by Ellen Page

Created on: June 19, 2010   Last Updated: January 29, 2012

The weekly food shop can be expensive. Food prices are ever increasing, leaving many wanting to budget and save money on food. There are many simple ways to significantly reduce the cost of the grocery bill, and still enjoy a nutritional diet. It can be easy to save money on food with a little know-how, and careful shopping.

Here are some simple ideas on how to save money on food:

• Plan meals

Create a meal planner for the week and use this to make a shopping list, as this prevents buying extras. Plan meals around food that is available, to use up surplus food, which will lower the cost of the food bill. Stick to the shopping list to avoid impulse purchase. It is easy to be tempted by extras when grocery shopping, simply because the store is carefully planned out to tempt shoppers to part with their cash. How often do you leave the store with more food than you need? Planning your meals and buying staple foods can help to greatly reduce the shopping bill, and improve health all at the same time.

• Shop once a week

Shopping once a week reduces the temptation to buy extra food. Those mid-week shopping trips for essentials that have run out turn into you spending more than you wanted. Keep staple items in the pantry to create healthy meals without the need to buy extra food. Dried, frozen and canned foods are great to keep stocked up, as these can be used to create simple meals. Shop at a quiet time in the day, and eat before heading for the store, as hunger can encourage buying more food than needed. Stress free shopping allows time to compare prices. Find out when the local grocery store reduces fresh goods and shop then, buy reduced food and freeze them for later consumption.

• Make use of the freezer

Make use of the space in the freezer by freezing leftovers, as food that is left in the refrigerator will more than likely be forgotten and thrown out. Look for fresh food at reduced prices, stock up and fill the space in the freezer. Bakery goods are usually reduced for quick sale at the end of the day. If food that is in high use is on offer buy double quantities and freeze what won't be used immediately. When cooking from scratch, cook double portions and freeze half to use another day, this saves time and money.

• Cook from scratch

Pre-packaged and pre-cooked meals are expensive, as you are paying for the convenience. They are not as nutritious and filling as cooked food from scratch. By cooking your own meals you are

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