How to save on food? 9 practical tips

16 de October, 2023

Since February 2022, which coincides with the start of the war in Ukraine, we have seen a general increase in prices. Expenses in areas such as energy or fuel, for example, have taken a heavier toll on Portuguese wallets. But there is another category in which price increases have been notorious: food.

DECO monitors the price of a food basket with 63 essential goods and, between February 2022 and September 2023, this basket became €36.91 more expensive (up more than 20%).

This rise in prices poses significant challenges to the management of many families’ budgets, especially since food is not an area in which people can – or should – eliminate spending.

However, there are some habits and strategies that can help you mitigate the effects of inflation and manage your food budget more rationally and optimally. Find out how to save on food with the following tips!

Read also: How to eat healthily without spending a lot of money?

1 – Plan your meals better

Planning is one of the key words when it comes to saving on food costs. Anticipating the meals you’re going to have during the week allows you to buy only the ingredients you need, avoiding spending money on superfluous food that could end up spoiling.

In this way, you’re better able to control your food costs and, at the same time, avoid food waste.

2 – Make more thoughtful purchases

There are small habits that, although they may take a bit of extra work, allow you to make more rational purchases and therefore avoid unnecessary spending:

• Always make a shopping list and stick to it (resist the temptation to buy things on impulse);
• Taking into account what you really need, set a maximum ceiling for what you can spend;
• Compare prices between different stores and between different brands of the same product;
• Read the promotional leaflets of the various stores and check whether the campaigns are worthwhile (don’t buy goods you don’t need just because they’re on discount).

3 – Try online shopping

When you shop online, you’re more likely to stick to your shopping list because you’re not in a physical store looking at dozens of other products that might catch your eye.

What’s more, as you add products to your cart, you’ll also have a more immediate idea of how much you’re going to spend.

Explore platforms such as Mercadão or 360hyper, which also offer exclusive advantages to users of Edenred benefits.

4 – Freeze

If you have cooked large quantities, freeze the excess and save it for a day when you don’t have your meal ready. By freezing leftovers from meals you’ve already cooked or certain foods you haven’t eaten, you’re preventing them from spoiling and therefore making better use of your budget. You’re also saving time.

5 – Favor seasonal products

Seasonal fruit and vegetables are fresher, tastier and more nutritious. In addition, they also tend to be cheaper, as production costs are lower and they are not subject to such long transportation and refrigeration processes.

Equal Food offers fruit and vegetable baskets from local producers at a more affordable price than the average market price. Edenred users also have additional advantages when ordering their baskets on this platform.

6 – Better control of expiry dates

Keep a closer eye on the expiry dates of the products you buy. Start right at the moment you are buying the food: look at the labels and make sure the expiry date matches the period in which you expect to consume the products.

At home, organize food and packaging in such a way that those you need to eat first are ahead of those with a longer shelf life.

With this strategy you are once again avoiding waste and saving money.

7 – Drink more water

Instead of opting for juices, soft drinks or alcoholic beverages, for example. We all know that drinking water is essential for our health and well-being, as well as being the cheapest drink.

Drinking more water is therefore better for your health and also for your wallet.

8 – Avoid waste

We’ve already touched on this point in previous tips, but the truth is that saving on food has a lot to do with the rigorous use we make of food and meals.

Too Good To Go has countless tips for zero-waste recipes that you can put into practice in your daily life to make the most of the food you have at home.

9 – Ask for an invoice in restaurants

By requesting an invoice from a restaurant, you’re not saving money immediately, but you are contributing to receiving a larger tax refund in the future. VAT is deductible at 15% up to a maximum of €250.