Five creative ways to reduce your food costs
While it is debatable whether the well-publicized boycott Loblaw campaign will have any positive effect on food prices in the future, there are other ways we can reduce our food costs. According to Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-food Lab at Dalhousie University, Canadians are forsaking their health to save money on groceries.
“The average Canadian should be spending about $339 a month on food to sustain a healthy lifestyle. Right now, we’re at $243. That’s a huge gap,” Charlebois says.
The reality for many is there isn’t a lot of choice but buy their groceries at bigbox grocery stores. If you are unable to edit where shop, perhaps the answer is to edit how you shop.
If you are unable to edit where shop, perhaps the answer is to edit how you shop.
GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR GROCERIES
REPURPOSE OUR FOOD
Crush eggshells and spread in your garden as a natural pest repellent.
There’s no need to ever buy stock. The leftover carcass of a rotisserie chicken, the ends of leeks, cauliflower and broccoli stems and even the onion and garlic skins we often discard can also be used to make stock.
If you are like me and can’t sacrifice your love of real parmigiano-reggiano, or grana padano, be sure to use the leftover rinds of these precious cheeses. Use them to flavour soups or a sauce. Think tomato soup with a little parmesan rind flavour boost. Likewise, stale bread can be converted into gourmet crouton (drizzle with olive oil and Italian seasoning and toast) or made into soup.
HOMEMADE VINEGAR
In my house, I tend to buy too many apples in hopes the kids will choose the healthy option. Guess what? I tend to have leftover apples.
Place the leftovers in a sterilized jar. Add apple scraps, a heap of sugar (a tablespoon or two) and fill with water. Close and let ferment, and eventually it will turn into cider vinegar.
BUY GENERIC AND HOUSE BRANDS
It’s a common misconception that brand names automatically equate to superior quality. Often, we’re just shelling out extra for the allure of fancy packaging that’s been hyped up through clever marketing.
CAPITALIZE ON COUPONS AND DIGITAL OFFERINGS
Capitalize on coupons by dedicating a few minutes each week to peruse flyers for your local grocery stores to identify sales on items you need or can use.
After checking print ads, shift to digital resources by visiting sites like Smartsource.ca and Save.ca, where you can effortlessly search for coupons specific to your region. Remember to use coupons wisely. Avoid purchasing items solely because they are on sale. If they don’t appeal to your taste buds, don’t buy them.