I Ate for $3 a Day in Australia | $35 Budget Challenge (IGA)

Comments · 145

• SI

  @SimpleMealPlanPrep · 3 months ago · pinned

  * GET THE FULL PLAN for this challenge ($2), including shopping list and all recipes: <a href="https://payhip.com/b/fGZ15">https://payhip.com/b/fGZ15</a><br>* INSTANT ACCESS to The Smart Kitchen System (Simplify Meal Planning, Save Money &amp; Stop Wasting Food): <a href="https://simple-essentials.com.au/the-smart-kitchen-system/">https://simple-essentials.com.au/the-smart-kitchen-system/</a> <br>* Recreate my previous $5/day budget meal challenge: <a href="https://simple-essentials.com.au/extreme-budget-grocery-challenge-australia/">https://simple-essentials.com.au/extreme-budget-grocery-challenge-australia/</a><br>* Download my free meal planning &amp; grocery budgeting templates here: <a href="https://simple-essentials.com.au/meal-planning-resources/">https://simple-essentials.com.au/meal-planning-resources/</a>

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• AC

  @ActualOwl · 2 months ago

  Definitely recommend blending split red lentils into pumpkin and tomato soups - you barely notice them and it is so much more filling

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• JO

  @johnblyth9787 · 2 months ago

  I can give a few of my ideas. Rolled oats. I can buy 750 gms at Aldi or Wollies for $1.50 lasts a week or so. Around 22 cents a day. Add milk and sugar, say 30 cents. I add sultanas and coconut yogurt. Other cheap items in a pinch, pasta, rice, instead of meat use lentils, chick peas, beans. Soup mix is another good mix. Around $2 for 500 gm of red lentils. Makes about 1.5 kg when cooked. I get about 4 meals out of a bag. <br><br>My stew, 500 gm lentils, 500 gms pasta, cover with water, bring to boil, adding spices, peper, worstershire sauce, hand full mixed herbs, cillie or chillie sauce. Once boiling add can diced tomato, jar pasta sauce, 1 kg mixed frozen vegies. Turn down heat and simmer 20 minuits or so. Will need stiring constantly or will stick and burn. Makes about 5 meals. Yes as in video rinse cans out. <br><br>I dont peel any fresh vegies. Pumkin I add seeds skin and all. <br><br>10 years ago I faced bankruptcy and retirement. About 4 years on unemployment, then disability pension. I have saved well more than enough to bury myself.

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• AM

  @Amateur_Pianist_472 · 2 months ago

  My first thought was ‘all your options are oats and lentils.’

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• RE

  @rebekahgayle8992 · 2 months ago

  i just did my shopping and meal prep for the week and it works out to about $10AUD/day including breakfasts, but brekky I bought a 2kg bucket of home brand greek yogurt, some rolled oats and a jar of blackberry jam, (last week they had lemon curd on clearance and that made my overnight oats taste like lemon cheesecake!). I only used about half the tub of yougurt so pretty economical for 2 weeks. &nbsp;I also did up a large bacon and zucchini slice, using the &quot;ugly&quot; vegetables on sale--I have 6 good sized portions of this, and for the other meal i bought high protein/high fibre garlic herb wraps, roasted some chicken breast and bought some cheese on clearance, and a small tin of refried black beans, i had some leftover red capsicum and onion--i make these up and freeze them, and then just reheat them in the sandwich press at work. &nbsp; I will eat something different next week, and I dont mind for short periods of time eating the same thing everyday.

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• EM

  @Empowermentthroughinsight · 2 months ago (edited)

  There is a pasta dish I absolutely love that is cheap to make and will feed you for days. In a deep pot, sauté half a large onion (chopped) in a pot with a little oil, to that add about 200g of frozen peas and sauté with the onions. Salt the peas as they cook. Once they start to soften, add a tin of chopped tomatoes and cook off for about 15 minutes. Once the tomato is cooked and starts to smell sweeter, add about half a litre of water. Once it comes to the boil, add in about a third bad of any small shaped dried pasta (shells is traditional) but you can even break up some spaghetti. Salt again to taste. Once the pasta is cooked, turn the heat off. The pasta makes it thicken up nicely. It’s a delicious and balanced meal that’s easy to make, only uses one pot and is dirt cheap. This will make at least 3 servings.

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• RO

  @rosewright4605 · 2 months ago

  Because I only eat organic food my budget has to be a bit higher, but I usually spend about $70 AUD a week. I also shop in IGA. You&apos;ve given me some ideas!

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• KA

  @kalindaborkowski288 · 2 months ago

  excited for this one as Tasmania has iga we do not have a costco or aldi nearest is Melbourne

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• AB

  @aboldy · 2 months ago

  So refreshing to see a real person (well I think you are real) and not some AI crap. A great informative video. Thank you.

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• JU

  @judileeming1589 · 2 months ago

  I just found you and subscribed. You certainly gave some new ideas to me.<br><br>I always make my stews and bolognese sauce in a pressure cooker. After pressure cooking the bolognese sauce for 13 minutes of pressure, I take it off and add a grated zucchini and carrot and cook under pressure for a further 3 minutes. Meanwhile I cook up 1 cup of French style lentils (very dark coloured lentils that blend in with the mince) and add them at the time I add the cornflour slurry to thicken. I can feed myself, my husband as well as my grandchildren and still have enough sauce left over for at least another four meals with freshly cooked pasta each time, so I freeze it to save it until I feel like a pasta meal again.<br><br>My grandmothers were born in the 1800’s and they knew how to survive two World wars and a Great Depression. They never threw anything out unless it was to feed their chicken. So I grew up with frugal home cooks. I was also lucky enough to do two years of Home Ec in my Technical College school days, something many children miss out on today.<br><br>I have the protein problem when my Vegan granddaughter visits and have had to demonstrate to her that you can thickened with semolina (not gluten free) and cornflour. She also didn’t know how much flavour you get by using a bouquet Garni.<br><br>I made her a Vegan Leek &amp; Potato soup seasoned with S&amp;P, dill, garlic and Vegan bacon seasoning. I also sent her home with the left over soup. She tells everyone that she can always get a tasty Vegan meal when she visits. It was pasta with Vegan pesto and plant based mozzarella this week and as well as sending a photo to her sister, she took all the left overs home again.<br><br>I love cooking especially slow and pressure cooking. About 8 years ago I purchased a KMart pie maker for $29 after joining a group on Facebook devoted to cooking just about anything in them. I love putting in an egg and it only taking 4 minutes to cook a poached egg. No water needed because it cooks in its own steam.<br><br>For anyone wanting to make up a batch of small cakes for children or grandchildren, just the dry ingredients of a supermarket cake mix (do not add the butter and egg) combine with 250 mils of soda water or any bubbly soft drink or mineral water. Mix together gently and pop a 1/4 cup in the pie maker wells and bake for 7 minutes. A light dusting with icing sugar on the top. Fill or don’t fill it is up to you. I use a loose leaf tea diffuser to dust the cakes and it hold enough icing sugar to cover them without covering the bench top.<br><br>You can also mix the dry ingredients with a can of crushed pineapple and bake the same way.<br><br>I have rambled on a bit, apologies.

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• DA

  @dani_ellie_555 · 2 months ago

  Excellent Idea pre cutting rolls to freeze then toast! Why have I never done that hahaha

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• RA

  @randomusername0x0 · 2 months ago

  the last baked potato meal if you have the extra budget sour cream would make that dish 1000% better in my opinion and works with baked potatos so well

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