Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half

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If you purchase eggs and other animal products, opt for those that come from humanely raised, pastured animals.
If you purchase eggs and other animal products, opt for those that come from humanely raised, pastured animals.
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Freeze or dry your own foods for healthy and inexpensive snacks.
Freeze or dry your own foods for healthy and inexpensive snacks.
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Cooking at home, with simple whole foods, is one of the fastest ways to reduce your grocery bill.
Cooking at home, with simple whole foods, is one of the fastest ways to reduce your grocery bill.
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Beans are inexpensive and easy to store. They come in a huge range of shapes, colors, sizes and textures, so you're sure to find a variety you love.
Beans are inexpensive and easy to store. They come in a huge range of shapes, colors, sizes and textures, so you're sure to find a variety you love.
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Smoothies are a yummy and easy way to use excess produce.
Smoothies are a yummy and easy way to use excess produce.
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Save money on food by buying foods in season to store through the cold months.
Save money on food by buying foods in season to store through the cold months.
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You can save money on grocery bills by volunteering with a local community-supported agriculture group (CSA).
You can save money on grocery bills by volunteering with a local community-supported agriculture group (CSA).
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Preserving some food at home during a food’s peak season is a big big money-saver.
Preserving some food at home during a food’s peak season is a big big money-saver.
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Shop for seasonally abundant items at local farmers markets to save money on groceries.
Shop for seasonally abundant items at local farmers markets to save money on groceries.

Everybody eats, and what you eat is getting more expensive all the time. By September 2008, food prices had risen 13 percent in just three years — to about $165 a week, or $8,580 a year on average for two-income families that include two to three people. Can you really cut a grocery bill that size n half? You bet you can, and in the process you will also improve the overall quality and security of your food supply.

It should come as no surprise that cooking at home is a huge step in the right direction, and it may require less time than you think. Growing some of your own food is a big help, too, whether you are growing a garden or investing some volunteer time with a community garden, school garden or CSA (community-supported agriculture, a system where members receive produce directly from a farm). But first there is another matter to address, which most people find about as pleasurable as stepping on the scale. You must take an honest look at where your food dollars are going now.

If you save your receipts from groceries and eating out for a few weeks, you’ll have all the data you need to start making plans. As you study your bread crumb trail of information, make notes on your buying patterns. These tend to vary wildly from one household to another. When a team of researchers from the University of Utah analyzed the food buying patterns of more than 10,000 Americans, they found that only about 30 percent fell into the desirable “balanced” diet category — people who tended to buy fresh food to cook and eat at home, with occasional meals enjoyed out. Meanwhile many folks were spending nearly half of their food dollars on restaurants and fast food; 7 percent spent more than a third of their food budget on alcohol.

Once you know where you stand, you can start making your food dollars stretch further, which will probably require changes in what and how you eat — and drink. As you consider the strategies below for reducing food costs, remember that you don’t need to do everything at once. There are three paths to follow: develop a food-efficient diet, keep a food-efficient kitchen, and spend your food dollars as wisely as you can. And even better, you may find that you truly enjoy some of these strategies, which are not only good for your wallet, but also maximize flavor and nutrition.

Follow a Food-efficient Diet

  • Published on Dec 23, 2008
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