Debt-busting Pumpkin Soup - Cheap, Easy and Delicious!

One of the quickest and easiest ways to save money is to take a packed lunch to work each day, instead of buying lunch. Saving those work lunch meals out for special occasions. It's easy to save $50 - $100 a week just by doing this one simple thing. Buying lunch at work can be expensive. At best you're spending $10, at worst $25 - $30. All the money that's being spent can be put toward other things, like debt or saving for your next goal. It's incredible how quickly this money can add up. It's easy to take and use up leftovers as work lunches, this saves you money two-fold. One, you aren't throwing out food that may have gone uneaten and two, you're not going out to buy lunch every day at work. 

Because I live alone, I don't usually have left overs. I tend to cook in bulk on the weekend and eat this for the week. I do the same for lunches. This week, I cooked up the most wonderful pumpkin soup. Which is healthy, delicious and less than the cost of one bought lunch. Don't think this is just for lunches, this a great dinner soup, served with some freshly toasted bread and a dollop of sour cream! 

Pumpkin (Kent) - $4.25

Onion - $0.25

Carrot - $0.36

Potato - $1.52

Chicken Stock - $2.00

Cream - $0.77

Total - $9.15 (Serves 6 - Price per serve is $1.52)

QUICK, EASY & HEALTH PUMPKIN SOUP RECIPE! 

• 1 kg Pumpkin, Roughly Chopped
• 1 large carrot, Roughly Chopped
• 2 Medium Potatoes, Roughly Chopped
• 1 Large Onion, Roughly Chopped
• 1 Litre Chicken Stock
• 1/2 cup thickened cream

In a large pot, add the pumpkin, potatoes, carrot, onion and chicken stock. Place on stove and bring to the boil, then reduce and allow to simmer until all the vegetables are tender. Once tender, remove from the heat use a stick blender and blend until smooth.  Stir in the cream and serve. You can serve with sour cream and freshly toasted bread. 

Note, if you don't have a stick blender you can use a traditional blender. Allow the soup to cool for a little while before blending using a traditional method to avoid any chance of a pumpkin soup explosion. I use my Nutrifusion blender (that I got free, because a relative was moving out of their house and decided that they didn't want it anymore), once the soup is pureed smooth, I reheat it so that it's hot before adding the cream. 

If you're going to take this to work for lunches, I pour this all into a jug, keep it in the fridge and then portion it out to transport to work in a microwavable soup mug. 

Image attribution: 

Close up of appetising vegetable soup

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