The infamous January Blues are well and truly upon us. It’s the middle of January and most of us are already counting down until pay day! Regardless, we still need to eat.

Feeding the family doesn’t have to cost a fortune if you plan it right. A few tweaks to your weekly shop can save you a large amount of money while making sure you’re getting healthy, tasty meals! Here are a few tips that could help you fight against the January Blues.

Be Frozen Savvy

One of the best ways to save money is through buying frozen food. Not only does it cost less than fresh food on average, but it is also cost effective. Frozen food can be stored longer than fresh refrigerated food, most of it can be stored for several months without losing its quality.

Another advantage of adding frozen food to your shopping list is that it minimises waste as most of it comes pre-portioned. You will no longer be ‘guesstimating’ how much food you need to make for your family and any food that is unused can go straight back into the freezer for use another time!

For an easy, inexpensive family favourite using mainly frozen ingredients, why not try our Sweet Potato Cottage Pie.

Planning

The classic fail to prepare, prepare to fail! It may sound a bit boring and time consuming, but writing a menu for the week will help you get only what you need when you go shopping and actually help you save time and money.

Planning your meals for the week will give you a clear idea of what you need but before you hit the supermarket, check your fridge, freezer and cupboards to see what you already have. Write a detailed shopping list to follow as this will keep you from panic buying expensive meals in the evening, and it will also save you from doubling up on what you already have. Let’s face it, no one really needs 18 tins of beans!

Checking what you already have in the kitchen and planning your meals for the week before hand will guide you on what your budget for the week should be and save you over-spending.

Shopping

Try and pick out one day of the week that’s your shopping day and stick to it. If you make a stop at the store every day or several times a week, you’ll end up spending way more money in the long run.

Make sure you use your list and don’t get distracted by offers such as BOGOF which can easily lead you to buying food you don’t really want or need. If you do take advantage of them, be sure that you need the products, and will use them all.

More often than not, loyalty to one supermarket can work against us in terms of saving. We should always be aware that prices fluctuate between stores. You might find yourself making a substantial saving on your weekly shop by going to a different supermarket rather than staying loyal to one store. Shopping online allows you to compare baskets and also keeps you away from distractions as you make your way up and down the aisles!

Follow these tips and see how much saving you do this January! If you want to get started on making the most of your frozen ingredients, check out our Freezing & Defrosting FAQs and tasty frozen recipes.