Inflation is something that cannot necessarily be controlled by consumers but there are ways to mitigate the effects of inflation on your monthly budget. The inflation rate continues to remain above 8% year-over-year, in the United States, which hasn't been seen in over 40 years. Here we'll discuss a few tips that will help decrease your monthly expenditures in your household when it comes to food:

Decrease Your Monthly Food Costs

Don't Buy Soda:

Soda, regardless of how much you love it, is a luxury good. It may seem odd to consider the item a luxury good because of how commonly we consume the drink. Soda isn't a healthy beverage for you. In most popular soda pop there is no added benefit to you; MOST are not nutritional for you.

As a drink that mostly contains carbs and sugars, it isn't healthy for you and can cause health problems like Diabetes in the future if you continuously consume it. Now, as an alternative to purchasing soda, you can purchase prepared drinks like orange juice. If you want an even cheaper and healthier alternative, then producing your own juices at home is definitely a great option. You can also treat yourself to a smoothie for an even more balanced and highly nutritional option that doesn't break your wallet.

Do not buy prepared foods:

Now, I'm not saying we can't enjoy Mcdonald's every once in a while, but holding back on your temptations for fast food can quickly help your finances. 8$ for a single low-quality burger with some fries definitely isn't worth it. You can make the meal at home for a third of the cost per burger and it would taste much better and would have far more protein in it.

Now, it's not just fast foods that we want to discuss. Many people buy prepared salads, with prepared salad dressing, and also premade pasta. By simply purchasing the items separately and spending some time and effort to create your meals fresh will also go a long way to keeping your expenses down. Grab some flour, get a few eggs and make yourself some fresh spaghetti.

Grow your own food:

Now, this isn't something that everyone can do, especially if your home is in an aggressive Home Owners Association, or if you live in apartment complexes and high-rises. Here us out real quick either way. If you have access to a window sill you do have the ability to grow some kinds of spices that you may enjoy. Parsley, oregano, cilantro (coriander), rosemary, etc. If you love cooking, spices can be surprisingly very expensive per container. Most of the time you're likely purchasing them in bundles at the produce section, or you're buying them dried in a bottle. Taking the chance to learn to grow microgreens and spices can be a fun and relatively quick way to get your feet wet in gardening.

As for those that have the access to land, growing your own food in a garden just right outside your front door, or indoor growing is a beautiful and fulfilling endeavor. You know what you're growing; To us, that is the biggest benefit to growing your own foods. Staggering your produce (planting new plants one to two weeks after your most recent new plants) can help you keep a continuous flow of fresh produce, especially if you live in climates that have great temperatures year-round. Those who live in colder climates may have a small window to grow, but consider growing them indoors as an alternative; Make sure there is good lighting.

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Now, these are just a few tips in a long list of ideas to help decrease the effects of inflation and decrease your monthly costs in your budget. Please take the time to consider each of them and plan accordingly the next time you purchase items, or purchase tools to get any of the suggestions underway. We will continue this topic in a different post so feel free to follow us to get more information about decreasing your monthly expenses. Currently, our main subject is food, but as we post more often we'll include other topics such as decreasing your electricity usage and finding more sustainable ways to travel without spending so much on fuel.