Money Management

Tips on Saving Money on Food

Saving money on food. There are so many ways to save money on food. Below you will find a few tips that I use. Knowing these tips and following through on them will save you money. Start with one or two and go from there.

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Tips on Saving Money on Food

Freeze your Dairy Products - see how in the video in the right hand column

Cook at Home More - Dining out is always more expensive then cooking at home. So dine out less. Teach yourself or your family to cook. Make it a fun experience! Challenge yourself to find fun and easy dishes to makes.

Plan your meals.
By taking 15 min at the beginning of each week to plan your meals, you will stop unnecessary dining out and buy only what you need at the grocery store - This stops needless waste of the "extras" you intended to eat but didn't. For a great ideas when it comes to meal planning meal planning!

Brown Bag your Lunch
It costs anywhere from $5-15 for lunch each day - add that up and you are looking at $25-75 a week per person. That is up to $3750 a year! Get creative - take leftovers, or microwave meals. Or prepare your lunch the night before.

Shop at Discount Stores for your staple items.
It's amazing how much money you can save by buying your paper towels or cleaning supplies at a discount store or in bulk!

Make your own Coffee or Just Order a regular Coffee.
If you are a big coffee drinker, chances are you are order the expensive cafe mocha latte blah blah blah (sorry not a coffee drinker and I don't really know what they are). Order the regular coffee or tea. You could save $2 per order. 2 coffees a day that is $20 a week or $1000 a year.

Take your own water
Buy a reusable water bottle and refill it yourself at home or the office. If you like filtered water or spring water, buy a Brita and fill your bottle with that. Not only will you save $1-$2 for each water bottle you don't buy, you will help the environment by not disposing of all those recyclable bottles.

Cook with the Lids on Pots
If you cook with lids on your pots you would be amazed at how much energy you will save. The heat stays in and cooks your food faster too!

Find a Sale and Stock Up
If you find items that you buy regularly on sale - stock up. I once found a sale on toilet paper and bought enough for almost 6 months! Like my husband says - "it's not like we are not going to need toilet paper!". Just make sure you do this with sundries or toiletries. It can backfire with food if you don't eat it before it spoils.

Shop at Local Farmer Markets Money Management
Eat healthily for less - go to your local farmer's market. Not only are prices usually lower (lower overhead and transportation costs usually means lower prices) but you are reducing your carbon footprint by buying local. It also makes for a nice day out with your loved ones.

Make a Shopping List and Stick to it.
Put a list on the fridge and mark down on it each day when you run out of a staple item (like milk, bread or butter). Then plan your meals for the week and add to your list what you will need. When you go to the store - stick to your list. Don't stray or buy impulsively. You won't buy too much that will get wasted anyway. If you plan it right you won't have to throw anything out = not wasting money.

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