Can You Live on One Income? Calculating Food Savingsby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 17 Apr 2008 08:42 AM
Now lets take a look at calculating the savings from being able to cook at home and through smart food shopping. We've now spent $270 a week on eating out, or $1080 for the month. Remember that this a conservative number and doesn't include meals for the times you aren't eating out. Analysts tell us that eating at home costs 50 percent less than eating out, on average, giving you a savings of $540 a month. Personally, we save much more than that. It is very rare that I would cook a dinner that cost us $20 to prepare. I usually spend anywhere from $1 to $8 a meal to feed a family of five, and I wind up with plenty of leftovers. I do this by using basic ingredients and staying away from packaging and convenience foods. A partner at home may save the household money by taking the time to food shop wisely. Combining coupons and sales, looking out for deals, taking advantage of rebates, stockpiling food, keeping a price book, and creating and maintaining a food budget can all be done to reduce the cost of food. This savings can be anywhere from 15 percent off to 70 percent off of your food bill. I fall somewhere in the middle at 34 percent because I work at home, and I don't devote a huge amount of time or energy to all of these grocery shopping methods. If you currently spend $150 per week on groceries, or $600 a month, you may realize a savings of $90 to $420 a month! Of course, if you switch from eating out to cooking at home, you will be buying more food at the grocery store, but with applying smart shopping methods, your grocery bill should still decrease quite a bit. Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here. Related Articles: Can You Live on One Income? Child Care Can You Live on One Income? Insurance and Auto Can You Live on One Income? Taxes Explained A Guide to Salvage Grocery Shopping A Guide to Salvage Grocery Shopping 2 Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags family, mom, one income, Stay at Home, work Discuss this article
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