Tough economic times call for hard-hit measures even in meal preparations. It’s time to cut on costs without compromising on the meal plans. Frugal moms go as far as limiting the number of times they eat out as a family and opt to eat as home most of the time.
It helps to check on the calorie and nutritive content of the family meal plans. It’s of importance for them to do their grocery shopping with uttermost keenness to check if they can save a single coin. It is the best time to engage the whole family in preparing healthy meals.
What should you consider when making a meal as a mom on a budget?
- Cooking time
- Diverse tastes in the family
- Available financial resources
- Foods in season
- Special meals
You can now use the amount of money you have saved from the food budget to enroll in a course that can give you extra income.
Here are five tips to aid you to prepare budget-friendly meals
- Do bulk grocery shopping.
Bulk grocery shopping makes frugal moms organized and useful planners. The freedom it gives you to do other things with your time is immeasurable. Moreover, as an environmentalist, you reduce the amount of waste through the packages.
Retail stores get their profit from the bulk purchase (total sale price). In short, as a bulk grocery shopper, you also enjoy the discounts and the free goodies that come with bulk purchases.
Initially, it seems a tough exercise, but once it’s in your schedule, it’s the most rewarding experience. You may ask yourself, why should I do bulk shopping when I have all the time to go to the store at will? Your main challenge is not the time but the budget.
- How much do you use as fuel when going to the grocery store?
- Have you considered parking fees?
- How much do you waste on impulse buying as a frugal mom?
Don’t you think you can use the extra time to do something useful to upgrade your life?
Bulk shopping not only about the pricing on the goods but also on other costs you incur once you step out of the house. Moreover, the benefits give you the leverage to enjoy a good meal within your budget.
- Have a comprehensive meal plan
The moment you wake up and think of what to prepare for your family, you are already going to waste food. Imagine the time you spend thinking of what to cook. The probability of making two meals which end up in the fridge as a leftover is very high. Moreover, you may want to make fried rice only to realize you lack a specific ingredient along the way. You dash out to the store to get it.
Aren’t you unnecessarily wasting time and money simply because of a lack of a meal plan? You are in charge of the kitchen, get organized. You know too well the family needs in terms of food, make a comprehensive meal plan.
Let there be time for snacking, juices, fruits in a season, among others. In case you have no idea what to do, then use mobile meal plan apps as a guide but customize it to meets your family goals.
- Prepare bulk broth and freeze.
Usually, when preparing stews, you must start with a broth. Why not make a lot of it and store it in the freezer to help you save cooking gas or electricity bill? You know the standard spices and herbs you include in your stews, once you have all your vegetables from the store.
Take time and wash them. Health experts warn moms on correct ways of washing vegetables. Use safe and clean water. How do you know your water is safe? In urban areas, due to the updated design of the water filtration system at the treatment plant, most of the tap waters are considered safe- thanks to the water softeners at the point of purification.
In semi-urban and rural areas, you must have a well water softener dipped in the tanks since most of the waters are from the boreholes- untreated. You should never under any circumstances use it to clean your vegetables as it is. It is a health hazard. Washing fruits and vegetables with clean water to remove all the germ is a mandatory exercise, after which, store them for future use.
- Boil your cereals and freeze
When we talk of savings, then we look at it from an all-round perspective. It includes cooking fuels as well as electricity bills. The economies of scale state that once you use energy over a long period, you save a few unit costs.
Take time and boil your cereals, let them cool and freeze them for later use. It comes in handy to manage your meal plan. Once you feel like preparing beans, you only need to fry; after all, they are already pre-cooked. Moreover, you also have the ready-broth to save you too.
- Use technology to get additional cooking ideas.
Who said technology never benefits moms in the kitchen? When it comes to cooking; technology-especially multimedia content- equips women with practical skills on cooking ideas. Subscribe to the right cooking channels; if not, enroll in cooking classes to get the right tips to make budget-friendly meals.
We can’t forget the power of online bulk shopping. Entrepreneurs understand too well the business profits that lie in online delivery services. Save your additional costs by making your orders for your grocery shopping.
The only cost you incur is the delivery fees, which is minimal compared to parking and fuel costs. The busy mums who still want to make homemade meals benefit from this online service.
Make meal preparation memorable and fun. As you promote healthy eating habits, you are also allowing the children to understand the importance of meal planning; the knowledge sticks in their mind even for future use.