Home Cooking: How much can I save?
You might not realise how much money you spend on eating out until you take a step back and take a good look at the costs. You will be amazed by how much you can save to boost your bank account and move towards healthier meals.
It might be tiring to cook up a meal, especially while managing a busy schedule, but the monthly savings you can make with this switch will definitely delight you at month end!
Here are a few helpful tips on how you can save some bucks with some prep work:
- Food Prep Matters 👩🍳
Meal prepping is one of the best ways to save a handsome amount every month. Cook different meals at once, store these for later in your refrigerator, and you are good to go.
Yeah, they can be much less convenient than those “convenience foods” but you wouldn’t have to bother about where to find your next meal when you return from work after a stressful day and you get to eat healthier too!
- Take Your Lunch to Go 🍱
Taking your lunch is a great way to keep a leash on your expenses. Instead of going out with the crowd for lunch, you can pack a beautiful, healthy meal from home. It will save you both time and money.
Preparing your snacks too would definitely show you a huge difference on all the money you spend on your cravings during the day.
- Be Creative 👩🔬
When you start making your own food, you tend to become creative. You start mixing some meals, and you will be surprised by how tasty they could really be. Your kitchen discoveries could get you hooked on trying more new ideas. With so many new possibilities to try out, you can naturally push away the idea of eating out or getting takeouts.
- Have A Plan B 🅱️
Getting ready-to-eat foods like canned beans to go with your toast or some canned tomato sauce to go with your spaghetti is another way to help minimise your spending. These meals can come handy when you’re lazy and still stick to your budget.
Precooked meat and other ingredients with a long shelf life (like, frozen veggies, dry grains and pulses) are items that can help you whip up a quick and adequate plan B meal at any time.
- Draw Up A Menu Plan 🗒️
Strategising a meal plan for the week helps you stop falling into random cravings and land yourself some savings. A good meal plan will be set around using the ingredients you already have at home. This will help cut down your visits to the grocery store and of course the costs that they run up your monthly budget.
- Use Your Slow Cooker 🍵
Most times, you might be busy and wouldn’t have the time to sit with your food while it cooks. Slow cookers are perfect for making meals like Chicken Stew or a beef-based lunch. All you need to do is put your meat and ingredients in your cooker, set the heat and you’re good to go. You can leave your home for the entire day and return to the aroma of a lovely, home-cooked meal, while being completely safe, especially compared to pressure cookers. Talk about a win-win situation!
So there you have it! Be it making your meals for the weekdays or a fabulous spread to treat yourself and your family for the weekend, meal prep is no impossible task with a good plan, a creative mind to explore out of the box and careful use of what you have at home.
