Food is one place we actually spend more on, but we are still pretty frugal. Here’s what I mean. We prioritize health and performance. We buy high quality meats and vegetables. We also use a lot of spices, so that adds a bit to the budget as well.
To take advantage of all these tips, you might need to work on your cooking skills a bit. However, that’s a very worthwhile goal!
Here’s how we save on groceries:
Keep an Eye Out For Free Food
What’s better than free? Obviously, there are some limitations and sometimes there’s a good reason why its free. However, there’s lot of free food to be had if you know where to look.
Buy Nothing Groups
We’re a huge fan of our local Buy Nothing groups we’ve been a part of. This doesn’t just apply to food though. We’ve gotten lots of great items for free and gotten rid of lots of things as well. If you like to save money and meet great people, you can’t go wrong.
Volunteer at Local Food Banks
I’ve done this most of my life. Often once you’ve served everyone that comes through to get food, you can take what’s left home. I like this one because it helps people in need and reduces waste. If you’re military, check out your local USO. Sometimes they give away free food too.
Plan out a menu and stick to it. And cook at home.
Planning out a menu keeps us from buying a bunch of extra stuff. We know what we need to buy and don’t buy a bunch of extra food we didn’t plan to. This keeps us from buying too much and wasting from buying unnecessary food.
Have “Brinner” Once a Week
Egg omelets and bacon are pretty cheap for a whole meal. We started doing this because my son likes breakfast food – gets him to eat dinner. I also like a good omelette for dinner, so it’s a win-win!
Cook Enough for Leftovers
We always make sure to cook enough to have leftovers for the next day. I literally split up the leftovers when we serve up food for dinner. This helps so I don’t overeat and makes sure I’ve got lunch for the next day.
Keep Cheap Frozen Meals on Hand
We keep pulled pork frozen flat in a baggie for nights when we don’t feel like cooking. This is our equivalent of keeping frozen pizza on hand. Make sure it’s pretty flat and you can just break a chunk off as needed. I cook up about 10 pounds at a time, so I only need to do this every so often. Plus, I like to barbecue.
Have a Leftovers Night.
Pretty self explanatory, but just save up extra leftovers and have that as a meal. Saves on cooking and saves you money!
Buy in Bulk
Buy in bulk and freeze up meal-sized portions. We buy in bulk at Sam’s or Costco. We currently have both because we’re trying to compare Sam’s and Costco. So far, we like Sam’s better, FYI.
Shop at ALDI
Seriously. They have surprisingly good food at generally great prices. I have no affiliation with them or get compensated in any way. We just like them.
Grow Your Own Food
Grow and can your own vegetables. We also got a ton of green beans from the food bank once and canned them all. Kept them from going to the trash and kept us fed.
Action Items
- If you’ve never had Brinner, that’s breakfast for dinner, you’re seriously missing out. It’s time to try it.
- Plan out your meals. The more intentional you are, the better.
- Learn to cook. This one skill alone is probably the most valuable skill any person can have. It’s good for your health, happiness, and wallet!