Providing Meals for Your Family on a Tight Budget

==> See post on ingredients - what and where to buy
==> See My Simple Dhal Recipe Gluten Free

The initial impact of COVID-19, or Corona virus, even in its infancy, has, and will continue to, effect the worlds economy and social framework in ways that have been unprecedented since the Great Depression of the 1930's. Since the great majority of the Western worlds population have no experience of the impact of the Great Depression, it is little wonder that people are filled with uncertainty and fear.

The months of February and March 2020 have shaken the very foundation of a Western culture that many thought could securely provide for all our needs. We witnessed scenes of mass hysteria and panic buying in grocery and food stores across Australia and most of the western world. They are/were driven by understandable fears that the average person would not be able to provide for themselves and their families. These events have and will continue to drive genuine concerns for many families about the capacity and abilities of our normal food and consumer goods supply chain.

So how can the average Western family adapt to this major shift in our economic and society environment?

My family and I are a typical Caucasian Australian family. Faced with the same concerns impacting most of us, my driving thought was, in a "worst case" scenario, how can I provide for my own family.

It was then I started to ask questions of a close friend and work colleague, a young Nepalese man who immigrated to Australia about twelve years ago. As we discussed the images of panic buying he shared how his own country was accustomed to regular disruptions in the food supply chain and other consumer goods that are taken for granted in Western First World countries like Australia.

He shared how food supplies would often be disrupted, how at different times he would queue all day for fuel for his motor bike, how electricity supply in Katmandu would, at different times, be limited to two hours per day, how they would grow a large part of their vegetables requirements, how they milked their own cow for milk, how they made most of their own bread etc etc. The surprising part is, they did all this under conditions of uncertainty and economic distress without too much fuss. They were de-sensitized to their environment and just got on with it. 

The fact is our Western society isn't used to what is happening in the current social and economic environment. But, given time, we can adjust and make the necessary changes to manage. Hopefully, without too much fuss.

It was at this point that I realised the key difference in my Nepalese friends ability to cope is - DIET. 

The typical Western diet consists of a huge variety of foods and dishes with many different ingredients and elements, varying quantities and an endless list of recipes to buy and try. Many of those ingredients come in quantities that generates surpluses that often results in wastage. Looking in my own pantry there are packets of ingredients that were bought two or more years ago for a one-off special recipe, never to be used again. We have salad dressing for when we have salad, we have various sources for when we have this meal, we have special dairy products when we have that meal .... and the list goes on. On bin day I often go through the fridge looking for what needs to be thrown out.

Combined with what can be costly ingredients we find ourselves spending big at the supermarket for a lot of stuff that eventually finds it's way into the bin. No wonder a family facing the likelihood of severely reduced income in the current social and economic environment is struck with fear - how on earth can we maintain that spending on top of housing, utilities, clothing, education, transport etc, etc, etc? 

The answer is - WE CAN'T.

Change our diet and the answer becomes - WE CAN.

I have seen my Nepalese friend's diet. We work together and he eats the same meals almost every day. It's very simple and, as I discovered after quizzing him for details, is also very cost effective. His diet consists primarily of:

• rice
• dahl

They can quite easily and comfortabley exist on that alone. They can, and do throw in some extras like vegetables and meat but are by no means necessary. He explained rice and dahl is their staple diet throughout their life. It doesn't change. It's in plentiful supply. It's very cost effective. It's nutritious. It's easy. 

A quick online search about the nutritional value of lentils is interesting. Lentils belong to the legume family. They are plant based, high in protein, have high nutritional value, are low cost and can reduce the risk of "...many lifestyle related health conditions." (source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/297638#benefits).Plus, they are gluten free.

My Nepalese friend took me to a local Indian grocery store that he shops at regularly. We bought bulk rice, a few bags of lentils, some ghee and some spices costing about $135.00.  What I purchased was sufficient to supply food for my small family for about two months. Further, the only food items I would need to buy in the next two months would be a small quantity of vegetables and meat, representing a quick trip to a local supplier on a weekly basis. These are local produce that should not experience too much disruption in supply and are available from a number of local suppliers. For many that doesn't have to be one of the large supermarket stores.

Tonight we prepared our first Indian style rice and dahl meal with the inclusion of a little chicken. I kept the dockets for the goods purchased and crunched the numbers which I find mind boggling:

Per Day:

Family: 2 adults (mum and dad) and two children (young and late teens) 
Number of meals per day: 2
Rice: 2 cups per day or 190 grams
Lintels: 1/8 cup per day or 28 grams per day
Tomatoe: 1/5 per day
Onion: 1/5 per day
Indian style Spices: not much
Cost per day: $4.60

In case you missed it that is two meals per day for a family of 4 with total cost of -  $4.60 per day.

Costing that out for one month or 30 days amounts to $138.00.

Is that possible? 

YEP. We just did it and will keep doing it until we get past this tumultuous social and economic time. 

According to the Suncorp Cost of Food Report, issued in September 2019, Australians spend an average $285 on food per week. Standard groceries was identified at $135 per week. The remainder was represented by alcohol, eating out and takeaway meals. Faced with the expectations of high unemployment and under employment, together with potential disruption to the food supply chains, the average Australian or Western family can quite easily manage very significant savings on their weekly spending AND maintain nutritional meals for themselves and their families. (Source: https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/consumer/2019/09/23/food-spend-australia-budget/)

Our Prime Minister has suggested our current social and economic environment could last as long as six months. Given further time for economic recovery that could well blow out to 12, 18 or 24 months for some families struggling to find a job and replace lost income. 

Can I manage $138 per month. YEP. 

Can you?

We need to make some changes in what we shop for, how we prepare meals and how we eat. This page is dedicated to helping people experiencing difficult economic times to get by without too much fuss. Further, to do so with a low cost nutritional diet and a great deal less stress on their finances and relationships.

Keep tuned for some tips on what to buy, where to buy it and how to prepare it for your families.