How about some Food Blogs…
It is not your imagination. Grocery bills HAVE gone up. Among the list of many things upended due to COVID-19 is food prices. This rise has been felt by numerous families, particularly those running on a one-person salary. Healthy budget eating is becoming increasingly popular, and with it, food blogs catered towards budget eating have also come about.
About 47.2% of the United States adult population is currently unemployed. Staying at home without a job has compelled many to prefer home-cooked meals and reduce eating out. But that too is proving to be a burden on the domestic balance sheet. Earlier this April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an average of 2.6% rise in grocery prices. So, don’t be surprised to notice that the same brand of coffee and cookies you’ve been buying now cost double!
Budget eating doesn’t mean you should be confined to eating processed foods or bland meals. It’s about sticking to a few ‘commandments’ such as planning meals ahead, having a shopping list, avoiding impulsive purchases at the grocery stores, and not waste any food. You can buy larger quantities of ingredients to get volume discounts and make medium-to-large batches of food and freeze them in smaller containers; this saves you money and time (which is also money).
By following these simple yet impactful tips and hacks, you can build a recurring habit of cooking meals that cost less and are also healthy and tasty. And we have an internet full of food bloggers to help you get started. Here are a few good ones:
Budget Bytes: Food Blogs
A simple act of tracking every penny she spent on food led Beth to experiment with new flavors and discover fresh foods that satisfied her stomach and kept her under budget. What’s excellent about Budget Bytes is that every recipe includes the price of each ingredient (based on Beth’s grocery visits), amount per serving, and the total cost of the meal itself. Something that started out as a fun project has now turned out to be a mission for Beth. With a cookbook published and a mobile app, team Budget Bytes is ever-growing!
The 99 Cents blog:
Rated as the “Top Food Blogs for Students,” blogger Billy Vasquez has recipes that consist of ingredients that cost 99 cents each or 99 cents per pound. While the website may lack glossy photographs and videos, it still provides a range of spruced up recipes such as fried eggs on breadcrumbs with asparagus, vegetarian mushroom soup, fish and chips, egg McMuffins and so on.
$5 Dinners: Food Blogs
Owned by Erin Chase, $5 dinners bring recipes and weekly meal plans for making dinners that cost $5 or less. But it doesn’t stop just there. Erin also shares breakfast and healthy dessert recipes such as blueberry lemon pancakes, berry quinoa parfaits, and many more. What’s cool about $5 dinners, is that the website has a section called “Grocery Budget Manager” which provides a set of tips and hacks on how to cut down on grocery spending.
Well Plated:
A tight student budget didn’t let Erin Clarke compromise on “fancy” food – she just started making her own. With a childhood passion for baking combined with a frugal lifestyle, Erin started Well Plated as a blog to record and share her recipes. She shares recipes that try to incorporate multiple food groups without fussy ingredients, and even indulge those with a sweet tooth. All recipes are tried and tested before being shared. Food blogs.
BrokeAss Gourmet:
One of the premier food and lifestyle blogs, BrokeAss Gourmet features recipes that are accessible under $20 such as sweet potato nachos, homemade English muffins, Bangkok style deviled eggs, and many more. The blog is owned by Gabi Moskowitz who published multiple nationally winning cookbooks titled, The BrokeAss Gourmet Cookbook, Hot Mess Kitchen, and Young & Hungry. Her blog provides recommendations on beers, wines, and cocktails that are inexpensive and delicious.
Didn’t we tell you eating on a budget doesn’t have to be daunting? You just got to stay strong and consistent and with these food bloggers, you are on a roll for some fun, healthy, and cheaper meal options.
If you enjoyed our article and would like to continue reading, please read Pain-Free Living With Food Sensitivities And Allergies. Let us know what you think!