Saving Money On Groceries

by Richard N Adams

www.FrugalityMagazine.com

Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in thisbook was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim anyliability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whethersuch errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

Foreword

ello and welcome to How To Save Money On Groceries. I'm thrilled to be able to bring youthis wealth of money-saving tips today and I can't wait to hear just how much you manageto shrink your grocery budget as a result.H

My name is Richard Adams and I'm excited to be your guide on what I hope will be one of the mostenlightening and financially beneficial journeys you've been on. Together we're going to investigateall manner of ways in which normal people like you and me are managing to save money on theirfood shopping.

You'll find nothing “dodgy”, nothing that looks great on paper but doesn't really work in the realworld. Instead, all the tips you're about to uncover have been tried and tested time and again inthe real world.

That's important. They're all being used day in, day out, by normal people looking to make theirmoney go further. All we've done is gathered these tips altogether in one place – thus saving youhaving to spend months trawling the internet trying to find them all.

It's a simple process then. You've already taken the toughest choice; you've downloaded a copy ofthe book. From here on in things get a whole lot easier. All you need to do is to read, understandand apply.

Naturally, some tips are easier than others. Some will require you to get prepared. You might needsome equipment, or to download an app, or apply for a service. But they're all simple.

Do me a favor – the tips you're about to read work. There are no doubts about this; other peoplejust like you are using them every day. But the information is only valuable when you apply it. Thefact is that most people who read this book won't actually use 90% of its contents. They'll read it,put it down and never think of it again.

It sounds obvious but that defeats the whole object; after all if you don't change how you buy yourgroceries you're never going to be able to save money. The end result that you want – the ability tospend less on groceries while still enjoying a rich, varied and delicious diet – will only happen if youtake action.

Remember that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, andexpecting a different result. If you want different results, you need a different process. This book isthat process. So dig in, take notes, try things out. See what works best for your unique personality.You don't have to use it all – though of course the more tips you use, the more money you'll save.But even just one tip you pick up – and apply – will more than pay for the purchase of this onelittle book. I hope, therefore, it'll prove to be one of the best investments you ever make.

Introduction

It should come as no surprise that we spend a lot of money on groceries each year. The average UScitizen, for example, spent $6,443 on groceries alone in 2009. That's a lot of money and equates to13% of the average persons income. And that's without all the “extras” - such as detergents,cleaning materials and so on.

Saddest of all, perhaps, is that of course this money – this 13% of our income – just tumblesthrough our fingers, never to be seen again. Think of all those tens of thousands of dollars you'vespent on food in just the last few years. Where is it now?

So if groceries are so darned expensive, the nextquestion we have to ask ourselves is quite why wekeep on paying it. After all, if we had to we couldlive on lentils and save ourselves a fortune. Thefact is though that food brings many of us a greatdeal of pleasure. We might not want to spend allthat money, but we'd rather do that than resort toa boring, unimaginative diet.

The good news, of course, is that you don't needto compromise. There are all manner of ways inwhich you can save money on your grocerieswithout having to live in beans alone. You can enjoy both a varied and interesting diet and savemoney on your shopping. In essence you can keep on enjoying your food, without having to paythrough the nose for it.

Of course, figuring out how to save money on groceries makes perfect sense. It allows you toreduce your monthly expenses considerably without having to compromise on your quality of life.That, after all, is the perfect win-win scenario for budget-minded individuals.

The thing is though that most of us are spending an awful lot more on our kitchens than we reallyneed to. There are dozens of ways to save money, and with a little insider knowledge you'd beastonished just how much you really can reduce your spending.

For example, supermarkets are big business. As a result they're also run by some of the smartestminds in business. These people are experts at finding psychological tricks to encourage you tospend more than you need to. And unless you are fully armed with all the tricks of the trade, it'ssurprisingly easy to fall into their various traps. For example you'd be surprised just how sucked inpeople become with “sale” items – to the point that they can unwittingly spend far more than theyever anticipated.

