Store Cupboard Saviours

We all know just how tight things are at the moment, what with the recent economical crisis and so on.

Although things are slowly beginning to recover, it’s safe to say that many of us are still feeling the pinch in our wallets and bank accounts, and for that reason, funds are pretty scarce.

Every penny matters, especially when it comes to food. Food for the most part, isn’t all that cheap. There are of course exceptions, but you have to know what you’re looking for.

Recently however, a shocking statistic revealed that every single week, households all over the world, throw out almost one third of the food they’ve purchased, whether it be because the food has expired and gone past its use by date, or the fact that they cook too much and throw the excess into the bin. Overtime this equates to a small fortune, which is why it’s important to prevent this from happening by shopping smartly. Here we highlight our top 3 store cupboard saviours and a handy list of 27 others, that for families, make life easier and far more affordable too.

Dried pasta – Dried pasta is absolutely ideal for large families and it can help save a substantial amount overtime. Dried pasta is great because it can be stored in a cupboard without the need to be refrigerated, and it will last for months upon months at a time. If you do open the airtight bag that it’s sealed in however, make sure to transfer the pasta into special storage containers, which will seal them and keep the air from getting to them. Dried pasta is great because there are so many varieties to choose from, it’s healthy as it’s low in fat and a good source of carbohydrates, and it can be used in so many different recipes. It’s best to buy large bags in bulk, as although they’re obviously more expensive than smaller bags, if you were to buy several smaller bags, they’d work out more expensive.

Tinned tomatoes – Tinned tomatoes are another example of a must-have cupboard food item for families. Tinned tomatoes will keep for a very long time, if left unopened of course, and are so diverse and can be used in so many different things. They go very well with pasta for instance, and you can easily make yourself a healthy and delicious tomato and basil pasta sauce to have with the pasta you purchased previously. They can also be used in pies, curries, stews, soups, and much more, and they’re extremely affordable too.

Flour – When it comes to variety, you’d be hard pressed to come up with a more versatile ingredient than flour. Flour can be used to make bread, pasta, pies, rolls, cakes, buns, and much more on top of that. There are also many different types of flour to choose from, including wholemeal if you’re being especially healthy. Flour is cheap, easy to store, comes in so many different varieties, and can be used to make so many different dishes that it’s impossible to name them all.

Other handy essentials include
1. Baked beans
2. Balsamic vinegar
3. Butter beans
4. Coconut milk
5. Crushed chillies
6. Curry paste
7. Gravy granules
8. Herbs – rosemary, thyme, tarragon and mixed herbs
9. Marmite
10. Mustard
11. Noodles
12. Olives
13. Olive oil
14. Paprika
15. Raisins
16. Rice
17. Runny honey
18. Stir fry sauce
19. Sesame oil
20. Soy sauce
21. Stock cubes
22. Sunflower oil
23. Tabasco
24. Tinned sardines
25. Tinned tuna
26. Tomato ketchup
27. White wine vinegar