REDUCING FOOD BILLS

written 2015

REDUCING FOOD BILLS: PLAN AHEAD 

 

Where food is concerned, we're all on a budget now.  It's a challenge to reduce food bills without sacrificing flavour but exotic ingredients which add a kick to cooking in time drop in price and are easier to store.  Luckily, too, prices have been falling in all UK supermarkets and there are many bargains to be had.  

No matter who you are, where you shop and whether you go for budget products or high-end (or both), there are things you can do to make your money go further.  

   1. A weekly FOOD PLAN saves time and money and reduces wastage by using up leftovers and making the most of what's in your fridge.
     
   2. LIMIT YOUR FOOD SPEND:  work out how much your weekly shop should be and stick to it.  If you can, set aside an extra £10 kitty for unexpected specials, eg a side of salmon or big jars of coffee. 
       
   3. INCLUDE TREATS BUT LIMIT THEM: Food is pleasure as well as fuel.  If you/your child loves crisps, budget for one or two bags on the weekend and maybe an extra couple of bags the week of a birthday. Thursdays seem to be a difficult day for most people; break the rule of no sweets till the weekend with, say, supermarket donuts which are less than a pound for 6.  Or dig out your specially prepared frozen biscuit dough (see Chocolate Chip Thins or Spicy German Biscuits) and bake just enough for one each.      
  
 4. Watch for SPECIALS IN SUPERMARKETS where you don't normally shop.  If there's a big saving on something that you/r family eats a lot of, it could be worth going out of your way to get it.  

   5. DON'T THROW AWAY FOOD.  Just about anything can be frozen and what can't, will add flavour to soup stocks.  Leftovers, used creatively, can turn the ordinary into something special. Some examples:   

 ⦁ turn a stew into 'big' soups
 ⦁ freeze cooked veg; puree for soup
 ⦁ add cooked meat to pasta, rice or soups 
 ⦁ freeze bananas and coat in chocolate for a healthy alternative to ice-cream OR mash and make into banana bread
 ⦁ dry and blitz bread for breadcrumbs
 ⦁ whip leftover cream until it separates into butter and buttermilk
 ⦁ turn overripe fruit into instant jam by flash frying with water and sugar (controlling the amount of sweetness)  

   6. MEAT GOES FURTHER in casseroles or main course soups with root vegetables and/or pulses.  

   7. . SLOW COOKERS & small ovens reduce fuel bills.  Slow cookers are fantastic for tenderising inexpensive cuts of meat.     

    8. FROZEN FISH can be found at up to half the price of fresh fish -- even when sustainably fished.  Try coley, a firm fleshed white fish that is very cheap and nutritious, and imaginatively served by Asians.    

    8. SOUP AS A FIRST COURSE  reduces demand for expensive meats and fish.  

    10.  PORTION CONTROL IS VITAL and easier if the main course is served with inexpensive healthy additions like soup, salad and fruit desserts.    

   11.  USE YOUR HEAD WHEN USING THE OVEN.  Try not to cook just one thing in the oven.  When cooking a roast, throw in washed, oiled and seasoned potatoes for baking.  Or use the opportunity to slow cook tomato flavour bombs in the bottom of the oven.  When baking cakes, do a batch of Uber Granola  or No-butter No-sugar Flapjacks on the lower shelf.

12.  FREEZERS, no matter how small, save pounds by allowing you to cook several meals in advance (saving on fuel), use up leftovers and store supermarket specials for a future date. See  FREEZER MATTERS

  13. LOW-COST FOOD,  which can look less appetising, are wonderful if properly prepared.  Fresh pineapple and bags of fruits for £1 or less can be under or over ripe.   Cooked, though, they are a winner.  Fresh pineapple can be baked with molasses sugar and grated raw ginger; peeled, sliced apples baked with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Well-under-a-pound packaged tomatoes become remarkable with just a spritz of olive oil and a light sprinkling of salt.   

   14. DRIED LENTILS AND PULSES are much cheaper than tinned and have a much better texture and flavour.  Most need to be soaked overnight before cooking so some planning is required.  (Note: Kidney beans need careful treatment when dried; It's better to buy these tinned.)   
  
   15. FREEZE FRESH HERBS. Leftover expensive fresh herbs don't have to be binned if you freeze leftover leaves in ice cube trays in water or oil, and keep the stems for stock.  If you use herbs often, wrap them in a wet j-cloth wrung almost dry and place in the veg drawer of the fridge; they'll keep up to a week

    16.  DRIED SPICES are cheaper in your supermarket's international food section -- large packets (usually vetted by Asian consultants) are sold at surprisingly low prices. 

   17.  MAKING YOUR OWN SNACKS is cheaper and healthier than buying processed. And you know exactly what goes into them.  There are many great, easy recipes available for home-made granola, breads, pizzas, cakes and cookies. (Recipes on Nav Bar) 

  18.  MASTER THE ART OF THE STIR-FRY.  It may take a few goes before you get it right but it is a terrific way of using up bits of veg and scraps of meat and turning it into something delicious and beautifully presented.
        

B Lee/Bright Sun Enterprises accept no liability for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.