It’s easy enough to say that you should save money by clipping coupons or planning a budget around the grocery store flyer, but if it were truly that simple, everyone would be doing it. Those are easy suggestions and I certainly don’t discount them. If they work for you – go for it. But there are some other fun ways to cut the money from the bottom line of your grocery bill.
The Basics
Too many Americans are obese. A good part of the reason for this is because Americans have lost the understanding of a portion size. We buy a burger at a restaurant and are surprised that it may be two or more servings. Then, we go home and create the same size burger on our backyard grill, when a serving of meat is only about the size of a deck of cards. Do a little research on accurate portion size and retrain your brain on what the body needs.
If you’re not that hungry and just want a snack, then only get a snack. Don’t be talked into a larger meal you don’t want and your body can’t use for energy. It ends up being calories not used and excess money spent.
Dining Out
One of the best ways when eating out is to share meals. When you go out to eat with hubby or a friend, get one main entrée and two sides, along with water to drink. It will satisfy your hunger and won’t cost quite as much as each person ordering entrees.
If you’re eating with someone who doesn’t want to share or eats something you don’t like is to select two sides or an appetizer instead of an entrée. Although – check the prices before you do this as some appetizers can feed an entire table and do cost more.
Another idea is to mix and match with friends so you can take leftovers home. If there are two of you at lunch, you can get the steak burger and fries, while the other gets a pasta dish with chicken. When you order, go ahead and ask for two takeout boxes. Place half your entrée into the box and swap with your friend. You may not save money on the restaurant meal, but you are stretching it into two meals right off the bat.
Dining In
With gas prices rising, causing transportation costs to rise, it’s more important than ever to buy basic grocery items in bulk when possible. If chicken goes on sale for 89 cents a pound, buy 3 to 4 weeks worth of chicken. You can buy freezer bags (which are washable and reusable) to keep the extra good for you.
Never cook a meal when you haven’t considered how to create leftovers! If you grill chicken one night, cook a little extra to make chicken salad the next night. You’re only using the grill once, but are making two meals from it. Another example is to make creamed chicken only once. Use half to make chicken and biscuits one night and freeze the other half to make chicken pot pie next week.
Pick one or two vegetables to grow in a garden, even if it’s a patio garden. Several plants of tomatoes become salsas and sauces for all year round eating, saving hundreds of dollars a year buying the canned version from the store.
One note of frugality: keep a bucket on the back porch. As it rains, collect the rainwater and use to water to keep the tomatoes flourishing. This means less watering from your very own tap.
A second note of frugality – swap with friends. Grow one or two extra tomato plants and swap with the person down the street who has a few apple trees. You spend money on the seeds, the dirt and the containers. Nature does the rest.
A final dining in tip is to start from scratch and ditch the prepared foods. Not only do prepared foods contain chemicals and artificial ingredients, they are much more expensive. It’s actually not that difficult to make your own bread, bagels, pizza or cookies. You’ll save one half to three quarters of the cost you would spend in the grocery store. Plus – homemade is much better for you and tastes so much better.
Shopping
This may sound strange, but shop on e-bay for canned food. My mother actually sold some sardines my dad purchased from an exclusive store. He tried one can and absolutely hated the taste. When my mom got tired of seeing them in the pantry, she put the cans for sale on e-bay. Of course, she didn’t get back what she paid for them, but the buyer got an exclusive item for a very low price.
Check around for farmer’s markets, but check prices before purchasing. Some farmer’s markets attract vendors that sell decorations at a higher price than a local store. If the farmers markets have local vendors, they can sell food items for much less than grocery stores because they don’t have the high cost of transportation.
If you do nothing else, never buy bottled water. Let’s repeat this: never, EVER, buy bottled water at the store. Purchase some re-usable drink cups with lids and a water filter for your tap. What most people don’t understand is that most bottled water at the stores comes from a company’s tap anyway. You’re paying just for their specific bottled water when you could spend a lot less per cup instead.
Not every cost saving idea will work for everyone, so the best idea is to pick the ones that work within your lifestyle and within your skill set. Try a few out and figure out which ones are best for you.
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