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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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So there have been a number of threads lately on how to get cheaper food and make cheaper meals, and while it's great that people are sharing money-saving tips, I thought we could have a thread that focuses on cheaper diet-friendly foods. I'll start with my tips:
- make a habit of going to your local supermarket at the time when they reduce food the most; the later in the day the more they are allowed to reduce the price. I pop into Tesco/Asda on the way home from training around 8 a couple of times a week and check the fresh produce aisle. Mixed veg packets are great for stir fries or just roasting with some oil and seasoning, and I like to sautee them and crack a few eggs over the top for a cheap meal too. The smaller Tesco Expresses are especially great for this as not many people go into these to buy fresh produce so there's always a lot left. I also fill my freezer with things like ready made mash - usually there is a lot left at the end of the day for around 20p per pot - which is easy to defrost and heat up with some veg and a protein on nights I don't feel like cooking. A lot of fresh veg can also be blanched and frozen. I've gotten some great deals on amazing quality, "finest" label veg (I tried yellow French beans for 20p the first time the other week which were delicious, and I just picked up 2 beautiful leeks for 9 whole pence the other day!)
- Check the bread aisle too, as you can get good quality fresh baked bread which keeps well in the freezer. For some reason my local supermarkets always have tons of bagels left over; I pick up the cinnamon and raisin kind for around 10p a pack and freeze for the days I fancy breakfast - they are delicious and filling with peanut butter and banana.
- A lot of people have mentioned Too Good To Go, which IS great for cheap food, but a lot of the magic bags come from places like Greggs, Starbucks, Wenzels etc so you're gonna get a lot of bread and pastry based products. My recommendation is to look out for the supermarket magic bags like Morrisons, Co-op and M&S where you're more likely to get fresh produce. I get the M&S ones quite regularly (this is how I got hooked on their Red Diamond strawberries!!!  ) and you get the most amazing quality food for £4, most of which freezes beautifully. Items I've had in the past have been bagged salads, fresh vegetables, cheese scones, coleslaw, sandwiches etc. Bear in mind I often get ready meals containing meat, but I live with meat eaters so that's not a problem - the food I keep for myself usually would have come out more expensive than £4 anyway 
- Find a market with a fruit and veg stall near you!!! I cannot emphasise this enough. Growing up, my parents put a lot of importance on eating healthy (yes I still turned out fat but that's a story for another time) but didn't have the biggest budget so used to visit the local market most weekends where you can get seriously good deals on produce - think whole punnets for £1. They would befriend the stall owners so they'd get given even better prices - it always pays to be nice. Our kitchen was always full to bursting with ample fruit and veg, and a lot of is better quality than what's in the supermarkets tbh.
- I've also heard the Olio app is good but I've not really used it myself - I think it depends on your area.
I hope these tips help someone! If you have any more please do share  |
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If you have the space grow as much as possible. There are seed suppliers on line who sell seeds for much less than you pay in garden centres. It isn't too late to get a couple of tomatoes started and salad leaves, rocket etc can be grown in a window sill. Runner beans, french beans, courgettes etc are all easy to grow. Collect rainwater in water butts or use your washing up water to water them during dry periods. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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Forgot to mention to check the chilled aisle during reduced periods too. It's mostly ready meals and chilled desserts but I usually find good meat replacements like Beyond Meat burgers (50p instead of £5!!) and quite often see meat and fish which can always be frozen. |
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By *irthandgirthMan
over a year ago
Camberley occasionally doncaster |
A lot of heavily discounted veg going out of date can just be sliced and frozen. Same as herbs (chop them up and freeze them in ice cube trays).
I bulk buy chicken portions and then freeze them in portion sizes I use. Half my freezer is full of meat. I also tend to buy cheaper cuts of meat. Pork shoulder and chicken thighs for preference. |
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For a cheap healthy food you can't beat porridge, cheap to buy, easy to cook, really good for you and it will fill you up for a long time. You can add whatever you want if you got bananas, blueberries, kiwi's etc that need using up throw them in. You can use any type of milk or even water, sweeten with sugar, honey or syrup, porridge oat's are really versatile. |
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By *orem1000Couple
over a year ago
southampton |
It's not just about finding deals, you can save a lot by getting more creative and using ingredients you normally don't use. Pulses are cheap and very nutritious, you can get much better value by buying in bulk online.
Chicken skeletons from butchers are really good too as I use them to make stock and they normally have plenty of flesh on them too that can be used in salads or sandwiches or even in the soup. |
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