Let's accept it that food is biggest item on our shopping list or the most expensive item followed by rent or what you pay for your house's mortgage. But as we all know it's one of the most necessary so we can’t ignore it or eliminate it from our budget. I was just wondering that would you in order to keep your budget down or cut the cost of food begin eating things like fast food or cheaper items with no healthy ingredients? I think you can suggest me different ways to reduce food budget without compromising with the quality of the food. Let's hear from you please!
I don't know how to cook, so my options would be to just buy canned foods and cooked food. I think if someone doesn't know how to cook then that would be the best option I think. Or buy hotdogs, eggs, bacon, and all sorts of food that can be fried.
Pardon me but eating in fast foods is definitely more expensive than cooking your own food. From a rough estimate, the cost of what you eat in a fast food is 60% more expensive if you will cook the same. But I understand that it is more economical to eat in a fast food when you are alone in the house because you save on everything, from labor to gas for cooking. When there’s only my wife and me at home (especially during vacation period), we just eat out or buy for take home in fast foods to save us the labor of cooking and washing dishes.
If you eat at McDonald's pic 2 for $3, add a drink for a dollar that makes $4 plus tax, that's about .20 and if you multiply it by 31 days it'll be $131.75. This is for just one meal for one person, and it is monotonous eating the same thing day after day. For once in a while, eating out at these great deals, I think it's okay. Wendy's has 4 for $4, that too is the same deal of food, so it gets monotonous. Eating salads daily at home can be monotonous too, so you got to pace yourself. Sales are the best way to save money. CVS, Walgreens, Safeway & Ralphs, locally other supermarkets has weekly sales with very good prices. Sales are the best way to save. We got to eat, so when we can eat what we want, save money at sales it's perfect. Every retailer has a site. Safeway's site needs it's card, so do all the other sites. The retailer's card is free to get, sites are free to join and you get lots of savings. With my CVS ExtraCare Card, I saved $6 one day with coupons and sale items were also good with coupons! It is worth getting all the different store cards, sign up at sites and get even more savings when you use the card to get store perks! Then you can treat your family to a dine out with all the money you save!
@Krissttina Isobe mentioned a brilliant way of saving however, not all of us get such privileges. So for those of us who are regular, one of the way to save is planning your meals ahead and buying just the ingredients that you need. Try and mix more veggies for health and supplement it with fruits. Also buying in bulk those food items that have longer shelf life like rice or lentils can help you save.
I don't think so. Eating in the fast food kiosk can help us save for our budget. It is misleading. Most of the fast foods is pricey due to the strategy location of the store. Fast foods usually are located inside the mall or the supermart. On saving food budget in mind, it would better to buy them in raw and cook them. A considerable expenses would be taken from the monthly budget. And the foods prepared are nutritious than that of the fast food.
I would never save on my food budget to sacrifice my health, no way! On the other hand, if it was a survival issue I'd have to do it maybe because it's better to eat junk than to eat nothing. On the other hand, @Alexandoy raises an interesting point, many times eating fast food can be more expensive than if we cook at home.
I too think that fast food is more expensive than making food at home by far. Even if you purchase food off of the budget menu, you still only get enough for one meal. If you plan carefully, you can buy ingredients at the store and make a whole meal for the same price and have left overs. Not to mention the health factors associated with fast food.
@Decentlady Good idea. Fruits and veggies are so delicious when presented right. We love fresh fruits on sale with our oatmeal. Oatmeal is bland so we love to dress it up with honey & cinnamon and fresh fruits that's on sale. I try to go to the Open Markets that a former Mayor, set up so we can get freshest and cheapest. Some have accepted EBT or SNAP cards or more commonly known as Foodstamps that people apply for and get help from the Govt. with a Debit card each month paying for food. Luckily we like fresh veggies and fruits.
You can't save on food budget by eating fast foods unless you're in a business district where the alternatives are fine dining and buffet restaurants and you don't have time or energy to cook and carry home-cooked meals, In such cases, it may be cheaper to buy at stores like 7-11 or the budget meals of fast food restaurants. Fortunately, some enterprising employees of our company deliver packed lunch with meat/fish, veggies, and fruit dessert for only $1. This is way more nutritious than common fast food meals. At home, when we're too busy to cook, we simply buy from a neighborhood eatery. The meals are priced competitively and we spend only a little bit more considering that we don't use the gas and seasoning. These meals are also more filling and healthy than typical fast foods.
I think eating out is way more costly than preparing your meals at home. Plus, you do not know what is in your food or what has been done to it when it has been prepared in a restaurant not to mention how unhealthy it is. I live on a budget from month to month. I use coupons and wait on my local grocery stores to have the items I need on sale to get what I need. This helps out a whole lot.
That is the fact @melissa1024, even when we are eating fast-food. So this is a false argument, and what happens is that we are too busy or too lazy to go shopping, prepare, cook, eat, and clean after. It's far more convenient to just eat out, but it's more expensive and less healthy.
@to7update It is just laziness that drives us to eat out! I am busy, but we rarely eat out. My kitchen is always clean and there are little things you can do for prep ahead of time to save time. My budget doesn't allow room for eating out but maybe two or three times monthly if that.. Plus, my husband and I have worked in several resturants in our area and we know what goes on in the food prep areas so that turns us away also! Plus, as I stated above home cooked meals are by far more healthier. Eating out all the time is why this country has an obesity epidemic.
If you are busy and always on the go, it may work for you but I prefer homesteading when it comes to saving money because the food I get is free. For sure though Homesteading is not for everyone, I just got lucky that I have a land big enough to be a homestead.
@Ray1 That's true that we can't ignore it but it may impact budget for sure. About me, I used to eat fast food (like pav bhaji), sometimes yes for saving money too. But I don't compromise with the quality for sure. It is not good for budget if we keep going for costly hotels everytime, sometimes such food is good for a change as well as budget.
@naruto100 I think there is nothing about quality as far fast-food is concerned but you have to eat sometimes in order to save money especially when you are traveling or in places where restaurants are costlier. Like I ate at different places including street food corners which were almost 1/3 of what was available in normal eating places.
@Ray1 Yes quality is same almost all places. But sometimes we need to checkout place too and food quality too if they are hygienic or not. As I am having couple of bad experience in past. Yes during travelling such food can save lots of money. Well, I like them too so I won't look at it just as money saver. Lol.
Eating out is much more expensive for us then buying groceries. I have made meals for 2 dollars for 2 people that are a lot healthier and filling then fast food. It is all about budgeting. I usually go grocery shopping once a month and get fresh veggies from a CSA every week. I have had monthly food budgets for only 75 dollars for 90 meals for 2 people (breakfast, lunch and dinner) sometimes I have a budget of 150 a month (which is nice, but this include, our food, our animal food, household goods, etc.) Its all about shopping around sales and learning to make do with what you have or can get.
It depends I find that fast foods sometimes are even more expensive compared to preparing my own local meals. I have tried that before I took to buying fast foods sometimes in a way to save on money for food. It was on the long run I discovered I was indirectly spending more. The cheapest fast food I could buy then was $4 at a go but with $20 I could prepare local food that will last a week.
@tonyb I agree the outside food is always costlier than what you prepare at home but what I meant was people eat at fast food joints or street food places when they are out for fun or official purpose on a limited budget. I think I have faced many such situation in the past that money was not the only criteria but availability of healthy food was either not available in my budget or I had no option as nothing vegetarian was available apart from fast food.
