How To Save On Your Food Shopping Bill.

My parents who are only now back in Canada after almost 2 years being ‘stuck’ in the Caribbean due to COVID, are now navigating the aisles of grocery stores and markets, trying to understand what happened to food prices (in Ontario) since they’ve been gone. I loosely say “Ontario” as speaking with fans from around the world, it seems that everyone is dealing with inflation and a constant struggle to put food on their table.

Long are the conversations with dad (and mom) on this issue, especially since they live on a fixed retirement budget. Here are some of the ways we discussed which can help one to somewhat save or stretch their monthly budget on grocery bill.

These tips are in no particular order.

• Get to know food prices, so you can make good buying decisions.
• Use Coupons.
• See what’s on sale by reviewing flyers and circulars before you go shopping.
• Stock your pantry with everyday items (thing you use frequently) when they are on sale.
• Get Reward Cards. Many stores now have cards where you accumulate points based on purchases, which you can redeem for free and discounted items during future purchases.
• Buy in bulk where possible (be mindful to get items which will not expire before you can get to it).
• Try no-name (store) brands.
• Employ the use of a vacuum sealer when you buy in bulk or have leftover food.

• Use what you have in the fridge before buying more.
• Plan meals so that you have leftovers for lunch the next day, or freeze leftovers for a quick meal another day.
• Learn how to cook and how to use pantry staples effectively.
• Slow cook cheap cuts of meat.
• Be creative with leftovers.
• Store produce correctly to avoid waste.
• Preserve produce in season
• Grow Your Own.

Do you have any tips you’d like to share? Please leave us a comment below.