Gourmet on a Shoestring Budget...

So I don’t know if it’s just me, but seems that the Rand is not what it used to be. There was a time I could pop into Pick ‘n Pay and pick up 10 items with R100.00.  Now I’m lucky if I can walk out of the shop with 5 or 6 items for the same R100.00.

I’m the kind of person that looks forward to grocery shopping. I generally enjoy the entire ritual of making the list, and the meandering down every aisle picking up what is on the list (as well as a few extra items). I always feel a sense of accomplishment, and can’t wait to get home to pack my food cupboard with all my purchases, each item awaiting it’s date with a wave of inspiration when it shall be turned into some scrumptious dish to eat. I have to admit that lately this activity has been dampened by the increase in food prices. On my last few trips I’ve left the shops feeling somewhat depressed at the amount of money I spent on pretty much the same stuff I always buy. As I was tallying up my monthly expenses 2 months ago, I saw that it was becoming trickier to remain within my food budget. The question was, could I find a way to be smarter in my purchases, or would I have to “downgrade” my taste and preference in food? (God forbid!!)  With the way I love food, I knew I would have to become smarter, and perhaps tweak my eating habits a little bit.

I had already started making and freezing soup, so I thought what else can I be doing to maximise my rands in the food department? I remembered that in January I joined in the corporate “Daniel Fast” at church, which only allowed eating of vegetables. Those 21 days were interesting to say the least, but I learnt during that time that vegetarian dishes can be very tasty, if you give them enough time and attention. In addition vegetables are waaaaay cheaper than meat, especially when purchased fresh at the market. In Swaziland we are blessed that fresh produce is readily available at very affordable prices. I even haggle with local vendors over price and make sure that I get my “bansela” (freebie) EVERY time. I decided to start buying spinach which I could blanch and then freeze, ready to be used whenever I fancied it. It’s a time consuming exercise, but it’s worth it; especially now that spinach is no longer readily available at the market. Aside from the preserving of vegetables, I thought it would be cool to incorporate a “vegetarian night” at least twice a week, a night where I would consciously choose NOT to eat meat. So far it’s going okay, forced me to be creative about dinner on those nights, and I am still amazed at how delicious some of the recipes actually are: Sweet Potato & Butternut Bake; Three Bean Curry; Rice and Red Kidney Bean Bake; Spinach Surprise...the list can go on.

Now being African to the core, no diet is complete without MEAT! We all know that meat is probably the single most expensive item on our grocery shopping list. I remember how my mom used to order meat from our local butchery by the kilos, and after she collected it she would spend a good part of her day packing the meat into meal-size portions. Now the idea of the “local butcher” is almost non- existent because we buy from the supermarket. We don’t even know who is behind the scenes preparing the nicely packed meat we see in the cold section. Also; the prices at the supermarket are prohibitive to say the least. Even if I wanted to but mince-meat in bulk, I couldn’t afford to pay the R49.99 per kilo they were asking. I decided to investigate buying meat “wholesale”, like we do at the Lodge where I work. After getting a price list, I saw that meat from the wholesaler was anything from R8.00 – R15.00 per kilo cheaper than the supermarket depending on the cut. Furthermore, I had the opportunity of telling the butcher how I wanted my meat cut. For example I could buy 1kg of Pork Loin Chops cut into 500g (i.e. 2 monster chops). I also decided to investigate cheaper cuts such as chuck (with or without the bone in). Now chuck is meat that is normally used in “pap ‘n vleis” (sadza nenyama). It has a large amount of fat, and can be tough if not handled properly. In my investigations I found out that chuck is the meat of choice used in many classic American meat dishes. It is also the meat that is used in making pastrami. After watching a few episodes of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” I realised that it seems to the staple meat of many of the interesting diner dishes out there. So I Google’d a few recipes using chuck, and was amazed that the possibilities seemed limitless J

So in my bid to keep abreast of inflation and the recessionary impact on my kitchen purchases, I have acquired the following "pearls of wisdom":

·         Buying Meat from a Wholesaler definitely leaves more change in your pocket to spend on the luxuries (Olive Oil, Caper Berries, Double Chocolate Rusks, and Snicker’s Stash etc.). Also allows you to build a relationship with the butcher, who can tailor make your meat order. Investigate the use of cheaper cuts; there is a world of amazing recipes out there. Anything can taste great if handled with TLC! www.allrecipes.com , www.foodnetwork.com,

·         Vegetables! Way cheaper and can be converted into really amazing no-meat meals, with the added benefit of being healthy for you.

·         Buy in bulk where possible. SPAR recently had a ridiculous special on Clover Milk (less than R8 a litre!!) I Jumped at it and won’t be buying milk till the end of January 2013!! (be sure to check the xpiry dates though)

·         Specials, Specials, SPECIALS! This is especially great for buying household cleaning stuff. Those 3 for 2 deals mean you may only buy these items once a year. This means more change for that trip to the newest restaurant in town.

·         Don’t be scared of “No-Name” Brands. I was so brand conscious, and used to preach "If it ain’t “ALL GOLD” it ain’t Tomato Sauce”. Doesn’t hurt to revise some of the “standards” you’re used to.  

What's crazy about these lessons is that it's finally dawned on me that; “Wow! I AM turning into my mom!!” But hey, I guess that’s growing up.