Shopping smart is therefore one of the most critical aspects of saving money on groceries. Andwhile extreme couponing is really outside the realm of this book, what we will be doing in due

course is revealing a variety of tools, tricks and suggestions that will help you to beat the grocerystores at their own game and come out with more food – for less money – than you've evermanaged before.

Smart shopping though is only one aspect ofsaving money on groceries. Another is reducingthe food we waste. For example, did you knowthat we throw away an average of 20 pounds offood per person per year? That's over $500 ayear purely in wasted food that has either goneoff or we simply didn't fancy eating it afterbuying it.

From stopping you food going off, to some smartways to use food that is passed its best, right

through to the edible food items you're probably throwing away every week without even knowingit, you're going to uncover a broad range of techniques to get more out of your groceries andwaste less than ever before.

Broadly speaking then there are two different aspects to saving money on food. The first of these ishow to spend less on food to begin with. On the flip side there are an astonishing number of waysin which we can actually save money even after we've bought our groceries simply by wasting lessof it.

So with that said, let's get started saving you money on your groceries.

Part I: How To Save Money When Buying Food

It's all too easy to spend a ridiculous amount of money on food each week. Trust me, I know. Afterall, I used to be one of those people. I used to curse the amount of money I spent on my groceryshopping but never really stopped to investigate how (or even if) I could save money.

Month after month, year after year, I just kept handing over my debit card as the supermarketcashiers gladly emptied my bank account for me. Budgeting was what poor people did, and Iearned a decent wage. I worked hard for it though, and if I wanted that expensive thing to eat, I'ddarned well have it. After all, I deserved it, right?

Ironically I should have known better; I was actually working as a supermarket manager myself atthe time. I had seen only too well the “tricks” used by retailers to grow their market share, makethings “seem” like a bargain even when they weren't and encourage you to buy things you don'twant and don't need.

However eventually my wake-up call came. I increasingly struggled to keep up with the paymentson the debt I was collecting, thanks to my lifestyle. I simply had to face up to my unsustainablespending habits. I just couldn't keep on going the way I had been spending. And yet, I loved mylifestyle. I enjoyed eating good food, having a social life and buying nice things.

The thought of giving all that up was almost too much. What I really wanted was a way to spendless money, but without having to compromise on my lifestyle. And as I discovered after a fairamount of research, it is possible. You just need a little “insider knowledge” on what to do andhow to do it, and you'll soon be shaving money off your budget left, right and center.

Seeing as food and drink is typically in the top three expenses for most of us (after property andtransportation), finding ways to spend less on groceries can have a very real impact on yourbudget. Shaving 20 or 30% off your weekly grocery spend can make a very obvious difference toyour bank balance – and your financial well-being as a result.

But apart from the obvious strategies of buying what's on promotion, what other techniques canbe used?

Check The Cupboards Before Shopping

Let's start at the very beginning here. When you're shopping on a budget, there's very little pointin adding to what you've already got at home. After all, you only need so many bags of pasta ortubes of tomato puree – buying more really isn't going to help your finances. You could just eatwhat's in the cupboard, and save the money you would have spent.

I can only guess at how many tins of beans I have in my cupboard right now. Berlotti beans, blackeyed beans, chickpeas and more. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, if you don't consciously

check your cupboards before you go shopping, there's a risk you'll end up duplicating what you'vealready got at home and just doubling your stockpile.

Secondly if you don't pay attention to the food you already have at home, it can be difficult to turnthem into a meal and use them up. Frankly, we don't eat too many meals that involve beans sothey've been sitting there unloved for months. Now we're aware of their presence, we've beenplanning meals around them for the last few weeks and so are slowly working our way throughthem.

So step one in saving money on your groceries is to get a fair appreciation of what you alreadyown. Doing so will help provide you with “nudges” about what meals you can make over the nextfew weeks in order to use up your own personal equivalent of my beans.

