Methods to cut food costs

[franky1]

you lot do realise that retailers raise the prices. and then do silly "discount" schemes where only certain populations get the regular price (higher price - discount=old regular price) as the mechanism to get people to not complain about new prices and get used to new prices by having this "saviour" discount period

i could (dont have to) but could save alot of money by avoiding processed final product/ready meal style groceries. and instead cook from scratch and batch up meals in the freezer

back in my early bitcoin days where i was saving fiat to buy coin. i stopped what i would call "toilet flush" money wasting. you know the wsted money that just results in a bowel movement and toilet flush the next day
this wa no longer buying fast food but cooking it from scratch

in the UK 6piece drumstick/thigh KFC was £10 yet i can get 10 plain drumsticks/thighs for £4
KFC= £1.66 per drumstick/thigh
plain=£0.40p  per drumstick/thigh
seasoned flour/breadcrumb chicken=£0.50 per drumstick/thigh

300% discount.. not just 10%

[crzy]

Cutting the cost of food can be done by reducing its volume just to remain its price and still be affordable to many. Giving out coupon and discounts can also be a good one but I think it will just a temporary solution and offers.

You also have to analyze the reason on cutting the cost of food if its good to economic and good for everyone, this is not an easy decision to make especially to some businesses they have to do their budgeting as well.

[Dr.Bitcoin_Strange]

What are other good methods of cutting costs on food items?

Learning to cook for myself has helped me save money on food. Constantly buying food from restaurants and some eateries, paying delivery fees, and paying taxes all contribute to the cost of food, but when an individual learns how to cook for themselves, you just have to go to the market once and get some food items that can serve you for some period of time, then you can just be in your house and prepare whatever you want to eat. I cook for myself because I know how, and if I don't finish what I'm cooking, I refrigerate it for another day.

Hunting and fishing are under the control of some agency in most regions; you don't have the right to hunt unless it's during a hunting period, where individuals are generally allowed to do so. However, those with enough land can cultivate some vegetables and forages, which will save them money on food because they may not need to buy vegetables from the market because they can simply eat them from their garden. Depending on the country and environmental regulation in such an area, an individual with enough land space can have a poultry farm and may not need to buy chicken and egg 😉.

[lionheart78]

There is some advice given by this sites[1][2] on how to cut food costs and they are as follow:

Have meals in mind before you shop

Meal planning means having a strategy in place for what you eat. Taking the time to plan what you’ll have for breakfast, lunch, or dinner can help you avoid expensive and unhealthy meal purchases and will likely save you time. Some people plan meals a month in advance. Others do a week or a couple of days in advance. Adopt whatever time frame works best for you. To start your meal planning, you could:

• Search for delicious and easy-to-make recipes by browsing blogs and cooking websites.
• Save recipes by jotting them down, bookmarking pages online, or printing them.
• Keep a journal of recipes you enjoyed cooking (and eating!) as a way to remember your favorites.
• Create a calendar for what you’d like to cook over the next few days, week, or month.

Make an inventory check

Before you head to the grocery store, look inside your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Write a list of the ingredients you already have on hand. By regularly taking inventory and keeping track of what you have, you’ll likely make a better plan for your meals.

Be on the lookout for sales

Most grocery stores will publish a weekly flyer that highlights new food items and sales each week. They may offer coupons for additional discounts too. Some stores also have clubs with rewards for frequent shoppers. Signing up for email updates from your local grocers or download their apps can help you stay up-to-date on the latest deals.

Consider bulk food purchases

Buying items in bulk could save you money in the long run. Warehouse stores are everywhere these days, so it’s easy to stock up for less. When you buy in bulk the idea is to minimize your cost per unit. Just be prepared as you will likely spend more money upfront. Look to purchase items with a long shelf life. Canned goods, butter, dried pasta and beans, and household essentials like toothpaste, trash bags, laundry detergent, and batteries are good choices. It’s also a good idea to keep your storage space in mind when you buy in bulk to help make sure you can store whatever you purchase.

Make food from scratch

Swapping store-bought for homemade is a great way to potentially cut down on costs. If you have flour, water, and yeast, you could bake your bread in an oven, for example. Try exploring to find easy recipes for your pantry staples. You may be surprised by how simple it can be to make items like yogurt, oatmeal, pasta, and more.

Eat leftovers at least once a week

A good way to potentially save both time and money is to plan with at least one night of leftovers per week. If you don’t like eating leftovers, try using them to make a new meal. If you have leftover vegetables, for example, you can easily toss them in an omelet and have breakfast for dinner one night.

