Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: shanmac on September 05, 2011, 05:14:31 am
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H Everyone
I promise I will make a decision soon - well I have still to convince DH. Just wondering as an approximate how much money do people think they have saved on groceries since TMX came into there lives? Just another pro I need to present to weight up against the very weighted con (purchase price)?
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With my family of four (including 2 little tots) we saved about $35 per week (before we started buying organic food). I cooked quite a bit from scratch though even before buying the TM and was always very budget conscious. I think larger families or families that buy a lot of packaged foods may save up to $70-80 per week. Thermomix recipes often use less meat and more veg which saves oodles each week. :)
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Hi Shanmac,
This is so interesting. Ed and I (DH) were having this conversation in the car as we were driving to sign me up as a consultant!
Take bread for example. Here in Germany, it is normal to purchase fresh rolls on a Sunday and eat them for a leisurely breakfast and then perhaps over following day or so. Say 4 euros per week just there. As supplies are relatively inexpensive, we worked out that for perhaps 40c, we could make the same thing and save the cost of the petrol driving there.
Multiply 4 euros x 52 weeks = 208 euros saved. And this is just in bread alone...
The cost of the machine here is 985 euros - 208 euros (for the bread) = 777 euros left over! Of course we would made bread again at least one more time over the course of the week, which would save some more money.
Cooking in quantities saves too. Ed and I are just two. But if we cook for 4, we have two "free" lunches. Most meat, in particular chicken here, is freshly prepacked, into perhaps 4 portions rather than two.
Ed and I have also made a massive saving on takeaway. Now don't get me wrong, we only did it once a week! There is a lovely pizza restaurant (not Pizza Hut!!!) not far from us and for about 20 euros, they would deliver two large pizzas.
Using leftovers in the fridge, cooked chicken, vegetables etc, I can have a pizza in the oven and on the table in about the same time as it would take to dial the number and wait for the delivery. Add the cost of making the base and all the bits, it might cost 3 euros, not even! Another massive saving of 17 euros per week. Whether it be pizza or going out somewhere cheap and cheerful.
17 euros x 52= 884 euros!!!
So 884 + 208 = 1092 euros. I have paid for the machine AND few cookbooks!!!! Our food intake is far more healthy and I am having fun doing it too! If you my examples to ACTUAL prices in Australia, I wonder what the result might be. I haven't lived in AUS for nearly two years and I am not so familiar with the prices of bread and pizza anymore but I bet you would be surprised!
Show this post to your DH. Ed resisted for a while (ask anyone on here!!!) But I got a TMX and now Ed wont look back. He loves it. I love it. Get one, now!!!!
xxx
;D
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Hi Shanmac
We have never been a take away family, always done my own pizza and base etc. So yiu woukd think that my savings are minimal.
Absolutely not, about $100 per week if I menu plan. I used to ask "what do tyou want for dinner" now i say what type of soup, mince meat dish etc shall we have on our menu plan.
I have been slack lately and not stuck to it, but if write up a good menu plan about $100 a week saving.
Hope this helps
Hally
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Hands down you will save money every time you switch the machine on. I made my own butter yesterday. Lurpak my fave brand is £1.60/250gr for solid butter and £2.98 for a 500gr of spreadable.
For just £1.60 I made nearly 600 gr of solid butter and if I was to make half of it spreadable and add a bit of olive oil to it I would have even more of it. And it took 4 minutes to make, AND the most important thing the flavour....divine
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I have a family of 7, and we save a good $100 f/night at the big supermarket and probably another $100 f/night at our small supermarket. So thats $200 a f/night x 26 = $5200 per year (2.6 thermomixes)
Thats just from making things my self rather than pre packaged and preprepared things, and we also use less meat and more veggies. I have only had my TM for 8 months and have probably already paid for my TM in savings ;D.
You probably wouldn't see any savings in the first couple of months as we all seem to by more ingredients that we don't already have so as to make all these wonderful recipes.
