1. Buy Whole Foods. If you have the time and resources, preparing your own food from scratch rather than buying pre-made sauces, starters, and frozen dishes can help to stretch your budget. Think about it: a jar of hummus can cost up to $6, but a can of beans, clove of garlic, dash of cumin, and a lemon costs only about $3 total. That’s a 50% savings! Below is a quick and easy oil-free hummus recipe that will save you money!
2. Waste Less Food. If you’re buying whole foods, that means you’ll have a great deal of peels, scraps, and skins. Don’t let those go to waste! Try these 4 tips and reduce your food waste significantly.
1. Freeze your scraps, bits and peels.
Each time you have leftover onion skins, pepper stems, celery tops, potato peels, and green bean ends put them in a designated baggie in your freezer labeled “veggie broth scraps.” Once the bag is full, use them to make your own veggie broth!
2. Freeze meals and produce before they go bad.
Here are some proper ways to freeze your produce and some tips on freezing leftovers.
.3. Use fruit peels.
Leftover fruit peels can add a welcome zip to beverages like tea, mocktails, even just water! We especially like to add apple peels to tea or toss them with a big green salad. Oh, and whenever any recipe calls for lemon know that you can (and should!) use that extra juice and even the rind to give the recipe the extra oomph you deserve. Seriously, if you’re not zesting your lemons, stop reading this and go get a zester ASAP!
(Pro tip: if you have a cheese grater, that's a zester!)
4. Make smoothies with scraps!
Another great way to use up “scraps” is to toss those babies right in the blender and make yourself a smoothie. Celery leaves, strawberry tops, and kale stems can all be used in recipes that call for part of the aforementioned veggie or fruit. Just make sure you blend until everything’s smooth and creamy. A high-speed blender works the best.
3. Buy in Bulk. This does not mean panic-buy large amounts of a certain item. This means buy larger containers or packages of the item. For instance, buy a large bag of brown rice, once every few months, instead of buying a small bag every few weeks. Some stores even have a “bulk section” where you can pour dried foods like lentils and grains, then pay per pound. Buying in bulk can save you, on average, up to 20% off your purchase. On some items, you can save up to 50% off or more! When buying in bulk you’re best buying shelf-stable items like dried beans, grains, nuts, dried fruits, etc.
4. Batch Cook. Batch cooking can not only save you money by promoting less food waste, but it can also save you a great deal of time in the kitchen. Batch cooking ensures that nothing in your refrigerator goes to waste. Spinach starting to wilt and mushrooms on the edge? Don’t let them go to waste! Make a massive recipe, and freeze half of it in single-portion containers. Lots of veggies starting to soften in the fridge? Make a veggie stew and freeze it in single portion freezer baggies. Don’t forget to label them and add the date!
5. Repurpose leftovers and bulk produce. Instead of letting leftovers go to waste, repurpose them to make new and exciting dishes. If you have a large batch of veggie stir-fry, you can repurpose it into tacos (just add shells, beans, and avocado), stuffed peppers (mix with rice and stuff into a pepper to bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so), or mix into a breakfast scrabble. Add some oven-baked or air-fryed potatoes for a satisfying meal.