Limit Eating Out

It's probably obvious, but takeout, that delicious ramen place, and even quick "cheap" burgers add up quickly. That's why hitting up your go-to restaurant less often is one of the most effective ways to lower your food budget. Of course this doesn't mean to stop eating out entirely. Restaurants are cultural, they're social—they're not the enemy. But, when it comes to your budget, they can turn into a bit of a black hole.

So how often should you eat out? It’s up to you. The key is moderation and balance. If you can’t stomach the idea of eating out less, know that you’ll have to cut your budget in other categories. Just remember that eating out truly is one of the largest chunks of your food budget, so think critically and carefully about how much you’re currently spending at restaurants and how much you want to be spending.

[1] https://www.midlandnational.com/learn-and-plan/budget-friendly-ways-to-cut-food-costs
[2] https://banzai.org/wellness/resources/reducing-your-food-bill

[franky1]

order of priority(top is best advice)

Limit Eating Out

Make food from scratch

Make an inventory check

Consider bulk food purchases

Be on the lookout for sales

Eat leftovers at least once a week

eating out usually costs 3-5x more then cooking from scratch

bulk purchase and looking for sales. dont work well, because most sales are of items near their use by date. and if buying in bulk you are buying more then you may need before use by date
only find the reduced stuff for small meals you are likely to eat same day/next day
only find the bulk deals on the regular items you consume the most often

also its counter intuitive to make an inventory to limit buying more then you need then say buy in bulk/stockpile
short answer is buy in bulk only items you use alot and only if they are in good discount by buying more then one

eating left overs means you didnt portion control the preparation very well

[Vaskiy]

Being self reliant to grow vegetables is the best to cut the food cost. Almost every vegetable and fruits required can be grown in home. These days we've got more and more ways available to grow. Something like rooftop garden and different other concepts. Maybe it'll cost initially to set it up, then onwards based on our choice we can grow the required vegetables to meet our daily needs. It cuts the food cost as well as helps in consuming good food as most of the vegetables are grown only with pesticides.

[arallmuus]

bulk purchase and looking for sales. dont work well, because most sales are of items near their use by date. and if buying in bulk you are buying more then you may need before use by date

Aside from that, some people might not even have the storage / fridge large enough to store all these foods or ingredients that was purchased in bulks though so this wont work well unless you have your own space

eating left overs means you didnt portion control the preparation very well

I find it way cheaper to eat the left over though but to be frank about this, it doesnt really matter if you didnt portion it well as long as you are going to eat it and not throw it away. Im totally cool with cooking / buying food that is way larger portion of what you usually need then store it away in fridge afterward

[Hispo]

-snip-

And that chicken and its derivatives are really expensive in your country? I have always believed that chicken / eggs are everywhere very affordable, inexpensive and, in general, a quality product. At the same time, they can sufficiently diversify your diet - from this you can cook quite a lot of dishes, albeit not intricate, but varied and of quite high quality.

Here in Venezuela, during the worst times of inflation, chicken was not affordable to most of the people, it I was quite expensive so was eggs (they are still are a bit). Most of the people had to switch to full vegetables or sardines and cassava.

Beef and pork were actual luxuries, so were many other things, not long ago I still had people begging for food around here, both adults and children, knocking on my front door.

[xSkylarx]

Being self reliant to grow vegetables is the best to cut the food cost. Almost every vegetable and fruits required can be grown in home. These days we've got more and more ways available to grow. Something like rooftop garden and different other concepts. Maybe it'll cost initially to set it up, then onwards based on our choice we can grow the required vegetables to meet our daily needs. It cuts the food cost as well as helps in consuming good food as most of the vegetables are grown only with pesticides.

Lucky on us that we have still free area in backyard that you cam garden for vegetables. It really saves you a lot and its free and you are sure that it is fresh and doesn't have insecticide sprayed on it as most we buy have one and its dangerous. To those who dont have space it is nice to do vertical farming as you can still grow vegetables on it . You can save on this than buying it

[ethereumhunter]

bulk purchase and looking for sales. dont work well, because most sales are of items near their use by date. and if buying in bulk you are buying more then you may need before use by date

Aside from that, some people might not even have the storage / fridge large enough to store all these foods or ingredients that was purchased in bulks though so this wont work well unless you have your own space

For people who don't have storage space, they won't buy in large quantities but maybe they will look for a bigger discount so they can save money for other needs. And big stores know what their customers want and welcome that customer with a discount.

