How to Eat Well on a Budget & Still Save Money
With inflation nudging prices on most of your monthly expenses, eating well and balancing your budget may seem impossible without an online loan. The truth is, these loans aren’t meant to help you put food on the table.
So how can you make ends meet when money is tight? Keep scrolling to find money-saving tips at the grocery store. But first, let’s explain why you shouldn’t get loans online for food.
Online Loans Are a Safety Net in Emergencies
Online loans are marketed as a convenient option when you find yourself short on funds. With this kind of reputation, you may be tempted to contact a cash advance direct lender whenever inflation causes your groceries to spike unexpectedly, and you can’t fill your cupboards and pay your other bills.
Unfortunately, borrowing loans online to cover food doesn’t solve the issue that groceries are too expensive, and they’ll remain that way for a while. Online loans only delay your payment by a few months, at which point you’ll have to pay back everything plus interest and fees.
A cash advance direct lender can offer a quick solution in emergencies, but legitimate online loans aren’t made for groceries. Your food bill is an expected, regular part of your budget.
Legitimate online personal loans are designed for one-off, unexpected expenses, like when your car breaks down, or you need to call a plumber about a leak. That means they aren’t a grocery shopping companion.
How Can You Save Money at the Grocery Store?
With legitimate online loans off the table, you’ll have to find other ways to make groceries more affordable. Don’t worry — it’s easier than you think. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Eat Less Meat
“Meatflation” is so high that a lot of people are embracing plant-based food for financial reasons. Try limiting how often you eat meat and dairy. Instead, rely on this simple yet delicious vegan combo: rice and legumes. You’d be surprised by how many flavorful curries rely on these cheap ingredients, so you won’t even miss the meat.
Only Buy What You Need
If you’re a foodie, you may be tempted to purchase a jar of imported sun-dried tomatoes or a gourmet bag of roasted coffee beans. But when money’s tight, these special ingredients are luxuries just like meat. Search for recipes that rely on pantry staples instead and try to find budget alternatives to expensive items.
Make a Meal Plan
Following a pared-backed list of ingredients is easier when you have a plan in mind. Carve out some time each week to find recipes. Knowing what meals you plan on making throughout the week can help you avoid impulse items in-store. But more importantly, you can build your meal plan around cheap ingredients and flyer sales.
Say Goodbye to Takeout
After a long day at work, the last thing you want to do is spend hours in the kitchen cooking dinner. So you go through the drive-thru or order UberEats. Sound familiar? While takeout saves time, it wastes a lot of money — about $2,375 each year for the average U.S. household!
If you’re in the same boat, try batch cooking meals that you can freeze. Any time you’re too tired to cook, you can pull out one of these meals instead of ordering out. You can also try slow cooker recipes to come home to a cooked meal.
Bottom Line
Still struggling to make ends meet after trying out all these tips? An online loan is still not the answer — reach out to your local food bank or enroll in the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for assistance eating well on a budget.
