Since it’s Lunar New Year Eve, I think a Thrifty Asian post is in order.
A few months ago, Cheap Geek and I honeymooned in Japan. Most of the trip was spent eating our way through Tokyo and Kyoto. We had the usual: sushi and sashimi at Tsukiji (the world’s largest fish market) and fancy s&*% overlooking the Shirakawa Canal in Gion. However, my favourite dish came from more humble establishments Continue reading
Cheap Geek likes his sliced bread but he and I rarely finish our loaves before the use-by date. We could buy smaller loaves, but they cost nearly as much as the regular-sized ones, so we end up buying the big loaves ‘just in case’ and throwing half of it away. It’s a prime example of how much good food goes to waste in our society. According to Food Wise, ‘Australians discard up to 20% of the food they purchase’ or $1036 in an average household, money that could have been better spent on six months worth of electricity bills. Continue reading
Part of being mustbethrifty includes keeping a streamlined pantry. Avoid buying single-purpose ingredients like salsa, bolognese sauce and tomato soup. Apart from cluttering the shelves, they also have the propensity for going out of date. Opt for more flexible ingredients, like canned tomatoes, instead. Not only will you use them before they go off, you will also be able to save money by buying them in bulk.
Versatile pantry items can also be used outside of the kitchen, reducing the number of household chemicals you need to buy. Continue reading
According to Sandra Reynolds, ‘[t]he easiest way to reduce your food bill is to have two meat-free meals a week. You will save a minimum of $30 or even more, every week, by doing so’ (via The $120 Food Challenge).
My main beef with vegetarian, however, is that it doesn’t make me full. So how do I make a vegetarian meal more satisfactory? Continue reading
After what seemed like the gazillionth hot day in a row, I couldn’t face another session in front of the stove, so I picked up a roast chook from the supermarket. Buying premade goes against all things thrifty but I made sure every scrap of that chook was put to good use.
As soon as the groceries had been put away, I carved up the chook. The meat went into an airtight food container and was stored in the fridge; whatever we didn’t eat that night, we would slowly use up over the next few days in burritos, noodles, risotto, and chicken corn soup. Continue reading
