My oh my those prices only seem to be heading in one direction aren’t they? A few days ago when my husband filled up this tank at the gas station, he was shocked to see the price $1.89 per litre. These are prices we have never seen before in our lifetime and if the rumours are true, they are only going in one direction.
Now I could make a few suggestions such as driving the family car that is the most fuel efficient, carpool when possible, and maybe avoid any large expenditures right now, but I think a lot of these ideas are fairly obvious.
What I want to talk to you about today is your food budget, because the one thing we all have in common is that we have to eat! Avoiding buying food isn’t going to get you anywhere and since it makes up a large percentage of many people’s budgets, let’s dive into the tips and tricks for navigating those grocery store prices.
Buying in Bulk
This is an area where, if you can afford the upfront cost, will save you a lot of money in the long run. Unfortunately, starting this process a few years ago would have secured you better pricing, however it is never too late to start stocking up that pantry.
Often times, when you purchase goods in bulk, are getting a much lower price per unit than if you were to purchase them in small quantities. This is one of the main reasons we choose to buy items in bulk. Another reason we go this route is due to lack of access. Where we live it can be tricky finding some of our favourite foods in organic options, so purchasing in bulk from either Costco and or Organic Matters Foods is our best bet.
When you are buying in bulk you have to think about storability. Some items such as legumes, beans, and wheat berries are excellent for long term storage. Whereas other items like brown rice and nuts tend to go rancid if stored for too long. Ensuring that you do your research and being honest about what your family does and does not eat will go a long way towards ensuring that you are spending your money wisely.
Some items that we buy in bulk are:
- Cooking oils
- Vinegars
- Beans and Legumes
- Sweeteners
- Honey
- Coconut Sugar
- Wheat berries
- Salt
- Chia Seeds
- Hemp Hearts
- Nuts and Seeds
- Canned Coconut Milk
- Canned Tomato Paste
- We cannot grow enough tomatoes here yet to meet all of our needs
Meal Planning
If there is only one suggestion that you latch onto today, it should be this one. Plan your meals!
I know it sounds so simple, but planning your meals allows you to do two things really well. The first thing is using up what you already have. When I begin to plan meals the first place I go is to our freezers and our pantry. What needs to be used up yesterday and what do we have a lot of? Only then do I start to ponder outside sources (i.e. the grocery store) for our food needs. Once I have my meals planned for the next week or so, I then start to write a list for the grocery store.
This means that we only buy what we need and this is the trick to keeping that budget low. Buy what you need and use what you buy! Combine it with my next suggestion and you will definitely notice a difference in your grocery store spending.
Shopping for Groceries Online
Two years ago when we first starting hearing the words capacity limits and restrictions, we decided to try shopping online for our grocery. At the time our local grocery store was not charging for this service and we found it very convenient. My husband would drive by on his way home from work, pop open the truck, slide the groceries in and away he went.
We have loved this option so much that we have no plans on changing it for most of our shopping. I should point out, that as producers of food, we eat a lot of our own produce so we rarely run into the issue of the staff picking lackluster vegetables or fruit for us. Our staples at the grocery store are apples, bananas, cucumbers and sweet peppers and we have yet to run into an issue with poor quality.
How does this impact our budget you ask? First, we stick to our list. There is little to no impulse purchasing when it comes to online shopping. You know what I’m talking about don’t you? That bag of chips that seems to whisper your name when you walk by…
The second feeds into that meal planning I talked about earlier. Impulse purchases are not always unhealthy! Sometimes you had good intentions for that rotten bag of beets and that limp bunch of kale that sat unused in your fridge. Shopping online and sticking to your list can really make a huge difference on how much money you spend on food that you don’t need!
Create a Pantry Budget
If there was a second option I would highly suggest you implement, next to meal planning, it would be this one. Create an attainable and sustainable pantry budget. This is a set dollar amount that you will spend, over and beyond your grocery needs, for items that are destined for the pantry.
It doesn’t have to be a big budget! You can get a lot of beans, rice, and/or tuna with $10 extra per week. These items head straight into your pantry and are to be saved for a rainy day. Ensure you check expiry dates every so often, but if you do this for the next few months you will have a great start on a well stocked pantry.
Homemade vs. Store Bought
Over the next few months this will be a huge area of focus for me. As a homeschooling mom and an entrepreneur with a growing business, I find myself moving away from the practice of making most things myself as my life got busier. The convenience of being able to buy it got the better of me! I can guarantee you I can make granola at home for a fraction of the cost of what I am currently buying in the store.
Items I am going to start making again myself will include:
- Crackers
- Pasta
- Bread
- Granola
- Kombucha
Explore Vegetarian Cuisine
There is one food group that people are really starting to notice both a price increase and a lack of access is meat. What used to cost $7 is now closer to $18 and if you eat meat every single day, you are really going to take a hit on your food budget.
Now I am not suggesting that you go vegetarian, but I am going to give you some options to help with this part of your food budget.
First, explore some vegetarian cuisine! We absolutely love Indian and Thai cuisine and add it into our meal plans on a regular basis. Many of the beloved recipes from this part of the globe are vegetarian and absolutely delicious. As a former vegetarian of 17 years, I can tell you that if your flavours are on point, you can still enjoy a deeply satisfying meal without meat in it. Perhaps you can make it a goal to have a meatless meal once per week and see how much this improves your budget.
Another option that I suggest is looking to your local farmers for your meat. We have noticed that their prices have remained fairly stable over the last two years and while this is likely to change at some point, we are not there yet. Stocking up from your small scale local farmers not only helps your budget, but it supports local business which is so vital and important these days.
Another options goes back to buying bulk! Think about purchasing a half or full animal from a local farm as opposed to buying individual cuts from the grocery store. The cost per pound definitely ends up being cheaper.
Finally, if you can do it, consider raising your own animals, hunting or fishing.
I hope this helps you navigate the times we find ourselves in and please feel free to comment on this blog post and share your ideas for cost saving!
Until next time,
Regular Readers/Watchers
If you are a regular reader of this blog or viewer of Spiraea’s content on YouTube, I would be honoured if you took at peek at my Patreon site. Patreon is a crowd-funding site where folks can show their gratitude for the free content that creators like me produce. My currently Patreon family has been so amazing and supportive. They are the only reason I can continue to put out free video content on my YouTube channel and write blog posts right here. I have immense gratitude for them and would be thrilled if you joined us.
