My brother told me to cut my grocery budget by $100 a month and it backfired

He swore by only buying store brands and skipping fresh produce. I tried it for two months and ended up spending more on takeout because the meals felt boring. My actual grocery bill only went down by $30, but my overall food spending went up by $50. Has anyone else had advice that sounded good but made things worse?

3 comments

3 Comments

annanguyen20d ago

Yeah, saw a thing about how cutting out fresh food can make you crave takeout more. Makes sense if your meals get too repetitive.

nina_johnson8620d ago

My grocery bill last week was just pasta, sauce, and cereal. By Thursday I was staring at the pizza delivery app like it was a long lost friend. The lack of color on my plate just makes me want to order something with actual vegetables in it, even if they're buried under cheese. How do you even break that cycle without wasting a bunch of fresh stuff?

angela_baker19d ago

Oh man, I totally get that. I tried a similar cut and just felt deprived. What finally worked for me was buying one or two fresh things I really love (like berries or peppers) and then filling in with frozen veggies for everything else. It kept meals from feeling so boring without breaking the bank.