A savvy homeowner has revealed she saves £25-per-week by simply meal prepping and batch cooking.
Beth Hancock, 34, from South Wales, decided to start meal prepping to ensure her family were eating healthily, but soon found that as well as having health benefits, the cooking technique was saving her a fortune, too.
‘I started meal prepping and batch cooking before I started university in September 2019, so not very long ago,’ the student nurse and mother-of-two told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk.
‘I started prepping and freezing to ensure my family had healthy meals through the week when I knew I wouldn’t have time to cook from scratch.’
Beth Hancock (pictured), 34, from South Wales, told how she saves £25-per-week by meal prepping and batch cooking
The student nurse started meal prepping to ensure her family were eating healthily, but soon found out the cooking technique was saving her a fortune too. Pictured, a few of Beth’s dishes
Organised Beth also has a meal planner so her family are aware of what dishes they’re having when. Pictured, a few of Beth’s dinners, including chilli
She continued: ‘I have a meal planner so everyone knows what we are having and when, and all that needs “cooking” is rice or potatoes.
‘I make all sorts, such as soups, casseroles, pasta sauces, shepherd’s pies, curries and chilli.’
Beth sets aside part of her Sunday to cook for the rest of the week, which she finds saves her a lot of time later on in the week.
‘I always cook on a Sunday,’ she explained. ‘My process when meal prepping is probably very similar to other people. I gather all of the ingredients I’ll need for each dish, prep any vegetables and then get to work.’
The mother-of-two revealed she makes all sorts – including soups, casseroles, pasta sauces, shepherd’s pies, curries and chilli. Pictured, Beth’s bolognese
Beth, who always chooses to batch cook on a Sunday, explained that she gathers all the ingredients she’ll need for each dish, preps any vegetables and gets to work. Pictured, a casserole dish
The 34-year-old revealed that meal prepping saves her up to an hour each night as all she has to do the rest of the week is heat up the food and cook the rice. Pictured, one of Beth’s chocolate desserts
‘I can spend a few hours in the kitchen for sure, but I love it. I usually have about four meals cooking at once which can get confusing, but no mistakes have been made so far.’
She continued: ‘Meal prepping saves me up to an hour each night as all I have to do the rest of the week is heat up the food and cook the rice, which takes less than 10 minutes.’
‘Life can get busy at times, especially with work and kids. Meal prepping ensures that you’re eating healthy and nutritious meals.’
‘I’m a student nurse so I have placements, university and essays and exams to contend with as well as running the family home, so I wanted to make sure that the food I fed my family was healthy.’
Beth says she easily saves up to £25 a week by bulk cooking, and even more if she buys reduced meat and vegetables.
Offering advice to others hoping to save the pennies, Beth says to invest in some good quality tubs which are suitable for freezing. Pictured, her prepared ingredients
All of Beth’s meals can be defrosted and heated in the microwave. She described them as homemade ready meals but without the additives and price tag. Pictured, the savvy mum’s shepherd’s pie
Beth told how one major benefit of meal prepping is that you can eat healthy and nutritious meals when you’re in a rush. Pictured, a chicken and bacon dish
‘Put it this way, I spent around £30 last week and made enough evening meals for two weeks for a family of four adults,’ she explained.
‘I buy reduced meat and vegetables (which I freeze until needed) but if I could hazard a guess, I save easily £25-a-week by not buying convenience food.
‘I’m not saying it’s possible for everyone to do the same, but buying reduced food definitely cuts the food bill costs as well as ensuring you’re getting fruit and vegetables in your diet.’
Beth has top tips for anyone who wants to copy this savvy trick, including starting off slowly and using Google as an invaluable tool.
‘Start off with your favourite dishes and just increase the quantity (I usually double) and invest in some good quality tubs which are suitable for freezing,’ she recommended.
‘I love cooking, but I don’t always have the time during the week, so my Sunday cooking sessions feed my passion.
‘I also love knowing that my kids can’t say there’s nothing to eat in the house – plus, they are eating healthily.’
‘All my meals can be defrosted and heated in the microwave, so basically they are homemade ready meals but without the additives and price tag.
‘Don’t be afraid to meal prep – I have Googled so many times about what you can and can’t freeze, how to defrost and so on, but it’s all about trial and error and I haven’t poisoned anyone yet!’
Beth buys reduced meat and vegetables which she freezes until she uses. Pictured, the reduced price fruit and vegetables
Along with bagging bargain vegetables (pictured), Beth advises for anyone keen to follow in her footsteps to start off slowly and use Google as an invaluable tool