During this time last year our family of four was gearing up for our “100 Days of Real Food on a Budget” pledge. But once the pledge ended (in January 2011) I stopped sticking
to our strict food budget of $125/week, and I often wonder how I even managed to do it. Just the other day I was reading some of my old budget blog posts, and on one shopping excursion I somehow left my favorite grocery store (Earth Fare) after only spending $67. If you want to know what I spent at Earth Fare earlier this week….well, just add about $100 – yikes! It is amazing how much more you spend when you don’t have a specific budget in place to help you keep it cheap. The scary thing is though, I sort of was “trying” not to spend a lot the other day. Now my effort didn’t go beyond a conscious thought in my head, but I should know by now that just thinking about being on a budget never really works. :)
As some of you know, my husband and I were fortunate enough to go on a very adventurous – and expensive! – trip to Asia earlier this month. So, for us, there is no better time than now to get back on the food budget bandwagon. I won’t be doing another official budget “pledge,” but since I’ve already proved this could be done I don’t really have any good excuses to convince my husband to let me off the hook (darn!). So for all of us – me included – here are some budget tips that I could never be reminded of enough. And if you have any advice I left out please share in the comments below…
- Set a specific budget. This tip may sound basic, but as I just said simply thinking about “not spending a lot of money” DOES NOT work!
- Be organized and plan out your meals for the week. Last minute purchases that you haven’t put a lot of thought into can add up fast.
- Minimize waste by saving all uneaten food instead of throwing anything away.
- Know and use what you have on hand especially if it’s perishable. Even consider keeping an inventory list of food on your fridge or freezer so different family members can check off items as they use them. I know my husband is more likely to eat something in the fridge if I leave a note telling him it is there (don’t ask me why)!
- Make substitutions in recipes to reduce how many things you have to buy…or even leave out a small ingredient all together.
- Maximize “cheap” foods like bananas, beans, and pasta. Here are some of our favorite super cheap recipes:
- When making inexpensive meals like soups and pasta dishes double the recipe and freeze the leftovers for when you have one of those days where you just don’t have time to plan out a good dinner.
- Make sacrifices like drinking water instead of milk and skipping juice and other flavored beverages all together. If you really have trouble kicking the juice habit at least water it down a little so the juice lasts longer.
- Reduce your consumption of meat and desserts. Meat can be a big-ticket item and while dessert is certainly a “nice to have” it is by no means a regular necessity (sorry)! Also experiment with “stretching” your meat dishes by mixing in veggies and/or beans.
- Buy produce that’s in-season and if you like to frequent your local farmers’ market try going just before closing time to get some great deals on items the vendors won’t want to haul back to the farm.
- If you can’t afford the organic version of everything consult the dirty dozen list.
- Check your receipt after you get home to make sure your money was spent wisely (most grocery stores accept returns and I’ve been known to take stuff back on occasion!).
Well, your article really helps with food on a budget and I also like to buy food items on a budget but sometimes it becomes expensive as you already explained in your article. Actually, my family loves to eat delicious food so sometimes I prefer to order it and it does not cost so much, you can also try it if you want here is the link https://www.couponsmonk.com/postmates.com. I hope it helps you too in your budget. As you say you can store uneaten food in your freezer or refrigerator same way you can order food at a very less price using discount offers and deals.
Hi. I am someone who absolutely HATES to cook. Hate it. So, on the rare occasions I do cook, it has to be the simplest of meals. Since I am getting older, and my husband has Parkinson’s, I would like to find some SIMPLE, limited ingredient recipes. Can you help? Please email if you can. Thank you so much
Thank you so much for the tips! I travel a lot, and sometimes on a cheap budget, so when I am staying in a hostel or AirBNB I still try and eat cheap (but healthy!). I agree that cutting out meat and desserts helps…and not buying beer helps too haha ><
I drop by the grocery store several times a week very early. Most stores have their meat marked down considerably. I put it in the freezer. Almost all of my meat is ‘clearance priced’ and rarely have I ever had to buy meat at regular price.
3 months ago I set a goal to cut my food/household supply bill in 1/2. Two things I did that helped was instead of cooking a full meal every night I have 2 nights of leftovers or make your own. This uses up leftovers, gives me a break from meal prep, gives my teens an opportunity to to be responsible for there own dinner and clean up. Second, because I pack my lunch for work, I switched to (mostly) vegetarian lunches. I use other forms of less expensive protein like beans and eggs. This has helped my budget, time with lunch prep and how I feel in general. I think it will help further to use the tip of being more specific. I am going to try separating food & household stuff into separate budget goals.
Grow your own! I try to grow as many veggies as we can in the small amount of space that we have. We hardly spend any money of veggies, especially during the summer.
Hi. This is a good list and covers a lot of dry goods as well as fresh foods: http://greatist.com/health/44-healthy-foods-under-1.
Any ideas for buying real food for food banks? We need foods that people will actually eat (we do give recipes!), few ingredients so they can prepare meals with what we give them (even if they don’t have staples at home), can be prepared by people who have microwave only, camp fire only, no blender/food processor/slow cooker, etc. Some months our budget for food for 40 families (150 to 200 individual people) has been less than $300. We try to give enough food for 3 days (9 meals). We have freezer and some refrigerator space. Ideas, tips, websites, recipes that specifically address this issue would be greatly appreciated
Try dried legumes of any type. They go well with nearly every vegetable, are super healthy plus people will them.
For more info please mail me at [email protected]
This is the contact of our foundation which also deals with hunger.
Good luck and thanks for all your work.
Just a heads up as someone who works in the grocery industry. You said reduce waste and return items in the same post. A lot of people don’t know this but 99% of consumable items are put directly onto the garbage upon return to a store. It’s too much of a risk to put it back on the shelves. So please think before you buy and think twice before you return. It will go to waste.
What is a realistic monthly food budget? I spend $1000 monthly for a family of 4. I always have my menu planned and a list but can’t seem to trim this amount down. Just wondering what others spend each month…thanks!
We also have a family of 4 and I spend 400 a month and this includes soap, toiletries, etc as well as food. We are trying to pay down debt and live paycheck to paycheck, so it is a must, not really a choice, I use cash only and when the money is gone, it is gone. It is a very tight budget and I make almost everything homemade. And try to buy organic wherever I can. We also have a huge garden (but a short growing season) and chickens (eggs). I also am a full time teacher. The key is being organized and prepping meals and snacks a head of time. I did not grow up learning to cook and bake, but I’m getting pretty good at it! My kids love cooking with me, too. It can be done, but you definitely have to commit and make it a priority. Good luck!
Hi there. Check out Lisa’s 100 Days on a budget posts: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/100-days-on-a-budget/.
Admittedly, we don’t eat as clean as your family. That being said, I only buy butter and shredded cheese when it is on sale and freeze it. It thaws easily in the fridge. Also, I only buy cereal, crackers and the like that is on sale. There is always something on sale. I also plan my dinners around meat that is on sale. There is just no reason to prepare a meal that calls for regular priced meat when you can make a meal with meat that is on sale. We are often given meat by our neighbor who hunts. I use it in bean soup and serve it over rice. Talk about a cheap meal!
I have five boys 18-3. My fridge and pantry stay empty until school starts back! I don’t get a brake till summer starts back!
i have five boys ages 18-3! My fridge and pantry stay empty all summer long! I don’t get a brake till school starts back!
Love the tips. I’ve found that ingredients are generally much cheaper than processed foods, so a real food diet stacks up pretty well against the alternative that includes lots of ‘convenience’ items.
But, as a farmer’s market vendor I’m not crazy about tip 10. Farmer’s don’t want the food to go to waste, but they have to make a living too and they have priced their food to reflect their work. If a significant number of shoppers wait til the end to try to score bargains it can really hurt sales. Also, the markets where we work have local food pantries collect at the end of the day, so the food is put to good use.
Hi Beth. We love our local farmers! Thanks so much for your insight. It has also been my experience that if I wait too long, everything I wanted is gone. :) Though I have been handed some yummy muffins for free as a market was closing up for the weekend in Hawaii. Love that the food pantries get your leftovers.
Hi again! Can you tell me how you work Costco shopping into your weekly food budget. Costco and stocking up on items that I might find on sale always trip me up when it comes to budgeting. Any suggestions?
Hi DJ. This blogger does it far better than I: http://funcheaporfree.com/2012/10/fcf-q-how-do-you-work-shopping-at/. :) Hope it helps. ~Amy