So like many, I try my best to be frugal. Living in London especially, it feels like you just step put your front door and you've somehow managed to wave goodbye to £50.
The last few years, after moving out of home and no longer having the luxury of just skipping downstairs to the fridge, beautifully stocked up by the bank of mum and dad, I’ve had to learn to eat well whilst on a budget.
Here are a few things I've learnt and ways I reduce the cost of just existing when it comes to food:
1. Freeze -. Ok, for this one, your going to have to park any pre concieved notions you might have towards frozen foods.
Firstly a chest freezer - invest in a chest freezer. I know, not the cutest piece of home decor in the world, but I promise, it'll be worth it. Stock up on frozen fruits and veg, buy your meats in bulk and freeze. Frozen, for example fish, is cheaper than fresh. Additionally freeze things like bread to make them last longer. Especially if its just you or you and your partner, you will probably find your bread going mouldy faster than you can eat it. Also, when you cook, make big batches and freeze for another day. Trust me those frozen leftovers come in very handy in emergencies where you otherwise would reach for a takeaway because your ravenous with hunger.
2. Buy fruit and veg from the market- avoid supermarkets, go to markets instead for your fruit and vegetables. Just Google one near you and off you go. Additionally, you can also freeze extras. For example, if you buy a huge bunch of fresh spinach, just freeze half for later, you can add into omelettes, smoothies etc.
3. Pre make high protein snacks - these are for when your starving and running late and just quickly need something in your belly. These could be granola bars, egg muffins etc. Pinterest is full of recipes
4. Lidl £1.50 box - if you live in the UK, Lidl sell a large box of fresh fruit and veg that they’ve deemed no longer good enough to sell/going off. The whole box costs £1.50. You don’t know what you’re going to get in them. Not all Lidl stores have them so just double check before you go. Fun story; my local Lidl didn’t stock them so I put my two university degrees to good use and sent them an email explaining why they should. A few weeks later, there they were in my local store.
5. Pre marinade - when you do your food shop, spend an afternoon pre chopping and pre marinading and freeze. So, for example, you can do different chicken marinades, or chop up different veg with some spices to creat a veg mix, seal in a ziploc bag and freeze. Then, throughout week, you can defrost and cook.
Those are just some tips to help your hard earned money go further. I would love to hear any tips you might have because sharing is caring ♥️
