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Don't have a lot of money to eat? So how do you do it?

My boyfriend and I are spending less € 220 per month, on average, for food (shopping and restaurants included).

What comes back less than 4 € per day and per person. And we have no deficiencies!

We do not track the promos and we do not feel any deprivation.

Are you wondering how we do it?

Here are our 10 tips to help you manage the diet budget. Use them and you will be able to eat cheap and healthy in no time!

1. Eat out less often

If you want to eat while saving money like we do, you have to stop eating out.

Obviously, we both like to please each other and we go out maybe two to three times a month. Eating out is very expensive over the year. It is therefore not ideal for your finances!

Fortunately, eating less often without feeling frustrated is possible. The secret is to learn how to prepare the dish of your favorite restaurant at home.

We did it with all our favorite cuisines: Italian, Japanese, North African, etc. Obviously, it may not be perfect, but the result will not spoil you any less. It is so pleasant in addition to eating what you have cooked yourself!

Need some recipes? Check out some of these inexpensive meal ideas.

If you don't know how to cook, now is a good time to learn! I recommend that you watch the different cooking shows and immerse yourself in all those mouthwatering cookbooks that come out every year.

2. Plan and make lists

Before going shopping, we always make a list of the meals for the week.

We then look in the supermarket catalog to see if there are any good deals to give us any ideas. Then, we imagine other menus that would make us happy. We then make a healthy, inexpensive shopping list and go to the store.

Why is this a good idea? Because we save money by limiting impulse purchases. We also save time all week because we already know our menus.

No more headaches, standing in front of the fridge not knowing what to do!

The icing on the cake: we limit waste by choosing ingredients that will be used several times!

To make a healthy and inexpensive shopping list easily, check out our tip.

3. Prefer easily accommodating ingredients

Rather than stocking heaps of unusual, somewhat exotic, and rarely used foods in your cupboards, try playing on versatility instead.

Choose foods that will suit a wide variety of dishes. For example: rice, beans, onions, garlic, tomato sauce, celery, carrots, peppers and pasta.

We use these basic ingredients to create very good dishes and most keep very well in a dry cupboard, protected from light.

Worried about always eating the same thing? Learn how to use your herbs and spices, you won't be disappointed!

To discover : 5 Spices and 7 Herbs to Know To Flavor Your Dishes.

4. Avoid ready-made meals

You will never find frozen or ready-made meals on our shopping list. These foods are not only bad for your health, but they are also bad for your budget.

These ready meals are not cheaper than the others, nor better. There are lots of recipes to eat healthy and inexpensively without breaking your budget.

Keep in mind that not everything that makes up the majority of “processed” dishes is very good for your health.

The secret is to beware of prepared meals and cakes and foods high in sodium, sugar or fat.

To discover : 4 Good Reasons to Avoid Prepared Meals.

5. Use less meat and dairy products

It is true that it may seem difficult and it was the case for me and my boyfriend because we love meat and cheese. But very often these are the most expensive ingredients.

Of course, I'm not telling you to ban them completely. But if you are used to eating it every day, you can for example lower the frequency to 2 or 3 times a week.

Then, once you're used to eating it 2-3 times a week, try switching to just once a week.

Don't worry, there are plenty of tasty, meatless dishes out there. Beans and rice, pasta with tomato or cream sauces (with vegetables) for example! There are also large veggie patties that mimic chicken and beef surprisingly well.

Another tip: learn to prepare small pieces of meat so that they taste better. A little know-how will change your view of these products.

6. Buy seasonal produce

Peaches are very expensive out of season! Make sure you stick to the right seasons to save money on fruit or veg.

Learn what the seasonal produce is and buy it at the right time. Use seasonal produce and set your weekly meal plan accordingly.

To discover : Fruits and Vegetables to Buy Fresh in April.

If you need a product out of season, consider dried, frozen, or canned fruits or vegetables. They can be just as healthy and tasty!

Unfortunately, this doesn't work for all fruits and vegetables, but for many that are just as good as well.

Just keep your eyes peeled for the label on cans - the sodium is often far too present. In my opinion, there is no better than fresh or frozen beans: I prefer them to canned ones.

To discover : 27 Things You Can Freeze To Save Money And Time!

7. Buy in bulk

Bulk purchases can save you quite a bit of money over time. As long as you have room to keep it all without letting it get lost.

You might have to do a bit of repackaging (dividing up a big punnet of meat, for example), but nothing fancy in there.

I add a caveat: buying in bulk is not always cheaper. That's why it's important to learn how to price the unit and compare your choices before you buy.

Also, be sure to keep in mind that not everything is bought this way!

8. Make useful stocks

If you find a good deal on an item that keeps well (like canned foods), don't hesitate to stock up.

Obviously, you have to do this for foods that you love and cook often. Buying 20 cans of tuna because it's on sale is stupid if you rarely eat tuna!

If we are talking about perishable food (such as fruits and vegetables), think about the different means of preservation: freezing, drying, canning ...

To discover : 5 Products You Must Wholesale.

9. Try not to waste

If you've planned your meals well in advance, you should be able to end up with few leftovers.

Try to have a reasonable amount of leftovers that you can reuse for one or two more meals, but no more.

If you let leftovers languish in the bottom of the fridge, you risk wasting the money and time you spent preparing that food.

Surely you don't want to throw money in the trash, do you? So pay attention to the quantities, it's important.

10. Don't eat too much

Overconsumption is a dangerous game. If you cook too much, the extra food will just go to waste!

In addition, your body will store all of this as fat. Eating too much is not only a bit of your health, but also a bit of your wallet that goes up in the air.

Results

There you go, you know my tips for eating for less than 4 € per day :-)

These few simple principles can help you cut your food budget to just a few dollars a day. I guarantee that your wallet will only get better!

As you can see, you don't have to spend hours chopping up coupon codes and becoming a "coupon hunter".

You don't even have to grow your own food although that's a great idea if you have the motivation to do so.

These tips for saving money are also great benefactors for your health. And as they say, health is priceless!

Indeed, you will reduce your visits to the doctor and the taking of medication.

Your turn...

And you ? What are your tips for saving money on food? Tell us in the comments. We can't wait to hear from you!

Do you like this trick ? Share it with your friends on Facebook.

Also to discover:

How To Save Money While Shopping? My 4 Cunning Tips.

How to Save Money? 3 Tips for Immediate Results.