10x the best tips and tricks for saving money on food
Yes, yes, we know by now: food and drinks have become more expensive. Especially when doing the grocery shopping, and otherwise on the water bill too, because even drinking water has become more expensive. With these tips, you can still save money on food.
To still be able to eat out, or occasionally treat yourself to an outrageously expensive coffee, saving on your groceries is a must. Not only by taking advantage of discounts and stocking up on special offers, but also by shopping smartly and handling the groceries you buy wisely. With these 10 tips and tricks from budget shoppers, you’re guaranteed to have something left over at the end of the month.
1. Buy potatoes
Potatoes are healthy and can be prepared in all kinds of ways. Because yes, anyone who thought boiling and baking were the only ways to prepare potatoes is seriously behind the times. For example, we love steamed potatoes and potatoes baked in aluminum foil. We love Anthony Bourdain’s legendary French fries, and ever since we ate it in France last summer, we’ve also loved making truffade at home. An added bonus: a tuber like that costs next to nothing. Budget cooking with potatoes: a top tip!
2. Buy canned pulses
Pulses are cheap, healthy, long-lasting and very easy to prepare. It’s easy to vary, because there’s plenty available: from chickpeas to lima beans and from kidney beans to lentils. Stock up, and quickly. Then try making a lukewarm spinach and carrot salad with lentils or a stew with bratwurst and lentils. YUM. And another money-saving tip: when buying edamame, go for the frozen version, because at Albert Heijn, the price difference is bizarre between the frozen and thawed versions. (This applies to many products, by the way—check the blueberries, for example!)
3. Buy oats
It’s getting a little boring, but oats are also healthy, cheap and incredibly versatile. We naturally know them as a breakfast staple, but you can also use them in your baking or add them to homemade granola. Our absolute favorite recipe: this apple-pie oatmeal by Morgane van Marcke. 100% plant-based, so it’s also a winner for the vegans among us.
4. Buy celeriac
Super healthy and, yes, cheap. I like making fries from it: peel the celeriac, cut it into fries and boil for 2 minutes. Toss with salt and your favorite dried herbs, then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Half an hour in the oven at 225 degrees and they’re ready. Sonja Bakker, eat your heart out (bad timing for bringing Sonja into this, I realize now).
5. Buy canned fish
Canned fish is just as healthy as fresh fish, but cheaper. Canned anchovies are a great example. You can do all kinds of things with them. Add them to your Caesar’s salad, for example, or mix them into your pasta sauce. Even better: make this insanely delicious chicken with anchovy butter. It’ll open up a whole new world for you, guaranteed.
6. Don’t throw away stale bread
This isn’t a buying tip, but rather a don’t-throw-this-away tip. Stale bread is ideal for toasties, and you can make all sorts of things with a few slices that have gone dry, from croutons to panko (breadcrumbs). What’s more, there’s a super handy hack for making stale bread crispy again. So don’t throw it away!
7. Use up fresh herbs
Extremely annoying: recipes that require only a sprig, pinch or hint of fresh herbs. One sprig of mint, for example, or a gram of chives. What do you do with the rest? All sorts of things! Use them in soup or salad. Make fresh mint tea with leftover mint sprigs. Make your own herb butter with chives or parsley. Anyone who gets creative with herbs spends less money. Or something like that. And if you’re extra smart, make things easier for yourself by buying a herb stripper. It’ll save you quite a bit of chopping.
8. Buy frozen fruit and vegetables
It breaks my heart every time I go to the supermarket and see how ridiculously expensive my beloved fresh raspberries are. But hey, there’s a solution to my sorrow, as described above. Frozen raspberries! And not just those—you can now find virtually every type of fruit and vegetable in the freezer aisle. Even frozen lemon slices. Choosing frozen means getting more for less money. And that’s despite the fact that it’s just as healthy as fresh vegetables and fruit. Straight to the freezer aisle!
9. Buy (lots of!) tomato paste
Cans of tomato paste cost practically nothing. And that’s despite the fact that you can do so much with them. It’s the ultimate flavor booster for just about any sauce you can think of. So fill your kitchen cupboard with it—and with this hack, you can get tomato paste out of the can easily.
10. Make soup
You can turn almost anything into soup. Yes, even lettuce (although I might personally prefer to skip that one). So if you have leftover vegetables, make soup! It’s also easy to freeze and reheat later. That way, you’ll have several meals in stock at a low cost. My favorites: Grandma Ditje’s chicory soup and good old chicken soup. Deli-cious.
Read also:
- 7x these things are ridiculously cheap at the supermarket
- 5x the best meals from the ‘poor man’s kitchen’
- Research shows: this supermarket has the cheapest store brands
- 9x how to save money even as the supermarket gets more expensive
Image: Dirk
