Top Tips
1. Embrace meal planning
Planning meals and snacks ahead is essential. You'll create a more focused shopping list and end up with less waste. If you're on a very low budget join a Facebook group devoted to a food budget of just £1 or 50p a day.
2. Use budget recipes
Use online resources like Cooking on a Bootstrap or Feed your family for £20 to find budget friendly recipes.
3. Cook in bulk
Cook once, eat twice. Either eat the leftovers the following day, or freeze for an easy meal another time.
4. Use a slow cooker
Slow cookers are great at maximizing flavour and getting the best out of cheaper cuts of meat. Prep at breakfast time and come home to a delicious meal.
5. Substitute ingredients
Don't buy special ingredients for a meal - use something similar you already have in the cupboard.
6. Check your fridge
Use up fresh food first to stop it going to waste. Use a site like Supercook to see what you could make with the food you already have.
25 skills every cook should know
Want to brush up your kitchen skills? BBC good food have created video guides covering all the basic skills you need.
Over 600 budget friendly recipes - all based on a weekly budget of £20
Feed your family for £20 a week?
Use up the ingredients in your fridge. Enter the food you have at Supercook to find a recipe
Recipe generator
Need some inspiration? Thrifty Lesley has meal plans for different sized families - all based on spending £1 day per person
Meal Planning
Living on a really low food budget? Supportive Facebook group with meal plans based on less than 50p a day
Less than 50p a day?
A daily food budget of less than £1? Join this supportive Facebook group which is full of budgeting and recipe ideas
Less than £1 a day?
Jack Monroe shares 700 low budget recipes including her famous 9p carrot, cumin & kidney bean burger
