Today, people live busy lives. And, it seems quite simple to throw money at easily accessible food solutions because people are too tired to find a better way to work it out. But with time, this food budget proves to be one of the most expensive checklist items of your monthly expenses. Thus, it gets very important to keep a check on it and reduce it and derive eating satisfaction from other things. Here are some easy ways to cut down your food budget and be debt free:
1. Be vegetarian
You have a lot of reasons to go on a plant based diet. Meat is costly and eating rice and beans or any other vegetable would be quite a great option for few days. You can always find alternatives for non-veg items.
2. Drink less alcohol
If you’re an alcoholic, then maybe you’re already spending a fortune on your food and beverages. Try to spend less on alcohol. Keep it in reserve just for friends and parties. You do not need alcohol all the time and if you do, then you will have tough time managing your budget.
3. Quick purchasing ready-made ideas
If you maintain a gluten free diet, then purchasing gluten free loaf could be costly. But, if you prepare the loaf at home, it would be literally half the price. It stands true for anything you purchase pre made. If you make it at home, the same thing can be made in volumes. It is inexpensive to purchase bulk and cook in the pot than to purchase instant.
4. Schedule your menu for two weeks
Draft a timetable and schedule your breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinner for the coming 15 days. Look at your kitchen cabinets and plan your menu well. One you have jot down the menu, create your grocery list. Remember to see the other sundries before going for shopping.While planning your list, you can look for coupons for the products specifically, and combine those deals with Costco discount codes for even more savings.
5. Shop for grocery twice a month and follow the list
People who eat veggies and fruits need to get it fresh from the market. Thus, shopping twice or thrice a month is very important. Get only veggies and fruits for 1o to 15 days and then go again to the market to buy. It will help you eat fresh.
6. Know what is there in your freezer
You may have something yummy in your refrigerator but sometimes people forget it. So, remember that you keep your fridge list updated. Put in the fresh things and keep changing the rounds.
7. Keep comfort food by your side
Sometimes you do not want to cook or eat healthy. Nothing sounds better than eating a sandwich while making your way home. So, remember to keep some extra money in reserve for it.
Once you know how to manage your monthly food budget well, you shall never overspend on it. Swiping credit card over irrational food expense isn’t a great idea. It eventually leads you to debt. However, you can get out of debt by going for credit card debt settlement.
15 comments
Not a vegetarian but not eating much meet anyway. I do a huge grocery shopping haul at the beginning of the month and barely drink alcohol. The other tips are really good
I agree about the plant based option. It is much more affordable and healthier for you too.
Thank you for your advice :v this is really useful especially for a broke like me. It’s clear to see that we have to make a careful plan if we want to cut down! I also tried some food tricks and re-plant some vegetables. And.. number two, I think people can cut down a lot of money by using lemonade instead of alcohol, lemonade somehow will stop them from drinking.
These are some great ideas, it is amazing how much you can save by just cutting back on a few things that you don’t really need.
There are really great ways suggested to stay on budget to save money. I totally agreed that we must check our freezer and pantry before going for monthly groceries and planning meals ahead can also help you to know what to cook, so buy accordingly can save our money.
I have to shop once a week since most of what we eat is fresh vegetables – which do not stay fresh for two weeks at a time. We do eat mostly vegetarian. I am pescatarian – so I eat fish 2x a week and veggie the rest of the time.
I do try to limit my alcohol, that’s for sure. I can’t be a vegetarian because I like my meat too much. But I do try to watch it!
These are great ways to save some cash and stay on a budget. I like to eat a lot of rice and beans and save a ton on my grocery bills. Meal plans are a good way to save as well.
I like to shop in bulk at sales. For example, I buy a year’s worth of butter on sale in November and then freeze it until I need it. Saves me a ton!
We spend most of our budget on groceries and by eating out. Your list of advice is very helpful, scheduling a menu for weeks and following the grocery list will surely give extra savings for me.
Drinking less alcohol definitely helped me cut back. Wine isn’t cheap, so 3-4 bottles a month (with dinner and friends) started to quickly add up!
I spend a lot of groceries and These are some great tips to save some bucks. Thanks for sharing
These are great ideas to keep the cost down. I really wish I were better at sticking to a food plan. I have some issues with how I store food at the moment which creates problems. I just couldn’t do the vegetarian thing.
I agree, eating meat is costly (sorry Angus and Wagyu meatlovers). Eating veggies and rootcrops are the newest black. And good for the body and savings account.
I feel like being vegan is much cheaper than being a vegetarian or pescatarian because seafood is expensive girl!!! But I totally agree. Meat is expensive.