17 May 2017
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\n\nAre you tired of baby boomers telling you that their secret trick to saving in their youth was to eat at home? SO ARE WE! Us Millennials can’t do without our avocado on toast, are they insane?
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There might be a grain of truth in their assertion that cooking for yourself is the key to life, so we have investigated one of our favourites and their home-made alternative. Planning ahead is key with any successful meal plan, so make sure you write out a shopping list and stick to it! This makes it easier to coordinate recipes with the same ingredients and sticking to your budget.
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Avocado on toast at fancy hipster establishment = $18-25
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Avocado on toast at home is one of the easiest things you can make. It’s the staple meal of my 2015 foray in to share house living and kept me going for many a meal when the $$ was running low. A loaf of good sourdough bread will set you back about $4 at Coles, with an avocado going for about $2 a pop. These are the basics of avo on toast, for you novices out there.
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From there, you have a world of choices for options for topping. To recreate my favourite cafe’s Smashed Av, I would opt for a Persian feta ($10 for 200g of the gourmet kind and $4 for the budget kind at Coles, depending on where you are in your pay cycle) and some vine ripened cherry tomatoes ($2.50 at Coles).
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So all in all that’s your ingredients for a maximum of $18.50. Less than the cost of it all assembled and plated in a cafe. And that’s not even just one serve!
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Conservatively estimating 12 slices of sourdough in each loaf, that’s 66c for a serve. Half an
\n\navocado, 20g of the exxy Persian fetta and 4 sliced vine ripened cherry tomatoes brings us
\n\nto a grand total of … $3.50! Less than the skim latte you would have probably (definitely)
\n\nadded on to your cafe fare.
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See our breakdown -->
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\n\nEating is just as much about enjoying your food as it is about nourishing your body. By preparing more foods at home you are not only gaining more control over your bank balance, but also your health! Cafes are well known for adding unnecessary fats, sugars and salt, which have been suggested to have different effects on the brain leading you to want more of these. High intakes of bad fats, added sugars and salt can then negatively affect your waist line and your health.
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Now, we aren’t saying that you should give up on your social life forever. It’s not reasonable to assume that you should give up on your social Avo on Toast habit totally!
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Try to host a group brunch at your place! Smashed Avo all around, for a fraction of the price of your bill. Further savings if you ask for each member invited to bring an ingredient to contribute to the table. Cutting down from 2x brunches of $30 a week, to one, can bring about savings of $1560 a year. Factoring in the cost of your own gourmet breakfast (as above), you are still saving $1378 annually.
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And while you’re out, do you really need that second coffee? The extra bacon? Cutting down by just $4 is an extra $208 for you to pocket.
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Making sacrifices to save doesn’t have to mean that you’re THAT friend. The one who counts their pennies and always opts out of their shout at the bar. But making smarter choices and encouraging your friends to participate in more budget friendly group activities means that you can be sure to save some money without giving up on having fun!
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The author of this post, Joel Robbie, is the CEO and Co-founder of Nod, a digital platform enabling people to get advice about money from an expert delivered to their mobile when they need it. He is also a supporter of moderate Smashed Avo intake, both at home and at fancy hipster cafes.
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\n\nLooking for a great tasting Smashed Avo recipe with a twist - try our "Smashed Avocado and Tomato Breakfast Bruschetta"
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