Everyone is feeling the pinch at this time of year – so a new list of cost-cutting kitchen hacks could help you to make your money go further.
The tips and tricks reveal how to bulk out dishes so you can eat them again as leftovers, and even how to make your own laundry detergent, which ends up costing just 1p a load.
From the essential cooking skills you’ll need to learn to save serious cash, to tips for hunting down the best bargains at the supermarket, these hacks from discount meat retailer MuscleFood could help you slash your grocery bills for good.
Everyone is hard up in January as it’s just after Christmas and New Year so these money-saving food hacks may come in useful
1. BULK OUT MINCE
When making minced beef dishes (such as spaghetti bolognese, shepherd’s pie, chilli con carne etc.) crumble a wheat biscuit or two in to the mixture – it will make the mince go further.
2. SHOP AT NIGHT
Buy supermarket products at the end of the day such as vegetables and fruit and freeze them. They last ages and they’re often very reduced in price. Not only will you save a lot of money, but you can have fruits and vegetables that are out of season all year round.
3. PLAN OUT MEALS
Food prep and meal planning is a necessity. Buy in bulk and snap up anything with a reduced sticker on, then spend aday prepping as many meals as you can to freeze for the week ahead.
4. MAKE DETERGENT
Apparently you can make your own detergent by mixing grated soap with washing soda and lemon or lime essential oils, which will make your soda go further and end up costing just 1p a load
This sounds crazy but you can learn to make your own laundry soap. It can save you up to £500 a year and ends up costing about 1p per load. All you’ll need is a grated bar of soap, two cups of washing soda, and a few drops of lemon or lime essential oils.
5. SHOP AFTER EATING
Always do your food shop after you’ve eaten, as shoppers are more likely to make impulse buys on an empty stomach.
6. CROUCH DOWN
Make sure to look on lower shelves in supermarkets as stores often hide discount items here and use your line of sight to their advantage by plaicng the most expensive branded products in your eyeline.
7. GROW POTATOES
Put green potatoes in your compost heap and you’ll have free potatoes growing in no time.
8. BUY WHOLE CHICKENS
If you can joint a chicken, you can save serious cash as often you can pick up a whole chicken for just a few pounds – and it can easily turn into several meals
Learn how to joint a chicken properly. This way you can buy a reduced fresh chicken and get two meals out of each bird plus a soup from the scraps and the bones.
9. BUY ANOTHER FREEZER
It might be a good tip to buy an additional second-hand freezer if you can never fit enough in your normal freezer to use it solely for freezing leftovers. You can also use it to store meals that you’ve bulk cooked.
10. HAVE A LUNCH CLUB
Try to set up a lunch club at work. You can take it in turns to provide a lunch each for your group and bulk cook soup or pasta when it’s your turn. It’ll save you the bother and expense of making daily lunches for yourself.
11. DON’T HAVE AN EMPTY FREEZER
If your freezer is empty towards the end of the month, fill IT with cardboard boxes and bottles of water as an empty freezer uses more electricity than a full one.
12. HAVE A FREEZER LIST
Make a list of what is in your freezer and update it every time you take something out, as this way you won’t end up with anything forgotten at the back of your freezer. You can then take the list shopping with you so you won’t buy duplicate products. It’s also a good idea to label items in your freezer with what they are so you don’t forget and then throw it out because you don’t know what’s inside.