Recipe: Squash soup

I've got a quick, easy, and inexpensive autumn recipe for you today.  It's adapted from the amazing cookbook Simply in Season, which I was given as a (very) early Christmas present this year.  I've put what I paid beside each ingredient to show just how inexpensive this soup is!  (Though of course prices will vary by region or country, and I did luck out with getting some of the items for free).

Ingredients:
1 acorn squash (99cents - can be substituted for any form of squash)
2 onions (20cents)
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger (about 20cents - I bought a bigger one than needed)
2 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (FREE! - rescued from a friend who wouldn't be able to finish them; whatever's cheapest/whatever you have lying around)
1L Chicken or Vegetable broth (FREE! - my Dad "didn't know what to do with it"; Can be boxed, home-made, bouillon, whatever)
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

Cooking instructions:
1. Cut out the flesh of your chosen squash, and microwave for about 5 minutes, or until soft and squidgey.
2. Add a smidge of olive oil to a large pot, and add the ginger and onions.  Fry until onions are soft and just a wee bit brown.
3. Add microwaved squash, apples and broth
4. Bring to the boil, then simmer until the apples are squidgey.
5. Blend until smooth. Season to taste.

That's it! Delicious, nutricious, quick, and inexpensive.

As a bonus and way to cut down on food waste, you can also save the squash seeds to roast with some olive oil and salt (or other seasoning - get creative!) as a tasty snack!

Tip #9 - Growing up means lowering your expectations

It's interesting that our parents, in general, have all worked very hard to give their children (us) a "better future". Us Gen X- and Yers are just plain spoiled when it comes to our expectations of what is normal in life. Look at it this way. Our parents worked up the corporate ladder, saved, scrimped, and spent strategically to get where they are today. The assumption that when we leave the nest we will keep the amenities of today's lifestyle - big house, nice furniture, clothing, gadgets - is foolish.

So I challenge you: ask your parents how they were living at your age. Chances are they didn't have a brand new car, didn't have their own three-bedroom house, and didn't earn the salary to cover all of that.

For example, my Mum's house is lovely, but when she was my age she lived in a tiny, cramped apartment with furniture cobbled together from empty boxes and bricks she found on the street. Similar story for my dad.

When I graduated University two years ago, I had only one expectation: independence.

I expected to be able to live independently from my parents, but WITHIN MY MEANS. In the past two years that has meant renting an apartment in a cheap part of the UK, and later renting a small apartment in a poor, destitute part of London, because that's what I could afford. We got furniture from a variety of sources, including second hand stores, family, and friends of family; We only bought a new gadget if we could justify the need and the expense based on that need; We took the bus (read my previous post about transportation) because the tube was more expensive; We walked to the supermarket to get exercise and avoid spending money on the bus.

I understand that the expectation of independence is not always needed, wanted, or possible. But no matter what your circumstances, you need to view yourself as no longer under the safe protection of your parents' money, but as responsible for your own financial decisions and the consequences of poor financial decisions early on.

Tip #8 - Park your car... for good

I recently got my driver’s license from the UK. On my arrival back in Canada, my Mum gave me a car – a yellow convertible no less! It’s still in its box,  and it's only an inch and a half long, but the sentiment was nice.

There’s a point here, I swear. The reason I got my driver’s license was not to get a car, but to allow myself to drive or rent one when necessary. Owning a car is, put simply, expensive and unnecessary unless a) you require one for your job (it’s part of your contract or serves a useful, tax deductible business purpose), b) you live in the absolute middle of nowhere (like my Mum who is half an hour’s drive from the nearest store, and a 45 minute’s drive from the nearest bus into town), or c) you or a family member have severe mobility issues which make other modes of transportation extremely difficult.

If you don't fall under any of the above categories, the costs of running a vehicle are prohibitive. Purchasing the car in the first place aside, the monthly costs of insurance, taxes and gas, let alone emergency maintenance fees and two sets of tires for people in cold weather regions can mount exponentially. And what’s the point when there are other ways to get from A to B?

Tip #7 - Blowing hot air

This tip is so simple to do it’s unreal, but many (many!) people will find it impossible. 

