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The expert said, however, this is not a new hack but a “centuries-old tip” for making meals cheaper.
Lorna Cooper is a budget meal planner, affordable cooking expert and owner of the Facebook page ‘Feed your family for about £20 a week’.
She recently shared a useful hack to reduce the cost of a meal by simply swapping meat for other foods and using fewer ingredients.
This way, shoppers should see their weekly costs slashed as meat is the most expensive part of a meal.
She explained: “We often tell people to bulk out meat meals.
“The reasons for this is that meat is often the most expensive aspect of the meal.
“Another is that we don’t actually need the huge portions of meat that many of us enjoy and by reducing the portion we reduce the price.
“It isn’t a new phenomena.
“Yorkshire puddings are used to fill up people so they eat less meat, same with dumplings and stuffing.
“Breadcrumbs are used in sausages, meat balls and meat loaf to reduce the meat content. Lentils, chickpeas, beans, barley and oats are used for the same reasons.”
She continued: “It is a tip that has been used for centuries. If you don’t want to do it we won’t force you.
“But if you are meat eaters who want to reduce the cost of your weekly shop then is a very quick and easy way to do it.”
In another recent post, the expert shared her “best advice” for saving money on grocery shopping.
Firstly, she recommended making “a meal plan and writing a shopping list”.
Lorna also advised to “make your own price index – on your phone, in your head or on a piece of paper – a rough guide to how much things you often buy cost and where from”.
“Check the price per kg / unit – special offers aren’t always cheaper,” she warned.
She continued: “Shop smart rather than shop around – go to a different shop each week instead of four different every week.
“Bulk buy if you can. If you can’t afford to then share bargains with a friend or relative.”
Lorna also recommended eating seasonally. “Seasonal fruit and veg are cheaper. If you want something out of season buy frozen or tinned.”
She added: “Freeze food that is going to go out of date and use up leftovers in other dishes.
“Batch cooking doesn’t have to mean cooking all day for the week ahead. When you are cooking dinner make two and freeze one for another day.”
The expert also advised “making sauces from scratch” and “bulk out meat dishes with grains, pulses and extra veg”.
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