Save Money on Food and Survive the Credit Crunch
Top Tips to Improve Household Finances in the Kitchen
Sep 22, 2008
With soaring food prices and the threat of a recession looming, find out how to manage a household budget efficiently with these money-saving tips for the kitchen!
The cost of food is rising rapidly, but quality meals don’t have to cost a fortune. Follow these simple tips and ride out the credit crunch by making the most of what is in your kitchen.
- Grow Your Own Fruit and Vegetables. You can harvest plentiful crops from a few packets of seeds, and produce tasty organic food at a fraction of the supermarket price. Plus you get plenty of fresh air and exercise too! Some companies even supply ready-to-plant complete gardens – a £24.99 set will produce on average more than £150 worth of organic vegetables.
- Cook Homemade Meals from Scratch. Rather than paying out on expensive ready-meals, stock up your store cupboard and cook meals from fresh ingredients. With hundreds of recipe books to choose from these days, it is easy and far cheaper to make delicious meals or bake homemade cakes for all the family.
- Eat Seasonally. Buying produce that is in season means it is more readily available and less expensive than imported items. It is also better for the environment!
- Make Your Own Lunches. Daily snacks from shops and cafes add up quickly without you even realising it. Prepare your own sandwiches, tortilla wraps or salads the night before and take them with you. They will be cheaper and healthier, too. While you’re at it, make up healthy lunchboxes for your children, rather than paying out on dinner money that gets wasted on sweets and chips.
- Eat out Cheap. Having a great meal out together doesn’t have to mean an expensive restaurant. Make up a picnic with homemade food and enjoy a romantic day by the river or a family day out.
- Ditch the Daily Coffees. Expensive drinks from coffee shops and smoothie bars will eat up your cash. Take a flask of coffee to work, or invest in a smoothie maker and create your own.
- Use Leftovers! Not only is wasted food bad for the environment, it’s bad for your wallet too. Nearly a third of food in the UK gets thrown away – that is like throwing away one bag of shopping out of every three! Find recipes that make use of leftovers, from stale bread in puddings to overripe bananas in muffins.
- Save Money in the Supermarket. Take a list and stick to it. Don’t shop when you’re hungry – you’ll be tempted to buy more! Plan your menu for the week so that you only buy what you need, and stock up the freezer for when you run out. Also scan the higher and lower shelves, as the more profitable items are placed at eye level.
- Be Sale-Savvy. Take advantage of buy one get one free and 3 for 2 offers on items you will use, such as frozen or tinned goods and store cupboard essentials, as you will save in the long term. Don’t get carried away with multiple offers on short-lived goods, however, or you will just end up with more waste.
There are plenty of ways in which you can save money in the home, but by being resourceful with the food you eat, you can improve the quality of your diet as well as the contents of your wallet!
The copyright of the article Save Money on Food and Survive the Credit Crunch in Personal Budgeting/Finance is owned by Louise Heyden. Permission to republish Save Money on Food and Survive the Credit Crunch in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
