Cut Your Food Bill

You don't have to spend a lot of money to feed you and your family. Follow these helpful hints and save money on your food bill.

You may be particular about your nourishment, but there are ways to save money on food without sacrificing good and healthy choices. For example, you might:

• Plan meals in advance and around sale items
• Newspapers regularly print grocery store sale items. The key is to plan your meals and shopping list using the sale items. You'll find your money goes a lot further that way.
• Shop only with a list
• Shopping with a list can keep you from buying items you don't need, so you don't end up spending more money than you planned. You won't have to wonder whether or not you have a certain item at home because you'll know exactly what you need.
• Buy generic brands
• Maybe you've always eaten a certain brand of cereal. Take a look at the price next time you go to the grocery store. Then compare the price to a similar store-brand cereal. The store-brand packaging may not be as fancy as your usual brand, but you'll probably find it costs much less. Test it to make sure it tastes the same and start saving money right away. Most stores carry nearly everything in generics. Try as many generic brands as you can of the products you use. Most of the time, you can't really tell the difference, but your wallet can.
• Buy in bulk
• Take advantage of the bulk section of your grocery store where you can purchase items by the pound without paying for packaging. For example, you can often buy pet food, cereal, and candy this way. If you have sufficient storage in your kitchen and pantry, you might want to shop at one of the warehouse stores where you can purchase larger size items in larger quantities at a discounted price. Make sure you can use the amount you buy or it'll go to waste. Consider forming a shopping club with your friends if you can't use the larger quantities, but you want to benefit from the cheaper prices.
• Use coupons
• You can get coupons out of your local paper or you can search the Internet for coupons. The trick to using coupons is to only use the ones for items you normally buy. Don't pick up an item just because you have a coupon for it. You'll save even more money if you shop at grocery stores that offer double coupon days. Your $1 off coupon will be worth $2. Your friends probably clip coupons, too, and you may be able to trade coupons you don't use for coupons you do use.
• Save and eat leftovers
• Throwing away leftovers is like throwing away money. Why not save them and take them to work for lunch the next day? Or you could reheat them and have them for dinner the next night. It's a good idea to store your leftovers in reusable containers so you're not wasting money on aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
• Take lunch to work
• Eating out costs much more than eating at home. If you have to eat out, plan for it in your budget, and do it sparingly. To help you stick to your plan, take a bag lunch to work. It'll be easier to say no thank you when your co-worker invites you to the fast food restaurant down the street.
• Avoid vending machines
• Using a soda or snack food vending machine is a convenient way to get a snack, but you might want to think about the cost next time you slip those quarters in the slot. Instead of using the machines, you could spend less money purchasing the items ahead of time at the grocery store and taking them with you during the day.

You've probably already thought of other ways you can save money on food. Keep in mind, this is only one area where you can reduce spending. For more ideas on cutting food costs, see the article Family Food Security: Shopping Smart and Beating the Odds. For information on how to eat cheaply and organically, read Taking the Bite Out of Organic Food Costs.

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For more information about reducing expenses, search the CareOne Credit Knowledge Center Articles.

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