Based on surveys, people believe that taking personal responsibility is the best way to stay healthy and feel that they can manage health problems through nutrition. It can be challenging to eat healthy when your grocery budget is stretched tight.
A large part of every individuals or familys income is spent on food, and the amount of money a family spends on food each week or month depends on a variety of factors including income and family size. There are multiple ways to approach saving money with grocery shopping and eating healthy.
Food Budget
How much does one budget for food on a weekly or monthly basis and how do you figure in your family size? The USDA offers a monthly Cost of Food report that highlights the average expense associated with a nutritious diet at different spending levels: Thrifty, Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost, and Liberal food plans. The average cost of food on the Thrifty Food Plan was $85-$91 per week for a family of two and $131-$152 for a family of four. When compared with the Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost, and Liberal food plans for a family of four, it averaged $182.75, $227.35, and $278.60.
Power of a List
An important part of food budgeting and meal planning is developing a shopping list. A well-planned list can help you make more healthful purchases, avoid impulse buys, and reduce food waste. The average family throws away $125 worth of food every month. A recent study demonstrated that using a grocery list is associated with a more healthful diet and a lower body mass index.
Portion Control
Assessing portion sizes and emphasizing portion control at each meal is another way to make food budget dollars go further. Consumers often confuse portion size (the amount of food eaten in a single eating occasion) with serving size (the standardized unit of measured food by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans). Studies show that people often consume more when presented with larger portion sizes. Tips to help manage portion sizes when eating at home include not eating directly from the package and dividing snacks into single-serving portions. Other ways include serving food on smaller plates and keeping serving dishes on the kitchen counter so the opportunity for seconds is farther away. Also, using the MyPlate method by filling one-half of the plate with vegetables and fruits and divide the other half between lean protein and whole grains.
Well-Stocked Pantry
A well-stocked and organized pantry can help save money in the long run for a variety of reasons. First, it encourages cooking at home, which means spending less on dining out. By spending more time cooking at home by way of keeping a pantry stocked with healthful ingredients, rather than relying on prepackaged meals or takeout, you have more control over the amount of money spent per meal.
Stock the pantry with items you frequently use by buying in quantity items when they go on sale or purchase them in a larger size or quantity. Typically larger product sizes cost less per unit than their smaller counterparts.
At the Aisles
Reconsider premade dressings and spice blends. While convenience sometimes is worth the extra dollar, one way to save money at the grocery store is to make simple items at home rather than purchasing the premade versions. Blending simple things such as dressings and spice mixtures from scratch can easily shave off some money from the grocery bill as well as other strategies.
Give generic brands a chance. One of the simplest ways you can trim grocery bills is to switch to generic store-brand products. It is common for store brands to cost 25-30 percent less than their name-brand equivalents.
Using coupons. Using coupons can help save money on everyday name-brand items. Coupons can be collected from newspapers, in-store sale flyers, online resources, and mobile coupons. Sometimes coupons are targeted for highly processed cereals, frozen foods, snacks, and candy. Using coupons may be bestfor non-food items such as medications, personal care, and other household products.
