Whether you're a student or simply a busy parent, you're probably aware of how quickly grocery bills can add up. However, if you take the time to plan your meals, you can arrange to make them simple, tasty and affordable. Furthermore, if you give yourself enough time to think about meals, you can think up creative ways of putting your leftovers to good use.
Firstly, if you want to cook meals that are both delicious and healthy without breaking the bank, you must avoid the dreaded impulse shop. When you haven't planned out your meals in advance, it's easy to reach for the ready-made, microwaveable meals that very quickly add up. Instead, it's a good idea to set a weekly grocery budget and chart-out each day's meals. Once you've planned each meal, you can write up a list of ingredients and purchase the entire week's food in one single shop. Doing all your week's shopping in one fell swoop will prevent you from having to make those last-minute trips to the shop. Also, if you order your groceries online, you are less likely to throw unneeded luxury items into your basket.
As for the meals themselves, you may be surprised as to how many delicious meals you can make at a very affordable price. One of the best ways to approach meals on a budget is to think of dishes that are very filling. For example, chili is a very filling meal, especially when paired with hearty, homemade bread or a jacket potato. Despite being so filling and tasty, the main ingredients in chili are canned beans and tomatoes, both of which cost less than a pound. Furthermore, chili leftovers are perfect for lunch the next day.
Pasta is another meal component that can really bulk-up a dinner and leave you feeling satisfied afterward. Fortunately, pasta is also very inexpensive. There are so many meal options involving pasta, from a healthy vegetable lasagne (perfect for freezing ahead of time for those extra busy days) to tangy chicken pesto linguine, to angel hair pasta topped with rich mascarpone sauce. Gnocchi is also quite cheap and makes for a nice twist on the standard pasta fare.
Thus, making meals on a budget is easy as long as you plan ahead of time. Also, including filling, stodgy foods in each meal will help ensure that you and your family aren't left foraging for snacks a few hours after dinner is over.
Peter Rose writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
