Healthy eating on a budget

Healthy eating is one of the main ways we can take care of ourselves, whether in a recession or not, but in tough times it can seem much harder. We all know we should get our “five a day” and eat lots of whole grains, limiting our intake of fats and sugars.

In fact, if we all had personal chefs to prepare all our meals, we would have no trouble at all in eating well!

I’ve got a little list

• Plan your shopping and make a list.
• But be prepared to be flexible, if you get to the shops and something is on special offer then substitute it.
• Do not, however, be seduced by special offers on things you will not use, or which will cost you more than your original list.
• Pad things out with beans and lentils; you can use half the meat that way.
• Look at the cheaper ranges in shops: even the more expensive supermarkets are doing basic ranges.
• Look at nutritional labels: sometimes the cheaper brands are actually healthier because they contain less of any expensive ingredients, such as cream.
• Consider shopping with a friend to take advantage of the BOGOF (Buy One Get One Free) offers and multi-buys.
• Take a calculator to the supermarket; it is sometimes hard to work out which packet is the better value.

The Big Freeze

Have you got a freezer? If not, think about registering with your local Freecycle to get one. With a freezer, you can cook double, and take advantage of those end of day deals at supermarkets. If you already have a freezer, give it a good clear out now. You will be surprised what there is in there you can make a meal out of....and also what needs throwing away because you will never use it in a million years.

Grow your own

Do you have a garden or could you put your name down for an allotment? Growing things takes time but some things are easier than others, tomatoes and courgettes for instance. If you get a bumper crop, freeze some for during the winter. You can even use a sunny porch to grow some things.

TOP TIPS

• Make a weekly list of meals and only shop for what you need
• However, be prepared to change the menu depending on what’s on offer this week
• Look for fruit and veg in season; it will be much cheaper
• What can you make at home for a fraction of the shop price? Can you pop your own corn, bake a cake, take a packed lunch instead of buying a sandwich?
• Could you team up with a friend and cook for each other once a week? It will work out cheaper in terms of ingredients per person and will be good fun too.