How to stretch your grocery budget
From coupons to freezing your food, here are five great ways to get your grocery budget to stretch.
With prices going up and up, it makes so much sense to learn a couple of tricks when it comes to stretching your grocery budget. Here are some handy hints to get going.
1. Coupons, vouchers and deals
Savvy shoppers know the value of collecting coupons or discount vouchers before they make household purchases. There are even TV shows dedicated to the art of “couponing”. It has become a sought after skill that is even being taught in some American communities to help people save money. The easiest place to start is online. Gone are the days of scouring newspapers for discount coupons, now you can access your discounts online through an app or by downloading them onto your phone. Just scan them at the till and you will start seeing the savings add up. WUHU.co.za is (of course) our favourite.
2. Freeze, freeze, freeze!
When cooking big meals, think ahead and try to freeze some meals for yourself for a quick and convenient lunch or dinner. You don’t have to spend your hard-earned cash on expensive sandwiches or ready-meals that leave you feeling “blegh”. Soups and stews freeze particularly well and are far more affordable and nourishing than a pie and chips.
And don’t forget that flash frozen vegetables, like peas and spinach are actually more nutritious than the fresh ones. Because the vitamins are all locked in and don’t have time to diminish between the farm, the grocer and finally your fridge. So if you’re in need of quick and easy veggies, that don’t go off, get the frozen kind.
3. Don’t toss those veggies.
Vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet but most people end-up using a little bit and throwing the rest away. By wasting food, you are not only contributing to a huge global problem but you’re throwing money away as well. If you have leftover vegetables, make a delicious soup and pack it into single-serving portions for a quick meal on the go. And don’t forget that fruit can also be cooked and made into desserts or become frozen cooking essentials such as applesauce.
4. Don’t buy pre-made or pre-prepared food
You can save a lot of money by making more time to prepare your own ingredients for a meal. Don’t buy pre-chopped butternut when you can do it yourself. Not only does the vegetable stay fresher for longer when it’s whole, but you will save loads of money that you would otherwise spend on convenience. And let’s be honest, how long does it really take to peel a butternut?
5. Left-over Night
Do you have a bunch of leftovers hanging around in the back of your fridge? Choose one night of the week and make it “Leftover Night”. Display the leftovers buffet-style and let your family help themselves to a variety of tastes. Make it fun and watch the leftovers disappear. You will not only have a much less cluttered fridge but you will have saved the expense of an entire meal for your family.
Do you have any other tips on how to stretch your grocery budget?
