If you’re thinking of taking off on your travels next year you have probably already started putting money away to be able to afford it, it’s a good idea to make a plan, including all eventualities then add a fair amount on top of your calculations for good measure. You will, however, want to cut back on your spending and make sure you’ve allowed enough time to get to where you want to be, but it will be worth it in the end.
Don’t worry though, you don’t need to live on beans for the next six months to be able to boost your savings, Buddy Loans could help too. So here are some tips on how you can save on your food bill, ensuring a healthy travel pot and healthy food intake also!
Slow cooker
This tool, especially in the winter, can be an absolute lifesaver, it’s incredible what you can cook in this handy device, anything from a whole chicken to a loaf of bread (yes really). The beauty of a slow cooker is that you can drop the ingredients in, leave it for a few hours and come back to a home-cooked meal, this is especially good for those of us working all the hours we can to boost our savings too. The other way in which a slow cooker will help you with your savings is by using cheaper cuts of meat, the slow method of cooking really helps tenderise meat, which is ideal!
Rustic Vegan
Reductions
At the end of each day most supermarkets drop the price of the food that will go to waste if it isn’t sold, you might be able to pick up a whole meal for a fraction of the cost if you are smart about it, you may even be able to work out what times of the day the reductions happen to get in there first. It’s important to remember that ‘best before’ dates don’t mean the item can no longer be used, it’s a case of using common sense and working out what is safe, it’s also good to note that a lot of these reduced items can be frozen as well. There are some fantastic bargains to be had on short shelf-life goods such as meat and bread as well quite often.
NRD
Batch Cook
Cooking meals and freezing them is a brilliant way of saving money, you will be able to pop something in the fridge once a day, and not have to worry about finding something to cook when you get home from work. Which keeps you on track and reduces the temptation to grab something “quick” to eat on your way home. This method also means you can buy and cook things in bulk, which naturally keeps costs down.
Ella Olsson
Chest Freezer
Obviously, if you are going to be freezing the reduced items from the supermarket and batch cooking meals you are going to need a decent-sized freezer to keep them in if you don’t already have one, then a chest freezer might be an excellent short term investment. It doesn’t have to be brand new, there are plenty of second-hand options to keep the costs down, but it’s definitely worth considering. You can even put loaves of bread and milk in there for the month, and buying these things on offer or close to date will definitely cut costs too.
Louise Lyshoj
Mehrsha Rajabi
Meal Planning
Writing and keeping to a meal plan is a great way to save money, stay on track and also take away the stress of working all day and then thinking about what to cook when you get home, it also helps you keep on track with your weekly shop. Meal planning also takes away the ‘just in case’ options you may have bought otherwise, and saves on waste too. There are lots of apps and websites to help you on your way with meal planning because let’s face it we don’t all have a lot of time to spare when we’re making travel plans.
Cathryn Lavery
There are many other ways you can save money on your food shop each week, and before long you’ll be on a plane sampling the best street food you can find at your chosen destination if you work hard and stick to the plan! You won’t regret cutting back for a while to fund your dream trip, whether it’s a short holiday overseas or around the world backpacking trip the meal planning and batch cooking will be a small price to pay!
Header Image by Sean O
This post is a contribution to HandZaround.com
