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Money-Saving Tips: Nourishing Recipes in Harpers House Ebooks

Writer's picture: Andi McElwainAndi McElwain

In today's fast-paced world, finding ways to save money while still enjoying nourishing and wholesome meals is becoming increasingly important. This is where Harpers House comes in, offering a range of ebooks that provide money-saving tips and recipes for delicious family friendly meals made with local and organic ingredients.

One of the features of Harpers House ebooks is the emphasis on using simple, pantry-staple ingredients to create budget-friendly meals that are both delicious and nutritious. By cooking with wholesome ingredients these recipes not only save you money but also support your health and well-being. Whether you're looking to cut costs on your weekly grocery bill or simply want to eat more mindfully, Harpers House ebooks offer a wealth of tips and recipes to help you achieve your goals. From meal planning and batch cooking to shopping smart and minimizing food waste, these ebooks are packed with practical advice that can benefit both your wallet and your waistline. So if you're in search of money-saving tips and nourishing recipes that don't compromise on flavor or quality, look no further than Harpers House. With the focus on simplicity and the use of local and organic ingredients, these ebooks are sure to inspire you to create delicious meals while saving money and supporting your well-being.


10 Money saving tips for your weekly grocery shop and meal prep:


1. Plan Your Meals in Advance

  • Why it’s important: Planning helps avoid impulse buys and reduces food waste. You only buy what you need, minimizing excess.

  • Annual impact: Can reduce grocery bills by 10-20% by buying only necessary items and cutting out last-minute, expensive purchases.


2. Stick to a Shopping List

  • Why it’s important: A list keeps you focused on buying only the items you planned for, preventing unplanned purchases that can quickly add up. If you really don't trust yourself to stick to the list, start by doing online /click and collect shops. Seeing the total dollar amount as you shop can be enough to make you second guess adding those unnecessary treats.

  • Annual impact: You could save up to $500/year by avoiding unnecessary snacks and items not on your list. As you make more from scratch, you'll have less plastic waste and feel better for it!


3. Buy in Bulk

  • Why it’s important: Purchasing staple items like rice, pasta, and canned goods in larger quantities often costs less per unit. If eating organic is really important to you, joining a coop in your local area is a great idea to keep those costs down.

  • Annual impact: Can lead to savings of $300+ annually depending on your family size and consumption.


4. Use Store Loyalty Programs and Coupons

  • Why it’s important: Loyalty programs offer discounts, points, or promotions, while coupons provide additional savings on the products you buy regularly.

  • Annual impact: You could save $100-300/year by taking advantage of deals and discounts.


5. Buy Frozen Vegetables and Fruits

  • Why it’s important: Frozen produce lasts longer and is often cheaper than fresh, especially for out-of-season items. Not only this, the produce is picked at its optimum time meaning the frozen goods can often be more nutrient dense than some fresh produce!

  • Annual impact: You could save up to $200/year, especially in months when fresh produce is pricier.


6. Choose Generic or Store Brands

  • Why it’s important: Generic brands often have the same quality as name brands but are significantly cheaper. If eating organic is important to you, the Macro range at Woolworths is a great start or take it the next step and look into growing your own food where possible.

  • Annual impact: Switching to generic brands could save $300-500 annually, depending on your shopping habits.


7. Cook in Bulk and Meal Prep

  • Why it’s important: Cooking larger batches of meals saves time, money and reduces the need to buy takeaways or quick, expensive meals that are full of additives and stored in single use plastics.

  • Annual impact: Could save at least $600-800 annually by cutting down on takeaways and reducing the number of expensive meals and the plastic that comes with that.


8. Shop Seasonal Produce

  • Why it’s important: Seasonal fruits and vegetables are often fresher, more nutrient dense and less expensive than out-of-season items. This will in turn have a more environmental impact as the fruits and vegetables don't travel as far. Less travel = Less carbon footprint.

  • Annual impact: Shopping seasonally can save around $100-300 yearly by opting for fruits and vegetables that are at their peak.


9. Freeze Leftovers

  • Why it’s important: Leftovers can be frozen and used for future meals, which helps reduce food waste and prevents the need to cook from scratch every day. Recent studies showed every year over 100,000 tonnes of perfectly good food is wasted. The estimated value of food waste per New Zealand household is worth about $1,510 (or around 85 kilograms) per year.

  • Annual impact: Can save $200-400/year by avoiding wasted food and reducing the frequency of grocery shopping trips.


10. Avoid Shopping When Hungry

  • Why it’s important: Shopping on an empty stomach often leads to impulse purchases of unnecessary, more expensive items. Make sure you're well fed before doing your grocery shop!

  • Annual impact: Could save up to $200/year by avoiding impulse buys that are typically unhealthy and costly.


    *Bonus*

    The potential savings from making your own bread and baking at home can be significant for an average New Zealand household. Let’s break it down based on typical bread consumption and baking costs:

    1. Cost of Store-Bought Bread:

    • The price of a loaf of bread in New Zealand varies depending on brand and type. On average, a standard loaf of bread costs between $2.50 - $4.99.

    • If a household consumes about 1 loaf per day (which is common for a family of 4), that’s approximately 365 loaves a year.

    • Total annual cost for store-bought bread:

      • Low-end: $2.50 x 365 = $912.50/year

      • High-end: $4.99 x 365 = $1,821.35/year

    2. Cost of Making Bread at Home:

    • The cost to make a basic loaf of bread at home (using flour, yeast, and water) is typically $1.00 - $1.50 per loaf, depending on the quality of ingredients and electricity for baking.

    • So, for 365 loaves a year:

      • Low-end: $1.00 x 365 = $365/year

      • High-end: $1.50 x 365 = $547.50/year


By following these strategies, you can significantly reduce your weekly grocery and meal prep costs, potentially saving hundreds or even thousands each year, leaving more room in your family budget for other needs. This also applies to baking your own biscuits, loaves, slices etc. With a bit of time in the weekend to prep for the week, you can save this much again in doing it yourself.







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