WEBVTT - How to Feed Your Family for $10... Yes, Really! (With Chelsea Goodwin from $10 Meals) 0:00:00.600 --> 0:00:04.840 Hello, my name's Santasha Nabananga Bamblet. I'm a proud or 0:00:04.880 --> 0:00:08.600 the Order Kerni Whaltbury and a waddery woman. And before 0:00:08.600 --> 0:00:11.080 we get started on She's on the Money podcast, I 0:00:11.119 --> 0:00:14.240 would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:17.599 of which this podcast is recorded on a wondery country, 0:00:18.079 --> 0:00:22.200 acknowledging the elders, the ancestors and the next generation coming 0:00:22.239 --> 0:00:26.880 through as this podcast is about connecting, empowering, knowledge sharing 0:00:27.000 --> 0:00:30.040 and the storytelling of you to make a difference for 0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:33.040 today and lasting impact for tomorrow. 0:00:33.240 --> 0:00:34.120 Let's get into it. 0:00:34.280 --> 0:00:53.519 She's on the Money, She's on the Money. 0:00:57.200 --> 0:01:00.800 Hello, and welcome to She's on the Money. That's here 0:01:00.800 --> 0:01:02.960 to help you save money without feeling like you have 0:01:03.040 --> 0:01:05.920 to give up everything you love. If you've ever walked 0:01:05.959 --> 0:01:08.720 into the supermarket for just a few things and walked 0:01:08.720 --> 0:01:12.200 out wondering, if you've accidentally financed a small car, or 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:15.119 if you've found yourself arguing with a self served check 0:01:15.120 --> 0:01:19.679 out because surely that total cannot be right. Well, my friend, 0:01:19.920 --> 0:01:23.800 you are not alone. Recent research shows that grocery costs 0:01:23.800 --> 0:01:27.520 were up eleven percent in twenty twenty four, and look 0:01:27.720 --> 0:01:29.920 there's actually no signs that that is going to be 0:01:29.959 --> 0:01:33.560 slowing down. I'm Victoria Devine, and today I am on 0:01:33.600 --> 0:01:36.120 a mission to tackle the grocery bill madness that is 0:01:36.160 --> 0:01:39.200 making us all questioned if food is now considered a 0:01:39.240 --> 0:01:43.319 luxury item or not. With the cost of living absolutely soaring, 0:01:43.600 --> 0:01:46.880 we're all looking for ways to eat well without spending 0:01:46.880 --> 0:01:50.680 a fortune, and lucky us, we have the absolute queen 0:01:50.880 --> 0:01:54.680 of budget friendly meals joining us today. Chelsea Goodwin from 0:01:54.800 --> 0:01:57.520 ten Dollar Meals, is here to spill her best secrets 0:01:57.560 --> 0:02:01.760 on slashing your grocery bills, making food stretch further, and 0:02:02.000 --> 0:02:05.880 proving that cheap eats doesn't have to be sad eats. Chelsea, 0:02:06.000 --> 0:02:08.400 I am so excited to have you on the show. 0:02:08.480 --> 0:02:10.440 This is like a fangirl moment from me. 0:02:10.800 --> 0:02:13.360 Oh my gosh, right back at you, Victoria, I am 0:02:13.480 --> 0:02:16.840 so excited to be here. I absolutely love your community 0:02:16.880 --> 0:02:19.280 and everything that you're doing in the finance space. 0:02:19.680 --> 0:02:21.840 It's the best my community. You're obsessed with you. So 0:02:21.919 --> 0:02:24.360 they introduced me to you, and then I was like, 0:02:24.480 --> 0:02:27.600 this woman is a queen. Your recipes are like not 0:02:27.639 --> 0:02:31.000 only cheap, but like good, and that is a hard 0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:35.280 thing to manage, especially when we're trying to buy ten 0:02:35.320 --> 0:02:39.640 dollar meal, like it's just it's exorbitant. Nowadays, Chelsea, your 0:02:39.720 --> 0:02:43.280 community is booming, Like your community ten dollar meals has 0:02:43.360 --> 0:02:46.440 completely taken off. People are obsessed with all of the 0:02:46.480 --> 0:02:49.080 recipes you have, including me, and all of your budget 0:02:49.080 --> 0:02:53.760 meal hacks. But can we rewind just slightly? How did 0:02:53.840 --> 0:02:56.760 this all start? Who were you before you were ten 0:02:56.840 --> 0:02:57.560 dollar meals? 