I love food. I am the person who enjoys watching food shows, cooking, and even going grocery shopping. Food is one of those expenses that we can never get out of-we have to eat. With food prices going up and a large percentage of our money being spent on meals outside of the home how we spend money on our food makes a huge difference.
Here are several ways to shop for food cheaply, that are very simple:
First, always have a good idea of what you have in your pantry.
Try to have a good number of staples on hand and don’t skimp on the quality-just buy those items on sale. No, you don’t have to coupon and I would say that most people might not have the time or energy to coupon effectively. Just have a good idea of what you like to eat and the lowest food quality that you can tolerate. Don’t buy food below that level-you’ll waste it!
Only go grocery shopping once a week.
People make the mistake of always popping into the grocery store after work. DON’T. Save yourself some time and energy by going once a week. Have a menu for the week and use what’s in your home. Be creative when you find your pantry a little low. Push yourself to use what you have on hand.
Shop around.
I regularly shop at Whole Foods. In fact, I specifically prefer to purchase my meats from Whole Foods. I also like to shop the Whole Foods bulk foods area. It is quite frankly one of the best ways to get great items ranging from: dried fruit, rice, or chocolate without spending an arm and a leg on the items. Also, you get just what you need instead of ridiculously large packages of stuff that you won’t use. I also shop at Albertsons for their inexpensive canned items; Safeway for great cereal deals; and Trader Joes for alcohol. I must admit that I am loyal to brands for certain things but am comfortable trying something new. However, I also know that if I don’t like something it will be wasted so I try to be selective about what I try to save money on.
Food is tricky because for some people food is just fuel.
For other people food is pleasure. For me I live to eat whereas other people just eat to live. Determine what kind of person you are and shop accordingly while keeping your health in mind. There is no reason to go broke at the grocery store. Make sure to stock up on what you like when it’s on sale.
Work with a budget.
Take a month and write down what you’re spending on groceries during that month. Spend some time thinking about how you feel about the amount of money you spent. Do you feel it’s too much? Too little? Only you know that answer.
What are your simple ways to shop for food cheaply?
I also only go shopping once a week. Don’t go when you are hungry either! BIG mistake. I try to see what is on sale and also have a meal plan in place.
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The fights I have with myself when I go hungry!
Good tips. I’ve always had a bit of an issue sticking with a budget, since I love food so much! But I’ve definitely gotten better, including buying things in bulk when it goes on sale. I also have an Aldi and a local chain close by, so that helps on cost too.
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I am always a little off on my budget. However, it’s a lot better than before. Instead of being $30 dollars off I’m usually averaging around $10 over what I budgeted. I do try to use cash now when grocery shopping so that I stay within my budget.
Michelle recently posted…Don’t Squander Your Most Important Resources: Time and People
I’m also like you, I don’t like to eat bad quality food just because it’s cheap. It’s also not good for your health in the long term. I would say meal planning helps me tremendously cutting down my food budget while still enjoying quality food that I actually like. I only buy stuff that I need, so there’s hardly any waste.
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I really enjoy meal planning and imagine that I’m on a cooking show. A bit of an over share and you might think I’m nuts, but I love the process or preparing food for others and part of that planning the menu. I have a lot of fun with it and there are websites dedicated to helping you figure out what to do with random food items.
Michelle recently posted…Don’t Squander Your Most Important Resources: Time and People
We have been doing better with meal planning and keeping track of what we have so that we can have less food waste. Our food spending is way down, we are eating healthier than ever, and food just overall tastes better for us when we make it ourselves at home.
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In order for me to eat out of my home the food has to be pretty good! I’m just not interested in eating subpar food anymore. It also messes up my stomach so I try to keep the food I eat outside of my home to a minimum with high levels of quality. If I go for a burger I’ll go to Smashburger or Lark Burger (Colorado companies) amazing burgers and truffle parmesan fries. Delicious. Or, I’ll just wait for a high end yummy dinner.
Michelle recently posted…Don’t Squander Your Most Important Resources: Time and People
The “only go grocery shopping once a week” is a biggie for me. I did an experiment once where I made a conscious attempt to get everything I needed for our family in one trip, and then barred myself from going back to the store. Then I did the more common weekly “get most stuff in one trip, but make several additional trips during the week.” I spent WAY more with choice B. The more times you step into the grocery store, the more opportunities you have to overspend!
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I used to pop in to the store all of the time and it was a huge time suck and I spent too much money. Now I try to keep food shopping to the weekends. I’ve saved a ton of money (and time) by doing this.
Michelle recently posted…Don’t Squander Your Most Important Resources: Time and People