Food is one of the most important things that you will spend your money on. Food is the one thing that can help keep your family healthy. Many people spend much of their budget on food, and wonder how they could cut your food bill. There are so many places to shop for food these days; you can go to the grocery store, a farmer’s market, a health food store. When your bank account holds more money spent to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, Kroger, or Publix it might be a good time to determine if you can cut your food bill.
There are several things that you can do to cut your food bill. Here are some examples.
Planning
It can be very helpful to plan when it comes to trying to cut your food bill. There are several ways that a person can help in the planning process before shopping.
- Menu – you are able to control the foods that you have to buy by knowing what you want to cook. There are many different places online that you can search for printable menu plans. However, just a piece of paper where you write down your meal desires for the week is an acceptable plan.
- Grocery List – another suggestion to make a list of each item that you need. This can help a person to determine things that you really need. This is one way to ensure that your purchasing things you already have in the cupboard.
- Coupons – it is another thing that can help someone when it comes to cutting your food bill. You might use a special store specific card that can help you reduce the cost spent. However, there are also many places online that you can have coupons for your favorite foods mailed to you. The newspaper tends to have several coupon adds in it as well.
Smarter Shopping
One of the ideas to cutting your food bill is know what to buy and how to buy it.
- Buy in bulk can be better for your pocketbook than the small bags of items. Buy your candy, or nuts, in bulk is a good place to start. There are even places that you can purchase your flours or rice in bulk that can considerably cut down on the food expense. It might even better to avoid some of those things all together if you can.
- In store deals is something several stores offer. You have the ability to find BOGO deals or even 2/something pricing. This is beyond couponing. Check the store adds for any in store savings that you might be able to take advantage of.
- Store brands can be cheaper if you were to purchase the in store brand of an item rather than the name brand version. This may help you to several dollars per item you purchase. Many items are made with similar ingredients so that the outcome is the same.
- Eliminating sugary drinks can be helpful. The reduction of money spent on soda or other sweet juices can help to cut your food bill. Drink water, this is an item that is nearly free. If water is not your thing then you can purchase powdered drink mixes, or tea to make at home.
- Making your own snacks can be a great way to cut back your food budget. It is simple to grab a bag of Chex mix, however making it yourself will be cheaper as well as give you more quantity of food.
- Making more at once might be helpful. If you make a chicken in the beginning of the week, you can use the leftovers for chicken salad, or another meal. On your day off you can prepare a large amount of chicken on the grill or in the oven, and then use it for several dishes throughout the week.
Eating Out
It can be important when eating out to make sure that you choose the specialty days or times to make your bill cheaper. Go to eat during early bird specials, 50% off nights, or even kids eat free night. This can help when you want to cut your food bill. Another idea is to only eat half your meal while you are out. You can have a meal to take home and eat at another time, which can help save money for a later meal. If you choose to not take home leftovers then maybe purchasing a smaller meal is a good way help reduce your restaurant bill.
Self Sustainable
One way to help you cut your food bill is through creating your own garden. This will allow you the ability to pick your favorite veggies or fruits to grow in your backyard. A garden is something that anyone can have with just a few pots on their back porch. One place that you can start is with some of your spices.