (no need for last minute takeaways or mad dashes to the supermarket) and it is so much healthier than buying pre packaged meals.
Request: what’s a simple pickle or relish or sauce to make with winter vegetables (from the garden) ? I have lots for summer/early autumn veggies …but do you have any good, easy recipes for preserving things like beetroot, swedes, radishes and other winter veg? 💛
Thanks for the tip about the thermo mix shop. I just bought their crumpet rings.
My tip - when my son was younger he loved foaming hand soap but his hands reacted to the actual foaming soap mixture and the refills were expensive. Once I bought the foaming hand soap container I refilled it with 1/3 regular liquid hand soap that he didn't react to and the rest water. Shake it up and the container foams it. Way cheaper too.
Thanks Stacey. You are adorable. I like making a huge slow roasted pork then shred it and divide it up into small packages and freeze. Saves heaps. I don’t have a decent butter cake recipe that’s really moist, so would love you to make that ❤
Keep doing what you are doing and I’m so happy to see that you are up and about again xxx
Give yourself grace. Chronic pain takes up more capacity then we realize in the moment. I an also understand your wanting to take control of food when the surgery and recovery was so unknown.
Before ordering groceries or going shopping I go through my store pantry and see what I actually have and only restock what I need. I do the same with my chest freezer as its easy to forget what you have lurking in the bottom of the freezer.
Growing my own veggies has been a great start this year, also shopping once a week and not going again til the next week saves heaps! Love all your content, maybe some meat free recipes for something different for dinner xxxx
Some of my money savers were started for health reasons but save money too. I had to cut out all sugar and salt - I still use very minimal amounts in cooking - anyway, I stopped buying all breakfast cereals and make muesli for summer/porridge for winter topped with fruit. Hubby had a serious heart attack this year and had to stop eating processed meats so whenever I cook a roast I freeze a few slices for him and most days pull out a package to thaw for the next day's lunch. I started growing vegies a few years ago and have gradually expanded the range to cover most of our needs (can't grow carrots to save my life) and the rest I buy from the farmers market. All of my dried herbs come from the garden. Stacey's tomato paste pucks is a good money saver that I've just started. I make Stacey's bread and only buy bread if it's marked down for a quick sale......and on that note, Stacey, a video I'd like you to make is sourdough starter. I think you said you'd tried and failed, but would try again. I'm waiting for that video so that I can learn with you. 😁
It's good to see you feeling well.
When you were looking at your grocery shopping list, I was saying, "Don't forget cinnamon." LOL, does that mean we're spending too much time together? 😂
I think my best money saving tip is to plan out the whole week's menu, list the ingredients you need to make those meals, and only buy that. Corollaries to that: check what's on sale before you plan the week's meals and take advantage of bargains. And if you're making something which will freeze, make double and freeze half. That way, when something comes up or you're just too knackered to cook, you won't need to blow the budget getting takeaway.
One other tip is if you have the sort of household which gets a lot of of drop-in visitors for meals, make soup frequently and keep some soup ingredients on hand. Soup can be stretched to feed more people by adding some water and a few potatoes or pasta. Or it can be a first course so you can serve smaller portions of the main dish. Being hospitable doesn't have to break your budget.
Thank you for your latest video. I don't have a bulk supply store near me and therefore shop at my local supermarket. I am retired and have a very small section but manage to grow my own herbs. I don't buy out-of-season produce. I grow basil from supermarket basil which I take cuttings from. I get about 30 plants from one plant! Lots of love. Lookin forward to seeing you soon.❤❤❤❤
Ive been using many of your recipes. They are great. One thing I do is save my veg scraps and meat bones in a bag in the freezer, then make a big pot of broth.
I got gifted an Oodie so that, socks, & winter pj's mean I rarely need a heater to stay warm.
I've also bought an 8L multi-cooker, single pensioner here, to quickly bulk cook meals.
I add lentils to mince & veg in season and only eat meat once or twice/week.
An organic chicken cooked in multi-cooker with heaps of root vegies creates 5-7 meals + stock for pumpkin soup for another 5 meals. Total spend for 10 meals AU$110 or $1.50/meal.
If I add lentils or pearl barley + seasonings like curry paste to some meals I can get create 3 meals from 1 ❤
Hope this helps & cheers from Australia 🇦🇺
Hi Stacey, you are such an inspiration. By watching you, i have actuality been keen to get in the the kitchen instead of the feeling the usual dread of having to cook another meal. Love the way you challenge your self with setting grocery budgets. Keep up the good work with making informative relevant content. Thank you.
My hack is to buy full milk bottles, add distill water and nearly half each bottle to make lite milk. It tastes like lite and doubles your milk for half the cost.
My tip is just don't go to supermarket . Scout round your freezer and cupboards there is always something you can find that you didn't know you had .Last week I found some kippers and made lovely fish pie with potato top . Love your budget meals 😀
You are looking well and healthy Stacey.
