Money Saving Meals

10 tips to cut your food bills

Cutting your food bills is easy with these 10 tips.

1. Plan ahead (at least a couple of days) so that you make the most of the food you buy. Planning also deals with the daily 'what's for dinner?' angst.
2. Make a shopping list and stick to it, so you avoid impulse purchases or stockpiling for a famine when you see 'specials'.
3. Reduce waste by storing food properly. It's estimated we waste about 20% of the food we buy! There are plenty of waste-saving ideas in our book, Money Saving Meals.
4. Buy specials that you know you will use. There is no point in buying the jumbo packet, if you eventually throw half of it out, or stocking up on foods that you know you'll have trouble getting the family to eat.
5. Save dollars with generic and house brands, especially with canned fruit and vegetables, and less processed foods like pasta, noodles, rice, oats and other grains and oil.
6. Enjoy fruit and vegetables at their best and cheapest (generally) when they are in season. This is where you can really save. Just think about the food miles and cost and say 'no' to eating summer fruits and vegetables in mid winter.
7. Pick (and inspect for freshness) your own produce (fruit and vegetables). Those pre-packed portions in the supermarket often have more than you need, and you can't tell how fresh they are.
8. Buy fewer processed foods. You pay for convenience like ready-made sauces and precooked (instant or 90 second) rice.
9. Serve up moderate portions on the dinner plates in the kitchen rather than at the table where it's all to tempting to have a little more until there are no leftovers!
10. Make the most of leftovers. Spoon them promptly into reusable airtight containers you can store in the fridge or freezer.