How to Save Money on Food

Guide Note Food is a necessity that can't be cut out of a budget, but it doesn't have to break your budget either. Learning a few methods on how to save money and reduce your food costs can help keep a few extra dollars in your pocket.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Step 1: Learn How to Cook
• Step 2: Change How You Eat Out
• Step 3: Know Where to Go
• Step 4: Buy in Bulk and Store
• Step 5: Change Your Diet
• More Ways to Help
• Conclusion
• References

Money Saving Tips

1. Cooking is cheaper than buying frozen dinners.
2. Reduce the number of times you eat out each month.
3. Bring your own lunch, snacks and drinks to work.
4. Know what to buy at different stores.
5. Buy in bulk and store.
6. Eat less meat.
7. Dieting can also help you cut food costs.

Disclaimer The content in this page is not a substitute for professional financial advice. Please contact your financial adviser before using the information presented here.

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Need to save money? Learn how to spend less on food

All the information you need to make the digital TV switch

• by Darcy Logan

Introduction

• If you are trying to save money due to the global economic crisis or due to your own personal financial crunch, then you will want to find ways to save money on food. While it might seem difficult at first, most of these methods will make you healthier physically as well as financially.

Step 1: Learn How to Cook

• One of the best ways to save money is to cook the food yourself rather than rely on prepared foods or eating out.¹ When you buy pre-cooked foods, much of the cost goes towards the packaging and not the ingredients.² Here are some ways that cooking can save you money:

1. Plan your meals a week in advance so you don't waste food and use up what you already have in your freezer or pantry.^{3 4}
2. Avoid frozen and semi-prepared food that can cost almost twice as much as its unprepared alternatives.²
3. If cooking an entire meal seems overwhelming, only cook part of the meal yourself. You'll still be saving money.⁵
4. Prepare food in bulk and freeze it into family-sized portions.⁶
5. Cooking can also make dating cheaper by saving you a fortune on expensive restaurants.³

• • Check out Mahalo's Food How Tos for great instructions on how to cook everything from how to make cinnamon toast to how to cook lobster.

• YouTube: How To Feed Your Family Healthy Meals on a Tight Budget (Time: 2:41)

Step 2: Change How You Eat Out

• Saving money on food is not just about cutting grocery costs. About half of all money spent on food by Americans is spent on eating out, snacks and beverages.⁴ Cutting your food costs does not mean you need to eliminate eating out. Instead, you need to change when, where and how often you eat out.

1. If you reduce the number of times you eat out from three times a week to only once a week, you could save about $160 a month (estimating each meal costs about $20).³
2. Eating at less expensive restaurants can also save you money. Check out a restaurant guide or tour book for some budget-friendly alternatives.³
3. 

   (Creative Commons photo by Tyler)
   Instead of eating out at dinner, eat out at lunch when the prices of meals are cheaper.³
4. Eliminate the appetizers and side dishes when you do eat out.⁷
5. Coupons are not just for groceries anymore. The Internet is a great source for coupons.³ Major chains often offer discount coupons on their websites.⁷ You should also check out the following sites for deals:
   • Restaurant.com: Homepage
   • RetailMeNot: Food coupon codes
   • Wow Coupons: Homepage
   • About.com: Special Offers and Free Printable Coupons for Restaurants Nationwide  
6. Making your own lunch is a great way to save money because it is about two-thirds cheaper than eating out.⁸ It also helps you use up leftovers and ensures that you are eating healthy.⁹ This can reduce your daily costs by $4, which saves you $80 a month.³
7. Bring your own snacks and drinks to work and avoid expensive vending machines.⁸
8. If you are purchasing your coffee at a coffee shop or convience store, it could be costing you. A $4 cup of coffee every workday equals about $120 a month or $1,400 a year.³ Invest in a high-quality expresso machine or coffee maker instead.

• • Check out Mahalo's How to Make Good Coffee, How to Make Espresso, How to Make a Frappuccino and How to Make Iced Coffee for more information.

Step 3: Know Where to Go

• Sometimes saving money is not about what you buy but where you buy it. While most of us buy our food at grocery stores, we can be neglecting other sources that might offer better deals such as warehouse clubs, superstores and surplus stores.
  1. Discount grocers, like Aldi and Save-A-Lot, might have less selection but they also offer more savings.¹⁰
  2. Amazon.com can be a great source for bulk quantities if you make use of its free shipping policy.¹⁰

• Here are some of the best locations to find the biggest deals:
  • Milk: Drugstores and pharmacies or warehouse clubs like Costco Wholesale, BJ's Wholesale Club and Sam's Club.^{10 11}
  • Snacks and cereals: Superstores like Target, Wal-Mart and Kmart.¹⁰
  • Pantry staples: Warehouse clubs.¹⁰
  • Dry goods: Surplus stores like Amelias, SharpShopper and Grocery Outlet.¹⁰
  • Bread: Day old bakeries.¹²
  • Alcohol: Warehouse clubs.¹¹
  • Meat: Warehouse clubs.¹¹
  • Eggs: Warehouse clubs.¹¹

