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As a self-confessed foodie, safe to say that food expenses make for a very large part of my monthly expenses. Food is always something that I talk about (who doesn’t, right?) whenever someone asks me about my interests. But here’s the thing. I’m a foodie who loves trying only low-budget restaurants. Yes, there is an elegance in trying out those high-end restaurants and experiencing the ambience, but the thing is, these budget-friendly restaurants give me a feeling closer to home. And they’re pocket friendly too!
But here’s the thing - being a foodies shouldn’t mean being broke at the end of each month. There’s a whole bunch of ways you can manage your food expenses while eating out. Read on:
They matter! Believe me, you can save a lot on food expenses thanks to these coupons. If you’re on your own, especially in a city like Delhi or Bangalore with a massive eating-out culture, then your food budget is certainly going to eat a big chunk of your income (pun intended). Zomato, Swiggy, and other food delivery apps are deep into discounting, coupons and memberships, so I’d suggest capitalising on them as much as you can. Your month-end self will thank you for it.
How about we reverse the norm? Instead of calling your parents or watching videos to cook at the end of the month, how about you start doing that at the start, and then after the 20th head out to those restaurants? Honestly, that was the first idea I had, and tried it out. It was tough! But looking on the bright side, I learned to cook new dishes apart from my regular go-to's (and Maggi). It will be tough in the first few days or maybe weeks, but once you soldier through this, every bite at the end of the month will be worth it. But hey, this does not give you the permission to spend it all in the end knowing you’ll receive your salary eventually. Remember that!
Okay, so you want to blame your group of friends for making you spend so much every weekend or random get-togethers at some restaurant or bar. I get it. Here’s an idea. Try not to go to every single outing with your friends. Have house-parties? Or have a meal and pre-booze session at home before you head out. So when you’re out, you’ll only focus on a limited number of food items, and ensure that you split the bill appropriately. That should help keep your food budget in check.
On Fi, you can simply automate your savings by setting up FIT Rules. Here’s how it works - each time you order food online, you can choose to automatically set aside some money into a Smart Deposit. So let’s say you set up the rule to automatically save ₹200 each time you order food online. By the end of 10 food orders, you’ve already parked aside ₹2,000. This money is going to get your back at the end of the month. Try it out.
You don’t have to be on the bandwagon where everyone complains about going broke because of eating out. Budgeting of food should be as important as budgeting your rent and other expenses. It’s often we’re aware that it’s an expense but overlook it. Try having a food budget set every week or month and work towards that.
You can become a foodie on a budget by tracking where you spend the most and cut down on places where you feel it’s expensive and unnecessary. This doesn’t mean altering your diet, it means exploring more food options even when you are on a low budget.
A definite food budget resolves all worries about overspending on food every time you order in or go out to a restaurant of your choice. You can plan, decide and spend on selected restaurants that fit into your budget.
When planning a food budget, there are many points to consider. These include restaurant budgeting, street-side eatery expenses, expenses incurred when ordering in, groceries and packaged food expenses, etc.
The major factors that are included in the budgeting of food include your restaurant expenses, street-side eatery expenses, grocery shopping expenses, and expenses when ordering in, among others. You must also take into consideration how much food is wasted. This greatly prevents your additional food expenses.
