Well I'd call the last week kind of patchy.
Do you get those patchy weeks, where for every step you take forward, you take two backwards? That was my week last week.
Amongst my insourcing savings were the following....
I had a huge meal prepping session and probably saved myself anything up to $100 in similar purchased supermarket items and definitely saved $300 on a restaurant meal. Our friends came to us for Pork Belly Roast and Garlic Mash and they saved money too.
I hemmed two dresses, shortened two pairs of pants that were too long for me, replaced a button, and took up a recently purchased t-shirt that on me was more like a dress as I'm a shortie. Savings of around $100 on paying for similar alterations done at the dry cleaner.
I made a bulk batch of béchamel sauce. This is so handy to have on hand, and means that we can have a seafood mornay, or chicken and corn crepes in an instant. Savings of $40 on instant takeaway meals!
I made agar-agar jelly to cut into cubes to add to my daughters iced tea, Bubble Tea style. We're yet to work out exactly what those 'bubbles' are but we think they're some sort of sago pearls, so I'll be looking into that too. This saves $6 a couple of times a week to satisfy her cravings. I know that sounds insignificant, but she's saving for spending money for our holiday in June, and $18 a week for her, means another $250 or so for her to spend at Harrods, so it's not to be sneezed at! Especially with currency conversion rates just now :(
I bought frozen edamame beans from a Japanese grocer to steam for afternoon tea. We love these and eat them in place of potato crisps...so much healthier, and at $6 for a tiny container from the Japanese Sushi place, we're saving up to $30.
I planted some basil and a chilli bush. The last basil and chilli I planted died courtesy of my black thumb. Clearly I didn't inherit that gene from Mum! Savings on bought herbs and chilli and bought Thai inspired takeaway....let's say $50.
And finally I conjured up a wedding cake out of nowhere and with just three days notice.
This cost under $70 and fed 50 guests with some left over to take home.
Here's how I made the Broke and Busy Persons Wedding Cake...
Disclaimer....this is labelled the Broke and Busy Persons wedding cake, so there's not much in the way of 'I made it from scratch'.
This is really more of an exercise in what anyone can do with very little in the way of time or money, or perhaps even, skill!
My cake saved the Bride & Groom about $400 on a similar professional cake, so that brings my tally to around the $1000 mark for all I achieved this week. I'm happy.
My cake saved the Bride & Groom about $400 on a similar professional cake, so that brings my tally to around the $1000 mark for all I achieved this week. I'm happy.
This cake is the product of the following ingredients....
3 vanilla cake mixes made as per instructions in a 45cm round cake tin
1 kg of bought fondant
1 batch of Wilton humidity proof buttercream (which I actually did make from scratch!)
1 purchased spray of fondant flowers
1 green satin ribbon
1 cake board
So on Day 1, the cake was baked and chilled for a day (read...no time to do anything else!).
On Day 2, the buttercream crumb coat was applied and chilled for one hour, before I applied a second thicker coat, and chilled it again. This gave me a something to carve and mold into nice smooth surfaces and edges before applying the fondant. I like this Youtube tutorial for how to....
The whole thing chilled again overnight.
Day 3 was spent wrestling with fondant, and believe me, it is a wrestle, draping it over the cake and trimming it, and brushing it with edible pearl dust, which I love.
The final touches of the ribbon, rings, and flower spray were added when the cake was transported to it's final display spot on the wedding table.
The whole thing cost less than $70. I'm not sure how much a similar professional cake would cost, but I pretty much guarantee it wouldn't be $70!
My point is, that we all think these things need to be professional and perfect, and we outlay hundreds of dollars on something that's only going to be eaten at the end of the day anyway. And if perfection is a priority for you, then that's fine.
But for my brother and his new wife, budget was paramount, and they were thrilled with their cake.
With a bit of money, a lot of courage, and not too much effort, I was able to create something pretty for them, and I was proud of myself.
This cake is not perfect. But it was made with love. And the wedding was full of love and celebration too. Therein lies the 'perfection'.
Go on. Be brave. If I can do it, you can too.
