“If you work in the CBD, then one of the hidden treasures of saving money is eating lunch at the Hunter Connection. The place is packed full of Asian eateries, and one can always find a good deal on lunch. You can save even more if you can wait until 2-3PM to have lunch. At that time, the venfors start boxing up the remainder of their food. I often get lunch for $4-$5 at this time…”

Feel free to drop me a line or two either via comments or our contact form if you know of any secret $5 lunch places or you have tips and advice to share with everyone else about how to save money. Have a great long weekend!

Cusine: Vietnamese/Asian

Location: Cabramatta

Cost: $5!

1. Deep Sea Seafood on South Street at Granville

Deep Seafood in Granville, NSW

Plenty of selection for $5 and under

This place is conveniently located along South Street. They have four (4) fish cocktails + chips for $5! That is a steal for lunch.

2. Hungry Jacks

Hungry Jacks has their awesome stunner deals for $4.95. This includes burger, drink and a desert. You can’t get better than that for a cheap lunch. Not too sure about the nutritional value but hey it’s CHEAP!

3. St. Leonards Station

I was at St. Leonards Station last week and discovered some amazing places that offer cheap eats. Regular organic coffee with soy milk only set me back by $2.60. Normally, I bring my own coffee but that day I was in a rush and I needed my caffeine fix. I’m sure the coffee addicts out there understand what I’m talking about . Also, managed to grab a toasted ham, tomato and cheese sandwich for $2.50! Total damage for brekky was only $5.10! That was way cheaper than my return train ticket from Parramatta to St. Leonards.

4. Vietnamese Pork Rolls or Vietnamese Baguettes

These delicious rolls make great lunches and they are cheap! They usually cost between $3.50 to $4.50 each. The bread rolls are sliced open in the middle and stuffed with carrots, onions, cured meat, coriander, spring onion, pate, butter and soy sauce. Where can you find these delicious rolls? Almost any hot bread shop that is run by Vietnamese people will have pork rolls or even chicken rolls.

Do you know of any great but cheap under $5 eats around Sydney? Why not share your story with us.

3 Easy Ways to Score a Free Lunch

With the big “R” word looming over everyone’s head, more and more people are interested in finding innovative and creative ways (or is it just yours truly doing this alone?) to increase their value for money. The fact that books titled “Learn to budget”, “From $0 to riches” and etc are flying off the shelves at Borders provides me with an understanding that there are truly people out there who are interested in saving more money. So here are some tricks of the trade that will definitely help you score some free lunch.

Perform a good deed and score a free lunch

How does that work? How are you able to help someone that in turns help yourself? Too altruistic and too good to be true – YES but hey there is this place called the Red Cross. Giving blood only takes about five to ten minutes. However, you will probably need to give yourself about an hour from the start to the end of the appointment. The best thing about donating blood is that you are helping someone and at the end of the session, you are provided with “post-donation refreshments” that may include a sandwich, juice and maybe a bag of chips! I have also been told that the Clarence Street donor center in Sydney offers the best food in town.  Yup! This is perfect for the suits who work around the CBD.

For those who fear the needle, do not fret, there are other ways to score a free lunch.

Schedule to meet up with your clients/suppliers during lunch time

This is as simple as it sounds. If you represent a company who is wooing a particular client and you are directly involved in the deal, you should by all means bring the customer out for a nice lunch on the company should you not? Why not kill two birds with one stone and feed yourself while working. The truth is you will not be able to work if they starve you and so this is a valid reason.

On the other hand, it is even sweeter when someone wants to do business with you. Learn to schedule appointments close to or during lunch time. When they request for an appointment just tell them bluntly that they will need to meet you during your only free time – yup you got this right and that will be LUNCH time. More than often, if they want your business, they will have to bring you somewhere nice or at least offer to pay for lunch.

The last resort

If the last two points do not fancy your liking because you are neither a saint and you do not like meeting people for lunch, do not fear because I know that you will enjoy this last point as you can be classified as cold and without feelings. In the mornings, on the way to work, it is probable that you will pass by at least one or two primary schools. This is your chance to score a free lunch. Kids always have lunches prepared for them by their parents and they are gullible aren’t they. The deal is when you walk past an unknowing kid, you should stealthily grab their lunch box and quickly run in the opposite direction. There! You have officially scored yourself a nice lunch courtesy of the unknowing kid and the best part is you do not even know what is in the box and you would be surprised to even find a popper in there! YEAH!

Most people will disapprove of the last method but hey it is the period of the big “R” and you want to save money right? Proceed at your own risk and do not run into a bunch of parents or teachers if you do decide to adopt this method. Please do not mention this website or post if you ever get caught using this method. This is my disclaimer and DO NOT MENTION MY NAME!

