Top tips for eating HEALTHILY on a budget

gingernutbizkit

What would be your top tips for eating healthily when you're on a budget?

Here's a few of mine...........

* Check out budget ranges, sometimes they are nutritionally the same (or better ) than other brands
* Grow your own fruit and veg
* Buy an oil mister rather than those horrible frylight things.
* Cook only what you need - thus making portion sizes smaller
* menu plan
* create and stick to a shopping list
* use mysupermarket.co.uk

What would yours be?
Ging x

thriftlady_2

Eat less food = Buy less food

gingernutbizkit

Make from scratch - more healthy then ready meals

kafkathecat

thriftlady wrote: »

Eat less food = Buy less food

Brilliant! But just soooo difficult.
K

Pink.

My top tip is, if you have one, use your freezer!

When you have time, bulk cook and make 'ready meals' in family sized or individual portions for the freezer. These are better for you than supermarket ready meals and can be easily reheated when time is short and might save a trip to the takeaway when you're tired and hungry.

Likewise, freeze any leftover food in one person portion sizes. Good for grabbing to feed family members who need to eat earlier/later than the rest of the family.

Keep a list of 'ready meals' that you have in the freezer as it's easy to forget what's in there......well it is if you're me.

Shop at optimum 'reducing' times in the supermarket. Do your research and find out how your local supermarket operates...if you're polite, staff are often very helpful and willing to tell you the best time to get reductions. In my local tesco they reduce food to 90% off about an hour before closing. It can be a bit hit and miss, but if I'm passing anyway I always call in at that time and have picked up some mega bargains. Most can be bunged into the freezer for using at a later date. It's a lovely feeling serving up a meal that should have cost £6 plus for under £1. Doing this also makes cooking more interesting because you try things you may not have tried before. Some things you love and some you are very glad you didn't pay full price for, but at 90% off who cares.

Pink

Penelope_Penguin

Eat seasonally, and have a couple of vegetarian meals each week

Penny. x

Rattlesnake_2

I grow my own fruit and veg, have got chickens for eggs and bake most of my own bread.

gingernutbizkit

Some great tips people.

* Use a slow cooker to cook cheaper cuts of meat.

Reverbe

For those who cant grow their own, try budget ranges esp of fruit. They can be valuable fro those who don't care if their orange isnt totally round or if their apple is a bit knobbly. Lets face it thats most people really so dont know why they seem to think we will put things back for not being perfect in every way.I have yet to see anyone reject a fruit or veg for not being totally clinically perfect.

SunnyGirl

Don't buy lots of ready made snacks like crisps, choccie biscuits etc for every day eating. I make cakes & treats for the tin and the children have ready made things once or twice a week as a treat. Try hard to ignore pester power if possible!!

gingernutbizkit

menu plan around your leftovers.