0:02:57.840 --> 0:03:00.200 Well, it actually wasn't that long ago. We have to 0:03:00.200 --> 0:03:02.519 go sort of all the way back to twenty twenty two. 0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:05.800 It does feel like a lifetime ago, though it does. 0:03:05.880 --> 0:03:07.840 I feel like a lot has happened in that time. 0:03:07.880 --> 0:03:11.200 But I was and still am, a single mum with 0:03:11.240 --> 0:03:15.480 three kids. I'd previously been working in marketing, and at 0:03:15.480 --> 0:03:17.320 that point I'd gone from full time work to part 0:03:17.360 --> 0:03:21.440 time work. My income had harved, I was homeschooling one 0:03:21.520 --> 0:03:24.320 of my children and just really really struggling to pay 0:03:24.360 --> 0:03:27.200 the bills. I was living week to week. And that 0:03:27.280 --> 0:03:29.520 was at a time where I'm sure you remember everything 0:03:29.639 --> 0:03:33.480 had just started to go up. Food, electricity, ranch, It was. 0:03:33.520 --> 0:03:36.200 Like that post COVID, not post COVID. Not sure what's 0:03:36.240 --> 0:03:39.600 going on, but why is everything more expensive? This feels rude. 0:03:39.800 --> 0:03:39.960 Year. 0:03:40.160 --> 0:03:42.160 Yeah, it was so tough. It was tough for everybody. 0:03:42.240 --> 0:03:44.480 So I think I got to a point where I'd 0:03:44.480 --> 0:03:47.200 already cut out all of their really frivolous expenses, you know, 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:51.400 streaming subscriptions, stop buying clothes for a year. And I 0:03:51.480 --> 0:03:53.560 realized that the only part of my budget that had 0:03:53.560 --> 0:03:56.280 any give and where I was still I guess potentially 0:03:56.360 --> 0:04:00.800 overspending was food. So I just started tracking spending. I 0:04:00.840 --> 0:04:04.680 realized that dinners were my problem area, and I thought, 0:04:04.760 --> 0:04:06.680 you know what, I'm going to sit down, I'm going 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:09.680 to put my problem solving hat on and figure out 0:04:09.720 --> 0:04:14.000 a strategy to get this under control. And that's what 0:04:14.040 --> 0:04:16.760 I did, and I stuck to it and it worked. 0:04:16.800 --> 0:04:18.599 I kept my budget at about one hundred and fifty 0:04:18.640 --> 0:04:19.719 dollars a week for food. 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:23.240 That's crazy in this economy, Like that is crazy talk. 0:04:23.440 --> 0:04:26.200 I know, I know. So yeah, it was a ride, 0:04:26.440 --> 0:04:31.320 but I got there. It made a huge difference, like stress, finances, everything. 0:04:31.680 --> 0:04:34.839 So talk to me about your Facebook community. She's on 0:04:34.880 --> 0:04:38.200 the money. Also started with a Facebook community blowing up, 0:04:38.200 --> 0:04:40.159 and then we became a podcast and I feel like 0:04:40.520 --> 0:04:43.640 we have such a beautiful, engaged audience and I feel 0:04:43.680 --> 0:04:46.520 like you are probably one of the other people that 0:04:46.640 --> 0:04:48.640 might be able to resonate with me, going like, it's 0:04:48.680 --> 0:04:50.680 just it's so much more than a Facebook group. It's 0:04:50.680 --> 0:04:53.400 a whole community, Like and I run into people, you know, 0:04:53.480 --> 0:04:56.200 you probably run into people at the supermarket who were like, oh, 0:04:56.200 --> 0:05:00.240 my goodness, you're Chelsea, So talk to me about your 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:03.400 Facebook community. What do you think it is about ten 0:05:03.440 --> 0:05:07.840 dollar meals that resonates so much with so many people. 