Realistically, I think that the first two methods are the way to go. Personally, I prefer the second method as I fear needles and what not. To each his/her own.

Happy skimping without showing…

(A) no idea what to cook

(B) you feel that cooking takes too long or

(C) you just cannot be bothered.

This post will list the top 10 must have kitchen pantry essentials to help you combat at least the first two points.

Note to self: If you happen to fall into point C, this post does not cater for you and you will just need to do the following:

1. Grab a piece of paper

2. Write the words “I will not get takeaway as it is a waste of money, unhealthy and I do not want the calories to be stuck on my thighs. When they get stuck to my thighs, it means that I will need to pay for gym membership (which I will more than likely not use and lament the fact that I’ve wasted $).

3. Stick this notice up in the kitchen or next to the phone to serve as a reminder the next time you are tempted to get takeout.

There is more to a pantry than the basic salt, sugar and vinegar. Check out this list.

Pantry Essentials

1. Anchovies

Anchovies add fantastic flavour, depth and bite to many quick and easy pasta dishes. These gems are easily available in any supermarkets or delis. They come in the bottled form, can or as pastes.

2. Pasta

I love pasta as it is quick and easy to make and more than often you can deliver a gourmet meal within 30 minutes (This is even faster than the delivery guy). Pasta ranges from spaghetti, fettuccine, linguine to tortellini. Most of them are available as the dry varieties. If you are like me, you will enjoy the Lattinan tortellini range. These are great and cheap meals. All you have to do is boil some water and pour the pasta into the hot water. The pasta gets cooked under 10 minutes and it usually serves between 2 to 4 people. Nice, quick and easy.

3. Canned Tomatoes

Ever run out of pasta sauce? This is where canned tomatoes come into play. I picked up this trick from a nice Italian lady when I was studying at University. Two small cans of tomatoes can serve up to four people (depending on how much sauce you fancy). Brown some garlic, toss the wholesome tomatoes into the saucepan, add salt and pepper. Pluck some fresh basil from the garden and voila – you have a pasta sauce that will only cost you $2 to make each time.

4 . Olive Oil

Good olive oil are great for dipping, cooking and drizzling over most types of food. Personally, I have extra virgin olive oil for dipping my bread and normal olive oil for cooking.

5. Canned Tuna/Salmon

Fish! Fish! Fish! What can I say? They are nutritious, yummy and requires minimal cooking. Stock up on them when they are next on sale at your local supermarket. Canned fish is a great addition to most pasta meals too.

6. Herb Garden or Dry Herbs

Firstly, congratulations to those who are disciplined enough to grow their own herbs. For the rest of us (especially those who have tried but failed because we forget to water the herbs), we should just stick to dry herbs. Dry herbs are great with pasta, omelette and stews. They are readily available from your local supermarket. However, I have noticed that dry herbs tend to be cheaper when you purchase them in the packets instead of bottles. Also, they are cheaper (a couple of dollars difference) at local Indian grocers.

7. Jams, Spreads and Honey

Jams, spreads such as Vegemite and honey are great with toast. Toast is a quick afternoon snack for the kids and it is healthier than processed food.

8. Stocks

In a state of utopia, home made stocks are the best. However, with time and space limitations, most people just turn to the convenient options off the shelves. There are many varieties of stocks such as vegetable, chicken, beef and even seafood (available at some Asian grocery stores). Be selective with your purchase and check the content to ensure minimal salt is added. For those who have more time to spare, it is worth the while to buy some chicken carcass and boil some stock. Once boiled, the stock can be kept in the freezer. The next time that you crave for a soup, you can easily grab your homemade stock from the freezer and add extra ingredients for a quick and hearty soup for the family.

9. Frozen Chips

This has to be one of my favourites. I recommend Home Brand frozen chips. They are quick and easy to make and definitely not a healthy choice when not consumed in moderation. However, they are a great addition to any steaks, and fish. Just pour some onto a baking tray and chuck it in the oven. 15 minutes later, you have nice hot chips!

10. Sauces and Pastes

With hot chips come the need for sauces. Stock up on essential sauces such as tomato, chilli, sweet chilli, barbeque, pesto, Worcestershire, Soy (for Asian cooking), Japanese mayonnaise, fish sauce, Tom Yum Paste and any other sauces that you can possibly think of. Please only stock sauces that you will use. The last thing you want to do is to throw out sauces that were impulse buys.

These essentials have seen me whip up a nice warm dinner under 30 minutes and they have definitely saved me more moolah to spend of shoes!

Enjoy

~Jess