Our largest expense every month (not including our rent!) is probably what we spend on food. The cool thing about food and grocery costs is that you do have some control over what you spend at resteraunts or at the store.
We recently had a guest post on our blog that discusses how to eat healthy on a tight budget, which is something I need to make more of an effort at!
Here are a few tips that I learned from the article.
1. Always have a budget for groceries
I am terrible for just walking into a store and buying whatever I like the look of. But it is important to make sure that there is an actual budget for the groceries. You can try to slowly reduce that budget overtime and see if you are actually OK with less food...
This is something I want to implement, not only to save money but also to lose some weight!
2. Design some frugal meals
Don't worry - I am not about tell you to eat rice all the time! We have found that making huge amounts of yummy food like chili or soup can be tasty and extremely low-cost. Meat is pretty expensive so usually frugal meals will not include it.
Using up leftovers into some nice big crockpot will save a lot of money overtime and can often be very delicious! Both your stomach and your wallet will thank you.
3. Don't grocery shop when hungry!
I once went into a store for some healthy vegetables and some fruit. I came out with 24 cupcakes, 5 pizzas and 4 hamburgers....
My blood sugar was so low that I couldn't help it! The motto of the story is to never ever grocery shop when you are hungry.
4. Always have a list and stick to it
Most people make some kind of a shopping list before they go to the store. But sticking to it is a different matter! I know that I always end up putting in a few extras like the fancy bread or I grab some chocolate at the checkout. The problem is they all start to add up quickly. If you can stick to your list and budget you will be amazed at how much you can save over the long-term.
So, give these tips a try and don't be surprised if you see some nice savings! They sound so simple - simple but not easy. Good luck!
You can find a whole bunch of other ways to save money on food and other things in your life at our blog all about saving and making more money.
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