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Time spent in the kitchen can save money
Time is money, or so the saying goes. When it comes to food, it is true that in some situations take-out or dining out make sense. Otherwise, time spent on a home-cooked meal can literally save money.
The Facts
- Home cooking can build meals around affordable ingredients
- Leftovers turn one cooking session into two or three meals
- Shopping for sales pays off at the checkout
While many people are short on time and need to bring food to the table quickly, others have almost too much time on their hands. For anybody who is looking to fill that time in a meaningful way, cooking can be a worthwhile pursuit.
Even when home-cooking requires a bit of a balancing act on a tight schedule, it remains one of the most reliable ways to spend less money on food. Here are some ways in which spending time in the kitchen pays off:
- Convenience foods: Convenience costs money. Pre-cut vegetables, a ready-made sauce, a frozen entrée, a takeout order all add costs to the mere ingredients of a meal. Note that frozen fruit and veggies are an exception to this rule. They actually save prep time, have no waste, and can be more nutritious than their counterparts that might have traveled great distances and then spent some time slowly wilting in the fridge.
- Affordable staples: The biggest savings come from building meals around affordable staples. To ‘get the most for the least’ it’s a good idea to start with what’s cheap, what’s on sale, or what’s already on hand. And then figure out what meal to cook.
- Slow-cooking: With enough time, a cheaper but tougher cut of meat can become a flavourful treat, whether it’s in a slow-cooker, a pot, or the oven.
- Leftovers and batch-cooking: Other tools that reduce cost in the kitchen are to plan ahead for reusing leftovers or intentionally cook a larger batch for future meals.
- Shopping: Taking the time to look through flyers for sales and scouring the grocery store for good deals can significantly reduce the monthly cost of food.
