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Coping with Tight Times - part 1Apr 11 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Tips for cutting monthly food costs.
We've all been there. What's coming in every month isn't keeping up with what's going out. Maybe you've lost your job ... maybe a new bill is causing you to feel the pinch. regardless of the cause you need to find ways to stretch every penny. But, where to start? The first place to look for pennies to save would be on your food costs. 1) Eat breakfast. Think cold cereal ... oatmeal .. a container of yogurt. The idea is to start your day with a burst of nutrition so you can work at high performance through your day, but also to avoid being starving at lunch time. Store brand flavored oatmeal is often available for $1.50 for a box of 10 envelopes. For 15 or 30 cents you can eat a hearty, filling, and nutritious meal. 2) Start brown-bagging it. This goes for mom and dad as well as the kids. It will invariably (unless you resort to highly packaged convenience foods) cost less to pack a lunch than it will to buy a meal out. A sandwich with a side of fruit or vegetables with a couple of cookies can be made for about $1-2. Bring your own soda from home to save quite a bit over vending machine prices. 3) Dinnertime? Think old fashioned meals from scratch. A pot of marinara sauce can be made for a few dollars and last a couple of meals. Vegetable soup can be had for pennies a serving. Rice and beans. Make sure to serve plenty of vegetables with dinner. These are filling, nutritious, and can be had cheaply if bought frozen, or in season fresh. 4) Eliminate take-in and eating out. If you feel you can't live without the experience ... only eat out when you have a coupon or at an early bird special ... look for a place where you can fill up on the salad bar and bring your entree home ... save change over the course of the month and use this as your eating out fund. 5) Shop around the sale flyer at your supermarket ... use coupons ... check for reduced priced items. Many stores will put baked goods on sale after 7 or 8 at night. Meat is often marked down considerably on the last "sell by date". Banged up boxes of cereal can be had for 50-75% off. 6) Experiment with store brand and no frills products. Experiment with new cuts of meat .. new items in the produce aisle. Experiment with making your favorite meals with just a BIT LESS meat .. a BIT LESS cheese. See how far back you can go before you and your family notice a difference. 7) If things are really bad look into government programs such as W.I.C. or Food Stamps which help to supplement your food budget.  |
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