Welcome to Afghan Dastarkhwan: Eating healthy on a budget in the United States!
Today we will learn how to save money when shopping for food.
If you are spending too much on food - there are ways you can cut down on costs.
Ways to Save
See if there are ways you can save on your food costs.
Some common ways to do this are to use coupons, buy what is on sale, identify the stores where products are less expensive, buy in bulk, or use local food banks.
Some cheaper store chains include Aldi, Walmart, Lidl as well as African, Asian or Latino food markets that often have great prices and fresh produce.
Coupon
A coupon tells you if a lower price is available on a food item. They can be paper or found online, and you have to present it to the cashier.
Sale
Sale means a temporary lower price on a product.
Sales are shown on the price tag of the item in the store itself, or coupon books from stores you can get in the mail.
Store Rewards Program
Store rewards programs are usually offered in grocery stores. To be able to use it, a customer needs to sign up for it for free and receive a rewards card that gives access to discounts and rewards from that store on certain produce. These cards are not credit cards (avoid those unless you are clear on the terms and conditions). Store rewards cards give you additional discounts on food, similar to a coupon, and many supermarkets have them. You can’t use them to pay for anything but they are scanned at the end of your purchase and savings are subtracted from your bill.
Community Resources
Food Bank or Pantry
This is a place where you can receive free food in your community.
Free Food Resources
To find local free food resources consult the national hunger hotline 1-866-3-HUNGRY or ask your local mosque or food access nonprofit for their recommendations of food banks, pantries, or free food distribution events.
Most schools offer free or low-cost meals to eligible students. Contact your child's school for more information.
You can ask your school about Halal options.
If you have SNAP or WIC benefits, some stores and farmers markets offer discounts on fruits and vegetables.
It’s free to enroll in these discount programs and you can save a lot of money, they have different names like “SNAP Match” or "Double-Up Food Bucks”.
Be sure and watch all the videos in our video series on eating healthy on a budget in the US.
28 авг 2024
