How Can Your Family Spend Less On Groceries and Eating Out?
Cutting out family expenses can be tricky, especially when family members have grown accustomed to a certain lifestyle and routine. By following a few of these simple tips, you may be able to significantly decrease your reoccurring monthly expenses. The left column are common expensive behaviors; the right column are money-saving alternatives.
Answer:
Beverages
Coffee in coffee shops
Coffee at home/office
Alcoholic beverages
Minimize alcoholic beverages
Expensive wine
Less expensive wine or less often
Soft drinks
Minimize soft drinks; drink water instead
Buying bottled water
Drink tap water/Get a water filter
Having beverages when eating out
Have water when eating out
Food/Entertainment
Eating out often
Eat out less often
Having dessert when eating out
No dessert or share dessert when eating out
Leaving food when eating out
Share entrees when eating out, or take home extra
Throwing out leftovers
Prepare only as many servings as needed
Freeze leftovers
Take leftovers for work lunches
Throwing out old food in pantry, refrigerator, freezer
Use what you have before it gets old/plan usage
Freeze leftovers for later use (freeze in individual servings)
Deli salads
Make your own salads
Bakery goods
Make your own quick breads, cookies, freeze extras
Buying meats and seafood prepared for cooking (i.e. marinated, seasoned, kebabs)
Buy less prepared meats; you prepare them the day before use
Potato and corn chips
Whole grain crackers, popcorn
Chicken breasts
Whole chicken, other parts
Rotisserie chicken
Cook your own (consider a crockpot/slowcooker)
Best olive oil
Less olive oil, blends
Unlimited meat and produce
Single servings meat and produce; freezer vegetables, fill in with
pasta, rice, bread (preferably whole grains)
Remember – a serving of meat is about 3 oz. when cooked (the
size of a deck of cards)
Bakery prepared desserts
Ice cream, home baked cookies
Unplanned shopping/impulse buying
Shop with a list and stick to it, don’t shop while hungry, try to
shop when not pressed for time
Buying name brands of products
Buy store brands or “generics” of the same thing
Buying at full price stores or at full price
Buy at discount/warehouse stores (but only buy what you can
use within a year). You can split purchases with friends and family.
Plan meals around weekly sales
Buying organic
Grow organic! Grow your own herbs and vegetables.
Flowers
No flowers, grow your own or get house plants that can bloom
during the year
Tobacco
No tobacco, cut usage
The 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy Web site offers general information for managing personal finances and does not recommend specific financial actions. For financial advice tailored to your situation, please contact an expert such as a CPA or a personal financial advisor.