Eating during corona virus on a budget

One of the problems many will face over coming weeks and months is feeding and eating on a reduced budget and with reduced supplies. For example feeding kids that would normally eat at school. I will try and share some things I have done when money has been tight and mix it with good ideas I have seen shared on line.

1/kids. if kids are home and therefore wanting food there's 2 ideas maybe worth following. One is to introduce pack lunch's at home, especially if that's how they eat at school. You can show the child the food set aside until the usual evening meal, any snacks you might allow during the day can be in that container so they might plan how they eat. Another idea on this theme is a tuck shop where you give the child a set amount each day that they then buy snacks with. Set prices so they cant have too much and it will also help with maths.

Something I do for myself and for the clients I care for at work is to create snack bags. Rather then large bags of sweets or fruit or whatever I use freezer bags to make smaller amounts. This can make things smaller and can help a budget go further. Mine contain dried fruit and nuts, healthy and not to fattening.

Another idea is to create a cookery lesson during the morning so the kids learn how their food is prepared. Its educational as well as money saving. They can maybe design their own pizza topping or design cup cakes. Adding education can always be useful, especially if they don't notice its happening.

2/budget cooking. With some basic pasta, frozen veg, hot dog sausages and tomato sauce you can create some nice meals. Its all done in one saucepan and can be done to individual taste. The expense depends if you use branded products or own brand items. Cook the pasta in the pan with water, add the veg until cooked. Drain and add the sauce. That's it, if avaidible mix in cheeses and currants.

Creative sandwiches can be cheap and simple, also younger family members can make their own. Shops own brand ham or cheese plus a sauce can be plenty. Even suggest doing like many restaurants are doing now and have fishfinger sandwiches.

Buying in bulk can save money if you have the storage. A bag of chicken breasts can give you meat for roast, curry, soup, sandwich's and so much more. Another trick for chicken is to cut it into chunks and put it in to a frying pan with just a small amount of water. When the chicken starts to stick to the pan move it around and stir the water where its burnt to the pan. Add water as needed and the fat in the chicken will do the rest. The water and burn mixed together makes a BBQ style sauce to add after made basically made of water.

If you haven't already grown your own food now might be a good time to start. Now is planting time if you can find places selling seeds still, maybe look on line. You save money on food, give kids and adults something to do and there is a great sense of achievement if you eat food you grew yourself.

Many foods one prepared can be frozen, so consider making bigger amounts and then freezing for another time. This applies especially to soups and stews but also many others. It can save prep time on future meals, save extra shopping trips and could mean you could eat things not avaidible at a later date.

3/shopping. Consider the so called cheaper shops and their products. They might be like your used to and the products might appear slightly different but they often taste just as good as branded things. The fruit and veg are nearly always cheaper and of course aren't affected by brands and so will be the same.

As said before bulk buys can be good, especially if there are deals on that might save you money over time. Consider how much of an item you would use and whether its shelf life is long enough. Also look at the deals carefully as some will save a lot if you buy differently to normal. I saw a 6 pack of yoghurt that was about half the price of buying them separately. I also saw 1.5 litre bottles of coke cheaper then 1 litre because of discounts.

Keep hold of loyalty card vouchers and those you find in magazines and packaging. Discounts can be small but over time could add up to a worthwhile saving.