Breaking news: Food prices have skyrocketed!

You don’t need us to tell you how much everything costs today.

A new poll in Fox Business found 78% of Americans now consider fast food a “luxury“ because of the cost and prices for “food away from home” are up almost 22% in the past three years.

Grocery store prices have stabilized this year but are still high…despite that, making meals at home will always be cheaper than the alternatives.

are only up 1% in the past year, but a similar 21% in the past three.  Still, cooking at home will always be the cheaper option.  So here are some ways to save money on your food bill from the NY Times and Herald Net:

Stop being “too busy” to cook.  Make sure your pantry is always stocked with ingredients for a quick, 15-minute dinner so when things get hectic, that’s your fallback instead of ordering out all the time.

Eat less meat.  Meat is expensive and most Americans eat too much of it anyway.  Over time, cutting out meat once or twice a week can save you a lot of money.

Stop wasting food.  Don’t make enough for leftovers if you’re not going to eat them and if your fresh vegetables always go bad, switch to frozen…they last up to a year and are just as tasty.

Snack less.  Junk food is VERY expensive so by cutting back you’ll automatically save money and you may also lose some weight. #WinWin

Buy generic.  Many store-brand products taste just as good as their name-brand counterparts and are usually half the price (or more).

We’d also add to check the best by dates…if you know you’ll eat something soon, you can get some great deals (many people won’t buy things if it’s too close to those dates), check out the discount aisle for items that may be “slightly” damaged or clost to expiration so are at big savings…and make less trips to the store…the less you go, the less you’ll spend!

What are your tips for saving while shopping?