"You cook once and then you eat four times because you use the leftovers to recreate other meals."
The cost of living comes up in every conversation right now. As my co-host, nutritionist Lee Holmes, put it, "people don't need anyone to tell them that it's tough. They know... What I think people need right now are actual ideas." So on episode 6 of The Lee & Irene Show, we shared the habits we both still use to stay healthy without spending a fortune.
You can listen to the full episode here:
Two ways to spend less
Lee and I save money in very different ways. "My instinct personally is to find the free or nearly free version of everything," Lee says, "and yours is to buy one extraordinary thing and make it last a lifetime."
She's right. In my first advertising job, my boss gave me $1,000 to buy some corporate clothes. I spent the whole lot on one wool suit, and I still have it today. I'll buy the best quality I can afford and keep it forever. You'll never see me in fast fashion, ever. Different approaches, same outcome.
Make the freezer your best friend
Lee learnt this one from her mum. "Wednesday nights is absolutely the best day to go to the supermarket. It's when the markdowns happen. You load up on what's reduced, you portion it, you freeze it, you're done and one smart shop carries you through the whole week."
I agree! I bought a chest freezer with a big dent in the side from a seconds store, and it's one of the best investments I ever made.
Lee calls her way of cooking a renewable table. "You cook once and then you eat four times because you use the leftovers to recreate other meals. So a roast chicken becomes a stir fry, becomes a broth, a pot of lentils becomes a soup, becomes a side, becomes a fritter with an egg on top of it." She batch cooks on a Sunday and eats from her freezer through the week.
Eat well for less
Start with protein at breakfast. Eggs are "still one of the most affordable complete proteins going", and starting the day with protein means "you're not making those kind of impulse food decisions by 10 o'clock."
Not everything needs to be organic. Fruit and veg with a thick skin, like avocado and bananas, are fine to buy conventional, while blueberries, celery, strawberries and spinach are better to buy organic. Lee and I both buy organic blueberries frozen, which is much cheaper than fresh. But if you can't buy organic, make sure you soak and wash your produce.
Legumes are affordable too. Lee makes a dip with cannellini beans, lemon, a little garlic and a tiny bit of olive oil, and "it tastes luxurious." She also grows her own herbs and microgreens on the windowsill, and says "the return on investment is really good."
And coffee? Lee doesn't think pods are good value. Our producer Justin bought a coffee machine with a steamer for around $250, and says he saves thousands a year. Lee makes her own sticky chai instead of buying one every day.
Skincare on a budget
I love beauty products, and I sell skincare, but I always tell my customers that less is more. "You do not need an expensive cleanser. You're just washing it down the sink." Use an affordable natural cleanser and exfoliator, and "put all of your money into your serum."
Then seal it in with something affordable, like Egyptian Magic or Weleda Skin Food. If you want to spend on one more thing, make it a good eye cream.
Sanctum is certified organic and starts from around $12. And if you do want premium, Vanessa Megan is 100% natural, you only need a little, and you might only need one product.
The one thing you can't skip is sunscreen. "If you can only afford one thing and you're going outside, then you definitely do need to wear an SPF."
Beauty from your kitchen
When Lee was in India studying Ayurvedic medicine, a woman showed her how to use crushed lentils as a face and body scrub. "It was gentle and effective." Lee also uses mashed banana as a hair mask, and coconut oil as a body oil, makeup remover and first cleanse.
And if your strawberries are going soft, don't throw them out. They have natural fruit acids, so they work as "a sort of natural chemical exfoliator for your skin."
The most underrated beauty product is free. "Chronically dehydrated skin looks dull and tired. So drinking more water honestly can really plump up your skin."
Turn your bathroom into a day spa
I haven't been to a beauty salon in about four years. Everything I do is at home now. Light a natural candle, run a bath or fill a bucket with warm water, add magnesium salts and a couple of drops of pure essential oil, and put a flower from your walk in a glass.
On Saturdays, Lee shaves her face with a dermaplaner, then soaks her feet in magnesium salts. I do it every week too, and it saves on serum. "When you use a derma blade on your skin, you are getting rid of so many dead skin layers that your serum, you only need a quarter the amount of your serum and it works so much better."
Look after your gut
If you only do one thing for your health, Lee says it's "obviously the gut because everything goes in there... it literally has a role in every single part and function and most systems of your body."
For years I thought I had adrenal fatigue. It wasn't until I focused on my gut that I started to have more energy, my skin cleared up, and my hair has never looked better.
Walking is the most cost-effective way to exercise
Walking is Lee's main exercise, and it's free. "It helps lower your cortisol. It supports your digestion. It regulates your blood sugar. It gives you a bit of sunlight." Walk instead of driving short trips and you save on petrol too.
Save on bills
Turn appliances off at the wall, because "standby power adds real dollars to your bill every single month." Every three months, go through your direct debits and cancel the free trials that rolled into paid plans and the subscriptions you've forgotten about.
Lee negotiates every bill, politely. She calls her electricity, internet, insurance and bank and says, "I'm just reviewing my expenses at the moment and I was just wondering is there a better rate available." The worst they can say is no.
For big purchases, I give myself a 24-hour cooling-off period. Add it to your cart, or ask the shop to hold it, and sleep on it. And to save on petrol, Lee buys midweek, keeps her tyres pumped up, takes her foot off the accelerator on the downhills and opens the window instead of using the air con.
Listen to the full episode
We also talked about how to tell a real product recommendation from a paid ad, and Lee had a rant about $80 jade rollers and $50 detox teas when the things that keep you well cost next to nothing. You can listen to episode 6 on Spotify.
About the Author
Irene Falcone is the founder of Clean Nectarine and co-host of The Lee & Irene Show. She started her first clean beauty business in 2011 with $100 in her garage and grew it to $20m in four years. She has spent over 15 years reading the backs of beauty and wellness labels, is a Telstra Business Women's Awards winner and an EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, and has been featured on A Current Affair, The Project, Sunrise, Channel Nine Mornings and Sky News.
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