A SIMPLE change helped slash the cost of a woman’s grocery bill after spending hundreds on takeout monthly.
Costs for eating out remain at record highs nationwide, and cutting back could be a serious money-saving move.
A woman has saved hundreds monthly by changing her grocery shopping habits (stock image)[/caption]
Except, the temptation to pick up dinner and avoid the time, effort, and dishes it takes to put everything together is tempting, especially for single parents or those with larger families.
Even in a situation like living with a partner who cooks infrequently or doesn’t know how to can be a recipe for eating out consistently, as a consumer noted in a recent piece for Business Insider.
She explained that the pair were managing grad school and work several years ago, making the desire for something quick and easy to eat high.
They ordered meals around two or three times every week at the time, and found that it was costing about $150 a month to do so.
When the coronavirus pandemic was in full swing in the spring of 2020, the woman explained that the takeout orders were almost an every day occurrence, equating to $350 a month on delivery alone.
The meals weren’t nutritionally-packed either, most being fast food options like burgers and fries, fried chicken, or pasta.
On top of the $350 takeout, the woman and her partner were also spending another $400 to $300 on groceries, much of which was meant to be cooked into a meal.
Except most times, they’d never get around to it, so the food would stay in the freezer or have to be thrown away.
HAD ENOUGH
Things changed when the woman relocated for a new job in Memphis, Tennessee, living apart from her partner for a year.
She decided she wanted to spend and waste far less and sought the advice from her grandmother in Portugal, who shared cooking and grocery shopping tips, which created new habits.
The woman instead made sure she had the foundational supplies to set herself up for success to cook at home.
In one month, she invested around $654 in spices, flour, rice, oils, canned goods, and basic kitchenware.
While that may seem steep, it freed her up to have easy access to the materials necessary to cook efficiently, saving her money over the long term.
Although the crucial switch for the woman was deciding to plan meals ahead of time.
Fast Food meal deals
Here are some of the current value meals offered by popular fast food joints.
Taco Bell’s $7 Luxe Cravings Box:
- Chalupa Supreme
- Beefy Five-Layer Burrito
- Double Stacked Taco
- Chips and nacho cheese sauce
- Medium drink
McDonald’s $5 Meal Deal:
- McDouble or McChicken sandwich
- Four-piece Chicken McNuggets
- Small fries
- Small soft drink
Wendy’s $5 Biggie Bag:
- Junior Bacon Cheeseburger or Crispy Chicken Sandwich
- Four-piece chicken nuggets
- Junior fries
- Small soft drink
Burger King’s $5 Your Way Meal:
- Whopper Junior, Chicken Junior, or Bacon Cheeseburger
- Fries
- Four-piece chicken nuggets
- Soft drink
She’d plan her grocery trips and what she needed across stores like Whole Foods and Kroger, along with a local farmers market.
On top of that, she bought a meal-planning cookbook for organization and had larger bouts of cooking on the weekends to store weekday meals.
SAVINGS HAVEN
Financial results started to show almost immediately, with her monthly grocery bill dropping by about $250 to $150.
While it increased to around $250 after her partner moved over to Memphis, it’s still at least $150 less every month, or about $1,800 annually.
The difference for the woman was structure and planning, which could help any American who wants to cut back on spending for groceries or eating out.
The woman’s eating out also lessened with the meals at home, reducing by half to about $150 a month instead of $300.
This is on top of the added benefits from the home cooked meals like better sleep, less stomach discomfort, and more.
Not to mention, delivery fees and added taxes for some orders are starting to nearly double the cost of meals themselves.
A McDonald’s customer who ordered a $10 meal through DoorDash wound up paying around $25 recently.
Similarly, a Popeyes customer was left questioning if it was “a joke” that their meal surged from $15 to $20 before “extra fees” were added.
