Tip #22 - Buy a farm share

It's that time of year when you can juuuuuuust about smell spring in the air, but there's still snow on the ground. That time of year when the days are getting longer but still not long enough. That time of year when you start thinking about how nice it will be when fresh fruit and vegetables start growing again.

For those of us who aren't lucky enough to be able to "grow our own" for reasons of time, money, or simple lack of garden space, a great alternative is to buy a farm share or participate in a community farming association.  Community Supported Agriculture programmes are available in several countries and regions. Just google "CSA [your area]" to find one near you. By doing this, I've found CSA farms in many Canadian provinces and US states, as well as in England.

Here's the basic principle:
A farmer sells a certain number of "shares" to individuals in the community.
Individuals purchase these shares in late winter or early spring (aka NOW), providing farmers with starter income for the upcoming season.
The farmer then provides its shareholders with weekly or bi-weekly 'baskets' of produce from the farm throughout the production season. Shareholders usually have to pick up their shares at a pre-determined location.

However, if the farm has a good season, shareholders can make gains too, as the equivalent cost of the produce is higher than the initial cost of the share.

So you're supporting local farmers, and getting discounted produce at the same time. Oh, and did I mention that these farms often use organic methods, and many are actually certified organic? Sounds like win-win-win to me!

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a gamble. If there is a poor harvesting season, or if the farmer is unable to maintain the farm for whatever reason, you may not receive your food. Read the terms and conditions of the shares closely before you buy to make sure you understand the potential risks.

Look around to find a farm which suits your needs. There are certified organic farms, there are some which allow you to substitute fresh produce with preserves, there are some which provide smaller baskets, or more flexibility, or who offer home delivery. Some also provide meat or eggs. Also consider the growing period - some farms grow produce with a smaller harvesting window, so will provide you with fewer baskets through the summer, whereas others will continue into the fall.

This year, I'm splitting a farm share with a friend. Each share should be enough to satisfy both of us and then some. We're getting 23 weeks' worth of baskets, starting in May. You can be sure there will be photos in good time! I can't wait!

Recipe - Whatever cookies

I like to bake. But often I don't have the right ingredients, which can be a bit of a problem. A few months ago, I stumbled onto a really great cookie recipe, which was the first cookie recipe which worked for me (I have issues with cookies not rising properly...)

So yesterday I was in the mood for cookies. I dug out the recipe, and then realized that I didn't have enough chocolate chips. Uh oh! So I adapted the recipe ever so slightly, and here it is: whatever cookies.

I have also added North American measurements... I could have used these last night as I roughly guessed grammes to cup conversions, got them badly wrong, and had to save my dough.

Ingredients:

• 250g (2 cups) plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 170g (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
• 200g (3/4 cup + a bit extra) dark brown soft sugar
• 100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 325g (about 2 1/2 cups) of whatever (chocolate chips/chunks, dried fruit, dessicated coconut, chopped nuts, bacon bits, whatever you have or whatever's cheap)

 Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 170*C (340*F/Gas Mark 4). Don't preheat to 170*F, that won't work. I tried.
2. Stir or sift together dry ingredients. 
3. Combine butter and sugars and 'cream' together (I did this with a wooden spoon. No need for a fancy mixer!)
4. Add vanilla, egg and egg yolk to sugar mix (save the extra white for pastry wash or similar).
5. Add the dry to the wet and mix until combined (again, wooden spoon).
6. Add in whatever, and mix to combine.
7. Place balls of dough onto a well-greased baking tray. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the edges are starting to brown. Let cool slightly on the trays, before transferring to a cooling rack. 
8. Eat. Enjoy. Share. Yum! 


FYI: My whatever cookies were dark chocolate, raisins and dried cranberries, and they're rediculously good. 

Accepting the things we cannot change, and changing the things we cannot accept

If you haven't heard of the horsemeat scandal which is shaking the UK, here's a brief overview. Cheap minced meat from several low-priced product lines (for example 6/1pound burgers) has been found to contain horse DNA - sometimes up to 100% of the product is proven to be horse. Blame abounds, with fingers pointing at everyone from consumers to supermarkets to European mafia.

Side note: another big problem is the traces of porcine (yes, pig) DNA found in halal-branded food. That's a problem. A big problem. But outside my present argument.

In fact, food fraud seems to happen fairly frequently - we just don't realize it. I'm fairly certain the honey in my fridge (which I bought from a bulk bargain store) is actually coloured corn syrup, and I wouldn't be at all shocked that the cheapest store brand olive oil in my cupboard is just a cheap alternative. But you know what? I'm ok with that. The products serve their purpose in my food preparation. Also, I can't afford pure honey bought from a beekeeper, nor can I afford pure olive oil. I've accepted this. I'm ok with it, if not happy.

