As a sole parent raising two children, juggling full time work with meeting my children’s emotional needs and the day to day practicalities of family life, I have learnt a thing or two and become very resourceful at making ends meet without compromising  on the quality of our lifestyle. And so with this in mind I have put together a family budget issue of eNews with some tips to help you pull the purse strings a little tighter without going without.

Jane King
Mother to Emily 8, Cristian 14
Founder of Parenting Australia

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1. Clean out your food cupboard, you will see how much you have bought and not used, usually ‘Items on special’, become aware of waste.
2. Get a less is more attitude, always buy the best you can afford, opt for quality over quantity, that way you won’t feel deprived.
3. Plan your meals for the week  making sure that at least 2 will last for 2 day’s  ( ie Roast Chicken – Hearty Chicken and Corn Soup with Baguette or Mum’s chicken Nuggets)
4. Prepare a list and stick to it, no matter what.
5. Do not go to the supermarket hungry.
6. Buy fruit and veg in small quantities to avoid waste
7. Stop buying lunch orders from the school canteen
8. If you are working make a daily food pack for you and your partner morning tea/ lunch and afternoon snack.
9. Do not buy fast food options, nuggets, chips etc  they are expensive and offer little nutritional value
10. Do not buy chips, dips, carbonated drinks, biscuits  etc
11. Try to shop without the children, you will be amazed at how much ‘ pester power’ costs at the checkout
12. Pay in cash.
13. Use discount vouchers at the petrol station.
14. Swap women’s magazines with friends.
15. Do some research - You can start with www.grocery.bestpricedirectory.com.au

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Ingredients

1 cup salt
1 cup boiling water
2 tbsp oil
3 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp food colouring

Directions
Mix flour, salt and cream of tartar, add oil and boiling water, add colour. Mix very quickly until smooth and stiff. Knead until smooth. If dough is sticky, knead in a little extra flour. Keeps for a week in refrigerator in airtight container.

1 - Hold a family meeting, discuss how the family is going to save money and what that will mean for them. Make the reward worth earning, such as a visit to the zoo or a theme park (don't forget to take a packed lunch!).
2 - Set simple Goals for the kids such as when they leave a room they must turn the light off, and turn off computers and play stations when they are not in use
3 - Turn off the beer fridge, he won’t like it but it will save up to $200 a year on your energy bill.
4 - Fit a AAA-rated low flow showerhead and save up to $100 per year off your energy AND water bills.
5 - A half-filled dishwasher uses the same amount of energy as a full load, so fill it to capacity before each wash cycle and open the door just before the drying cycle  to dry dishes naturally.
6 - Dressing warmly even when inside during the cooler months is an easy way to slash heating costs and is cheaper than running the heating all day during winter.
7 - Keeping windows and doors closed, drawing curtains at night and turning heaters off when you go out or to bed will cut heating costs.
8 - Wearing warmer clothes or throwing an extra blanket on the bed can keep heating costs down, as can snuggling up, he may even forgive you for the beer fridge!!

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