How to Save Money on the biggest expense of all: FOOD!
When you're trying to free up money anywhere you can, or buckle down on expenses, an easy target is food. The good news is that there are all kinds of way to save money on food! It seems like however far you go, there are always more ways to save that you haven't discovered yet.
Unfortunately, some of the best solutions are inconvenient and tend to fall apart under the pressure of our schedules. While keeping busy may stop us from idle spending, it's not great for our food budgets which often suffer.
That's why it's great to be prepared with a few simple tricks to score simple, easy food budget wins! These tips are useful and don't take drastic rewiring of your behavioral patterns to accomplish!
Easy Ways to Save Money on Food:
- Run out of food AKA: eat out of your cupboards
- Keep healthy, filling, snacks handy
- Don't let your perishables go to waste
- Stick to a Meal Plan
- Keep food foundational basics on hand
- Keep it easy
1. Running Out of Food AKA: Eat Out of Your Cupboards
I don't mean like when you look in the pantry or refrigerator and there's nothing there that you want. I mean, there's nothing there. Running out of food is a major win, but don't just throw everything out.
You've got to come by it honestly. It's important to use up what you have, because every time you don't go out or order food in, you are saving money and helping your budget. Ideally, you would replenish before you run out, but if you are not used to using up what you have already bought, you may want to focus on that first before you add new foods to the mix.
That may mean you have to shop hungry, which is breaking a cardinal rule. However, you will also be forced to think about whether or not you will actually consume everything you buy.
2. Accessible Fruits and Veggies
Kind of like running out of food, this is another of those easy food budget wins based around consumption. You want to avoid spending too much money on food and wasting food you have already paid for. Part of that is making foods available that you might typically ignore. Do you always run out of cheese while the fruit rots in the pantry? How often does your fresh produce go to waste after you buy it? A good way to remedy that is to keep a fruit bowl out in the open so when you want a snack, you just have to reach out and grab for it. Money doesn't go to waste and you eat better, plus you stay so satisfied that you don't need to dine out.
3. Change of Plans
Part of saving the most money on food is budgeting, meal planning and sticking to the list. Planning is an essential part of proper management of money and food. There are some drawbacks, though. For example, buying items on your list indiscriminately, even if you are comparison shopping can lead to spending much more money than you plan on. If the price isn't right on some of the things you are looking for, that can be a step back for your budget. Meanwhile, other deals and special prices may go unnoticed. To turn your grocery trips into easy food budget wins, you have to know when it makes sense to change your plans for the better option. One tip is to mark down a price on your list that you won't go over for each item. It's also a good idea to look for promotional deals beforehand, so you are prepared for inexpensive alternatives.
4. Stock Up on the Right Stuff
I don't mean buying bulk. That's another article. Sometimes you will find products marked down so low it's called a stock-up price. Basically, you would be crazy not to buy as much as possible because you will definitely use it and you would normally spend much more on a regular basis. In the fall the cost of chili goes way down, for example. Another type of food to stock up on is cheap grain. Rice can stretch a very long way on a tight budget and it goes with everything. It just happens to be the perfect foundation for the most convenient meals.
5. Make a Sandwich
Sandwiches check all the boxes. they're delicious, they're cheap, their super easy to make. Sometimes it's easy to go wrong with sandwiches because you don't make them as awesome as you could. If you would rather get a sandwich at a diner than at home, this is you. You may feel to save you have to pull back on the ingredients; But think about the money out spend buying a reuben at your local restaurant or deli. You can price out what you spend on all of the ingredients for your sandwiches and compare that to what you would pay for one sandwich when you dine out. From there you can build your sandwiches with informed judgement. You'd be surprised how good your sandwiches can be at a fraction of the cost.
What tips do you have for saving money on food? Tell us in the comments below! And! If you found this post helpful we'd be so thankful if you shared it with your friends!