Believe it or not, feeding yourself or even an entire family does not need to cost a fortune. It can be tough making ends meet and keeping the cupboards stocked until payday, but there are a few things you can do to make eating on a budget a little easier.
With just a few key ingredients, you can create a veritable feast on as little as £1 day. All it takes is some forward planning and savvy shopping.
The internet is packed full of ideas for delicious recipes on a shoestring, so get searching and you will be pleasantly surprised by the variety out there. From comfort foods to tasty snacks, delicious meals certainly don’t need to cost a fortune.
Careful cooking
Cooking on a budget relies on careful planning. Having a meal plan for the week will ensure you buy only the required ingredients and stick to your budget.
Batch cooking is also useful, so factor this in to your shopping list. Preparing meals in advance will mean you have something ready to heat up when you need it and will make use of all your fresh ingredients without any waste.
Shopping the smart way
When trying to save money on your food bill, it is important to shop wisely and not spend more than you absolutely need to.
There are a number of supermarket price comparison sites that will help you keep on top of the best deals and discover which stores offer the greatest value for money.
The NHS has plenty of advice for making your money go further when it comes to food and suggests shopping during the supermarket “happy hour”. Many stores sell off their fresh produce for a discounted price at the end of the day, so visit your local shop serve over before closing to see if you can snap up a bargain on fresh items such as meat, fish and dairy.
The serve-over or display counters supplied by companies such as https://www.fridgefreezerdirect.co.uk/serve-over-counters are also used in smaller shops to sell items like sandwiches, salads and cakes, so it really is worth doing your research to find out who drops their prices before closing time.
Careful preparation is the key ingredient to feeding yourself well for a lot less money.