Furthermore it'll ensure that whatever you've got sitting unloved at the back of your cupboarddoesn't go out of date. After all, if you've already spent money on it, it's not going to do yourbudget any good if you just throw it all away and then go out to replace it, right?

Plan Your Meals

Most of us, it's fair to say, wonder around the supermarket, picking up products that look enticing.By the time we get to the checkout we've got a random jumble of products, many of which willnever work together, and with no real plan as to how we'll end up using them.

In reality at least a few of these “bargains” will probably be relegated to a cupboard somewhere,just like my beans, not to be seen again for weeks if not months. After all, if you've got nothing elsethat goes with it, it's going to be a while before you actually end up cooking it. Unless it goes out ofdate first, which probably happens more than you'd like to admit.

This rather exaggerated little example just goes to show how important meal planning can be forsaving money. The better you actually plan what meals you'll be eating, and when you'll be eatingthem, the less unnecessary items you'll purchase. You'll also be able to buy food with a particulardate in mind, thus ensuring that nothing goes out of date before you plan to consume it.

A better idea is to make a meal plan in advance so that you buy only the ingredients that you need,and eat them in the right order so that nothing goes out of date.

There are a number of ways to make a meal plan. Possibly the easiest is to settle down with a listof all your local supermarkets' promotions and try to turn these into key aspects of that weeksdiet. Use these as the main focus points, then using simple online recipe tools, find cost-effectiveways to turn these base ingredients into complete meals.

Plan Ahead

Supermarkets are world-leaders when it comes to encouraging impulse buys from “card in hand”customers. From their freshly baked bakery goods to all their bright, colourful displays of massivelydiscounted goods, it's just so easy to come out with all manner of goods you wouldn't otherwisehave bought.

Furthermore, when you're already steering a trolley full of food around the aisles, how much

worse is it to throw in a few impulse buys. These are, after all, just a drop in the ocean of all theother food you're buying.

There's a problem though. All these impulse buys are causing you to spend more than you need to,indeed more than you want. And when you pick up a few “special treats” on the spur of themoment each week, it all starts to add up.

In other words, if you want to reduce how much money you spend on groceries, you need to startpaying more conscious attention to all the products you're being tempted into buying.Furthermore, you need to try and avoid popping them into your basket.

To avoid these impulse buys, plan ahead so you have a list to stick to. Once you've checked out the“headline” promotions being run by the grocery stores in your area, taken into account what'salready in your cupboard, fridge and freezer at home and then created a simple meal plan out of ityou should have a good idea of exactly what you'll need to buy.

Some of the better meal planning tools will actually create a shopping list for you so that you knowthe exact products that you need. This list is therefore your guide; try to avoid buying anything thatisn't already on your list. Turn it into a game and try to see just how strong you can become andhow many weeks you can avoid the temptations offered to you by the supermarkets.

While there may still be additionally bargains that are worth buying, at least the very fact thatthey're not on your list will encourage you to think a little more carefully before adding them toyour shopping cart.

Start A Price Book

Here's a dirty secret that the supermarkets would rather you didn't know; just because somethingis on offer, doesn't actually mean it's a good deal. Our huge national food chains are experts atslicing and dicing their promotions in such a way that things look cheaper when that isn'tnecessarily the case.

The problem is that staying on top of their games, and ensuring you only buy discounted productswhen they really are on offer takes the mental dexterity of Rain Man. Honestly, ask yourself if youreally know how much your usual brand of cereal should be, or how much your eggs normallycost?

If they were on a 342 offer or a buy one get one free, would you really notice if the retailerincreased the unit price of the specific product before putting it on sale? After all, when is abargain not a bargain?

The answer to this conundrum is a relatively simple one; start keeping records. That way you canbe certain that something is a good deal no matter what the supermarket leaflet might be trying totell you.

The single best tool for tracking and recording food prices is with what frugal shoppers like merefer to as a “price book”. In essence this is just a notebook where you enter the food you'vebought, the date you bought it and the total cost. From there you can work out your unit cost.

