Plan a frugal year
LEARN THE GOOD LESSONS FROM THE PAST AND MANAGE YOUR HOUSEHOLD RESOURCES BETTER
It’s the beginning of a new year, and many of us have a list as long as an arm filled with resolutions to be better, faster and stronger. My favourite way to begin a new year is to go back into the past, capture the lessons, and bring them into the present to reorient the future. So, what if this year, besides all the regular intentions, we begin our food journey anew with a look at the frugal kitchens of bygone times? From here, we can glean wisdom that can be practised today.
The rising cost of energy and groceries is not new. Both these situations have happened before, yet we collectively forget the lessons learned during those times. As a society becomes more affluent, we lose the importance of frugality, contentment and gratitude.
USE WHAT YOU HAVE FIRST
Frugal foodies look in their pantry at what they have right now. They don’t go grocery shopping if they can make abundance with what is at their fingertips. If one or two packaged items are missing, they use other ingredients.
Check your own pantry to see what you can make. You won’t need to run to the store and spend money unnecessarily. Your grocery bill will be lower because you won’t need to purchase items you already have.
If you remember Gran’s kitchen, you would recall proper planning was her first measure of success. When we plan ahead, we apply strategic thinking to the preparation of household nourishment and thoughtful care to preserve household resources.
It doesn’t matter how wealthy you may be; if you don’t plan ahead and consider your finances, you’ll soon erode any riches you may have. One way to do this is by organising meals ahead of time. Not only does this give us a sense of control, but also a sense of security that we have things covered, even if it’s only for a while.
The below Korean chicken stir-fry is a lovely meal to prepare ahead and pop into the freezer. When you’re ready to eat, simply reheat!
TAKE STOCK OF WASTE
According to Foodbank, almost eight million tonnes of food are wasted each year, even though most of it is perfectly edible. Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables are discarded by retailers simply because they aren’t picture-perfect.
Folks from bygone kitchens would never do that. Tea bags would be used more than once. Bacon fat would be saved. Baking paper and foil would be cleaned and reused and stale bread would become crumble.
Frugal kitchens would take stock of waste and monitor how they used fresh produce. They would think creatively about what they could do so food was stretched as far as possible. Try it in your kitchen.