There’s nothing more important in family life than dinner time. It’s time we all sit down and discover what’s been happening in each other’s lives. But when you have a big family, dinnertime gets expensive pretty quickly.
That’s why being frugal with food is so important. By shopping smarter and planning ahead, you can give your family great meals at a fraction of the price. Not convinced? Keep reading to learn more.
Plan Your Meals Ahead
First things first. Plan your meals way ahead of time. You don’t want to head to the grocery store with your head in the clouds. That leads to indecision and impulse purchases you can’t get more than one meal out of.
So before you even think about leaving the house to head for the store, sit down and make a plan. Decide what you’ll be eating as a family for the next week. This’ll help you buy only the things you need. Plus, it’ll help you identify where to use the same ingredient more than once. Cooking up a chili? Think about how else you can use mincemeat during the week. You’re food will go further, and you’ll create less waste.
Shop Smarter
Planning your meals ahead helps you shop smarter and avoid those impulse purchases you get from being unprepared. But you can go one step further.
Give yourself a budget and stick to it. That way, you know what you’ll be spending and why. If you share mealtime with kids, buy ingredients in bulk. Trust us. You’ll use it all. And your future self will be thanking you for thinking ahead. Most importantly, don’t turn your nose up at sales and coupons. If they save you some money. Use them!
Opt For Affordable Ingredients
Some ingredients are more expensive than others. Sirloin steak will cost you more than the skirt. And premade desserts will leave your pockets emptier than cooking from scratch. But buying cheaper doesn’t mean you need to give up flavor. It just means you’ll have to mix up cooking techniques to get the most out of your new favorite ingredients.
You can switch chicken breast for legs and wings while still using them in pretty much the same way. Legs and wings taste better when cooked longer and with lots of other ingredients, like in this homemade chicken pot pie recipe. Cheaper meats generally do better when cooked low and slow.
Use Your Leftovers
We’re all guilty of making too much food and getting rid of it. Many of us even have all the best intentions and pop leftovers into the fridge. Only to forget they’re even there. So if you want to cook on a budget, you’ll want to learn how to use your leftovers.
Get yourself a whiteboard, and the next time you put leftovers in the fridge, write it down! You’d be surprised how much a note to yourself can help. Or you can plan in advance. For example, if you’re making bolognese and know you’ll have too much, plan to fridge or freeze it for a meal later in the week.
Conclusion
There you have it. By shopping smarter, planning ahead, opting for inexpensive ingredients, and utilizing all your leftovers, you can make crowd-pleasing meals for less. So why not give it a go this week? You might be surprised at how much fun you can have getting into the kitchen and saving yourself some money.
Let us know in the comments below if you have any fantastic tips and tricks for cooking good food on a budget.