Just 7 days to the blog that could change your life

 There are now just 7 days now to go until I officially launch this dininginforless blog, which is being written for anyone who would like to learn how to cook, those who would like to try out new recipe ideas, for students who want to learn how to eat well on a budget and for young couples just setting up home who are watching the pennies and would like to learn the basics of cookery.

This site is also a place for anyone who would just love to rediscover the joys of home cooking.

But mainly this blog is being written for those who would like to have up to £5,200 ($8,125) a year extra in their pockets through nothing more strenuous than careful spending on food.

I will show you how it is possible to dramatically reduce your food bill without necessarily cutting down on the quantity or quality of the food you eat.



Firstly, just take a long and honest look at the money you are spending weekly on the main meals you prepare for you and your family.

On average this works out at around £80 ($130) a week, but of course many of us spend much, much more and this can sometimes come as a shock. My sister in law told me her weekly spend on family dinners was – wait for it – nearly £125 ($203).

I have been cooking on a budget for my family for months now and have each week managed to keep my weekly bill for our main meals – all seven days of the week and including the Sunday roast – down to £25 ($41) or less.

Now I have always kept an eye on the weekly spend and my weekly outlay, what I thought was a modest amount, came to around £80 ($130). Sometimes this would go up to over £100 ($162), other times it would be slightly less, but never less than £75 ($122).

So I sat down and did some maths. If I spent £80 ($130) a week and had reduced this to £25 ($41), that meant I had saved £55 ($89) in one week. That’s a tank full of petrol (more than two tanks in the USA!), a lovely dress, a night out!

Better still, that worked out at £220 ($357) in a single month. What would you do with all that extra cash in your monthly pay packet?

And wait – in just one year that amounted to £2,860 ($4,648). That’s a family holiday, or some serious new furniture in the house, or a new television, sound system, computer. Or a new wardrobe and goodness know how many pairs of shoes. Or it’s that old debt written off.

On the other hand, if – like my sister-in-law – your weekly spend is £125 ($203), that makes the saving £100 ($162) every week. That’s a whopping £5,200 ($8,450) in one year. What could you do with that?

As I have been trying out my family dinners on a budget I have noticed a few pleasing side-effects. All the food I have been buying and preparing has been tasty and nutritious. I have not had a meal and then felt hungry afterwards – all the meals are really quite filling.

And because I am sticking to an organised shopping list and menus, I have discovered my stress levels have fallen. I have found I am not so listless and tired. Also, quite oddly, I have discovered that the number of rubbish sacks I put out for the dustman every week has gone down from three or four sacks to just one.

Do take a look at my launch week shopping list and menus. There are some good filling meals there and a couple of desserts too. So join me on March 7 and discover that you too can have an extra £55 ($89) a week in your pocket without having to work extra hours or take on a new job for it!

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