There’s a lot of conflicting information out there about how to save money on groceries. Some say you should buy in bulk, others say that’s plain silly. Some say you should avoid the middle aisles, and others say those are the best ones. So what do you do? For advice from an expert on how to save money on groceries, read this article.
Don’t buy things you won’t use
Don’t waste money on things you won’t end up using. An easy way to tell if you’ll use something is to ask yourself, “If I had to sell all my belongings and only keep three things, would this be one of those things?” If the answer is no, then don’t buy it. Going out to eat isn’t necessarily a waste of money, but it can be pricey. A meal out averages about $30, according to the National Restaurant Association, and one restaurant meal can easily cost $40 or more. A meal at home can be 20% to 40% less expensive, depending on where you live. Long story short, eat out less often if you don’t have to and save money by preparing and eating more at home.
A trip to the grocery store can be expensive, and your wallet can feel the pinch. If you have something you can’t afford to throw out, but you need it, put it in your cart instead. You may not have enough money to spend at the store right now, but ongoing savings can make up for it, especially if you can access financial aid at a later date.
Plan your meals to save money
Planning your meals is the most important thing you can do to save money on groceries. One of the best and simplest ways to save money on groceries is to categorize your foods. While doing this can sometimes require real food science expertise, simply getting the items into categories that make sense saves a ton of money.
First, let’s discuss what grocery categories are and how they work.
There are four main types of grocery categories: produce, meats and cheese, dairy, and alcohol. For our purposes, our four categories will be grocery stores, which include supermarkets, farmer’s markets, and speciality stores.
Everybody has a unique set of needs when it comes to food. However, as a general rule, kids need roughly the same amount of food each day. In the US, that amounts to roughly 1657 calories per day. Children also like to eat fast food, so we want to make sure that it’s mostly healthy food. Here are some handy charts that break down what foods children like to eat per day and which ones are healthy:
So how do we make sure we have a healthy lunch and dinner every day? We must ensure that the meat and cheese we choose are healthy choices. Healthy food also keeps better.
Nonetheless, if you feel like you are not able to go out, there are always delivery services that offer grocery delivery, even if you wanted frozen baby octopus Malaysia, they’d have everything! This is thanks to modern technology on our smartphones now.
