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Making Meals On A Budget

June 9, 2020 11:26 am Published by

Making Meals On A Budget

Not everyone has the funds to splurge every month on their shopping trips buying hundreds of pounds worth of food for the month. Therefore, we have gathered plenty of information to help you get a better understanding when making meals on a budget.

Cheaper shops with cheaper foods

There are plenty of ways to find cheaper foods when shopping. First of all, you need to try and find a supermarket which fits your budget. Local supermarkets tend to be a cheaper option than known mainstream ones, but if you do not have a local supermarket, those including Aldi and Sainsburys are another cheap alternative. The best thing to do is to avoid stores like Waitrose, M&S and Booths as they are ranked as the UK’s most expensive. This is because you will not get anywhere near as much food for your money.

The Mirror conducted an experiment to find out what the price difference between Alid and Waitrose is for a weekly shop and the results show there is on average a £10 difference between the two.

With the food in Aldi being their own brand, the produce seems to be a lot cheaper than the shops which sell other well-known branded products. Therefore it is always a better option as you will be able to get your hands on more food for your money, making it easier to make meals on a budget.

Supermarket Trolley

Set yourself an appropriate budget

Whether you already have a specific budget set or are still trying to work out an appropriate amount to spend on your weekly shop, there are plenty of ways to make this easier. Typically, we would suggest you look at your incoming and outgoings and see where this fits in. Once you have done this you can get a better understanding of how much money you need to cut back on and then take it from there. There are plenty of food budgeting maps on the internet which you can print off or even edit online to help you with the process of choosing the right foods and prices when shopping.

budget set

Make sure you have the basics

Before heading to the shop you should ensure that you have written a list of what you are going to buy to make sure you do not go over your budget. This way you can also add p what everything will cost to see how much money you will be spending before you even set foot through the door. One of our best tips is to ensure you have the basics. In other words, the food which can be turned into anything. An example of this is tinned tomatoes. This is as you are able to use them as an ingredient to plenty of different dishes from salsa all the way to spaghetti bolognese.

pasta with tomato sauce

Cook from scratch

Sometimes we feel as though it is much easier and quicker to pick up a ready meal from the supermarket or even too have a nice takeaway on the weekend. Essentially, yes it might be a faster option but it definitely is not a cheaper one. Cooking from scratch allows you to produce freshly cooked meals with bigger portions for a smaller price. This means that you will have leftovers which allow you to eat this another time.

fresh produce for meals on a budget

Find the reduced section

Hitting the reduced section in a shop will enable you to get your hands on what you want but at a fraction of the original price. This is great if you are going to use the products on the same day, but if not, you are wasting both money and food. This is because the reduced section is full of food which is going out of date the next day or even on the same day. But, again, make sure you need the food before you buy it so it doesn’t go to waste.

 

For more advice on budgets or debt support click here.

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This post was written by Charlotte K

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