0:05:08.040 --> 0:05:12.240 I think it's just that people are looking for solutions, 0:05:12.279 --> 0:05:14.200 you know, it's a combination of fact is I think 0:05:14.440 --> 0:05:16.840 it's the times that we live in. So many households 0:05:16.960 --> 0:05:20.440 are dealing with financial crisis and they're just struggling the 0:05:20.440 --> 0:05:23.880 same way that I was. And I think they're sick 0:05:23.880 --> 0:05:28.040 of being told, oh, stop being junk or but I'm not. Yeah, 0:05:28.080 --> 0:05:29.960 I know, and that's what they're saying as well. And 0:05:30.000 --> 0:05:31.919 I kept at the point I started my group, it 0:05:32.000 --> 0:05:35.440 was because I kept seeing people posting in groups like yours, 0:05:35.839 --> 0:05:38.840 in other groups on Facebook saying I don't know what 0:05:38.880 --> 0:05:41.800 to do. I'm spending five hundred dollars a week. I've got, 0:05:42.000 --> 0:05:44.400 you know, two kids, we don't eat junk. We've cut 0:05:44.440 --> 0:05:47.160 out takeaways. What more can I do? And I thought, 0:05:47.200 --> 0:05:50.239 hang on, I've been here. I found a solution. 0:05:50.560 --> 0:05:51.839 I can share this with you. 0:05:52.160 --> 0:05:54.480 Yeah, maybe this will help people. So that's how my 0:05:54.600 --> 0:05:57.640 groups started. And I think it's just the fact that 0:05:58.279 --> 0:06:02.720 I'm short of showing people exactly what I'm doing. I'm 0:06:02.880 --> 0:06:05.000 like living it. It's not sort of and I'm not 0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:09.280 cosplaying being poor. I'm not, you know, I'm genuinely in 0:06:09.320 --> 0:06:11.919 this situation. And I found a solution that works for me. 0:06:12.000 --> 0:06:14.920 And it's also a solution I think that is working 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:17.080 for a lot of other people that they can sort 0:06:17.120 --> 0:06:18.039 of copy and paste. 0:06:18.200 --> 0:06:20.280 I love it, and I think I also love it 0:06:20.480 --> 0:06:24.120 because they're just easy. Like we're not talking about you know, 0:06:24.440 --> 0:06:28.360 having sixty million different ingredients and collecting pine cones and 0:06:28.560 --> 0:06:30.880 you know, steeping them in water to get stopped like 0:06:30.960 --> 0:06:32.800 all of this stuff, you know what I mean. Like 0:06:32.880 --> 0:06:35.520 sometimes you think that to be super budget, you've got 0:06:35.560 --> 0:06:39.200 to really cut back. Like I find them so easy 0:06:39.240 --> 0:06:41.280 because I'm like, Okay, cool, a mom has made these, 0:06:41.320 --> 0:06:42.800 they are tried, they are true. I can put them 0:06:42.839 --> 0:06:45.680 in the fridge and like I'm not worried. I just 0:06:45.720 --> 0:06:48.680 feel like they resonate with so many people, and I 0:06:48.720 --> 0:06:50.760 want to know, like ten dollar meals, are we saying 0:06:50.760 --> 0:06:54.520 that we are actually cooking meals for ten dollars, because like, 0:06:54.640 --> 0:06:57.359 let's be real, you and I have both seen the 0:06:57.440 --> 0:07:02.840 Curtiss Stone memes where nowadays like you know, maybe back 0:07:02.880 --> 0:07:04.760 in the day, and when I say back in the day, 0:07:04.800 --> 0:07:07.640 I'm in twenty nineteen. Back in the day you could 0:07:07.680 --> 0:07:10.560 have done a ten dollar meal, and now curtistone is 0:07:10.600 --> 0:07:13.520 probably like, oh, you can buy maybe a packet of 0:07:13.560 --> 0:07:16.280 grated cheese for ten dollars. In fact, the other week 0:07:16.320 --> 0:07:19.320 I was at the supermarket, why was a bunch of 0:07:19.440 --> 0:07:24.080 like four Broccolini's five dollars? Are you joking? Like that 0:07:24.120 --> 0:07:25.200 should be illegal? 0:07:25.400 --> 0:07:27.480 I know, And I think this is what people are seeing, 0:07:27.760 --> 0:07:31.680 and they're getting so frustrated because they're thinking it's impossible 0:07:31.760 --> 0:07:34.280 right to put together a budget meal because they're looking 0:07:34.320 --> 0:07:37.240 at all of these ingredients that have doubled, some of 0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:40.480 them have tripled in price over the last five years. 