Feeding your family on a budget
A sad report released said that the use of food banks rose to the highest levels in Canadian history in 2022. With 1.5 million people using food banks in 1 month across our nation. In Ontario, 1 in 6 families are now food insecure. Some parents are skipping meals to feed their kids. It hurts to see people struggle to afford the same things from last year. Cutting back on spending on discretionary items is one thing, but to not be able to have the necessities of life like food, shelter, heat, proper clothing, should not be a wide spread problem in our first world country.
When your food budget is tight, focus on these affordable and nutritionally dense foods:
Jarred tomatoes
Oats
Peanut Butter
Beans and Lentils
Potatoes, beets and onions
Frozen berries
Canned tuna
Eggs
Milk or skim milk powder
If you see items you use regularly, stock up when it goes on sale. Many foods including milk, bread, fruit, vegetables and meat can be frozen for use later on. I usually buy large cuts of meat on sale, and then pre-portion to what my family eats in a meal, and then label and store in our deep freezer. Cooking from scratch is still one of the best ways to save money on, as homemade meals are usually 2-4 times cheaper than take-out or restaurant equivalents.
