Prices of gas, electricity, water, food,and everything else are constantly on the rise and this makes things difficult for homemakers who plan their meals.

As a hands-on mom to her three kids and a homemaker herself, Filipino actress, entrepreneur, cook and Beko’s brand ambassador, Judy Ann Santos, understands how this feels.

“Struggle talaga siya, nachachallenge ka rin kasi kung paano ka magbubudget,” said Santos.

Budgeting can be a challenge and so is having a sustainable lifestyle. However, Santos shared that she believes having a sustainable and healthy lifestyle is possible even if you're on a budget.

"Actually, nakatutulong ang meal prepping pag gusto mong makatipid and have a sustainable lifestyle talaga."

Meal preparation helps homemakers to manage and maximize the nutrients absorbed from meals. This is why it is a best practice in daily life if one aims to be healthy and sustainable.

“So, pag nagmemeal prep ako, I do it nang weekly. Nililista ko na ano yung mga magiging meals namin for a week, tapos dun ko na rin ililista ano ba yung mga ingredients na kakailanganin.”

Santos said this helps her not only to save money but also to save a lot of time and effort.

Maximizing what you can buy in groceries is vital in meal prepping. Santos also shared some money-saving tips when it comes to grocery shopping.

“Siyempre, pipiliin niyo yung mga fresh ingredients pa. Fresh na gulay, fresh na prutas,” she said. “Usually meron din yung mga buy one, take one deals sa mga groceries, so actually, maganda rin siya kasi mas nakakatipid ka in buying more.”

Santos said buying ingredients in bulk can also help in saving you time so that you won't have to make constant trips back and forth to the grocery store.

The challenging part is when it comes to storing food and its actual preparation. Santos feels at ease with this part as she said she is grateful to rely on the appliances of the European appliance brand, Beko, as it is a big help for her meal preps.

Santos is amazed at Beko's fridge with HarvestFresh technology. HarvestFresh is Beko's unique crisper drawer technology that uses an innovative three-color system to mimic the 24-hour cycle. This lets fruits and vegetables retain their freshness and preserve their vitamins as this technology keeps them in their natural environment after being harvested.

“It’s actually a life-saver kasi at least, I won’t have to worry every time I score good deals ng mga fruits sa groceries kasi mas makakatagal na sila in my ref,” said Santos. “Mas nakakatipid rin kasi walang nasasayang talaga.”

Beko's fridges also have a ProSmart Inverter Compressor, which consumes less energy and lets you save money on your electricity bills.

As a cook, Santos also loves Beko's range of cookers and ovens. Beko's Built-In ovens have Halogen Illumination, which allows one to see the food that's been cooked inside. CookMaster ovens also offer 82L of cooking capacity, which lets you cook lots of food as one can cook on up to five shelves simultaneously.

Compared to other cooking appliances, Beko's built-in hobs let you cook faster and use less gas, which allows you to have more efficient cooking. Aside from this, Beko's built-in hobs give you a safe cooking experience as they ensure gas safety. This feature detects when the hob's flame is still running, automatically shutting off the gas supply.

“Sobrang helpful talaga na may magagamit kang cooker na you can rely on,” said Santos. “Nakakagaan din ng feeling tuwing maiisip mo na nakakatipid ka rin in energy consumption tapos nakakapagprepare din ako ng mas maraming healthy food for my family.” she added.

Beko, which is present in over 140 countries, has been focusing on healthy living for years, raising awareness and developing products that make healthy living possible and convenient to empower the new generations to live healthier. Beko produces products that inspire a healthy lifestyle, from nutrient-saving kitchen appliances, to refrigerators that preserve food better for longer.

For more information about Beko in the Philippines, go to http://beko.ph or visit their Facebook page.