0:07:40.520 --> 0:07:43.640 Not only that, but they've reduced in size, so we're 0:07:43.640 --> 0:07:45.040 getting less for more. 0:07:45.320 --> 0:07:49.520 Again illegal, it's not fair, And yeah, it is very 0:07:49.560 --> 0:07:52.640 difficult to go into the supermarket and put together a 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:55.080 meal for ten dollars if you have to buy every 0:07:55.080 --> 0:07:58.840 single ingredient, and it was even difficult back in twenty 0:07:58.920 --> 0:08:01.440 twenty two when I first doing this. But I think, 0:08:01.880 --> 0:08:05.160 and I'm very transparent about this. I'm not giving people 0:08:05.600 --> 0:08:09.360 individual ten dollar meals their meal plans. And I think 0:08:09.360 --> 0:08:11.560 that's the secret there. Well. I mean, I think it's 0:08:11.560 --> 0:08:13.920 something that people have been doing for generations, right, but 0:08:13.960 --> 0:08:16.600 I think somewhere along the lines it's gotten lost that 0:08:16.800 --> 0:08:19.360 sort of art of meal planning and making things stretch 0:08:19.560 --> 0:08:23.080 and making sure there's no waste. And what I do 0:08:23.360 --> 0:08:26.120 is I will make sure that ingredients are shared across 0:08:26.160 --> 0:08:29.080 all of the meals, so therefore the cost is shared 0:08:29.120 --> 0:08:31.480 across all of those meals in the week, so you know, 0:08:31.600 --> 0:08:33.680 and if you have to buy that ten dollar bag 0:08:33.720 --> 0:08:37.320 of cheese, maybe you're using it in three or four 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:39.920 different meals and that way it's only you know, two 0:08:40.000 --> 0:08:42.640 dollars or three dollars per meal worth of cheat. 0:08:42.720 --> 0:08:45.080 And I think that that's a really good point as well. 0:08:45.160 --> 0:08:47.880 I feel like over time we have lost I don't 0:08:47.920 --> 0:08:50.480 know if we call it the art, but like having 0:08:50.480 --> 0:08:55.080 a well stopped pantry and that actually being really valuable 0:08:55.200 --> 0:08:57.360 and that's where all of your herbs and your spices 0:08:57.360 --> 0:09:00.440 and your flour and all of those things live that 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:03.240 actually make up the bulk of some of these meals. 0:09:03.640 --> 0:09:06.800 And yeah, like that bag of cheese I was talking about, 0:09:07.040 --> 0:09:09.320 I'm the same. Yes, it's ten dollars, but like, I 0:09:09.320 --> 0:09:11.079 don't know if you're like me, but I always keep 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:12.720 my cheese in the freezer because I don't want it 0:09:12.720 --> 0:09:14.080 to go moldy in the fridge and I need it 0:09:14.120 --> 0:09:16.960 to last longer. Like all of these things that I've 0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:20.840 grown up with, I feel like slowly, over time people 0:09:20.880 --> 0:09:23.319 are forgetting. And I mean I keep my bread in 0:09:23.360 --> 0:09:25.400 the freezer. I think that's an old habit that is 0:09:25.440 --> 0:09:27.840 never going to die hard because I'm like, I don't 0:09:27.840 --> 0:09:29.320 feel like I can get through a loaf of bread 0:09:29.320 --> 0:09:31.160 before it starts to go moldy. And there's no way 0:09:31.160 --> 0:09:33.520 I'm throwing that out. So now I just have frozen 0:09:33.520 --> 0:09:35.040 bread and I put it straight in the toaster and 0:09:35.080 --> 0:09:37.679 it's fine, guys, it works out really well. 0:09:37.800 --> 0:09:38.640 I'm with you there. 0:09:39.840 --> 0:09:41.320 Do you know what some of my friends are like, 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:44.120 I'll have someone sleep over and I'll be like, oh, yeah, yeah, 0:09:44.200 --> 0:09:46.200 toast is it's in the freezer and they're like sorry, 0:09:46.320 --> 0:09:50.920 what And I'm like, what sour dough? Come on exactly. 0:09:51.000 --> 0:09:53.319 I'm not spending seven dollars on a loaf of bread 0:09:53.320 --> 0:09:55.360 to have to, you know, throw away the last four 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:59.120 slices because I didn't eat it quick enough. Absolutely not, 0:09:59.280 --> 0:10:02.920 my friend, So I need to know, are you an 0:10:02.960 --> 0:10:05.600 Audi queen? Is that the secret to keeping meals at 0:10:05.640 --> 0:10:07.560 ten dollars or serve? Or can you make it work 0:10:07.559 --> 0:10:09.760 shopping at all the major supermarkets as well? 0:10:09.800 --> 0:10:09.959 Like? 0:10:10.160 --> 0:10:11.160 What are the secrets? 