Caitríona Redmond: How to make the most of supermarket savings

"Society tells us that if we knuckle down and work hard we will reap the rewards — this leaves us all feeling short, or hard done by, despite working just as hard as we have 18 months ago"

Caitríona Redmond: "You might have been noticing the lighter feeling at the end of the week since Christmas, but the steady increase in the price of groceries has been happening for 18 months." Picture: iStock

Our budgets are being pressed from both ends. The horrific cost of energy that has resulted in jaw-dropping bills from the winter, combined with the price of putting a roof over our heads, leaves us with less to spend on food.

If you’re really lucky, the discretionary spending at the end of the week might even pay for a takeout or a night out with a few drinks; something that will make you feel normal, even for a couple of hours.

For families at the moment, those few euro are being used to pay for school tours or summer camps, there might be a collection for the end-of-school gift for a teacher. 

It’s really difficult to budget for these expenses on a weekly basis. I have a school vault in my online banking account that I try to keep topped up, but the increase in the cost of living means I, like most of us, have been struggling to keep up.

You might have been noticing the lighter feeling at the end of the week since Christmas, but the steady increase in the price of groceries has been happening for 18 months. 

While the rate of grocery inflation is easing, that doesn’t mean that prices are going downwards. When we say the rate of inflation is easing that means that prices are still increasing, just at a slower rate.

Society tells us that if we knuckle down and work hard we will reap the rewards. This leaves us all feeling short, or hard done by, despite working just as hard as we were 18 months ago. There’s a real feeling in the air of how unfair it all is.

Retailers are beginning to drop their prices, and we can only hope there is more to come in the weeks ahead. 

Plus, as the weather improves, we are going to use our heating and light a lot less. This will add up to savings on our energy bills and hopefully a little more money in the bank at the end of the week.

I know it’s only temporary but I feel like we need the reprieve. We need the break from the clatter of financial stress that hits us as we do the weekly shop.

I know that many people don’t enjoy the weekly shop anymore, and that it’s becoming more and more like a chore. Here’s hoping that the price reductions are here to stay, and we can feel brighter this spring.

Home Economics – The Monthly Food Shop

Why do I write about weekly food shops? It is not due to people having a weekly wage, although many do. The vast majority of fresh products have a best-before limit of around about a week after you buy them. It makes sense therefore that most of us do a weekly food shop.

It’s easy to slip into a rut when you’re shopping on a weekly basis. Hopefully, you have a meal plan done up, or even an idea of what you intend to cook, and then you head off to the supermarket and stock up on your ingredients. Let’s say that spaghetti bolognese is on the menu, so you buy all the ingredients; including pasta, garlic, tinned tomatoes, and onions. Except that all of those aforementioned ingredients actually have a longer shelf life and you may already have some left over from a previous meal.

I’ve an exercise for you this week: Jot down the number of days you eat rice and pasta. Both of these are cheaper to buy in bulk. The next time you go shopping, buy enough for a fortnight. Every second week you will do a bigger shop, with a week in between for fresh items only. Over time you’ll be able to stretch the big shop to once a month or maybe more, depending on your storage situation.

I’m now doing one big shop a month for staples like stock cubes, tins and jars, spices, rice, and pasta. The rest of the month I’m shopping for fresh ingredients and I find that I can be more inventive by looking at core proteins and what I have in the kitchen cupboards. Sometimes buying more, not less, can save you money.

Energy Cookies

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond 

These cookies are a favourite in our household. I’ve been making them for years because the combination of oats and flax seeds makes them high in fibre. In fact, these cookies are a dupe for the very expensive lactation cookies you see in shops but take b

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 1 hours 15 mins

Cooking Time

 14 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 29 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 American

Ingredients

• 100g coconut oil

• 100g light brown sugar

• 200g oats

• 50g chia seeds

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 30 ml water

Method

1. Preheat a fan oven to 170ºC.

2. Bring the coconut oil to a soft form/oil by popping it in a bowl and microwaving for 30 seconds (it must be soft for this recipe).

3. Add all the ingredients including the coconut oil into a food processor and turn on full until you have a batter. Put the batter into the fridge for about an hour. The chia seeds will act as a binder and the batter will turn more solid.

4. Line a baking tray with non stick baking parchment.

5. Dampen your hands slightly and roll the dough into golf ball sized balls.

6. Place six balls onto the tray and bake at 170ºC for 15 minutes (or until golden brown).

7. Allow to cool before eating.

Leftover Pork Wraps

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond 

For sustainability month I have an easy leftovers recipe for you. I struggle to use leftovers sometimes and just lash pork into a stir fry but here is a summery alternative.

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 60 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• Handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped

• Juice of 1 lime

• Pinch of salt

• 1 red onion, peeled and diced

• 1 green pepper, diced

• 2 large wraps

• 200g leftover cooked pork, chopped

Method

1. Stir all the ingredients together in a bowl and leave to sit in the fridge for about one hour before serving.

2. To assemble the pork wraps, heat a dry pan to medium on the hob.

3. On a clean surface fill a wholemeal wrap with a tablespoon of pork, top with some salsa. Roll the wrap tightly and then toast on the dry pan until heated through. Enjoy immediately!