Saving Money on Food

Food is an expense we just can’t go without. While food is one of the biggest expenses for a family, there are ways I cut costs while trying to keep meals healthy and quick for my growing family. Here are 10 ways we save money on food in our family!

1. Keep it simple. It’s fun to try a new recipe every now and then! In fact, in 2022, my New Year’s Resolution was to try at least one new recipe a month! But if you’re constantly trying new recipes with 10-15+ ingredients, so many steps and prep work, and spices you don’t have in your cabinet, you’re wasting your money and your time. Don’t over complicate food! Most nights in our house, we stick to a fruit, a veggie, a side, and a meat.
2. Stick to real, unprocessed food as much as possible. It actually doesn’t take more time to make if you know what you’re doing. Your body will thank you! One shortcut I try to take in this is to buy pre-cut or frozen fruit and vegetables on occasion. A 2-lb bag of broccoli florets at my grocery is $5 usually. This is honestly not much more than buying broccoli crowns and cutting up but because of the time it saves, my family eats broccoli more often if I buy it this way!
3. Make a grocery list and meal plan based on what is on sale or seasonal! I typically look at my local Kroger and Fresh Thyme ads and then plan meals around what produce and meat I can get on sale for the week.
4. If it’s helpful, theme your menu. I don’t as much anymore, but when I was working, I struggled to figure out what to make each week so I came up with theme nights. Monday was pasta. Tuesday was tacos or Mexican food. Wednesday was breakfast for dinner. You get the point. This way I could choose from a few different options each week to keep things fresh but wasn’t totally overwhelmed thinking of all of the options!
5. Do a night or two a week without meat (or where meat isn’t the main entree). This might seem impossible, but meat is one of the largest expenses when it comes to groceries so if you can cut back on meat, you will save a ton of money!
6. Keep some staples on hand. We all have days that don’t go as planned. It can seem easy to just swing through the drive through or order a pizza when that happens, but these can be some of the biggest budget busters. I always have rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta and sauce, a variety of frozen veggies and frozen fruit, and frozen chicken breasts on hand. In a pinch, it is just as fast to make something quick in my instant pot for dinner as it is to carryout food. And, I just saved myself upwards of $40 (have you noticed how expensive everything is these days?)!
7. Grocery pickup is my favorite. Saves me tons and keeps me sane! Also, no more searching round and round for that one thing you can never find!
8. Eat out sparingly! My kids LOVE Chick-Fil-A! Who doesn’t? But even if I order the family platter of nuggets and some large fries, we’re spending roughly $30 for a family our size and they’re still hungry! I can buy a huge bag of chicken nuggets (granted, they’re just not quite Chick-Fil-A) and frozen fries at the grocery that will last us at least 3-4 meals and spent no more than $15! Choose special occasions or set parameters for eating out so your budget isn’t blown on convenience!
9. For snacks, keep prepackaged snacks to a minimum. Try buying things (or making homemade) in larger packages like raisins, plain yogurt with honey or fruit, cheese, fruit, veggies, and granola. The cost per snack will decrease if you portion things out yourself rather than buy the pouches your kids think are so cool!
10. Use savings apps like Fetch Rewards and Ibotta to save money on things you already buy! I have saved so much money just buying my regular groceries. Sometimes I can even combine these offers with Kroger coupons or cash back and get things completely for free!

Bonus tip: Don’t buy more than you need or buy things you won’t actually eat! We’ve all been there. We buy an avocado and a week later, throw it out when it’s gross without touching it. Make sure to actually consume what you’re buying or just don’t buy! It’s easy to grab an extra when it’s on sale, but if you won’t eat it, don’t buy it!

The younger your kids start eating healthy and nutritious, the more they crave this way of eating! It is possible to get your kids to eat vegetables, fruit, healthy grains, and low or no sugar foods! It’s all about the options you have on hand. It may take some time to retrain their palettes. Don’t get discouraged! If your kids see you eating with mindfulness and they know the options, they will reach for healthy choices too!

Need some frugal family recipe ideas? Check out my post here.