0:10:11.360 --> 0:10:16.559 I love Aldi, but I've recently moved from Brisbane to Tasmania. 0:10:17.480 --> 0:10:22.400 Welcome. There is no Aldi here, So no, no, there's 0:10:22.520 --> 0:10:23.319 not I don't have. 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:26.840 A choice right now. And that's fine because something I 0:10:27.040 --> 0:10:29.400 decided when I first started my group, because I used 0:10:29.440 --> 0:10:32.680 to shop initially before I started sharing recipes, I would 0:10:32.760 --> 0:10:37.080 shop between supermarkets, so I would sometimes shop specials. I'd 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:39.320 do part of my shop maybe at Audi and part 0:10:39.400 --> 0:10:42.440 of Woolworks or Coals. But when I started my group, 0:10:42.840 --> 0:10:46.440 I realized pretty quickly that not everybody has access to Aldi, 0:10:46.920 --> 0:10:49.040 but most people do have access to one of the 0:10:49.080 --> 0:10:53.439 major supermarkets to do their major grocery shops. So I 0:10:53.480 --> 0:10:58.040 committed to only shopping at those supermarkets because I do 0:10:58.200 --> 0:10:59.360 share my receipt. 0:10:59.080 --> 0:11:02.880 You are in a like you are just so kind. 0:11:02.920 --> 0:11:04.760 You could have been saving more money, and you're like, 0:11:04.800 --> 0:11:06.920 I know it could have, but that's not as accessible 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:08.760 and I just want to make sure that everyone gets 0:11:08.800 --> 0:11:11.480 the benefit here, like you're an icon. 0:11:11.840 --> 0:11:15.040 No, honestly, it's just like it's transparency as well, because 0:11:15.120 --> 0:11:17.959 I think it's unfair if I'm like, I've got this great, little, 0:11:18.120 --> 0:11:19.959 you know, budget supermarket down the road for me, I'm 0:11:19.960 --> 0:11:21.880 gonna do all my shopping there, and you know, ninety 0:11:21.880 --> 0:11:23.760 percent of Australia's like, well, we can't shop. 0:11:23.480 --> 0:11:25.840 There, must be nice Chelsea, Yeah. 0:11:25.840 --> 0:11:29.280 Exactly, and then they start to think, well it can't 0:11:29.280 --> 0:11:31.320 be done where I live, so. 0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:33.679 And you're like, no, I actually came here to prove 0:11:33.760 --> 0:11:36.040 a point and I will provide receipts, thank you. 0:11:36.160 --> 0:11:38.920 And literally providing receipts I think has been a really 0:11:38.920 --> 0:11:41.640 big thing because people love seeing the behind the scenes 0:11:41.679 --> 0:11:44.640 stuff and like exactly what you're spending money on, and 0:11:44.679 --> 0:11:47.240 then they start comparing to their receipts and. 0:11:47.200 --> 0:11:50.000 Girl, that's me, Like, I'm screenshotting your stuff, I'm zooming in, 0:11:50.080 --> 0:11:52.000 I'm looking at what you got. I'm like, oh, what 0:11:52.080 --> 0:11:54.559 a win that was on special this week? Like why 0:11:54.640 --> 0:11:55.160 am I so. 0:11:55.360 --> 0:11:58.280 Perf Yeah, we all do that, don't worry. 0:11:59.160 --> 0:12:01.760 It's like when people post, like, you know, a photo 0:12:01.800 --> 0:12:03.800 of them at work or something and there's a whiteboard 0:12:03.840 --> 0:12:06.400 behind them, and I'm like, do you really think I'm 0:12:06.400 --> 0:12:09.199 not gonna try and zoom in on that? Like, come on, we. 0:12:09.240 --> 0:12:11.760 All do it. And then you're trying to decipher what's 0:12:11.760 --> 0:12:13.559 written on that, what's your plan? 0:12:14.800 --> 0:12:16.880 I love that. I feel like that is super kind 0:12:17.440 --> 0:12:20.080 and I got so many questions. But so now we 0:12:20.120 --> 0:12:23.079 know how Chelsea does keep meals more affordable. We need 0:12:23.120 --> 0:12:26.160 to know what actually makes your groceries go further, because 0:12:26.160 --> 0:12:29.080 it's not just about making them affordable and putting together 0:12:29.200 --> 0:12:32.400 quota ten dollar meal. It's about making your groceries stretch. 