Caz Mooney (@IrishBudgeting on Instagram) joined Brendan Courtney on RTÉ Radio 1 to share her favourite tips and tricks for keeping your household on budget. Listen back above.
As a mother to three kids - ranging from teenagers to toddlers - Caz knows how tricky it is to manage a food shop that will feed the family without breaking the bank.
To keep her household happy, the savvy shopper sticks to a weekly budget of €125 - including cleaning supplies and toiletries.
To achieve this, Caz does her homework. Looking around the house, she checks what's needed and makes a list, planning meals for the week ahead.
"I don't like to assign a day per meal," she says. Instead, she plans seven or eight meals and chooses what she fancies - or what is most efficient - on the day.
She also checks to see what needs using and plans around these ingredients, ensuring that those "sad-looking onions" don't go to waste, and makes sure she doesn't buy anything unnecessary (like another tin of chopped tomatoes).
If she has time, she'll make that eighth meal and pop it in the freezer so it's ready to go on a busy day.
"Some of those meals, at least half of them, will be quick and easy," she explains, "whether they're frozen ahead so I can then defrost them and heat them up in the slow cooker, or they might be stir frys or carbonaras - things that I don't need to think too much about and can throw together in 15 or 20 minutes."
By ensuring that the meals are easy and efficient, it stops her from running to the shop for an alternative or putting in an order for a takeaway.
Another way Caz keeps her spending on track is by being steadfast with her budget.
"I know that's my budget no matter what," she explains. "Now, some weeks I might spend a little less, which can be added to the next week."
Shopping with cash guarantees that she can't overspend: "It was a game-changer for me because I needed to know before I got to the till, how much it was going to cost."
"I have my list in one hand, calculator in the other, and I calculate as I go around," she adds.
Another great tip? Cash stuffing. A system whereby you keep your money in envelopes, dividing them up by categories.
Every time you open your wallet, you should find an envelope for food, an envelope for diesel, etc.
"It's such a great tool if you want to pull back the spending and remember the value of money," she says.
To hear the interview in full and pick up more tips, listen back to the chat above.
