How to Eat Well on a Budget
The secret to this is planning, with a little thought and preparation it is possible to eat good nutritious food without increasing your food bill.
Top Ten Tips:
1. Plan ahead your meals for the next 7 days, making sure you include a good balance of nutrients. Then write a shopping list and only buy the ingredients you need.
2. Find out what fruit and vegetables are in season and use them, as they are usually cheaper.
3. Compare the prices of loose fruit and vegetables compared to pre-packed; loose is usually cheaper and you can buy the exact amount you need. Also reduces waste packaging - win win!
4. Cook extra portions of your evening meal and either freeze them or eat them for lunch the following day.
5. Keep an eye on the use-by dates of the food as you may need to shuffle your weekly meal plan around. This will ensure that food is used whilst it's fresh and not thrown away.
6. Try to prepare meals from scratch, as they are much healthier and often cheaper than ready-meals and takeaways.
7. Pulses are cheap to buy and they are full of fibre, vitamins and minerals. Try replacing chicken/meat with a range of different beans in a chilli or with chickpeas in a curry - delicious!
8. Bread is one of the most wasteful items in our kitchens so why not freeze it in portions? Use freezer bags or place it in art-tight container.
9. Eat more vegetables, try and include 2 days a week which are meat/fish free. Vegetables are high in antioxidants as well as vitamins and minerals and are cheaper. Eat a selection of different coloured vegetables to give a wide range of different nutrients.
10. Buy less expensive cuts of meat such as chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. Experiment with different ways of cooking methods, the slow cooker is great for making them tender and tasty.
