Posted by Chile Monster on 3/11/2022 to
The economy has everyone a little on edge right now. Things are expensive and to make matters worse, the quality and quantity are both going down. Imagine last year paying $4 for a basket of strawberries and probably 80% of them were in good condition. This year, that same basket costs $5 and only 65% of those strawberries are in good condition and their availability is shortened now as well which means the prices will go up soon again.
This is how the market is working right now and while it’s expected to change, people have to react to what’s going on right now. It’s tough to say what changes will happen in the economy but the one thing we all benefit from right now is learning how to save on food consumption while still eating as much healthy and delicious food as we want.
Importance Of Saving
In a world where you can literally pay in dozens of ways for goods and services it’s impossible to be able to remember every transaction. Things add up and you could be paying for things you didn’t even realize like subscriptions, car insurance and food. If you can cut these costs by 20%, that could save you over $2,000 a year or more. Does that sound like a decent amount of money to you?
What To Buy
You have to spend money to save money. That may seem weird but the truth is that it’s a fact. Sometimes the best way to cut back on expenses is to buy things that will help you save. Ideally, by taking on a bit more of the responsibility in creating what you eat or drink, you are able to reduce costs drastically. Here are some examples of how it works:
- Freezer: Bigger freezers are not that expensive and are easy to move because they are lightweight. If you can manage to put one in your home it could benefit you greatly. They do not use that much energy and they can help you preserve food for months. If your grocery store is running a sale on meat, chicken, bread and a variety of other things, you can buy during the sale and freeze them for later use.
- Airfryer: One of the biggest expenses is ordering out or going out for food. A family of four can eat a delicious home-cooked meal for less than $30 but going to a nice restaurant can easily cost over $100. That’s too expensive to do over and over again but some of the foods are just impossible to do without. That’s where an airfryer can be a game changer. You can make food that tastes just like from your favorite restaurant and it’s healthier.
- Storage bags and containers: Storing food is important because it can help it last longer. Consider buying in bulk storage bags and containers. If you are making spaghetti sauce, you can make a bigger pot and freeze the sauce for other meals. This cuts down on cost and saves time as well.
- Pitchers & aluminum bottles: Love drinking coffee, iced tea and other drinks that are brewed? Consider brewing them yourself. It’s easy to make a pot of tea and costs a fraction of what individual bottles or gallon jugs cost. Your home-brewed coffee may not taste as great as the local cafe or coffee house, but it also doesn’t cost over $5 a cup.
Yes, you have to make certain sacrifices but you are significantly cutting your costs and still enjoying your favorite things. Remember, it’s not a permanent switch. Instead of eating chicken wings at your favorite restaurant every week, you go once a month and the other three times you make wings at home. The wings are delicious and the savings adds up to over $100 each month.
How To Save
The fact is that you are going to want to start saving as soon as possible. If you need to buy several appliances to do so, consider shopping online or wait until the next big promotion at local stores. Once you have your appliances together, your monthly routine will be what makes the savings really stack up. Staying in, cooking and enjoying your home or low-cost venues are the key to making real savings each month. Adopt a pride in DIY attitude and do things yourself starting with:
- Make it spicy: One of the reasons you love food at restaurants is because of the spices they use. You have access to those ingredients and while you may not know every spice or trick that goes into the dish, you can get it closer each time you make it and chances are you can make it for half the cost of what the restaurant would charge you.
- Buy in bulk: Grocery stores have sales all the time and this is where you can get your favorite foods at a great deal. Your favorite thing to eat with chicken wings are mozzarella sticks. They cost almost $1.50 a stick at the restaurant. You can buy a box of 40 at the grocery store for less than $10. Throw some in the air fryer and you won’t taste the difference and you are cutting back on oils and fats. If your grocery store runs a sale where you can buy one and get one half off, grab two boxes. They are already frozen and that means you are getting 80 sticks for $15. Try beating that anywhere else and you still get to eat your favorite food.
- Order online: One of the big advantages consumers have is that they have plenty of places to shop. If you are not seeing something on the shelves, order online. This also is where you can try new ingredients that you can add to your dishes.
- Plan meals: There are dozens of ideas for meal plans you can do where you cook large quantities of food and store them so that you don’t have to prepare food during the week for lunch and dinner. Even if you are not a fan of that, you should plan your meals ahead of time. When you plan ahead you are more likely to stick to the plan. If you are deciding on the way to lunch or home you are more likely to pick something easy which means more expensive.
Adopting a new strategy on cutting costs will help you save thousands of dollars a year. You do not have to abandon your favorite things but simply scale back a bit so that you can afford other necessities or interests in life. Even if it’s money you put away in savings, it’s still good to have something saved for the future. Learning to cut costs without losing quality is something everyone can benefit from.