Keep a well-stocked pantry of staples like pasta, rice, tuna, canned beans, canned vegetables, salsa, ready-to-eat sauces and hearty bean and pea soups so you can whip up quick and easy meals without going to the store for missing ingredients.
Two Smart Habits for a Lower Food Budget
Food takes up a large portion of our lives and consequently our budgets. A lot of people get caught up in convenience foods, including eating out — no dishes, right? But this is almost always more expensive (and less healthy) than doing it yourself. You can create your own convenience foods by preparing for several meals at once, buying family-size packages of ground meat, and cooking and storing food in meal-sized amounts in the freezer.
Keep a well-stocked pantry
Base meals on planned leftovers
Consider doubling basic recipes in order to use the remainder in a new way the next night. For example, black beans can be used in burritos tonight and then pureed into a delicious soup tomorrow. Roast chicken or turkey one night can furnish the basis of a salad, soup or casserole the next day.
Buy and cook in quantity and freeze the extras. This can save you money now, by using foods bought at a good price, and save you time later, which really has a monetary value too.
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