With eye-popping prices for food essentials like chicken, eggs, milk, and even lettuce, the escalating cost of groceries is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, the Labor Department reported that food prices jumped yet again in January, spiking 11.3% from a year earlier.
CBN News spoke with an expert about ways to save money and eat healthier at the same time. Most people think you have to pick one or the other because eating healthy is too expensive, but that’s not true. You can actually switch to a healthier diet without breaking the bank.
Tiffany Terczak is living proof eating right doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. And Tiffany gives God the glory for what she sees as a miracle financial healing that came her way during the process.
She and her husband were languishing under a “scary amount of debt,” so they prayed for help from the Lord. Not long after that, she realized the grocery budget had the “greatest amount of wiggle-room” compared to fixed expenses like the mortgage and car payment.
They achieved their goal, largely by slashing grocery spending in half, and as an added blessing, without sacrificing the health of their family. She says this didn’t happen by accident.
“God has pulled us out of the depths of debt and gave me the skill,” she told CBN News, adding, “Even if your budget’s really small, you can still eat well within a small budget.”
As a way to serve the Lord, Tiffany now teaches others how to drastically reduce the amount they spend on food through her online Grocery Budget Bootcamp. Here are some of her tips:
(1) Eat The Food You Already Have: Tiffany said although it may sound strange, the key to keeping your food bill low is to eat the food in your pantry, freezer, and refrigerator. “When I say eat the food you already have, I literally mean open your pantry, pull some things out and make that your meal,” she said, “You already spent money on that food. Why would you go to the store and spend more money? You should eat what you already have.”
(2)Stock Up on Sale Items: Tiffany says grocery stores put most items on sale every six to eight weeks. Therefore, she advises stocking up on those items when they go on sale, purchasing enough to last until the next time they go on sale. For instance, if your family likes organic chicken, when it goes on sale, buy enough to last for six weeks and put it in the freezer.
(3) Fruits and Veggies: Healthy diets consist of lots of fruits and vegetables. Many people believe produce costs too much. However, Tiffany says if you take a closer look, you’ll see plenty of bargains, even among organic produce. Tiffany says seasonal produce is usually less expensive and abundant, and recommends looking for a bargain bin in the produce section containing items that might be bruised because they have been around a while, but nonetheless are foods that, like bananas, can be frozen and used in baking or smoothies or, like zucchini, can be shredded and therefore “don’t need to look perfect.” Frozen produce can also be a money-saver. When buying frozen, the big bags of fruits or veggies are usually less expensive per ounce than the smaller ones.
(4) Save Money With Canned Foods: Hunt for low-priced canned foods, including organics. Canned wild-caught fish, such as salmon and tuna, is far less expensive than fresh or frozen and just as healthy. It’s an even better deal if you stock up on canned fish when it’s on sale.
(5) Save Money By Only Buying Food at the Grocery Store: Tiffany says, believe it or not, most grocery stores hike up the price on non-food items such as aluminum foil, charcoal, paper products, and greeting cards. Prices are lower at stores that aren’t “food-focused.”
(6) Save Money By Watching for Specialty Sections: Specialty sections, such as the deli, bakery, or stand-alone specialty cheese case, typically located together, can sometimes offer great bargains, but often sell nearly the same items you can find elsewhere in the store for a lot less. For example, she noticed the blue cheese in the specialty cheese section of her local grocery was double the price of the blue cheese in the dairy section on the wall.
(7) Save Money By Cutting Out Bottled Drinks, Packaged Snacks: Bottled and canned drinks, such as soda, juice, energy drinks, and sports drinks can drain the budget when tap water is virtually free and a healthier alternative. Likewise, packaged snacks can really add up. Tiffany says snacks like granola bars are cheaper and far healthier when made at home with organic oats and other nutritious ingredients. “If you are intentional with what you cook from scratch,” she said, “And you cook the things that will have the biggest impact on your budget, then you can make cooking from scratch work in your favor.”
These tips worked for Tiffany and they can work for you too. But before you start this journey of eating healthy and saving money be sure to spend some time in prayer and seek God’s help in making the right choices for you and your family.