Have you ever wondered how much money you spend on meals per day, month or an year? A 2015 study, shows that an average American spend $2,392 per year on food, the average Nigerian $1,132 ( NGN470652), while an average Kenyan spends $543 (Ksh 54300) a year on food. In terms of a portion of your household disposable income, Nigerians spend 56.4%; Kenyans 46.7%; 45.6% in Cameroon and 42.5% in Algeria.
The food prices will keep rising in 2022 while your income is likely to decrease. Any option to reduce your expenses on food is urgent and beneficial for you.
But, What can you exactly do to slash your food budget? Agcenture proposes you the following 5 tips.
Budget for food & stick to it
You probably losing cash on groceries because you do not budget or fail to stick to one. Start by making a list of all foods and ingredients that you will need. Proceed to compare prices in various suppliers and always work to utilize coupons, sale offers and discounts in order to buy foods as long as they are of similar quality. Besides, budgeting will help you from food losses and money wastage through precise shopping by buying the right amounts of food at the right time.
Buy from Farmer’s food market
If you have been buying at supermarkets, malls or convenience stores, consider shopping food from village of farmers’ markets. Examples include the Kiambu Road Farmers market, Wakulima Market Nakuru or Nyamakima Cereals Market, Eastleigh and Kariobangi markets. Apart from getting some fresh products, you will enjoy variety products, and cheap farmer prices.
Grow your own food
Are you a consumer feeling food prices are high for you? Remember you are not in a contract with any farmer or food trader to sell you foof at prices you like. If the price is high, produce or grow your own. You do not have to live or own a farm to do. Millions of people across the world practise urban farming and produce excess quality food for family use and sale.
How to grow your own food?
If you are looking to start growing your own food, you can lease, buy or rent a small farm in rural or urban area. If you are on a budget, the following are some methods you can consider growing your own food.
- You can do it in a small backyard kitchen garden,
- Be creative and grow it in planting containers, pots, or a sack garden
- Intensive poultry and small animals raising in small or confined spaces
- Invest in a micro greenhouse or a hydroponics unit
- Regrow vegetables like carrots and garlic from kitchen scraps.
What to grow for food in your kitchen garden?
Which are the best foods to grow in your kitchen garden? First, make a list of all food you need to serve to your family for a year, month, or week. Second, consider the cost of buying a kg of each at the market versus growing it. Consider buying foods that are cheap to produce than buy. Some of the easiest foods you can grow are vegetables, poultry, and rabbits as shown above.
Buy foods that are in season
Fresh produce like fruits and vegetables that are in season are cheaper for you. It is sourced from the local farms and excludes the cost of shipping it from abroad. Second, it is priced low to sell fast before it can go bad. During Mango season, fruits in the market can sell for 5 cents. The same during other times of the year cost 10-20 times more.
To benefit from buying in season, invest in proper food processing and preservation to utilize it for longer periods of time. You can dry them, make pickles, or fruit jams for later use.
Stock cereals and grains
Buy foods with longer shelf lives like cereals (maize, wheat, rice pasta) and legumes (beans, peas, lentils) during their harvest periods. It will save your budget by reducing the cost per Kg. Store them in hermetic containers and bags to prevent them from destruction from pests and moisture. Perishable produce like fish, meat and dairy products can be stored in refrigerators and freezers to keep it fresh and safe.
4. Make your own meals at home
Prevent losing your cash on food budget by avoiding the conveniences costs of online shopping, home deliveries and dining out in hotels. It is less expensive to make your own meals at home than buying the ready to eat meals. To save even further plan to make a large meal. You will then portion them and refrigerate or freeze them until the next meal. You will save by buying ingredients in bulk as well as save time and fuel of small cooking meals. Besides, cooking can be a great bonding exercise for you and relatives.
Bonus Tips
Watch the YouTube video below on additional ways, tips and tricks to save money on food and groceries in 2022.