Don’t use hair dryers. Or straighteners, curlers, or any other electric heat-inducing hair styling tool.

There are so many reasons why this can save you money.

1- Good quality hair stylers are expensive, but bad quality ones simply don't work, may explode, or (in the case of straighteners) can pull out your hair.

2- The time and effort spent doing your hair can be better spent on other things, like sleep or work. If "time is money", it’s not worth wasting half an hour or more on heating your scalp.

3- Electricity costs money.

4- The cost of ruining your hair due to heat damage is very high. This can result in paying out for expensive nourishing treatments, or even losing your hair entirely and having to start over. 

Personally, I haven’t owned a hair dryer in four years. I had a straightener and curling set when I was about 14 but it was terrible and I never really used it. Instead, I let my hair air dry, and am (usually) satisfied with how it falls. At the moment I have short hair, in a style which I specifically asked to be easy-care (the cut itself was free – see my previous blog post on how to get free haircuts). When I had longer hair, I would either wear it in an all-purpose pony tail, or when I wanted a slightly fancier style, I would braid it, wrap it into a bun, or pin it while it was still wet. 

And the best part of not using any heat to style my hair? My hair is super healthy. Every time I see a hair dresser they comment on how smooth and healthy my hair is). No expensive treatments necessary!

Turkey day dress(ing) rehearsal

It’s Thanksgiving in Canada!  The time of year where we say thank you for everything we have by wasting money and food.  The post-Thanksgiving food-related financial depression is only beaten by the post-Christmas one.  So here’s an idea: treat Thanksgiving as a rehearsal for Christmas.

This isn't really a tip, it's more of a suggestion because I haven't actually done this myself.  But I think it just might work and might save you a load of money.

 

Traditional Thanksgiving and traditional Christmas meals in Canada are very similar: giant turkeys, sweet potatoes, roast potatoes, roast veg, cranberry jelly, stuffing, gravy, Brussels sprouts, pumpkin pie, the list of “requirements” just goes on and on.  I put “requirements” in parentheses, because it’s important to question whether they are indeed requirements.  Is it important to have a giant turkey for just five people?  Is it important to have a whole bowl full Brussels sprouts on the table if only one person eats them?

With Thanksgiving so soon, it’s probably too late to change the preparations now.  But you have a great chance to learn from any mistakes made this time around and apply the learning to Christmas.  I’ve made an equation for you.  I call it the Turkey equation.  

 

L = (T - Te) / n , where  Te = T - Tl

L = leftovers (in kg or whichever unit is most appropriate)

T = Turkey (in kg - can be replaced by any other food item, in whichever unit is most appropriate)

Te = Turkey eaten (can equally be replaced by any other food item)

Tl = Turkey left (can still be replaced by any other food item)

n = number of people eating.

The idea is to bring L as close to 0 as possible.  Unless you’re absolutely madly in love with Turkey leftovers sandwiches, and can eat them for the rest of your life, in which case your goal is probably to maximise L for those items but minimize it for others. 

Example 1.  Say you have 24 Brussels sprouts (T = 24), and only your great aunt Agnes likes to eat them (n = 1).  But great aunt Agnes is 94 and has the stomach the size of a quarter, so can only manage 2 of them (Te = 2).  You’re left with L = 22.  Problem!  We want to minimize this!   

Solution: make fewer Brussels sprouts.  Perhaps present them on an individual plate for great aunt Agnes, all pretty and garnished, so she feels special and included.  Maybe include an extra one for each child under 18, so you can threaten to make them eat them. 

Example 2.  You have a 60 lb turkey.  You have 50 guests over, which you would think would mean the 60 lb bird would be perfect for.  But 25 of them have become vegetarian over the past year, and suddenly your n is cut in half, leaving you with masses and masses of leftover turkey. 

Solution: Rethink your Christmas needs.  You’ll need to get a smaller turkey and provide a vegetarian alternative.  It’s too late for Thanksgiving – but don’t throw away that turkey!  Make turkey pasta sauces, turkey casserole, turkey soup, turkey stir fry, and freeze them for consumption over the next month.  But save some for sandwiches.