This unit cost is important because it allows for true comparisons. For example what if a product isbuy one get one free the first time you buy it, then 50c off the next time, then 3 for the price of 2,then half price, then 30% extra free. All those different promotions are designed to muddle you.However if you know the best price you pay for a certain product you'll always have the upperhand.

It's also smart to keep an eye on product weights too. It's not unusual for one retailer to put asmaller pack size on offer, making it look much cheaper than a competitor. However when youwork out the price per kilogram, they are essentially the same price. The first retailer is simplyassuming you won't be looking at the price per kilo, and will trick many people into buying their“discount” version. Some customers may never even realize the pack size they just bought issmaller than usual.

Over time then your price book can become an invaluable tool, helping you to see through all themarketing hype and see what really is a good price.

That said, I will admit that starting a price book sounds like a pretty time-intensive strategy.However there is a way to bring the idea of a price book right up to date – thanks to the use of theInternet. There are now a number of cell phone apps designed specifically to record prices and sokeep your “price checking” as neat and organized as possible.

Study The Math

Supermarkets and food manufacturers seem to go out of their way to make their pricing ascomplex as possible. In many cases a "bargain" is anything but. Just last week I found that my localsupermarket had big family-packs of chicken breasts on special offer. Of course, we all know thatbuying in bulk saves money, right?

Well as it turns out in this situation, the answer is “no”. Now whether that's a glitch that theretailer themselves hadn't spotted (unlikely but possible) or that they were trying to trickunsuspecting customers like me, the end result was the same. Namely, the smaller packs, whichweren't on any kind of offer at all, actually worked out cheaper than the “promotional” packs.

The lesson here is not to accept prices at face value. Don't assume that just because a product issupposedly on offer it's necessarily a good deal and don't just pick up the cheapest item you canfind.

Instead, take your time to work out the "per unit" price or the price per kilogram. The bettersupermarkets display this information on their price tickets; with others you might need to dosome basic arithmetic or pull up the calculator on your smart phone.

Whatever the case, when it comes to getting the best deal possible, make sure you're comparinglike-with-like, and not being fooled into thinking that something is a better deal than it really is.

Buy In Bulk

While there will always be exceptions, in many cases buying non-perishable items in bulk doesworks out far cheaper than buying smaller packs. We buy our rice, pasta, cooking oil and allmanner of other goods now in giant packs that, weight for weight, save us at least 10% off the

smaller pack sizes.

Don't be afraid of seemingly ridiculously large pack sizes. Stored properly, these non-perishablegoods won't go off before use and can save you a load of money without you having to shopelsewhere or swap brands.

Compare Prices

Supermarkets compete in a fiercely competitive market, largely selling the same products as alltheir competitors. That means they're constantly trying to appear cheaper than their competitorsin the hope of attracting your business.

However the ways they try to achieve this impression may vary. For example your local food storemay try to keep its margins to a minimum and offer low prices right across the store. Othersupermarkets instead adopt "loss leaders" - where certain products are massively discounted todraw you into the store, hoping that while you're there you'll also buy all sorts of other productsthat are more expensive than elsewhere in the hope that you pick up a few while you're shopping.

But how do you know? What is the best way to figure out which stores really are cheapest – notnecessarily overall – but this very week? If only there was a way to compare prices betweendifferent stores, to see exactly where each of the products on your shopping list are cheapest.

Luckily there is, in the form of price comparison websites for well-known supermarkets. Mypersonal favourite is called My Supermarket. Simply enter your standard grocery shopping list tosee which supermarket will be cheapest for you then shop with confidence knowing you're goingto save money.

Explore Budget Supermarkets

Depending where you are in the world you may have one or more budget supermarkets nearby.These budget supermarkets may or may not be included on price comparison sites so it may benecessary to visit them individually to pick up a promotions leaflet; either that or look them uponline to see if they have a mailing list you can subscribe to.