As for horsemeat, my personal view is that horsemeat must be pretty tasty if it's been passed it off as beef for so long. I personally have no problem with eating horse. However, I do have a problem when packaging says "100% beef" and the contents turns out to be Black Beauty rather than Buttercup. In England at least, the horsemeat industry is not as regulated as the beef one - the meat may contain many chemicals which may be harmful to us as consumers. This is a big problem.

If you do have an issue with eating horsemeat, then consider the wider picture. If a manufacturing company has managed to fool everyone with what animal is in their food, what else are you being tricked about? How have they managed this?

The only answer I can give is that the manufacturing chains are too damn long. We have no idea what's in our food anymore. Mostly, it's food - but what food, where, and how was it produced? We just don't know.

So we as consumers have two options:

1. We accept that we will never know what we're eating again.
2. We don't accept this, and we take steps to change.

In my case, I've accepted that some of my food is probably fake or below-standard (the honey, the oil), but I'm also taking steps to change. In my case, I'm purchasing a Community Supported Agriculture farm share (to be discussed in a future post), which will connect me directly to a local farmer. I will get fruit and vegetables every week during the spring and summer, and I can ask questions about the production methods, the fertilizers used, even what variety of vegetables they're growing.

It's also possible to get CSAs for meat, but I just don't have a big enough freezer to store half a cow or a whole pig. Sadly.

The capitalist world we live in emphasizes profit over quality. That's a shame, and it makes living on a tight budget an occasionally morally questionable practice. So my challenge to myself, to you, to the world is to choose what is acceptable and what isn't.

I've made my choices, what are yours?

Tip #21 - Take advantage of your supermarket... legally

I went food shopping today! For most people, that's a pretty boring task. But for me, it's always an adventure, even more so since I started on my $35/week budget. Delicious-looking food seems to jump off the shelves, trying to force their way into my basket, and I have to fend off the onslaught.

I've found that the best way to spend as little money as possible in the supermarket is to know my supermarket's secrets - the ins and outs of their pricing and specials, to take full and legal advantage of what they have to offer.

Of course, the most famous example of taking large-scale legal advantage of supermarkets is from the TV show Extreme Couponing. This works very well in many US states, but not so well where I live. Coupons really don't exist to the same extent, and are only offered on brand name products, and the savings are often small.

Instead I use two tricks which have served me well in both the UK and back in Canada: reduced for sale items and multibuy offers.

Reduced for sale

These items are reaching their best-before or sell-by dates, and stores need to clear them out quickly. They may be placed in a separate section, or have identifying stickers stating the percentage reduction or the new price. In England, these stickers seemed to be universally yellow, but in the supermarket nearest to me now, they're giant and pink (often covering up the product name or description!)

When buying reduced for sale items, check the best before date. This could be a few days away, but the product will still be edible even after this date. If the product has a use-by date, make sure you will consume the entire product before that date.

Any item which is reduced for sale and which can be frozen (such as meat or bread) is an even better bargain! Put the meat into a freezer bag (in portions, if it's chicken breasts or thighs, or ground meat) and stick it in the freezer until you will use it. Then, fully defrost when desired and cook it immediately. Bread will last at least a few days after defrosting.

Sometimes these reductions take place at specific times during the day or week. A few hours before closing is often a good time - as the store tries to get everything sold as fast as possible. 

Today I got lucky and found some reduced for sale yoghurt (best before the 7th) and orange juice (best before the 6th), both reduced by 50%. In fact, since the orange juice's reduction didn't go through at the check-out, I got a 100% reduction from customer services!

Multibuy offers

These can be useful, but also dangerous. Investigate the available multibuys before you get to the supermarket, either online or through the store's weekly flyer. Multibuy offers can lure you into the exhilarating feeling of getting a bargain, even when you don't need the item, and planning ahead will help you avoid these temptations.

Multibuys on pantry essentials are especially good. Stock up when the items are cheap. If there are multibuys for fresh produce, use it as an excuse to eat more fruit and vegetables or try new things. But make sure you use them! A multibuy offer is no good if the food goes to waste.

I'm having particular fun with multibuy offers in Canada, because the laws here seem to require multibuy pricing to extend to the individual items. So, for example, a 2 for $5 deal means that each item must be individually priced at $2.50 each. So my box of cereal, normally $5.58, currently on offer at 2 for $6, cost me only $3, even though I only bought one! Fantastic!


