We are all about saving money and cutting costs where you can, and one of our favorite places to save is on food. We both love to cook and religiously track our spending in Personal Capital to make sure we are on track each month in the grocery and restaurant categories.
When you think about how to save money on your food budget, it’s easy to say cook at home vs. eating out, make your own coffee and bring your lunch to work. And you can do that fairly easily for a meal or two. But it’s much harder to actually change your habits if they are set but once you do you’ll forget the days when you went to Starbucks every morning and bought overpriced sandwiches from the cafe downstairs. These are our tips and tricks for setting you up for success to change your habits and be frugal with your food choices!
At The Office
- Drink good coffee at work. This will save you from going out for an overpriced cup of joe. If your office does not have good coffee, make it at home or invest in a small coffee pot or machine that you can keep at your desk. You might end up making some fellow frugal friends.
- Drink black coffee. If you like black coffee, great! If you need to add to it, buy things in bulk or consider sharing a carton of milk with a co-worker so yours does not go to waste.
- Eat breakfast. Skipping a meal can lead to hangry-ness later. Start the day off on the right foot and you’ll be set for the day. We like to keep the makings for oatmeal at our desks and also love these delicious breakfast biscuits for days you forget to eat at home or pack.
- Make lunches you look forward to eating. It’s easy to talk yourself out of eating the lunch you brought if you are not looking forward to it.
- Plan ahead. We are big fans of leftovers so if you make something tasty for dinner, pre-portion out a container that you can grab in the morning on the way out the door.
- Have snacks on hand. If you’ve eaten lightly throughout the day, going out to lunch sounds a lot more attractive. We love the Trader Joe’s trail and nut mixes for a quick pick me up.
- Buy freezer meals. If you have access to a freezer at work, keep a few backup meals on hand just in case.
- Know your neighborhood. Most lunch options around our offices are pretty pricy but there are a few affordable options and some spots with weekly deals (hello taco Tuesday!). If you’ve forgotten your lunch, you can pick out one of the affordable spots or run to Trader Joe’s for a pre-prepared salad at a fraction of the cost of eating out.
- Join Restaurant Loyalty Programs. We love to earn points and score coupons. Be sure to rack up the points when you do eat out so that a future meal can be discounted or free!
At Home
- Buy things on sale. It’s good to go into the store with a plan, but don’t forget to pay attention to prices, it could be worth switching up an ingredient if something else is discounted.
- Use coupons. We love using ibotta to get cashback. You can also sign up for loyalty programs with your specific store and many even let you load coupons onto your loyalty card directly so extra savings get added in when you check out.
- Buy things in season. The fresh produce section of the store is a great place to start any shopping trip, it’s a sure-fire way to save some money and if you buy in-season produce, you’ll save that way too!
- Have a stocked fridge, freezer, and pantry. If you don’t have ingredients on hand or time for a store run, it’s easy to pick up take out or order delivery and those options add up quickly!
- Have go-to meals. Be sure to have a few easy recipes in your back pocket ready to go so that you don’t default to eating out. It’s a lot harder to think of what to make if you are already hungry.
Treating Yourself
- Happy Hour. We love going out for a treat and one of the best ways to do it is with Happy Hour! You can get a much more affordable meal out if you go during the times that restaurants are not busy.
- Know Your Bartender. Make friends, get free drinks! It doesn’t always work but being nice is a good way to get free things.
- Go out for breakfast. Dinner is expensive, try breakfast instead!
While Traveling
- Pack snacks. Be sure to stock your car or carry on with food on the go. You don’t want to be stuck and hungry on the road or tarmac.
- Go on Picnics. We love going to rest stops along the way and using their picnic tables for a homemade spread.
- Utilize Credit Card Perks. Some cards come with lounge benefits that include free food at airports. Take a look at what your cards offer and see if you can get some fun perks.
Do you have any fun hacks for keeping your food budget in check? Let us know in the comments!