People today are really lucky because they can get almost anything they want and can use discount coupons to buy things they need.

[dansus021]

I'm not living in the US but you have good point. I should merit you but Im out of it.

I have read a book but I don't remember the name and it says "Promo is always existed" My point is that we can actually live well and enjoy life from the discount like you have been shared. and this not just happened with food it can be clothes and anything and if you guys want a discount just give a little research and you will find one. Keep searching and good luck. but personal tip don't fall to deep to promo when you still can afford

[blockman]

There's a community and little grocery store that just opened up close to my home. I'm happy when I shopped there as it's truly near to my house as if it's a safe haven.
For the longest time when I do shop for my groceries, it's the first time that I've looked for coupons and appreciated those free small sachet of shampoos, food power and even a stamp for another free giveaway whenever I fulfill the card that's given to me. With times that are too high in inflation, anything that gives out the promo and is beneficial for an individual like me, I'm taking it.

[lionheart78]

bulk purchase and looking for sales. dont work well, because most sales are of items near their use by date. and if buying in bulk you are buying more then you may need before use by date

Yeah I have seen lots of discounted food sales in malls and marketplace but the expiry date is almost up.  But did you know that food can be consumed more days than its usual expiry date?  It is set as standard by the manufacturer but actually doesn't mean that the food is not consumable after the expiry date.  This is one good article[1] about expired goods.

While bulk purchase is advised since merchants often give discounts on bulk or wholesale orders.

only find the reduced stuff for small meals you are likely to eat same day/next day
only find the bulk deals on the regular items you consume the most often

I agree, since buying things in bulk that you never use is just another way of wasting money. 

also its counter intuitive to make an inventory to limit buying more then you need then say buy in bulk/stockpile
short answer is buy in bulk only items you use alot and only if they are in good discount by buying more then one

Precisely, bulk buying in terms of cost-cutting means buying necessities at a discount.

eating left overs means you didnt portion control the preparation very well

True, that it is a mistake of calculation on food preparation but then eating leftovers fixed it


[1] https://www.bhg.com/news/expiration-dates/#:~:text=But%20as%20long%20as%20you,nutrition%20compromised%2C%22%20Petre%20says.

[SirLancelot]

Being self reliant to grow vegetables is the best to cut the food cost. Almost every vegetable and fruits required can be grown in home. These days we've got more and more ways available to grow. Something like rooftop garden and different other concepts. Maybe it'll cost initially to set it up, then onwards based on our choice we can grow the required vegetables to meet our daily needs. It cuts the food cost as well as helps in consuming good food as most of the vegetables are grown only with pesticides.

Lucky on us that we have still free area in backyard that you cam garden for vegetables. It really saves you a lot and its free and you are sure that it is fresh and doesn't have insecticide sprayed on it as most we buy have one and its dangerous. To those who dont have space it is nice to do vertical farming as you can still grow vegetables on it . You can save on this than buying it

You guys must be living outside the city because you have some extra spaces for planting but I think there are still people who are lazy and they don't plant at all despite of being blessed to have an area like that.

Planting crops is not free because you will still buy the seeds and some tools that you will be use to effectively grow them but indeed that you can save a lot of money later on because you can harvest your veggies and fruits in greater quantities. They are also fresh so they are more healthy and more delicious to eat than the ones that we see on the market. Other than to save, we can also make this as a business to be able to earn extra profits.

[panganib999]

Coupons and promo codes



Image link:  https://i.ibb.co/NpcLm8f/promo-code.jpg

There are many websites on the internet offering promo codes and coupons for items in stores.


Student Discount



Image link:  https://i.ibb.co/CMNcQZn/student-id-discount.jpg

Students can receive many discounts by showing their student ID.


Amazon

Amazon has good deals on food items with free shipping.


Food Delivery

Walmart, target and other large retailers offering food delivery services were offering big sales for delivery only. Not certain whether the trend will continue into the future but it was nice while it lasted.

edit:


Learning to hunt and fish

Give a man a fish, and you might feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you could feed him for a lifetime.

While it seems that hobbies like hunting and fishing are on a decline. Perhaps current era food prices are exactly what they need to make a return?


Foraging in the wild

There are places in the wild where fruits and vegetables grow naturally. Some are located close to official hiking trails and natural landmarks like waterfalls.


