How to feed your family for just $50 a week

IMAGINE saving hundreds of dollars a week on your food bill and putting it towards a dream holiday, paying off your house sooner or putting in that pool. Stop imagining, one Aussie mum can show you how.

IMAGINE saving hundreds of dollars a week on your food bill and putting it towards a dream holiday, paying off your house sooner or putting in that pool.

Stop imagining — Aussie mum Jody Allen has all the tips to make this dream a reality by cutting your weekly food shop to just $50 a week.

Yes, that’s right, just $50 a week.

“Everyone says it can’t be done, they think that $50 a week for groceries is unobtainable,” Ms Allen says. “And from the outside in, it does look like that because it is so overwhelmingly difficult.

“But even I am the first to say that I couldn’t do it overnight. It was progressive for me. Every cent that I save was a win and then I said, let’s take it a little bit further.”

Ms Allen says not all families will be able to get their food bill to $50 a week and points out that nappies, formula, laundry items and anything you can’t eat should not be included in the $50.

Annette Taylor with her boys, Logan (3) and Jasper (1). Picture: Jay Town

And if you live in Melbourne or Adelaide, the challenge to save is even greater. “I did a national audit of food prices and Melbourne is very expensive to buy food, as is Adelaide”.

So Ms Allen has written The $50 Weekly Shop to help families on a tight budget. She firmly believes most families could save $5000 a year following her tips. After all, it was a book borne out of necessity during her own tough times.

Ms Allen found herself with literally only $50 left in her weekly budget for food after she had two boys and was made redundant.

“When I started this I had time but I didn’t have money. I had no choice but to make this work,” she says. “Nine years now I have been doing it, and I have nearly paid my house off. So, it’s pretty good.

“I would never spend more than $70 a week on food now and I was spending $200. I was out of control. Just because my husband and I were busy, working and renovating a house. We were just getting fatter and unhealthier.”

Ms Allen slowly and progressively reduced her $200 food bill to $50.

The trick? Buying in bulk, buying on special and cooking in bulk and freezing it.

“One Sunday I would cook enough meals for a whole month. Cook it up, bulk it up so it goes further as I am going, slow cook it and bag it up,” she says.

Having a pantry and freezer full of staples also helps, along with shopping for fresh fruit and vegetables at markets or co-ops.

“You need really good staples so you have always got a meal. And buy on special. Every time I see tomatoes on sale I’ll buy them. I might go over budget on tomatoes that week but I know I will save money later on.”

Being disciplined with your children’s diet will also save you money.

Author and mum Jody Allen.

Jody Allen’s book.

“They eat what we eat. My way or the highway. If you cook separate meals you are setting yourself up for disaster,” Ms Allen says.

A list of agreed family favourite meals is key to keeping on track.

“I have a high-rotation of meals that we all love to eat and I can make in bulk and freeze.

“But you can’t be anal about having chicken on Monday and beef on Tuesday because it often doesn’t work. You get home on Monday and don’t feel like chicken. That’s way too hard.”

Ms Allen challenges those trying to save money to do once a month cooking and shop with a buddy so you can buy in bulk and split it.

Ms Allen’s frugal times also taught her to shop in bulk at Costco, use Aldi more regularly, set up Google searches for local food specials and using coupons from groups such as Groupon and Scoopon.

Ms Allen says the most common excuses families give for not being able to cut their food budget are: lack of time, not wanting to eat too many carbs and low-budget meals not being healthy enough.

She dismisses them all and says the real reasons are:

1) Mindset — they think it’s impossible without trying.

2) Not dedicating the time to it — not realising it will actually save them time in the long run, and

3) Being scared to cook in bulk and not sticking to simple meals.

“People spend so much money because it’s overwhelming,” she says. “They go to the supermarket and everything is beautiful and pre-packaged and expensive and they just buy it.

“I instantly saved by getting rid of pre-packaged food and then started cooking from the very basics and working my way up.

“I am not a good cook, but then I thought I’ve never really cooked. I just dinged stuff in the microwave. Now I love to cook and know what is in my food.

“We lost weight, Looked better, felt better and had more energy.”

Ms Allen has turned her budgeting prowess into a business called Stay At Home Mum. Her husband Brendan left his job and now works fulltime as CEO for her, which frees her up to talk to other mums about how to save time and money.

She believes modern families have forgotten how to budget and are tempted in a world of instant gratification.

“It is out of balance what we spend our money on these days. No one wants to start at the bottom, they want to start at the top but you can’t do that and be happy.

My Dad taught me from a really young age, I got my first job at 13, the value of money. I don’t think parents are teaching their kids the value of money these days.

This book is about having enough money to be secure.”

And her final piece of advice?

“Buying a big freezer is the best investment a busy mum will ever make. Get it on sale.”

10 ITEMS YOU SHOULD ALWAYS BUY GENERIC

1. Olive oil

2. Flour

3. Sugar

4. Butter

5. Milk

6. Cheese

7. Tinned tomatoes and beans

8. Frozen vegetables

9. Cereal and grain products (oats, puffed rice etc)

10. Fresh fruit and vegetables.

STAPLES YOU SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE ON HAND

Rice

Flour

Oats

Pasta and rice noodles

Potatoes

Olive oil

Onions

Crushed garlic in a jar

Eggs

Frozen vegetables

Puff pastry

Dry yeast

Cocoa

Canned tuna

Canned tomatoes

Canned beans

Tomato paste

Stock cubes

Seasonal fruit

Seasonal vegetables

Dried fruit

Bottled sauces

Honey

Butter

Powdered milk and evaporated milk

Yoghurt

Sugar

TIPS TO LIVE BY

Cook only one evening meal each night. It’s not too hard to find simple, tasty meals that suit everyone.

Stop buying takeaway food

Buy only seasonal produce

Don’t be scared to repeat dishes

SHOPPING TIPS

Pay with cash instead of card do you can’t go over your set limit.

Take a calculator or use your phone to tally the costs as you go.

Never shop when you are hungry

Try not to shop with your children

Only shop the outside aisles, the snacks, lollies and biscuits are always in the centre of the supermarket.

Avoid shopping at peak times when your stress levels will be higher.

MAKING FOOD LAST LONGER

Bread: pop a celery stick in the bag. It absorbs moisture from the celery and stays soft.

Cakes: secure a slice of bread to the cut side with some toothpicks.

Celery: Give it a good wash and wrap in aluminium foil. It will last up to six weeks.

Cheese: buy cheddar in bulk, grate the lot and freeze in small zip lock bags.

Bananas: wrap the end in plastic wrap to prevent them ripening too quickly.

HOW TO STRETCH MEALS FURTHER

Add grated vegetables to everything

Add lentils or rolled oats to mince dishes.

Add pearl barley to soups and casseroles

Use rice noodles to bulk out soups

Control your portions

JODY’S HIGH ROTATION MEALS

Breakfast:

Porridge

Peanut butter and banana on toast

Cereal

Muffins with baked beans

Scrambled eggs

Breakfast burritos

Pancakes

Lunch:

Sandwiches

Frittata made with leftovers

Pita pizza

Baked beans on toast

Freezer meal

Hamburgers

Dinner:

Lasagne

Sausage casserole

Chicken curry

Beef chow mein

Spaghetti bolognaise

Tacos

Pork chops and vegetables

Chicken pot pie

Snacks:

Fresh fruit (in season)

Homemade muffins

Homemade slice

Hummus with rice crackers or veggie sticks

** Edited extract from The $50 Weekly Shop by Jody Allen, published by Penguin Random House Australia. Available tomorrow, RRP $25