The Cost of Groceries Rises
As families across the world continue to struggle with inflation, we question what you can do to save money. In 2021, shoppers paid 6.4% more for groceries when comparing November 2021 to November 2022. The price of pork rose 14%, beef increased by 20%, vegetable oils were up ~8.5% in February, and even cereal prices are rising due to the grain price increase. with no signs of dropping. As of March 27, 2022, prices have reached a 41-year historic high due to supply chain issues, the war in Ukraine, inflation, the pandemic, etc. As families continue to struggle financially and see the cost reflected in their grocery bills, we at JJ Bison take a look at how your family can save money on groceries.
World Food Prices From Twitter
In the graph above, we see how grocery costs have increased over time. While prices will presumably decrease eventually, the question is, what can we do to continue eating well and still stay under budget? The goal of this post is to aid in ideas to save your family money.
How To Save Money on Groceries
Plan Your Meals
During our pregnancy from ~January - to May 2022, we were unfortunate to be diagnosed with gestational diabetes which is a very pricey ailment to have. Luckily, even before this, we planned our meals which still enabled us to save money and eat better. We meal prep for breakfast and lunch, and then switch it up for dinner to keep it fresh. The excel sheet we used is also included here if you’d like to start tracking your own meals with a pre-planned template that you can edit (we do recommend speaking with your doctor about the ranges). We understand this is more difficult for some than others as it does require some base-level cooking skills and planning around the unplannable, but we do highly recommend it to help save money and eat healthier.
Here’s an example of meal prep from our pregnancy times when we had gestational diabetes.
Breakfasts: Whole wheat English muffin, 2 eggs, and 1 slice of gouda cheese
Lunches: 4oz ground bison, ¼ cup portabella mushrooms, 1 cup sweet onion, 1 cup green onion, and 1 slice provolone cheese (to stir in with everything).
Weekly:
M: Salmon, asparagus, parsnip potato puree with lemon sauce
We buy a whole side of salmon for cheaper - $1-2 off per lb
Parsnip mixed with potatoes is fantastic (and part root veggie!) and keeps down my blood sugar
Tu: Taco Tuesday!
W: Chicken Tuscan w/ mixed veggies, brown rice, and mushrooms/onions in the rice.
The sauce and the rice are amazing together!
Th: Ground turkey stirfry with brown rice
We used frozen stirfry veggies (comes in bulk and with sauce if you don’t want to make your own). Ground turkey is also cheaper than beef and better for you than beef.
F: Cobb salad
Salad mix from the store, the avocado was $1, and tomato for less than $1. Use the extra Tuscan chicken and some eggs for a delicious dinner.
Sa: Leftovers
Su: Apple Pork w/ salad and roasted parsnips and potatoes
While this is just one example of a meal prep week, it provides plenty of options to use any leftovers you’ve made throughout the week while getting a well-balanced meal. Meal planning will also allow you to take advantage of sale prices throughout the area. For instance, parsnips at Walmart were almost $4/lb, but at Giant, they were $2.30/lb. If you need suggestions, Reddit’s r/MealPrepSunday is a great stop for advice and ideas.
Buy Store Brands
While our first recommendation is to meal prep, buying store brands over name brands is also a great way to save money. Walmart, Giant, and Publix, for example, all have store brands of popular items you enjoy. The common misperception is that store brand merchandise is less tasty or of lesser quality than brand names. While your cheerios may not taste as sugary, you’ll often find the same ingredients between the two brands. Sure, you may want to splurge for organic chicken over store brand, but in general, sticking to the store brand will benefit your wallet without costing you overall quality.
From the Penny Hoarder’s table below, you can see just a small sample of how much cheaper store brand is versus name brand at Walmart.
Check for Deals and Buy in Bulk
Whether meal prepping or not, buying in bulk based on deals and coupons can be a lifesaver. All those annoying papers you get with “$4/lb for pork” are finally going to pay off. Buy as much meat on sale as you can and portion it out in a ziplock bag so that the meat doesn’t touch, lay it flat in the freezer, and then when you’re ready to eat it, simply take out those portions and thaw them for dinner that week.
If you do buy in bulk and have any leftovers, mix your meat with some rice and vegetables and make a stirfry!
Check Your Local Farms’ Prices
Some local farms, like JJ Bison, rely more on local consumers and restaurants via farmer’s markets or stores. If your local store is selling you higher prices due to supply chain issues, we would highly suggest checking out your local farms to see if they have lower prices. Not only are you supporting a local business, but potentially getting a discount as well. While some farms do not have websites or prices readily available, they’re usually available via phone or email.
If you’re looking to support a local farm and save money, call us at JJ Bison. We run sales as well as keep our prices competitive despite the issues plaguing paychecks.
Contact us online, email us at meat@jjbison.com, or call us at (443) 252 - 2099 to order your bison today!
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