Losalini’s home garden
To have a balance meal Losalini Rasoqosoqo Bolatagici and her husband Sailasa Bolatagici makes sure their children have a healthy meal.
Mrs Bolatagici, who does not entertain buying snacks for her children, says she will always champion home gardening because it provides them with healthy vegetables, saves money and the only exercise she gets to do.
“I plant lots of vegetables too as backyard garden is a hobby for me,” she said.
“My children love their bele and for a quick meal, we can just boil that freshly picked bele to go with canned tuna or miti.”
Mrs Bolatagici hails from Nayau, Lakeba in Lau and is the Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA) Fiji communication specialist.
She lives in Davuilevu with her husband Sailasa Bolatagici of Rukua, Beqa and their children.
“I am passionate about writing and I worked as a journalist for almost 13 years (in the beginning of my career) before I ventured out into public relations where I worked for Fiji Corrections Service and Fiji Ports Corporation Ltd before working for this NGO,” she said.
“My husband is a firefighter based at the Nausori Fire Station and together we have six children - Junior, Grace, Paulini, Benben, Siteri and Ane but only four live with us at the moment and we are guardians to Tukai Peni - my late brother’s son.
“Two of our children are in secondary school (RKS and ACS) and the rest are in primary school.”
This week she shares her shopping tips with Times Shopper.
WHEN doing their grocery shopping, the Bolatagici focus is always on their children.
This is because it helps them ensures they buy the food their children love to eat instead of buying lots of food their children won’t eat.
After all, Losalini Rasoqosoqo Bolatagici says the main reason they work so hard is to ensure they provide for their children.
Mrs Bolatagici does her fortnightly shopping at MaxVal-u and Shop N Save in Nakasi.
Mrs Bolatagici says Shop N Save is like a one-stop shop as it offers the widest range of food and non-food items.
“The location is also convenient because ATMs are right there as well as other outlets for money withdrawal. But if you are thinking of saving a bit of money from your grocery budget, then MaxVal-u is an ideal choice because the price of food items is reasonable. I can say that it is the cheapest supermarket in Nakasi,” she said. “We have a fortnightly budget which caters for groceries, meat from the butcher, vegetables from the market and transportation.”
Before she heads out, Mrs Bolatagici said she always made sure she jots her shopping list down.
“This is something I never used to do, but there was a time in my career while I was working as a journalist that I was moved to the weekly Shopping Liftout that features articles such as this — as well as shopping and budget tips and eating healthy.
“That was when I changed my mindset. Sometimes when we go out shopping, I want to get extra stuff, but I’m always reminded by my husband to stick to the list.
“I now know my standard shopping list by heart. For six years now, I have been putting into practice the tips and lessons I used to write for the readers.
I still compare the prices of goods before I do my shopping. That’s why I know that MaxVal-u is the cheapest supermarket in Nakasi, but comparing prices doesn’t mean you have to settle for the cheapest. Sometimes you have to consider the quality of items, thus I would settle to spend a little more if the cheapest item available is not of good quality.”
She says she does not take her children when she goes shopping because they will want things that are not on your shopping list, thus you will be spending more than your budget.
“I usually go with my husband if he is not at work. Otherwise, I shop with my nephew Tukai Peni because, unlike my children, he doesn’t question what I buy or demand things.
“The reason I always force my husband to go with me is that if it wasn’t for the pandemic, my work involves a lot of travelling, and I am usually home away, so when I’m away, he is familiar with where and what to buy.”
Mrs Bolatagici said they don’t usually eat meat in the weekdays and leaved the feasting until the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) because she normally worked during the week and I don’t have time to cook properly.
“My husband goes to work at least three days a week on a 24-hour basis, so nine of the 21 weekly meals he gets to enjoy at his workplace.
“We are a normal family, and our grocery list is basically a standard one. Baking ingredients I never miss because my children enjoy having tea with whatever I bake or, in this case — whatever my daughter bakes.
“My eldest daughter is usually the one that takes charge of the kitchen, especially now when there’s no school and I’m busy with work at home.
“She has evening/night classes daily, so she prepares lunch and dinner for her siblings most of the time.
“I ensure that I buy according to what she likes to prepare, and I can say what she loves to experiment from those Tube cooking classes.
“I buy lots of vegetables and two items that I never miss are carrots and cucumbers because my children love them, especially when eating them raw. I don’t buy my children snacks at all.
“I do shopping for a family of seven — there’s us, our four children and my nephew Tukai Peni.”
She added that she usually buys a lot of vegetables because, after a long day at work, she can just chop up those vegetables for a quick stirfry for the family.
Mr and Mrs Bolatagici said their focus has always been on their children regardless of where they are.
“Because all that we do, the sacrifices we make, is because of them in ensuring they have a better tomorrow.
My husband and I are committed to helping at least a family or someone that is in need every time we get paid, whether in the form of money or groceries.
“The person could be our own relative, our neighbours or simply someone that we feel is in need of our help. This has become a norm for the past year and I love that satisfactory feeling when you are able to help someone out and I don’t miss giving my tithe.
“We have different beliefs but this one sure works for me.”