When Sandra Reynolds found she had $120 a fortnight to feed her family, she set herself the challenge of using that budget not only to stave off hunger but to eat well, too. One year later she's proved that 14 family meals on $120 is not only possible but may have put her on the path to a new career.
"I was an admin assistant at a local council – very conventional, a single mother, very ordinary," she says. "I hated the job. I actually walked out the day I decided to quit. For a week it was wonderful but then I woke up and realised that maybe things weren't the best."
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Two weeks later, when no other work became available, Reynolds was forced to take Centrelink assistance. When phone and electricity bills consumed the whole of her first payment, there was nothing left to feed herself or her two children, aged 18 and 16.
"I actually went to the Salvos and they gave me a food voucher for $60," she says. "And they suggested I come back the next week and get another one as well. I went home and whinged on Facebook, I wrote, 'Is it possible to feed your family for $60 a week?' "
The response from friends discussing and debating the financial realities of feeding a modern family prompted Reynolds to keep the conversation going.
"I literally had nothing better to do, so whenever I had a recipe I wrote it on Facebook," she says. "It just went from there."
As the Facebook postings gained followers, Sandra sought to broaden her audience by blogging about her challenge to feed herself and her children – and feed them well – on $120 a fortnight. A week later, after Googling "How to start a blog", she found her forum.
Now, she uses her blog to share recipes for seven main meals, two desserts and one sweet treat each week – all of which can be prepared for about $60. On top of the monetary restrictions, she also maintains a high standard of taste and nutrition. "I said I wouldn't do a lot of mince, or horrible pre-packaged, frozen foods," she says. "I like to eat good food."
Reynolds advocates pre-planning to take advantage of economies of scale in household kitchens, as well as avoiding products that have undergone costly processing steps.
"I make as much as possible from scratch," she says. "The more processes you perform for yourself, the more money you save. The other thing is to buy generic brands and buy in bulk, buy at wholesale prices. That doesn't mean you eat badly."
Bargains are also cyclical. Cherries in the middle of winter or hazelnuts in summer make saving money impossible, she says. Reynolds buys seasonal fruit and vegetables. "Even now with the wild weather there's still a lot of bargains," she says.
She is still living, eating and writing on a restricted budget, though she has a book that is due to be published next year by Penguin. She says continuing her new career is a balancing act.
"I do hope to keep going but at the same time I have to be careful with Centrelink, I have to keep looking for jobs," she says. "I'd like to work until I can do this full time. I kind of like being a food writer."
Sandra Reynolds' blog: 120dollarsfoodchallenge.com.
SOURCE:
http://www.essentialkids.com.au/life/money/make-dough-save-money-20110127-1a7hw
"I was an admin assistant at a local council – very conventional, a single mother, very ordinary," she says. "I hated the job. I actually walked out the day I decided to quit. For a week it was wonderful but then I woke up and realised that maybe things weren't the best."
See Also
Eat well, reduce your footprint and save money
10 ways to save money in the kitchen
Thrifty tips for tough times
Two weeks later, when no other work became available, Reynolds was forced to take Centrelink assistance. When phone and electricity bills consumed the whole of her first payment, there was nothing left to feed herself or her two children, aged 18 and 16.
"I actually went to the Salvos and they gave me a food voucher for $60," she says. "And they suggested I come back the next week and get another one as well. I went home and whinged on Facebook, I wrote, 'Is it possible to feed your family for $60 a week?' "
The response from friends discussing and debating the financial realities of feeding a modern family prompted Reynolds to keep the conversation going.
"I literally had nothing better to do, so whenever I had a recipe I wrote it on Facebook," she says. "It just went from there."
As the Facebook postings gained followers, Sandra sought to broaden her audience by blogging about her challenge to feed herself and her children – and feed them well – on $120 a fortnight. A week later, after Googling "How to start a blog", she found her forum.
Now, she uses her blog to share recipes for seven main meals, two desserts and one sweet treat each week – all of which can be prepared for about $60. On top of the monetary restrictions, she also maintains a high standard of taste and nutrition. "I said I wouldn't do a lot of mince, or horrible pre-packaged, frozen foods," she says. "I like to eat good food."
Reynolds advocates pre-planning to take advantage of economies of scale in household kitchens, as well as avoiding products that have undergone costly processing steps.
"I make as much as possible from scratch," she says. "The more processes you perform for yourself, the more money you save. The other thing is to buy generic brands and buy in bulk, buy at wholesale prices. That doesn't mean you eat badly."
Bargains are also cyclical. Cherries in the middle of winter or hazelnuts in summer make saving money impossible, she says. Reynolds buys seasonal fruit and vegetables. "Even now with the wild weather there's still a lot of bargains," she says.
She is still living, eating and writing on a restricted budget, though she has a book that is due to be published next year by Penguin. She says continuing her new career is a balancing act.
"I do hope to keep going but at the same time I have to be careful with Centrelink, I have to keep looking for jobs," she says. "I'd like to work until I can do this full time. I kind of like being a food writer."
Sandra Reynolds' blog: 120dollarsfoodchallenge.com.
SOURCE:
http://www.essentialkids.com.au/life/money/make-dough-save-money-20110127-1a7hw
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