How to prepare all meals for 4 people using ₹150/day?

Question

How do you prepare all meals for 4 people using just ₹150/day? Discover extreme budget cooking strategies for a family.

Answer 1

Preparing all meals for four people on ₹150/day requires careful planning, prioritizing inexpensive staples like lentils, rice, and seasonal vegetables, and minimizing processed foods and eating out. Focus on bulk cooking and creative use of leftovers.

Detailed Explanation:

Feeding four people on a budget of ₹150 per day (approximately $2 USD) is challenging but achievable with strategic planning and resourcefulness. Here's a step-by-step approach:

1. Meal Planning: Start with a weekly meal plan. This helps you buy only what you need and reduces food waste. Focus on simple, nutritious meals.

2. Prioritize Staples: Base your meals around inexpensive staples like rice, lentils (dal), beans, potatoes, onions, and seasonal vegetables. These provide essential nutrients and are filling.

3. Bulk Buying: Purchase staples in bulk whenever possible. This is often cheaper than buying smaller quantities. Check local markets for the best deals.

4. Breakfast Ideas: Opt for budget-friendly breakfasts like poha (flattened rice), upma (semolina porridge), or simple roti (Indian flatbread) with a vegetable side dish. These are filling and nutritious.

5. Lunch and Dinner Ideas: Focus on dal-rice combinations, vegetable curries with roti, or khichdi (a rice and lentil porridge). Incorporate seasonal vegetables to add variety and nutrients.

6. Snacks: Avoid buying packaged snacks. Instead, make homemade snacks like roasted chickpeas, puffed rice with spices, or fruit (if affordable and in season).

7. Minimize Meat Consumption: Meat is generally expensive. Reduce meat consumption and rely on plant-based protein sources like lentils and beans.

8. Cook at Home: Avoid eating out or ordering food. Cooking at home is significantly cheaper.

9. Utilize Leftovers: Plan meals to use leftovers creatively. Leftover dal can be used in parathas (stuffed flatbreads), and leftover vegetables can be added to rice or used as a filling for sandwiches.

10. Grow Your Own: If possible, grow some of your own vegetables, even in a small space. Herbs like coriander and mint are easy to grow and can add flavor to your meals.

Pro Tip:

Soak lentils and beans before cooking to reduce cooking time and improve digestibility. This also helps to extract more nutrients from them, making your meals more nutritious and cost-effective.