by Kristy Martz

Created on: May 22, 2009   Last Updated: May 23, 2009

Grocery costs continue to rise even as many of us lose our jobs, or see our wages frozen. In today's economy, we need to pinch our pennies and save money in any way we can. This means we need to save money on groceries. Groceries aren't a luxury like our daily cup of coffee. We can't give up food. However, we can save money on this necessity.

There are, of course, the basics. We should all be making a shopping list before purchasing groceries. We should all be planning our menu and clipping coupons from the Sunday paper. We should never enter a grocery store when our stomachs are growling louder than the music playing over the intercom.

Here are some easy tips that go beyond the basics of how to save money on groceries.

Tip #1 - Portion Sizes

This may seem obvious, but the more we consume, the more often we must buy. America is in the midst of both an economic crisis and an obesity epidemic. I've been guilty of eating half a package of Oreos in one evening. In reality, that package should have lasted at least a week.

Take a look at how much food you are eating. According to the USDA, a man between the ages of 19 and 30 should only eat 6 ounces of meat. This would equal about 1 cans of tuna per day.

Don't get out the food scale. Just keep in mind that a dinner plate should never be full or heaping. Make sure to eat a balanced, healthy diet with proper portion sizes and you will automatically save money.

When you eat proper portions, you will find you have left-overs from your meals. These can be put into the refrigerator or frozen for later use. Suddenly, the meal that originally cost $8.00 to prepare now costs a mere $4.00 per meal. It's free food!

Tip #2 - Freeze your breakfast for cheaper and quicker meals

My parents were constantly looking for ways to shrink our budget. They found creative ways to make those grocery dollars work harder. One thing they did was freeze homemade breakfast food.

Frozen pancakes and waffles are definitely convenient when you are rushing to get ready for work and the kids are starving. They can be popped into the microwave or toaster and you have a ready hot breakfast.

However, for a fraction of the cost, you can make pancakes, waffles, or even French toast ahead of time and freeze them in individual servings. It's the convenience of frozen food without all of the preservatives since you are making everything from scratch.

Mom and Dad would make French toast for dinner one night each month . They would just continue to make it until they

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