Dinner at a friendly price: how to save money
Are you a real whiz in the kitchen, but are the costs spiraling out of control? Don’t you want to cut back on your cooking skills, but still enjoy delicious meals without financial worries? Fortunately, there are several ways to spend less money on food and preparing it. You’ll soon have a nice amount left over! Curious about these smart tips? Then read on.
How much does cooking cost?
You may not be fully aware of the costs involved in your kitchen adventures. If you enjoy cooking elaborate meals, energy costs can sometimes add up quickly. The overview below shows the average prices per heat source:
- Oven: €0,92 (2-3 kWh)
- Air fryer: €0,54 (1,4-2 kWh)
- Cooking on gas: €0,50*
- Cooking on induction: €0,98* (1,4-2,2 kWh)
- Deep fryer: €0,51 (1,5-2,5 kWh)
- Gourmet cooking: €0,36 (1,2-1,5 kWh)
- Fondue: €0,22 (1 kWh)
*Based on three burners and 60% power. Source: Independer
Does cooking regularly leave you with a high energy bill? Comparing different energy providers and suppliers might help you save money. Your comparison may result in a cheaper rate than what you currently pay for electricity.
Tip 1: Buy your ingredients at a discount
Do you also love finding good deals at the supermarket? Check out the offers supermarkets have so you can make recipes with inexpensive ingredients. By checking these before doing your grocery shopping, you can shop more affordably.
Sometimes you can also get extra discounts on products that are nearly past their expiration date. Think of TooGoodToGo offers, for example at your local supermarket or bakery. Do you want to buy these products but can’t use them right away? In general, you can easily store them in the freezer.
Tip 2: Prepare several meals at once
Meal prepping has been very popular for quite some time. It not only saves time, but can also help reduce costs. Can’t you bring yourself to prepare an entire meal after a long day at work? Instead of ordering or picking up food, you can grab a ready-made meal you prepared yourself from the refrigerator. This prevents unnecessary impulse purchases, which can save you a lot of money.
Tip 3: Past the expiration date? Check it first
Do you always stick very closely to the expiration date? Of course, it’s important to be careful, but many products are still perfectly fine to use after their expiration date. So don’t throw them away immediately; look, taste and smell carefully to determine whether the product is still edible. That way, you won’t have to keep buying new products.
Tip 4: Avoid ready-made products
Pre-cut vegetable packs and ready-made sauces may be wonderfully convenient, but they often cost more. Pre-cut vegetables and fruit also go past their expiration date much faster, which is a real shame. By making a little extra effort and preparing your own Bolognese sauce or cutting cauliflower yourself, you can easily save a few euros a week. It all adds up!
Delicious and affordable
If you think you have to pay a lot of money to eat well: think again. By shopping smart and planning ahead, you’ll soon spend much less! Check the tips above to see where you can save.
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