More Tips from Frugal Dad

I was reading through the list again on Frugal Dad's website and found some more tips on saving money on food. I thought I would share them with you.

• Taking lunch to work or school everyday saves a fortune. If you feel you need to go out once in a while, you can plan to eat out once a week, for instance on Fridays.
• When a recipe calls for a pound of meat, use 3/4 of a pound instead. You will never know the difference and be saving money. If you do this for three meals, you will have enough extra for another meal.
  
• Eating out should be a special treat. Maybe limit it to once or twice a month. Not only will it save you money but also save your waistline.
  
• When you do order out, have your younger children share a kids' meal or share your food with them.
  
• Buy meat when you can find it for less than $2 a pound. Stock up and freeze it when you get a good price. Buy a nice steak for special occasions.
• Practice portion control. Actually eat the recommended serving of a food. This will not only save you money, but also keep your weight down.
  
• Plan your meals for the week or the month. This helps when you do your shopping list and helps with making dinner each night. It doesn't have to be followed exactly and mine usually gets shuffled around quite a bit. Just cross the meal off when you make it so you know you have used those ingredients. This also helps you stay away from take out.
  
• Buy meat in bulk (when it's cheaper) and portion into 3/4 pound portions. You can either freeze at that point, or what I do is I cook it up and then freeze it. Then when I need to make dinner, I just throw the meat in the micro to defrost and then throw it in the meal. It's quicker and easier and helps you avoid eating out.
  
• Drink water from the tap (or get one of those filtering pitchers). Cut down on soda and coffee. This will save you tons.
  
• Making coffee at home is cheaper than buying it at a coffee shop. Even if you buy really expensive coffee beans, you will save money doing it this way.
  
• The less you are in stores, the less likelihood you will overspend. Consider buying the bulk of your foods every other week or even once a month.
  
• Take only cash when you shop. Whatever you have budgeted for that shopping trip is what you take. Leave credit and debit cards in the car. This will make you have to be more aware of how much you are spending. Take a calculator or use a scrap paper to write a running total.
  
• Buy generics when they are cheaper than buying a name brand with a coupon. Many are of superb quality and are made by companies that make the name brands.
  
• Try to run all your errands on one day. If this isn't possible, what about stopping on the way home from work to run your errand?
• Make a list. Making a list of the things keeps you on track. It keeps you from buying things that you don't need and you make sure that you get the things you do need.
  

*Tips in purple are the ones I added.