by Rachel Alessi

Created on: September 09, 2010   Last Updated: September 10, 2010

As the cost of living continues to rise and salaries don’t, money has to go further than ever before. Feeding your family  a healthy diet on a budget can be quite a challenge; food prices overall have risen by 10 percent, and according to figures released last week by the Office of National Statistics, the price of fruit, vegetables, fruit juices and mineral water have shot up, particularly over the past month. The price of fish is also up 8 percent. The bad news is that the experts are forecasting that global food prices will increase even further this year.

 Despite all this there are ways to ensure that you and your family can eat healthily –and still enjoy a few treats – without breaking the bank.

Plan

Before you even set foot out of the door make a menu plan for the week, including the amount of fresh ingredients you will need. That way you won’t over or under estimate the amount of fresh produce you require. If you buy too much then the chances are it will perish before it gets eaten, too little and you may find yourself having to run to the local shops to top up, which could work out more expensive.

Compare prices

There are plenty of websites around which that will allow you to compare prices from a variety of supermarkets. Mysupermarket.com will compare the price of good in your virtual trolley to the identical products from a variety of other supermarkets. The site also features a ‘swap’ facility which enables you to replace an item in your trolley with a comparable product which is less expensive.  Once you have completed your shopping you are taken to the checkout of your supermarket of choice, as normal. Once you get to the checkout you can then browse a selection of voucher codes which could save you even more!

Ditch the ready meals

Yes they may be convenient – just pop them in the microwave until the steam appears on the window – but they work out much more expensive than if you were make the same dish yourself. Not only that but they are generally high in salt, sugar and saturated fats. Instead, make a big lasagne or a pot of chilli and freeze it in portions.  That way if you get in from work and you’re famished you’ve got your own home-made ready meal! Not only is it economical on your wallet, but you know exactly what ingredients have gone in it – and I’ll wager it will be much tastier than a store bought produce!

Limit Take Out

We all enjoy a take out,

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