It is really not that difficult to get into the habit of sharing the cost of food. But how do you go about doing it, when you have never done it before. Well, there are a lot of different ways.
Angel Food Networks
First, in some area’s there are angel food networks, which require a set fee each month (typically around $50.00) and you receive $100.00 worth of food. They order the food in large supply, take the time separate the orders that they received and then distribute the food at a set destination. You then come pick up your food and you have enough meals for often a couple of weeks, depending on the size of your family. And anyone qualifies to participate in this program, regardless of income amount or location.
Bulk Warehouse
This is my primary method of shopping when I am sharing food costs. You might wish to split costs with more than one person/family so that you can get the best deals and purchase things you will all eat. Beginning a food co-op is the best way. You can either start it on the Internet, or you can ask friends, family and neighbors if anyone would be willing to share costs at the bulk warehouse. Since quantities are plentiful at a large warehouse facility, you might wind up purchasing more than you can reasonably use. This is not a problem for us, but for many it is. See my article, Saving Money By Starting a Bulk Warehouse Food Co-op.
Meal Making Co-op
This is another excellent method of saving money. My article, Save Money By Starting a Meal Making Co-op will help you start your own, keep it running smoothly and give you a great way to save some extra money AND time.
Special Sales
Some grocery stores have special sales, where you have to purchase 10 items for $10.00. Often they allow you to mix and match items, to get this price or only purchase a few, and still get each item at $1.00. But still there are other times, where you simply have to purchase 10 of those items. A perfect example of this, was a couple of months back, our local grocery store had a wonderful deal on ground turkey. It was $10.00 for ten pounds. I thought, what am I going to do with ten pounds of ground turkey? Well, I wound up keeping eight pounds and giving two to a friend, however, what would have been better is if I split the cost with a friend instead. I did use all eight packages, because we wound up substituting ground turkey for ground beef in several different recipes, including a homemade version of hamburger helper which tasted far better with the ground turkey than it did with the ground beef. So the next time your store has a sale, be sure and check out the restrictions and if you have to purchase a large number of items to get that price, try splitting the cost with a friend.
For more great ideas check out:
Save Money By Starting A Meal Making Co-Op
Save Money By Starting a Bulk Warehouse Food Co-Op
Saving Money With Meal Planning