I think soup and homemade bread are a big money saver,and in this cold weather,it warms you up.
Could you show us how to make some easy slices that dont use a lot of ingredients 😊
Top tip from me is = make a list of everything you have in your freezer & cupboards. I mean everything spices,flours, seasonings,packets, tins, jars, literally everything food connected. It takes a bit of time but it will help you make better decisions on what do you really need to buy each month.
It will also help rotate everything by dates, get your family involved do it over the holiday period so you don’t feel stressed.
Once it’s completed you will spend so much less money & use the food you currently have.
I just love your content. I am so happy I found your channel! As a single person, to save money when I cook is to freeze any leftovers.. Freezer meals for 1! . Please start an Amazon wish list, so we can show some appreciation for your hard work. Hope your knee is healing well!
Instead of buying paper towels I purchased little terry towels for napkins and for quick spills I use dish towels, we have about 6 rolls left from last year so it was a good investment, in my keurig coffee maker no more pods are bought, use a reusable pod, leftovers are frozen, I make my own laundry detergent and dish liquids
Add some grated sunlight soap with a tsp or 2 of baking soda into a 2 litre bottle and add water, shake. Use this as washing liquid for you washing machine. Works a treat
I am trying to not waste food where I can, plan meals around what is needing to be used in the fridge. Another thing I am doing, thanks to you, I am trying to make a double meal when I can to pop one in the freezer, which helps with planning meals for future weeks, and cutting down costs with the groceries. I find this is great. And buying bulk when I can. I would love to see more videos on doing your pre mixes, dried powders that you use etc. I personally love seeing your bulk freezer meals etc, as they are what I feel I can achieve myself.
Hi Stacey, I like how your cooking videos aren’t way out of this world as far as meat and vegetable costs go, you make some fabulous meals for your family so that in turn your viewers can make the same meals. You are already so down to earth and open about how much you chose to spend on groceries, I have to say the supermarkets are at fault because we as consumers are forced into buying from them, I do the best I can to not overspend but we all have to eat and live. My hopefully helpful tip is we have started to walk instead of always just getting into the car and drive, so helpful hint number 1 is fuel saving 🤞 and tip number 2 is that we allocate ourselves a couple of dollars once a fortnight for when a rainy day comes around and you’re not expecting it, boy has that money come in handy at times and if by the end of the year there is any money left in your kitty it makes Christmas a little less scary as far as spending goes. Sorry my post is soooooo long. Good luck with your budgeting. 🤞💐🇦🇺
I live a 130km round trip from supermarket, so I’ve implemented a fortnight shop to save on gas. I make a menu for 14 days, I spend my entire shopping budget so I am not tempted to pop in to 4sq. I have started baking bread- which is delicious and only about $2 for 2 big loaves. I bake once a week then freeze it, so we have treats without going out. Traditional stuff, today I’m trying out date loaf. I’ve mastered sultana cake. Baking that’s not too demanding on butter and eggs.
I now follow a strict budget, which has really reined me in.
Eat soup every day whether as starter or meal in itself. Soup is a fabulous budget friendly meal. I like to add legumes to my soups to give them substance and boost nutrition. Start with half a cup of split peas or red lentils and increase the amount each time to suit your palate.
I also schedule at least three super cheap main meals in into my weekly menu plan. Baked jacket potatoes/sweet potatoes or homemade wedges, eggs, rice/pasta dish.
Jacket potatoes take 5 minutes in the microwave and can be topped with anything. They’re great for using up leftover stews/casseroles/bolognese etc or with tuna and slaw. I can’t eat wheat so I usually have a baked potato when others are having pasta.
Eggs are so versatile but I just love poached eggs either as breakfast for lunch or dinner or added to leftovers. A fried egg with the lot makes a great, meatless hamburger and tastes so good!
Pasta/rice meals are again so versatile so it needn’t meal spaghetti bolognese every week! Pasta and rice are adaptable through the seasons too.
The meals I most look forward to in winter are loaded wedges - spread with my favourite pizza toppings and browned in the oven, risotto, cottage pie, spicy dhal, rice pudding, baked custard.
Thank you once again for your videos and advice and inspiration!
Tip: I was having trouble when I bought an ingredient that I usually wouldn't buy, and didn't want to waste any leftovers but didn't know what else to use it for. So I went through a whole pile of recipes that I had collected and compiled a list of recipes for each not -often-bought ingredient. So now when I have a leftover ingredient, I go to my list and see what other recipes I can use it for.
Future content: I loved watching one of your pantry videos where you showed heaps of homemade things, do you also make your own juice or cordial? I would love to see a video on that :)
Absolutely learn the pattern to your on sale items, buy it cheap and stack it high, shop the season as this will save you money too, waste nothing, cut down how much you use when making anything and serve slightly smaller portions if you don't get empty plates at dinner for certains meals, no one will notice a spoonful or so less. No spend months work for me too and I do January, July and October each year. I would also recommend watching Frugal Queen In France, she and Mike are fabulous and have so much money saving information that might help you also.
