There are lots of ways to save money on food. Here are a lot of ideas for budget meals and what to eat when you’re strapped for cash.

That Can’t Be Right

Americans spend a lot of money on food as a recent poll found out.

The GOBankingRates survey was one of five polls asking Americans about their monthly household expenses. Groceries came in as the second most expensive monthly budget item, followed by rent or mortgage.

Respondents spent more on groceries at $302 per month than the combined cost of their car payment ($166), household necessities ($61) and clothing ($50).

And a lot of that food goes to waste. We waste about $40 worth of food each month which is about 33 pounds.

No wonder food makes up so much of our budget. But you can create budget meals that will not only cut down on the amount you spend on food but the amount of food you waste too.

First Thing’s First

If you want to know how to save money on groceries, the first step is to plan your meals. This is easier than it sounds. Most people are happy eating the same handful of breakfasts and lunches every day and to rotate through a dozen or so dinners.

Make a list of three breakfast and lunch ideas and a dozen dinner ideas. Next list out all of the ingredients you need to make these meals. This list will make up the majority of your shopping list.

When you don’t know what you’re going to eat you go to the grocery store and start grabbing stuff at random which is an expensive way to shop.

Of course, you will need to add extra things to your list sometimes, you’re out of olive oil, or it’s your anniversary, and you’re cooking a special meal.

But most of the time, you will stick to the list of the things required to make your go-to meals.

Choosing the Meals

Because we want to save money on groceries, our rotation of budget meals needs to be things that are inexpensive and reasonably healthy. Healthy is subjective in that for some of us that means Paleo, and for others it means Vegan.

But we all know what kinds of things are not healthy, soda, sugary juices, breakfast cereals with cartoons on the front, Ramen noodles, cheap microwave dinners.

Leave that stuff alone. It’s not good for you, and it’s often more expensive than real food.

Things like eggs cooked with vegetables, yogurt (full fat, non-flavored) with fresh or frozen fruit, wholemeal toast with natural peanut butter (peanut butter with nothing but peanuts and salt) make excellent, cheap breakfasts.

Soups and stews made from root vegetables and beans, lettuce salads with meat left over from the previous night’s dinner, and grain-based salads are good lunch choices.

One pot dishes, rotisserie chicken and frozen vegetables, and pretty much anything made in a slow cooker (more on this coming up) can make up your dinner rotation.

How to Save Money on Groceries

There are a lot of ways to cut down your food budget from where you shop to what you buy.

Shop Around

Most big grocery stores and even many smaller ones have circulars that show what is on sale for the week and most of them are available online. When you’re making your meal plan for the week, take a look at those circulars and see who has the best bargains.

If you live in a big city with farmer’s markets, the food can be expensive but smaller town farmer’s markets often have lower prices than grocery stores and the food is fresher and better.

If you live in a rural area, look for farm stands, they’re often cheaper than supermarkets too. A pick your own farm offers good prices and a fun outing.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices