How to cut your food budget

Aside from rent, food is one of the biggest expenses in our budgets. From celebratory dinners to hosting guests, a big part of our lives centres on eating. Add it all up and the money you spend on food can easily be 20 percent of your income. That can be as much as the money you spend on rent. So how exactly do you cut back on food expenses? The obvious answer is cooking more at home. But that’s only half of it. Making homemade meals can still be quite expensive if you’re getting all your groceries at Whole Foods. So what is the one thing you can do that will cut your food budget in half?

Simply, it’s meal planning.

Many people I know laugh at the idea of meal planning. At one point, I did too. I thought it was such a tedious task that would only save me pennies. But let me tell you, I was completely wrong. I decided to give meal planning a try and while it’s taken some time to get use to, it’s cut my food expenses in half. Literally. If you want to save money too, take a look at these tips to help you effectively meal plan:

Set aside time each week to plan

Meal planning doesn’t take a lot of time but it still takes time. Set aside an hour each week so you can review your schedule and plan out your meals for the week ahead. The two keys to meal planning are 1) overlapping ingredients and 2) variety. It can be challenging to achieve both these things so when meal planning, think outside of the box. Then once you have your plan all set, you can move on to the more fun part (food shopping).

Collect new recipes

Meal planning is much easier and faster when you have ideas ready to go. Everyone has their “go to” meals, which are simple, easy-to-make, and always a crowd pleaser. The only problem is that you can get sick of eating the same thing everyday. So take some time to collect new recipes. Ask friends and family for their favorites. Pinterest is another great way to find delicious and easy meals for everyone in your family.

Plan according to sales

Have your supermarket’s weekly circular handy when you’re doing your meal plan each week. The easiest way to save the most money is by planning according to the sales. Many foods can easily be stored in the freezer, which allows you to plan weeks ahead. Plus, shopping the weekly sales is a great way to experiment with new ingredients.

Grocery shop with a purpose

The biggest reason why people waste money on food is because they shop without a purpose. Many times, I’ve walked into a supermarket without a shopping list, only to walk out with bags full of things I don’t really need. Your meal plan will tell you exactly what you need. This eliminates waste and also impulsive purchases. On top of that, you’ll save a lot of time as well.