Still staggering out of the supermarket feeling financially blindsided? You're avoiding the fancy cheese isle – what more can you do? Cost-effective cooking guru Sophie Gray (aka the Destitute Gourmet) has some suggestions on what to ditch, add and swap.
Six items to ditch from your shopping list
1 Fresh pasta – it’s expensive and not at all like a delicate homemade pasta. Buy a good quality dried pasta instead.
2 Pre mixes for pancakes, muffins, and cakes – you’ve probably got most of the ingredients already in your pantry; cooking is cheaper, healthier and the process is great for mental wellbeing. Plus all those things are quick and easy, just google a basic recipe and make 'em from scratch.
3 Readymade burgers and meatballs – just mince, with some seasoning and breadcrumbs for binding. If your weeknights are too busy to manage a bit of meal assembly make them in bulk at the weekends and freeze individually for those busy weeknights.
4 Multipack lunchbox snacks – over a year these are really spendy. Buy reusable containers and fill from the big bag. Less plastic and you’ll save a lot of dosh.
5 Toasted muesli – it's super expensive and often loaded with sugar. Sling 6 cups of rolled oats into the roasting pan with ½ cup oil or coconut oil, ½ a cup coconut and 1/3 cup cheap honey. Toast in the oven, stirring frequently. Add your choice of chopped nuts, dried fruits and whatnot. – delicious.
6 Posh flavoured peanut butters – if you have a processor or blender you can make your own in minutes, add your preferred level of salt and sweet and any other flavours you fancy.
Six items to add to your shopping list
1 Frozen puff pastry sheets – individual pies, turnovers and tarts are a great way to “make a little bit go a long way”. Last night’s leftover casserole might become little pies for the kids tonight.
2 Tortillas or wraps – quesadillas, enchiladas, hot pockets or wraps are another excellent way to extend a small amount of meat, the end of the cheese block, some slightly limp lettuce, that very ripe tomato...
3 Frozen vegetables – yes fresh vegetables are fabulous, but how often have you splurged on them with the best of intentions only to later throw out expensive bags of slimy rocket and spinach? Buy fresh vegetables in small amounts as you need them and keep some frozen options in the freezer. Add chunks of frozen spinach or green beans to curries, casseroles and pasta dishes; stir-fry blends can be added to stews, fritters, noodle dishes and soups.
4 Instant yeast sachets – from pizza bases raised in the microwave to homemade loaves to impress the guests, instant yeast keeps for ages, is super easy to use, makes the house smell amazing and you to look like a culinary superstar.
5 Frozen berries – a handful added to a humble pudding or batch of baking instantly elevates it out of the everyday. Add them to pancakes and avoid a spendy café brunch, puree and make into coulis to style up your desserts, simmer with a little sugar for sloshing onto ice-cream, swirling through yogurt or blobbing onto your brekkie…
6 Condiments – pizza and takeaway chains know their sauces are what really eals the deal. Swizzle your homemade pizza with BBQ sauce to win over the kids, Kewpie mayo will up your sushi game, Peri Peri your chicken and Ranch dressing your slaw…
Six simple swaps
1 When baking, swap eggs with seeds – while eggs perform multiple functions in cooking, they’ve become something of a precious commodity. For biscuits and pancakes (ie baking where no raising agent is used) mix 1 tbsp of ground flax seeds and two tbsp water, or mix one tbsp chia seeds with 3 tbsp water. Stand for 5 minutes then use in place of an egg.
2 Swap eggs with the fruit no one wants – in muffins, loaves, and cakes swap the egg with ¼ cup of fruit puree – it's an ideal way to use up old apples and bananas that no one fancies eating.
3 Swap recipes – switch a butter- and egg-laden cake for one made with oil; or knock up a batch of scones which uses no eggs and little butter.
4 Swap beef for beans – in beef mince recipes like chillies and spag bol, add a can of drained kidney beans, mash them in with a masher so they’re un-detectible from the mince, add a little extra beef stock and no one will know the difference.
5 Swap all your staples – flour, rice, milk, spreads and cereals for supermarket-owned brands. Once they’re in your own containers see if anyone even notices any difference.
6 Swap stores – sometimes the biggest savings come from changing where we shop, take the time to compare supermarkets and you'll multiply your savings over a year. Online shopping can reduce impulse buying. And good planning can avoid “top up shops”. Local retailers, Asian Supermarkets or and some (but by no means all) farmers markets are well worth checking out for cheaper fresh produce.
Sophie Gray (aka The Destitute Gourmet) is the author of 10 bestselling cookbooks with a focus on good food that doesn’t cost a fortune. She's also operations manager of the Good Works Trust Food Bank.
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