0:12:32.520 --> 0:12:34.520 So after the break, we're going to chat about the 0:12:34.559 --> 0:12:37.480 biggest mistakes people make at the supermarket. Then we're going 0:12:37.480 --> 0:12:40.640 to talk about simple swaps to save money, and then 0:12:40.880 --> 0:12:43.520 how to cut down on food wastage. And it's not 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:46.120 just my tip of keeping bread in the freezer. Soo, guys, 0:12:46.160 --> 0:12:52.839 that don't go anywhere. All right, my friends, we are 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:56.240 back and before the break, we're talking about keeping meals affordable. 0:12:56.400 --> 0:12:59.439 But now let's actually dive into it, because we haven't 0:12:59.480 --> 0:13:01.960 told you any of the ways to keep meals affordable, 0:13:02.000 --> 0:13:04.760 and I'm assuming that's why you have come here. So 0:13:05.160 --> 0:13:07.600 let's talk about some easy ways that you can save 0:13:07.800 --> 0:13:10.679 even more at the checkout, make your groceries go further, 0:13:10.960 --> 0:13:14.920 and cut back on food waste. Chelsea, When you're putting 0:13:14.960 --> 0:13:18.160 together the meal plans that you have, where are you starting? 0:13:18.320 --> 0:13:20.920 Because honestly, if you said start from scratch, I'd be like, 0:13:21.480 --> 0:13:23.640 I do not have a scratch. I do not know 0:13:23.679 --> 0:13:26.680 where to begin, and like that just feels like half 0:13:26.760 --> 0:13:29.040 the task, right, Like that feels like the hardest bit. 0:13:29.280 --> 0:13:31.400 Yeah, and that's exactly how I felt when I first 0:13:31.400 --> 0:13:34.679 started meal planning. So I know myself and I know 0:13:34.880 --> 0:13:38.360 how much I love variety and my family love variety. 0:13:38.440 --> 0:13:42.040 So I will generally start with whatever I'm craving or 0:13:42.040 --> 0:13:45.719 whatever my kids have requested. So it might be like, oh, 0:13:45.760 --> 0:13:48.240 my gosh, I really really need to have Mexican this week, 0:13:48.320 --> 0:13:51.200 so I'll start with that, and I'll think, okay, let's 0:13:51.240 --> 0:13:53.480 go red meat. Let's get a cheap cut of red meat. 0:13:53.760 --> 0:13:57.240 And let's use that for multiple meals in the week. 0:13:57.320 --> 0:14:00.480 So I'll just build out from the first meal. Be okay, 0:14:00.559 --> 0:14:03.240 let's do burrito bowls on the first night, and then 0:14:03.280 --> 0:14:05.360 I'll think about what I need for that, Like I'll 0:14:05.360 --> 0:14:07.839 need limes. Okay, great, Well what else can I use 0:14:07.840 --> 0:14:09.720 those limes for? If I can get away with using 0:14:09.720 --> 0:14:11.440 half a lime for this, can I use half a 0:14:11.440 --> 0:14:13.800 lime high food later in the week? 0:14:13.800 --> 0:14:15.680 One hundred percent. We don't need the whole lime. We 0:14:15.800 --> 0:14:18.120 do not need the whole line. That is a privilege 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:19.440 that you currently do not have. 0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:24.600 Exactly. So we're just trying to stretch these ingredients. And obviously, 0:14:24.680 --> 0:14:26.440 I guess I have an advantage in that I can 0:14:26.520 --> 0:14:30.760 develop the recipes to sort of fit in with each other, 0:14:31.080 --> 0:14:34.280 which is great. And starting with the Mexican then we'll 0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:36.280 go to, Okay, what else could I use that beef for? 0:14:36.320 --> 0:14:38.120 Because I'm getting a big piece of beef. 0:14:38.280 --> 0:14:40.400 Yeah, we're not just buying, you know, some steaks to 0:14:40.480 --> 0:14:40.920 chop up. 0:14:41.000 --> 0:14:43.160 Yeah, exactly. We can't go and buy eyefill it or 0:14:43.160 --> 0:14:45.200 anything like that. It'll be like a chuck roast or 0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:47.520 a blade roast that we can slow cook. But you 0:14:47.560 --> 0:14:50.000 can also use cuts like that for sturfries, which I 0:14:50.040 --> 0:14:52.200 think a lot of people don't realize. If you tenderize 0:14:52.240 --> 0:14:54.840 them properly, they're beautiful and sturf fries. So I then 0:14:54.920 --> 0:14:57.400 have a beef stir fry that week. I think, Okay, 0:14:57.480 --> 0:15:00.960 then we'll do some chicken, We'll do one vegetarian meal, 0:15:01.080 --> 0:15:05.120 and I'll just build these meal plans out until I've 0:15:05.440 --> 0:15:09.360 used up all of those ingredients and just yeah, making 0:15:09.400 --> 0:15:11.840 sure it stays under the budget. So using affordable cuts 0:15:11.840 --> 0:15:14.720 of meat, using vegetables that are in season, also looking 0:15:14.760 --> 0:15:17.120 at what I have at the time in the pantry 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:19.200 or anything that I need to use up, or herbs 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:21.600 that I'm growing. But for the purpose of sharing my 0:15:21.640 --> 0:15:24.000 meal plans, I generally don't include any of that stuff. 0:15:24.040 --> 0:15:26.359 I'm like, no, we have to go buy everything, and 0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:29.160 we have to do it properly so people can replicate it. 0:15:29.320 --> 0:15:31.640 You care so much about your community that you're like, 0:15:31.880 --> 0:15:33.640 I don't care that we have basil at home. With 0:15:33.760 --> 0:15:38.800 buying basil, I don't even care. You guys are going 0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:40.720 to tell me that I'm privileged because I've got my 0:15:40.760 --> 0:15:42.360 basil at home. Absolutely not. 0:15:42.480 --> 0:15:45.640 If people see you taking shortcuts, they start to think 0:15:45.720 --> 0:15:48.880 that it's not something they can do, So I have 0:15:48.960 --> 0:15:51.480 to make sure that it's something like that people can 0:15:51.560 --> 0:15:53.680 literally copy and paste for themselves. 0:15:53.960 --> 0:15:56.720 Yeah, and I think that that is one really beautiful 0:15:56.720 --> 0:15:59.400 but also just really keeps it relatable. It's like, Nope, 0:15:59.440 --> 0:16:02.960 this is exactly what it costs, Chelsea. A really big 0:16:03.040 --> 0:16:07.520 part about making meals budget friendly is really about knowing 0:16:07.520 --> 0:16:09.520 where to spend and where to save. And so many 0:16:09.560 --> 0:16:11.320 of us are overwhelmed with that, like what are we 0:16:11.360 --> 0:16:13.560 spending on? Where are we saving? Like you just mentioned 0:16:13.600 --> 0:16:16.520 big cuts of chuck roasts, Like I've never bought that. 0:16:16.520 --> 0:16:20.080 That honestly feels a little bit overwhelming. So if someone 0:16:20.240 --> 0:16:24.520 is really struggling to lower their grocery bill, where should 0:16:24.520 --> 0:16:25.080 they start. 0:16:25.520 --> 0:16:28.120 Yeah, I think meat is a big one, especially if 0:16:28.160 --> 0:16:30.040 you have somebody in your family, Like a lot of 0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:33.040 people say to me, oh, my partner just cannot give 0:16:33.120 --> 0:16:35.480 up meat, so we can't do any vegetarian meals. Or 0:16:35.720 --> 0:16:38.120 I have teenage boys or teenage girls that do a 0:16:38.120 --> 0:16:40.720 lot of sport and they need lots of proteins, so 0:16:41.280 --> 0:16:43.320 like we don't want to go without, We've just got 0:16:43.360 --> 0:16:47.360 to make substitutions. So instead of like getting a porthouse 0:16:47.400 --> 0:16:49.280 steak or I feel it you're going to go for 0:16:49.360 --> 0:16:51.680 the chuck or the blade roast or the brisket, all 0:16:51.720 --> 0:16:54.160 of which you can buy. I'm pretty sure. Even still 0:16:54.160 --> 0:16:56.000 at the moment, most of them are fifteen dollars a 0:16:56.080 --> 0:16:58.920 kilo and under, so you're going to just make those 0:16:59.000 --> 0:17:01.200 last and get those bigger cuts. But I think a 0:17:01.200 --> 0:17:03.280 lot of that is also about education and just like 0:17:03.680 --> 