There is no question that we have all felt a hit to our pocketbooks lately at the grocery store and on our household budgets. It seems like the cost of food is getting out of hand for sure. As such, many are trying to find ways to save as much on our food budget these days and to take care to keep household costs down. You may need to think of ways you’ve never before considered to make your budget stretch to accommodate your family’s needs.
Backyard gardens
Many people have added backyard gardens to grow their own produce. Lots of neighborhoods have friends who share the wealth. Some tomatoes are growing great while other gardens have an over abundance of squash. Trades are happening and communities are coming together to share the varieties between each other. Raised bed gardens are easy to build using scrap wood. Herbs can be grown in individual containers. There is nothing quite like being able to grab fresh basil for spaghetti sauce or beautiful zucchini and yellow squash for a quick stir fry.
A salad just seems to taste better with tomatoes fresh from the vine. This kind of gardening is happening in neighborhoods all over the country.
Tips for saving on your food bill
There are many things that must be purchased from the grocery store. Here are several tips to help you maximize your food dollars:
- Make a list. It’s the simplest way to start saving money, but you need to look into your kitchen pantry, freezer and refrigerator and make a list of everything that you have currently. Building a list for your store trip can help you with planning ahead. It can also help you to make a menu of things to cook and to eat so that you know exactly what you should be having on a daily basis. It’s so important that you are realistic about what your actual consumption will be, because otherwise you’re going to overspend on produce or perishables that you then end up having to put in the bin.
- Start couponing. Coupons are an easy way to save money on groceries, and the typical household can save more than $1400 a year. You can sit and clip the physical coupons from mailers and newspapers, but if you want to have less hassle than that then take a look online. Make sure that you are focusing on coupons for kitchen or pantry essentials and don’t force it. For example, if you don’t need kitchen paper, don’t buy it in bulk just because you have a coupon.
- Take the time to do price comparisons. It sounds like a lot of wasted time, but by making sure that you are using online websites that can instantly compare your shopping, you’ll be able to determine whether you are getting a good deal or a poor one. Comparison shopping can lose its effectiveness if you’re going too far and using gas from your car to be able to do that, but you should consider just getting an idea of where the cheapest places are to shop, especially if you shop for the same things regularly.
- Buy in bulk. Don’t be afraid to buy things in bulk on your shopping list. Things like canned goods and pantry supplies are often much better bought in places like Costco.
Extend your clothing budget and take care of our bodies
Did you know that they type of water you wash with can affect the longevity of your clothing? It’s true. Hard water is literally hard on your garments. Washing in hard water can cause your whites to look dingy. This is from mineral deposit left behind. It can also cause a build up of soiling. Clothing will be relegated to the “do not wear” pile much faster the sadder and dingier it looks. The object it to get the most wear out of your clothing as possible.
Your skin and hair can suffer too. A build up of film can also be left on the skin, hair and scalp. An itchy and flaky scalp can be the result. In other works, investing in home water softener installation services can save money in the long run.