How to make inexpensive meals while maintaining a healthy, varied and balanced diet when price increases and changes in the composition of certain products change your consumption habits. Here are 10 simple tips to get organized and control your budget.
1- Get organized
Prepare your menus for the week in advance and establish your shopping list.
Avoid the departments in which you have no planned purchase and especially the most tempting ones.
Think about shopping on the internet! In addition to saving you time, it’s a good way to stick to the established list, especially since the products are often cheaper online than at the supermarket.
And when you do your shoppingonline or in store, be sure to shop After a meal. With a full stomach, you will be less tempted and avoid impulse purchases linked to the desires of the moment or the attraction of novelties at the top of the gondola, which are often very expensive.
2- Follow the seasons!
Buy them fresh fruits and vegetables depending on the season : the cost of production in season is lower and the products are therefore sold at a lower price. Also, they are tastier!
Large stores offer anti-waste baskets and you can also become followers of end of market where whole crates of good fruit and vegetables are often sold off and think of the Association for the Maintenance of Peasant Agriculture (AMPA) and to supply you as locally as possible.
3- Take advantage of promotions
You have planned chicken but the turkey is in promotion… adapt and have cheap meals!
Don’t be fooled by fake promotional lots and check them carefully. cost price per kilo. To make inexpensive meals, do not hesitate to buy in bulk packaging, to cook and freeze or make your home preserves.
4- Put yourself in the kitchen
the “homemade” is always well thought out for making inexpensive meals compared to “all-ready”. Use your imagination and your culinary talents to prepare your small dishes and accommodate leftovers. A simple and quick recipe is enough to make a difference in the wallet and on the health side.
As for basic foods: flour, milk, pasta… give preference to products from store brandthey are sold at a lower price and their quality is totally satisfactory.
The homemade dairy products allow you to considerably reduce the racing budget, especially if you have a large family. Invest in a yogurt maker will be magic for your wallet.
5- Fresh, canned, frozen… vary!
Whether fresh, canned, frozen or vacuum-packed, their nutritional intakes are almost identical provided you choose them natural and uncooked, check the list of ingredients.
In addition to being economical, preserves and the frozen keep longer, are portionable and allow you to have a wide variety of vegetables.
The fruits in syrup are inexpensive and actually low in calories as long as you drain them.
The canned fish au naturel (without oil) are interesting for their omega-3 intake (sardines, mackerel, tuna, etc.), as are frozen products in plain fillets or seafood mixes, which are much less expensive than fresh products.
6- Think about vegetable proteins
On one of the two main meals of the day, the combination of a cereal (2/3 of the total quantity) and a dry vegetable (1/3 of the total quantity) can replace a portion of meat, fish or eggs, guaranteeing you a sufficient and good quality protein intake.
All starches and pulses bought raw are usually inexpensive, so get into the mixes corn/kidney beanssemolina/chickpeas, rice/lentils…
7- Watch the quantities!
Buy and cook the right quantities of food. In addition to avoiding excesses for your health, you will control your expenses. Establish the shopping list with the precise quantities, you will better manage your stocks and avoid waste.
Even if meat and fish remain an expensive ingredient, a portion of 125 to 150g per day is sufficient. Say goodbye to 250g rib steaks, with health and budget benefits!
8- Opt for cheap meals!
The basic recipes and compositions are always less expensive than elaborate recipes. You prefer them fruit yogurtsbe aware that they contain less than 15% fruit and are sold much more expensive.
Buy plain yogurts or natural lean white cheese in a 1 kg pot and flavor them yourself using cinnamon, vanilla or mix it with your diced fruit, a little compote without added sugars or a teaspoon of honey or jam. Eating well with inexpensive meals, you see, is possible.
9- Water, the only essential drink
The drink budget is not to be neglected! Sodas and alcoholic beverages in addition to providing additional calories weigh heavily on the budget (and possibly on your health depending on your consumption).
Consume water at will by even favoring tap water, it is 100 times cheaper than bottled water and well controlled in France, let’s take advantage of it!
Do not hesitate to flavor it yourself and without calories with a little lemon juice or a few mint leaves.
10- Leave light products aside!
Butter, cream lightened or light cheeses are sold more expensive. Buying low-fat products and consuming twice as much is not financially profitable and not always advantageous for the line! Opt for the classic versions and limit the quantities. You will gain in budget and flavor!
And of course, to finish, I can only advise you to avoid waste. Re-cook and accommodate your leftovers rather than throwing them away! Are your fruits and vegetables starting to look gray? Remove the less attractive parts but do not throw away the whole food and make an Express version soup, gratin, mashed potatoes or a beautiful Ratatouille home !
