Ok- we're in a recession and I'm a broke college student. Last month I went a little over budget with my various purchases, so this month I've been working on giving my budget a makeover. And with my non-negotiable costs being the way they are, it looks like the area I have to cut back on the most is the area I enjoy spending the most- food.
Basically, I need to stop eating out. Period. I also need to spend less on groceries than I've been spending (although my bank estimated spending is a little skewed because I generally shop at Walmart and sometimes I make other purchases there besides groceries, like cleaning supplies, toiletries, batteries, and occasionally actual splurge items like boardgames and shoes...). My old budget was about $175. My new one: $100. Now, Brian and I split the groceries, so this is really giving us a $200 budget for the household of 2, which in that perspective doesn't sound quite as bad, but still...It's going to be tough. I mean the household budget went from $325 to $200!
Now, you will read in a lot of places that a vegetarian diet is cheaper- which is true in some aspects. Beans cost less than meat. BUT at the same time if you try and switch it up and use tofu or tempeh...well that can get more expensive. Add in there nuts to switch things up/make awesome snacks and you've got trouble. You see , when articles tell you it's cheaper to do more vegetarian meals they really just mean cook some beans and rice 2-3 times a week and save money. But that's not exactly healthy.
So here are my tips to keeping your (and my) vegetarian food purchases in budget:
1. Keep a log
I've started saving a spreadsheet that I update after every grocery shop. I list the food, the date it was bought (some items are more expensive at different times of year + the economy varies with time too), the store it was bought at (helps for finding the stores with the best prices), the price, weight/amount, and price/unit ($ per oz, lb, liter, slice of bread, etc.). This can help you see if fresh, canned, frozen, or dried vegetables are cheaper and when and can help you know what store has the best bargains.
2. Check out what's in season locally
For me, this has meant check out a website and try and find as many local products as I can at Walmart. It's honestly not the best method because a lot of their food in the 'local' section is from Mexico, Chile, Argentina, etc. and even the US products can be from like Washington St. for a Florida store. A better method which I need to start waking up early for and trying is a trip to the farmer's market. At any rate, buying seasonal, local vegetables is the best way to get good quality food at the best possible price (they charge more off season since it's harder to get).
3. Make a lot of a couple things every week
Eat leftovers for a couple nights, or make leftovers your lunch, or freeze the leftovers. Do something so that the food you buy doesn't go to waste. I've generally been eating mine multiple times in a week. This week I'm eating mostly last week's leftovers which saved me a ton on groceries this week. I also made a lot of a soup last week, so I froze one container and ate/will be eating the other two.
Limiting yourself to purchasing more of the cheaper items instead of some cheaper items and some more expensive ones will help keep you budget in check. Plus you're not wasting money on wasted food!
4. Buy the things you'll use a lot in bulk if they're on sale
ONLY if you'll use them! (Notice the use a lot in the title). For example, Brian's parents give us rice in bulk (budget saver- free rice!). It may seem like you're paying a lot for what may be a 25-50lb rice bag at the time of purchase, but you can use it for several months. Same thing with beans. If you really like black beans or pinto beans you can buy the dried beans in bulk when they're on sale at your local store or the cans when they go on sale. If you need lots of coffee, you might consider getting the bulk coffee- although keep it in an airtight container so it doesn't go stale/absorb random smells.
Buy dried/canned food in bulk rather than fresh. I mean you can buy fresh stuff in bulk if you're planning on canning or freezing it, but I don't have that much storage in my apartment (or cans for canning/time to can) so I limit my bulk purchases to only a couple items that I can pack and store easily.
5. Pack your lunch
This may sound counter-intuitive. By packing my lunch, I'm buying more groceries/spending more money on groceries. BUT, by packing my lunch, I'm NOT buying my lunch at a restaurant or fast food place. Options from home are generally less expensive than restaurant fare and certainly more healthy than fast food. Plus, you know how hard it can be to find yummy vegetarian options at cheaper restaurants.
6. Plan Ahead
You might have figured out by now that to follow these guidelines, you're going to need to make a list of what you need at the grocery store so you can do all of these things without forgetting something. Plan out your meals- breakfast, lunch and dinner- for the whole week. Make list of missing items that you need to buy, eat before you go to the grocery store (so you don't impulse buy based on hunger), and stick to your list.
7. But be a little flexible
If you're in the store and there's a good sale on something that falls into rule 4, then you might want to get it. But still, try and check the store circular online before you leave to anticipate this type of event.
Also, being flexible in terms of brands is a definite plus. Check out the price/unit on the tags by the items (instead of the full price) to help you find the best bargain on the item you need.
Keep In Mind:
There are tons of more tips out there on the web for cheaper grocery shopping, but there are some things I can't do. For instance, it's a lot cheaper as a vegetarian if you have your own garden of vegetables, but personally I live in an apartment with no patios, so there's no way for me to grow a vegetable garden or even an herb garden. It's also cheaper to buy more things in bulk than I have space to store. You can also save money by finding coupons online and in circulars, but this can waste a lot of paper, ink, and time if you're not selective about them and often times stores won't take grocery coupons printed online since you might have edited them.
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