6 Food Hacks to Make your Groceries Last Longer

You have to eat, no matter what your budget looks like. However, you do not have to spend a lot of money to get the nutrients you need. You can save a little bit of money by stretching the food you already have with a few simple tricks. These tricks can help you save a little money at the grocery store and make feeding the family on a tight budget a little easier.

Honey
Honey is a great sugar substitute. It is healthier and it lasts forever. It never goes bad, but it can crystalise, which makes it a pain to use. If your honey gets hard, simply place it in a glass container with a little water on the bottom and heat it on a candle warmer to soften it up. Additionally, you could just use a glass container in a saucepan on the stove. Honey is relatively cheap and you can use it in tea, coffee, oatmeal and on toast.

Store your onions in panty hose
This may be one of the oddest tricks I’ve ever heard, but it works. Place your onions in a cheap (or old) par of panty hose and hang them in the pantry. When you place the onions in the hose, tie a knot in the pantyhose between each onion to keep them separated. This trick can keep onions fresh for several months! So stock up when they are on sale and store away.

 
Add beans or oatmeal to your ground beef
Meat is expensive. In most homes, it is the most expensive item on the grocery bill. If you want to cut your grocery bill, use less meat. You can use less meat without calling attention to it by adding pureed black beans or a little oatmeal to your ground beef. You get a more filling meal without using more meat. An added bonus: you save more than a few calories too.

Garbage Stew
One blogger shared her grandma’s recipe for garbage stew, which essentially included any leftovers still in the fridge from earlier in the week. Do not let your leftovers go to waste. Use them to make another meal. Unused spaghetti sauce makes for an excellent chili base and leftover chicken and can be shredded and added to soup or used to make a chicken taco.

Soup
Do you have a few cans of soup in the cupboard? Beef it up by adding in chopped (frozen, fresh or canned) veggies and/or meat. You will have a more filling soup and can get away with fewer veggies and meats in a stew or soup.

Green Capsicum
If you have a few green peppers (red or orange are good options to), you can turn it into a whole meal. Cut the top off and remove the core. Then fill the green pepper with rice or leftovers from the fridge and bake.

Fruits and veggies
If you spot a good sale on fruits or veggies, snatch them up. Then simply cut them up and freeze them in bags. You can freeze bread and even some herbs and spices too. You can stock up on items that are on sale if you learn how to properly store them.

If you are dealing with a financial crisis and are having trouble feeding yourself or putting food on the table for the family – there is help. Throughout Australia there are numerous organisations that provide daily meals or groceries. – Get detailed information on foodbanks and food hampers here.