Bluebirds on the Ground. Fiona, Northern Rivers, NSW, Australia.

In many ways, we are very fortunate. I work full time and we are beef farmers (small scale) part time and so we buy beef at the same price our customers pay – about $14-$15/kg hook weight – so yes, we still get to eat rib fillet for that price. Some of our customers have told us we need to put our prices up!! – the supermarkets sell mince for $20/kg, and steaks are up to $55/kg at the supermarket. We operate mostly organically so our price rises in terms of fertilizer have been minimal. However I’m aware of other farmers experiencing serious shock when trying to purchase fertilizer etc. That will no doubt filter through the system to consumers for both cost and availability in due course… I saw online that this has made it to the cereal aisle this week already….

 

We are looking at other areas that we can reduce our costs. I have moved our email to another provider that is cheaper longer term during the Boxing Day sales, and have looked at our phone/internet package to make sure we get the best deal overall. We have found our internet is tricky in the bush and expensive, but by being on the same (business) plan we can pool our data. We will move one of our mobile plans up a band next time as that will give us a MUCH better data amount for a better price than upping our internet. I try to combine trips to minimize fuel – we are a long way out from a regional town, so I generally try to only go every 2-3 weeks, and then it is most of the day – I go with a list for multiple stores! 

 

In the meantime, I have watched the price of lots of things go up significantly over the past year or so, and I’m expecting things to continue to rise a lot more. Having a decent store of things in the pantry has helped, and I’m trying to keep that level where I can. Once upon a time I would wait until Milo was on sale for $9/kg. Now, it is on sale for about $11.50 if I’m lucky. At the moment, I have milo so I’m not buying it. The cheese we like has gone from frequently on special for $7.50 to occasionally on special for $9.50 – when it is on special I buy a number of them. Most staples (flour, sugar, milk powder) have remained the same, but I’m expecting them to rise at the end of January when the “locked in” prices end. I have noticed most other things have gone up. Cordial went up from $3 per 2 litre bottle to $5 a bottle overnight. When you’re doing heavy physical work in the sun, sometimes you just need a sweet drink, so this hurt! Cream cheese went up a little, butter went up a little, sprinkles for the tops of cakes went up about 8% but I’m not convinced that the packet didn’t get smaller at the same time! The specials I used to rely upon are few and far between – tea for example – the tea I prefer hasn’t been on special for about 6 months! When I saw it on a good special last week I bought 2 boxes and was so excited!!! In hindsight, I should have bought more than 2 boxes…. Chicken has gone up from about $8.50/kg to $10.50/kg for breast fillet. 

 

I’m seeing consistent shortages, and not just toilet paper. Sometimes its rice, sometimes pasta, sometimes fresh fruit/vege (including what is in season). Last week it was chicken as well. I rely on my pantry/freezer to even out the supply shortages. Although the supply shortages were supposed to be over now that we’re moving to “Co-Vid normal” I’m seeing ongoing supply shortages anyway – no real change. Aldi reduced the toilet paper from an 8 pack to a 4 pack which is not terribly convenient when you are a long way out of town. It’s also more expensive. 

 

The pharmacist here sees the stock orders behind the scenes – I’m told some (fairly critical) cardiac drugs are no longer available in Australia for the next few months. Seems to me getting a couple of months ahead is sensible in those circumstances if you have prescriptions. 

 

The thing that upsets me the most is that the size of packets has gone down. Now I know that is a first world problem, but….. many of my recipes were based on the old sizing – for example, mars bar slice had 4 mars bars in it. But the mars bars are no longer the same size and I have not a clue in the world how much mars bar (in weight terms) should be in the recipe!!! I’d like to make it like my Nan made it for me, but now the recipe doesn’t quite work and it makes me cranky. I suggest when you get those recipes that include “1 block of this” you add in the grams/ounces in future. I’m trying to convert some of my recipes as I can.

 

My strategy has been: 

 

1.      Make a list of all the things that we need/use for us and the pets that is shelf stable. So toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, deodorant etc. I am trying to keep tabs on how long it takes us to get through those things so I gauge how many I need for a month/3 months/6 months etc. Any of those that are on special for 40 or 50% off, I buy multiple items of until I have enough for a number of months – things like this I try only to buy when on an excellent special, and I try to never pay full price for anything not staples/necessary; 

2.      For food staples, I do something similar. If it is something we use that will last in the pantry, I buy multiples when it is on sale – how good the sale is, and how often they are on sale determines how many I buy – if it is something we use/like that is rarely on sale or doesn’t come on a big sale I will still buy multiples even if it is only 10 or 20% off. If it is more discretionary (eg, the family favourite chocolate!) I will only buy more than 2 if the sale is 30% or more off. This pretty much works for most things apart from staples, and if it isn’t on sale and I can wait I just don’t buy it. 

