Hunger Pains: How Does Food Figure Into Your Budget?

When you think about having trouble saving money, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

Maybe your thoughts turn to not making enough money or that your mortgage or car payments are too high and thus you can’t afford them.

You might wonder about finding cheaper alternatives to things like utility costs, cable specifically, your ever-increasing cell phone bill or trying to spend less on car insurance if you can keep the plans relatively similar as far as coverage goes.

But did you stop and consider how food in general negatively affects your budget?

Most will argue that food is a necessity and at the purest level that comment is correct.

The idea behind giving food the “necessity” tag is only as good as your reasoning. Yes, food and buying it is a must, obviously, but that doesn’t prevent this act from being a drain on you financially on some different levels.

Grocery store shopping, once thought to be a lot less expensive versus take-out food and dining out, has increased across the aisles as far as the cost is concerned. That said, buying food at the grocery store is cheaper than take out (and we’ll get to that money pit in a minute) but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be looking for alternatives as far as where you shop or the idea that you can still find coupons in print or online in order to save that much more.

The idea of clipping coupons might seem outdated, but that doesn’t mean a quick stroll online won’t have you saving money with a simple point and click. Also, you can’t overlook old advice, either, such as not going to the store hungry and doing something as simple as having a list in tow for each trip, even if you’re going to get “a few things.” That mindset still leads to overspending if you’re not organized and prepared.

Finally, take out food is one of the bigger money traps for not only the inflated cost of what you’re buying but also that it is very convenient and allows most consumers to “double dip” in the sense that they’re buying food for home and still eating out for almost every meal.

Meal prep is paramount, and can’t be overlooked with the hundreds of dollars you spend at the store every week, so taking the time to prepare meals for the entire week, pack lunches or slow cook the night before so that dinner is ready when you get home is the difference between losing money and having an extra thousand dollars every year in your pocket.

Food often is forgotten when it comes to saving money, but it should be right up there with ways to improve how you spend and ultimately being able to be financially responsible with how you’re eating.