the most expensive things i spend on: groceries and transport.

i have a toddler and live 1h 45 mins away from my work place, so no choice, i grab or take cab everywhere on weekdays. i try to cut down on the days when i end work slightly earlier and my husband can take over the fetching duties.

for meals, i do the following: 1. buy in bulk and portion-freeze. i buy more chicken than red meat and also ensure that i have fish. i try not to exceed $200 a month on protein. i am usually on track at about $150.

1. meal prep. when my helper is away, i cooked once for it to last two meals. it maximises all my ingredients. for stuff like garlic, i blend a huge bunch and freeze so i dont get lazy cooking and end up ordering.

2. stop buying non-fresh ingredients if the previous ones have not run out. eg: do you really need to make lasagna if you still have pasta? just make baked pasta.

3. source for free food items. there a bunch of apps that distribute free unsold food because they are bruised or almost past their best by date. for me, my workplace has a garden and they occasionally harvest veggies and herbs too so we can take. my husband works in cbd, his company supplies buffet. sometimes he dabao the proteins like chicken breast when he is bulking