Feeding your family on a tight budget is very tough and challenging. You will find no excuse not to feed your family because food is one of the most basic needs of humans, and in fact it is among or probably the top most priority.
Feeding your family doesn’t mean simply providing them something to eat. You must provide them good and nutritious foods to supply their daily nutrition needs. Giving them the wrong feeds is basically like not feeding them at all. On the extreme side, feeding your family doesn’t necessarily mean eating at an expensive restaurant, or buying expensive ingredients for meals.
If you’re suffering financial struggles either during the most recent economic turn down or simply can’t live up to a good life and earn a decent or more than sufficient income, fret not. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll have be to thrifty and limited when it comes to feeding your family. Here are some ways that you can do in order to feed your family in a tight budget.
1. Make a list of what you and your family need and know the cost. Having a list simply means having a budget. If you have a list, you’ll know the things that you need and you can properly allocate money for it. Since foods are among the top priority when it comes to needs, you should allocate a greater or sufficient amount to it. If you have a budget, you will be more efficient with your finances and at the same time, you can avoid overspending or buying things that you and your family really don’t need. Take note that there is a huge difference between a need and a want.
2. Buy in bulk. Buying in bulk can make you save more cash because prices per piece are normally lower when you buy in bulk. For foods that won’t spoil immediately or have longer shelf life, buy lots of them. If you find bargains such as buy one, take ones or freebies, go for it. It will really help a lot. However, don’t overdo it. If you buy too much and won’t use it until they get spoiled, you’ll end up spending more than what you really need.
3. Scout for coupons. If you know somebody or somewhere where you can avail coupons, go for it. Coupons are cheaper way to buy items because in most cases, you get coupons cheaper than its actual benefit. A very good way to avail coupons it to befriend your local grocery store or markets and regularly canvass for one. Be a good customer and they will respond positively. If they really like you, they themselves will offer you coupons and maybe they’ll give you for free. It’s such a great bargain isn’t it?
4. Use scrap. In most cases, there will be scrap or leftovers. Be creative and as much as possible, avoid throwing leftovers. They can really make you save a lot. There are a lot of great ingredients and guides over the internet on how to make good use of leftovers. Breads can be made into a pudding, rice can be made into fried rice, fruits can be mixed and turn into salad. Be imaginative and creative. You can start by making it a point not to throw any leftovers or minimizing throwing as much as possible.
5. Look for cheaper sources. Grocery stores may be more convenient because they have basically everything that you need. However, in most cases they mark prices up making them a little more expensive than other sources. Markets are very good places to buy meat such as pork, beef, chicken and fish, and fruits and vegetables. Normally, market vendors get what they sell straight from their suppliers, hence they eliminate the middlemen making their prices cheap. If you can find a distributor, they also sell on retail sometimes and they are much cheaper than huge stores and establishments. After all, these stores mark up the prices given by distributors in order to earn profit. Look around your neighborhood, these suppliers and sources are just around the corner. You may give up a little convenience in order to save cash.