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Well it all depends of your lifestyle... Our grocery bill hasn't changed as I was cooking from scratch before TMX and I use a lot of home grown products. On the saving side, if time is money, then I've saved money on some dishes (still think most meat dishes are more flavoursome using traditional methods)- just being honest :)
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You can save a fortune by making your own stock paste.I found this article that breaks down the cost,I know it's from Canada but it will be very similar costings.
http://weirdwildandwonderful.blogspot.com/2011/02/thermomix-experiment-6-chicken-and.html
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Shanmack, I have a huge family saving every week. I no longer buy any processed foods, no frozen foods, no packets or pots or jars of anything at all. Once you get the hang of it you will have no waste either. You can freeze your fruit that has overripened to make desserts/juices/ice-creams. Your vegetable box will be made into homemade sauces/soups and your freezer will be full of exciting and inviting dishes, that your family will love you for it. I can't live without mine and even take Tmx camping with me! I honestly couldnt live without mine, and I was only just discussing with my DH last week, that should anything ever happen to my dear TMX :o :o :o I would immediately go straight out and buy another one! And DH actually agreed! Remembering the fact that 3 years ago, it took me a month of pleading DH every day to let me have one! :o :o :o :o :o I actually have 2 jugs and can assure you that they are both in use constantly. And my children (and their friends!) also appreciate me having one!
Apart from being healthier for you and your loved ones, whilst TMX is making dinner/lunch you can be doing something else. For example, you have ten minutes to bath the kids, 7 minutes to hang out the washing etc etc with the guarantee that nothing will ever get overcooked or burnt.
I cook for a family of 5, but with another 6 or 7 of my kids friends too who also love inviting themselves for afternoon waffles/ice-creams/pizzas etc and I can honestly say that my weekly saving is 40 euros a week (Living in the South of Spain)
If you have any other doubts just let us know, if you finally decide....you certainly will NOT regret!
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For me, as I already pretty much cooked from scratch the savings are minimal, that is unless I count my time in dollars... which I do! So I save probably ½ -1 hour every day... for me that equates to around $350-$400 in time=$.
I am also eating a greater variety of dishes as cooking from scratch without the TM is quite an ordeal and I only made 5-6 favourites over and over! Now I whip up all sorts!
Take your hubby to a demo if you haven't already...
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Hi Shanmac
Another great reason to buy the tm, you have more soare time.
I am not cooking food this week as our freezers are full, so more quality time for you and dh ;D
Hally
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Our saving is in Gas. We are on bottled gas. Before TMX, we would buy a new bottle every 5/6 weeks @ $100 a time. Since TMX we buy a bottle every 10/12 weeks. We are saving about $500 a year, and our Electricity has not increased very much. Food? It is difficult for me to say, but probably saving about $50 a week. Probably because we use more up and don't throw as much out or to the chooks. I do the sums on what it costs to cook most things, not because I have to but because I like to. If you look at many of my recipes I say how much it has cost to make or how much a serve. As Lee said, Bread is a good example, Most loaves or 8 rolls cost about $1. Butter is not much cheaper, even with cream at $2.30 for 600mls. but the Buttermilk is the bonus. There are many examples , these are just a few. Good luck, yes take him to a Demo.
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Thermomix is much more expensive to buy in Australia than Germany - Lee paid just over $1300 AUD so bargain!!! I agree regarding savings - DH does most shoppng and is a terror for getting things which 'looked interesting' ($), but even so we do save on a lot of things we now make at home such as bread, yogurt, marmalade, pizza, coconut milk/cream, butter, tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, spicy sauce.....
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for my family on bread only ,the savings would be $1092 a year
ciao
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Yes, price for me was the speedhump. I had heard about a TMX and had not seen one perform in all its glory. After four months of having a "Thermie" in my life, I can honestly say, worth every cent, and then some.
The minimum hourly wage in Australia is about $15.00, is my time worth more than that - YES. So, if you spend an hour a day cooking meals at the VERY LEAST, multiplied by 5 times a week, at the VERY LEAST, that is $300 a month.
Cooking beautiful fresh, tasty, healthy and creative food is effortless and fun.
Not sure if there's NIKE copyright compromised here...... "Just Do It".
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Well I have decided to bite the bullet - actually nibble would be a better description!!!! I am going to have a demo in January & purchase my TMX there & then.
Why wait - well my mothers group have been planning a girls trip away to Hong Kong for about 5 years and that is in October, and then the next thing you know it will be the dreaded lead up to Christmas!!
Anyway January isn't that far away - leaving me more time to spend on this forum!!
Thanks for all the advice
Shan
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You lucky thing, off to Hong Kong. We used to live there many years ago (before handover) and I worked on the Tsing Ma bridge, which is a bridge you will travel through on the way into the city from the airport (the airport was under construction when we were there).
Where are you staying? Have a great time there but take care in the shops as they are all very much "Buyer Beware" (particularly electronic / electrical items), but don't let that stop you - as they say .... shop till you drop!
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We are staying at The Langham Place in Mongkok. A couple of the girls our power shoppers so we are doing a day trip to Shenzen. Also looking at doing high tea, going to Victoria Peak, lots of beautiful restaurants. Anything you can suggest would be great.
