Whenever we look at our budgets and ways to cut back, we try to think of what the most flexible part is. Most people think this is the entertainment budget. And sometimes they are right. Others might think that the most flexible budget category is groceries… food!
So how much should we realistically be spending on food? Well, there is not set amount per person. How can there be? Our diets are so varied that one cannto say what is reasonable. But there are certain strategies that everybody can use to keep the bills low:
- But frozen instead of fresh meat. Frozen meats are less expensive, even for the same cuts of meat. This doesn’t mean to buy the fancy breaded and/or stuffed portions. Just buy the meat alone. This can save as much as 50% (sometimes) more on the price of your meats. This includes red meat (beef, pork, lamb) as well as poultry and fish.
- Buy frozen vegetables in larger packages. Yes, it’s cheaper to buy forzen peas than fresh or canned. And the frozen ones are better for you than the canned ones. And bigger bags are cheaper by weight. All vegetables work this way; peas were just an example.
- Don’t buy the sugary, colourful cereals. Buy bulk cereal or oatmeal (not instant oatmeal). These cereals cost less and tend to be healthier, too. Not only will you end up saving money by purchasing a less costly product, you may end up slimming down a bit and feeling better for it. There’s a lucky break!
- Don’t eat out! Really! Eating out is very expensive. You can eat the same food at home for at least half off, if not more. I’ve seen meals in a restaurant cost as much as ten times what it costs to make the same thing at home. And the home cooked one is often less fattening and tastes better.
- Don’t buy for convenience. This goes for all of your foods! It’s much less expensive to buy a bag of potatoes and cut tehm up for French fries than it is to buy a bag of frozen, pre-cut fries. And you’ll still have a lot of potatoes left over. This rule holds for most convenience foods and meals. Instead of buying frozen dinners, make a few up a week ahead and freeze them. Then you’ll have ready made meals, already in a package (the dollar stores sell freezable, re-usable containers super cheap – you’ll save lots, even accounting for buying a week’s worth of these containers).
As always, track everything! Not tracking things is a mistake that is so common to make and tends to mess people up all the time! You’ll be amazed at how changing the style and habits of your grocery shopping can chop a lot of dollars off your food budget.
Tags: cutting back on food expense, cutting your food budget, eating frugal, saving on food, saving on grocery budgets, strategies to cut your food budget
