5 Easy Ways To Eat Better, Reduce Food Waste And Save Costs
Cost of living got you in a pinch? Learn to reduce food costs, eat better and save the planet with these simple steps.
1. Plan. Plan. Plan.
When you do your groceries, have a plan. Don’t go shopping without a shopping list or, at the very least, a rough idea of what your food shop will look like. If not, I can guarantee you’ll be picking items off the shelf just because they look tasty. By planning, you’ll also avoid deviating from your diet. Over time, you’ll have an idea of which foods agree with you, which you can have in moderation, and some that you literally can’t touch with a barge pole, or you’ll end up eating 10 portions of it.
If you shop on a weekly basis, know what meals and snacks you’ll eat for the week ahead and the ingredients you’ll need to make them. When you’ve thought of something, write it down; it doesn’t need to be done in one sitting. Jot down things you want to eat through the week (for next week) and the ingredients required. Normally, a good thing to do is to plan 3–4 meals a week, at least Monday to Friday, when things are usually more structured.
Your household expenses are not a business, obviously, but what’s the harm in treating it like one? Businesses strive to profit, don’t they? You can do the same. Every business knows what the likely expenses will be in the month, maybe even within the week. You get your sales, which is your income, then you plan your outgoings, i.e., groceries. It’s also worth noting down how much you spend on groceries week to week so you can budget accordingly.
Now you’re at the supermarket. Don’t deviate! You wrote the plan for a reason. Fruits, vegetables, proteins, and whole grains are a must and should make the bulk of your diet, so ensure those are at the top of your grocery list every time you go. Once you’ve got them down then feel free to fill the remainder of your list with ‘fun’ foods like chocolate. Use the 80–20 rule such that 80% are healthy and filling whole foods and 20% are ‘fun’ foods.
2. Consider Frozen
Frozen fruits and vegetables often come with a lower price tag. I am aware your attention may drift to the ice cream, but the same applies. Have you noticed that ice cream is usually on sale in winter? Use the same logic for vegetables and fruits. Buy them when they’re less popular or out of season. For example, it’s completely fine to have brussel sprouts out of Christmas season.
Contrary to popular belief, the freezing process is actually beneficial if you’re buying fruits and veg. They are picked and frozen at peak ripeness so the taste is consistent, and frozen produce can also hang onto its nutritional benefits longer. A plus is that it won’t end up forgotten and rotten as well.
3. Freeze Extras & Leftovers
Even with careful planning, you might end up with leftovers. Make sure you don’t chuck them in the bin! Those odds and ends — a variety of vegetables here, a portion of a protein there — should be repurposed for another meal. If you don’t know what to do with them yet, just bag and freeze them!
Had a Sunday roast and have leftover bones with meat on them? Don’t put them in the bin; instead, use them for broth or strip the meat and use them on a salad! Here is your chance to be creative. What you have left over from one week can be incorporated into your meals for the next.
Extra grains, proteins, or vegetables on your plate at the end of the meal can help you make a grain bowl as well. Sounds weird but collect them and freeze them, then you’ll have a whole bag of nutritious bits that you can recycle and make a dish out of or grab when it’s Sunday night, and you’ve forgotten to do your groceries.
4. Make Use of What You Already Have
One of the best things you can do to reduce food waste and save costs at the same time is to use what you already have instead of buying new ingredients. If you’re already on the journey to reduce your food waste, you’re undoubtedly going to have leftover bits and pieces.
I am not affiliated at all but try this reverse recipe searcher. It’s truly amazing. You start by entering the ingredients you have, and it will generate a recipe for you or suggest what can be made.
Whoever made that app is a genius.
5. Buy In Bulk: Opt For Whole Chickens or Bigger Cuts of Meat
Meat is usually the most expensive item on a grocery list, but it’s still possible to save money. For example, buy whole chickens, which are less expensive than pre-portioned breasts or thighs. The most un-economical thing to buy is pre-slice/diced meat. It’s just so easy to take your knife or even scissors and chop the breasts yourself. By doing so you can easily save a few pounds/dollars off a kilo.
Bone-in, skin-on poultry is also more flavorful and won’t dry out during cooking. You don’t have to have an entire rotisserie chicken to yourself or a Sunday roast every night. If you don’t want to roast a whole chicken, you can portion it out to either cook the pieces separately or freeze some and cook them another week.
Similarly, one of the easiest and tastiest ways to cook is using a slow cooker. Because you are leaving it, the meat has time to get really tender, and it also saves you time by allowing you to cook a massive joint or something like a pork shoulder. Get a big cut like the butt or shoulder, then portion it yourself and freeze what you don’t use.
The Take Home
Reducing food waste is possible with some planning. Developing habits to store your food is also such an overlooked step. Keep these five tips in mind to help manage your meal budget while also encouraging home cooking and recycling. There is so much more you can do with the ingredients and raw meat that just requires a little thought and forward thinking.
I can guarantee that if you’re putting in a conscious effort to reuse your ingredients, freeze what’s left, and plan your shopping ahead of time, the amount you spend on a weekly basis will go down, and it will enable you to use your creativity to create meals out of nearly anything! Gone are the days of boiling the kettle for some cup noodles just because you realised last minute that you’ve spent all your money on chocolate and biscuits.
Whip up a bone broth that will last days, get the slow cooker going with a chili con carne using leftover veg, add your chicken shreds together, and make a chicken salad; the world is your oyster… well, the kitchen at least!
