The price of everything that goes into producing crops is surging, threatening to further fan global food inflation.

Food production costs were already high. The pandemic snarled supply chains, making it more difficult — and expensive — to get parts and supplies that are vital for growing crops.

Then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine took things to another level, sending markets soaring for fertilizers and for the fuels needed to run farm machinery. Inflation is so rampant that even with rising food prices, farmers are facing increasingly tough margins.

Buy local.

 If you live in a region that isn’t drought-stricken, you might find better prices at the farmers market than at the supermarket, where food is shipped in from distant states (and countries) that might have crop shortages due to weather conditions. 

Eat at Home

Dining out is an expensive proposition. Many of the meals that you pay for in a formal restaurant can be made at home for a fraction of the price. Even good coffee is cheaper to make if you do it yourself. Fast food is excluded from the category. While high-calorie, low-quality food can be had at a bargain price, the impact on your long-term health overrides the benefit of short-term savings.

Shop with a Plan

If you stumble around the grocery store and fill your cart with everything that catches your eye, you’ll spend more than if you prepared a shopping list in advance. Plan your meals for the week ahead and make careful note of what ingredients you need to prepare those dishes.

Manage the committed expenses

 While managing non-committed expenses always stand out as a way to increase savings, we can often find ways to optimise our committed spending as well.  We can optimise the cost being incurred for our household expenses, utilities or existing loans.

Shop around. 

If you do your grocery shopping at a store that’s already pricier than others, you’ll likely feel an even bigger blow to your budget when food prices spike. So consider switching to a lower-priced grocer for most of your everyday needs, but work in trips to other retailers that have the best prices on specific items.

Pick wisely

Meat and dairy tend to be the more expensive items at the supermarket, and especially of late. In response, aim to make more meals that don’t rely on them as the central ingredient, Brown said.

Stock up during deep-discount periods. 

For meat, look for manager markdowns, suggests consumer savings expert Andrea Woroch, and then buy a lot and freeze what you don’t plan to cook right away. According to the USDA, meat can stay in the freezer for up to 12 months. Just make sure to cut it into smaller pieces and then individually wrap them, so you don’t have to defrost a whole package at once.

Compare costs

Looking for sales, and buying items strategically at stores where they cost lower are other ways to save money on food, experts say. You can usually browse discounts on a supermarket’s website or app, or find them listed at the retailer. 

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