Here are a few hints that will help with saving you money on food:
- Don't use coupons. They don't save you money in the long run. Instead, you end up buying stuff you never would have bought normally. This is why manufacturers make coupons: they want you to buy products you otherwise would never buy.
- Don't buy something just because it's on sale. You'll end up with stuff you never use. However, if a product you normally do buy is on sale, buy at least two (three or four, if you can afford it) of that product.
- Don't buy prepared food (e.g. hot barbecued chickens, frozen pizza). The cost of labour is very high. If you buy raw food, and cook everything yourself, you could save up to 50% of your monthly food budget.
(If you don't get delivery pizza, and don't eat out, you can save even more!).
- Don't buy fresh juice, only frozen. When you buy premium juice (not from concentrate) you are paying for water. If you buy a frozen, concentrated juice, then you add your own water for free. It's much cheaper.
- Don't buy soft drinks (i.e. soda pop). When you buy bottled soft drinks, you are paying for water. Instead, buy a fruit drink powder and add your own water for free. It's much cheaper.
- Make meals in one large pot or dish (like soups, stews, or casseroles). If you use fewer burners when cooking, you'll save on energy costs.
- If you're making something in the oven, plan to make several things at the same time. For example, if you're making a roast chicken or roast beef, also make baked potatoes, and some kind of baked vegetable dish. This uses less energy than using the oven AND several burners as well.
- If you have a toaster oven, use that instead of your regular oven. Obviously you can't do that if the item you want to cook is too large for the toaster oven, but if it will fit in there, do it. A toaster oven uses less energy than a regular oven.
- Eat vegetarian as much as possible. Meat, fish, and poultry are the most expensive items on any grocery list. If you can eat vegetarian two (or more) days per week, your grocery bills will go down amazingly. If you don't know how to cook vegetarian, I've supplied a few easy sample recipes here: Great Vegetarian Recipes.
- Buy from the bulk food bins. It takes a little more time &mdash you have to scoop out your own food (eg. beans, candy, spices, cereal, etc.), and bag and label it yourself, but you can end up saving 10 - 50% on the cost of an item. Remember, the most expensive part of any food purchase is labour, and if you use your own labour, you don't have to pay for someone else's.
Disclaimer: while these hints are the result of years of experience and/or lots of research, in the end they are just my personal opinion. If you try something I suggest and it doesn't work, please don't sue me &mdash I guarantee nothing. Best of luck!
Page created and maintained by A. Steinbergs
Last modified: September 23, 2008