These are just two examples of ways to get the most out of your supermarket, which are well used in both Canada and the UK. Are there any tricks that you use?

Recipe: Gigantor pot of pasta sauce

Mmmm pasta. Food of the gods and the budget-conscious.

But what to put on those wiggly or fun-shaped noodles? Store-bought pasta sauces can be really expensive, and the cheap-o alternatives can be questionably tasteless or full of salt. Blegh.

And you definitely don't want to make fresh sauce each time you want pasta. Even for a big family, that can be a huge headache.

So here's the solution, which is also a family recipe. I'm naming it the Gigantor pot of pasta sauce. It's pretty darn big.

Ingredients

olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced (or more if you like extra garlicky sauce!)
2-ish pounds of lean ground beef (or other meat; get whatever's on sale, special, or reduced for quick sale)
2 large jars of plane jane spaghetti sauce (I used ones that are 700mL)
1 tin (540mL) of Lentils
1tsp Marmite*
1 sachet or cube Beef bouillon
3 bay leaves
Ground pepper/sea salt to taste

Instructions

1. Sauté the onions and garlic in a large dollop of oil until soft and translucent
2. Add beef. Attack the beef with a wooden spoon while it cooks, continuously breaking it up and turning it over until there's no pink left.
3. Add the spaghetti sauce, lentils, Marmite, bouillon, and bay leaves. Swirl a little water inside the sauce jars to make sure all the delicious saucy goodness is in your pot.
4. Bring to a boil, then lower the temperature and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir every so often to make sure everything's combining.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste - you may want to add a bit of sugar as well if the tomato taste is too strong. Remove bay leaves.
6. Enjoy!
7. Realize you have REDICULOUS amounts of leftovers, excavate all your freezer containers. Portion out and freeze.


Let's put it this way. When I cooked this two weeks go, I ended up with 6 Tupperware sack pots, and 2 soup containers, in addition to what I was eating. That's roughly 10 individaul servings. For less than $10, since I bought the beef when it was reduced for quick sale. I still have two pots left.

That's a whole lot of pasta sauce!

Side note: if you don't feel up to boiling water and making some pasta, this sauce also tastes great on a microwaved baked potato. Cover it with cheddar cheese for some added inexpensive deliciousness.

Side note 2 (18/2/13): I made more sauce today, and added in some bacon and a spare red pepper I had leftover in the fridge. Thrown in whatever you have on hand to bulk it out - don't waste good food!

*Marmite is, in my opinion, disgusting on it's own. It's like salted tar. But it's like magic beef sauce when used with mince.

Tip #18 - Make a Budget

Tomorrow's a big day for me! I'm moving into a shared two bedroom apartment, so for the first time in several months I can actually budget some expenses. Living without a fixed address can be expensive because it's hard to plan where all your money will go, and how much you will have at the end of the month.

I've decided that, because I have an unsteady income through self-employment, I would set myself a strict budget which I know I can manage for at least six months on my current account balance. That amount is $1000 Canadian per month. This will be really really hard, but I think I can do it.

To make a basic budget, follow these simple steps:

1- If you can, write down how much you make each month.

2- Write down your fixed expenses: These are things which are not optional, which have a fixed monthly or yearly cost, and which can't be negotiated. Things like mortgage, rent, car payment.

[3- Write down your debt repayment costs: If you have debts, you need to make note of how much this is costing you each month. Total debt repayment shouldn't be much more than 8% of your income unless you're amazingly rich. It must be manageable - without only paying the minimum amount.]*

4- Write down your non-luxury variable expenses: Things like food, phone bill, Internet, transportation (gas, bus pass), and insurances come into this category. These expenses are ones which you have some flexibility over how much to spend, but still have to be paid each month.

5- Write down your luxury expenses: Beauty costs, entertainment, sporting events, clothing all fall into this category. I would personally put a gym membership here too, but that's up for debate depending on your situation.

6- Write down how much you are putting aside in savings and/or retirement each month. This can't be 0!

*Note: I put #3 in brackets because, like myself, you may have no debts. This should mean more money in #5 ;)

The total of 2-6 shouldn't exceed the number in 1 - if it does, you will simply increase your debts further. To fix this, go through your luxury and non-luxury variable expenses to see where you can cut back. This may take some time and effort, and may well be very difficult. It requires a very future-oriented thought process. You need to know why you want to save more money, why it will be beneficial in the future, to your family or to yourself.

