17 Quick Ideas To Cut Your Food Bill

by Kendall "The Barbecue Apostle" Matthews on March 4, 2009

Do you live with someone who loves to eat, yet hates to cook? I do! Don’t get me wrong I don’t have a problem cooking, most of the time I make my own dinner. However, when I get home from trying-to-conquer-the-world, I know for a fact that my lovely bride is going to want to eat out.


My wife loves to eat “fresh” food. Fresh meaning food prepared that day. I, on the other hand, can eat two week-old left-overs and think nothing of it.  I figure it has to do with how a person is raised. I’m not saying that my folks deprived my brother and I of a home cooked meal (my father loves to cook, by the way have you purchased some of his Ms. Piggies’ Smokehouse BBQ Mop Sauces?)It’s just that we grew up with the idea that you should eat what you have at home until the refrigerator is empty.

I thought that was how everybody lived… but alas not everyone is like my family.

I’ve had months were the food bill for my wife and I has been nearly as much as our mortgage payment. Talk about eating-you-out-of-house-and-home.  I’ve had to bring it down to a reasonable level, last month we did great! Food expenses were only 70% of our mortgage payment.

 

Here’s my 12 things I do to cut the cost of my monthly food expenses:

  1. No more red meat. Yes, my family owns 2 restaurants that serve the best pulled hickory smoked pulled beef this side of the Mississippi. However, I stopped eating beef in 2001 and this year I stopped eating pork.
  2. Buy the Sunday paper and cut coupons. I’m not so high-and-mighty, not to sit down for twenty minutes and cut coupons while watching the Amazing Race or Donald Trump’s Apprentice.
  3. Review the weekly fliers that come in the mail. Every Tuesday we get these in the mail, I don’t throw them away, I get excited, because the local ice cream place always has a buy one get one free deal.
  4. Buy the entertainment book. These book are great. They cost around $25.
  5. Buy gift cards where the business can add more money on it than you actually purchased. For example, you can buy a Ms. Piggies’ Smokehouse gift card for $50 and we will put $60 of value on it.
  6. Barter. I do marketing services for multiple businesses. One restaurant provided me with $150 worth of gift certificates for my services.
  7. When go to a sit-down restaurant ask the waiter for 2 cups of water with no ice and drink them before eating. This is works wonders to suppress your appetite and curb the amount that you eat, it has something to do with how your digestive system works.
  8. When you go out to a sit down dinner, immediately ask for a to-go box and store half your meal. Now you know what you are having for lunch.
  9. Buy discount magazine coupons from your local school fundraiser. Have you ever heard of Varsity Gold?
  10. Don’t buy appetizers. Have you noticed that they are starting to cost just as much as a meal?
  11. Split deserts. You don’t need it all do you?
  12. If you forgot to give the grocery store a coupon for a purchase go back to the store and get your savings. I do this often, because I’m forgetful. Most times, I go to the grocery store with at least $50 worth of coupons. This past week, I saved $70. However, I forgot to give the $1.50 coupon. I went back the next day, while I was already out, talked with the customer service associate, showed her my receipt and she gave me $1.50.  However, the story doesn’t end there.  I went back to my car and saw a $10 on the ground next to my door (it wasn’t mine, because I don’t carry cash.)  You know what I did?  I look to the right… I look to the left… I wanted to make sure this wasn’t no television show stunt. I picked it up and went to get $11.50 in gas.


Doing these 12 things has helped my family save money on food; so I can buy other things, like more marketing training courses, yes, I am a nerd… but a cool one.

Exceeding Expectations,

Kendall Matthews, The Barbecue Apostle ™

P.s. What are some ways have you been able to cut your food bill? I’ve started to use the resource below.

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