Okay, guilty as charged: my family and I have this thing about eating out… all the time. I blame it mostly on our jam-packed schedules. With work, extra-curricular and social activities, we’re all pooped by the end of the day.

Recently, I sat down and calculated our food budget: Oh. My. Goodness. We were totally going over what we projected at the beginning of the year. It was about time I change that.

Three Ways to Save on Your Food Bill

Plan Ahead
Ever heard about meal planning? Do you feel like you hear about it all the time? Yes?

Well, you know why? Because it works.

Whenever we come up with a week-long meal plan, we tend to eat out less because we know what we will be having in advance. If we don’t buy our groceries ahead of time, we’re stuck ordering in or going out because there’s almost no choice. An empty fridge = nothing to cook with.

Grocery Store Timing and Planning
For my family, trips to the grocery store are always carefully planned out. Like I mentioned, we’re busy, so the time slot has to be incorporated our schedule somehow.

For our family, going to the grocery store is a carefully-executed adventure. I make sure to have a list so that I am buying smart and being price-conscious with my purchases.

Also, in terms of timing: I never go to the grocery store hungry. Never. You know that feeling when you go to a restaurant feeling famished? You find yourself craving everything and ordering everything off the menu. Yeah, well it goes about the same for trips to the grocery store. Save yourself (and your wallet) by heading to the supermarket after dinner.

Delivery Services
Of course, staying in and putting together a home-cooked meal is ideal. Sometimes, my schedule just won’t allow me to head out to the grocer’s market. I’ve tried several grocery delivery services and there’s one that really stands out.

Hello Fresh is now my number one go-to for receiving fresh ingredients right at my doorstep. You can think of them as a Farm-to-Box company: they’re all about accessible, delicious, and healthy meals.

Are you hungry? Seriously… are you? I’m about to tell you what HelloFresh boxes I’ve tried and so you’ll probably want to reach over for your drool bib.

The Amazing Apricot Chicken was actually my first HelloFresh box and it was a hit with my fam. I love the fact that it comes with green beans on the side – my favorite! And let me tell you, everything was so fresh… even my kids were eating their veggies.

The Melty Monterey Jack Burgers will surely be a hit with my family. We’ll be preparing this on the weekend for family game night.

I can’t wait to try the Japanese-Style Panko Pork Cutlets. I am a huge fan of Asian cuisine and so is my husband. It features breaded meat with a savory-sweet sauce that would be excellent on a bed of rice.

Okay, so now that I’ve got your taste buds tickling, you can use discount code THOUGHTS30 for $30 off your first box. Selecting your plan couldn’t be any easier: you can choose your diet type (veggie or classic), the amount of meals you’d like to receive per week, as well as how many people you’ll be serving. Check it out more details here!

How does your family save on grocery bills? I’d love to hear your tips! Let’s talk about it in the comments below.