Food budgeting. Yikes. No one wants to talk about it. This has to be the most unsexy topic that I have written about (and I have written about fixed annuities). However, as I write this article, the inflation rate in the US is about 9.1% year over year. This makes it really tough for a lot of people to afford to live comfortably. And even more so, it pushes some families to really struggle with feeding their own families. So I am here to help give you some ideas on how to make your food budget more affordable. 🙂
(1) Eat Out Less Often
This one might seem like a no-brainer but we all tend to eat out waaaaayyyy too often. And most of us have an out of control food budget when it comes to eating at restaurants.
And I don’t mean in full meals where we sit down and enjoy some food. I mean the coffee in the middle of the afternoon, the donut on the way to work, or the soda on the way home at the gas station.
These expenses really add up. In fact, the average family spends about $3,500 per year eating out. That’s almost $300 per month!
I’m not saying that you never have to go to a restaurant again, but just do so less often.
If you are going to to out to eat, just make some minor adjustments:
- Order water instead of soda or alcoholic drinks
- Skip the appetizer or order one for everyone to share
- Go out to eat during happy hour
- Use coupons or get the app for the restaurant that you’re eating out
Do your best to skip the snacks to and from work in the middle of the day. Make coffee at home, and bring your own soda or energy drink instead of picking one up at the gas station.
These little changes will help to ease your wallet and your food budget.
(2) Use Pinterest or TikTok to Learn How to Make Meals at Home
If you really like a particular food at a restaurant, learn to make it at home.
I love the cheesy biscuits at Red Lobster. But If I go there, I won’t just get the biscuits. I’ll get a whole bunch of other food as well. So I learned how to make them at home and it is FAR cheaper.
TikTok and Pinterest are excellent resources for learning how to make meals at home that can be just as good as at the restaurant but for a fraction of the price.
(3) Use Coupons When You Shop
One of the easiest ways to chip away at your food budget is to use coupons.
No, you don’t have to become an extreme couponer. But applying some coupons to your grocery shopping will help to chip away at the added cost that inflation has given us.
And don’t be embarrassed. You should never be embarrassed to help yourself or your family. Also, you shouldn’t be embarrassed if you are going to the gym to lose a few pounds. You shouldn’t be embarrassed if you are studying to gain a certification in your career field. You shouldn’t be embarrassed to save yourself some money either.
(4) Plan Your Meals a Week at a Time
This has been the most beneficial tool that my wife and I have used to cut back our food budget.
By far.
Every week we plan out what we will eat for each meal and we buy groceries for ONLY THOSE MEALS.
We also buy groceries for a few snacks throughout the week as well.
Just by doing this, we have saved about 40% on our grocery budget!
And if you also pair planning out your meals for the week with using the store pickup option instead of picking out the items yourself in the store, you will avoid impulse buying.
Yes, we sometimes have to go back to the store because we forgot something. But not that often. And even with that, the savings that we have had on our food budget has been awesome!
(5) Limit Snacking
This food budget tip will not only help your wallet, but it will also help your waistline.
I know it might seem like not much, but we all do it. We all snack too much. It’s the cookie when we go into the kitchen. The handful of cereal that we take to our recliner. And the granola bar that we grab on the way out of the door.
If you limit your snacking, you will limit your food budget. And you will also feel better. 🙂
Final Thoughts
Most of us make enough money to make it. But sadly, most of us are just really disorganized.
One of the best ways that you can start to get organized financially is to start to reign in your food spending.
For most of us (me included) it is out of whack.
But that’s okay. We’ll get through this together. 🙂
I’m here to help you in any way that I can.
Until next time!
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