Cooking On A Budget

Cooking on a budget doesn’t imply that you have to put your health at stake to consume food with lower quality and price. Can Can you have the best of both worlds and spend less while still having good quality food? Of course! Cooking on a budget isn’t at all difficult if you can just learn the few tips I am about to mention. However, always plan in advance with a shopping list before you head for the supermarket. As you plan, always put your aim in mind and your aim should be to purchase healthy food economically.  

One great way to save money is to buy your non perishable foods in bulk. Many canned and boxed foods have a long shelf life while meat and poultry can be repackaged into smaller portions and frozen. For perishables such as fresh fruits and vegetables that do not have a long shelf life you will need to purchase these more often.  However, buying what is in season is what will save you the most money. Consider a garden during the warm months. If that isn’t possible visit your local farmers market.  Just keep in mind that if you purchase more fresh fruits and vegetables that you can use up within a few days you are throwing your money away (although some fresh produce does last beyond a few days if stored properly).

It is commonly thought that only foods which are more expensive are good in quality but this is not always true. These foods with generic brands can be as good as foods with higher prices. Searching through the grocery stores or supermarkets, you will be surprised to find many of these generic foods, such as rice, potatoes and canned food.

If you want to keep your grocery shopping at once per week or less then plan having more fresh fruits and vegetables in the days immediately following your grocery trips. Supplement your diet with frozen fruits and vegetables as well as canned later in the week.  Frozen fruits and vegetables are packed with nutrition since they are usually packaged and frozen right after picking.  If choosing canned fruits look for fruit packed in its own juice.  For vegetables try to find varieties with no added salt.

Of course before every trip to the supermarket you want to check the flyer and see what is on sale.  Stocking up on non perishables on sale not only means saving money but also a well stocked pantry.  If you use coupons for sale items you can save even more, in fact sometimes you can even get these items free!

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After reading the above tips, wouldn’t you just that cooking on a budget doesn’t have to blow your food budget?  With proper meal planning and buying the right foods at the right time you can save a lot of money.