Eating healthier while spending less is everyone’s dream, especially for those primarily responsible for making purchases for household staples. With a little effort, you can find homemade alternatives to your expensive shop bought staples. Apart from saving a couple dollars, you will know exactly what goes into your food and the exact procedure used in making it.
Get Creative With Dairy Products
Dairy products make up a very high percentage of the food consumed by the world’s population. In fact, statistics show that 54% of Americans consume dairy products, which accounts for at least 176 million people. This is the first group of staples that you can try making at home for a change. With a variety of recipes that can be found online such as American cheese, cream cheese, ricotta; producing dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, ice cream and buttermilk is no longer a hopeless fantasy.
If you are lactose intolerant or allergic to dairy, then there is the option of producing your own soy milk, almond milk or nut milk at home. For the healthiest dairy products and alternative milk, you should use organic ingredients.
Mix Up Your Own Condiments
The common characteristic of spices, coffee, cocoa and other condiments is that once they are ground, their potency starts plummeting at a faster rate than when they are whole. Apparently, instead of purchasing the expensive ground and premixed spices and condiments, it is cheaper to bring home the whole ingredients, grind them and mix enough for whenever you need to use them. Whether you want to replicate your favorite brand of Cajun seasoning or masala, you only need to look up the recipes online. It may take a little trial and error to achieve the exact taste, but it will all be worth it in the end. Apart from the better taste you will achieve, the homemade condiments will be healthier and cheaper.
Go Greener, Fresher and Organic
The essence of consuming food is not only to get satisfied, but also to nourish the body with life-giving nutrients. Greener and fresher grains, vegetables, fruits, meat, dairy and other plant and animal products are the richest in these nutrients. Rather than getting chicken or vegetable stock from the food store, why not use the fresh produce you purchased to make healthier, tastier and cheaper stock at the comfort of your kitchen.
Nowadays, convenience is overpriced, especially when purchasing culinary products. Even with all this convenience, no amount of money may recover the great taste and high nutritional value of food, which is lost through the rigorous process of production. The only remaining option for you to enjoy the freshness, incredible taste and ultimate nutritional value of your food at affordable prices, is buying them fresh and making your own staples at home. If you are used to picking everything from the shop, this whole lifestyle change may seem impossible, but with time, it becomes a habitual practice.
