How to cut your food bill

This article can also be found here.

The food bill can be a tough one to swallow each week. Food is a necessity, and there are not many ways that you can scrimp on it, because it will have a direct impact on much of your life. However, there are some ways that you can cut the food bill down a bit so that it is more manageable.

One way is to use coupons. Search for them in your local newspaper, online, or maybe even at the store itself. These can be nice little money savers, especially if you find any items that you were going to buy anyway. Sometimes that can be difficult, but it can be worth the effort. It's very easy and can help you cut the food bill. You can also look for discounts among stores, or try to search out which store will have the same product for cheaper than the rest.

Another way is to make a list beforehand - If you make a list with exactly what you need, you should be able to get in, get what you need, and get out. So make a list of everything that you need beforehand, and don't stray from that list. Have tunnel vision, so to speak. You may be tempted to buy something that you think is a good deal, but if you have your list and have decided you don't really need it, then you should avoid it. This is probably the biggest thing that kills a budget for groceries... you see lots of other things that you think are good deals, and you buy them even if you don't need them.

You can also buy some generic items. Generally, generic goods will be about the same quality as brand name goods, but at a much cheaper price. So, unless it's something where the brand name is really important, you are probably safe buying generic, and it will save you a good deal of money. Plus, in some cases, you might even find you like the generic better! That has definitely happened for me.

Lastly, don't go grocery shopping when you're hungry! Anytime I go when I'm hungry practically everything looks really good. Then later, when I'm not so hungry, I look at what I've bought and wonder... why? So don't go grocery shopping when you're hungry... because then everything looks good, and then you're bound to spend a little more money than you may have wanted to.

So these are just a few small tips to follow that can help make things easier when you're buying groceries on a budget. If you do these things, and use a little bit of common sense, it will make grocery shopping a little easier, a little cheaper, and that will be very good for your budget.