The Information Magazine

Today’s blog post is on eating in. I came home from work tired and hungry last night and the urge to order a pizza was strong. Since I was adamant to stick to my golden rule on budgeting, I decided to make a quick and simple meal with what I could find in the kitchen. I’m currently  watching my bank balance, so for now takeaways and eating out should remain a treat. If I were to make a habit of eating out or ordering in, I will end up spending a lot more money on food than I need to. Consider the tips below on eating in: 

Prepare stand-bys: When I come home from a long day at work, all I want is just a meal on the table, without taking much time to cook. The best way to avoid the temptation of a quick fix takeaway or meal out is to be prepared. One way is to ensure that I have some speedy and tasty meal options in the house. Stir fries, instant soup, cheese or egg on toast can all be ready in less than ten minutes. Sandwiches and wraps are also good alternatives to fast food delivery.

Home made meals: Apart from that, I make sure that I have home-made ready meals in the freezer to avoid grabbing quick junk food when time is tight. For example batch cook bases such as chilli, curry, ground onion and garlic and bolognese sauce and freeze in portions. Get ready a pan or the microwave when you come home and have a nutritious meal in a hurry without spending any money. All I need is to toss mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, capsicums or meat in the base and get bread, rice or pasta ready.  

Frozen meat and fish: Instead of purchasing commercially packaged frozen meals that cost close to $10, why not buy frozen fish fingers or fish fillets that come in boxes of 10 or 4 respectively? Microwave a fish fillet from the box and voila you have a meal ready. Stuff the fillet in between bread and have it with lettuce and cheese or have it with rice topped with pasta sauce and an omelette. That way, you can have several meals from a single box of fish fingers or fillets. The same goes for frozen beef patties. Making beef patties are indeed a cheaper option if you have time to spare. Look out for my recipe on making beef patties in my next blog post.     

Learn to cook restaurant meals: Alternatively, if you enjoy eating out but want to spend less money, think about learning to cook some of your favourite restaurant meals at home in the weekends. Cook a bit more so that you can freeze and heat up the food on weekdays. Prepare and cook as a family so you can still have an enjoyable time together as well as avoiding spending unnecessary money. Download recipes free online to save even more money.

Buy bases in bottles: Look for prepared bases in bottles at the supermarket such as curry, chilli or sauces such as pasta, barbecue or cream sauce. Buy pizza bases and top them with ingredients of your choice on bread or pita wrap. Such bases can be a little bit more expensive than a set take away meal but the base can be used for two to three cooking so in the long run it is still cheaper.    

If you are on a budget, eating out and getting takeaways can be avoided. The rule of the thumb is to learn to prepare quick and simple meals by having stand-by bases and ingredients.