With the rising cost of living the way it is, saving money is at the forefront of all our minds. It can take an huge amount of forethought and planning, especially if you’re not used to living frugally, but it’s not impossible.
During this time of year, as we draw closer to Christmas, a lot of families begin to tighten their spending even more so they don’t experience any financial hardships. It can cause of lot of stress worrying about the bills and the budget, but it doesn’t take that much to shave some cash off your food bills at least.
Let’s look at a few tips on how to feed a big family on a budget.
Make a Plan
The first step towards achieving your money saving goals would be to have a plan. Planning your meals allows you to be able to calculate the costs of everything. Once you know how much it costs, you decided which ingredients are essential, and those that can be left out. Now that you have a plan, you can also do your shopping accordingly.
It might also be a good time to go through the cupboards and find out when you’re going to use that blank can of meat!
As an added bonus, having all your meals planned for the week saves a lot of mental energy and stress.
Buy in Bulk When Possible
When you buy in bulk, there’s usually a reduced price for the items. If the item is perishable, but also easily frozen without ruining it, then you can divide the food up so that it can be cooked more easily, and according to portions, so you only make what you need.
Get It All in One Trip
One of the things that a lot of people forget about shopping is that there is a total cost of shopping that comes as a direct result of what it takes to get there. If you make sure to get all of the things you need in one trip, then you’ll spend less money on petrol.
Savvy Shoppers Use Apps
There are a whole host of apps there that can help you claim free or cheap food. Check out Shopmium, Olio and Too Good To Go for starters. Many shops and restaurants also have their own apps and loyalty schemes that give away food or hefty discounts to members, especially around birthdays or special events.
Buy Food to Go with Ingredients You Already Have
Basically everyone has things around their house that they simply refuse to eat. Instead of letting it continue to sit there, try getting some ingredients that you can put with it so it can become a meal. The less food you waste, the more money you will have.
Put Away Your Plastic
When you use cash to pay for food, it’s a lot easier to keep track of how much money is actually going out. The convenience of being able to go to the supermarket can make you feel less attachment to the money you make. Getting cash cuts spending back a bit.