0:17:06.480 people understanding that it's not overwhelming and knowing how to 0:17:06.520 --> 0:17:09.120 prepare them because it can feel a lot. I used 0:17:09.119 --> 0:17:11.760 to be so scared of, like broasting, even broasting a 0:17:11.880 --> 0:17:14.399 chicken used to scare me. So I get it. 0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:16.800 But it's relatable, right, Like I know that so many 0:17:16.840 --> 0:17:19.000 people listening to this are going to go, yeah, I 0:17:19.040 --> 0:17:21.600 wouldn't have a clue. Like, so I've got my truck roast, 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:23.880 no worries. I went down to Coles, I picked one up. 0:17:24.000 --> 0:17:27.199 Thank you so much, Chelsea. What do I do? Slam 0:17:27.240 --> 0:17:28.919 it on the bench and know where to cut? 0:17:29.320 --> 0:17:32.720 Literally as easy as just throwing it in the slow cooker, 0:17:32.880 --> 0:17:35.520 throwing it in a pot in the oven with some spices. 0:17:35.680 --> 0:17:37.399 I can have that on in five minutes. 0:17:37.600 --> 0:17:39.920 See, this is not how in my brain. It went 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:42.879 in my brain. I was like sy it, and I 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:46.320 would say, I'm a relatively okay cook. I'm just not 0:17:46.440 --> 0:17:48.840 someone who has been as good as they could be 0:17:49.440 --> 0:17:52.480 with being good at those bigger cuts of meat and 0:17:52.760 --> 0:17:55.399 you know, reusing them for stuff, because honestly, I'm a 0:17:55.440 --> 0:17:59.080 creature of convenience. And I feel like that's really relatable 0:17:59.080 --> 0:18:01.960 because we're like, well, if having chicken, I'm going to get, 0:18:02.040 --> 0:18:04.200 you know, either chicken breast or I'm going to get 0:18:04.240 --> 0:18:07.120 some chicken thighs. In my head, that's the only options 0:18:07.160 --> 0:18:09.800 that exist. When that's not the reality of the situation, 0:18:10.200 --> 0:18:13.560 and I'm actually wasting hard earned dollars on things that 0:18:13.600 --> 0:18:14.879 I don't need to waste money on. 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:17.159 It's true, but I was in the same boat as you, 0:18:17.480 --> 0:18:20.440 so I understand that I actually do learn to cook. 0:18:20.480 --> 0:18:24.119 I should say that until I was thirty, So I 0:18:24.160 --> 0:18:26.600 went a long time. Like my kids suffered for a 0:18:26.680 --> 0:18:28.919 really long time with my terrible cooking. 0:18:29.000 --> 0:18:31.800 They're fine, They're now going to remember mum slow cooked 0:18:31.840 --> 0:18:34.640 meals and be like, oh my mom sit at the bar. 0:18:34.960 --> 0:18:38.000 Yeah. I still haven't erased some of the trauma of 0:18:38.040 --> 0:18:40.320 my early cooking, but I'm trying to make up for 0:18:40.400 --> 0:18:41.040 it every night. 0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:41.760 I like it. 0:18:41.840 --> 0:18:42.120 I do. 0:18:42.240 --> 0:18:43.920 Hear a lot of people saying the same thing as you, 0:18:43.960 --> 0:18:46.000 where they're like, no, but we just eat chicken breast 0:18:46.040 --> 0:18:48.439 and I've never eaten chicken with bone in it and 0:18:48.480 --> 0:18:51.440 things like that. But they're just as easy to cook with. 0:18:51.880 --> 0:18:53.360 You just have to know what to do. 0:18:53.480 --> 0:18:56.560 They're better, Like even the difference between breast and thigh 0:18:56.600 --> 0:19:00.640 tastes better than breast. You can't convince me otherwise every 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:01.439 day of the week. 0:19:01.600 --> 0:19:04.320 I agree, Yeah, But I think that's another thing where 0:19:04.320 --> 0:19:08.640 people don't understand where they can substitute things. So they 0:19:08.680 --> 0:19:10.920 see something in a recipe and they think, oh, I 0:19:11.000 --> 0:19:13.679 have to use breast because it says breast, or I 0:19:13.720 --> 0:19:15.399 have to use fire because it says fire, or I 0:19:15.440 --> 0:19:17.439