The following is a post by MPFJ staff writer, Derek Sall. Derek is the owner of the blog, LifeAndMyFinances.com, where he teaches people how to get out of debt, save money, and become wealthy.
Many couples don’t think about their grocery bill when they first start out since they are only buying food for the two of them .The major bills like the mortgage and the cars are much more expensive, and therefore get more attention.
However, when these young couples have children and their family grows, the food bill gets noticeably larger and can hurt the bank account quite handily with each trip to the grocery store.
Food is food though right? There can’t be that much that you can change in order to save money on filling up your stomachs is there? As you may have already guessed from my rhetorical questioning, there actually is. By implementing the tips below, many families have noticed a sizable savings in their food bill each month, often to the tune of $200 or more. Take a look and see how much you can save!
1) Stop Going Out to Eat, Even to McDonald’s
Restaurants can absolutely kill your grocery budget, especially the finer ones. But, even McDonald’s can end up impaling your bank account as well. Think about it. How much does it cost to feed your family with sandwiches and crackers for lunch? A family of four will spend about $6 all together when you factor in the slices of bread, cheese, meat, and crackers. So what if you went to McDonald’s? How much do you typically spend there? If your children get kid’s meals and you and your spouse order off the value menu, you will still end up spending around $18 on your meal, which means that you are spending three times more at McDonald’s than you would at home! If you stop eating out, you will see a huge improvement in your food bills each month.
2) Stop Shopping At Walmart for Groceries
Everyone wrongfully assumes that Walmart has the best prices on everything. This is simply not true. Sure, some of their items may be cheaper than other retail stores, but their food is often much more expensive than the discount supermarkets across the street. I personally shop at Aldi. The prices are cheap, the service is fast, and the customers are ten times more classy than the Walmart crowd. As a single person, I can get away with spending only $30 a week on groceries. Therefore, your family of four can easily get by on less than $120 each week, which means your monthly food expense could be $500 or less. I bet that’s a severe improvement from what you are spending now.
3) Plan Your Meals in Advance
In order to eliminate waste, plan your meals in advance. If you know exactly what you will eat each week and buy only food for those meals, not only will you avoid buying the extra junk food that otherwise finds its way into your cart, but you will have less food that gets pushed to the back of the refrigerator and gets forgotten about. You will buy less food and waste less food, which of course saves a quite a lot of money each week.
4) Keep the Groceries Cheap, Yet Healthy
For some reason, many people get the idea that in order to eat healthy they need to spend more money. Actually, I have found the opposite to be true. Often times, prepackaged foods are more expensive because they are convenient for you to pop in the microwave and eat in just ten minutes. If you instead buy the ingredients individually and prepare the meals yourself, you will be able to make your meals with less money and with fewer preservatives (ie. sodium). Your food will be tastier, your wallet will be thicker, and your bodies will feel younger. It’s a triple win if you will just take the time to cook the meals yourself.
How about you all? Are you ready to save money on your food each month? Which of the tips above impacted you?
Share your experiences by commenting below!
***Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlarnos/8200880966/in/
