4 budget-friendly fall favorites
Now that the fall weather has rolled in, we are sure you want to provide hearty meals at the end of the day. Dinner time, however, can be a hassle, especially when hectic schedules come into play, and that leads many people through the drive-thru at dinner time. This habit is not only unhealthy, but costly too. There is an answer that can accommodate both a hectic schedule and a desire for delicious home cooked meals—freezer meals. Freezer meals are exactly what they sound like, meals that are prepared in advance and frozen to make mealtime more manageable, and there is a bonus to stocking your freezer; you’ll save on your food budget.
How to Get started with Freezer Meals
To maximize your savings, you’ll need to be prepared to do some cooking on a day you have free. Budget-friendly meals take some preparation. Begin by making a list of all of the meals you’d like to serve over the next two weeks and prepare a schedule. To maximize the savings, pick meals that utilize the same ingredients.
Once you’ve created a list of meals you’d like to serve, it’s time to hit the Internet and check out the best sales at your local stores. Make a list of all your ingredients and build out a budget that works for your family.
Hit the store, and don’t forget to use your coupons. You may find that it seems like you are spending more than usual at the store, but that’s okay. Your budget-friendly meals are going to last longer than a traditional shopping trip.
Make sure your freezer is cleaned out to accommodate the containers that will hold your budget-friendly meals ahead of time. Once your list is prepared and your ingredients have been purchased, set one day aside to do the bulk of your cooking.
How Do Freezer Meals Save You Money?
Freezer meals are great for families that are looking to save money and cut out some of the fat in their diets and their budgets. While large families generally have the benefit of going through bulk purchases quick enough to see savings, smaller families are typically relegated to paying premium prices for smaller packages of their ingredients or risking the items going bad before they are used. By creating budget-friendly meals you can put in the freezer, you can take advantage of those bulk discounts, while ensuring no food goes to waste.
Bulk meals also ensure you aren’t hitting the drive-thru or reaching for expensive convenience foods when your schedule doesn’t accommodate cooking. While these splurges might not seem like much in the moment, over the course of the month, they can add up to the tune of several hundred dollars, especially if you are feeding a family of two or four.
Freezer Meals that Will Keep Everyone Happy
There are hundreds of freezer meal recipes floating around the Internet. There are so many that it may seem difficult to narrow down the ones you’d like to try. We’ve collected four of our favorites to get you started. Don’t worry, they are all budget-friendly meals, too.
- Traditional Meatloaf: Traditional meatloaf is a great freezer meal that the whole family will recognize. You can even hide veggies inside to make it more nutrient-rich for picky youngsters. We particularly like this recipe from Taste of Home.
- Wild Rice Soup: This Wild Rice Soup recipe will require an Instant Pot or a slow cooker to reap many of the benefits, but it can be done in a traditional pot ahead of time and frozen if needed, too. Serve with a piece of crusty French bread for a quick and easy fall meal that will warm the whole family.
- An authentic Italian pasta sauce takes many hours of love and labor to make, but the good news is it freezes very well and can be used for multiple dishes. We like this All Recipes version for a real Italian meat sauce. You can alter this one to your taste, as well. Once you make this sauce, all you’ll need to do on a busy weeknight is put some pasta on to boil and heat up your sauce. It makes for a hearty budget-friendly meal in under 30 minutes.
- Cabbage rolls are a well-rounded meal. They pack in the nutrients of vegetables with the heartiness of rice and meat, and it is sure to fill up the whole family. This family recipe was shared on All Recipes and is much loved.
Now that you have some of the freezer meal basics down, you are ready to get cooking! Not only will your family enjoy the home cooked meals, but your food budget will thank you later, too.
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