How to Feed Your Family on Less than €10 a Day and Other Cost-saving Tips

7/29/2019 How to Feed Your Family on Less than 10 a Day and Other Cost-saving Tips

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HOWTO FEED YOUR FAMILY

ON LESSTHAN 10 A DAY

And Other Cost-Saving Tips

Elizabeth Bollard


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Contents

Preface..................................................... ix

1 How to Feed Your Family onLess than 10 a Day ............................ 1

2 Useful Low-Cost Recipes ...................... 17Bread and Baking ................................. 17Breakfast .............................................. 33Soups ................................................... 37

Meat Main Courses ............................... 44Fish Main Courses ................................ 58Vegetarian Main Courses ....................... 62Side Dishes ........................................... 68Sauces .................................................. 77Desserts and Puddings .......................... 80

3 Strategies for Surviving in Challenging

Circumstances ..................................... 85

4 The Household Budget and Savingon Bills ................................................ 97

5 Hiring Contractors for Work aroundthe House ............................................ 119

6 Buying a Car ....................................... 1257 Insurance How to Get the Best Deal .. 135

8 Twelve Ways to Cut Legal Costs ........... 141


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Preface

Today, 25 April, I am skulking around the coun-

tryside using back roads, because, for the firsttime in my adult life, my car tax has expired and Icant afford to renew it. All my accounts personaland business are overdrawn to the limit, and mycredit cards are at the maximum, with monthlypayments overdue.

I am counting down the days to the last working

day of the month when my salary appears in mybank account. Thankfully, my children will notstarve, due to my account in the local co-op store,which is up to date and allows me fuel and foodfor up to three months on credit, combined withthe modest daily takings from my music shop.

I am also in arrears with my mortgage payments.However, there is light at the end of this tunnelbecause the bank has finally agreed to reducemy mortgage payment for a twelve-month period,following three requests during the past two yearsto avail of the six-month moratorium clause in themortgage contract. I wrote to the bank once and

my solicitor wrote on two occasions. I outlined myfinancial situation with total honesty each andevery time. I was told that I needed to be critically


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or terminally ill, or unemployed, to avail of the

moratorium.I am very relieved as I write this book. It seems

that I have become a master at juggling bills,dealing with financial demands and communicat-ing with corporate organisations. I am surviving,I believe, through necessity, determination andquite a degree of stubbornness; and also because

of honesty clear and direct communication witheveryone from my children, friends, colleagues,suppliers and pupils, to bank managers and largecorporate organisations.

I am a single mother of three girls. One is atcollege, one is about to sit the Junior Certificate,and the youngest is age ten.

Before the recession, I was sorted. I appearedto have everything: three holidays a year, a nicecar, designer labels. It took a lot of effort to buildthis lifestyle and to remain comfortable. By effortI mean ripping up floor boards in old houses at10.00 p.m. following a days work I had worked

non-stop for years renovating houses during theproperty boom. Because of all of this work, I neverhad problems paying the bills.

My financial difficulties arose because I pur-chased a new home in October 2007 on thestrength of a firm sale agreed on the house I wasliving in. I felt the need for a fresh start with the

girls in a new environment. It was supposed to bemyfinal stressful ordeal; afterwards, life shouldhave been perfect. I was already committed to


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purchasing the house and was ready for what

should have been a comfortable lifestyle, withless working hours and more quality time withthe girls. However, as things turned out, the exactopposite occurred. The couple purchasing my oldhouse decided to go their separate ways on theexchange of contracts. So I found myself with acombined mortgage payment of 2,750 monthly,

between the two houses, fixed for five years at aset percentage.

The pressure was on. I fell and broke my wristwithin two weeks of moving into the new house.Seeing as Im a professional violinist, this wasan absolute catastrophe. I couldnt play or teachviolin for nine weeks, and my greatly neededtuition income was cut. Because of the reces-sion, I could not sell my house. All our luxury wasabruptly curtailed and our lifestyle had to beadjusted.

In 2009, following the announcement from myeldest daughter that she wished to do a six-year

course in college, I realised that another sourceof income was necessary. I used borrowed moneyfrom the bank for house improvements to open amusic shop on a shoestring budget. I knew thiswas really pushing the boat out, but it was neces-sary.

Since October 2007, I learned and discovered

some useful and clever ways to survive, and Iknow that passing these methods on will helpmany others. I have written this book as a means


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of support, guidance and reference. Most impor-

tantly, I want to give hope to families in thesechallenging recessionary times.

I hope you will find the content beneficial.

Elizabeth BollardSpring 2012

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