If there’s one thing that we all have in common besides sleeping, it has to be shoveling food in our mouths. Most of eat three different meals a day, and often have snacks and beverages in between. Between going out to eat, ordering in, and buying groceries, this can all add up and be quite expensive. It’s not uncommon for a family of four to pay $500 in groceries every month, that’s $6000 a year! One trip to McDonalds might not seem like a lot, but over time it all adds up.

First, let’s talk about going out to eat. Everyone loves taking a trip to McDonalds, Burger King, Arby’s, Wendy’s, IHOP, you name it. The food is really good and there’s an experience factor with it too. The average person goes out to eat 2 to 3 times a week. Let’s say you spend $6.50 at a trip to McDonalds or Burger king, and you do this three times per week. Maybe Sunday after church you and your family go out to eat. Maybe you grab some drive through on a work day, or pick up some food after a long day at work. For one person, that’s 19.50 a week. If you are a family of four that goes out to eat twice a week, you can be paying up to $40 a week rather quickly, that’s $2000 a year! You can save a lot of money by going out to eat much less frequently, once a twice a week should be max. Bring a sack lunch to work every day, it will be much cheaper than going out to eat. When you do go out to eat, you can also save a lot of money. Buy off the dollar menu, and get inexpensive items. You don’t need a $6 value meal every single time. A $.99 sandwich and a water will suffice just fine!

When it comes to groceries, actually use the coupons they give, often times they are very good. In a recent newspaper ad in Madison, SD a local grocery store was actually giving out free food with a coupon! When stuff is on sale that you use often, buy a lot of it. Before you go to the grocery store, have a list and get only what is on that list so that you don’t end up with a lot of impulse items. Set a monthly grocery budget and do not go over it! Use generic brands to save a lot of money. When you buy ingredients and make the food, you will always save money compared to buying a pre-made mix or packaged item. When writing your grocery list, only buy enough food to eat for that week. Don’t let extra stuff build up that you will never eat!

Cut down on snacks. Extra coffee at work and snacks from vending machines can add up very quickly. A $2.50 coffee at Starbucks every day for a year is $650 annually! That’s a lot for coffee! Drink the free coffee at work.



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