How to beat surging food bills

Around the farm, everything seems to be more expensive.

Yet nothing more than fertiliser, which has skyrocketed in price since I’ve been away, and is now at an all-time high.

I know what you’re thinking: “Dude, is this the Romsey Rag’s Farm Report or something?”

Well, hold up a minute, because what I’m talking about here has massive ramifications for 2022.

Global food prices have just hit a 10-year high — rising a staggering 30% this year — according to the United Nations.

A quick primer for those who figure their food magically comes from an underpaid dude on a bike:

Fertiliser is a key ingredient in how we feed the world. If farmers use less fertiliser, they’ll grow less food, which means that in poorer parts of the world there may be a lot of hungry people next year. And, as my old mate Tim Fischer used to say, “society is three meals away from a revolution”.

For you and me, this will likely mean even higher food prices next year.

So let me show you how to beat the price rise.

The average Aussie household throws out 11% of the food they buy, which works out to be chucking $1,038 per year in the bin, according to the annual Rabobank Food and Farming Report.

So, given we all have a jar of something funky in our fridge that pre-dates the pandemic, here are a few practical things we’ve done lately to curb our food waste.

First, we Marie Kondo’d our pantry.

You don’t need to ask “Does this spark joy?” but “Would this give me salmonella?”

When in doubt, throw it out. (However if it’s canned or non-perishable food, do your bit and donate it to your local Food Bank — they really need it).

Second, we steer clear of shopping at the supermarket. Instead we order online, so we don’t end up buying stuff we don’t need. Throughout the week we keep a running list on Alexa, but you can use whatever digital overlord that tracks your life. Heck, you could even go Boomer and keep a list of stuff on the back of the fridge. Whatever works.

Finally, every parent knows that one of the biggest wasters of food is fussy kids. Well, we cracked the code on that one: as soon as we got our kids growing their own veggies, they couldn’t get enough of them.
We also have chooks for eggy soldiers … and fertiliser.

Tread Your Own Path!