Budgeting with Food Intolerances

If you have had food intolerances for a while you would have well and truly realised that your food bill is higher than that of someone without intolerances. In light of this I think it is fair to say that budgeting for those of us with food intolerances should be a priority. Here are some ideas that may help you:

1.   Cook and bake your own food from scratch. Collate recipes that are free from the foods that affect you. There are many fantastic websites, as well as this one, that can give you hundreds of baking and meal ideas that will be within your limitations. I don’t know if you have noticed but pre-packaged gluten free meals, snacks, biscuits, breads, and cake mixes cost about twice as much as regular ones do. They also tend to be loaded full of sugar to make them “tastier”. Cooking from scratch means you have complete control over what goes in to your food and it almost always works out to be cheaper!

2.   Buy in bulk. When you see Allergy-free (long lasting) items on special buy in bulk. This is true for people who don’t have intolerances as well. But it is especially helpful for those with food intolerances. So when you see Tahini that is normally $9.99 reduced to $3.99 buy at least 3 of them. When you see rice flour on special buy the whole shelf!

3.   Grow your own! Initially a vegie patch costs money to set up but eventually (with good soil, water and love) it gives back a thousand fold. Some crops may fail but otherwise you will have the healthiest food at your back door. Fresh food that is picked and eaten straight away has the highest amount of nutrients in it that you can possibly get. For those with food intolerances fresh fruits and vegetables are not only important but absolutely vital.

 

4.   Buy Seasonal Produce. I actually can’t believe that we are not taught this in primary school. Buying seasonal produce means you are purchasing fresher, local ingredients that are usually cheaper as they are easier to obtain at that time of year. Have you ever noticed the price of grapes when in season and when not in season? In season they tend to be $4.99 per kilo out of season they can reach as high as $17.99 per kilo. This rule does not only apply to grapes, so keep an eye on the price of your fruit and veg as you may be buying out of season and paying way too much.

5.   Buy meat in bulk. I don’t know if everyone around the world is capable of this one but it is worth looking into whether your butcher provides this service. Our local butcher in Hahndorf, the Adelaide Hills, sells whole and sides of beef, lamb and pork. We don’t eat a lot of pork but we always buy a side of beef and whole lambs. The butcher cuts up the meat according to how you would like it and packs it according to the portion sizes you request. The beef works out to be around $5/kilo and the lamb $7.50 a kilo. When was the last time you paid $5 a kilo for fillet steak or even mince for that matter!

6.   Plan your meals in advance. Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. In this case Poor Performance stands for food thrown in the bin which might as well be cash flushed down the toilet. I won’t get started on how much food the average Australian throws in the bin per year suffice to say it could probably feed a third world country for a year. I will say however that if you can prevent throwing food away by planning meals in advance (I plan a week in advance) it can save you anything from $10 to $50 per week. Times that by 52!