Saving Money with the Thermomix

Making the Thermomix work for you and your wallet

                                       

Enjoyment is the key!

The most common question I am asked is exactly how I got the Thermomix to take money off my grocery bill! I am a ‘hunt for the cheapest groceries’ kind of gal, choosing fewer options to save…and yet the Thermomix saves us 25-$30 each week! How?

1. Focus on the greatest need the Thermomix is meeting. Is it speed? Then choose the simplest meals and enjoy the freshness of the food and the simple preparation. Let yourself get the time back while having fun!

Is it meeting specific dietary needs? Then find meals that rejuvenate your eating. Thermomix allows you to use whole foods more easily. Buying whole grains means cheaper, bulk buying without your food going rancid. If it is creativity, allow yourself to re-energise with the incredible creativeness you can now enjoy! The sky is the limit.

2. Once you have started to gain some fun and time back in the kitchen – focus on the big ticket items in your food expenditure. Is it take-away? Look at the recipe community and try at least 3 times some yummy recipes that take less than a ½ hour to prepare. You will develop the habit and expand your repertoire quickly. Is it a staple in your grocery bill? Ours was yoghurt, and it only took four times for it to become routine and even something our children can make. Now we get to enjoy much healthier yoghurt for 1/5^th of the price! If it is special grains and milks – you will soon love the fresh taste of your produce, and the savings start to add up quickly. Almond meal costs me $7/kilo now! Let me know if you need help finding bulk suppliers.

3. Let the little things start stacking up. Make your own vegetable stock concentrate instead of chucking the wilting veggies,  easily make Jam out of the in-season fruit from your neighbor or market. Make coconut milk and cream instead of buying it. So easy! 

4. You can have your cake and eat the sorbet too! Sorbet is one of our biggest money savers. Ice, seasonal fruit and an egg white, 2 minutes later a $7 container of sorbet is made for less than $1.50. Instead of buying naughty’s, we enjoy custards and easy ice-creams.

5. Do yourself out of a job. It is FUN to use the Thermomix and my children love preparing the spreads or treats that save money. A little bit of chopping for them and they can make your Tuesday night dinner for you.

6. Use your consultant’s resources. Come along to a cooking class, or book another demo. This was what helped my confidence soar. My consultant picked up on the easy things that I could be cooking to save us money.

7. Plan! Use the meal plans from the Thermomix App, or ThermoNerd's or Quirky Cooking’s menu plans .

8. Enjoy cutting down on waste and energy costs. 

Well, now I have owned a thermomix for a couple of years and started to experience what a long lasting and quality tool it is, I need to do a little Thermomaths with you so that you do not put yourself under pressure that it should pay for itself in a few months but appreciate what a good money investment it is.

Cost per week over a twenty year life span - $1.80 (should last longer but being conservative)

Just making two items each week that regularly replace grocery items (e.g. for us, yoghurt and a sorbet treat, taking ingredients into account) - $8.00 saved per week.

That's more than four times the cost. At that super conservative rate, it's paid for itself in just under 5 years, and will therefore bring more than $6000 in savings in it's remaining life. 

Now realistically - only replacing two items per week is on a rushed week. For us, it's at least 6 or 7 items. For some it's take away. The average Aussie family, if they replace one take away meal a week and some prepackaged food is apparently $40 (from a survey).  That means, an 'average Aussie family' will pay for their thermomix in grocery savings in one year, and over the next 19 years will save $39, 000 in groceries/minimum takeaway. That's a good chunk of money to invest in something better than food that doesn't help your body.

However, how do you put a price tag on improving your family's health and taking away all the additives? Not just a bonus, it's the most important factor. So enjoy your investment, and I hope all my tips above help you to get it working for you even better!