It may seem like your grocery bill is constantly creeping up and as though there is seemingly nothing that you can do about it. While it is reasonable to expect food prices to gradually trend upward, you actually can take steps to keep your groceries expense to a minimum. Large batch cooking essentially means that you double or triple a recipe. You can place the meal in several dishes and store the dishes in the freezer for use at a later date. At first glance, this may seem impractical or as though you would spend the same amount of money overall. By learning more about how large batch cooking works, you will see that this is a financially-savvy way to tackle your food expense.
Buy Ingredients in Bulk
In many cases, you can save a substantial amount of money by making a bulk food purchase. Some stores specialize in selling bulk quantities at a discounted rate, and you can also find great deals at a typical grocery store if you keep your eyes open. Be aware that buying a larger can or box does not always yield savings. Therefore, when you buy in bulk, crunch the numbers to determine the per unit or per weight price.
Plan Meals Strategically
There are several strategies that you can take to save money through smart meal planning. For example, you can take advantage of specials or coupons at your grocery store and plan your large batch cooking around money-saving opportunities. You may also estimate the cost to prepare meals that your family loves, such as lasagna or chicken noodle soup. Making a large batch of the most affordable dishes or meals that they love can help you to save money on groceries as well.
Invest in the Right Appliances and Dishes
As important as meal planning and buying affordable ingredients is, you also need to consider how practical it is for you to prepare such large quantities and how you will store the foods until you are ready to eat them. You may need to buy larger appliances, such as blenders, air mixers and electric mixers or other appliances that would be helpful. You may also need to expand your collection of covered cooking dishes and storage containers. If your kitchen freezer is already crammed full, investing in a second freezer for the garage may be necessary. Just be sure that you will get your money’s worth. After all, it may seem like you could get good use out of an electric lab mixer for large quantities, but it may not be cost effective.
Large batch cooking is an efficient way to manage meals. It can reduce your overall grocery bill and save valuable time in the process. Consider experimenting with large batch cooking today to see if it is practical for your lifestyle, and you may be surprised by how much money you can save in the process.
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