Frugal Lunch Ideas: Scrambled Eggs

Scrambled eggs are an awesomely versatile dish that can incorporate whatever veggies you have in your fridge, or are even fine on their own – a new trick I’ve learned from my husband’s family is adding a sprinkle of cinnamon to them for a slightly different taste.

Frugal Living: You Need A Budget

The budgeting software that we use is YNAB (You Need A Budget) and it is so so great, I literally cannot recommend it highly enough. It’s the best thing that we’ve done for our finances, and our marriage. So here is a little introduction to this fantastic piece of software.

Frugal Breakfasts: What’s the best option?

We’ve gone through a few breakfast options in our household, but after a lot of experimentation have settled on a few staples. The obvious choice, if you’re aiming to cut down on groceries, is to not buy Fruit Loops, Nutrigrain, or expensive mueslis – but how do you figure out the cheapest option (that’s still healthy of course!!).

Weet-Bix was our first step (a common NZ staple) and at 50cents per 100g isn’t BAD, per say – but when you have a 6’1″ husband, they can go through a litre of milk with it ($1.60 from my last bill) and the cost can expand really quickly! At that cost, the hubby is cut off, and we only buy this for the Little One’s breakfast (and maybe the OCCASIONAL adult snack).

Frugal Lunch Ideas: Date Scones

Date scones are extremely easy to whip up, and so so cheap. You can use pretty much any scone recipe, but I used the one in the Edmonds cookbook.

Frugal Fish Pie <$1.80 per serve!

This amazing little recipe is adapted from the Edmonds Cook Book – it’s a great little recipe that you can incorporate as many or as few vegetables as you like, depending on how much bulk you want it to have. Best of all, it’s that wonderful combination of cheap and delicious that makes it a great recipe for the frugal household.

Frugal Lunch Ideas: Cinnamon Scrolls!

Although probably not super healthy, these cinnamon scrolls are filling, delicious and cost a lot less than a lot of other options, with the added bonus that you feel like you’ve had an extravagant treat after eating them.

Frugal Pasta: Spaghetti Aglio E Olio <$1 per serve

This is a nice little spicy dish that is very simple, but delicious and a staple in our household. I originally got it from the TearFund “One Helping” cookbook which is part of their “Live Below the Line” challenge – available here or at Countdown. I do put my own little twists on it, but as a basic recipe it’s very easy, very filling, and very very cheap!

Frugal Shopping: Fruit and Vege Co-Ops

One cheap way to get your fruit and veg for the week is by getting in touch with your local Fruit and Vege Co-Op. The way they work is through economies of scale – a group of people will get together, usually pay in advance, and they will go get the best deals through markets and other connections – then each person who has paid will get a share of the spoils. Usually they will ask for an hour or so of your time as well, but each co-operative works to their own rules so it’s worth getting in contact with them even if you can’t spare the time.

I just joined my local F&V Co-Op in Christchurch, and this is what I got for $12:

Frugal Lunch Ideas: Tuna Pasta Salad

Tuna Pasta Salad is an extremely easy meal with four core ingredients. It can be eaten hot or cold, can easily be bulked up for extra people, or turned into a dinner with an extra ingredient or two. It was one of my main forms of sustenance as a student, and I’ve kept making and eating it through into my adult years.

Frugal Fish n Chips! $1.50 per serve!

We are kiwis through and through, and love our good old fish n chips! This is my homemade version on a cultural classic!