{"id":26312,"date":"2013-06-21T09:00:12","date_gmt":"2013-06-21T13:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/?p=26312"},"modified":"2021-03-25T16:15:03","modified_gmt":"2021-03-25T20:15:03","slug":"8-ways-to-save-money-on-your-food-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/8-ways-to-save-money-on-your-food-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Ways to Save Money on Your Food Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Buying food can be a huge strain on a family&#8217;s budget, and it&#8217;s one of those line items that just can&#8217;t be avoided. \u00a0As much as we&#8217;d love to not have to spend the money, we&#8217;ll always need to eat. \u00a0However, there are many ways to save money on your food budget with a little work and creativity.<\/p>\n<h2>8 Ways to Save Money on Your Food Budget<\/h2>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69e7a0023e079\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69e7a0023e079\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/8-ways-to-save-money-on-your-food-budget\/#Check_Grocery_Ads_Before_Planning_Your_Menu\" >Check Grocery Ads Before Planning Your Menu<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/8-ways-to-save-money-on-your-food-budget\/#Clip_and_Use_Coupons\" >Clip and Use Coupons<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/8-ways-to-save-money-on-your-food-budget\/#Use_Coupons_Wisely\" >Use Coupons Wisely<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/8-ways-to-save-money-on-your-food-budget\/#Sign_Up_for_a_Stores_Reward_Program\" >Sign Up for a Store&#8217;s Reward Program<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/8-ways-to-save-money-on-your-food-budget\/#Dont_Go_to_the_Store_While_Youre_Hungry\" >Don\u2019t Go to the Store While You&#8217;re Hungry<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/8-ways-to-save-money-on-your-food-budget\/#Watch_the_Prices_on_the_Same_Item_in_Different_Sizes\" >Watch the Prices on the Same Item in Different Sizes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/8-ways-to-save-money-on-your-food-budget\/#Shop_From_Your_Freezer_Fridge_and_Pantry_First\" >Shop From Your Freezer, Fridge, and Pantry First<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/8-ways-to-save-money-on-your-food-budget\/#Buy_Produce_in_Season\" >Buy Produce in Season<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Check_Grocery_Ads_Before_Planning_Your_Menu\"><\/span>Check Grocery Ads Before Planning Your Menu<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Most grocery stores will feature loss leaders each week that are worth stocking up on or at least featuring in your meals that week. \u00a0A loss leader is a product that is sold at below cost as a way to entice shoppers to come into the store. \u00a0Without knowing about these deals before you head to the store, you can risk missing out on some of these deals.<\/p>\n<p>Typically grocery stores will include a sale flyer in the paper or even mail it to you. If you don&#8217;t get the weekly sale flyer they can always be found online on your grocery store&#8217;s website.<\/p>\n<p>Each week specific meats, produce, and dairy products will be on sale. Stock up on those items when they are at their lowest price to save money on your food budget.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-32862\" src=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/06\/how-to-save-money-on-food-and-eat-healthy.jpg\" alt=\"how to save money on food and eat healthy\" width=\"733\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/06\/how-to-save-money-on-food-and-eat-healthy.jpg 733w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/06\/how-to-save-money-on-food-and-eat-healthy-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/06\/how-to-save-money-on-food-and-eat-healthy-600x409.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 733px) 100vw, 733px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Clip_and_Use_Coupons\"><\/span>Clip and Use Coupons<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>While I have never gotten into a good habit with coupons, I know that people are able to save a considerable amount of money by clipping\/printing and using coupons.<\/p>\n<p>Coupons are best when paired up with store sales. \u00a0My favorite coupons to use are the ones that I receive in a mailer from my favorite grocery store, as they are targeted to items that I typically buy.<\/p>\n<p>Even if you don&#8217;t want to clip coupons, most grocery stores now have apps that allow you to virtually clip coupons. If the store doesn&#8217;t have an app it probably has a rewards or loyalty program (see below). All you need to do it enter your phone number at check out for bigger savings on groceries.<\/p>\n<p>You can also use an app like<a target = \"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ibotta.onelink.me\/iUfE\/8cc13c64?friend_code=478xow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> iBotta<\/a>. You can earn cash back for items you purchase. It isn&#8217;t affiliated with the grocery store or specific brands so it&#8217;s a great way to save overall. <a target = \"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ibotta.onelink.me\/iUfE\/8cc13c64?friend_code=478xow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Check it out here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Use_Coupons_Wisely\"><\/span>Use Coupons Wisely<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It can be easy to look for great deals with coupons and lose sight of what your family will actually benefit from you buying. \u00a0Don&#8217;t buy items just for the sake of using a coupon that you have found.