Pulling the budget strings

It seems like the most opportune time to make good use of the lower interest rates and pay off as much of our debts (ie: mortgage) as possible. But then, that's not the only incentive. We don't know what may lie around the corner with employment for spouses. Supplies with imports have slowed as shipping containers are taking longer to fill. Regular grocery supplies from local producers have also become more scarce, and more expensive, with drought mixed in to the formula. It's certainly enough to make one either sleepless, or spend most waking hours wondering how to finetune budgets and prepare for an unknown future.

Well, I'm not trying to focus on the negative side. Let's look at what CAN be done.

Thankfully we've managed to organise ourselves in such a way that I can be home with the children whilst only hubby is out at a job. That in itself is a plus.

We've kept accurate records of all bills, so we know what's expected when. I've even had the children out looking at the metre boxes, taking records, so they know how they work and how to calculate the cost of usage.

It's the fluctuating spending which catches us out. Either petrol, groceries or items for around the house. Out of all of these, though, it's the groceries which cause me the most anxiety, and the best way I've found to deal with this is to PLAN with as much detail as I can get my head around.

I've made up a monthly menu sheet on which I pencil in meal plans for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If I can plan at least a fortnight's worth of meals, it cuts down my number of trips to the store and prevents the urge to buy luxury items. Also, buying unprocessed as much as possible means I need to plan time to cook in advance, but saves a considerable amount too.

Here's an example of some of this fortnight's dinner plans:
$7 for a nice piece of corned silverside. This will make 4 meals. The first night - served freshly cooked with steamed veg. Remaining meat is then portioned into thirds. Freeze that not in use. Second - take a small amount and dice; add to some brown 'fried rice' with lots of veg. Third - luncheon sandwiches. Fourth - dice remaining meat and use as a pizza topping.

So, I guess this post is more to remotivate and force me to commit to better planning. So far this week we've done extremely well by using items already in the house, so I may only need to shop this weekend for some more baking goods and fruit/veg.

Here's this fortnight's dinner menu for those interested (most of these are from items already stored in the pantry or freezer):

Sun - corned silverside with veg.
Mon - fried rice with lots of veg. and a portion of remaining silverside.
Tue - pasta with grated carrot, zucchini, corn, tomato, garlic and tuna (tinned)
Wed - chicken burgers* and baked potato 'chips' (*whole chicken, but only use breast meat, thinly fillet sliced to make 4 serves. Put the rest of the chicken aside for another 2 meals.)
Thu - impossible quiche with corn, cheese and chives. Serve with salad and potato wedges.
Fri - honey soy chicken, from legs and thighs. (Carcass used for soup in yesterday's lunch).
Sat - spaghetti bolognaise (make a triple quantity and freeze for another meal).
Sun - (visiting)
Mon - homemade pizzas.
Tue - tuna patties and salads
Wed - minestrone soup with fresh baked bread rolls.
Thu - fish (Blue Grenadier) pan fried, served with couscous and steamed veg.
Fri - beef curry (using beef spare ribs in crockpot) with rice, papadams and salad
Sat - baked potatoes, bolognaise and other various toppings