Feeding a large family (defined as two parents with four or more children) while trying to maintain a healthy diet will cost several hundred dollars a month or more. With most families trying to maintain a budget while still eating healthy, spending needs to be critically analyzed in all areas. When you shop smarter but also find ways to excite your family over healthy eating and weight loss rewards, you can find creative ways to eat healthy and cheap food all the time. Here are some great, economical ways to save money on grocery buying while still providing your large family with healthy meals.
Storage Space
An essential part of staying on top of your food budget is making sure that you have adequate storage for all of your different food items. Your pantry should have plenty of cool, dark shelf space to store all of your canned foods and boxed items. You will also need plenty of freezer and refrigerator space available to keep your cold and frozen foods fresh. A freezerless refrigerator is especially convenient if you are trying to keep enough fresh fruits, vegetables, and other perishables on hand for a large family’s weekly needs. You can then have a separate deep freezer for just meat storage and other frozen foods. Having a separate freezer and refrigerator along with plenty of other storage areas will give you plenty of space to take advantage of deals and provide your family with healthy food options every day.
The Power of Buying in Bulk
Grocery retailers want you to spend as much money as possible every time that you shop at their store. While buying in bulk will cost you more initially, you will save a substantial amount of money purchasing in larger quantities and storing at home for future use. Most of the time, you can easily look at the price on the grocer’s shelf and it will break down the cost per unit for each product size showing you the savings you can reap by buying in larger quantities.
Canned Goods
Canned goods are an ideal item to stock up on and they will last for years in your pantry. You can either buy them by the case and get a price break or keep an eye out for sales. You can even can foods yourself. If you take advantage of deals on canned foods, you can easily shave a hefty chunk of money off of your grocery bill.
Grow Your Own Vegetables
Not only can you take a great deal of pride in producing your own vegetables out of a home garden that you personally care for, but, you will be providing your family with much healthier food choices than produce that may have been treated with dangerous pesticides. Planning for how to incorporate your fresh vegetables into each meal is as easy as using them as they become ripe. If you find yourself with a bigger bounty of produce than you planned for, you can either give some to friends and family or try some home-canning methods or even freeze them for later use. If you plan to try to can some of your own vegetables, be especially careful about sealing the jars correctly to avoid any possibility of early spoilage.
So, keeping healthy food on hand for your large family while staying on a budget is possible. All you need is a plan, a little ingenuity, and plenty of storage space.
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