By some estimates, the average household spends an astonishing 40% of its food budget eating out. That’s a lot to digest. After housing and transportation, food is probably the next biggest item in the budget. In today's Faith and Finance Rob West discusses how you can easily make changes that will save you a lot of money. This is Faith and Finance -  biblical wisdom for your financial decisions.

• Obviously this is about cutting back on eating out and preparing more of your meals at home. A lot of families have two working parents, or maybe mom or dad’s busy driving vans full of kids to soccer or baseball practice, and that makes it difficult to avoid the convenience of fast food.
• But there’s always a cost for that convenience, and not just with money. Fast food tends to pack on pounds. When you eat out, you have less control over nutrition.
• Those are good reasons to eat in more often - and it starts with planning,  in this case menu planning. How many times have you looked at something in the cupboard and thought, “Why did I buy that?"
• You can avoid that by planning out your meals for the week: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, before you go to the store. This also allows you to choose healthier options, like fruits, vegetables and nuts.
• When you’re making up your menu plan, choose meals that you can make ahead of time over the weekend. It takes the guesswork out of what to eat during the week, and all that last minute scrambling.
• Once you have your menu plan, you can list all the items you need to make those meals. Then take an inventory of your fridge and cupboards, crossing off stuff you already have. What’s left is your shopping list - and when you go to the store, stick to your list and you’ll start saving money right away.
• That can be hard to do, especially if your stomach is grumbling from all that meal planning. So have a snack or eat a meal before you head out to the grocery store. That’s one way to prevent impulse buying.
• Here’s another one. Try to avoid the middle sections of your grocery store. That’s where they put things like cookies, candy and chips. If you’re shopping after work with a low energy level, it’s hard to resist those things.
• But if you concentrate on the outer sections of the store, you’ll be able to pick up a lot of the items needed for your menu plan - things like meats, vegetables, fruits and yogurt. Obviously you’ll have to duck into the middle for certain items, but do a quick “surgical strike” and get back to the safe outer zone.
• You also want to stock up on staples when you can get them at a good price. Cereals, rice, cornmeal and oatmeal are often sold in bulk at bigger stores.
• You also want to choose lower price options for protein in your meal planning. Hamburger costs less than steak. Chicken costs less than hamburger. And working a meat-free dinner into your weekly menu plan will also save you some hard earned money.
• And it almost goes without saying, making coffee at home and taking it to work is a lot cheaper than buying designer coffee. The same goes for water. Bring a bottle from home instead of buying it out.
• Another great idea is to take advantage of the free pickup option that many larger grocery chains offer now. There may be a minimum order required, but it’s not difficult to meet. Just go to the store’s website, sign up for curbside pickup, and check the items you need. That way you’re not tempted to buy unnecessary items while pushing a cart around the store. And you can keep a running total of what you’re spending, making it easier to stay on budget.
• Curbside pickup is also a great option if you usually have little ones hanging on the cart yelling, “Buy me this!”
• Here are some other ways you can avoid overspending on groceries:
• Be careful where you shop, because prices vary. Generally, the bigger the store or chain, the lower the prices. The service may not be as great in warehouse stores, for example, but you make up for that with savings.
• Of course, some of the big box grocery stores have membership fees, so that’s an added cost. But if you shop there even once a month, it’s probably worth it. One thing to consider, though - the packages at those stores tend to be gigantic, so make sure you can use up the item before the expiration date, and that you have room in the fridge for that 2 gallon jar of pickles.
• There’s one more way to save on your grocery shopping, and that’s by not leaving home at all. You can buy a lot of household necessities online from sites like Amazon and other online merchants. Try to take advantage of offers for free shipping.
• So those are some things that can help you eat more of your meals at home, saving you a ton of money in the process.

On this program, Rob also answers listener questions:

• Should you divert the cash value of two whole life policies you have to provide an inheritance for your adult sons to something else if you are nearing retirement and the annual premiums are $3000?
• Are high grade gold coins a good investment if you have about $25,000 in extra cash and have other retirement accounts and can live on your Social Security?
• How should you handle capital gains on a property you sold in New York state if you are an Ohio resident?
• Should you take out a personal loan to pay off your Home Equity Line of Credit if the interest rate has risen considerably since you took it out in 2018 to pay off credit card debt, and you still owe on your credit cards? (Rob referred the caller to Christian Credit Counselors.)
• How can you invest $100,000 in cash and $1000 a week you can save for the next four years to create a comfortable retirement if you are age 61 and self-employed?

Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Also, visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community, and even download the free FaithFi app.