Save Money Living Additive-Free

Making our own cleaning products saved us a fortune and still does. It also saves the environment and your health from the impacts of some pretty nasty ingredients. We both DIY all our own cleaning items, from toilet cleaner, bench spray, shower scrubs… right down to dishwashing liquid.

As it stands right now, companies don’t have to list the ingredients on cleaning products.  Sometimes, if you are lucky, you may see the active ingredients listed on the bottle, but not a full list of ingredients.  This means we have no way of knowing what harsh chemicals lurk inside.  We do know for a lot of them they come with a whole bunch of warnings on the label.  Take for example the warnings on this popular brand of mould household spray cleaner:

Do not mix with acids, ammonia or other household products, especially toilet cleaners. Ensure adequate ventilation when using vapour may be harmful. Corrosive. May produce severe burns. Attacks skin and eyes. Avoid contact with skin and eyes. Do not spray product towards eyes or face. Wear protective gloves and eye protection when using. Wash bonds immediately after contact with this product. Do not mix with hot water.

2. Meal Plan

Write out your meals for the week/fortnight or even month. From this, write out your shopping list… and stick to it! Try to not impulse buy when shopping and choose meals that you can bulk cook and then freeze. We know some great cookbooks if you need a recommendation!

3. Meat Free Nights

Try and plan a few vegetarian nights each week. Reducing your meat intake will reduce your overall grocery bill. It is also great for your body to have a few days’ rest from trying to digest meat. Our Lentil Bolognese is ah-mazing!

4. Farmers Market

Buying in bulk is something we have always done and will continue to do. Shop in bulk via a co-op, farmers market, or your local wholefoods store. Shopping in bulk generally saves you money, and it also saves you time. The less time you spend at the supermarket the less money you will spend on impulse buying.

5. Pack Your Own Lunch

Yes, you! Pack your lunch when you pack the kids lunches. Buying your lunch is mega expensive, so make yourself some salads, soups, savoury muffins, or whatever it is you like to eat, and pack your lunch the night before like you do the kids. Again, we have a whole lunchbox cookbook dedicated to just this, and the recipes aren’t just for the little ones in your family 😉.

6. Make Your Own

Give it a try, it is easier than it looks. Sauces, jams, chutneys, and relishes are all very easy to make. Making these when the fruits or berries are in season is the perfect time to do it. Also, jam can be made from frozen berries, so there are really no excuses. We have a whole dips, spreads and sauces section in our first cookbook, everyday additive-free.

7. Freeze It

There isn’t much that we have found that doesn’t freeze ok. Peeled garlic, diced onions, old bananas, crusts from stale bread, yoghurt that is almost out of date, cream, butter, sauces… and so much more. Not everything will look amazing once defrosted, but they are generally ok to use in cooking once defrosted. I use plain yoghurt and cream in my curries. Butter freezes and then defrosts totally ok to use as normal. Turn frozen bread crusts into breadcrumbs. Homemade sauces all defrost perfectly. Chopped garlic and onions are perfect for cooking with, just throw them into your recipe while frozen and they’ll defrost quickly. Bananas are great for adding to smoothies or making some nice-cream. Just peel and dice them up, then freeze them in an airtight container.

We also freeze cakes and biscuits that are already iced. We freeze leftovers all the time. We freeze excess cooked rice or pasta. All these give us so many meal options when we’re time-poor.

8. Grow Your Own

It really is easier than you think to grow a few things at home. Rosemary, parsley, mint, thyme and most other herbs are super easy and take up hardly any room at all. Lettuce, spring onions, tomatoes, brown or red onions and garlic all pretty much grow themselves.

Also, give zucchini and pumpkins a try. These have been amazing in our house. You will need a little extra room for these, but if you have it, plant some next year, it is worth it.

9. Be Prepared

This is about having things ready to eat, eg – peel and cut up enough potatoes or carrots for a few nights. Store the uncooked ones, covered in water, in the fridge (this also works for sweet potato and carrots).

Something I love to do is cook a few trays of sweet potato and pumpkins each week. All you have to do is peel and dice them, drizzle over some olive oil, then bake in the oven until golden (approx. 170ºC). Allow them to cool down, then store them in an airtight container, in the fridge.  When ready to eat, add some to a bit of baby spinach, a small handful of cashews and some pre-cooked chicken. This is a super-fast, yet filling lunch. 

Or cook a double batch of biscuits, or two cakes at once. The more prepared you are the less likely you’ll be to stop and grab something impulsive on the way home.

10. Use a Great Resource

Of course, I am going to plug our cookbook range, Everday Additive-Free here, but in all seriousness, having access to a resource like these cookbooks are priceless. They will help you meal plan, you’ll learn about additives, there are hints and tips to freezing or cooking double… PLUS there are so many recipe options, you’ll never get bored.  The cookbook range is: