Yahoo Finance 7 Quick Budget Hacks To Save Money as Fast-Food Prices Rise
You know inflation is serious when as many as 80% of Americans now view fast food as a luxury item. It’s gotten so expensive that it’s barely distinguishable from eating out at a restaurant, according to a recent LendingTree Survey.
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Fast food has often filled the gap in food deserts and communities where working people don’t have as much time to come home and make their own meals. But that trend seems to be changing as 62% of Americans say they will be eating less fast food if prices don’t come down.
If you’re one of those who wants to spend less, here are some budget hacks to help you save without sacrificing delicious food.
Start Cooking With an Air Fryer
It seems like every month there’s a new kitchen “must have” that all the influencers are touting. Most of us don’t have the kitchen space to add something new, but if you want to save money and make tasty, healthy food (that can even mimic some of your fast-food faves — chicken nuggets anyone?) now is the time to hop on the air fryer bandwagon.
According to CNET, air fryers can save you significantly as compared to cooking in a regular oven. They ran the numbers (based on New York’s energy costs) and showed how much you could save per year just by switching to an air fryer:
Cost of 300 hours of cooking with a gas oven on high heat: $153
Cost of 300 hours of cooking with an electric oven on high heat: $120
Cost of 150 hours of cooking with an air fryer: $39
Slow Cook Big Batches
Another budget hack that’s both low effort and low cost is using a slowcooker to make food in batches. Slow cook a bunch of pork shoulder or chicken breasts to make shredded meat for tacos, enchiladas, to go over rice or any other delicious recipe you’re up for. You can try to make a lentil or minestrone soup that can feed a whole family.
A slow cooker uses about 200 to 220 watts of energy, whereas an oven uses around 2,000 to 5,000 watts depending on the brand and efficiency.
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Meal Plan
You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to meal plan. It’s simply fixing the menu in place each week so that when you go shopping, you buy only what you need for that week’s meals.
This allows you to prep your meals in advance, and even freeze them, if need be, which can limit the likelihood that you’ll buy food out.
Some tips for meal planning can include such practices as:
Buy in bulk
Buy less meat (which is more expensive)
Buy seasonal produce
Use frozen fruits and vegetables
Use Ingredients Across Multiple Meals
Another way to save money is to buy food items that can be utilized in a number of different meals. Consider repurposing the chicken breasts from a chinese stir fry into
Maybe you repurpose chicken breasts from a Chinese stir fry into chicken salad sandwiches. Or perhaps you buy a big bag of beans that make their way into soups, chiles, over rice or even in a three-bean salad.
A quick search online can help you find which foods are best for this practice, and recipes abound for ways to be creative with low-cost food items.
Price Match and Shop Around
Don’t settle for the price at your nearest grocery store. According to Consumers Checkbook, shopper should look for stores that will price match and allow you take a lower price if you find a coupon at another store.
Many stores with price matching expect customers not to take advantage of these deals, so be the squeaky wheel to get your best price.
Rewards and Loyalty Programs
If there is a store you shop at frequently and you aren’t using their rewards or loyalty program, you are likely missing out on big discounts and rewards.
In fact, you can often join multiple such programs, many with no or low fees, and all of them providing you with the perks of such loyalty.
Make Healthy Versions of Fast Food
The truth is most fast food is designed to favor flavor over nutrition and is often not the healthiest. If you want to capture the taste, but don’t want to spend the money on what isn’t even all that good for you, you can learn to make your own versions of some of your favorites that are better for you and probably tastier, too.
Delish offers healthy versions you can make at home for such fast-food faves as:
Wendy’s chili
Burger King chicken fries
Panda Express chow mein
Taco Bell’s crunchwrap supreme
Dairy Queen ice cream cake
McDonald’s big mac
With a little bit of planning and thought, you might find that you don’t miss purchasing fast food when you’re making healthier, tastier and more affordable food at home.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 7 Quick Budget Hacks To Save Money as Fast-Food Prices Rise
