5 ways to save on food

If you make a few smart moves to save on your grocery and eating-out spending, not only will your belly smile, but your wallet will too.

Editor’s Note: This article was written by Craig Johnson, who is part of Team Clark Howard and writes for Clark.com.

If you’re not happy with your financial situation or simply want to improve it and do things differently in 2019, why not take a look at your food bill and make some changes?

If you make a few smart moves to save on your grocery and eatingout spending, not only will your belly smile, but your wallet will too.

Eat leftovers: Have you ever had a day when you didn’t spend any money? It takes some preparation but you can do it. One example is to bring leftovers to the office one day and eat them for lunch. Once you go home, try to eat what’s in your fridge, and that’s it, a 24-hour money-free day. Consider buying a machine like an Instant Pot that makes preparing meals that can last several days a breeze.

Try snacking: If you’re tired of paying around $10 for each meal of the day, why not supplement with a snack or two? Snacks are cheaper and you can eat them several times a day as a way to cut your daily food budget, especially if you buy in bulk.

Eating out is generally much more expensive than preparing your food at home, but if you insist on visiting restaurants …

Know where to go (and when): Lots of places have special deals for kids and seniors — make sure to take advantage of them if you’re able.

Use apps and coupons: You don’t have to have scissors and a newspaper to be a coupon person. These days, you can whip out your phone and pull up plenty of deals that will make your wallet happy. Need some assistance in finding one-off deals? ClarkDeals.com can help.

Skip (or go easy on) the alcohol: Nothing adds to a bill like a nice cocktail or two (or three). Why not save that money and indulge at home? Libations have the same effect as they do at the restaurant — and it’s cheaper.