Completing my research for the day, we have the food thread! Share your knowledge for keeping the grocery bill down.
Eat less meat- a few vegetarian meals is better for you and your wallet. Same with dairy. Cheese is delicious, but can it become a treat not a staple.
Cook more, and wisely. Dry pasta is much cheaper than pre-made ravioli pouches. Pastry is cheaper than pre-made pies. If you can avoid pre-made and make it yourself, you will save hugely.
Stretch that meal! Portion out food before you dig in. Can you turn your dinner into dinner + lunch by siphoning a third into your lunch box?
Bulk that meal! Add lentils, grated carrot or grated mushrooms to mince. Add beans to Nachos, soups, stews. Chuck a grated zucchini into diced tomatoes. Make the meal filling.
Batch cook. Make a huge amount and freeze in meal sized portions.
Weigh your meat- you would be surprised how many people eat more meat than recommended in one sitting.
Add a portion of veggies to every meal (frozen ones are often cheap and easy).
Look into veggie stores, butchers etc. These can be much cheaper than supermarkets. Bonus if you can call in on your way home from work and save the petrol too.
Growing your own veggies can seem like a cheaper option...but calculate how much you need to invest to start a garden. Tools, plants etc can be expensive. But if you have already got the infrastructure, this might help keep costs down.
Food swap...if your feijoa tree is groaning but you have no apples, see if you can swap your produce for someone else's.
Have some easy meals on hand. Either a frozen you can defrost if you no your day will be long or something you can put together easily. Take out is tempting when tired and you don't know what to eat or it takes an effort to make.
Eat less meat- a few vegetarian meals is better for you and your wallet. Same with dairy. Cheese is delicious, but can it become a treat not a staple.
Cook more, and wisely. Dry pasta is much cheaper than pre-made ravioli pouches. Pastry is cheaper than pre-made pies. If you can avoid pre-made and make it yourself, you will save hugely.
Stretch that meal! Portion out food before you dig in. Can you turn your dinner into dinner + lunch by siphoning a third into your lunch box?
Bulk that meal! Add lentils, grated carrot or grated mushrooms to mince. Add beans to Nachos, soups, stews. Chuck a grated zucchini into diced tomatoes. Make the meal filling.
Batch cook. Make a huge amount and freeze in meal sized portions.
Weigh your meat- you would be surprised how many people eat more meat than recommended in one sitting.
Add a portion of veggies to every meal (frozen ones are often cheap and easy).
Look into veggie stores, butchers etc. These can be much cheaper than supermarkets. Bonus if you can call in on your way home from work and save the petrol too.
Growing your own veggies can seem like a cheaper option...but calculate how much you need to invest to start a garden. Tools, plants etc can be expensive. But if you have already got the infrastructure, this might help keep costs down.
Food swap...if your feijoa tree is groaning but you have no apples, see if you can swap your produce for someone else's.
Have some easy meals on hand. Either a frozen you can defrost if you no your day will be long or something you can put together easily. Take out is tempting when tired and you don't know what to eat or it takes an effort to make.