How to Feed your Family Sustainably and Affordably

How can I afford to feed my family whilst still being sustainable? I’m right there with you, friends! Perhaps you’ve compared the price of loose vegetables to the ones that come stifled in plastic, or browsed in a fancy zero waste shop, and you’re despairing, especially given taht we’re in the midst of a cost of living crisis. You’d be forgiven for thinking that eating a sustainable, planet-friendly diet is the preserve of rich people.

Beyond the expensive facade, however, is a slow, simple way of life that is both frugal and sustainable, and today I’m inviting you in to hear my secrets on how to feed your family without the fancy, expensive extras. Let’s go lovelies!

1. Reduce food waste

Here I go again rolling out my most favourite fact of all time! In the UK, we throw away about 6.5 million tonnes of food each year, of which 4.5 million tonnes is edible. Food waste isn’t just money in the bin, it’s also one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas, since food waste in landfill throws off an awful lot of methane. 

So friends, if you make just one change, work really hard at saving as much food as you can from the bin. It’s probably best to start with the easy things. Store your food carefully to make it last as long as possible - this resource from ‘Love Food, Hate Waste’ gives you tips for storing all manner of foods. Don’t be afraid to store more things in the fridge or freezer too. If you don’t eat bread quickly, pop it into the freezer and take out one slice at a time.

Store and use up leftovers where you can. Remember you don’t have to eat them as they are - leftover rice can be stir-fried, for example. Little ones can be notorious for leaving things on their plate, so try putting less on their plates to begin with, and pop any leftovers away for the next day. 

Beyond that, you can get creative with your scraps. Store vegetable or meat scraps in a bag in the freezer to use for making stock, saving you the cost of buying it. Or try regrowing offcuts of spring onion, radish and lettuce in water, for free! And for everything else, there’s always the compost heap. 

2. Grow your own

Growing your own vegetables year after year is one of the most affordable ways to eat sustainably. By saving seeds from one year to the next (assuming you’ve bought quality, organic seeds rather than the sterile mainstream ones), you can produce your own crops super affordably. 

You don’t even need a particularly large space. We grow a few vegetables in containers and a small raised bed in our London yard, allowing us to rely less on what we buy to feed our family through the summer months. Prioritise the veg that you eat a lot of, or that’s difficult to get hold of plastic-free, and you can’t go far wrong.

3. Source waste or excess produce

Alongside reducing your own food waste, there are a number of ways to rescue waste, excess or rejected produce. Try asking your local supermarket when they put out their reduced items, to rescue expiring food at much lower prices, or use an app like Olio or Too Good to Go, where users can list food going spare. Some areas have community fridges where locals can place food they no longer need, for others to take.

Vegetable boxes are also a great way to rescue produce that supermarkets reject. Some even focus exclusively on rescued veg, including our favourite, Oddbox, a London-based wonky veg box.

4. Forage

Foraging is one of my favourite pastimes, in part thanks to its calm, mindful nature, but also the abundance of free food that is on offer if you take a look. 

If you’re a little nervous to get started, stick to familiar and easily identifiable foods like blackberries, apples and elderflower. Endless Orchard is a resource where anyone can map local fruit trees. It’s still in its infancy, but if more people start adding their favourite spots, then it could grow into something wonderful!

Make sure to forage sustainably by following the Woodland Trust’s guidelines - only take what you need and be sure not to damage protected areas.

If you’re trying to eat sustainably then one of the best things you can do is to eat seasonally.

5. Eat less meat, and better quality

Depending on how it is farmed, meat can be one of the least sustainable foods, and also happens to be one of the most expensive. While going vegetarian would be the ideal, if your family does want to continue eating meat (as we do!), consider reserving it for special occasions or a special weekly meal. Grass-fed, local meat tends to be the most sustainable, and can even be carbon neutral. Try buying in bulk from a butcher like Swaledale Butchers to reduce costs, and freeze what you won’t be cooking immediately.

6. Not all zero waste shops are equal!

Since low waste living has become fashionable, zero waste shops have become something of a trend. While I love that bulk buying is becoming more mainstream, it does mean that there are some shops charging higher prices than others. In my local area there is a beautifully designed high-end zero waste grocery store that I love to support but simply can’t afford every week. By doing a little research I instead managed to find another lesser known shop tucked away in a by-street, that has the same produce for two-thirds of the price. 

It’s also worth considering shops that don’t market themselves as ‘zero-waste’ but still offer loose produce. Many small corner shops and international supermarkets will offer something like this, as will farmers’ markets.

If you don’t have any affordable shops near you, then there are several online options. I particularly like Natural Weigh, an independent zero-waste shop in Wales that will post orders in compostable bags and has some of the most reasonable prices I’ve seen.

7. Plan your meals

This one’s a bit of a cliche, but it’s a cliche for a reason! Meal planning is one of the best ways to save money on your food shop, and reduce the amount of food you’re throwing away. I shared some of my best meal planning tips in this post all about reducing your grocery spend, but here are a couple of ideas to get you started.

When you’re planning your meals for the week, make sure you look through your cupboards and fridge as you go. It’s worth identifying things that are going to expire that week, and anything that you can avoid buying again. And if you find a recipe you like with an ingredient that’s similar to something you’ve already got, you can use what you’ve got rather than buying something new.

If you’re trying to eat sustainably then one of the best things you can do is to eat seasonally. Often zero-waste shops and veg boxes will only carry local and seasonal produce in an effort to reduce the distance your food has travelled. So when you’re planning your meals, it can really help to start with what you’d expect to be available at this time of year. It’s just what you might imagine - root vegetable soups and stews in winter and salads, pasta sauces and grilled vegetables in summer. If you need a little more guidance, try asking your shop what they’re likely to have in when you go, so that you can plan your meals around what’s available. And if you only have a supermarket nearby, then checking what will be on offer ahead of time can save you money on loose and organic produce.

8. Cook from scratch

For me there is nothing like feeding your family with home cooking, and the happy news is that it’s usually better for your budget and for our planet. If you’re a little overwhelmed by the thought of it (understandable!), consider starting with just a few easy recipes and practice them over and over until they’re second nature. I love making scones, flatbreads and pizza dough from scratch, all of which work out so much more affordable than their shop-bought cousins.

If you’re feeling bold, you can even turn it into an activity with your children. Not only will it help a couple of hours pass by, but your little ones will be equipped with the skills they need to cook from scratch for themselves (in a few years time!)

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