Eating on a Budget
This article looks at ways to eat healthy and tasty food cheaply
If you’re in debt and need to reduce expenditure, or you’re a student coming to the end of your loan, or even if you’re trying to save up for something lavish, then cutting down on your food bill is the right idea. Below are a number of handy tips on how to cut the cost of your eating and help you stay within your budget.
Do It Yourself
By far the easiest way to eat cheaply is to learn to cook everything yourself. Compared to eating out, takeaways or ready meals the cost of homecooking is miniscule as you’re not paying for someone else’s labour. Homecooking is also an intrinsically rewarding activity, as being able to produce a sumptuous meal is really quite an impressive (and easy to master) talent. For an example of how easy it is to cook from scratch, try making Potato Wedges.
Reduce Meat Consumption
While vegetarianism makes little culinary sense, it does make financial sense. Putting meat into a dish drives the cost of portions up significantly. To stay within your budget try to either reduce the amount of meat you put in a dish, or have a few vegetarian meals during the week. Try making a Mushroom Arrabbiata for an example of a quick, easy and tasty vegetarian meal.
Use Cheap Cuts of Meat
The more expensive cuts of meat (breast, fillet, etc) tend to be soft, have well-defined fat and be boneless. These can normally be cooked quickly by being fried or grilled. The cheaper cuts of tend to be tougher, have bones in them and be scored with fat. These cuts require slower cooking techniques, such as roasting, braising and stewing. When cooked properly these cuts can become melt-in-the-mouth tender and can easily compete on taste.
While there are bargains to be had at the butchers, there are also false economies lurking. Cheap processed meat, such as sausages, mince and burgers, are neither healthy nor good value for money (and arguably not even meat.) They are normally packed with fat or connective tissue and are bad for your health and your wallet.
Invest in Spices and Herbs
Most people think that buying spices and herbs is an unnecessary expense as they will use them once before relegating them to the back of the cupboard. Used this way, they are expensive and a waste. However, spices and herbs can bring depth to any dish and, in the long-run, are very good value for money.
The most handy spices and dried herbs are:
- Chilli powder/chilli flakes
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Paprika
Shop Around
Remember that while the supermarket is the most convenient place for all your shopping needs, it does not necessarily have the best or the cheapest produce. For example, the price you pay for a small jar of a spice in a supermarket would normally buy you a large bag of the spice in an Indian shop. If you shop around for your food at your local butchers or fruit stores then you can really reduce the cost of your food and stay within your budget.
Good Ingredients
|
More in Business & Finance
Latest Articles