Example 3. You are super-thrifty and only bought one can of cranberry jelly because traditionally your family doesn’t use much of it.  But this year your two kids taste cranberry jelly and suddenly decide they like it and could pretty much eat it with a spoon.  That leaves you with L = -1; in other words, you’re missing a can.

Solution: Canned cranberry jelly doesn’t go off, so make sure you have an extra one available.  Only open one at first, but keep the others close by, just in case jelly lovers come over for dinner.  If they don’t, you can save them for next year.  It’s a better solution than opening two and dumping one and a half at the end.

So, by calculating your equations carefully, you can reduce your leftover nightmares and your financial loss and still have a great turkey dinner with all the real requirements. 

Alternatively, do what my family is doing: have a meal that everyone loves, and to hell with tradition.  In our case, it’s ham, scalloped potatoes, and apple pie for dessert.  Yum!!!

Happy Turkey (ham?) day!

Tip #6 – Eat what you pay for

This article on CBC.ca today was a real eye-opener.  Over half of the food waste in Canada comes from households throwing out small amounts of leftovers, slightly-over the sell-by date food, and sketchy vegetables.

I’m not innocent of throwing out food – but I always feel terrible when I do it, and it’s usually become a mini-ecosystem before I get to that stage.

There is an environmental side to this issue, but again, this is a blog about saving money.  If you’re throwing half your food away before eating it, that’s half your food budge squandered!

So here are my tips to make sure you waste as little money on uneaten food as possible.

1 – Write a meal plan.  Plan out your week’s meals in advance, thinking about what ingredients you will need, what ingredients you already have, and fill in the gaps with a shopping list.  It’s also a good way to avoid eating out too often as a snap decision, as you already have your plan ahead of time.  It’s often useful to include a “leftovers” day in your week’s meal plan, to help you think about saving food for a future date.

2 – Separate the items on your shopping list (also, use a shopping list…).  I use four categories: meat, fruit/veg, other food, and other (toilet paper, washing up liquid, etc).  This nicely separates out my perishable from non-perishable foods, so I can think about what should be bought when.  It also helps with planning out what I need for my meals so I don’t miss anything.

3 – Shop in batches.  If you’re a Saturday shopper, continue as normal, but only buy your ‘meat,’ ‘other food,’ and ‘other’ sections.  Reserve the fruit/veg section to purchase in two or three batches throughout the week, according to what your meal plan is.  For instance, if you need four peppers on Tuesday, and another four on Thursday, there’s no point buying all eight during the Saturday shop.  Instead, visit your local farmer’s market, small supermarket, or local store multiple times per week, picking up only what you need.  The pain of slightly higher vegetable prices will be more than made up by the fact that you’re not throwing things out every week.

4 – Invest in good freezer-ware.  Freeze any leftovers which you think may be left uneaten during the week.  This will drastically increase the life of the leftovers – and may save you from an expensive desperate take-out in the future! 

5 – Understand sell-by and use-by dates.  Sell-by dates are the date before which stores must sell the item.  YOUR FOOD IS STILL FINE!  DON’T THROW IT OUT!  Use-by is the date before which the manufacturer guarantees the product is safe to eat, given normal conditions (ex. refrigeration).  Your milk will not suddenly go off on the use-by date, but a sniff test is advised.  I’m usually happy to eat items up to two days after the use-by date, using sniff and squeeze tests, depending on the item.

6 – Cut off the bad bits if possible.  A little mould on a corner of a loaf of bread hasn’t penetrated the whole loaf – yet.  Same with cheese.  Equally, a small bruise on a piece of fruit can be removed and the rest of the fruit is just fine.  Promise J

7 – Think about the starving children in China/Africa/next door.  You are incredibly lucky to be able to afford to throw out food.  Many aren’t.  By not spending money on wasted food, you can save your pennies to make sure you stay lucky for longer.  I put this one last because I don’t believe in guilt-tripping.  But if it helps you to keep seemingly small things in perspective, then it’s worth it.

Happy October!