How To Stop Wasting Money On Food
We spend a lot of money on food. Everyone I know feels like they spend too much money on food and need to save money on groceries.
And they probably do, but I also see what they buy. I know a guy that buys a twelve-pack of coke every week and drinks it himself. That’s wasting a lot of money each year for coke.
Buying things that don’t add value to our lives is a waste.
Overeating is a waste. You consume too much food, and you get fat obviously, you overate. Buying food is expensive; you consume too much of a good thing.
Paying too much for food is wasteful. If you have the opportunity to buy something on sale and don’t, you are wasting money on food.
Throwing food away is expensive. Most people just need a strategy to save money.
There are many things you can do to stop wasting money on food.
How To Stop Wasting Money On Food
1. Eat Out Less Often
We already know eating out is expensive. Some studies have shown eating fast food is twice as expensive as fixing the same meal at home. It would only make sense for restaurants with wait staff; a more excellent place to eat will cost more.
Understand me; I’m not saying don’t eat out. I’m saying eat out less often. And that includes the quick snacks.
2. Your Grocery Shopping Plan
Your grocery shopping plan should be more than stopping at the store on your way home.
You will waste food if you don’t plan your meals and snacks. You will buy it and not use it, or you will buy what no one will eat and throw it away,
If you just run in and run out of the store to buy today’s dinner, you don’t have time to price compare. More money is wasted on food.
You need to have a meal planner and a shopping list to plan your shopping.
To save money, you need to plan what you will have for each meal during a specific period. This is called a meal planner. The most common meal planner is the one-week meal planner.
By planning, you will have more time to use coupons, digital coupons, and weekly ads.
3. Your Shopping List
Your shopping list isn’t a list of suggestions or wants. It’s a guide to help you make good decisions.
When you make a shopping list, you should have on the list everything you will need for that serving period. This includes snacks and beverages for everyone.
When you go shopping, buy what’s on your list, nothing else.
While shopping, use coupons, digital coupons, and weekly ads. to get the lowest prices.
4. Your Meal Planner
Plan your meals ahead of time. Know what you will eat and for which meal.
As you use up food items or there isn’t enough to make another meal add it to your shopping list.
As you go through between shopping times, you should develop a shopping list so when you do go shopping, you know what you need. And buy only that.
5. Reduce Food Waste
The typical American family spends five hundred and fifty dollars a month on food. Unfortunately, over thirty-one percent of the food the member provides is wasted.
I’m not just talking about the vegies at home being wasted. I’m also talking about the food you buy, which goes bad because it wasn’t used soon enough. And there are the people who serve people food to the family pet.
At home, use a meal planner and shopping list to reduce food waste,
At restaurants, I frequently see people leave half a plate of food behind. They could have taken that home and had another meal—two meals for the price of one.
This food will now go in the trash—more wasted money on food.
6. Buy In Bulk
It’s easy to calculate your saving. There are some items you shouldn’t buy in bulk. These items are things you don’t use often or things that go bad quickly.
7. Stockpile Food
Food that won’t spoil quickly, like canned foods or items in boxes or bags like beans and rice, is good to stockpile.
If you decide to stockpile food, buying it on sale or cheap increases your savings.
8. Set A Food Budget
How much will you spend on groceries? Finding how much you need for groceries may take a few months, but it’s well worth your time. You will waste less money on food.
It’s easy to do. Start a spending journal, and anytime you spend money on food weather, whether it’s out or eating in, take notes and start developing a baseline.
9. Plan For Leftovers
Leftovers are good to take to work the next day for lunch. Or you could plan to have leftovers for another meal at home.
Make a double or triple batch of your favorite meal and have it for several meals.
10. Portion Control
Most people don’t know how much of something a serving is. Like steak, in restaurants and most homes, you don’t want one serving if you cook a steak. You want more. Unfortunately, this becomes waste of more money on food.
Learn what one serving is and eat it. Save the rest for later. And save money.
11. Meal Prep
Meal prepping is an easy way to save money. All you need to do is prepare the meals ahead of time and serve them later. You will be less likely to eat out. Saving you money.
Batch freezer meals and make several, and freeze them for later use.
Crockpots and slow cookers are other forms of meal prep. Set up your crockpot in the morning. Add the ingredients you need. Plug in and turn it on.
Make your lunch the night before.
Planning is everything
12. Brew Your Own Coffee
Many people stop to buy their quick cup of coffee each morning or on their way to work. Buying a cup of coffee is not a bad thing, but it gets expensive if you do it every day.
People who brew their coffee spend an average of 23.6 cents per cup—people who buy coffee pay an average of $2.10.
If you buy a cup of coffee five times a week for a year, you will spend 486.2 dollars on coffee. You could have paid $61.36.
Conclusion
Spending less money on food is what most of us need to do. It requires you to be mindful of what you are buying and how you will avoid it in the future. We need to stop wasting money on food.