4 Simple Ways to Save on Food

[AARPRachelA]

Using these four simple tips can save you hundreds of dollars each year on food costs ⬇️

What are other things you've done to save on food? Hit reply and let me know!

[ManicProgressive]

Probably not huge savings, but:

We do meatless Mondays.  I try to sneak in more meatless days, but my husband doesn't always go for that.  We do it for health/environmental reasons, but veggie-based proteins are much cheaper than meat-based protein. 

During the early days of COVID, I got really good at making creative pantry meals.  Based on what I had vs. what I'd like to go buy fresh (we used to go to the store daily).

And we always buy blocks of cheese and grate it.  Way cheaper than buying shredded cheese.  And tastes better, IMO. 

All three of these ideas work out to some great lentils and cheese recipes.   😉 

[jn90843812]

I use a store basket rather than a cart. If it becomes too heavy, then I must decide what I really need, or go get a cart. The basket idea became commonsense when I was working, because I needed to take public transportation and had to be able to carry all my groceries.

[vp8667]

Shop alone.  Plant a garden.   We planted fruit trees 40 years ago when we bought our house.  Get apples and pears every year.  Get cherries too but they always have worms🙁  try to use up everything.

[ip3285]

We have a little organic farm where we grow much of our own fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and have some hens to provide us with fresh eggs daily.  We shop at Sprouts for other food items and buy only organic there, too.  Seed packets from the Dollar Tree at 25 cents each give us lots of our vegetables at a very low price.  And the work we do tending to our crops and cleaning the chicken yard counts as daily exercise!  (Chicken manure is fantastic fertilizer.)  My son lives about 20 miles from us and has turned most of his backyard into a garden, so we share crops, too.  We both freeze extra vegetables, and I have a dehydrator that I've been using for over 40 years that works well for some fruit and vegetables.  Now if I could only figure out how to grow toilet paper!

[ChefKimba]

I usually find that stores like The 99 Cent store and some Dollar Stores have a lot of fresh veggies and some fruit available at really low prices. I will usually go there when money is tight to get things to get us through the week. They also have a lot of canned items with name brands on them. When I do have extra money I will go to Sprouts or maybe you have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's in your area and buy fruit and veggies in bulk and bring them home, wash them, freeze them or dehydrate them. Also I like to bake and cook so I also make large batches of soups, beans, baked items and freeze those for later dates. ALWAYS check your ads and ALWAYS look through the bumped and bruised section because 1) there's no shame in looking there, 2) you can find great items still okay to use and freeze.  Also if you have to use different flours such as almond, rice, etc. go to the stores that have the bulk bins because you can get more bang for your buck there. 

[AndreaK715816]

I usually buy big bigger bags fresh vegetables  to make soup and to use fresh produce making dishes.Plus what is left over you can freeze for later use.Also if you like pancakes buy bigger boxs,make more and refrigerate what is left or freeze them too and just pop in toaster and you have homemade pancakes.Certain items store rice,flour and pasta in freezer keeps the bugs out and stays fresher longer..Make large double batch of soup and divide into smaller containers freeze next time you want a bowl of soup thaw out container nothing like a homemade bowl of soup,taste better then canned soup.Instead of buying instant mashed pototoes buy a 10 bag you can use them in all sorts of ways and cook in various ways.Cookies and cakes last longer in air tight containers,candy store air tight and candy bars can be frozen or in refrigator to last longer as well.Buy freezer bags for storage large size and small size for different size quantities.Buy bulk family packs of meat and when you get home separate into smaller size meals and freeze them and do not forget to put date you bought on it to use up.You would be surprised family pack pork chops costs 15.00 for two people that is 4 to 5 meals,2 to 3 meals for family of four.Buying bulks size in everything saves a great deal and lasts much longer.Dont forget to learn how to cook from scratch that stretches out dollar too.I rarely buy organic because most of that does not last long and they still use chemicals and not only that but the price costs more in the long run.Only way you get organic is grow it yourself.Which leads me to another subject.Growing your own food just got better,even little patio you can grow tomotoe in any kind of pot or cement block.Growing your own food always makes sense,you can trade fellow neighbors if you have to much,sell it,or can it and it will last longer and nothing compares to your own fresh vegies.I put in garden every year for the past 38 years and  always put in more,I trade with certain vegies with family memebrs to get what I need and the ones I want more of I can my own.This day and age and with covid you have option of canning,cold pack,marinating vegies,or freezing them and it pays off.I gather berries in the summer fresh blackberries and make my own jams and jellies.So go to a farm and pick your own produce and berries to freeze or can,in the long run it saves more and shelf life is year.Freeze life up to year on certain vegies as well.Learn to cook and bake it always taste better and goes longer then store bought.And best of all it does not have all the additives you really do not need like sugar and sodium.

[WebWiseWoman]

I recently began buying from ImperfectFoods.com; I chose them as I was concerned about how many people would touch fruits and veggies if I ordered in my local grocery delivery (especially following reports of people deliberately coughing or touching grocery items in protest).

These products are so great and I've found myself eating more great produce than ever before, even when young and dining on family garden produce!

Also bought great chipotle turkey item there and it was DELICIOUS!

Hope others find it as useful and helpful as I did.

#StaySafe

[UpperHandsPiano]

Hmmm, I definitely don't mind spending a bit more to buy organic everything. Even the fruits and veggies we peel, and especially the grains, legumes and protein we eat. Supporting organic growing is the best way to ensure we keep our bodies pesticide-free, and to maintain a healthier environment for our grandchildren. I've seen what chemicals like roundup do to people's nervous system, brain and immunity. It's appalling that we allow these chemicals to be used by our farmers, while Europe and the UK have banned them. Otherwise, this was a fun and interesting little video! Since we are what we eat, I would suggest that we try to save money elsewhere, and buy the healthiest food we can!