I must admit that the majority of my money is spent on food. I enjoy eating. I love to eat out, try new foods, and eat well. With that being said, the food costs add up. I easily spend at least $20 a day without even blinking. When I go out to a nice dinner I spend way more than $20 per day. I can get carried away pretty often when it comes to eating. The obvious problem is that I spend too much money on food. I’m trying to cut back. I’ve written about this before and I’m still working on this.

How can you save money on food? Let’s look at what has helped me save money on food and eating well.

(I’m going to exclude the obvious advice: cook your own food. Not everyone is good at cooking and this advice is annoying because it just makes people feel guilty.)

Save your eating out to make it special.

I won’t tell you to stop going out for food. That’s just far too unrealistic. I love to eat out, but it’s just like drinking or going out with friends. It’s only fun to a certain extent though. Going out for food every single day won’t provide you the same joy (and it would hurt your budget). I recommend saving your meals out for the weekend or a special occasion. You don’t need to eat out every single meal. You can take a few days off and save the money for yourself.

Never shop when you’re hungry.

Shopping for groceries or any food in general when you’re hungry is a killer. Trust me. I’ve done this far too many times. I get hungry, go to the grocery store, and then buy everything in sight. I get home to see 5 bags of chips, big packs of chicken, and all sorts of random food that I usually wouldn’t eat.

Eat lots of protein in the morning.

I read in the 4-Hour Body that protein first thing in the morning is best for your eating habits throughout the day. I decided to give this a shot last year and I love it. I try to eat a can of tuna or pack of egg whites in the morning. This boost of protein in the morning helps me start my day off right and feel good about myself. I also eat less for lunch because I’m not as hungry as I would be if I skipped breakfast or had little protein.

Drink water.

Most of the time we’re just dehydrated and need some water in our systems. Give this a try. Next time you feel hungry, drink a cold glass of water. You’ll feel refreshed and you might notice that you’re not that hungry after all.

That’s how I’ve been able to save money on food. If you’re like me, then the majority of your income goes towards your food. Instead of worrying on saving money in every area of your life, it makes sense to tackle your problem areas. The goal of this post is to tackle your spending on food.

Martin Dasko

Martin Dasko