In most homes, spending on food and drinks is the second biggest expense after housing. Try some of these money-saving tips the next time you’re at the grocer. It will save you substantial amount of money.

Plan: The most important aspect of shopping is to plan. Start making a list of essential items after checking your stock 2-3 days before heading out to shop.


Shop once a week without the kids: If you’ve ever had the experience of shopping at the end of the day with a screaming child, you know how easy it is to grab things quickly without checking prices and go home. Often, the kids force you to buy avoidable things.

Many colonies have a weekly bazaar where farmers directly bring their produce. These may be good places to buy fresh seasonal vegetables at bargain prices. Keep a watch for the sales and discount schemes in the market.

Use home-cooked foods: It is generally much cheaper and healthier to eat foods made in your kitchen than prepared foods bought from outside. However, there are numerous exceptions. For example, a jar of pasta sauce on sale probably costs less than all the vegetables you’d have to buy to make it.

Be more vegetarian: The highest-cost item in many people’s diets is almost certainly meat. Introduce your family to vegetarian dishes. It is cheaper and healthier. Think of meat as a side dish.

Buy in bulk but carefully

The prices really are better when you buy in bulk. But if you’re not careful, you can also spend a lot on items you don’t need or that go bad before you can eat them.

Put leftovers in the freezer: Get in the habit of putting the extra raw meat or fish in the freezer. That way you’ll know they’ll be fresh when you want them again the next time, even if you forget about it for a few days.


Eat seasonal fruits and vegetables: These are low in cost and taste better than cold storage out-of-season food items. They also provide variety in your meals throughout the year. During season, when items are available in bulk, you can even freeze items, such as peas and carrots slices, and use them later.

Beware of sales talk

Some companies adopt attractive marketing strategies to sell their products. Do not be tempted into impulsively buying products that you do not need and are beyond your budget. Make the older children at home understand that every new product advertised on television need not be bought. However, you can treat them to a new product once a month.