With the rising costs and super-high inflation that is hitting us right now, many families are finding it vital to stay on budget and carefully consider every penny spent. In addition to the necessity to store wheat and grains (and other foods) it’s also important to carefully consider the everyday food expenses. With that, let’s look at the grocery store items that you are spending far too much on…
When it comes to sticking to a food budget, the first thing you should really take a close look at is the amount you are spending each week and exactly what you are spending most of your money on. You may be surprised when you start looking carefully. If you are like most people, you may find you are a victim of great marketing that plays on our laziness. Chances are, you are spending a lot of money on convenience foods that probably cost much more than the real value you get in return. When we’re not really worried about our budget, we tend to just purchase things that are more convenient.
Let’s look at some of the grocery items that you very wall may be wasting your money on:
Bagged Lettuce
Obviously, purchasing bags of lettuce is much more convenient, but you must know tha tyou are getting a much smaller amount of lettuce for 2-3 times what it actually costs just to purchase a head of lettuce or romaine hearts in the fresh produce section. Is it really that difficult to chop up lettuce? Unless you are willing to spend a little more so you don’t need to rinse and cut your greens, you may want to go back to the way our grandparents did it!
Pre-Cut Fruits and Vegetables
Speaking of the fresh produce section, it’s probably not a big surprise to you that when you buy those pre-cut fruits and veggies you are paying a lot more for the convenience of having it cut for you. Of course, on some occasions it might be worth it to save some time and energy on having to prep them yourself. You just need to determine if the extra 75% cost is really worth it. With the out-of-control inflation numbers we are seeing, right now I’m trying to stick to a strict budget so the convenience (and not to mention less food per bag) is a serious consideration for me. You can get an entire cantaloupe (or two) for the price you pay for the 1-2 servings of cut-up cantaloupe in the product section. For us, that’s almost 4 times more food for the price!
Pre-portioned Snacks
Moving on to the snacks section, buying them in pre-portioned bags or boxes is going to be a significant waste of money. Again, we are just paying extra (and getting less food) for the convenience. If you are able to spare 15 or 20 minutes in your day, you can buy the bigger box version of that same snack, and separate it yourself into individual snack-sized bags. I found that I could trim some wasteful minutes in other areas to give me the extra moments to take care of snacks. It really only takes a few minutes, and you save a considerable amount of money.
Bottled Coffee
Coffee is a touchy subject for a lot of coffee-drinkers. I mean, some folks will not compromise any on their coffee – and I get it. If you enjoy iced coffee, you might have started to purchase coffee or cold brew in bottles located in your grocery store’s refrigerated section. But again, you are just paying for the convenience of having the cold coffee brewed for you. In many cases, it is not only more expensive for the amount you get, but much more processed than is really necessary for a cup of coffee.
As I’ve tried to really show, the best way to save money at the grocery store is to purchase as many things as you can in their whole version. Obviously, there are some other considerations – but, if you are looking to really stretch your spending and save your budget – you might want to really look carefully at the convenience side. From produce to crackers, this is where you will easily save the most money.
