22 Budget Tips for Eating Well Without Overspending

1. Postpone grocery day

Pushing back grocery day by two days will allow you to cook with what’s left in the fridge and freezer. Once these days have accumulated, you’ll have saved an equivalent of one week’s worth of groceries per month.

2. Use apps that will save you time and money

There are many apps that offer food and grocery discounts, but these are the three main ones that work well:

1.  FoodHero: In collaboration with IGA, Rachelle Béry and Marchés Tradition (across the province of Quebec), it features fresh products in excess that would otherwise end up in the trash.
2.  Reebee: Coupons, flyers, deals and discounts, and all in the same app. This allows you to take advantage of the best offers and save money on your purchases.
3.  Flashfood: This app lets customers buy excess produce at a discount by calling the grocery store directly and picking them up at participating stores.

3. Shop local

During harvest season, it’s time to cook with fresh herbs and vegetables from the garden. Not only will these bring colour and flavour to your dishes, they’re also cheaper than at the supermarket. If you don’t have a garden at home, shop local produce that is usually cheaper when compared to imported products.

4. Swap and save

Forgot to buy an ingredient for your recipe? Before heading back to the store, take a look around your kitchen to see if there’s a way to replace it. This will keep you from going back to the store to purchase the missing item and away from other foods that you might be tempted with that aren’t on your list! Don’t have any maple syrup for a dressing? Replace it with honey. Arugula works well in any recipe that normally requires spinach.

5. Choose an affordable cut of meat

There are many ways to reduce grocery expenses while still keeping the whole family happy, like choosing cuts of meats that are less costly. Here are four to prioritize:

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How to Choose an Affordable Cut of Meat

6. Choose other less expensive proteins

Inflation is definitely affecting the price of meat, which is allowing us to turn towards other sources of protein, such as plant-based proteins. Here are four different ones to begin using in your recipes:

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4 Cheap Meatless Proteins

7. Opt for low-cost oils

When the price of oil becomes too expensive for everyday cooking, opt for vegetable oils like canola, sunflower or corn, which yield near similar results without breaking the bank. They each boast a neutral taste, which means you can use them in many recipes. Only use olive oil in dishes that’ll benefit from its unique taste and aroma, such as a final drizzle on a dish or as part of a dressing.

8. Shop seasonal fruits and vegetables

At this time of year, we’re cooking with zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers and garlic, whereas in winter, we focus on recipes that call for potatoes, rutabaga and carrots. Use these ingredients on rotation whenever they’re on sale. Each week, buy three or four different fruits and veggies and not more than that. You’ll have some variety over the course of a month. Here’s a list of vegetables that keep well: 

• Potatoes: Store them for about 10 days at room temperature away from a light source, or for up to two months in a cool space, like the vegetable crisper in the refrigerator. 
• Rutabaga: Store them in a cool and dark location, like the refrigerator, where they’ll keep for many months without issue. 
• Brussels sprouts: They’ll keep for two weeks, so long as you wrap them in a dry paper towel without packing them too tightly, and then sealing them in a plastic bag stored in your fridge’s vegetable drawer. 
• Onions: Store them in a dark and dry place like the pantry. Keep them away from potatoes, as these will accelerate their ripening. In these conditions, onions will keep for one to two months.
• Carrots: Store them in the refrigerator in a perforated plastic bag. This way, they’ll keep for four weeks.

9. Zone in on affordable foods at all times

There are many out there, but here’s a non-exhaustive list of ingredients that are (almost!) always at a low price:

• Pasta
• Potatoes
• White rice
• Legumes
• Tofu
• Eggs
• Lean ground meat
• Bone-in chicken

10. Keep low-cost staples in your pantry

Peanut butter, mayonnaise, ketchup and more are all condiments to keep on hand for added flavour to your dishes. Here are five pantry essentials to always have in stock:

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Low-Cost Pantry Essentials

11. Plan, plan, plan

See double by planning two meals that include similar ingredients so that you may buy them in larger quantities. Is pork tenderloin on sale? Take advantage of this deal and buy enough to add cubes of it to veggie fried rice or thin slices in a salad. You end up using the protein in two ways and your meals end up less redundant.

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Braised Pork Shoulder with Onions

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Braised Pork Macaroni Casserole

12. Don’t forget the classics

Focus on classic recipes that you know off the top of your head, while allowing yourself to attempt a new recipe twice per week, time permitting. The idea is to make a list of simple dishes that you want to make and that can be cooked in the time that’s available to you.

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General Tao Tofu

13. Save at the butcher shop

Discount or no discount, the ranking of these eight affordable cuts of meat will help you make a more informed choice. Here they are, priced per 100 g, from least to most expensive, at the time this article was written:

14. Budget side dishes

There’s no need to spend a fortune on tasty sides. Yes, rice is great due to its speed and simplicity, but you can also make a vegetable gratin, cheesy potato skins or a creamy polenta. There are so many big ideas, even with little means!

15. Opt for dry noodles

At the grocery store, there is a wide variety of affordable dry Asian noodles available. They’re made of rice, wheat or buckwheat and they can save your weeknight meals thanks to their quick cooking time. Bonus: they’re a hit with the kids, too. Ready, set, slurp!

16. Enjoy ready-to-eat products

For busy nights, always have a prepared dish handy in the freezer that was purchased on sale, like a lasagna, pizza or chicken nuggets. Even if it’s a bit expensive, it’s way less pricey than ordering out!

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RICARDO Food Products

17. Avoid buying too much

Don’t purchase too much of an item when it’s on sale. Know that discounts always come back every 4 to 6 weeks, so it’s not necessary to buy 12 cans of tuna if you don’t intend to cook with them in the coming weeks.

18. Prepare food in advance

Chopping raw veggies, hard-boiling eggs and cooking rice allows you to save time. Your ingredients are ready and all that’s left is to assemble them. This also reduces the temptation to buy something pre-cooked which will likely cost more.

Pressure Cooker

Pressure Cooker Hard-Boiled Eggs

19. Make use of the freezer

Use your freezer wisely and understand your usual consumption habits. You’ll want to avoid stuffing your freezer with trays of chicken thighs bought on sale if you’re not really a fan of chicken, and then they’ll end up inedible thanks to freezer burn. If you’re a fan of cheese, however, then you can purchase a bunch of bricks when they’re on sale. Freeze some to enjoy at a later date.

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Our 10 Commandments for Freezing Food Smartly

20. Keep an eye on flyers

Checking grocery store flyers is the best way to save. They’re published on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, as the discounts are available as of Thursday. Note that the best deals can be found in the first few pages of the flyer. Now all that’s left is to write up your grocery list.

21. Bake your own snacks

Baking one or more snacks each week, whether it’s chewy bars or banana bread, is more cost effective than buying packaged versions at the store.

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Snacks

22. Know your prices

Knowing the real price of the food that you regularly consume is a good way to save. Do so by regularly checking flyers as well as the price stickers affixed on items. This way, when they’re on sale, you’ll know whether it’s an actual deal. Be aware that just because an ingredient is featured in a grocery flyer, this doesn’t mean that it’s being sold at a substantial discount.

Between the time we wrote this article and the moment you are reading this, a lot may have occurred! In these times of inflation, given that food prices can vary greatly, don’t hesitate to substitute certain ingredients in the suggested recipes.