52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Reduce Convenience Foods {Week 38 of 52}

Welcome to my 52 Ways to Save $100 a Month series. We’re serious about saving money in 2016. Sometimes it’s the little things and sometimes it’s the big things. I’m here to walk you through some little things that can add up to BIG savings. 52 little things to be exact. Every week, join me back here for another small money saving tip or idea that might not seem like significant savings until you see the overall yearly savings. It might just blow your mind. So pop in each Tuesday and read a new tip that will help you on your way to save $100 a month!

I stumbled onto this little graphic the other day from an extensive study done by a group of doctors with the Department of Family Medicine. I was kind of shocked. But when I sat down and thought about cost of convenience foods, it is 100% true for my family. I thought back to the times I’ve left the HH and Monkey Boy alone and stocked up on their favorite frozen foods, microwaveable stuff, junkity junk  {if only I could get Monkey Boy to kick his Doritos habit!}. It always breaks my budget. If I plan healthy meals without a drop of convenience food, that’s the only way I can keep my budget in check!

So I took this knowledge and did a little research. I found 3 major reasons you should kick the convenience food habit:

It’s Spendy: A convenience dietary model estimated an average annual food cost of $10,298, nearly twice that of the healthy food model. Calculated cost-per-calorie values for the healthy and convenience diets were shocking, too: the average cost per calorie of the healthy diet was estimated to be 25% less than that of a convenience diet.

It’s NOT Actually Convenient: Surprisingly, dinner didn’t get on the table any faster in homes that favored convenience foods. Meals took an average of 52 minutes in total time to prepare. The difference in the total amount of time saved was marginal between convenience and healthy diets. In fact, families saved only when it came to the amount of hands-on time spent preparing dishes — and the savings were relatively modest. Families with an extensive reliance on convenience foods saved an average of 10 minutes over families with more limited reliance on such products.

It’s Unhealthy: A LOT of food that’s packaged and prepared for our convenience is not only more expensive than something you cook yourself, but also most likely less healthy. A convenience diet comprises 52% more calories than the healthy diet. WHAT? That’s crazy talk!

So there you have it. Time, money and health. Even if you cut back on convenience foods, not eliminate them, you’ll be so much better off!

How Much Can You Save:  Half your food budget. This would drastically vary depending on how much convenience food your family currently consumes. If you are heavily reliant on convenience food, you’d see a huge reduction, as studies like the one about have shown it can be half as expensive to buy healthy foods.

More Ways to Save:

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Clean Out Your Closet {Week 1 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Break Up with Cable {Week 2 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Barter Better {Week 3 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Change Your Own Oil {Week 4 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Adjust Your Thermostat {Week 5 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Take Advantage of Your Perks {Week 6 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Pack Your Lunch {Week 7 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Make It Yourself {Week 8 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Preserve Your Bounty {Week 9 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Keep the Change {Week 10 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | The Art of Borrowing {Week 11 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Ditch the Gym {Week 12 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Clip a Coupon {Week 13 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Start Your Garden From Seed {Week 14 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Learn to Cut Hair {Week 15 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Become a 1 Car Family {Week 16 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Make a Phone Call {Week 17 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Shop Christmas in July {Week 18 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Grow a Garden {Week 19 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Just Say No {Week 20 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Go Generic {Week 21 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Make a Budget {Week 22 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Use the Library {Week 23 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Kick the Soda Habit {Week 24 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Improve Your Credit Score {Week 25 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Shop Online {Week 26 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Save on Lodging {Week 27 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Play for Free {Week 28 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Save Big on Birthday Parties {Week 29 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Back to School Clothes on the Cheap {Week 30 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Inexpensively Entertaining {Week 31 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Buy Used College Textbooks {Week 32 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Buy Used {Week 33 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Buy In Bulk {Week 34 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Skip a Meal {Week 35 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Save on Medical Expenses {Week 36 of 52}

52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Save on Christmas Spending {Week 37 of 52}