Great Ways to Cut Your Food Costs (3)

by Nicole Humphrey | More from this Blogger

16 May 2006 07:26 AM

On the last day of this series on cutting your food costs, I'd like you to choose two from each day and begin implementing them into your daily life. If you start slow and only do a couple, you will see savings and you will begin to make it a habit. As you go, continue to try more and more of these tips and you will soon be an expert at shopping for food and providing low-cost meals to your family.

Here are my final tips in this series:

• Purchase skim milk instead of whole or 2%. The lower the fat, the less expensive the milk is.
• You should plan your meals one week at a time. Then, take advantage of specials and seasonal foods. This helps to save money when you plan meals around featured sale items.
• Cut down on meals away from home. Eating out costs a fortune, eating at home usually saves money.
• You should consider checking our your schools lunch program. Usually they provide well-balanced lunches to children at a reasonable price. Also see if you qualify for reduced-price of free lunches. This can ultimately save you a bundle throughout the school year and it doesn't take much to qualify for the reduced-cost lunches!
• When you need a snack, grab nutritious snacks such as fruit or oatmeal cookies that you carry with you to work for break time. Vending machines are expensive day after day.
• Bring a brown-bag lunch whenever possible. This lowers your food costs by not eating out, as well as helping you eat up leftovers!!
• Consider forming a food co-op. Food co-ops buy in bulk so you don't pay for expensive product packaging. You get more food for less money!
• Use economy cuts of meat like chicken thighs and chuck roast. They taste just as good and cost less. Use them in your crock-pot, oven or on the stove to create delicious meals for less.
• If you live near a bread store, or your grocery store does it, check out the day-old bread and bakery items. Typically they offer significant savings on bread and some non-bread items that are still of acceptable quality but are not considered "fresh" by their standards. Do the same with meat products and produce.

Related Articles:

Freezer Cooking For Your Family

Essential Items For Freezer Cooking

Great Ways To Cut Food Costs Part 1

Great Ways to Cut Your Food Costs Part 2

Great Ways to Cut Your Food Costs Part 3

Living and Buying Unconsciously

For more terrific tips on saving money, check out the Living Frugal blog and watch for the rest of this series!

Learn more about Nicole Humphrey

Nicole Humphrey is a freelance writer, consultant for CTMH and a Sr. Blogger for families.com. She resides in St. Charles, Missouri with Mike and their five children and two furbabies.

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Andrea M (2525) 26 May 2006 07:21 AM

Great ideas to save money! Thanks!

Nicole Humphrey (15757) 03 Jun 2006 10:26 AM

Hopefully you can use some of them to cut your grocery bills down, as I know that's always something we are trying to do too!

Sherry Holetzky (11404) 04 Jun 2006 08:46 AM

Great tips! They definitely make a difference.

Nicole Humphrey (15757) 05 Jun 2006 05:14 PM

Thank you Sherry! I hope they help :)

Teresa McEntire (2984) 12 Sep 2007 01:31 PM

Unfortunately I already do all of these things. Yet I still feel like my grocery budget is too high.

Nicole Humphrey (15757) 13 Sep 2007 09:38 AM

Teresa, I know how you feel. Be sure and check out other areas in the frugal living blog, like the "food" section to get more ideas that perhaps you have not thought of yet. Good luck!