Cut food costs by following the steps in the guide. Cash-strapped and budget-conscious consumers continuously look for ways to trim their daily living expenses, particularly as food prices keep rising. Food prices are affected by economic and other sometimes invisible factors, and although you cannot directly affect costs at the beginning of the food chain, you can use money-saving techniques to keep your spending in line.
Develop a meal-planning strategy. Write what you want to prepare for breakfast, lunch and dinner for each day. Also, change your meals to more cost effective options. For example, pre-packaged weight-loss foods are convenient but expensive, so consider buying and cooking cheaper raw vegetables and meats yourself.
Visit local food businesses and organizations that sell food at or near cost. Nonprofit food banks and grocery outlets often charge customers only about 5 percent to 10 percent over the wholesale cost. For example, if the store bought a box of noodles from a supplier for $1, you pay $1.05 to $1.10 at the checkout counter. Visit supermarket warehouses, Sam's Club and Costco.
Make leftovers into new meals. Use leftover meat from hamburger patties to make chili. De-bone cooked fried chicken to make fried chicken salad.