Slash food costs step by step
November 9, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under food, groceries
In order to slash your food bills, you’ll need to gather some background info, set a target, and then make sure you follow shopping rules that will help you achieve that target. Here’s how…
Know your food costs: Track food costs for about a month so you get a fair idea of where your money is going. Divide the costs into necessary foods (bread, milk, eggs) and unnecessary food costs (cookies, soda, dips). You should also keep track of how often you eat out and those costs too.
Set a target: Do you want to cut $50, $100, more? Set a target then start thinking about how you can manage to meet that goal.
Make some decisions: After looking at your food bill costs, decide what’s necessary to keep and what can be tossed. For example, hummus is not a totally necessary food, but lots of people like it, and it’s healthier than say chips if you use it as a dip for whole wheat crackers or veggies. Soda or energy drinks or candy would all be better to cut. Don’t cut in access though which can lead to splurging.
Have a solid plan: Get a decent cookbook with low cost healthy meals and browse through. See what’s manageable and what’s not. Make your grocery list accordingly. Don’t buy stuff you won’t cook – you’re overshooting. Once you know some meals you will cook, make your grocery list, and when you go shopping don’t get other items – unless you see a killer sale on a healthy item, say black beans or veggies stick to that list.
Make the plan stick: Easy ways to make sure you stick to the plan include cooking in bulk and freezing meals – you’ll be less likely to impulse buy if you know you have dinner ready to go in the freezer. Eat dinner as a family. You can also shop while NOT hungry, and shop without the rest of the family, if that’s possible.
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Thanks for the advice. I hope we can somehow find a way to provide low cost food without compromising nutritional value.