Meals and Money

Everyone knows that dining out can be expensive. Well, eating at home isn’t exactly cheap. According to the Consumer Price Index, the average cost of eating at home rose by almost 4 percent over the past year. The year before that? The average cost jumped by 11 percent. In other words, groceries are expensive, so you should do what you can to cut back on their costs. Here are ways to do just that.

Make a Plan

The first step to saving money on groceries is to make a meal plan. Believe it or not, many people simply make up their meals while they’re shopping. That’s how you end up overspending. Instead, plan your meals each week. Check your fridge and pantry for items that you already have and then incorporate those into your meals.

Use a List

Now that you have your meals planned out, create a shopping list based on those meals. And here’s the hard part: Once you’re at the grocery store, stick to that list. Impulse buys are one of the easiest ways to bust a budget.

Use it All

If you have leftovers, eat them! Yes, we know leftovers aren’t exciting. But they can save you money. To help, try planning meals that you know will carry over to another day and still be appetizing.

Do One Thing: Make it a habit to create a weekly meal plan every Saturday or Sunday. Keeping this routine will help you save money.