Hey Guys,
We have all been there before. We spent to much money, an unexpected expense came up etc. Now we are stuck buying food that will feed the family (or ourselves) on a budget! I have been there before, and it took me awhile to figure out a formula that worked for me. Here are my tips
Get bang for your buck!
Don't be afraid to do the math o. Products. Spend extra time looking at the price and weight for food. I now buy onions and potatoes loose. I cant tell you how many times i have bought those things and they get bad quickly. Often times i will buy 5 to 6 onions and i will throw a few of them away. Now i look at how many onions or potatoes i will need for the week and i will buy 1 extra in case they get bad, i want to use more or i miscalculated.that way i buy what i need, and i am able to go through the produce and pick the ones i want. Often i end up spending less that way. Here in canada for instance, potatoes havent been on sale for awhile, and i end up spending less buying them individually.
Use ingredients more then once
If i am buying a certain frozen vegetable i will use them in more then one meal. That ensures i will be stretching that one ingredient. buying one pack of beef costs 5-6$. But if i gut a bigger pack i spend 10$ and i save money, and use it for 2 meals. You don't want to spend a lot if money on one ingredient that you will use once .
Vegetables
I always try to have meals that have an emphasis on vegetables. Part of the reason is ,that they are reasonably priced and they don't tax you on it. They fill you up without having to spend a lot of money. A lot of recipes call for a lot of vegetables which bulks it up and makes it more filling eg. Shepherds pie, pasta, stir fry etc. It makes things healthier and a lot more satisfying. Find out what is in season and build your meals off of that. If you buy what is in season, it is often cheaper.
Get meals that stretch
One thing i love doing is making a pasta, lasagna, meat pie etc because i can eat it that night and have it for the next day. What i do is, every friday is my leftover day. Whatever we didnt finish that week, or i made to much of, we eat on friday. This also helps clean out the fridge. I can also freeze anything i have leftover and use it those days i don't have anything to cook or i am lazy. Often making a big meal gurantees you will have some for the next day and usually dont involve a lot of ingredients.
Stock up on essentials
Some of the things we always have is butter, flour, cheese and eggs. There is so much you can do with those ingredients. I can always bake something for breakfast, fry food or even do some cornbread which makes a meal much more filling. Know what your family enjoys, and what you go through a lot. I am a strong believer in making things myself ( if i can) i don't like the extra fat and sugar in store bought baked goods. I love being able to bake things myself and make it healthier. Because i love baking i always the basics in my house. This way when money it tight you don't need to go out and buy these things, but rather build off of it.
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