Food is one of life's scarcest pleasures. You don't have to spend a fortune though in order to experience that pleasure.
Here are 16 tips, which allow me to enjoy food and still keep a few extra money in my pocket. Not all of them might apply to you but I am sure that you can easily pick up a few at your own benefit.
#01 Plan your weekly meals
Select a convenient day and time (Friday evenings are good candidates) pick up a pencil and a piece of paper and write down the meals of the coming week.
You can gather the whole family around the table and work together, discussing and exchanging ideas. You can hit two birds with one stone since you can enjoy some quality family time as well.
You will also avoid the stress about deciding what to cook every single day.
#02 Compare prices
It is quite possible that you have a couple of super markets at your proximity, offering different prices even for products of the same brand.
Doing some research up-front will save you a substantial amount of money. Most supermarkets have also online catalogs on the internet which allow you to check the prices.
I personally prefer to spend some time visiting the supermarkets with a piece of paper in hand and registering the prices of the products I use often.
I will then buy specific products from those supermarkets which offer the best price. It might sound time consuming but this exercise will not have to happen frequently. You can do your research once a month and then you will know exactly what to buy and where.
#03 Make a budget and stick to it
One of the most important tips! Depending on your income you can up-front decide on the amount of money to be spent on food for the whole month.
"You cannot teach an old dog new tricks" so instead of using a mobile app (there are tens out there for free), I have created my own excel sheet where I register the monthly budget on food and try to stick to it.
It is really amazing that -by sticking to my original budget plan- I have managed to cut more than 30% of what I used to spend.
#04 Record your expenses
Another tip that might seem boring for some people, has helped me a lot make cleverer selections, identify habitual shopping patterns and refine my product selections.
After coming back from the supermarket, I will check the receipts and will try to compare them to my initial meals planner and my monthly budget.
Quantities and prices will then help me decide on future purchases. I will remove the amount spent from my monthly budget so that I know how much budget is still left to be spent in the coming weeks of the month.
#05 Buy in bulk
It is always good to have a separate corner in the house that you stock various products. Some people do that to be prepared for the end of the world or the Zombie invation, but you don't have to go that far.
Having some stock that will allow you to avoid having to go to the supermarket mid-week is always very handy. Additionally many supermarkets make now and then, special offers for a short period of time so that, would be a great time for you to buy in large quantities, products that you use often.
Of course you should make sure that the offer is really an offer and that buying in big quantities will indeed save you some money. If not then do not buy in bulk. It goes without saying that you can store quantities on products that have a long expiration date.
#06 Buy generic, name brands are not always better
Each supermarket that respects its customers, offers its own brand on certain products usually at a better price than well known named brands. Go for it.
Try, taste, evaluate and add them in your future purchase lists if you identify a good money/quality ratio. I have done it and some times, both the quality and price, are better than many well-known products.
#07 Eat before shopping
Going to the supermarket while being hungry, is one of the biggest traps that you can fall into.
It is certain that you will buy so much useless and unhealthy snacks that will certainly damage not only your pocket but also your health.
Please do me a favour and enjoy a rich breakfast, drink a lot of water and after that go to the supermarket.
#08 Take your list with you
Always make a list up-front. Put it under your car keys so that you don't forget it. I personally prefer making the list on my mobile phone and I take it with me.
It is very important to stick to your list!!
#09 Bring your own bags
Money saver and environmental friendly. Buy a reusable bag and always take it with you while shopping. Nothing more to say on that. It's self explanatory.
#10 Pack food for road/ship/flight trips
You don't have to think clever only in the supermarket. How many times did you travel by car/ship/plane and you had to pay a fortune just to get a sandwhich and a bottle of water?
Especially if you have kids with you, the chances are that you will end up spending more money in a single meal than spending a whole day at a five stars hotel.
You can feed the whole family with a delicious snack that you have prepared at home, with the same amount of money that you will feed just one person at the airport terminal.
And you are sure that it is healthier too.
#11 Do not throw food away
Some people call it "leftovers". Some others call it "time and money savers". It depends on how you see it.
Extra food can easily become your evening snack or the life saver of a hungry dog wandering around in the streets.
#12 Cook double portion
You can always cook double portions so that you don't have to use the oven twice. Of course I do not mean that you will then eat double portions on a single meal. You can just pack half of it and store it in the fridge for one of the coming days. Or you can even frost it and leave it there for the coming weeks.
Electricity bills always go up so why not cutting it in two? You can also save cooking time.
#13 Bring your own coffee
If you belong to that group of people that cannot function without coffee, then this one will definitely save you a lot of money. Make your own coffee at the 1/3 of the price you would buy it outside. All you need is a good thermal thermos that you will fill it in with the quantity of coffee that you need.
Trust me on this.At the end of the day put two dollars/euros in a pig money box because you earned it! Twenty coffees per month for 12 months. Make the calculation and see the benefit.
#14 Bring your own food
I started applying this one at work quite recently but I have already seen the benefit. Better quality of food, joy in every single bite and a smile on my face knowing that I will be able to book the tickets of my next vacation for free.
With this one you will definitely save a lot of money. Once in a while you can go out at your lunch break of course , but do not overdo it.
#15 Buy food which is close to the expiration date
Why should I pay more for the same product, quantity and brand if I can buy it 30% cheaper with the only assumption that I will cook it, in the following couple of days? Some supermarkets make great offers when certain products are not sold and the expiration date is approaching. It is a win-win situation.
#16 Recycle used bottles/cans
In many countries you can return your empty plastic or glass bottles, as well as used cans and get back some money. It might be a quarter of a dollar/euro for each. So search for the odd looking machine, put your bottles/cans in it, take your receipt and give it then to the cashier to give you money back. Similar to bringing your own bag to the supermarket, this one is yet another environmental friendly tip.
Act now
So, now it is the perfect time to apply those tips. Act now and do something for you and your family. You can always try it just for one month and see what happens. It really works.
Leave a comment if you already apply any of those tips and have your own experience or own ideas to share.
Georgios Grigorakis