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Running a household is expensive. Running a family is even more expensive. Even if you’ve become something of a hero in the kitchen as of late, costs can pile up.

For this reason, it’s good to consider how and where you can save expense without having to limit the quality, nutritional value, and general amount of food you eat. After all, a hungry family needs to be well fed, but cooking well doesn’t necessarily correspond to more expensive ingredients.

After all, even the simplest of recipes can turn out poorly if you overthink things. For this reason, trying to save on food costs throughout the week, and as such free up your household budget, can actually help free you as a home cook, too.

Luckily, this process is more than achievable if you know how to proceed correctly. In this post, we’re going to help you get there, with advice that should help you save money, eat well, and reduce wastage. Without further ado, please consider:

Meal Prep & Cook In Larger Quantities

Meal preparation can make a huge difference in how we plan and cook our foods, and how much money we save over time. For instance, you may make a large batch of chicken curry for dinner this week, replete with amazing spices and even citrus that can cut through the spice for a beautiful taste of freshness. Then, store this in containers, freeze it, and over the week you can reheat and eat a fresh meal again, perfectly portioned, be that at the office desk, after your mid-day workout, or in a quick pinch when you need to feed your kids. This saves money over time, and also helps you reduce wastage.

Go Off-Brand Where You Can

You may not be a fan of the off-brand or simple value products that supermarkets offer for everything you eat, after all, sometimes on-brand items can offer better quality. However, it’s also true to say that going off-brand where you can and purchasing the cheapest item can sometimes be more than okay, especially when you’re putting meals together. So for instance, the cheapest kidney beans you can find still work great in chili con carne, without anyone being able to discern the difference. Cutting costs in this way helps you grow your understanding in the kitchen, helping you spare the expense for items that really do matter.

Consider Buying In Bulk & Storing Your Ingredients

It’s also healthy to buy in bulk where you can, and cook that way. This also dovetails nicely into our previous advice to meal prep and store where you can, because buying in larger quantities and then cooking those ingredients will eliminate waste completely. If you invest in a freezer, or have a pantry that remains cool and dry throughout the year, large preserves, beans, rice, and even meats can be picked up from a wholesaler, and brought home where needed. This way, you always have what you need to hand, and can ensure you don’t have to mico-buy ingredients throughout the week, which always increases cost.

With this advice, you’re sure to save on food costs throughout the week, in the best possible way.