It can be hard to understand why, if inflation has cooled, groceries are still so expensive. That’s because cooling inflation doesn’t mean that prices stop rising or that high prices come down; it means that prices rise more slowly than they have been. Meanwhile eggs have become so expensive due to massive outbreaks of avian flu that people are making jokes about giving them as gifts and paying for services with them.
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If your grocery budget feels like it’s breaking the bank each month, there are some simple strategies you can apply to cut costs without sacrificing the foods you love to eat.
Here are seven ways to save on eggs and other grocery items.
Buy in Bulk
Now is the time to renew or grab a membership to a wholesale club like Costco or Sam’s Club and significantly reduce your expenses by buying grocery items in bulk that your family eats the most of. It might even be a good time to switch over to foods you can buy in bulk. From pastas, grains and beans to frozen meats and vegetables, buying items that have the longest shelf or freezer lives, as well, will make sure you don’t waste anything you buy, either.
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Utilize Egg Replacements
Other than becoming a chicken farmer yourself or comparison shopping, it is hard to bring the cost of eggs down. However, you can learn to cook without them in some cases, by using the ingredients that replace eggs in some recipes. In baking, when you need an egg for leavening or binding, there are a vast number of ingredients that can serve the same function. Think like vegans and draw on such ingredients as:
- Applesauce
- Mashed banana
- Ground flax seed
- Chia seeds
- Silken tofu
- Cornstarch
- Mashed potatoes
- Vegan yogurt
Break Up With Brand Names
If you’ve been attached to a brand name food product for years, now is the time to get realistic: You’re paying more for a name in most cases. Generic or alternative label products with the same or similar ingredients are most likely going to taste the same but for a significant cost savings. Most grocery stores have their own store brands that are already cheaper but likely even more discounted if you enroll in their loyalty programs.
Grow Your Own
OK, obviously not everyone can just set up a garden or a farm for every grocery item they need to eat, but if you have the capacity to do so, at the very least you can grow fruits and veggies (yes, even in winter, indoors and with good sunlight), which not only can save you money but often these items end up tasting much better, too. Second best, check out a local farmer’s market.
Buy What’s in Season
As much as it’s wonderful to eat green grapes in winter or hard squash in summer, these are not the natural seasons for these products and they may end up costing you more because they’ve been shipped from another part of the state or even country to satisfy demand. Food that comes in from Mexico will soon be subject to increased tariffs (once the pause is over), so expect out-of-season fruits and vegetables to be even more expensive in the near future.
Enroll In Loyalty Programs
If you find yourself shopping at one grocery store more often than others, look into joining up with its loyalty program, which might include discounts on store-brands, cash back for dollars spent and more perks.
Meal Plan
When you plan ahead for your meals, you can think proactively about the ingredients you have on hand and even make more of an effort to utilize ingredients that could otherwise go to waste. Meal planning can allow you to shop in a more focused way, as well, instead of at random, and improve the chances that you only spend as much as you have budgeted.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 7 Ways To Cut Costs on Eggs and Other Grocery Items Hit by Inflation
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