by Katerina Nikolas

Created on: January 23, 2010   Last Updated: January 27, 2011

Sharp increases in the price of basic food staples is an issue which is affecting households globally. As people budget to reduce their weekly grocery bills there are sensible measures that can be taken to cut costs without living on a diet of cheap processed foods. The amount of money you spend on food each month is probably way more than the amount you spend on actual groceries. One crucial piece of advice is don’t pay for your groceries on credit, or you could find yourself still paying for Fridays supper three months down the line.

Keep a running total of the dollars you spend on picking up coffees, snacks, and the price of meals out, and add that amount to your grocery bill. These are the first areas you can cut back on and save money at the expense of convenience. If you are lucky enough to live in the countryside then go out and forage for free food, herbs and wild greens. There are some really good recipes out there for cooking snails, the height of culture in Paris.

Going back to basics is a good way to learn to save money on food. Think back to the days before fast food, processed food, convenience foods and ready meals. A heady thought perhaps as it leaves fresh food to be prepared, but the savings by cutting back on the former will soon add up hugely.

Before you even think of shopping sit down and plan the meals for a week. It is good practice to make one for that day and one for the freezer, or even more, then all you need to do is heat it up the next time you fancy it. It is bound to taste better than ready meals, and you can make it exactly as you like. Also optimize what you buy by planning to make it last for more than one night. Don't consider it eating leftovers when you cook chicken in garlic and onions, with rice and cream, the night after roasting a chicken.

Big pans of stew are easy to prepare and can then be left to their own devices whilst cooking, and taste especially good on the second night. Things like a bolognaise sauce can be cooked in large quantities and frozen in smaller quantities to add to shepherds pie, moussakas, lasagne and spaghetti, so most of the work is already done on the night you fancy one of those. Also this means you aren’t cooking every evening; there are times when you just aren’t in the mood but the food will still be there for you. Do a mass cook when  in the mood for it, and it fill the freezer up at the same time.

Once you have your meals planned then write

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