Let’s admit it that cooking for a family can cost you a fortune, especially if you don’t plan your cooking budget and only use high-quality ingredients. Actually, according to a recent extensive research, 62% of the average annual expenses goes to housing, transportation and food. With more than 13% of our annual expenditures going to food, it is probably the easiest and fastest place to start if you are planning to save some money.
There are a lot of ways to save when cooking, but some are not ideal. Sure, you can save on your grocery bill by couponing, but this often means that you have to buy large quantities of frozen or prepackaged foods. This is not wise for your health, and the lack of variety might cause you to splurge on fast food.
I recommend you to read and stick to these 5 easy-to-do habits to help you save some money when cooking on a budget.
1. Get Smart on Produce
You can save on produce several ways. It’s always a good idea to buy fresh, but you can get frozen produce at an economical price when they’re on sale. They’ll be less expensive than buying off-season produce that’s shipped from other countries. That said, buy produce when it’s in season.
If you have a little extra spending money, think of buying vegetables, like corn, in bulk, and freeze for a later time. Look for specialty stores that sell produce for a lesser price. For example, some stores specialize in Arabic, Chinese, Indian or Mexican cuisine. These stores often sell their produce for a lesser price. It’s not surprising to find 5 pounds of oranges for $1 or other similar deals during peak seasons.
2. Skip Processed Foods
Processed foods may be convenient, but they’ll drain your wallet quickly, and they’re not the healthiest. They are loaded with sugar, sodium and fat, which makes them a definite no-no for people with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other health issues.
While you’re at it, skip anything canned unless it is super economical and you don’t want the fuss of preparing it. Canned foods aren’t very fresh, and they typically have a lot of sodium. Stock up on raw legumes and other foods that are not precooked. Adding these types of foods to dishes help to keep you full with extra protein and fiber. It’s also fun to add these to one-pot dishes. Think of using your crockpot for these.
Don’t be intimidated by cooking your raw foods. There are a multitude of ways to prepare foods, like beans. For instance, you can choose to soak them overnight or boil them for an hour to prepare them for cooking, cook them in a roaster, slow cook in a crockpot or just pick a grill and grill them. A small bag of beans can be used for 2 to 3 meals, depending upon the number of servings needed, and they typically cost less than $1.
3. Plan, Plan, Plan
You’ve heard of planning ahead, but this encompasses more than what you’re usually told. Use what you have, first of all. You’d be surprised how much food gets tossed because it goes unused. Plan your meals according to portion sizes so that you will avoid cooking too much food that will ultimately go bad. Knowing the precise amount of food you need to buy helps to reduce your grocery bill. Use your store circulars to plan your meals. Certain cuts of meats and produce will be on sale each week. Some dishes are ideal when using cheaper cuts of meat. For instance, use pork shoulder for tender carnitas. Ham hocks are excellent for split pea soup etc.
4. Rethink Your Protein
You don’t need to eat hamburger or steak all of the time to get your protein. Actually, this study shows that most people eat too much protein anyway. Most people need between 46 and 54 grams of protein a day. Besides choosing economical cuts of meat, think of other ways to get your protein. Legumes offer a good source of protein for a lesser price. Incorporate peanuts or cashews in your stir-fry dishes. Add beans to meat dishes, and consider eating vegetables like spinach, mushrooms, broccoli or kale. One cup of chopped kale offers a whopping 2.9 grams of protein. Some varieties of beans have 39 grams of protein per cup.
5. Grow Your Food
Growing a variety of vegetables and herbs helps to reduce your grocery bill costs, and you can grow them inside if you don’t have a garden. This is ideal if you have a bay window or another area of your home that receives a substantial amount of sunlight. If you want to cheat a little, you can regrow certain foods. You can regrow celery, romaine lettuce, scallions and other vegetables in water. Regrowing your food is a great way to add some plants to your kitchen too.
Final Thoughts
Even though we need to spend a lot of money on cooking and ingredients, there is still room for improvement. At the end of the day, it’s the thought you give toward your shopping that’ll save you the most money. Don’t complicate things. Start looking into easy-to-make dishes to give you an idea of the ingredients you’d like to buy. Some of the tastiest dishes contain the fewest of ingredients. Most of all, find enjoyment in cooking and eating. This will ensure that you have fun at the grocery store too.
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