MONEY SAVING TIPS
Make a list. And also have a whiteboard of things you’re running out of, Galavan suggests. “Before you shop, check the fridge and see what can be used. Also check the freezer. Some stuff stays in there too long you forget about it. There’s no point in having a packed freezer at all times, when you can’t see the food.”
Make frugality hot right now. “Irish people love spending money,” Galavan reckons. “Frugality hasn’t been trendy here, with our lingering Celtic Tiger mindset, but it is catching on — slowly.” Next time you’re shopping, ask yourself, do you really need the salmon or the macaroons on a Monday? Is the €15 coffee necessary?
“Often nuts and seeds are cheaper in the cooking aisle than the whole food aisle,” she adds.
“Get a smaller basket or trolley and buy less.”
Batch cook. When making a stew or soup, make enough for a few days and have a selection. “You’ll be happy on Thursday or Friday when you’re tired of cooking or tempted to get a takeout,” she adds.
Don’t buy into the cheaper fast food myth. “One of the biggest myths is that fast food and bad food is cheaper than healthy food. This is wrong,” Galavan says. If you
ADVICE: Kel Galavan
buy porridge, it’s cheaper than cereal. Vegetables are cheaper than ready meals.
Sign up to supermarket clubcards: “Get all the loyalty apps on your phone and then go to the store that’s closest or cheapest,” she says. Alternate with shops. Only shop certain items in expensive stores.
Ditch the packaging. If supermarkets are still putting packaging on bananas, leave it there. Alternatively buy the stuff that’s loose. Buy less food, create less and pay less.