Batch Cooking on a Budget

These tips for Batch Cooking on a Budget are a great way to save time and money in the kitchen. Check them out and see how much money you can save!

My budget for groceries seems to be shrinking these days. I think it’s because I have noticed an increase in the cost of food. That means I have to get smarter about how I cook as to not waste the food I buy while still keeping my family happy and satisfied. Batch cooking is one way to do that and it is great for those like me who are on a budget. If you want to start cooking in a way that leaves you more time and money, here are my tips for Batch Cooking on a Budget.

Batch Cooking on a Budget

Buy as much as you can in bulk. There is no doubt about it; shopping in bulk is the way to go for most foods as far as a lower cost goes. If you are lucky enough to live near a store that offers a bulk dry goods area, this is an excellent place to get a large chunk of your foods you will be using in your recipes for super cheap. Don’t forget to pick up your seasoning and spices there as well. You don’t have to sacrifice taste just because your budget is slim as most bulk spices are merely a couple of quarters for several meals worth of spice.

Buy ingredients that help you stretch your budget and can be batch cooked. While shopping in the bulk section, make sure to pick up dried beans, lentils, rice, and quinoa. These work excellent as fillers in meals and they help you stretch things like meats as vegetables. They also lend themselves well to batch cooking.

Use coupons or apps to save more. I like to use a couple of apps to save me money that offer me rebates back. While many of the items are for convenience foods, which are typically money drainers on a grocery budget, I almost always see rebates for produce like tomatoes and onions which are low cost to begin with. Often, there are rebates for milk and eggs, too.

Make meals simple. The simpler the meal, the less ingredients and the lower the cost overall. Choose meals that aren’t over the top expensive to make and spice them up.

Make a list and stick to it. One of the best ways I save money on batch cooking is to make a list before I go to the store. This essentially puts the ‘blinders’ on when I go into the store to shop so I only buy what I have budgeted for and nothing more. It also saves me time because I am not spending time gawking at stuff on the shelf.

Shop outside the box. You don’t always find the best deals on groceries at typical big box stores and warehouse clubs. This doesn’t mean you have to skip chains altogether. I find that many places like dollar stores and natural foods stores offer great deals on many things I like to keep in my pantry for batch cooking.

Look for appliances that can save you money at thrift stores. Batch cooking pretty much requires that you use appliances like slow cookers, rice cookers and pressure cookers to do it effectively. If you are on a tight budget, this can be an impossible thing to budget for. Instead of trying to buy brand new, look for these appliances at thrift stores. I often see these slow cookers and rice cookers when I go that look to be in almost new condition for less than $10 each!

Are you new to the concept of batch cooking and meal prep? You will find detailed instructions for batch cooking in Prep-Ahead Meals for Scratch as well as over 100 quick and easy recipes using batch cooked ingredients. You may also find these Batch Cooking Videos helpful.