It's better made at home

Making some basics at home can cut costs and reduce many additives in food and cleaners. I make sauce mixes, drinks, laundry liquid, spray cleaners and I dry herbs and spices to use later. I love knowing what I'm using in my home and I can change my recipes according to taste or strength when I need to.

Lemon juice ice blocks, gravy mix, and flavoured vinegars are three things I make several times a year that help me save money and steer clear of preservatives and other potentially harmful chemicals. It shows how simple, homemade solutions can lead to small but lasting savings—and they’re healthier. Commercial lemon juice in a plastic bottle for instance, often contains preservatives like sodium metabisulfite, which some people can be sensitive to. Lemon juice is a natural deterrent to bacteria and by freezing fresh lemon juice, you’re not only cutting out preservatives but also ensuring you always have a natural antibacterial option on hand.

I use my gravy/brown sauce recipe with roast meats, in casseroles and, with mushrooms added, make mushroom sauce for steak. You can customise with herbs or spices for different dishes. It’s such an easy way to avoid the lengthy ingredient lists in store-bought sauces, which can contain fillers and preservatives. I make up a jar of this and leave it with my seasonings next to the stove. It saves going to the pantry and taking the ingredients out each time and then putting them back in.

Simple Gravy/Sauce Mix

I make a very simple mix of plain flour, salt, pepper and paprika. I also make one for roast lamb to which I add dried rosemary and one for roast chicken with dried sage - the paprika helps the sauce brown.  When added to pan juices, it makes an excellent gravy or sauce. I make up about a cup of the simple mix at a time and that lasts a month or so. I use one or two tablespoons stirred into pan juices with enough water to make up the sauce. It's easier healthier and cheaper than Gravox or one of those packet mixes and it tastes much better.

Simple Gravy Mix - customise this to your own taste but start off with:

• 1 cup plain/all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

You can also make a spicier mix by adding a spoon full of chilli flakes, or a curry version by adding a tablespoon of curry powder.

Chilli Flakes

Wash and dry the chillies and only use those without rot or damage. Cut the top stem off and slice the chillies in half straight down. Place them on a baking tray covered with baking paper in the oven on about 40 - 60C. Dry in the oven until they feel dry, but not burnt - it will take a few hours. You'll have to watch them because some pieces will be smaller and will dry faster. Take small amounts out if you see that they've dried enough. When they're all dry, wait till they're completely cold and then blitz them in a food processor for a few seconds, until they're small flakes. Store in a airtight jar.

You can make chilli jam using fresh chillies or chilli flakes. Here is my recipe for that. How to make Chilli Jam

Sweet lemon/lime slices

This one makes sense particularly if you grow your own lemons or limes. I always have a jar of lemons or limes in the fridge over summer. When I have a drink I can add a slice of sweetened lemon to the iced water. It's suitable for iced tap water or carbonated water from a Soda Stream but also delicious in hot tea. When you get to the end of the slices, add the syrup to your drinks too, by then it will have a wonderful sharp lemon taste. A one litre jar will take three large lemons.

All you need to do is to add sugar syrup to your lemon slices. Sugar syrup is usually equal parts water to sugar. However, I use light syrup which is 2 cups water to 1 cup white sugar. Mix together in a saucepan and heat it on the stove. As soon as the sugar dissolves, cool it then add it to the sliced lemons, seal and store in the fridge.

Flavoured vinegar

Flavoured vinegar is another great idea, especially if, like me, you don’t like oil in your salad dressings. Infusing vinegar with your choice of spices and herbs adds layers of natural flavour. Store-bought salad dressings can be pricey and contain a surprising number of ingredients, so making your own is a healthier and cost-effective alternative. The effort is minimal, and the results are rewarding.

But vinegar is a good cleaner too. This is the spray I make up regularly that does a really good job and costs a few cents, not a few dollars like the supermarket version.

Surface Spray Cleaner

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup water
• ¼ teaspoon washing up liquid

Mix all ingredients together and then add to a spray bottle. You can clean hard surface areas with this - bench tops, fridge doors, glass stove tops, cupboard doors etc.  Be careful if you have stone bench tops. 

Creamy Scrubber

To make a product similar to Gumption take a small container - about 500 mls/1 pint and add one cup of laundry liquid. Then add enough bicarbonate soda to make a paste. Mix with a spoon until it's mixed well.  If you use a stained spoon to do that, your spoon will be sparkling when you finish. 

This mix will dry out if you make too much. I make enough for about a month, then make a new batch.  I use it to clean the shower, bath, ceramic and stainless steel sinks.

Don’t stop at these, there will be plenty of things you use in your home that, if you think about it, you can make up at home for a fraction of the cost of the supermarket version.

I enjoy housework because I love my home and want it to support me and help me live the life I've chosen for myself. A house is not an inconvenience, it's a home and safe haven, and possibly the largest investment you'll make in your entire life. So I believe the time we spend on house maintenance and cleaning as a good way of protecting what we worked hard for. And that, my friend, is a very good investment in the future.

Thanks for visiting me today. I hope everything is going well for you and your family. 😀