<\/p>\n<p>Also, keep your family&#8217;s health in mind while using coupons, as many coupons are available for convenience foods.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sign_Up_for_a_Stores_Reward_Program\"><\/span>Sign Up for a Store&#8217;s Reward Program<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-26313\" src=\"\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/05\/grocery-cart.jpg\" alt=\"save money on food budget\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/05\/grocery-cart.jpg 500w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/05\/grocery-cart-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Some of the stores that I have rewards cards for don&#8217;t impress me very much. \u00a0However, my favorite grocery store&#8217;s reward card is necessary for getting sale prices, but also earns me things like the targeted coupons that I mentioned earlier.<\/p>\n<p>We also earn points to save on gasoline, which is a fabulous benefit since we have to buy the groceries anyway. Sometimes your credit card will have deals where you get extra cash back on items like groceries. Make sure you sign up for any program that gives you little bonuses for shopping.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dont_Go_to_the_Store_While_Youre_Hungry\"><\/span>Don\u2019t Go to the Store While You&#8217;re Hungry<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It would often be better to spend a few dollars to buy a quick snack at a drive through, if you aren&#8217;t able to eat a snack or meal at home first, rather than to go to a grocery store while you&#8217;re hungry.<\/p>\n<p>I find that I&#8217;m much more likely to pick up things not on my list, as well as lots of snack, if I&#8217;m hungry when I arrive at the store. The same goes for your kids! I like to shop alone, but I often find myself at the store with my kids.<\/p>\n<p>Keep a few small snacks in your bag to feed the kids while you shop. This will help keep them from grabbing everything on the shelves. (They&#8217;ll still grab a lot, but every little thing helps save money on the food budget!)<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Watch_the_Prices_on_the_Same_Item_in_Different_Sizes\"><\/span>Watch the Prices on the Same Item in Different Sizes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Pay attention to prices on various sizes of the same item, especially when one size is on sale and another is not. It is not uncommon to plan to buy the smaller size of an item, only to see that it is\u00a0<em>cheaper<\/em>\u00a0to buy a larger size because of a sale. I\u2019m not only speaking of it being cheaper per unit price, but actually having a lower final cost.<\/p>\n<p>For example: You might find that the smaller box of cereal is $2.89 and the larger box of the same type is on sale for $2.50. While this seems like an obvious choice to purchase the larger box for less money, it can be easy to not notice if you\u2019re in a hurry or just not looking for it.<\/p>\n<h3>Shop From Your Freezer, Fridge, and Pantry First<strong><em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>It can save you a large portion of money to just check what you can make from things you already have in your home. This can also save you from buying duplicates of items.<\/p>\n<p>Anyone else have 3 jars of opened spaghetti sauce in their fridge? Just me? Ok.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Buy_Produce_in_Season\"><\/span>Buy Produce in Season<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Plan your meals around <a target = \"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/frugal-living\/saving-on-produce-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">produce that is currently in season.<\/a> Your produce bill will be cheaper if you purchase produce that\u00a0doesn&#8217;t\u00a0have to be shipped half way across the world. \u00a0Summer and early fall are also a wonderful time to <a target = \"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/cooking\/canning-basics-for-beginners\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">preserve produce<\/a> that is currently in season in order to enjoy it at the cheaper price while it is out of season.<\/p>\n<p>Another produce option can be to grow as much of your own fruits and vegetables as you are able to in a backyard garden or to stock up at a local farmers market, if gardening for yourself isn&#8217;t possible.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are some of the things you do to save money on your food and grocery budget?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Buying food can be a huge strain on a family&#8217;s budget, and it&#8217;s one of those line items that just can&#8217;t be avoided. \u00a0As much as we&#8217;d love to not have to spend the money, we&#8217;ll always need to eat. \u00a0However, there are many ways to save money on your food budget with a little [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32862,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[2554],"class_list":{"0":"post-26312","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tips-and-tricks","8":"tag-home-management","9":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v15.4 - 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