Hey guys!
First, I hope you’re all doing well, that everyone you love is doing well, and that all of this “Staying in” isn’t driving you too crazy. As per my last post, I really hope that this time is actually serving you well, and that you’re able to use it in a way that will bless you and your family.
(Also, side note – I went for a walk in the sunshine yesterday, and it did me a world of good. I highly recommend. The birds were out, the flowers were coming up out of the ground, and the air smelled like fresh spring. It was perfect therapy.)
Anyway, on to the point of this post! I am sure that I’m not the only one who’s looking to stretch their groceries right now, with the whole “Don’t work, and don’t go out unless you have to” thing being a reality. Also, as much as I love the advice “Grow your own food,” frankly, it’s not really possible right now. I live in the heart of the city on a property ravaged by squirrels and raccoons. So as much as I might like to plant some seeds and pray that I’d get tomatoes by tomorrow, it just doesn’t seem like it would work that way (for several reasons). So, here are some things you and I can do that can be applied immediately:
#1 – Plan Your Meals
This might seem obvious. But for those of us who live in the city (on a normal day), meal planning seems to fall by the wayside sometimes. I think in my case, the reason for that has been that my grocery store is less than 5 minutes away from my house… so if I haven’t had a plan in the past, I’m not usually left without food! However, these are obviously not the days of “Life as usual.” We’re all doing our part to stay in when we can, so now especially is the time to plan! Planning your meals will help you make better shopping lists and think through the cost of what you’re making more strategically. Oh, and side note- Running out to the store frequently is more money spent in gas if you’re driving. So, plan ahead!
#2 – Eat In; and Don’t Order Takeout!
Okay so the first part of that is, again, obvious. We’re all literally stuck inside of our houses. But the second part might not be as much, so here I am to remind you. It’s always way more cost effective to prepare your own food than to have someone else do it for you!
#3 – Shop No-Name Brands
It’s true that sometimes no-name brands are not as good as the name-brand stuff… but in my experience, 95% of the time, that isn’t the case. Your cheap grocery store brand items are often just as good, and you can save a fortune by shopping that way.
#4 – Plan to Use Inexpensive Fruits and Vegetables
Think root vegetables, lettuce, tomatoes, herbs, & cucumbers. Plan for apples instead of berries. When it comes to getting the healthy stuff, get it (and sometimes, yes, get something nice)- but you can make some really great food with inexpensive fruits and veggies. So save the asparagus for a fancy dinner, and opt for a green salad on a regular day. Personally, I like to have some basics for making salad on hand all the time, and then stock up on root vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, or beets. These can all be roasted, made into soup, or just cooked and seasoned how you like them.
#5 – Use Meat to Make More Than One Dish
Here’s a favourite of mine. Boil chicken, beef or pork in a large pot with lots of water, some salt and onion, and voila! You’ve got a bunch of great broth for a couple of meals, and a bunch of cooked meat for something else. Soup doesn’t need to have tons of meat in it, so I personally like to do this by making lots of broth with whatever meat I have. Then, I use some of it to make soup, save some of it in the freezer for a future soup or other recipe, and divide the meat out for something else. Here’s an example of how to do this, using chicken.
The Multi-Meal Chicken:
The Prep – Place a whole raw chicken in a pot with about 2 Tbsp salt, 1/2 an onion, and at least 1 gallon (16-20 cups) of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the chicken is cooked through. When the meat is done, remove it from the broth, and clean the chicken off of the bones, saving the bones and fat for another soup. You can discard the onion, and put 2/3 of the meat away for another meal.
Meal 1 – Put some of the broth and the 1/3 of chicken into a smaller pot; season it how you like it (I use a bit more salt to taste, pepper, parsley, a bay leaf or two, allspice, and sometimes some chopped up veggies). Simmer for 30 minutes, and then serve over rice or noodles. The extra broth, bones & fat, and remainder of the chicken can all be frozen for a future meal.
Meal 2 – Use your extra broth to make a cream of potato soup! Inexpensive, flavourful, and delicious.
Meal 3 – Use the rest of the chicken to make a curry, easy butter chicken, or stir fry to serve over rice or noodles!
Meal 4 – Cook the bones and fat in your crock pot, covered generously with water, with a bit of salt and onion again, and let them cook on low for 20-24 hours. And there you have it: Rich, nutrient rich broth to have for another chicken soup meal, or to save in your freezer as a base for another recipe.
There you have it! One piece of meat, 4 meals. And all of those meals can serve a lot of people, too!
This can be done with other kinds of meat as well; I’m currently going for a 3-meal version with some good Italian sausage.
# 6- Stre-e-etch It Out!
Here’s a great thing that we did a lot at home (growing up with 11 siblings helps with these kinds of learning experiences). Meat is expensive, so stretch it out with grains or veggies! If you don’t have enough meat for your curry dish, try adding some chopped potatoes or cauliflower in addition. Or, when you’re making meatballs or stuffed peppers, mix the meat with rice or quinoa to make it go further.
#7 – Cook Vegetarian Meals
I love meat, but I do try to avoid eating it every day – the cost adds up! Try making fried rice with bits of scrambled egg in there, or make beans your meal’s protein instead of meat.
#8 – Stock Up on Cheap, Non-Perishable Staples
Pretty much everything is cheaper when you buy it in bulk. So, when it comes to buying things like rice, pasta, beans, flour, oats, etc – Get it in bulk! You’ll save money in the end, and those are things that won’t go bad for a very long time.
#9 – Eat Grains for Breakfast
Cereal and milk are both expensive, so if you’re a cold cereal eater, try switching it up by eating hot grains or toast for breakfast instead. Personally, I love making oatmeal in the morning with some homemade applesauce on top. Also, eggs and toast might be my favourite breakfast, which leads me to my last point…
#10 – Make Your Own Bread!
You can save so much money, and experience so much more joy in your life, by making your own bread! It’s not hard, and you can literally make a loaf of bread for under $1 cost to yourself. If you need some direction, I have some recipes that might help. My most popular one is called Easy French Bread (from back when my blog was called Sugar and Spice). If you want a slightly healthier version, try my Easy Whole Wheat Bread. Or, maybe you just need bagels in your life, in which case you should try Montreal Style Bagels. These simple recipes are worth every second of effort, and your budget (and your family) will thank you!
…Whew! So many words! I hope you found this helpful! Let me know if you think there’s anything I missed. What do you find to be effective ways of saving money on food?
Back soon!
–Naomi
