Saving money on Food Shopping
While my knowledge and experience in what we called domestic science (when I went to school) are limited, the logic of working within a budget is something I know a bit about.
I see cooking programmes and recipes that totally ignore the cost or complexity of simple catering. Ingredients from faraway places replace using In Season alternatives and the list of ‘must have’ ingredients that certain well-known chefs recommend is beyond many household budgets and encourage waste (in my opinion).
In contrast, I have had conversations with people concerned about the rising cost of ordinary staples such as flour and cooking oil because Ukraine is one of the world’s biggest exporters of wheat, corn, and sunflower oil.
So, what are we to do?
Some suggest more homegrown produce, but that might be for future growing seasons.
Reducing reliance on some ingredients is a challenge but we have the knowledge and skills to shift dependence on things that could put pressure on our budgets.
So, the answer might lie in simplifying recipes and using ingredients closer to home and in season?
I seldom buy commercially made sandwiches, but the British Sandwich Association (yes, such an organisation exists) estimates 80 million are sold each year. One producer indicated that their range was to increase by 75p per sandwich due to the cost of ingredient inflation, If the average cost currently is £2.00 the increase is a rise of over 35%.
Is it not within the realms of possibility to buy a loaf of bread and some fillings to make enough for a week rather than ‘grab one’ on the way to work? So, changes in behaviour might reduce the impact on household budgets. One estimate is that to make a sandwich cost about £1 on average (1) – but it depends on what you like.
Talk to elders that may have gone through shortages and inflation – there are valuable lessons that can be passed down the generations. Then we can plan our finances for the future. If you look after the pennies – the pounds will look after themselves!