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It has all changed a great deal since we lived there (approx. 18 years or so since we left). We used to go to Shenzhen for a day's fun at the go-kart park and the roller coaster - I don't think I would recommend that - the roller coaster was pretty scary, it felt a bit like it was going to shake apart at any moment!
Mongkok is a busy, crowded area, but it's all so fascinating - night markets, bird markets, try to take a trip over to Stanley market on Victoria Island. The Star ferries are great .... the Po Lin monastry on Lantau is fascinating (or at least it was when we lived there). If you have a big enough group, you should see if you can organise to hire a junk over to the seafood restaurants on Lama Island. The cable car up to the Peak is good and the walk around the top is a nice easy stroll. There is, really, just so much to do that anything you decided to do or anywhere you decided to visit will be great.
Where we lived, in a tiny village on Lantau Island, was great - the nearest road was about a kilometre away and we had to cycle or walk through all the local market gardens to get to and from home and the ferry over to Victoria. Of course, now that the airport is on Lantau, you can drive to Kowloon - that's all new since we live there. When we had friends visiting us they couldn't believe that there was a rural area in Hong Kong, but there certainly is - you just have to know your way around.
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Why is it that the TMX is so much cheaper in Germany than here? Surely with the AUD doing so well prices would reflect this?
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I dont know, it's not fair really.
Hong Kong is the BEST and MOST exciting place in the whole, wide world. Do ALL your shopping in Mongkok as it is off the main tourist trail of Nathan Road and you will save heaps shopping there. If you wear glasses, go to Optical 88 and tell them you are leaving HK earlier than you are. They are fast and cheap - take your prescription! Any other advice, please ask. I wonder how much Thermie would cost there???
xxx
;D
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Great decision Shanmac. It's hard for me to quantify the savings as we didn't have much take away. We have dropped our processed foods to <5% of our diet though and before it was maybe 30%. The real saving for me are being able to see things on special (that is when I have to go shopping, which isn't often any more) and know what I can create with them such as tomato sauce or butter or a soup. I can also buy bulk products such as flours, grains, nuts and not have them go off as they are core ingredients for most things I cook now. Enjoy the Thermomix. Pity you couldn't have it for Christmas. It's a great way to make gifts and prepare easy healthy meals for the holiday season. Have a great time in Hong Kong.
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Gee Lee I hadn't thought of that, maybe if Thermie is cheaper there I could get one - pity I don't speak or read Chinese, or I could be your first customer - theres that problem again of not being able to read or write in another language !!!!!!
Any tips on good jewellers & leather goods in HK would be great.
Shanx
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Please don't buy jewellery at any of those "factory tours" they take you to when you book a "real" tour. You book a day tour touring HK city and sights but before you start, the tour operator takes you to some factor first. Simply use it as a rest room stop and keep your wallet shut. Always overpriced!!!
Watches are well priced usually. Not the copy ones - yuk! Make sure you know what everything is actually worth in Australia to see that it is cheaper in HK. THe internet makes this so easy now.
xxx
;D
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We've been to Hong Kong twice, stayed in Mong Kok both times & simply loved it! Mong Kok with its markets and street food is fabulous. My sons (aged 9 and 11 when we where there) still talk about all the delicious food we had at the night market (pic attched): smoked duck, braised scallops on vermicelli noodles, loads of stir fried greens, tripes and duck tongues... ;D The lot cooked in front of us- so fresh and fragrant! uuumh: love travelling! :) :)
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I had forgotten about the toilet rolls on the tables to wipe your hands, etc. Your photo bought back so many memories - the street food in Hong Kong was fabulous.
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That food looks divine. I went to HK in 1988, absolutely loved it then. Dh hasnt bee, refuses to go, hates crowds, so one day will take ds, so iget to go again ;D
Hally :)
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OMG your kids are so adventurous, duck tongue!! I wouldn't eat that and I'm sure my kids would think I was trying to poison them if I dished that up to them.
Can't wait we are all very excited not sure if it's the 7 days of shopping or the 7 days without all our kids!!
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I had forgotten about the toilet rolls on the tables to wipe your hands, etc.
So funny isn't it? No fuss street venue, great food at such a good price ;)
Shanmac, my boys are only following their parents lead- lead by example- if it smells good taste it :) With the duck tongues we thought we would end up with a few on a plate and were in for a shock when a loaded plate (about 20!!!) was put in front of us. They were deep-fried (light batter), very tender (calamari like in texture) and served with a few chillies: a very good use of what would otherwise be thrown away, ...and so tasty!