Saving money on food shops - Meal planning

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This post will cover how I lay the foundations to do a cost effective meal plan. But also, how I cut the costs on the food shop itself and prolong my foods life by storing it properly! 

The first thing I do is take a stock check. 

I focus on what fresh ingredients I have in my fridge the most. This helps me minimise waste. For example, I currently have a pepper and some mushrooms in the fridge, I'm thinking of doing some stuffed mushrooms and pepper for lunch tomorrow! 

Then, after jotting down what I have excess in the fridge, I search the cupboards for what tins or general dry store ingredients I have. 

I make a note of these and get my thinking cap on.

Some examples I've previously done are -

Stock cubes, sausages, split peas, lentils and pearl barley - I'll make a scotch broth

Lentils, onions, chopped tomatoes and mushrooms - Bolognese 

Flour, cheese, mustard, pasta - something resembling Mac cheese

It's okay for these ideas to be missing a couple of ingredients, that's what the food shop is for! 

When planning my food shop, I take into account how can I make a variety of food and textures at a cost effective price? 

Financially speaking and nutritionally, if you were to eat a grand spag bowl every night. It would be great, but by the end of the week you'd be sick of it. 

With this in mind, I really focus on textures. Something with rice, pasta, starchy carbs, maybe a little side salad. Soup, curry, Ragu. This is also so important with my little one weaning, exposing her to a variety of textures! 

Also, mix in some vegan and vegetarian dishes! Not only does this significantly reduce the cost of meal, it's delicious! So much goodness is jam packed into veggie and vegan dishes! 


When it comes to the food shop itself, 

Cut. Out. Brands. 

Use supermarket own branded products where available! These are 99% of the time just as good as the labelled products but at a fraction of the cost. Paying for packaging is real. Don't fall for it! 

Also, if you want to create a nice freezer stash, if you're able to, double up your dinner/ bulk it with more veg and pulses. You save energy costs cooking it all at once and have a nice amount to freeze down! 



Food storage and prep


When comes to storing your food, always follow packet instructions. If you're ever unsure, Google is your friend! 

Bit of boring kitchen stuff I learnt as my time as a chef - 

Your fridge should be between 1-5⁰c. I aim for between 2⁰c and 4⁰c as this really does ensure freshness. 

Freezer, aim for between -18⁰c and -24⁰c. This will keep the produce nicely frozen and prevent bacterial growth. 

When cooling food to store in the fridge or freezer, it should fall from +75⁰c (this is the temperature you cook too) to 8⁰c and below within a 2 hour period. 

If you're keeping food warm, it must reach 75⁰c and remain above 63⁰c for a maximum of 2 hours before needing to be discarded. 

I highly recommend investing in a cheap probe, they come in very handy!

When I store food in the fridge or freezer, I aim for airtight seals. My go too are actually zip lock bags. I fill it with the food, lay it on the side and squeeze the air out before zipping shut! Not only is this not as bulky as containers, it's more airtight! 

The beautiful thing with zip lock bags is you can technically re use them or buy reusable ones! Now if I put a pasta sauce in one, that's written off. But, chopping up a red pepper or some onions? Give it a rise out and pop it on your draining board to dry! 

I can't recommend enough to label your food! Write the day you made it to keep track of leftovers ect... Those plain white sticky labels work grand! This was drilled into me working in a kitchen, I guess old habits die hard! 

As a rule of thumb, I store in 3's in my home, 

3 days in the fridge
3 months in the freezer

This is just a guide, always check food before consuming or throwing! Completely depending what it is, it may last longer or spoil quicker! 

I visit my local supermarket daily. I am fortunate enough to have supermarkets a walking distance from myself. I buy what I need for the day and it gets me and the little lady out for a nice walk! 

I know this isn't always possible, I highly recommend shopping 3 days at a time. If you're doing weekly shops, buy any dry store/ long life ingredients but if you're able too, shop your fresh veg/ fruit and meat every few days. 

This really reduces food waste and spoilage significantly! Also, it makes it easier to keep track of everything!

I really hope this helps with future food planning and storage! If you ever have any suggestions, pop a comment down below and I'd love to hear what you think! 

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