Saving Money in the Kitchen and at the Grocery Store

I spend a lot of money on snacks, eating out, and eating on the go. This is mostly because I am very busy, partly because I am too lazy to cook and a little bit because I can always buy food that tastes way better than anything I can cook at home in my kitchen.  I have tried to save money on food by invoking a no spending spree and also by trying to live within a food budget, but unfortunately saving money on food just doesn’t fit into my lifestyle, or at least I haven’t learned how to fit it into my lifestyle.

I can pay off debt, I can get an education to increase my income, and I can learn to save for my retirement; but for some reason I can’t save money on food.  I am sure that my lack of food savings is because deep down I probably don’t want to save money on my food expenses.  I can afford to buy snacks and eat out in restaurants so why shouldn’t I do it?

I know that if I really wanted to cut down my food spending I could because I have done it in the past, but it has always been a temporary situation.  Whenever I need a bit of extra cash the first expense that I always cut is the cost of my food.  In the big picture of my life I am just too busy and not creative enough in the kitchen to be the type of woman who packs her lunch every day and who has a three course meal on the dinner table every night at 6 p.m.

We can always save more  and we can always spend less, but what type of life are we living if we continuously cut out all of the things in life that we love? If I make enough money to travel when I want to, if I pay all of my bills every month and I have personal savings do I really need to spend less money and save more? After all what’s the point of building our net worth if we aren’t enjoying our lives.

What is your #1 money saving tip?

Buy in Bulk.  We can cut down our overall monthly expenses if we buy every day household items and non perishable food items in bulk. Buying in bulk may seem more expensive on each individual shopping trip, but the average cost throughout the month is a lot cheaper.

Stay Home.  Some of us are tempted to spend money whenever we are out with friends, so in an effort to avoid the temptation of spending you may have to avoid leaving the house. If your goal is to save money then you will have to do anything in your power to achieve your goal.

Plan a Realistic Budget.  Many people don’t stick to their budget because it is too restricting.  If you set a budget that still allows you do all of the things you love in life, just maybe a little less often, you will be more likely to stick to your budget. Using a budget software program such as Adaptu will let you track your monthly spending and see where you spend the bulk of your money each month.

If you are planning on renovating your kitchen, frist think of hiring a local expert like mesa az appliance repair

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Kristina Tahnyak

Tahnya is a Certified Financial Planner and former Investment Advisor turned marketing and communications professional She holds a degree from Concordia University, is debt free and currently works in the field of digital marketing.