How to save on food without causing significant damage to your health? This problem is becoming more and more urgent for a larger number of our compatriots who have to deal with a fall in real incomes and low salaries. Despite the fact that all this is happening against a background of high inflation, constantly rising prices. In this article we will tell you what there are ways to not go broke on food. Let’s give an example of an approximate menu for the week.
Tasty and inexpensive
Advice on how to save on food is required for everyone who is faced with monetary difficulties. Inquisitive Russians have already developed detailed rules that help to save significantly, while eating very dignified. The main thing here is to adhere to certain recommendations.
It is also important that this will not only save your family budget, but also make the diet more nutritious, varied and healthy. In this article, we will tell you the basic rules, thanks to which you will learn how to save on food, treat food properly, and spend as little money on it as possible.
Home-cooked foods
Refuse to purchase frozen convenience foods in stores. Of course, it is convenient and relatively cheap, but still significant disadvantages in this food are much greater. The main one is their composition. If you want to find out for yourself not only how to save on food without harm, but also how to make family menu dishes more healthy and nutritious, then you should know that meat dumplings and meat dumplings are usually present together in dumplings fat and soy. The same applies to cutlets, pancakes and meatballs. Such food should be discarded, not even for the sake of economy, but in order to maintain their health.
It would be better if you devote a day off to independently prepare such semi-finished products from meat purchased on the market. And if you bring close relatives to the dumpling process, then this will also contribute to the rapprochement of the family.
If you calculate the cost of the products that you need for this, and you must do this if you want to learn how to learn how to save on food, it turns out that you spend the same money, but get really high-quality food in return.
Cooking yourself
In terms of saving and improving the usefulness of your table, cook the chips themselves, pastries and crackers. Of course, at the sight of the confectionery department it is difficult to resist buying a cake or a small cake. But in this case there is a risk of food poisoning, since you cannot know in what conditions they were stored. Secondly, in most cases, the ingredients for such sweets are not natural. Therefore, children cannot eat them.
Instead of buying a cake shop, bake a chocolate biscuit or charlotte yourself. This is not difficult at all, besides you will spend significantly less money if you cook in your kitchen. Moreover, you can delight loved ones with homemade cakes without a threat to health. This is a good way to save money on food.
The same goes for crackers, chips, salted nuts and other similar foods. If all this is so sweet to your stomach, you should not refuse snacks at all if you decide to save. You can start cooking it all yourself. There is nothing easier than thinly slicing potatoes and frying them in sunflower oil. Cooking crackers is even easier. To do this, you just need to cut any stale bread into small pieces, salt and send it to dry in the oven. If desired, they can be sprinkled with spices, then they will not be particularly distinguishable from store ones.
If you want to understand how to save on food, then buy raw ones instead of salted nuts. They are much cheaper, and you can cook them at home, frying in a pan or in the oven. In this way, you can save on almost any food. The main thing is not to be afraid to experiment.
Seasonal fruits and vegetables
Good advice for those who do not know how to buy food in order to save money is to purchase exclusively seasonal vegetables and fruits. This simple rule will not only save your money, but also the health of households. Since in vegetables and fruits, for which it is clearly not the season, there is always a large amount of chemicals and nitrates.
In general, in most cases, preference should be given to those products that are grown in Russia or in neighboring countries. They will be both cheaper and more beneficial for our body.
In addition, the conservation prepared by an industrial method should definitely be abandoned. For example, jam, pickled cucumbers, as well as the rest of the food in this category. In order to save, preservation, again, can be done independently, buying the necessary vegetables or berries when they are the cheapest.
It should be remembered about the independent collection of wild berries and mushrooms. Such food will allow you to diversify the menu, as well as distract you from the bustle of the city. The main thing is to be careful. First of all, collect only those berries and mushrooms that you know for sure that they are not poisonous.
Fish and meat instead of sausage
Another tip on how to save on food without harm to health is to give up sausages and sausages in any form. These products contain almost no meat, for which we buy them. Instead, it contains flavoring additives, substitutes, and it costs all very expensive. So it’s completely incomprehensible why the consumer pays so much money when the products themselves are completely non-natural.
Alternatively, buy pork, chicken, and beef. They can be cooked, fried, baked, but if any meat is less than the average sausage. This is a great way to save and eat healthy food.
The main thing is not to buy fish and meat thoughtlessly. For example, if you are cooking fish soup, it makes no sense to take an expensive fillet, it is quite possible to limit yourself to a fish head. In this case, the broth will only be richer, and you will spend much less money. The whole chicken is much cheaper than its "spare parts", purchased separately. And if you planned to cook cutlets, then instead of cutting it is better to take part of the scapula.
Compote and fruit drink
You can significantly save on drinks. You should start with a complete rejection of sweet soda. It costs not cheap, besides it is very harmful.
Instead, it is better to cook stewed fruit yourself, make fresh juices or fruit drinks. In order not to be left without tasty drinks in the winter, make them from frozen preparations, when fruits are in season, they are the cheapest. In terms of specific money, the cost of a liter of homemade compote will be at least two times lower than the cheapest sweet soda, and you won’t even have to talk about the health benefits.
To the store with the list
Another way to save money: try to go to the grocery store less often. Moreover, come to the supermarket full and with a clear, well-thought-out list of products. It is optimal to shop no more than once a week. Go to the store with a limited amount of cash and leave your credit card at home. Then you will not be too tempted to buy something unplanned.
Before heading to the supermarket, carefully consider the menu for the next week, make a list of the necessary products. It will be useful to conduct a preliminary price monitoring, finding out where the cheapest pasta or pork is. Now this can be done with the help of special mobile applications.
Always remember discount coupons and discount cards, which often allow you to purchase products at better prices.
Shelf life
When visiting large supermarkets, always check the expiration dates of the products you buy. If you choose dairy products, do not be too lazy to get to the package of kefir at the far wall of the rack, most likely it will be the freshest. Look at the lower and upper shelves, as the most expensive products are always placed at eye level.
If you are looking for food for dinner today, you can take expired meat or sausages. You can get a substantial discount on them, but they are not spoiled yet. If you are going to cook and eat them today, then you’ll get a good guess.
Sample menu
In conclusion, we will tell you, using an example of a specific menu, how to save on food. Planning is an important component of the transition to an economical and healthy diet.
- Monday: breakfast - oatmeal with raisins, lunch - pickle with meat, dinner - vegetable risotto.
- Tuesday: pancakes with condensed milk for breakfast, potato casserole and vegetable salad for lunch, buckwheat with meatballs for dinner.
- Wednesday: pancakes for breakfast, borsch and pasta navy for lunch, stewed cabbage with meat and vegetable salad for dinner.
- Thursday: porridge with milk for breakfast, cabbage soup and crab salad for lunch, vegetable stew for dinner.
- Friday: cheese sandwiches for breakfast, cheese soup and salad for lunch, fried potatoes with meat for dinner.
- Saturday: semolina for breakfast, dumplings prepared by you for lunch, fried fish with rice for dinner.
- Sunday: scrambled eggs for breakfast, soup for lunch and lazy cabbage rolls for dinner.
Here is a sample menu for the week. How to save on food, you will understand very soon if you follow the rules and tips in this article exactly.