Recently my weekly food shop has been an online one which has had the benefit of ensuring I plan our meals for the week ahead, something I must admit to sometimes being a bit hit or miss at. I was also reminded how much cheaper it is to do an online shop with planned meals when a trip to the supermarket recently resulted in a food bill that was twice my online one, as I was seduced by the choice available and had a more relaxed approach to meal planning!
We know that eating food we have prepared at home is healthier for us and cheaper, especially when we plan. You’ve probably heard the saying ‘failing to plan is planning to fail’. Without a weekly food plan, it will be pure luck if you end up with the right foods in the fridge or cupboard. And, without planning your time, you won’t always make the time to enjoy breakfast or make that lunch.
With fuel and food prices soaring, you could be saving a LOT of money each and every week by following these tips.
EXERCISE 1: HOW MUCH ARE YOU REALLY (OVER)SPENDING?
Be honest with yourself about your spending and shopping habits. That starts with looking into how much you spend each week on take-out coffee, croissants and other breakfasts; lunchtime salads, soups and sandwiches; snacks and other food treats; and ready meals, takeaways or last-minute meals out. Make a note every time you buy something (not the main food shop) to eat out of the house. Do this for a week, then multiply by 4 to give you an approximate monthly total.
Log into your banking app (or go online) and make a note of how much you spent over the last month on food.
Add the two figures together. This gives you your total for how much you are spending on food each month. I suspect you will be shocked. Most people are.
Commit to saving a certain amount each week or month. Decide what that is. Commit to it and write it down. What will you do with that extra money? Where can you economise?
EXERCISE 2: PLAN YOUR PLANNING
Become a planning ninja. The thing about planning is that you need to actually plan to plan. It’s easy to get derailed by events, situations, relationships and tasks that insert themselves into our already busy lives.
Choose a time when you know you will be free every week to plan your meals – breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Ideally plan midweek for the following week. Put a reminder alarm on your phone. If this planning job doesn’t get done, you will have no choice but to shop on a day-to-day basis, which is much more expensive.
EXERCISE 3: AUDIT WHAT YOU HAVE
Turn these meal plans into a shopping list.
Also create a master list of what you already have in your freezer, fridge and cupboards.
Cross anything you already have off your shopping list.
EXERCISE 4: SHOP YOUR PLAN
As an experiment, spend at least one week only allowing yourself to buy what is on your shopping list. No extras! The planning and shopping discipline may take a little time to get used to, but it is worth persevering.
Off-list shopping and impulse buys are the biggest enemy for anyone wanting to keep to a budget. Do not go to the supermarket hungry. You are more likely to shop off-list when you do.
EXERCISE 5: GET CREATIVE
A huge amount of food is thrown away, because we’re not sure what to do with leftovers. Make a commitment to using yours and prepare to save money. There is a bank of resources online to help you find easy recipe suggestions for pretty much anything you may have lurking in the fridge.
This will feel uncomfortable at first. You will be making some meals you have definitely not tried before!
Try the following:
Tesco Meal Planner Left Over Tool (https://realfood.tesco.com/meal-planner/leftover-tool.html)
All Recipes Leftovers Tool (http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipes/tag-476/leftovers-recipes.aspx)
Love Food Hate Waste (https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoqb6tqnl3QIVA7ftCh2Cjg_eEAAYASAAEgK12_D_BwE)
GOLDEN RULES OF HEALTHY EATING ON A BUDGET