As the nation tightens its purse strings in response to the cost of living crisis, people are looking at different ways they can save money. One of the key areas where decent money saving can be made is food.
However budgeting can be difficult for a number of reasons. Firstly, if you’ve never had to budget before, where do you start?
Secondly if you have large family, it might seem impossible to cut back on the food budget as different people have different tastes. The key is trying to make those precious pounds go further.
Here are 10 ways you can save money on food and drink.
Think ahead and plan meals
Entering the supermarket without a meal plan is like pouring your precious money down the drain. Your meal plan doesn’t have to be elaborate.
Sketch out roughly what you’ll be eating on seven days of the week. Once you have dishes in mind, have a look at recipes, drill down to the ingredients and put these on a list.
Try not to stray from this list and don’t be distracted by offers such as buy-two-get-one-free deals. If you’re buying something that you don’t need, it is still costing you money.
Join online groups for money saving tips on Facebook and Twitter
There are hundreds of online groups that share food and cooking tips. Food Finds UK and Slow Cooking UK on Facebook are just two.
The online community can be really diverse. Here, you can pick up some great tips, not only on food deals that someone might have spotted at their local supermarket, but also recipes that may use less energy.
Recent recipes shared in the Slow Cooking UK group include steak and mushroom pie, pork stacks and chicken tikka masala.
Grab cheaper food with Too Good To Go
Too Good To Go is an app that aims to curb food wastage whilst saving consumers money. It works by making unsold food from supermarkets and restaurants, available to shoppers in Magic Bags.
Simply sign up to the app, set your location and be notified when deals pop up. Current deals in Derby include a Magic Bag from Muffin Break costing £3.99 instead of £12.99.
Another cracker of a deal is a carvery from a local pub costing £3.99 instead of £7.99.
Plan ahead and batch cook
Once you have a meal plan, try to double up on portions. For example, if you’re cooking a chilli con carne for two people, cook four portions, serve two on the day and either freeze or refrigerate the rest.
Your meal plan is your new best friend and will really help you batch cook like a pro. Once you have a meal plan drawn up, you will get a rough idea of the cooking stages of each dish.
If you have two dishes in your weekly meal plan that uses sautéed onions, cook off a double portion of onions in one session and refrigerate the rest. That way you’re not having to use your cooker twice to cook onions.
Slow cookers may help save energy and space
If you have a small kitchen and are short of space, look into getting a slow cooker. Not only do these nifty gadgets get tucked away in a corner of a work-space really easily, they may also save money on energy bills.
Buy cheaper of cuts of meat such as beef skirt and give them the slow cooker treatment to create hearty, wholesome dishes the whole family can enjoy.
Follow food and poverty campaigner Bootstrap Cook for food tips and recipes
Jack Monroe has written recipes that are easy to cook and simple to follow. They have been created with a money-saving mindset and are popular because of their low costing.
One of the top recipes on her website is salad-bag pesto which serves six people and costs just 9p per portion.
Lower the use of your oven and use a microwave instead
There are more energy efficient ways than baking jacket potatoes in the oven. Microwaving food usually takes less time.
This is because in a microwave, only water in the food is heated, as opposed to the entire space in a traditional oven. Instead, microwave your jacket potatoes and let your microwave do all the heavy lifting.
Do a monthly food stock-take
One of the ways you can save money is by getting to know your cupboards’ contents. Do a monthly stock take, so you’re not buying additional items of that product you already have three jars of.
Avoid household brands and try supermarket own brands
Chris Bavin and Greg Wallace’s show Eat Well For Less is a masterclass on this topic, highlighting the adverse impact of branded goods on a weekly shopping budget. If you’ve never tried non-branded products, see it as a challenge.
Go through your shopping list and try to buy items that are either from the budget range, or a supermarket’s own brand such as Asda’s Smart Price or Morrisons’ Saver range.
Yellow sticker food is heavily discounted supermarket food
Supermarkets heavily discount food with bright coloured stickers. This is a great way to pick up food that you can either eat on the day, or freeze off for a later date. Meat freezes well, just be sure to mark on the product when you froze it, so you know when you have to use it up. Meat usually keeps between three to six months.
For more money saving tips visit the Money Saving Expert website.