Eating out is the top financial indulgence for Canadians.

According to Statistics Canada, the average Canadian spent $10,691 on food in 2016. This includes both groceries and dining out. That amounts to $890.91 per month or $222.72 per week.

Now you might understand why The Globe and Mail wrote an article titled “Eating Out is the Top Financial Indulgence for Canadians.”

“There is no way I spend that much! That is far above my spending,” you might say.

But have you ever thought to document your spending for a year? If the average Canadian tallied their yearly food expenses, the figure would likely not be far off.

Example: A daily morning coffee costs about $2.20. Multiply that by 20 working days, and you’re spending $44.00 each month—not including those impulsive donut purchases. Yet coffee can be brewed at home for under 15 cents a cup.

“Yeah, yeah… how far is saving a couple of dollars on coffee going to get me?”

Well, don’t just take it from me. Here’s Canadian billionaire Kevin O’Leary’s opinion on buying coffee in the morning.

After hearing a billionaire say he won’t spend an extra $2.00 on coffee (a 94% markup), perhaps the rest of us should consider buying bulk coffee for $10.00, which lasts over two months.

Now let’s get into the real meat and potatoes of this consumer spending problem.

What’s the first rule of Fight Club?

Prepare all meals!

Second?

Prepare all meals!

Third?

“I get it…”

Yes, prepare your meals! Not only does preparing meals help fatten your wallet, but it also shrinks your waistline and saves you time.

Nothing beats a home-cooked meal. The additives and preservatives that mass-produced food companies put into their cheap fast-food products could make you sick—from antibiotics and pesticides to processed sugars, trans fats, and added sweeteners. Everyone knows we’re better off cooking our own meals. Forget all boxed and “ready” foods. Here’s a simple guideline I use for grocery shopping: “If it wasn’t around 1,000 years ago, I’m not going to buy it.”

I often hear, “Well… I run out of ideas on what to cook; I don’t want to eat the same thing.”

Quick Tip: There’s this thing called Google. You have access to hundreds of thousands of FREE recipes right in your pocket.

Every Sunday, Jenna and I spend roughly 1–2 hours cooking all our meals for the week, ranging from various salad dishes to chilis and whatever creative recipes we find online. (I’m encouraging her to create her own blog for all the delicious meals she creates!)

For those who know me, I lead a very active lifestyle. I walk roughly 10,000 steps each day, followed by regular strength training. I consume a lot of calories—sometimes as high as 4,000.

Each day, I have seven meals. Each meal needs to have adequate protein, carbs, fats, and vitamins while remaining cheap with no processed sugars.

That works out to 49 meals each week.

Average weekly spending on food: $50.00 (roughly $1.00 per meal, sometimes less).

How do I average $1 or less per meal?

Let me save you the hard work. I started by taking pictures of every price tag for each food item I bought. I then recorded the cost and weight into spreadsheets and calculated the cost per serving, disregarding anything over 60 cents.

This led me to a spreadsheet filled with foods that can literally be grown in our backyard. These foods consisted of beans, legumes, seeds, vegetables, and simple condiments like hot sauce.

I proceeded to research every variation of bean, seed, and vegetable. I designed a cross-comparison spreadsheet that analyzes each one and compares their nutritional value. I was shocked by what I discovered.

Let’s take dark red kidney beans, for example:

Calories: 330
Fat: 0g
Sodium: 11mg
Carbs: 60g
Fiber: 25g
Natural Sugars: 5g
Protein: 24g
Calcium: 20% of daily value
Iron: 70% of daily value

Cost: $0.30 per serving

Alt text

Previously, I was spending upwards of $4 per meal for a meat source of protein. Not only is some meat loaded with chemicals and hormones, but it also has half the protein content!

And where does the average cow or animal get their protein from? From plants that grow from the ground. Why buy ‘recycled’ protein when you can go directly to the source for a fraction of the price?

I think you get the point.

Before I waste any more of your time, here is a sample of the spreadsheets I put together. Multiple sheets are included, starting with the price per serving along with the nutritional comparison.

Grocery Breakdown
Here are a few more quick tips I found online for those who might not be frugal enough to try out this diet (yes, I am challenging you).

Make Meals from Scratch
Making your own meals from scratch is one of the biggest ways you can save money. As the table above illustrates, the more prepared the food is, the more it usually costs. The nice thing is that homemade food is usually better for you too. So making your own meals from scratch can save your wallet and your health.

Always Cook Too Much
Always try to cook more food than you need and then freeze the leftovers or take them to work for lunch the next day. If you can avoid buying lunch at work, you can save $1,800 per year. Freezing meals can help you save a lot of time and make cooking meals from scratch more realistic for busy people.

Don’t Buy Bottled Water (and Consider Drinking Only Water)
Check with your city or town to see how the quality of your tap water compares to bottled water. Many cities now offer tap water that is just as clean or cleaner than bottled water. Why lug around heavy bottles of water when the stuff that comes out of the tap is the same or better?

Don’t Shop Hungry
You will buy more food if you shop hungry, and you’ll likely choose items that appeal to your immediate appetite rather than what works for your weekly grocery budget.

Try to Shop Alone
Shopping with kids can add to your grocery bill, and retailers know this. Grocery items geared toward kids are placed at their eye level. Shopping with your spouse can also increase your bill if they tend to make impulse buys or pick up items not on your list.

Salvage Grocery Stores
These stores buy damaged or defective goods from major grocery chains and food manufacturers that are still safe to eat—the packaging might be damaged or have the wrong expiry date printed on it. At these stores, you can sometimes save 50% or more.

By making conscious choices and slight adjustments to your shopping and eating habits, you can significantly reduce your food expenses while improving your health. Give it a try—you might be surprised at how much you save!