7- STICK TO YOUR BUDGET

Because of my uncertain income, I came at my own budget in a slightly different way, by deciding how much I was willing and able to spend each month, and working backwards to see how much I could spend in each category.

Here is my final monthly budget:

Rent: $430 (all inclusive, including Internet and cable)

Phone: $46 (after taxes)

Food: $148.75 ($35/week)

Transportation: $106.25 ($25/week)

Entertainment: $63.75 ($15/week)

Clothing and gifts: $63.75 ($15/week)

Other: 141.50 (includes insurance, sundries, and any 'float' needed in other categories)

Total: $1000

So that's a pretty tight budget. You'll notice that I have no line in there for "savings" - that's because, since I don't have a steady income, I plan on putting everything outside the $1000/month into savings. (What can I say, I'm a saver!)

I will be posting quite a bit about how I've managed to stay within this budget. I think the food bit will be the hardest. $35/week for food just doesn't go very far, despite food not being taxed in Canada. I'm slightly cheating by stocking up with "essentials" using Christmas money (about $125 worth), but otherwise all my food will have to fit within this budget. Wish me luck!

Tip #16 - Make your Christmas presents

This is clearly a little late, but I couldn't post what I made for people until after Christmas... otherwise they would know!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've made Christmas presents for the past few years. I simply don't believe that it's necessary to spend loads of money on Christmas presents. Especially when making presents for a medium to large number of people, it's possible to save a lot of money in financial terms, while still giving thought-felt gifts. Certainly, if I added up all the time I spent this year and paid myself minimum wage, I would have spent a lot more than I could afford!

I had 10 people + my boyfriend to give gifts for this year. For the 10, I made gift bags (see here for how I made the gift bags) with three sweet Christmas treats: peppermint bark, gingerbread cookies, and chocolate-covered candied orange peel. In total, including the gift bag supplies, I spent (in cash terms) approximately ₤25, but probably spent about 3 full days between the treats and bags. 

Chocolate peppermint bark, courtesy of a recipe by canida on the instructables site (http://www.instructables.com/id/Chocolate-Peppermint-Bark/#step1). Really tasty, and would be great melted into hot chocolate.

 

These chocolate covered candied orange peels are simply to-die for. Absolutely incredible. I used a recipe from the food network (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/candied-orange-recipe/index.html), then dipped the resulting concoction into melted dark chocolate, let it cool in the freezer, and yum-tastic!

I have no reference for this gingerbread recipe because my friend sent it to me several years ago. It's got a big kick to it thanks to the cloves and pepper, but do not be deceived! It's delicious.

Spicy Gingerbread Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup dark-brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

1 cup unsulfured molasses

6 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

4 teaspoons ground ginger

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

Raisins, dragées, and/or red hot candies for decoration (optional)

Royal Icing for decoration (optional)

In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and molasses. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture. Divide dough into thirds and wrap each third in plastic wrap. Chill for about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 F. Roll dough 1/8 inch thick between two pieces of waxed paper. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Transfer shapes to ungreased cookie sheets. If desired, decorate with raisins, dragées, and/or red hot candies. Refrigerate about 15 minutes. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crisp but not dark. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute, then remove to wire racks to cool completely. If desired, decorate with Royal Icing.

And finally, ready for Christmas! :)

 

 

Tip #14 - Eat less meat

I'm not a vegetarian, and I can eat platefulls of baked or roasted ham or bacon. But with the price of meat so high, and set to increase in Canada next year, it may be worth finding some alternatives.

Anyone who has a vegetarian friend has probably seen the meat substitute products, usually made from ground mushrooms or soya, but these too can be very expensive. I also find them hit-and-miss - some aren't bad, but some just have a strange aftertaste or texture.

So I'm going to put in a plug for that most basic of protein, the one we sing about, the one which makes family gatherings that little bit more odorous.

Beans.

Canned, dried, fresh, it doesn't matter. Beans are incredibly good value for their weight and volume, and they're packed with nutrients like protein and iron. They're a good source of complex carbohydrates and fiber as well, so can act as both a veg and a meat substitute. And they're just so cheap!

I tend to have several different cans of beans in my cupboard for when I want to bulk something out. So I'll add chickpeas to curries, or pinto beans to tacos (this is relatively new), or lentils to shepherd's pie or bolognese sauce.

Lentils are especially good for bulking out ground beef-based meals. If you add a can of lentils to a pot of shepherd's pie filling or spaghetti sauce, you can cut out the equivalent volume of ground beef. And, it hides the lentils for picky eaters! I never spotted them in my Mum's cooking until I was much older and able to appreciate them more.

