Eat well for less

There’s a moment in the supermarket most of us know. You pick up the salmon, look at the price, and put it back. Then you walk past the meal deals, three for a fiver, and wonder whether eating well is only for people with bigger budgets.

It isn’t. Some of the most filling, nourishing food in the shop is also the cheapest. The trick is knowing where to look, and building a few habits that stop money, and food, ending up in the bin.

Start with a plan, not a basket

Unplanned shops cost more. Before you go, check what’s already in the fridge and cupboards, plan four or five evening meals around it, and write a list. It sounds obvious because it works: you buy less on impulse, and less goes off before you get to it.

• Plan meals that share ingredients. A bag of spinach can go into an omelette on Monday and a curry on Wednesday.
• Shop after you’ve eaten. Hungry shopping is expensive shopping.
• Check the price per kilo on the shelf label, not the price on the pack. Bigger isn’t always cheaper.

The cheap foods that do the most work

Protein and fibre are what keep you full between meals, and both come cheaply once you know where to find them.

• Eggs. One of the lowest-cost sources of good-quality protein, and ready in minutes.
• Tinned beans, lentils and chickpeas. Protein and fibre together, no soaking needed. Rinse them to cut the salt.
• Tinned fish. Sardines, mackerel and tuna keep for months and make a meal in no time.
• Frozen vegetables and fruit. Frozen soon after picking, so they keep their goodness, and none of it wilts at the back of the fridge. They count towards your five a day.
• Oats. A filling breakfast that costs very little per bowl.
• Own-brand staples. Supermarket own-label tins, frozen veg and dairy are often every bit as good as the big brands. Try dropping a brand level on the basics and see whether you notice.

Cook once, eat twice

Batch cooking is where the biggest savings are. A large pot of chilli, soup or stew costs little more to make than a small one, and the extra portions go in the freezer for the evenings when you’d otherwise reach for a takeaway.

• Label and date what you freeze, so it gets eaten.
• Freeze in single portions. They’re easier to grab, and easier to stop at.
• Bulk out meat dishes with lentils, beans or extra vegetables. Half the mince, same size pot.

Waste less, spend less

UK homes throw away millions of tonnes of food every year, and a lot of it could have been eaten. Every bit you save is money back in your pocket.

• Keep a “use first” shelf in the fridge for anything close to its date.
• Know your dates. “Use by” is about safety: don’t eat food after it. “Best before” is about quality: food is usually fine after it, if it looks and smells right.
• Turn leftovers into lunches. Last night’s roasted vegetables make tomorrow’s wrap.
• Freeze bread and toast it from frozen.

What a day could look like

• Breakfast: porridge made with milk, topped with frozen berries.
• Lunch: a bowl of lentil and vegetable soup from the weekend’s batch, with a slice of wholemeal bread.
• Dinner: a vegetable-packed chilli made with half mince, half beans, with rice.
• If you’re peckish: a yoghurt, a piece of fruit or a boiled egg.

One habit at a time

Eating well on a budget isn’t about finding the perfect meal plan. It’s a handful of small habits, repeated until you don’t think about them. Pick one this week (the list, the batch cook, the “use first” shelf) and let it settle in before you add the next.

Your bank balance won’t notice any single change. It will notice all of them together.