Feeding a large family can be draining on the budget, but with a few cost-effective substitutions, you can cook food that your army will eat without breaking your food budget. Follow a few guidelines to keep your food costs down while filling up your family.
Instructions
1. Start a garden to reduce the cost of food. Growing your own food is by far the most cost-effective way to get fresh produce. A package of seeds generally runs between 50 cents and 3 dollars. One $2.39 package of organic corn seeds plants 2 6-foot rows of corn plants, enough to feed a family of 5 fresh organic corn for the whole season.
2. Buy a share from a local grower. You can get a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables all season at a drastically discounted price by buying a share which generally costs between 200 and 300 dollars before the growing season starts. The farmer uses this money for seeds and other necessities, and you'll get fresh produce for months. This works out to spending about $1.60 a day for as much fresh produce as a family of 4 can eat. If you buy 3 shares you can feed 12 people all season for about $5 a day.
3. Purchase meat on sale. This way, $5 buys twice the amount of meat on a "buy-one-get-one-free" sale or a "manager's specials" that discounts select meats by as much as 50 percent. When you've found your deal, freeze the meat you can't use.
4. Find a source for grains. With beta carotene and lycopene added to your meal from your homegrown fruits and vegetables, you need to add a variety of grains. Club stores and online markets are great for bulk purchases of grains and flours. For instance, buy a 12 pound bag of Uncle Ben's rice at Sam's Club and you'll be able to get 100 servings for about $5.
5. Try beans. Beans are a super low-cost protein source that is readily available everywhere. Buying dry beans is the most cost-effective. Purchase a pound for about a dollar, which would feed approximately 6 to 8 adults. Five dollars worth of dried beans will feed up to 40 people.
Tags: fresh produce, your food, feed people, fruits vegetables, most cost-effective, organic corn