How to eat well without overspending: Food costs have soared so what can we do to feed ourselves and family wholesome meals without over-spending. With food often being one of the biggest costs in the monthly budget, what are some ways to prevent blowing the budget?
TAKE STOCK OF WHAT YOU HAVE ON HAND
- Whether it’s during the holiday season or any time of year, it’s a good idea to do a seasonal stock-take of what you have already lurking in the freezer or deepest recesses of the pantry.
- Take everything out of the freezer, make sure things are labeled & properly wrapped so they don’t develop freezer burn. Organize things in a manner that makes sense to you.
- Construct meals around what you have in your pantry, fridge & freezer
EATING WELL FOR LESS
- use generic brands for many products . These are often of the same quality as more expensive national brands.
- Use less expensive cuts of meat in casseroles, soups, stews, burritos and such. These types of recipes usually make big meals and lots of leftovers.
- Try replacing meat a couple of times a week with legumes, eggs, or canned fish. These are inexpensive and nutritious sources of protein.
- Avoid buying highly processed foods. They can be expensive and have less nutritional value than whole foods.
- Foods are generally more affordable in a less processed form: such as a block of cheese is cheaper than already shredded cheese; rolled oats are cheaper than granola; uncooked rice is cheaper than boxed flavored or microwavable rice.
- Frozen fruits, berries & vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh & they’re available all year long, plus no worries about them going bad: just use what you need & pop the rest back into the freezer.
- Eggs are an inexpensive protein & can be made into many things such as frittata, egg bites, quiche, egg salad for sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches & such.
- Homemade stock/broth is easy to make, is handy to keep in the freezer if you have space & is cheaper than buying stock in a box.
- Bulk out meals with inexpensive vegetables or frozen veg & canned or dried legumes/beans.
- Couscous & pasta are inexpensive & can be used to bulk out a meal or for meal prep for several days.
- Stop ordering take-out/take-away.
- Eating out is expensive. Keep a tally of how much a month is being spent on fast food, take-out & eating out as well as those coffees & treats that add up.
- Take time to do meal planning for the week or, if you’re very well organized – a month! This will help you buy only foods on your list. You can also see what you can buy in bulk (hello Costco or Sam’s club). Cheese & nuts among other things are much cheaper in Costco than other stores.
- Look at alternate places to shop. Aldi, while not world-wide, is in many countries & is considerably cheaper than many other stores. If you don’t mind bagging your own groceries using your own bags. We generally find their name-brand products to be quite good.
- Make your own salad dressings, pancake mix, chai tea, hot chocolate mix, cookies, cakes, bread, granola & such.
- If you’ve got the space in your freezer, keep nuts, seeds & some less-used grains in containers (or whatever fits best) in the freezer so they last longer; otherwise they go rancid.
Many foods are inexpensive & nutritious. But, by making adjustments, such as using ingredients that aren’t processed so you might have to step out of your comfort zone & learn how best to cook them (thank you Google) – rice, dried legumes, sauces, soups come to mind & making some foods from scratch (good bread is infinitely cheaper making it yourself), you can save money & know you’re eating well. Get creative.
