Home Cooking

Food is getting more expensive than ever, and so people are looking for easy ways to make their dollar stretch. But, is it really necessary for us to drive ourselves into debt to buy groceries? Food prices are going up, sure, but quality food still remains relatively cheap. Many people are struggling to afford groceries simply because they do not know how to shop and do not know how to cook. Doritos cost six dollars for a one pound bag, but pasta costs one dollar for a pound. Porkchops cost five dollars a pound, while pork loin, the cut the chops come from, costs two dollars a pound. This isn't even mentioning fast food, whose prices have far outpaced inflation. A McDonald's quarter-pounder is about five dollars, while the marginal cost of a burger made yourself is about a dollar and a half.

A lot of the problem with food money nowadays isn't that food is more expensive, it is that prepared and processed food is more expensive. A diet of healthy, whole ingredients is far cheaper than processed foods. The myth of it being more expensive to eat healthier is nonsensical, obviously food that has more labor and more steps involved will cost more, so shifting that labor to yourself saves money. The time required to prepare food isn't really that long either. It takes twenty minutes or so to cook most dishes. Unless you're working sixteen hour shifts, you can cook. Most people would rather decompress, but you can easily put on a podcast or music while you cook.

So what is to be done? Firstly, processed foods such as chips and cakes, as well as alcohol, should be reduced or eliminated. Most calories should come from proper healthy meals, not snacking. And not the trendy health foods like kale and cauliflower, but the actual staple foods like pasta, corn, and rice. A shift away from prepared foods (frozen chicken tenders, microwaveable dinners, etc.) and towards doing the preparatory work yourself saves much in costs as well. These are fairly ways to save money.

Another issue is how people shop. There are generally three tiers of food items: store brand, name brand, and high end. For store and name brand, there's a slightly different taste, but the actual ingredients are generally the same. But with a high end brand, there's an actual difference in the ingredients and quality. For example, a store brand and name brand ranch dressing both mostly use soybean oil and similar additives, with the name brand one being a dollar or so more expensive. A high end ranch dressing uses olive or avocado oil, but costs much more. Generally, there is no point in buying anything other than generic brand, unless it is a high-end product. A generic brand pasta is identical to name brand, but the name brand costs almost twice as much, you're just paying for the name.

Another way to not only eat healthier but cheaper as well is to shift to some canned goods or just simpler goods. A can of corn is half the price of frozen corn. A can of crushed tomatoes is three-quarters the price of a jar of spaghetti sauce. These may seem small, but these savings add up.

Finally, meal planning or meal prepping. Planning meals in advance allows you to buy items to use in multiple meals throughout the week, saving costs and not letting cabinets pile up with unused goods. This also encourages you to use a grocery list instead of just browsing and picking out what seems nice to eat. Having a grocery list and sticking to it is one of the greatest way to save costs. Meal planning also encourages you to find and try new recipes, broadening your tastes. Having a good set of recipes and making your own cookbook not only helps you save costs, but is also a nice skill to have. A meal suited to your own tastes is far better than a premade frozen meal.

Overall, through learning to cook at home and through cutting out various processed or premade meals, food expenses can be vastly reduced. In the modern era, when food prices are far outpacing inflation, this is more important than ever for many households.