Cheaper Buy Miles | organised castle

Basil grows easily here during the summer and sometimes I am organised enough to make and freeze some pesto for use throughout the year.

However, I bought a large (800g) can of basil pesto a few weeks ago when I spotted it at Cheaper Buy Miles when were in Melbourne. There are several of these stores, predominantly in inner suburbs of Melbourne, where you can buy an amazing array of short-dated items.

Here is an image from their website.

You never know quite what you will find so it is quite an adventure. They often have a good selection of gluten-free and vegan foods, too.

Anyway, back to the basil pesto. I bought a 800g tin for $6 and based on the average price per 100g of basil pesto at Woolworths it is worth about $20!!

Of course, it can be quite daunting as to what to do with this kind of bulk quantity. I used some to make a creamy basil pesto and mushroom pasta dish for dinner the other night then I portioned the rest up in ice-cube trays and froze it.

I now have a bag of frozen cubes of basil pesto which will thaw quickly and easily for a multitude of uses.

I went to Melbourne today as I needed to stock on on some of the dry goods that I buy in Melbourne – usually every 3 – 4 months. Graina at Moonee Ponds was my destination and I specifically chose to go today as each Tuesday there is a 20% discount if you bring your own containers. I think that is a pretty worthwhile incentive so I headed off with a list and a bag of containers of various sizes.

I also ventured to Footscray to Cheaper Buy Miles. There are stores at Footscray, Flemington, Fitzroy and Brunswick. The stock is end of lines, short-dated, unpopular flavours etc and varies from week to week. There is generally a good selection of gluten free and plant-based foods. The great thing about buying from here is that as well as saving money you are also doing something positive about saving stuff that would otherwise end up in landfill.

Today I picked up 3 x 350g packs of GF penne and 2 packets of GF crispbreads for the sum total of $7.

I caught the train to Melbourne then used the suburban train and trams to get to Moonee Ponds and Footscray before the train trip home. I was reminded of how easy it is to take familiar scenery for granted. This is a view from the train as we sped towards home.

The reason that I went by myself was that GMan needed to be at home as we had a carpenter coming to install a door at the end of the hallway. This will make it much easier to heat or cool the family/dining room and kitchen in the future as the benefit from the reverse cycle airconditioner will not be bowing directly down the hall.

There is still some finishing touches to be done on Thursday but I am really excited by this relatively minor alteration. It is going to make a significant difference.