No matter how we manage to cut back our expenses, we’ll never be able to cut out paying for food—and most of us wouldn’t want to. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to spend less on what you eat, even if you don’t have the time or space for a home garden.

Study: Save Thousands with Store Brands

A recent study from Consumer Reports notes that the average household can save up to $1,500 per year by opting for store brand items at the grocery store. In addition, the study showed that:

• In taste tests of 21 name- and store-brand products, testers actually voted for the store brands three times. The name brands won seven times, and in the remaining 11 contests, the two items tied. This means that, for some items, you can save cash without sacrificing flavor or value.
• Many manufacturing companies actually make both the name brand and the generic version of a product, meaning you can basically choose how much you want to pay for some products.
• It’s important to always check per-unit prices. In some cases, name brands are actually cheaper, and other times there’s a third option that’s cheaper than even the store brand (for example, at my grocery store, Quaker Oats go for $4.89 per tube, the store brand costs $2.00 and the ValueTime brand costs only $1.83).

What Not to Order When Eating at a Restaurant

While dining out can be expensive, it doesn’t have to be a total no-no for budgeteers. But this post from WalletPop.com details some of the biggest markups restaurants put on food. In other words, here are some tips of what not to order when you’re eating out:

• Wine: Analysts apparently estimate that wine can be marked up from 200 to 600 percent at restaurants. Unless you’re a die-hard wine fan, consider waiting until you get home to have your tipple.
• Soda: There’s a reason restaurants are so eager to offer free refills on drinks like soda, coffee and tea: they cost only pennies on the dollar to buy, but sell for significantly more than that. If you must have a soft drink, you’re probably better off purchasing it by the two-liter bottle.
• Pasta: In the grocery store, this foodstuff costs mere cents per ounce, but in restaurants, pasta-based meals can get pretty steep, especially if they’re topped with fancy meats or seafood. Yes, you may love that alfredo dish, but compare what it would cost to make at home and you may be wincing with every bite.
• Pizza: Like pasta, this is one food item whose ingredients are much cheaper than the final result. But, considering that preparing and cooking high-quality pizza can be time-consuming, this may be an item worth spending on if you really love it.

Take (and Maintain) Control of Your Finances Today!

Whether you’re looking for ways to cut back spending or are considering a more drastic move like a bankruptcy filing, now is the time to commit to improving your finances. And, if you’re ready to see what kind of financial protection the government has to offer, you may want to talk with a bankruptcy lawyer about some of your options.

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