Caitriona Redmond: Why sticking to a household budget is as easy as making toast

Budgeting and living with less is instinctive for me — just like making a slice of toast

How do you make a slice of toast? Do you follow a recipe, or is it instinctive? You probably go through a series of steps, almost on auto pilot. From a fresh slice of soda bread, to toasting it with heat, to slathering the slice with beautiful Irish butter, and finally a bit of honey, jam, cheese, or even peanut butter. It’s a process that takes you from beginning to enjoyment. Tea or coffee optional.

There’s a running joke in my house that when the alarm sounds, it’s a sign that the toast is ready. It’s very sensitive to smoke which is fantastic for fire safety but not brilliant for kitchen confidence and the cost of replacing batteries.

If you can accomplish making a slice of toast (with or without setting off the alarm), then you can set and stick to a household budget with ease. Working with less money is a process. You allocate money to what you need and then try to stick to financial boundaries. Think of the impending zero figure in your bank account as a virtual smoke alarm.

Your resources set the limits. If you have less money to spend, then you make it work for you and your family. You’d be surprised how much ingenuity comes to play when the pot of money gets smaller. That smaller stash to use for spending was one of the reasons why I started growing my own food many years ago.

My front garden patch is small but south-facing and sunny all year around. The food growing adventures started with a pack of peas and carrot seed. One spring, I planted the front garden with vegetable seeds because it was cheaper than planting flowers with the added bonus of feeding the family. A couple of months later and we were snacking on peas for weeks, with whatever left over going into the freezer.

The back garden is (go figure) north-facing and the light isn’t great but it’s perfect for seasonal fruit bushes that don’t need very much attention at all. That’s where I keep the raspberry canes that a friend gave me from her garden and some blackcurrant bushes. Once planted, I really didn’t need to do much with them other than mulching every now and again. They’ve been there for nearly 20 years now and I still get a great harvest.

When I see beautiful hanging baskets of summery flowers and budding seedlings in garden centres, internally I’m doing quick maths calculations. How many vegetables could I fit in the garden in their stead and how much enjoyment will growing my own food bring? While the food savings are not as much as you think, it’s certainly a very healthy way to live.

Nowadays budgeting and living with less is instinctive for me. Just like making a slice of toast and a cup of tea. I don’t think about it as much as it’s a way of getting through life.

Home Truths

During the summer holidays the drain on your purse is no longer the requests for a cake sale or a book sale or a sponsored walk. It has morphed into a couple of euro for the ice cream van, and if your kids are old enough to nip to the shops for the messages there’s frequent offers to ‘help’ which are eating into your weekly grocery budget.

When living on less giving pocket money to your kids might feel counter productive. Think of it as a brilliant opportunity to teach your kids the value of what they have and the spending power it holds. My 12-year-old for example has realised if he saves as much as possible, he can afford to go on a spending spree in the Lego store. The 15-year-old ekes out as much as he can from his money and goes from shop to shop looking for bargains.

The great news from a household budget point of view is that once the pocket money is gone, it’s gone. No more begging for change for bits and bobs and your children will have learned a vital life lesson.

Whipped jelly

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond

A retro jelly treat for special occasions.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 3 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 3 hours 15 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• 2 sachets sugar free jelly

• 200ml hot water

• 150ml cold water

• 1 tin evaporated milk

• Fresh chopped strawberries and raspberries

• Sweets to garnish (optional)

Method

1. Combine the sugar free jelly with hot water until the crystals are dissolved.

2. Add in the cold water and stir.

3. Put the jelly mixture into a cold spot for about 20 to 30 minutes so that it starts to thicken slightly.

4. Take 6 medium glasses or dishes and divide half the jelly between the 6 glasses.

5. Using an electric whisk, rapidly whisk the evaporated milk and remaining jelly mixture together until light and foamy.

6. Gently fold in the chopped fruit.

7. Decant on top of the jelly in the glasses and chill until serving.

8. Serve with whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, and jellies on top if you like.