If, unlike me, you're a meat and two veg cook (I'm a one-pot cook so the beans trick works well for me), you can cut down on your meat bill by only buying what's on sale or special (i.e. going off that day), in bulk, and freezing it until you are ready to eat it. Freezerbags are great for this - you can freeze individual chicken breasts or steaks out of a value pack, or stick a whole chicken in one. Just make sure that you take the freezing into account when you cook, and make sure you consume the products within about a month!

Finally, a trick for you turkey or ham lovers. The week after Thanksgiving or Christmas, go to your supermarket, and buy one or two frozen turkeys or hams. They and their leftovers will last for a good long time and are at huge markdown! It's like the adult equivalent of buying marked down halloween or easter candy.

CHALLENGE: Day out in London for ₤10

I'm visiting my Aunt in London this weekend, and thought I'd set myself a challenge: to have a Saturday out in London for only ₤10. Sound impossible? Well, there's more.

You see, I know London. I lived here for a year. So I thought I'd up the ante. The ₤10 must include all transportation, all food (not including breakfast and supper, which I'm having at my Aunt's), and include at least 1 museum, 1 gallery, and 1 live performance. I used some of the tricks from my previous blog post on entertainment on a shoestring, but still I was nervous that I couldn't pull it off...

Tip #13 - What's in a name?

More often than not, brand names mean you're paying for the product's name, not its contents. If you insist on buying only brand named products, you will be spending too much money.

Here are my general guidelines on buying products:

-  Think of the use of the product: Will it be used once or repeatedly? Will it be mixed in with something or eaten as-is? Will you use all of it or waste half?

- What benefit does this product offer: Do you know that your hair will be silky and smooth or does it only promise? Will your garbage be truly smell-free (unlikely...)? When mixed in, will these brand name lentils realy add extra protein above the standard lentils?

- What benefit does the company offer: Do they refuse to test on animals? Do they give back to charity or invest in the community? Have you investigated the criticisms of the company (Wikipedia is a good place for this...) and find it to still be a company you want to give money to?

- Finally, the most important question: Which is cheaper? Brand name products are more likely to have sales, which can bring the unit price below that of a store brand.

I'm a big fan of store brands, and for most products find that they are equivalent to brand name products, with a very few exceptions. One for me is a facial moisturizer from Lush, which is the only one I've found which deals with both my dry skin and my oily breakouts. Another is curry paste, which needs to be done by a reputable company which understands the balance of flavours. Yet another is salad dressing - I'm sorry, but I just love Kraft Golden Italian, and no matter what else I've tried, I can't find a suitable cheaper replacement.


Are you a brand fiend? I challenge you to take one product per week which you would normally insist on being brand named, and try the store brand version. Perhaps chopped tomatoes. Or beans. Or frozen peas. Or if you're really going out on a limb, maybe try store brand cleaning pruducts. I promise you will find some savings, if a bit difficult along the way :)

Tip #12 - DIY Frozen Berries

My Dad and I went to the supermarket yesterday, and joy of joys, there was a sale on blackberries! Four tubs for $5. Clearly, they were trying to get rid of their stock before they all went furry.

So we bought four. And took them home. And then I spent the whole night thinking what the heck we're going to do with four tubs of blackberries which are about to go furry in a house which doesn't have any baking ingredients (because the obvious answer would be blackberry apple pie or crisp, but my Dad doesn't have flour... don't ask).

So I thought I'd try freezing them.

Anyone who has tried freezing fruit before knows that throwing them into a tupperware container or a freezer bag as-is turns the berries into a giant messy mess which is essentially inedible. My awesome Menonite cookbook, however, suggested freezing them on a baking tray, not touching, before tipping them into a container. And... it works! Three of the four tubs successfully frozen and no mushy berries.

The best part is, you can now stock up on fruit (or vegetables) which are at the end of their life-cycle and being sold cheaply, and preserve them for a significantly longer period of time, AND save the premium that store-bought frozen berries and vegetables have on them. Win-win!

Tutorial: DIY Frozen Berries

1 - Arrange your berries neatly on a baking tray. My Dad doesn't have a baking tray, so I used some oven bakeware.

2 - Put into freezer for about an hour until hard (the time will depend on the type of fruit). This can be tested by throwing at people's heads, but it's inadvisable.

3 - When hard, pour into a freezer bag or tupperware and put back into freezer until ready to eat!

This can also be used to freeze par-boiled vegetables, but I haven't tried it yet, though it's on my to-do list.

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!

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!