As humans, we need food, clothing, and shelter to be able to function daily. No matter how much you try to save by buying clothes from the discount store, or try to manage housing costs by living in a smaller apartment rather than a large house, you will still encounter challenges.
Food prices are rising globally, along with transportation costs and other issues such as pandemics, global trade, climate change, and political factors, all of which are contributing to driving up food prices and straining our budgets.
Here you can find some tips on how to fight rising food prices.
Cook your food
Instead of dining out, choose to remain at home and cook your own food. The meals you opt for in a formal restaurant can be recreated at home with a lot fewer dishes. Yes, we know you still eat out for the experience but make sure you differentiate when you go out to eat for the whole experience or just overpay because you’re hungry and you don’t really feel like cooking. Also, avoid fast food because of its high calories and low quality. The bargain price is not worth the impact on your long-term health.
Grocery list
Stop doing your groceries blind. Supermarkets are created to make you go through the whole maze to get what you need, but also to grab some impulse stuff. If you have a list from home and follow the plan, it’s going to be easier to stay away from unnecessary products and items. Plan your meals for a week and buy only the ingredients on the list. This way, you can be more aware and not let yourself be fooled by the junk food near the milk aisle. These are some Magnetic Grocery List Pads for Fridge that you can get via Amazon and keep yourself organized.
Hungry shopping is not a myth
Make sure you eat before you shop. Imagine how you can enter a place filled with food when anything you and your taste buds are focused on is how much pleasure and fulfillment food brings. Avoid filling your cart with too much food and expensive products by actually eating first and shopping on a full stomach.
No ready-made meals
The grocery store encourages convenience by selling us some ready-made products. You know there is a price you need to pay for this facility, and I advise you that instead of adding these premium products to your cart, you better find the ingredients and prepare the meal yourself. The same thing applies to frozen stuff, baked goods, or any type of prepared food.
Replace bottled water
It’s better not only for your pocket but also for the environment to get fewer plastic bottles that you need to discard. You can opt for gallons for a smaller overall cost, or invest in a quality filter and choose filtered tap water.
Let the kids be at home
As we mentioned before, avoid going hungry to shop. This was founded on emotional buying, and it’s hard to be controlled by adults, so imagine hungry or tired kids being in a grocery store. Being with your kids will actually make you spend more time in the store, and any unnecessary minute you spend there makes you buy more and more. Moreover, you’re going to add toys and snacks to the cart, trying to keep them quiet.
Coupons
We tell you all the time that coupons are a real way of saving money. Use them, and make sure you’re aware of the sites that give coupons exclusively and that you can find items at discounts. Follow your favorite brand on these websites and get your discounts.
Local products
Choose to get locally produced food, as this is usually cheaper because the transportation taxes are out of budget. You can find amazing deals in farmer’s markets or the local aisle at the grocery store. This is for sure going to provide a better taste than imported products, and the smaller price makes for an amazing deal you shouldn’t miss.
Compare the prices in different stores
Calculating the price per unit in your head may be a little bit of a struggle, and we are aware of this. But you shouldn’t hesitate to use a phone calculator. This is an easy way to save some money and get the right quality-priced product in the right quantity. The stores with the lower prices are the ones you prefer to choose for your routine shopping, but keep in mind that some of the higher-priced stores do have some specific items that undercut the cost. Make sure you’re informed enough to get the best deals all the time.
SALES
Sales are great when it comes to products that are really on your list, but they can also become little money-waste items when you have the tendency to buy things just because they are on sale. We suggest you only pay attention to the necessary items and stock up. You can also choose from non-perishable or freezer products on sale.
Expiration Discounts
Grocery stores are lowering the price when the products are closer to reaching their expiration date. There is a hack that you can use. Stock up on these products (if they are useful) and place them in the freezer. Freezing the food before cooking is the best way to get the date locked and keeps your food fresh for longer until you are ready to cook it.
Break the shopping routine
Try to reduce the number of trips you make for groceries in a week. Not only that, this will reduce the chances of you buying unnecessary things, but you can also save up some gas with fewer roads.
Pay in cash
Avoid extra costs, and don’t use your credit card when paying. You will end up paying interest if you don’t pay it off in full each month. You better pay in cash and don’t ever use your credit card for such essentials.
Stocked kitchen
By keeping your kitchen stocked, you will save a lot of money because you won’t need to run and buy an ingredient on the spur and just end up buying more. Also, getting more when they are on sale comes with the opportunity to have enough until the next sale, so you get the wanted product for less money constantly.
Substitute Items
We already talked about planning meals. In this situation, if there is a high-priced product in your favorite recipe that you can find for less money and the taste is only similar, it is vegan, or the texture is similar, you should go for it. Learn to discipline your taste buds and prioritize health, the right nutrients, and your finances. For example, if you need to purchase olive oil and you see the prices are too high, what you want to do next is find an alternative to a low-fat product.
We are aware that food is an essential purchase that you cannot avoid. We hope you consider these tips helpful and that following some of them will help you minimize the amount you spend on these absolutely needed purchases. Make sure you’re armed with a little time and patience to make this effort.
Read next: 16 Extremely Overpriced Foods That Don’t Deserve a Spot on Your Grocery List