Food Planning Tips To SAVE

There are many ways to reduce your food costs enabling you to prepare healthy meals while on a tight budget.  One of the easiest ways to save on food is by cutting back on spending by preparing budget friendly meals.  There are a couple things that can be done to reduce your food bill each week and this post will go over a 5 ideas to incorporate into your buying habits.  By following these simple tips you will be able to spend less while still providing healthy meals.

Read the Store Fliers and online sales for the stores you shop

Many stores now have their sale items online as well as the store flier.  It may take a few more minutes but the savings it offers will be worth the time.  Identify the items on sale each week and plan your meal preparation around the discounted items available.  Be sure to know what the cost of the item is to be sure the discount is worthwhile and will go the distance for you and your families budget.  If you are not aware of what the pricing is of your standard purchases their are many online resources that will help identify the pricing of products.  A great resource online to do this is couponmom.com which will track weekly sales and help you better calculate the discount of each item you purchase.   Buying based on the fliers and store discounts really makes a big difference.  You will be pleasantly surprised how you save.  You will also have an opportunity to try foods you may not have otherwise discovered.

Use Coupons and Discounts Provided by the Stores you shop

Each week look for the deals and discounts offered in the local coupons, especially when it comes to your core foods.  You can find coupons online in abundance from the manufacturers as well as the stores.  I like smartsource.com, and coupons.com which are great resources for collecting discount coupons. Using coupons on sale items can really help provide larger savings.

Pick up Your Local Store Brands

You can immediately cut your food bill in half simply by implementing store brands rather then name brands.  By purchasing store brands you won’t have to sacrifice the quality of the product, your simply just supporting your local store.  I haven’t notice a difference on any of the store brand items I have experienced.  I have found the ingredients are identical and the cost to be substantially less.  If your stuck on name brands then purchase them when they go on sale and are discounted.

Making Extra Portions for Dinner That Can Be Eaten the Next Day

Stretching your meals will help you out the day after.  If you have leftovers you can have them for lunch rather then resorting to quick or fast food that is expensive and unhealthy.  Making a little bit extra for dinner won’t take any more time as you are already making the meal.  Having leftovers helps you when you might not have the time to cook and end up resorting to fatty take out foods for the convenience blowing a big portion of your budget.  You can also incorporate foods from the evening before and make them over into something new.  For example if you made grilled chicken the night before and prepared a few extra pieces, you could simply cut them up the next day and make a healthy sandwich without a big preparation providing healthy and nutritious solutions for your time and budget.

Avoiding Prepackaged Food Options Doing It At Home

Avoiding prepackaged foods will really save you big.  Not only will you be saving money you also will not be sacrificing your health for the convenience.  Know that these foods are high in sodium, preservatives, and fat.  You will see it will save you when you do it yourself at home rather then paying the high price on the convenience.  You will find not only will it cost less, taste better and yield much more allowing your food to go further. I take a small bit of time on the weekend to cut up veggies and fruits, prepare baked goods and more ensuring that we have healthy snacks available and ready for the busy week ahead.  I find we eat better when we have foods on hand ready to eat and it is very rare that we opt for unhealthy quick fix convenience foods.