• YouTube: Shopping at Discount Stores for Frugal Groceries (Time: 1:05)

Step 4: Buy in Bulk and Store

• Buying items in bulk or mass quantities is a great way to save money. It allows you to make the best use of sales.⁶ Purchase containers that make food easy to store in your freezer and pantry.²

• However, make sure you only buy what you can use. Allowing it to go to waste won't save you in the long run. For best results, keep a list of what you have. You should also remember to label and date all the containers.⁴ Here is a basic guide on how long food can be stored:

1. Canned food: Two years from the date it was processed.¹³
2. Frozen fruits and vegetables: Eight months to one year.¹⁴
3. Frozen poultry: Six to nine months.¹⁴
4. Frozen fish: Three to six months.¹⁴
5. Ground meat: Three to four months.¹⁴
6. Cured or processed meat: One to two months.¹⁴
7. Other Foods: Depends on what it is and how it is stored. Check out the following sites for detailed information:
   • National Center for Home Food Preservation: Approximate Storage Times: Cupboard | Approximate Storage Times: Refrigerator/Freezer | Storing Vegetables at Home | Safe Home Food Storage  
   • Timestrip Online: Food Shelf Life
   • Recipetips.com: Food Storage and Shelf Life
   • Whats Cooking America: Food Storage Chart - Shelf Life of Food

• • For more information, check out Mahalo's How to Stockpile Food.

• YouTube: Buying in Bulk for Frugal Grocery Shopping (Time: 1:11)

Step 5: Change Your Diet

• If you have been meaning to lose some weight, use it as a means to save money. A 2002 study from the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that families on weight loss diets not only reduced their waistlines but also cut their food costs.¹⁵ Reducing the amount you eat and cutting out empty calories such as soft drinks, candy bars and chips are two ways that you can cut food costs.¹

• If you don't need to go on a diet, then you might consider going vegetarian, even if it is just once a week.¹⁶ beans, eggs, tofu and legumes are cheaper sources of protein in comparison to meat, fish and poultry.⁴ You can also reduce the amount of meat you use and replace it with vegetables, pasta and grains.¹⁷

More Ways to Help

• Mahalo is an excellent resource of information on how to save money on food. Besides this page, you should check out the some of these resources.

1. Learn how to get free food on How to Be a Freegan.
2. Cut costs at the grocery store on How to Save Money on Groceries.
3. Buying local foods means you don't have to pay the added cost of shipping it.⁹ Learn how on How to Eat Local Foods and How to Shop Locally.
4. Growing your own food can also help you save money.¹ Check out Mahalo's pages on How to Start a Vegetable Garden, How to Grow Brussel Sprouts, How to Grow Carrots, How to Grow Garlic, How to Grow Ginger, How to Plant Green Beans, How to Grow Herbs, How to Grow Potatoes, How to Grow Pumpkins and How to Grow Tomatoes.

Conclusion

• Saving money on food doesn't have to cut all the taste out of your eating experience. Instead, it is about making good choices and buying things at the right time. Once you get the hang of it, you will find yourself healthier and financially secure.

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References for How to Save Money on Food

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Kitchen Parade: How to Save Money on Groceries - Part One
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Kitchen Parade: How to Save Money on Groceries - Part Three
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7} Kiplinger.com: Save Money on Food (February 21, 2008)  
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} The Huffington Post: Heather Cabot: 4 Ways To Save Money On Food
5. ↑ Kitchen Parade: How to Save Money on Groceries - Part Two
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} WebMD: 10 Ways to Save Money on Food Shopping, p. 4
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} WESH Orlando: How to Save Money on Food Delivery
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} BCS Aliance: Ways to Save Money on Monthly Food Bill
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} WebMD: 10 Ways to Save Money on Food Shopping, p. 2
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5} SmartMoney.com: 8 Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bill, p.2
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3} SmartMoney.com: The Best and Worst Warehouse Club Deals
12. ↑ About.com: Frugal Tips - Saving Money on Food  
13. ↑ Mealtime.org: FAQ's - How Long Does Canned Food Remain Edible and Retain Its Nutritional Content After It Is Purchased?
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4} National Center for Home Food Preservation: How Do I? Freeze
15. ↑ WebMD: 10 Ways to Save Money on Food Shopping
16. ↑ WebMD: 10 Ways to Save Money on Food Shopping, p. 3
17. ↑ Dietriffic.com: 30+ Tips to Save Money on Your Food Bill