... more cheaply. This was roughly the title of a cookery book I used to own. It was aimed at hard-up families in the depression at the end of the 1970s, and contained some brilliant recipes, but didn't in my opinion go far enough.
The book pointed out that if you cook meals yourself from scratch the cost is far less than buying ready-made (frozen, chilled, tinned even). And there is the bonus that if you cook enough for two meals at once you can reheat the rest the next day or freeze and eat later. And it will be far more healthy - less fat, added sugar or salt.
Reheating doesn't necessarily mean just putting it in the microwave - you can stick some pastry on top of a stew* and make a pie, add a few tasty ingredients to alter the flavour entirely, chop it more finely or liquidise to make soup - lots of alternatives.
To make chips, don't buy frozen oven chips. Compare the price with raw potatoes, then peel your raw potatoes, cut into chip-shaped pieces, toss in oil and put in the oven on an oven tray. Will take slightly longer than frozen, but not much and costs far less. And it's healthier - tossing raw potato in oil uses far less fat than the processed version.
I'm currently cooking dried beans, which I soaked overnight. I pressure-cook them for around 20 minutes (depending on pressure cooker), cool, bag and freeze. Voila! Easy to use protein with no added fat, sugar, salt or anything else. Just add some to your next stew, curry, pie filling, etc to bulk it up healthily, or process with bread and flavourings such as a little stock powder/paste, chilli, curry powder, etc. to make burgers. You do need to cook the burgers carefully so they don't break up, but they'll do well in the oven with a very little oil on the tray. Remember to turn them halfway through cooking.
I'm vegetarian, which is far cheaper than using meat or fish, but you don't have to be if you don't like it. Just use cheaper cuts and make stew-type dishes. Stick all the ingredients in a large saucepan (or pressure cooker for speed) and simmer gently until done. Stews can be reheated several times if done thoroughly, although be careful with meat or fish as they can grow pathogens overnight. In medieval times, a stewpotwas kept simmering on the stove more or less permanently - new ingredients were added to top it up each day. I wouldn't suggest this now, but it certainly works once or even twice if you cool it after eating and put it in the fridge!
If you're interested in my kind of 'cooking on the cheap', comment on the blog and I'll try to answer questions, post recipes if needed, etc. It's daft to waste money on multinationals who are ruining your diet and bank account just to make profits. Cheat them by doing your own cooking. I can rustle up a hot meal in under half an hour, from scratch. Can you?
* Remember 'stew' doesn't necessarily mean something like a lamb hotpot. It also includes a curry, which is a stew with spices (gently fry them first with onions, then add the other ingredients and liquids), a chilli (pretty similar) a goulash, and so on. Look up recipes online, and don't be afraid to substitute ingredients. Use beans instead of meat to reduce the cost and make it healthier. But don't use ready-made sauces - make your own!
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