Our five tips to help you get on top of your food budget

It’s no secret that food prices are going up everywhere you look. According to Statbel, food – the second-highest expense for the Belgian workforce – is often the first thing that people look at in times of crisis. In the current climate, 16% of employees in Belgium say they’re cutting back on their food budget. However, there are solutions available to make sure you can put food on the table without breaking the bank.

How can you reduce your food budget? How can you avoid unnecessary spending? We’ve put together five tips on how you can lower the price you pay at the till without buying less or compromising on quality!

1. Ask yourself the right questions

2. Plan your meals for the week

While it’s true that planning your meals for the week may seem time-consuming and somewhat limiting, it’s far and away the best tip to help you cut back on your food budget.

What’s more, planning your meals for the week gives you peace of mind as well as helping you to make real savings. Here are three reasons why you should plan your meals for the week:

• You will only buy what you need. This will allow you to have a clear idea of what’s in your cupboards, you only buy the required amounts, and you limit any unnecessary food waste.
• You can plan easy recipes with few ingredients. This tip helps you to avoid buying sprigs of coriander for more than €2 that you’ll only use half of. What’s more, you will be able to optimise the use of certain electrical appliances, such as the oven.
• You can plan a meal using leftovers for the day on which you don’t feel like cooking. You could also find yourself rustling up a quick quiche or gratin using the vegetables left in the fridge at the end of the week.

3. Adopt the right habits

To lower your food budget, there are several quick and easy tips that you can follow. We’ve listed three good habits you can adopt straight away:

• Consider cooking double the amount on certain days. All that’s left to do is put the remaining food in the freezer. You’ll then have a delicious meal to put on the table when the leftovers aren’t quite enough.
• Never shop on an empty stomach! Why? Because impulse buys dictated by hunger pangs or buying in bulk will be hard to avoid. Such items will often be those that are high in fat and sugar and can already be found in your cupboards. What’s more, the extra items will all add up to make a huge dent in your budget, too!
• Do your shopping online. Gone to the shops and bought things that weren’t on your shopping list? We’ve all been there. One way of avoiding this is to do your shopping online. This will limit unnecessary purchases, as you’ll see the total cost of your shop rise as you add items to your basket.

4. Buy local and seasonal produce

5. Keep an eye out for bargains

Today, promotional offers can be found wherever you go. Sometimes, you can even pair a store’s promotion with a discount coupon for even greater savings. Some retailers also offer loyalty programmes that can help you to shave a few euros off your bill.

You could also think about installing food waste apps on your smartphone. These apps offer baskets of high-quality produce left unsold at great prices. We recommend the Phenix app, which work with thousands of retailers committed to combating food waste. And as an added bonus, you can also use your Edenred meal vouchers on Phenix!              

If your employer offers you access to the Ekivita Edenred benefits platform, take a look at all the great offers and exclusive discounts on everyday products. You’re sure to make some fantastic savings!

 

Do you already follow one or more of our tips to lower your food bill? Do you have any other ideas to save more on your food budget? Share your tips and tricks with us by tagging us on Facebook or Instagram. We look forward to hearing from you!