Have you been thinking about how you can incorporate budget-friendly meals into your daily life?

Here, we’re sharing our top tips for creating delicious, nutritious meals without breaking the bank, from bulk buying your food to batch cooking your meals:

Budget-Friendly Meals: Chicken Curry

Bulk buying and batch cooking your food can help you to save money in the long term. Purchasing large packs of meat is often more cost-effective, since you can divide it into smaller portions and freeze for later use.

Why not try cooking a large batch of this slow cooker curry? You can add in as many vegetables as you like to add more substance to the dish and increase its nutritional value.

It’s a good idea to then freeze any leftovers in individual portions for easy-reach, healthy dinners throughout the month.

Budget-Friendly Meals: Adding Protein to Your Meals

Adding plenty of plant-based protein to your dishes is a great way to stay within your budget.

Lentils, beans and pulses are excellent sources of protein. When enjoyed as part of a meal or as a snack, these will help to satiate your hunger and reduce the temptation to snack throughout the day. 

Why not try this aubergine and lentil layered bake for a nutritious dinner on a budget?

Planning Your Meals: Reducing Food Waste

For budget-friendly meals, try planning for the week ahead. This is key to sticking to a healthy budget without compromising on flavour or nutrition.

Try to choose meals that have similar vegetable bases – such as a curry, bolognese, stew or stir fry – as this will encourage you to bulk buy your vegetables. This can lower your costs and help to reduce any food waste.

Vegetables, such as aubergine, courgettes, carrots, sweet potatoes and cauliflower, are all versatile and work well in a number of dishes.

Once you’ve divided the vegetables up between meals for the week, you can then use any leftovers to create a delicious vegetable soup. This soup recipe is delicious, nutritious and perfect for a quick lunch.

Create a Shopping List

Before you go shopping, it’s a good idea to create a shopping list. This will encourage you to plan budget-friendly meals for the week ahead, and only buy the items you need.

Try to check your kitchen cupboards before you shop to make sure you’re not unnecessarily doubling up on items.

You may also find it beneficial to work out how many meals you’ll likely need for the week; do you have plans to go to a friend’s for dinner one evening, or are you meeting your family for a Sunday roast, for example?

Working out exactly what you need for the week can help to prevent food waste and will help you to save money, which can be really useful to put away during your retirement for unexpected expenses.

Why not read our previous blog on saving for a rainy day for more helpful ways to save money?

Alternatively, contact a member of the Friary Meadow team for information about retirement living.