Saving money on food

There are certain necessities everyone needs to survive, one of these is food. However, with the shape of the economy, people are looking for ways to cut back and save money. It is possible to save money on the foods you eat, even if you are eating healthier foods! Below are some tips to help you do this.

Eating Food from Home

So much money is wasted when we choose to go out to eat, whether it’s for a quick lunch or dinner at a restaurant. Not only is a lot of money wasted when we eat out, but most of the time, the food is not as healthy either. Therefore, you can eat healthier meals and save money by eating food from home.

Does this mean you have to eat all of your meals at home? Nope. If you work away from home, consider packing your own lunch and eating at the office. If you cook meals at home, then simply bring leftovers for work the next day.  You can even bring your own tea, coffee and/or snacks with you to work, which will save you even more money.

Stay Away from Fast Food

It’s hard to turn on the television without seeing an advertisement for a “great deal” at a nearby fast food restaurant.  Most people think that if they can get lunch for two for under $10, they’ve gotten a good deal. However, upon close inspection, fast food isn’t nearly that good of a deal. Even if you eat off the dollar menu. Not when you consider that you can fix yourself a healthier, homemade sandwich from home for far less than a dollar.

Save Money on Drinks

Restaurants and fast-food business make a ton of money on the drinks they serve. A regular sized drink (aside from water) will cost you $1.50 to $3.00 at most eating joints. However, you can get several regular sized drinks for less than $1.50 when you by a 2-liter or family sized tea bags and make your own drinks.

If you prefer bottled water, consider investing in a reverse osmosis system (if you don’t have one), or even a cheaper water filtering system, and bring your own bottled water from home in a reusable bottle. You’ll save a lot of money here too.

Buy Extra

If you find something on sale at the store that can be easily preserved, buy it in extra quantities. This doesn’t mean you have to be extreme about it like the people on Extreme Couponing shows, but stocking up on a few items here and there to save money, is a great idea. You can also save money by purchasing food at the grocery store that has been “damaged.” Generally, it’s not the food that is damaged, but the packaging that was damaged during transportation, but grocers still discount these items!