Five Unconventional Ways to Save Money on Food

1. Throw a supper party!

When reserves are running low, throw a supper party. Invite guests to bring ingredients they have hanging around in the fridge. Then, together, design and make a meal out of everything that people bring. You can get really wild and creative…and come home with some new dinner tips from others, to mix up the regular menu.

2. Trade gift certificates and coupons

After dinner, make the theme of savings a clever event. Have guests bring coupons, and a list of local discounts they have heard about. Be prepared to share and trade. Over dessert, bump up the stakes. Invite your guests to round up all of their unused gift certificates and free dinner coupons, and bring them to the supper party. (We all have some stuffed in a drawer, don’t we? The massage certificate we gave our mom for her birthday and she never used. The $50 restaurant raffle we won and never spent.) Then open the trading floor! Someone else would use that massage certificate in a heartbeat, and you could get something you really like in return. Commit to using the coupons and gift certificates you end up with, and see what kind of new experience it leads you to. I love to use mine for inevitable special occasions where I’ll be treating, like birthday dinners.

3. Eat out more often

Not at restaurants. Instead, consider the dinner invitations you have gotten from friends and neighbors over time. Start taking people up on them. Instead of putting it off, say yes! Offer to bring a salad.

4. Share a farm fresh produce box

Nearby farms often provide monthly or weekly produce delivery to urban areas. If you go in on a share with two other families, it could cost as little as $20 a week for a big box of vegetables. And the vegetables change with the season. Yum.

5. Make date night special

Instead of fancy Italian date night dinner, head to an all-night taco stand. Broaden your adventure horizons, and go on a walk. Look up at the stars. If you go to a discount theater, bring your own popcorn that you made at home. Money can be a short cut to gratification that creativity can make up with more fun. If the intent is being together, you’ll have a great time getting creative.

Erin Lozano is co-founder and COO of Green Sherpa and is dedicated to inspiring women to live and spend authentically. Her 14 years of experience in cash flow analysis for businesses and individuals helped her formulate the basis for the Green Sherpa™ Personal Cash Flow Management™ solution.