CUT YOUR GROCERY BILL IN HALF!
You Can Cut Your Grocery Spending In Half!
Buying food for a family can be very expensive! Food is a major portion of most family budgets. According to the USDA, in September 2015 the cost to feed a family of four ranged from $567 to $1295. That’s a lot of money!
Use these five tricks to significantly reduce your spending on food:
Don’t pay for convenienceYou pay the most for prepackaged, prewashed, prechopped, or precooked foods.
Look for whole foods that you can cook or prepare at home, instead of buying processed or prepackaged foods. You can also buy food in bulk, then use disposable Tupperware and plastic bags to create your own grab and go items.
Plan a menuIf you plan a menu, and stick to your plan, you can make sure you buy the right amount of food and none of it gets wasted. Check out choosemyplate.gov for healthy, affordable menu ideas.
Planning a menu will also help you reduce the temptation to go to a restaurant when you don’t know what to make for dinner.
Check the weekly sales You’ll see big savings if you base your menu on items that are on sale for the week.
You can freeze many meats and produce items until you’re ready to use them. Stock up on sales, then keep the food in the freezer until you need it.
Shop at multiple stores Instead of going to the same place every week, mix it up and go where the best sales are.
Take advantage of rewards programs wherever they’re available. Also, remember to check out the farmer’s markets; they frequently have better prices than the grocery stores.
It’s also worth learning how stores sell food close to its expiration date. If you find out the day or the section of the grocery store where they put their almost-expired markdowns, you can save lots of money. Again, the freezer is your friend. Bread and meat that must be sold that day can be frozen and used later. Just remember to use it right away when you defrost it!
Use couponsMany coupons are available online. If you can combine a coupon with a store sale, you’ll see even bigger savings. Just remember you aren’t really saving money if you use a coupon to buy something that isn’t on your grocery list.
You can afford to feed your family delicious, nutritious meals! These techniques make it easy to eat the foods you love and save money at the same time.