Now that we're kind of settled in Bundaberg I am trying to put together a better menu for our meals. With a full kitchen at my disposal it has been nice to have the option of a fully prepared dinner. Not just a one pot meal or whatever can be done on the BBQ.

Andi passed me a link to http://www.ethical.org.au (click the link "further details") which has a list of brands they recommend for your supermarket shopping. Most are Australian Owned and Operated and source all their content from Australian producers. Next time I went to the supermarket I sought out these brands and read the label carefully. I was pretty happy with what I found. Yes you pay a premium over some of the store brands and that can be an issue when feeding a family. For me it is an excuse to cut back on sweets and soft drink. Never go shopping hungry or with a sugar craving! I also bought a couple of large pots in order to grow some herbs. They were on special and a really good price - but I decided I would not buy cheap foreign pots. But I thought to check the label - designed and made in Australia. Cool!

What was funny though was that a relatively small shop took over an hour because I read the label and weighed the pros and cons for every single thing before I put it in the trolley. But with the effort expended on this trip it should speed up future shops significantly.

That takes care of a lot of standby products like rice and spaghetti, flour, dried fruit etc. I still bought several different items that were fully imported and "premium" brands. But they were to be special treats. To take an ordinary meal over the top. But we still needed fresh fruit and veges. And that's where I prepared a rough menu and created a list to go to the Shalom Markets. The extra cost of buying Australian Made was quickly made up by buying local produce. A two dollar savings on mushrooms. A three dollar savings on tomatoes. Lettuce nearly half the price of the supermarket!

It's a start - if anyone else has any tips let me know!

Dean