BUYING GROCERIES

ON A BUDGET
KARA BARNEY
Food prices are rising without a doubt. No matter where
or when in life you are, there will be a point where you
are worried about food costs. So here are some budget
friendly tips to help your grocery shopping.
BUY IN LARGER QUANTITIES is on sale. Importantly, don’t buy used. A basket of groceries will
Most companies discount bulk something just for the sale. make more than just one serving.
sale, meaning that the unit price You can use ingredients for mul-
MAKE A LIST tiple things, eat the same meal
will be less the more you buy. If
Lists can help organize your more than once, or feed a whole
you are going to use seasonings
thoughts. Determine what you family. A restaurant meal feeds
or large amounts of the same
need to buy before leaving home. just you with little to no leftovers
ingredient, try buying from
This will help you be more inten- for another day.
wholesale stores such as Sam’s
tional with what you buy. No more
club or Costco.
browsing aisles looking for some- EAT YOUR LEFTOVERS
USING COUPONS thing good. In addition, you will On average, one person wastes
Most grocers have rewards sys- be more likely to avoid impulse 325 pounds of food each year.
tems such as paper and digital buy and spend less time in the You can reduce this by looking
coupons or clearance sections. store. before you cook a meal to see if
This is the most obvious way to you have any leftover food to eat
save money. You can either plan MORE THAN ONE MEAL instead or to add to a meal. This
your meals based on what is on At first glance, groceries cost more can help to clear out your fridge
sale, or you can look for what than eating out every day, but the and save money of buying new
you are already going to buy that big difference is in the amount ingredients.
BUY INGREDIENTS
It’s easy to just want a meal that
you just put in the oven, but
premade or frozen meals tend to
be more expensive than making
them on your own. Instead of
purchasing a premade lasagna,
try buying pasta, sauce and add-
ins to make it yourself. Making
your own meals not only is
cheaper but tastes better and is
customizable to your preferences.
MAKE MEAL PLANS
Many people keep track of their
health through meal plans. You
can do this to keep track of your
budget as well. There are plenty of
recipes out there. Look through
them and find meals with similar
ingredients. Doing this can re-
duce how much you need to buy
while shopping.
BUY LOCAL
Local farmers markets will sell
produce fresh from the farm for
often lower than store prices. You
can ask for information about
your food too. From bread to pro-
duce to meats, you can find plen-
ty to eat at the farmer’s market.
MEAL PREP
EAT HEALTHY
Not everyone has time to or
Eating healthy keeps your mind
wants to cook every day and that’s
healthy. Good food is a must. The
okay! A new trend called ‘meal
outer ring of the grocery store
prep’ has been gaining traction.
(The walls, not the aisles) typical-
Meal prep is where you cook and
ly have healthy and fresh foods
prepare all your food for the week
such as meat, grains, dairy, and
during the weekend. This makes
produce. While yes, they ap-
it so that you don’t need 20+ min-
pear to cost more, they are often
utes to make lunch or dinner, you
cheaper than chips, soda, and TV
can simply pull a premade meal
dinners.
from your fridge to eat.