Before Ty and I had our children we used to live in a unit with Ty's brother. We would go thirds in the groceries and I remember [and this was 10 years ago now] that we would spend about $180 - $250 a fortnight for the three of us. I cringe now remembering how we would throw away so so so much food each week.
Now 10 years later and as a family of 4 we can spend about $200 a fortnight [sometimes less]. I plan our meals right down to using everything in our cupboard. For instance this week I had two lots of mince left so one night I will make lasagne [which will last two nights] and another night I will make home made sausage rolls which will also last two nights. So their is 4 nights meals. I believe this works well for us as I am always using up things out of the cupboard and things don't just sit there for long periods of time and then get thrown out. I spend about $10 - $20 a week on fresh fruit and vegetables and EVERYTHING always gets eaten. If there are a couple of banana's left over going brown we will make banana muffins or banana bread or cake. We never seem to have much in our fridge or freezer as we only have what we are going to eat. We never ever go hungry.
I also make things from scratch. Today I won't use a jar of bechamel sauce for the lasagne. I will make it myself with flour, butter, milk and cheese.
I always have staples in the cupboard like flour, sugar, etc. We always have eggs, long life and fresh milk, bread in the freezer etc.
We never ever go hungry but meals are planned right down to each meal each day.
It often takes me a good hour or more to plan our meals and write a list. But it is so worth it. I hate hate hate wasting food and I really dislike crappy , foods like chips, musli bars etc so I don't buy these and I am sure that is why our grocery bill is so cheap.
So my suggestions for meal planning are:
* Look in your cupboard and fridge and freezer and see what you already have.
* Look up recipes in magazines, on the internet, ask friends and family etc for ideas.
* Look up ways to make your own sauces, pickles, jams etc
* Never let anything go to waste use up fruit for muffins or stew it and serve with custard. Or get chooks etc or a compost \ worm farm to be able to get rid of scraps.
We very very rarely eat take away food ever now. Partly because I don't want to drive into town to buy it and we simply don't have it in our budget. But partly because every time we eat it we regret it immensley and feel ill and bloated afterwards.
You can make your own version of take away foods at home byt making pizzas and burgers. It's much cheaper and healthier so make sure you include these in your menu plan for a treat occasionally.
Also include some vegetarian meals such as soups, sushi etc. Many of these are cheaper , yummy and healthy.
With the cost of meat buy cheaper cuts and put it in a slow cooker and it will be so tender you will enjoy it.
At the end of the day it takes time and energy to meal plan, follow through with the meal plan and take the time and effort to cook but not only will your family benefit from it but your wallet will too.
