The budget secrets of a frugal froodie
IT’S easy to eat well when you can toss the makings of healthy family meals into your supermarket trolley without counting the cost.
But how would you cope if, like Dubliner Caitriona Redmond, you had to feed a family of five wholesome food on a budget of €70 a week?
When Caitriona lost her job as a PA in 2009, she was forced to do just that. Now, five years on, she has come up with a manual to help the thousands of other families who are in the same situation.
You can eat well for less, Caitriona assures readers in her new book Wholesome, Feed Your Family Well for Less but, she adds, it is not always easy.
The mother-of-three and high-profile blogger tells it like it is. She talks openly about the toll living on a tight budget has exacted on her and the stress of facing bills and unexpected costs.
“There’s a sinking feeling when I know a utility bill is due, or when the bin tag has to be bought,” she says.
“There’s no such thing as a night out really, which makes you feel even more socially isolated. I have often stood at the school gate and heard parents talking about holidays, new shoes, haircuts and felt like a total outsider because I can’t identify with any of that,” she continues.
And yet her book is upbeat, practical and very inspiring. It is full of recipes, tips and tricks for making food — and money — go further.
Here are some of her golden rules:
Run your kitchen like a business
The first thing Caitriona did was to start running her kitchen like the offices she had worked in. She stock-takes, keeps a tally of all she needs on a whiteboard, calculates her budget, plans all meals and has banned credit cards.
You’ll need lots of discipline but good food doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive, she insists.
Superman in your cupboard
“Think of the store cupboard as the ‘Superman’ of the frugal household,” writes Caitriona. Spices, herbs and store cupboard tricks can totally transform a standard meal into something memorable.
Her own cupboard is stocked with lots of dried herbs, spices and dried carbohydrates like bulgur wheat, lentils, noodles, oats, chickpeas, pasta and cannellini beans.
Be a savvy shopper
You don’t have to spend time, energy and shoe leather/fuel traipsing from shop to shop, just get price aware and check the price per gram weight on the shelves.
For instance, the Redmond family’s favourite blend of tea works out cheaper if you buy the smallest box possible, rather than the seemingly cheaper jumbo pack.
Develop ESP
This doesn’t stand for extra sensory perception but eggs, spuds and pulses. These three magic ingredients provide great nutrition and could save a fortune as an alternative protein source to meat.
Be realistic
“That was the hardest thing,” writes Caitriona. While there were many organisations to help with claiming entitlements after redundancy, or legal issues, there wasn’t anybody to help her provide nutritional food on a budget.
Thankfully, the lady herself has stepped in to fill that gap.
* Wholesome, Feed Your Family Well for Less by Caitriona Redmond is published by Mercier Press, €19.99.
Serves 4
Made completely from store cupboard ingredients.
Bring the stock to a slow simmer. Stir in the ginger and garlic paste and the sweetcorn until they are defrosted. Remove from heat and pulse with a stick blender. Return to the heat and break in the egg noodles. Simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in the peas. Serve once the peas are hot — about 2 minutes — and sprinkle with dried chilli if you’re a heat fiend. Drizzle soy sauce on top to season.
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