When we think about it, and compare current times to most of world history, it’s absolutely incredible just how many of us have access to good food, and the ingredients to cook good food. It is a privilege and luxury that is, unfortunately, not enjoyed by everybody.

For this reason, it’s important to appreciate what we have and to make sure we make the most of it. One of the ways we can do that is to do our best to lessen wastage in our household. This can come via using leftovers, purchasing foods in bulk and freezing them to avoid expiration date throw-outs, as well as learning how best to prepare and even cultivate food as necessary.

That said, despite the luxuries afforded to us, it is true that difficulties can rear their heads from time to time. For instance, keeping a family well-fed can be quite expensive after a while, to the point where saving money here and there is not only good financial practice but also a great life skill we can pass on to our children.

In this post, we’ll determine how someone can do this effectively. Without further ado, please consider:

Meal planning & prep Sunday

Often, planning your meals ahead of time can allow you to save money because it lets you avoid wasting ingredients while also preventing expiration dates by cooking a lot at once. For instance, if you have around 2 kilograms of chicken, you could marinate all of that on a Saturday, cook it all on a Sunday, put it in divided Tupperware boxes with rice and steamed veg, freeze some of those meals, and then eat them throughout the week with little in the way of prep.

The subreddit r/MealPrepSunday provides a range of recipes you can use for proper planning while also dividing up and keeping your meals fresh throughout the week. This can be very useful when at work, or when working at home and not wanting to create a mess to wash up every lunchtime. It can also save you time preparing lunch for the next day, or wasting money that you might spend on fast food out in town.

Buying in Bulk

Buying in bulk at wholesalers can often help you save money in the long run, as economies of scale means you save money thanks to bringing home larger amounts of a product that you would in purchasing individual segments.

But you don’t necessarily have to head to the wholesalers in order to buy in bulk and get a good deal. Butchers, for example, might do you a great deal if you purchase a large amount of meat at once. They may even prepare it for you and wrap it up for easy long-term freezing. This way, you can store foods for months at a time without needing to make a shopping trip. If you couple these bulk buys with percentage-off coupons, you can save the most amount of money possible here, too.

Intermittent fasting

Of course, this might sound quite silly, but as more and more people are learning the benefits of eating habits like intermittent fasting, you could too. Intermittent fasting is the art of eating all your meals within an eight-hour window, and fasting for the remaining sixteen. This might sound quite intense, but you can work up to that, and make it as open or as strict as you need it.

How does this save you money? Well, let’s say you do that eight/sixteen cycle each day, which has proven to help people with weight loss, gut rest, and more. If you eat your first meal of the day at around 11am and your final just before 7pm, that’s probably two big meals you’ll be eating with limited snacking. As such, nutritious meals will take precedence.

This means that you’re much less likely to spend money on snacks, sugary drinks, fast foods, and other indulgences. You’ll feel better the longer you do this, too, meaning that early morning sugary coffees might not feel that rewarding at all. All of a sudden, you begin bringing a black coffee Thermos to work instead of heading to Starbucks for a frappuccino each morning. You’ll enjoy tremendous savings in this way.

Markets, Butchers, Fishmongers & more

Purchasing from supermarkets is very easy, particularly when many of them deliver to your door on the same day, or at least try to. But if frugality is important to you, you can often gain much better deals from purchasing at Butchers, Fishmongers, and more. The more you can invest in local businesses, the more they’ll support you. You may even be able to negotiate with certain market stallholders now and again.

Often, butchers will offer ‘packs’ you can use to get a great deal, such as ten chicken breasts for £10. As four might cost £5 in a local supermarket, you can see where the savings come, and of course, a butcher’s sourced goods are sure to be better than the farm’s supermarkets use, and you’ll have the benefit of local produce.

Growing your own

Of course, nothing will ever be more cost-effective than growing your own food, provided you have access to a green space to do that. That said, you don’t even need a massive garden to do this as growing herbs on your windowsill is possible, as is renting an allotment.

That said, it does take focus, attention, effort and time to grow your own food, and no one expects you to be fully self-sufficient in this day and age. That said, it can’t hurt to supplement your garden with a few wonderful additions from time to time. For instance, learning how to grow lettuce can be a fantastic life skill, providing you with a beautiful, healthy leafy vegetable you can use in a range of salads and sandwiches.

If this is a post about saving money, which is intended to improve your wealth, there’s nothing that improves your sense of personal wealth and wellbeing than eating something you’ve grown. It’s a very primal and raw satisfaction that is unfortunately lost to many of us today. Don’t be afraid to try this out – or just to try growing herbs like parsley, as it can make a huge difference to how you save cash and flavour your dishes.

Know what to spend on

Saving money isn’t always about knowing how to cut costs than it is knowing what to spend on in the long run. For instance, making your own salsa, purchasing some tortillas, and some spices will always be less expensive together than purchasing a fajita kit and making that.

The same goes for certain considerations that are worth it to you. Purchasing free-range eggs are always better than purchasing eggs from caged hens, for instance. Not everyone has the luxury to make such decisions, but those that do should understand what quality they’re hoping to find, and where else they’re able to make concessions.

For instance, supermarket-own brand cereal is almost indistinguishable from the name brand cereal, and can often be almost half as expensive. The more you make these decisions, look to offers, and simply keep your wits about you, the more you get an instinctual understanding for planning your meals and eating well as a matter of course.

With this advice, you’re certain to save money in the kitchen. After all, it’s a vital life skill.