3.      I have found that some foodstores/tiny supermarkets have some better prices on selected items– for example, the cordial in the foodstore is only $4.30 not $5. This is absolutely a case of knowing your prices! I used to have the prices written on my grocery list (I have a standard one that I just tick what I need) but I stopped that as I was having to change it every time I did the groceries and it was depressing!

4.      I am buying out of season – for example, sports drink/Gatorade/electrolyte powders are usually discounted a lot in winter, but not so much in summer – so I bought quite a few on special in winter and haven’t paid full price over Summer. Same with icy poles. The soup stuff including dry beans here is often cheapest in Summer, and end of season clothing is the same – seriously, a t-shirt is the same if it is bought now then if it is bought in 6 months time when Summer is starting again here!!! I’ve already compiled the list of things I need for Christmas baking and am starting to gather them and pop them in the cupboard when I see those ingredients on special; 

5.      Look at alternatives within the same supermarket – for example, salsa in the chip aisle was $3 a jar cheaper than in the Mexican food section this week. Tapioca flour in the Asian food section is way cheaper than in the specialty flour section.

6.      Look online – I have found catch.com.au to have reasonable buys for some foods, particularly harder to get gluten free stuff. You may need to buy more than you usually would, but that allows you to stock up. I’m also about to order from the spice warehouse – for those in Melbourne you have better options but if you’re remote sometimes buying online is not a bad option. 

7.      I’m trying to learn new MOO recipes. Ginger beer is now a firm favourite, and I’ll be ordering ground ginger online shortly to keep that up! Sweet n Sour, teriyaki marinade and butter chicken is next on my target list to learn to MOO, so if you have any recipes for either of these, I’m keen for you to share!!! I have made our own shampoo bars for years and haven’t bought shampoo for at least 5 years. I buy (very occasionally) store bought laundry detergent/napisan for my whites, but the rest of the clothes are usually done with home made options off your site J.

8.      When I go to my nearest city, I try to make a point of visiting one of the bigger outlets/warehouses – or several if possible. Golden Circle on the eastern side of Brisbane is a favourite and sometimes has some great bargains. Costco can be good sometimes but not all the time. I have been known to come home with a boot full of groceries! Keen to hear from others about their recommendations – I sometimes see what is available in Melbourne and get jealous!

9.      I have started making cheese. Cheese is one of those things that adds a lot to our food taste and I’m a fuss pot. I’m not great at it at the moment, but it is a work in progress. For the stronger flavoured cheeses I like I need a cheese cave and time and different equipment and I don’t have the means for that yet….. so where I can I make my own feta if milk is cheap. 

10. For baking I use a sprinkle of the nice flavoured cheese with more of the generic, and I’m generally trying to lower my use of the stronger flavoured cheese. Same goes for other flavourings – so I am trying to reduce my cordial use, milo use, etc.

11. I buy big packets of snacks/treats for my family but I am now portioning them out into smaller zip lock bags and where necessary I hide them!!

12. I got a couple of chickens for the eggs. I’ve also learned how to bone out a chicken which is a bit more economical than buying the pieces etc at times. Next time I do that I’ll weigh everything and calculate it and see what it looks like side by side….  This year I grew comfrey and sunflowers for the food for the chickens to try to reduce the feed. Our chickens move constantly so they are eating bugs and grass and I suspect consequently have a much more varied diet, and are eating a lot less feed. And they are fertilizing the paddock. 

13. I’m working on my gardening skills – I am NOT the worlds greatest gardener, but occasionally have success with home grown produce and saving my own (heirloom) seeds. I swap seeds when I have the opportunity to. I have been known to buy an heirloom pumpkin from the markets just to get the seeds!

14. Mending – I’m trying to mend more where I can and make things last longer, even though I’m not great at sewing. We look at what needs to be repaired and then look at Youtube to figure out whether there is something we can do to fix it ourselves. We have found that that sometimes requires us to buy tools, but it is still cheaper than paying someone else to do it for you often and you still have the tools for the next time you need them as well!

15. The biggest savings for me have come with 2 outlays in the last 2 years– I did a homeopathy course at homeopathyplus.com and have been treating the animals (and me when needed) homeopathically – it’s effective, safe, and significantly cheaper than buying drugs – in fact, it was such a good course I’m considering doing it again!! The other outlay is I signed up to the School of Traditional Skills – it’s based in the US around homesteading, but it has excellent online resources and classes on a bunch of things – MOO sourdough, herbal first aid remedies, chickens, milking goats, garden extension etc. I’m trying to do a couple of lessons each week, and they are just excellent. Some aspects don’t translate directly to Australia which I suspect is a lot hotter and drier, but many are really useful!

 

Finally, the other bluebirds that are posting and commenting are such an encouragement to me – so thank you to Annabel for doing this, and to all of you for being part of it. Please keep sharing!

Thank you Fiona!  You have given me a lot to think about so I know others will feel the same.  I have homework to do as I am checking out this School of Traditional Skills!    

Also for anyone wondering MOO = Make Our Own.    

We off and running for a new week!  Lets make it a good one! xxx