by Shayla Johnson

Created on: September 17, 2009

Everyone is fully aware that food is expensive. A family of four can easily have a grocery bill around $400.00 a month. It isn't something that you can do without, so let's address a few ways to cut down on the costs.

1) Use coupons. Do you hate idea of clipping coupons for an hour, hunting for them at the checkout, or even looking embarrassed for using them? Don't be! It shows you are a smart shopper. You would be surprised the big amounts you can save just by using coupons. If you are a faithful consumer of a certain product check their website to see if they offer any specials. A dollar here and there quickly adds up to a lot of money saved.

2) Shop sales. This is huge. My husband is a Dr. Pepper addict, so I have to watch for when it goes on sale. A twenty four pack can cost up to $6.99. To me that is ridiculous when my husband can drink that in a week easy. That means in a year I spend $335.52 on Dr. Pepper. I can think of many other things I would rather spend that money on. When Dr. Pepper goes on sale usually $4.98 for a twenty four pack, I save $96.48 a year. Add this method to all your shopping and you are saving big bucks!

3) Buy store brand. I know sometimes the flavor is not the same, but sometimes it is. Try different products and see if you like the cheaper version. If you do continue to buy that one, if you don't then discontinue to buy it. It is that simple. This practice could lead to a significant drop in your grocery bill.

4) Cook at Home. This is the single most effective way to decrease the cost in feeding your family. It is no secret that eating out is pricey, especially when the whole family is dining. Save eating out for special occasions. This not only will keep your pocket book full, but it will also add to the health and well being of your family. When you cook at home you can monitor exactly what you are eating and how it is cooked. Your body will thank you for taking this step.

5) Make a menu. This is the second single most effective way to cut costs in feeding your family. I live by this policy. How many times a month do you through away spoiled food? This food is going to waste, therefore wasting your money. What you need to do is sit down and create a menu for a week at a time. This menu needs to include meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It also needs to have two snack options listed for each day. When you plan your meal calendar go to the grocery store and buy only the things on your list to make the menu happen. This will ensure that you actually eat all the food you purchase and it will also keep the family eating at home instead of going out to eat, because no one knows what they want for dinner. With a menu, everyone knows what each meal will be before the time to eat it. Post your menu on the fridge. It may surprise you how your kids will look forward to Tuesday, because it is lasagna night.

There are many ways to cut costs when it comes to food, but these listed have proven to be very effective. I would encourage you to try all of them. To motivate everyone to participate, for the first year try saving all the extra money you saved and take a vacation with it. How hard you participated may determine how big of a vacation you will get. If you only tried this once, then you may be taking a trip to the store to buy a candy bar, but if you worked hard all year to limit eating out, and cutting corners on your grocery bill, then you may find yourself riding the spinning tea cups at Disney Land.

Learn more about this author, Shayla Johnson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.