Working part time in the food industry

The food industry is known for sometimes giving away free food and cost benefits. Bakeries and restaurants and known for throwing food away. Which employees sometimes are allowed to have.

....


What are other good methods of cutting costs on food items?

As others have pointed out, these methods as you put them out to be only work on the country where they are issued and will not work elsewhere, considering the fact that there are also countries outside America (lmao), I think these methods aren't as useful really, but still a helpful tip nonetheless for those who live in the US.

Personally, I choose cooking my own meals, it is way cheaper, and more healthy. Cheaper in a sense that you can choose the weight and portions yourself and are therefore gonna help you with cost effectivity and all that stuff, but also since you are the one that's putting the ingredients together, you can dial down on some ingredients like sugar and salt, therefore making it healthier than ordering take out.

I suggest you look into this option because obviously, this works globally.

[dothebeats]

Those promo codes and coupons aren't available in my country, but I think most stores do have this loyalty rewards system that allows any of their customers to rack up points and avail of perks. For instance, one local grocery chain here offers 30% off of on one of your purchase should you hit the threshold that they require in a month. A lot of average income earners will not be able to hit the requirement, but at least it's there though the system could be better.

Then again, the rising prices on basic goods is really taking its toll on a lot of people's finances. Urban garden might help, but the output will be significantly less and isn't really worth it unless you do have a large space wherein you could grow produce and be self-sustainable on them.

[tiCeR]

you lot do realise that retailers raise the prices. and then do silly "discount" schemes where only certain populations get the regular price (higher price - discount=old regular price) as the mechanism to get people to not complain about new prices and get used to new prices by having this "saviour" discount period

i could (dont have to) but could save alot of money by avoiding processed final product/ready meal style groceries. and instead cook from scratch and batch up meals in the freezer

back in my early bitcoin days where i was saving fiat to buy coin. i stopped what i would call "toilet flush" money wasting. you know the wsted money that just results in a bowel movement and toilet flush the next day
this wa no longer buying fast food but cooking it from scratch

in the UK 6piece drumstick/thigh KFC was £10 yet i can get 10 plain drumsticks/thighs for £4
KFC= £1.66 per drumstick/thigh
plain=£0.40p  per drumstick/thigh
seasoned flour/breadcrumb chicken=£0.50 per drumstick/thigh

300% discount.. not just 10%

Liked reading this post as this is so true. Strategically make people getting used to increased prices is a very interesting concept and honestly, even though I know how they do it, I still fall for it myself. Or do I even have a choice? Probably not. There are certain things you have to buy and I am not talking about toilet paper. There are a couple of things that we just like and want. It is those items that we either cross off the list or pay the premium. No need to talk about whether it is smart to keep consuming, but as you just said you made a real cut back in the days.

[bettercrypto]

Here in our country, that kind of online discount will not work, especially for students. In short, it is not practical in my country.

   Maybe, that will be popular with those who love things like that that they can afford, For the poor people here it will never work because they can't afford it, besides that, most of them also have their money budgeted.

[CryptocurencyKing]

I would like to point out that these methods are exclusive to countries where those services are available. It is usual that, for example, some franchises offers those discounts in United States but does not in Latin America. The same happens with food coupons.

My methods on saving money on food are mostly based on buying cheaper food and prepare one's meals oneself.
Sardines and beans are cheaper than beef and chicken.

Certainly what I was looking out for and you got it down on the first comment.this tells how opportunities are spread out differently in some nations. I was looking out on that and I can say, I don't find any of those in my nation except for Amazon that could attempt a worldwide delivery but still, it takes those who have a stable income in status and the society to make those shopping. Those that the $10 - $20 discount won't matter to and so they don't go about looking up coupon codes.

About student ID and discount, I think I can recall when I was in high schools while going to the movies, we had that and I like to believe they still have such packages operational still.

When it comes to cutting cost in part of the world,
It's basically scale of preference and seeking out alternatives.

[Yatsan]

Best way is to purchase bulk but with moderation especially to avoid decay or wasting of food. But bigger amount means bigger sicount especially if you would biy on local markets unlike with supermarkets wherein price would stay as is. Also, to avoid cooking that much or more than what would be taken for that instance because there is a high chance for it to turn into leftover. But I don't really like the idea of repressing oneself when it comes to food. I'd orefer making adjustments on other expenses especially leisures. We won't live that long so eat as much as you alwant as long as your health won't be in danger.