I hope you all read my tips on reducing your grocery bill - this works in conjunction with those tips. I can only tell you how our family achieve this – you might have some better ideas (if so – please share!!!) or tastes.

First of all – I only shop monthly – but in this instance I’ll do a fortnightly list for ease. So that’s $100 ($50 a week x two weeks). Now I’ll take $10 off that amount as we buy meat in bulk every 8 months or so – the fortnightly shop has to pay for that meat. I only buy what is in season. My Mum has a glut of eggs and citrus – so that’s something I’m lucky not to have to pay for. I buy my fruit & veggies separately from my normal shop (unless Aldi have them ridiculously cheap – which is often!).

1. Meal Planning

I plan my meals around what I have. My fortnightly list usually goes something like this:(ps – all kid friendly food – nothing fancy)

Dinners

Bacon & Egg Pie

Spaghetti Bolognaise

Beef Chow Mein

Sausages in Pastry

Slowcooker Saucy Sausages

Pasta Cabonara

Apricot Chicken Curry

Savoury Mince on Toast

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Slowcooker Roast Chicken

Chicken Pasta. All are either served with veggies or have veggies in them.

Lunches

I pack left overs for hubby to take to work. Myself and the kids usually have sandwiches. I’ll get to kids lunches further down. I do baking once a week and we enjoy that the morning teas etc.

Breakfast

Cereal or toast during the week. Crumpets on Saturday, Bacon & Eggs on Sunday.

2. Preparing the shopping list

I write my list up of all ingredients I NEED – for instance – I need pastry and cheese for the bacon & egg pie – but I have some left over in the freezer from last week…. You have to be flexible. That’s why the $50 will go over some weeks – for those kinds of incidentals.

• Meat: Bacon 1kg $7

• 2 whole Aldi Chickens $6.50 each = $13

• Chicken Legs $4

• Cherios $3

I already have mince and sausages from my bulk meat buy

General:

• Big tin of apricots $2

• Spaghetti Noodles $1.50

• Rice Noodles $1

• Hokkein Noodles $2.50

• Sugar $2

• Flour $0.80c x 2 = $1.60

• Weetbix $4

• Butter (get the Black & Gold from IGA – $2.50 for 500g x 2) $5

• Small bag of popping corn $1

• Tin of condensed milk $1.50

• Tin of Evaporated milk $1.50

• Tins of crushed tomatoes x 3 $3

• Tomato soup $2

Fruit & Veggies (I purchase mine from the local markets):

• 1kg Onions $2

• Big Bag small apples $3

• Mushrooms $5

• Pears $3

• 4kg bag of brushed potatoes $4

• 1 pumpkin $3Frozen mixed vegies $3

Kids Lunches for school:

• Poppas from Aldi $2 for a pack of 6

• Sandwiches

• Fruit that is currently in season (see Fruit & Vege)

• Popcorn – make it yourself and pop it in a bag – keeps well and kids enjoy it!

• Go Gurts – yes they are expensive $5 – but you can FREEZE them for lunches (they are yogurts) and they fit into lunch boxes.  Getting a large yogurt and putting dishing it out would work out even cheapers!

• Box of sultantas (then break up into little bags) $2.50

• Cherios on the weekends

GRAND TOTAL OF GROCERIES FOR THE FORTNIGHT: $88.10

You have enough ingredients above to make all those recipes – and do baking with whatever else you have in the cupboard!