Money Saving Tips for Feeding the Family on A Budget

Money Saving Tips for Feeding the Family on A Budget

The cost of food is one of the biggest expenses when you’re raising a family and as kids grow they just eat more and more! My two girls are only 4 years and nearly 2 years old but they eat A LOT already. I definitely have to keep an eye on the costs of groceries when buying our family’s food.

One of the best ways to save money is to make things from scratch when you can and I’ve seen a growing trend with people becoming more interested in home cooked food again and items such as bread makers becoming popular again.

Here are some ways that I try to reduce the costs when feeding the family:

• Batch Cooking

This is the best way to save money (and time!) in my opinion. I love cooking a big pot of chilli — which is very cheap too! — and have it last us for three evening meals. We have it with different sides on different days to mix it up a bit. Batch cooking also means less time spent cooking as you prepare several meals at one time. Lasagne is another great batch cooking meal.

• Meal Planning

If you plan your meals, then there’s much less risk of food going off, having been left unused and forgotten. Reducing waste is also very important to me. I don’t write an official meal plan but usually have an idea in my head of the meals that we’ll be eating over the next two-three days at least and I always try to work from what we already have available in the house.

• Making Things from Scratch

With so many cheap foods available from the supermarkets, it’s not always cheaper making things yourself unless it’s things you have all the time. Bread is one of those things that can be more affordable to make yourself and when you make your own bread, it doesn’t contain all those E-numbers and strange ingredients — just flour, yeast, water and a pinch of salt usually. It’s much better for you and it doesn’t have to be that complicated.

• Eat the Same Things

Eating the same foods as a family will definitely save you money as you’re not cooking two or three different meals at every meal time. When possible, I try to feed the kids the same food that we’re having or at least similar so that most of the foods on our plates are the same. My eldest is a bit fussy and sometimes we eat something spicy so it doesn’t always work but I try.

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