Feeding a large family can be quite expensive and it adds up a lot!! Whether you are watching how much you spend on food or you just want to know how to save that small bit of cash, we’ve got 5 simple tips that will start you off. Eating frugally doesn’t have to mean boring dinners!!
TIP 1:
Buy frozen! Frozen veggies are way cheaper than fresh veggies and they taste almost the same. Frozen vegetables also have more vitamins and minerals than fresh believe it or not. This occurs through freezing, the nutrients are locked into the vegetables. With fresh veggies, some nutrients can be lost during storage and transportation.
Another reason why buying frozen is a huge benefit is because there is no preparation needed! The veggies are pre-chopped and prepared, you just need to chuck it all together. This is a huge benefit because if you have a large family, you no doubt have lots of things to juggle and frozen veg can really help you cut time in cooking without sacrificing the nutrients and health benefits.
Some other benefits:
- No preservatives added- freezing is a natural preservative!
- You can get seasonal veg all year round
- Eliminates waste- you can freeze what you don’t use up
- Good for the environment and good for your pocket!!
TIP 2:
Shop locally! This supports local businesses and the local economy. You can also get some great bargains and get some advice from the shopkeepers themselves. Some shops will let you negotiate prices or even let you do a little taste test before buying! Its also more eco-friendly because its sourced locally which means less transportation is needed.
TIP 3:
Meal plan! Yes, we’ve all been guilty of just chucking random things into our trolley without any purpose. Meal planning majorly helps with saving money because you know exactly what you need to buy for the coming week and then just buying things you don’t actually need. This stops you from meaninglessly wondering around the grocery store thinking about what you should buy. It also saves time which is always a plus!
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TIP 4:
Look at what will go off first in your pantry or fridge. We just tend to pick up what ever is at the front of the fridge and whip up a meal. A great hack is to have a ‘use now’ basket in your fridge, just go through your fridge and put all the things that are nearing their use by date in the basket. Do this every so often and you’ll find yourself cutting down on food waste and saving money.
TIP 5:
This is a tip that not many people know of… So if you’ve been through the frozen aisle in a grocery store you may or may not have seen ‘WONKY’ fruit and veg. Wonky fruit and veg is basically food that companies normally throw away into the landfills because they’re not the ‘normal’ shape, or the right colour or other factors that are completely natural! Supermarkets have started to sell these fruits and veggies at a lower price than the ‘normal’ ones as they are misshapen but of course perfectly fine! So why not catch that bargain, it saves so much money and doesn’t taste any different!
As you can probably see, there are many ways that you can save money and feed a large family on a budget. Even the smallest savings can eventually add up to larger savings!
If it all feels like a bit much, just make one or two changes and you’ll see from there, you will slowly get used to it and start to make more changes. And you will be shocked at how much money you could’ve been saving all those years!
