Are you someone who doesn’t have enough time to cook the entire day’s meals? And you are tight with the budget? There is something called meal planning on a budget which you can think of. You can plan your meal easily by keeping in mind some pro tips which will save you a lot of time and money. Also, you want to make sure it is healthy so that you drop the idea of buying fast food or ordering them. It is important to know how you can plan it effectively to feed well to your family and yourself. Below are some tips you can follow to plan meals.
#1. Make A List Of What To Buy In Bulk
Check your groceries in the kitchen, what sort of amount is left and what it needs to buy. Make a list of those items which you need daily in your kitchen like bread, grains, etc. and buy them in bulk. It will make it easy for you also these items are inexpensive generally and you can store them for a long time.
#2. Choose To Cook Simple Recipes
Try to cook simple recipes and not go with the complicated ones as they are the easy ones to cook and they will not need a lot of ingredients to cook. You can buy those ingredients in chunks. Also, you can go with the meals which can keep you full for a long time.
3. Buy On Sale
You can buy groceries in offers and sales which can save you a lot of money. You may buy it for a week or maybe for a month so that you have your ingredients even though the sale is over. In addition, you can also ask your family members what they like to eat or their favourite food so that you buy those things extra. Meal planning on a budget can become easy when you involve family with yourself.
4. Use Leftovers
Sometimes you prepare food which needs batter to get ready. You can prepare them in extra amounts so that after one meal you can use them for the next. For instance, if you are preparing it for breakfast you can either keep it for light dinner or maybe the next day’s breakfast. In advance, you can prepare dips in extra amounts so that you can use them for long days and quickly whenever you want to eat.
5. Buy Seasonal Foods
For cheaper shopping, you can go with the foods which are in season. Various fruits and vegetables are very cheap when they are seasonal. Some you can store for a little long time but some have less shelf life
6. Freeze Meals
If you cook meals in extras you can freeze them for the next meal. In this way, you can quickly have it whenever you need it. You can keep it in the oven for 2-3 minutes and eat it. This can save you time as you do not have to cook again the whole meal. But make sure to not do this for long hours as every food have its shelf life.
In Conclusion
Planning the meal is the best thing you can do to save time and money just make sure it goes in the right way. Start with planning for one day then a week and this way keep moving forward with it. Some final tips to keep in mind are to shop around for sales and specials and to cook in bulk when possible. Meal planning on a budget does require some extra effort. Choose to cook simple recipes. it is definitely possible to do. With a little planning and creativity, you can make delicious, healthy meals without breaking the bank.
How do you plan your meal? Do you plan it for a day or week? Tell us in the comments section below!
