Eating less meat is a good way and a healthier way to cut food cost but it also lowers the price of food. Headlines shout daily that food prices are rising and are unlikely to get better. Eating is essential and rising food prices affect everyone, rich and poor alike. For the person on a fixed income, a retired person, as an example, less expensive eating means planning your meals carefully for food value as well as for affordability.
Honesty
Honesty and common sense often sit on the back burner while consumers gorge themselves on the best that money can buy. Therefore be honest, ask yourself why you indulge yourself in exotic foods pleasing to the palate when simpler and less costly foods are better. There’s nothing wrong with eating beans, rice, cornbread, potatoes and there’s nothing wrong with buying store brands instead of higher priced brands.
Stop overeating
It’s common in these days of plenty to overeat. Stop it. Plan out your meal and if you’ve hastily finished your allotted portion and are still hungry, drink a glass of water and give yourself half an hour, and if still hungry, eat a piece of fruit. Save that second helping for tomorrow’s lunch. You don’t need to eat for two; that missing person in your life is probably doing the same as you but be forewarned the man or woman she or he is eating for—unknowingly—is probably not you. You must take control of your own body and when you do so you will see the dollars and cents pile up from your own innate good sense.
Stop wasting food
Consider your health. You’ve been told over and over to lose weight and may have been sent to nutrition experts for nutritional guidance. At the same time you are aware of hunger and of the places in the world where people are starving for lack of food. Tell yourself that leftover food is good and instead of dumping it in the disposal or trash can, save it for tomorrow’s lunch. As an incentive, donate a little of saved money to your local food bank and that will give you an emotional boost that will make saving money on food less distasteful.
Eat foods in season
Fruits and vegetables out of season are more expensive but are affordable as compared to expensive cuts of meat and socially inviting gourmet foods. As a retiree you can save a bundle by growing your own fruits and vegetables and preserving them by canning or freezing for off season dining. Edible greens are plentiful in rural areas and they likewise preserve well—parboil and freeze is an easy way—and as a bonus, they’re full of nutrients.
Listen to the food health experts
In health circles the ongoing advice is eat right and exercise. Growing your own food is exercise and what grows out of the ground is healthy food. This not only enriches your body it saves money. A radical approach to that expensive lawn you don’t need may be another way of saving money for those who live in areas where fruit trees and berries may be planted instead of the fashionable green stuff.
on food when money is scarce is easy. All you need to do is to reevaluate the food you buy, the amount you eat and how healthy it is. Cut down on portions, retrain your palate to be satisfied with water Instead of sugary expensive drinks and save money by needing less medical care for the over abused body you’ve created by overeating and eating the wrong kinds of food.