How to save money on food

The 'ber months are here, and we're taking the whole month of October to help you cozy up inside for less with tips on how to save on streaming, on gaming, and even eating.

Let's face it: eating has become a lot more expensive. Between rising grocery prices, and most places' delivery option being outsourced to an UberEats or DoorDash with their never-ending fees, a meal doesn't cost what it used to. But that doesn't mean that you can't be resourceful and find ways to make it as affordable – and still delicious – as possible. Here are our top hacks for feeding yourself (or your family) for less.

1. Meal Plan – Yes, It Works

You've probably heard the term "meal plan" more times than you can count anytime you've asked for or looked up advice on how to save money on food. There's a reason for that – meal planning works. But more specifically, here is how meal planning works:

Meal plan around sales. Check out the weekly flyer (can use an app like Flipp to check out all the local grocery stores' flyers in your area), pick the ingredients that are on sale, and build your meals around those ingredients.
TextNow Tip: AI may not be able to cook your meals for you, but it can certainly help build your recipes. Throw your ingredients into ChatGPT and let it spin up a week's worth of meals.
Shop with a list. No, you don't have to write it all down on paper and walk around with it through the aisles. You can use the notes app on your phone, but the important part to remember is to shop with intention, not hunger.
Mix and Match ingredients. Eating only rice and chicken every day, while economical, can get real boring and real sad real fast. To avoid caving in to expensive take out, find cheap ingredients and mix and match strategically. Eg. Replace rice with oats or pasta every other day, and chicken with beans or ground beef.

2. Buy in Bulk

It may seem counterintuitive, as you're going to end up with a higher grocery bill by buying higher quantities of things, but in the long run, you will save significantly more money by buying in bulk. Strategically, that is.

Coupons: We all remember those extreme couponing shows, well, you don't have to go that hard, but the general idea stands: If you see a large discount or sale or come across a coupon for items you use every day – cans of beans, bag of rice, cereal, etc. – buy up and keep in storage.
Calculate the cost per: Even without a sale, a lot of the times, the larger (bulk) version of an item is the cheaper one. For example, if you're buying a bag of rice and it costs $4 for a 1kg bag, but $25 for a 25kg bag (hypothetical numbers – don't come for me!) , that 25kg bag is the cheaper choice. That's because the cost per kg for that bag is $1, whereas for the smaller bag it's $4. Knowing that rice will last you 6+ months and will be used, that's worthwhile savings in the long term.
Freeze! Most bulk shopping refers to non perishable items, but if you have the freezer space, it can also account for the more expensive perishable items. You just have to know how to optimize space, like cutting up bananas into slices and storing them in freezer bags for smoothies/baking, or cutting up veggies that you would usually prep for stir-frys or other easy meals and keeping those stored in portioned-out freezer bags for easy meal prep.

3. Make Smart Swaps

All right, here are the real hacks: what you can swap for what.

If a recipe calls for sour cream, you can swap it with plain yogurt.

If a recipe calls for eggs, a lot of the time you can get away with applesauce or even smashed bananas (for baking purposes only).

If a recipe calls for vegetables, there is nothing stopping you from using frozen ones (that you bought in bulk!)

If a recipe calls for a mixed spice blend (chicken seasoning, tex mex, etc.) make your own using your no-name brand bulk-purchased spices.

4. Time Your Orders

If you do resort to ordering out (hey, we all deserve a pizza night), you can still make a few choices to save yourself some money in the process.

"Happy Hour" menus: Get to know your favorite restaurants' happy hours and order during those times (even if you're technically ordering for lunch tomorrow or dinner later).
Weekday/night promos: We all know "Taco Tuesday" or "Wing Wednesday," and you should absolutely take advantage of those deals on those days, even if that isn't your first choice for dinner that night – tastes better than budget regret at the end of the week.
Follow your favorite spots on social media: No, really. Your local joint may post a special or discount on their Instagram or Facebook account last minute, and you don't want to miss out on those deals.

Got your own eating for less hacks or just some comments or questions? Send us a note at [email protected]!