With food prices rising, many of us are thinking of ways to save money and still eat well. Try some of these lesser-known ways.
Go shopping in your pantry. Sometimes we’re so used to seeing something that we don’t even see it anymore. What’s with that pasta, that can of tuna, that jar of olives lurking in the pantry? Plug those ingredients into a recipe developer tool. There are many online. You’ll find recipes like pasta al tonno, which is served hot. With a drizzle of olive oil or mayonnaise, the same ingredients could make a cool summer pasta salad.
Respect your leftovers. It’s tried but true advice. Shred leftover chicken, meat, hardboiled eggs, or fish to use as filling for a sandwich. Stash leftover salad in the fridge right away and pick on it soon, before it gets too sad. Leftovers are simply food.
Check your local grocery store’s website for flash sales or overstock discounts. These opportunities aren’t always announced on the app or flyer.
Take time to compare unit prices (price per ounce, liter, etc.) between brands or sizes. Is that extra-size pack of toilet paper really cheaper, or does it cost the same as buying two? For online shopping, a quick glance at the unit prices under the ads answers that. In supermarkets, the unit price is often seen on a red tag next to the retail price.
Will you waste it in the end? If your purchase of, say, broccoli is too great for your immediate needs, cook it all but freeze the excess rather than letting it sit in the fridge waiting to get cooked sometime.
If your market offers unattractive produce at a reduced rate, snap it up. Take it home, pare away anything unsightly, and cook it. Our recipe for lettuce soup was born of a wilted lettuce whose heart was still sound. I recently made excellent apricot jam from a basket of soft, but unspoiled apricots that was going cheap.
Markets often lower prices on perishables just before restocking. Ask when your local place does this; often it’s on Tuesday or Wednesday evening.
Look in on ethnic stores. If you’re lucky enough to shop where an local ethnic population goes, you might find better prices on grains, canned goods, and kitchenware.
There may not be a co-op shop nearby, but you can still buy in bulk. Keep an eye on stores, markets, and even individual manufacturers that advertise foods sold in bulk for a good price. Some shops are happy to discount a product sold in quantity if you approach them first. Be bold: ask them.
Maybe you’re on your own, or too few in the house to make a bulk purchase seem worthwhile. Think again. Get together with friends or with work colleagues and split the purchase. That way you get only as much as you need, instead of having too much product around for too long.
Make your own co-op?
An informal co-op takes a little organization. Every participant states how much they want to take home from the purchase; this is written down and shared to prevent misunderstandings later on. Then, someone must receive or pick up the goods and weigh them out. A scale or other way of measuring is needed. Then, everyone brings their own container to take their part away. The manager of the purchase shouldn’t have to deal with getting containers.
As for payment, it’s best that everyone pay their part upfront, but an equitable agreement should be worked out among trustworthy people.
I did this kind of group purchase when a local olive oil press offered a bulk discount. A jerry can containing 20 liters (5.28 gallons) came to the door. I had a scale for measuring, but a clean pitcher with the quantities marked off would have done as well. With a cheap hand siphon to draw the olive oil out, it all went quickly and everyone was happy.
I’ve also bought flour in bulk through a similar informal co-op. Luckily the flour mill delivered it in neat kilo-sized packages; I’m not sure I would have tackled measuring and packing flour in my own kitchen.
You can also split a case of wine or beer from the liquor store with friends, if the manager allows a bulk discount. Booze bought from the brewery is still cheaper, of course.
Avoid Over-Shopping and Waste
Skip recipes that call for one-time-use ingredients. If a recipe calls for an expensive special ingredient, consider if you’ll likely use it again. No point keeping a jar or can of a specialty item around once it’s been opened, unless you’re sure you’ll repeat the dish or use the item in some other recipe. Ask me: I once kept a jar of capers languishing in the fridge until they gave up.
Don’t linger in the center of the shop, where the packaged goods aisles are. There’s where looms the temptation to do some impulse buying. First head for the fresh produce sections, which are deliberately placed at the edges and at the end of the shop, so you have to walk through the more expensive packaged goods first. If your list includes something from the packaged food aisles, pick up what you need and ignore what’s beckoning to you from the other shelves.
Be wise with sales. If the price is down because the product’s expiry date is coming up, consider if you’ll be using it soon. However, you might buy it anyway and freeze it for later.
Do you really need that? An item might look tempting, but if you don’t really need the product, walk on by. Even if it’s on sale. Disregard the junk so temptingly set out by the check point. Just unfocus your eyes.
Forget pre-shredded salads, packaged soups, industrially produced condiments and other convenience foods. Buy fresh ingredients and make these foods yourself. Yes, it takes time. No, it’s not as convenient. But nothing beats DIY for freshness, flavor, and money saved.
Even coffee is cheapest and most delicious brewed at home. It’s faster to percolate your own, then pour it into a thermos for drinking on the go, than to stand in line at the local coffee chain and wait for them to call your name. Not to mention: cheaper.
Following that thought, consider setting time aside for meal prep and condiments. Instead of scrolling through social media, make soup. Bake muffins. Cook up tomato sauce; it takes 20 minutes to put hot pasta on the table if you have tomato sauce at hand. Whizz up some pesto.
Freeze surplus in single- or double-serving portions. It’s easy to thaw them out in the microwave or on the stovetop. You’ll thank yourself later.
Lastly: cook what you buy, and eat what you cook.