I love that you are in NZ like me so your content is relevant. We are good at buying specials and in season only. Where I struggle is lunch ! I get stuck on sandwiches, toasted or otherwise, so would love some lunch ideas that don’t involve bread but are filling. Thanks Stacey xx
I buy thickened cream on sale / clearance and make my own butter And save the buttermilk that comes out in processing freeze for homemade pancakes or waffles.
You have inspired me to get back to the basics and cook from scratch and I have added keep it simple. So far it has cut my spending on food by 1/4 . I 'm aiming for 1/2 by the end of the year.
I have really enjoyed your content that is unique to NZ and farming.
We're lucky to have two big supermarkets in our small town (hi from TA, Stacey - love to see someone "local-ish" on here!), I do most of our grocery shopping once a month, getting one pick up order from each supermarket. I check the specials from both and compare prices as I'm doing the online orders, buying each kind of product from whichever is cheapest. 🙂 Anything to get one over on the duopoly, ha.
Pukekohe local here... When it's on special, I make an XL Chicken from Pak n Save go into several different meals. First is Wings and Leg joint with some vege for dinner, Chicken Carbonara pasta with more veges, and Chicken Soup plus sandwiches or rolls. That's around $5 a meal or $2.50 a plate for my teenager and myself and I have my own raised garden beds with Kale, Spinach and plenty of herbs too.
I have changed to Flick energy here in NZ and its great cause you get off peak power all weekend and times during the week. Which forces you to be aware of the power you are consuming. And you can pay weekly to take a load off the bills.
My tip - follow you 😁 I found your channel in January as I was seeking a video on steam canning as water-bath canning on an induction stove top is too time consuming. Your intuitive way of cooking and encouragement for others to try a new skills and using what you have pushed me to subscribe.
I purchased my pressure canner in 2021 and it still intimates me as my stove top and it requires a few tricks to get it up to pressure. Gotta love induction cook tops😂 and being a novice.
Well after rewatching your steam canning videos numerous times over many months, I can say I have finally moved on from water-bath canning jam & pressure canning water 🤣 Yesterday I steam canned pineapples in recycled mayo jars... 😃 No more bland pineapple for me 😂
$7 for 2 large pineapples = 9 jars which would cost about $36 for Golden Circle cans the same size at Woolies.
Happy canning 😁 from 🇦🇺and Thank you for being you.
Once your garden is up and running again can you please go through herb drying etc and maybe what types of meals are good for each herb? Thanks heaps. My tip is try not to waste food.
Hi Stacey! I was watching one of your older videos and you asked how if we would like to know how you meal prep for the month, yes please!!! (If you still do this)!
Love your budget videos the most, and you always throw in a tip when cooking.
Video ideas, food to take to help support a family with newborn or bereavement, where they don't need to return the containers used, i.e., Using ice cream 2 litre tubs. And include a desert as well. And did I mention on a budget.😮 I know I don't want much😊
I use click n collect (woolworths and coles) and order the 1/2 price specials for items that I would normally purchase. Sometimes I will add a few extra of the sales and put them away. Im a fan of online ordering as Im not tempted to buy items I don't need and know exactly how much it costs. I also use a local food pantry to substitute my weekly groceries and there is often bread, fruit and veg, meat and dairy items. I also check my pantry and freezers before shopping so Im not over purchasing. We only have take away once a fortnight and all other meals are homemade. I love using the slow cooker when Im working so my family can serve themselves a meal while Im at work. I live rurally so we have fruit trees and vegetable gardens and will substitute our fruit and veg with items from our garden. We all try to ensure there is very little food waste.
Thaks for sharing, wow a massive goal to only spend 5000 this year, ive tried to keep mine low, food intolorances are a massive expenses but necessary to keep my family running. My tip is plan a months worth of meals and do click and collect on items you know you need.
Love this video, definitely don't beet yourself up, keeping records is a great way to stay accountable!
I have started my own low buy this year and it's been a game changer!
When I see any discounted vegetable that I use often I buy in bulk and chop/prepare them to save work later.
Also started to look at at using cash back apps.
Thanks for your lovely videos and positive friendly demeanor xx
I cook from scratch and freeze multiple meals using vacuum sealer bags. I found Temu has huge range for very cheap price. I also keep small amounts of left over ingredients in freezer eg cream, parmesan cheese ...they last for ages in vacuum sealer bags and are great to add finishing touch to meals Im cooking.
So many good ideas here! Thanks so much for your authenticity ❤ I'm from Canada so I would love to see some Kiwi recipes too! And I never go to the grocery store hungry and I use cash and once it's gone it's gone. 😊