12 Tips on How to Reduce Your Food Costs

30th April 2014

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The BBC Good Food team have come up with some great ways to avoid food waste and save some money:

Protect your potatoes - store in a cool, dark place but never in the fridge. Potatoes should be kept in a hessian sack or paper bag. They will keep up to a month if stored correctly.
Avoid buying bags of salad - as soon as you open them they start to deteriorate. Buy whole heads of lettuce, watercress or rocket as an alternative.
Make dairy last longer by freezing milk that is nearing its due date. Grate leftover cheese and freeze, mix natural yogurt with crushed berries and freeze into nice ice lollies.
Don't let bread get mouldy - store in the freezer and take out slices as and when you need them. Bread can be defrosted in the microwave or in the toaster if it has a defrost function.
Use up apples by grating them into porridge, adding chunks with mashed potato or make into apple sauce.
Buy whole cuts of meat for sandwiches - it's more cost effective to purchase a whole cut of meat, cook it, slice and freeze into individual portions than to buy packs of pre-sliced ham, chicken, turkey etc.
Go to the market - fruit and vegetables are half of the price - especially at the end of the day.
Go to the bakery - freshly baked bread tastes so much better and cheaper than long life and can easily be stored in the freezer until used.
Don't add expensive oils to dishes if it can't be tasted. Fill a glass bottle with regular vegetable oil instead.
Get organised in your kitchen - sort out your cupboards, bring the oldest tins to the front so that they will get used.
Empty your freezer - once a month, try to have a week of meals from the freezer to have a good clear-out.
Cut down on ready meals and processed food - spend a weekend making batches of homemade stews, chilli's etc and freeze until ready to eat.

For more information on how you can save money and reduce food waste, check out the BBC Good Food website

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