3 Tips for Cutting Food Costs, According to Frugal Living YouTuber Kate Kaden
Written by
Peter Burns
Edited by
Jasmine Browley
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Rising food costs have become a major topic of discussion in recent years across the U.S. While the percentage increase has slowed since its peak in 2022, food prices still rose 2.4% in the year leading up to November 2024 due to high inflation.
These high grocery prices stressed many Americans and even became a point of emphasis in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
Frugal living YouTuber Kate Kaden weighed in on the subject in a recent video. Here are her top three tips for cutting down your grocery bill.
Limit Your Grocery Shopping
A recent study found that 39% of those heading into a grocery store to make planned purchases for necessities will spend extra on impulse purchases.
Each time you step into a grocery store, you open yourself up to making impulse buys, finding deals you didn’t know about and falling victim to other aggressive marketing tactics. Any of these traps result in you spending more money. Because of this, limiting your shopping trips to once or twice a week can help cut down your grocery budget.
Kaden explains that the more often you enter a grocery store, the more items you purchase and the more money you spend.
One method that can further refine your grocery shopping planning is grocery pick-up. When you don’t even let yourself enter the store, you’re less likely to be drawn to items that weren’t on your list and increase your spending. When you pick items online and make an order, you get exactly what you need for the week.
Have A ‘Eat Cheap Week’
You don’t need to run up your grocery bill every week just because you have the money to do so. Kaden recommends having an “eat cheap week” and buying low-cost foods. These items can fill you up, taste great and leave some extra cash in your wallet.
Pancake mix, eggs and potatoes are inexpensive and may seem simple, but there are many different ways to make them. You can have eggs poached, over easy or boiled, for example. Make scrambled eggs for breakfast or add a tortilla to transform the meal into breakfast burritos or quesadillas. You can make baked, mashed or chopped potatoes and add other cheap ingredients like vegetables or sour cream to liven them up.
Having a full week of budget-friendly meals doesn’t have to mean going hungry. Adding creativity to the affordable foods at your grocery store can save a lot for other areas.
Don’t Make Meat The Centerpiece
For those who eat it, meat is often what you shape a meal around. You might grill a steak and add mushrooms and asparagus as the sides. Baked salmon might call for some steamed broccoli and a salad. If you plan to have barbecue ribs, you might pick up some beans and corn to round out the meal. However, meat can drive up your food costs in a hurry.
A recent study by JAMA Network had participants try different diets, including regular, Mediterranean and vegan diets, for four weeks. After a month, it determined that those on the vegan diet spent 19% less than the others. Instead of basing your meals around meat, Kaden suggests adding meat to the side or excluding it altogether. A dish like pasta or a salad can stand alone or work with a bit of chicken on top.
Even without meat, organic produce can be costly. To cut down on the price of vegetables, shop at a nearby farmer’s market or try growing your own at home. You can grow simple vegetables like lettuce, carrots and radishes in season to save money and have your own supply of fresh food.
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