How do you save money on food?

Answer 1

1) Clip coupons
2) buy generic
3) eat less
4) Cook instead of eating at restaurants
5) eat less meat
6) eat less processed foods
7) buy only seasonal items (in season)
8) comparative shop (watch ads of multiple stores)
9) shop in tax free states

Answer 2

Other people have given good advice, but they've omitted some key points.

It's obviously helpful to buy things on sale, use coupons, and find the best prices. However, the lowest prices are usually not in supermarkets--farmer's markets, where available, often have much lower prices on everything, from produce to meat. Many things can be priced one third or less at a farmer's market, relative to what you'd pay at a supermarket. Also, buying things in bulk generally helps--this is where it helps to pair up with friends and then split things up. Also, buy local foods that are in season, when possible--they're fresher and cheaper. (For example, if you live in Ohio, buy Ohio apples in the fall instead of the more expensive Washington ones).

Another major way to save money on food is to reduce the amount of meat that you eat. Meat is expensive, and although eating some meat is healthy, eating a lot of meat isn't. Milk products can also be expensive, so try to find other sources of protein (although eating some milk products is good). There are many cheap vegetable protein sources, and the best one is beans. Beans, together with a grain like rice or wheat bread, form a complete protein. Beans come in many forms; dried beans or lentils are cheapest.

Some other general cheap staple foods to consider include rice, oatmeal (never buy breakfast cereal if you want to save money--just buy rolled oats; they're more nutritious and much cheaper), cabbage (very high in vitamin C and other vitamins), and sardines (probably the cheapest meat that is still good for you).

Make sure you aren't sacrificing nutrition. It's a good idea to pass up expensive and overpriced vegetables, but make sure you're getting enough fresh fruits and vegetables. This is where it's wonderful if you can find a farmer's market.

Last piece of advice--if you have space, garden. Even a small garden plot, if managed properly, can provide an immense amount of fresh vegetables and fruits. If you are wise, you can even get some vegetables into the early winter, past the first few frosts and first snowfall. Exactly how to do this is difficult--that's a whole other question.

I hope this helps. This is just a starting point--there are always ways to save more money!

Answer 3

Buy only the meats that are on sale, and load up the freezer with them. Buy gallons of milk in 2's. They're cheaper that way. You can freeze the other gallon if you need to. Buy breads at bakery outlet (again, they freeze) buy lunchmeats in 1lb packages (not at the deli) buy fruits and vegetables (and sometimes meats) at mexican markets. They are a fraction of the price there because local vendors supply them. And make crystal light (generic is good too!) instead of buying cans of soda.

Answer 4

Well what i do is go to supermarkets since thay have better deals then liek the delis or liek other fod stores have. Also if oyu wnat you cna buy prdect that arent expensive but cna fill you up like ramien noodles they cost cheap fill em up adn taste great hope thsi helps you

Answer 5

Buy food products, that you consume regularly in bulk. Ex: Bulk flash frozen chicken, bulk pasta, bulk beans, etc..

Answer 6

-Make meals from scratch they taste better, more nutricious. {no pre-packaged foods}
-Buy items on sale.
-make casseroles. Cheap but filling.