We all dream of that magic wand that we can wave and be rich forever. Imagine never having to worry about your finances ever again! I don’t have a magic wand, but what I do have is some great tips that will help you make better financial choices and save some of you hard earned money.

1. Cook your own meals. Start by planning your home-made meals for the week and shop accordingly. Ready meals are so convenient, I know, but are heavy on the budget. Box and packet meals are equally evil and are a no-no! You know which ones I am talking about – the just add this and this and this and then you will have a fabulous meal! Basically, you are paying an extra few dollars for a flavour sachet and cooking instructions! Rather buy your 500g of Macoroni elbows and make your own sauce with your own ingredients.
2. Which brings me to the next important habit. Stock up on staples – pasta, rice, flours & grains. How on earth is stocking up on anything going to help the budget? If you think about tip number one, you will realize that you do need staples in the pantry. Make sure you have the 1kg flour and sugar and different pastas. These ingredients can help you whip up a quick and easy meal even with the smallest of budgets. They are also great extenders of meals. You know for those days that the kids have 5 unannounced friends staying over and you need to feed them all!
3. Buy seasonal. This is soooo important. The prices of out of season items is just down right crazy! I love my green salad with just about every meal! But not when it is costing more than the sirloin steak! Oh no!
4. Cheaper meat cuts. Meat is just one of those super exspensive parts of our meals. There are many ways in cutting down on this exspense. Buy the cheaper cuts and start using the slow or pressure cooker instead. You can see why planning is important. The last thing you want is to come home and realise the meal for the evening is stew, but requires 5hours of cooking!
5. Meat free days. In my family we simply eat too much meat. We literally base every meal around the protein. I have started doing meat free pasta nights. No one has even noticed that they are not eating any meat. Here is a list of great meat free pasta meals if you would like to try them!
6. Left over meals night is now a thing! I used to plan 7 meals a week, but truth be told, by Thursday my fridge was filled with leftovers. Now do a leftover meal night. We all eat different things, and some even grab a sarmie! This is great money saver, as throwing food away is throwing money in the bin.

Some other useful things to consider would be to invest in a freezer. We recently bought a large stand-up freezer, and I cannot imagine my life without it! This is serious game changer! I chose a stand-up freezer as I am a firm believer that you need to see what you have. Chest freezers are not the way to go! I buy loads of frozen foods, It has not only saved me time, but heaps of cash too. I love the idea of buying fresh, but I hate throwing away food, And to be honest it is such a time saver too as everything is prepped and ready to go!