This might seem like an inconvenience; after all most budget supermarkets stock a far smallerrange of products than a full-on national grocer. The fact is though that the potential savings frombuying even some of your shopping at Aldi, Lidl or Netto can still make them well worth a visit.

At least here in the UK, both Lidl and Aldi offer ridiculous half price offers on the weekend as lossleaders, and the savings as a result can be better than almost any promotion by the big retailers.

The one real downside to budget supermarkets is the range tends to be smaller than your standardsupermarket chain so, depending on your needs, it may be necessary to visit both sites. If this isthe case, you have two options. Either get the bulk of your shopping at a budget supermarket thenvisit the big out-of-town supermarket to "fill in the gaps" and get those last few items on your listthat you couldn't get at Aldi, or visit the budget supermarkets less regularly and buy in bulk.

While in the past many people may have looked down on these "cheaper" supermarkets my ownexperience is that the food quality really is as good (sometimes better) than their more expensive

competitors. If you can knock 10% or more off your grocery bill just by shopping elsewhere,doesn't it at least make sense to try it the once?

Consider Generic Brands

We feel safe with well-known food brands. From Kellogg's to Lays, Pringles to Heinz we feelcomfortable buying a "branded" product. Somehow the fact that they're constantly beingadvertised makes them seem more "reliable". After all, if they've got all that money to advertise,they must be selling lots of product, right?

However one thing that we forget is that all that advertising costs money; money you're payingwhen you buy a branded product. In essence you're paying over the odds for a product, andcontributing to their advertising budget as a result.

These days a number of supermarkets have introduced their own unbranded or "own brand"products, often at a fraction of the cost that a branded equivalent would cost you. Simplyswapping from branded to non-branded grocery products can instantly shrink your shopping billwhile your family will probably barely notice the difference.

Access Freebies & Hidden Discounts

There's a whole world of secret discounts and free food available in your local supermarket thatthe average shopper doesn't know about. Perhaps you're one of them?

The fact is that not all promotions are run visibly. It's also entirely possible that you could receiveextra “unannounced” discounts and even free products if only you knew how to identify theseproducts in the first place – and how to get your “secret” promotions that the average customerwon't know about.

I know this may sound rather mysterious – and possibly even rather unlikely – but bear with mehere. A great example of such a situation might be when a food manufacturer wants to boost salesof a specific product, yet they don't want to “cheapen” it by having it covered it discount stickers.

What's the solution? Rebates.

In essence, the manufacturer uses a well-connected company to push their secret “promotion”.Customers see the possible discount and then buy the product at full price. They register theirpurchase with the company and receive their rebate. The end result is a saving on your shoppingthat, in extreme circumstances, may even cover the entire cost of the item you just “bought”.

This is ideal because it expands the number of promotions and discounts available to you. Nolonger will you be limited to the well-marketed discounts in your supermarkets leaflets and localmedia advertising. As well, you can now gain access to a world of new discounts that youotherwise wouldn't have even known existed.

So, this all sounds well and good, but where do you actually look for these grocery rebate offers,and how do you actually claim back your money after making a purchase?

The answer, as with so many things these days, is that “there's an app for that”. That's right, ladies

and gents, the answers can all be found on your cell phone, if you download the right apps.

Now, truth be told, there are a number of similar apps on offer, though having tested a number ofthem lately, my favourite apps right now for rebate shopping are Shopitize and CheckoutSmart. It'snot unusual to find multi-buys, discounts, money back and even free food on offer.

Even better, while the promotions are now easy to find in the palm of your hand, getting yourrebate is also simplicity itself. All you do is download the free apps onto your phone, decide onwhich of their featured promotions you're going to buy, then use the app to scan in your groceryshopping receipt.

This copy of your receipt proves that you bought a specific product at a specific retailer. They'llthen send you out a check or Paypal payment for the money that you've earned back. While theprocess may sound complicated once you get used to it, it can be simplicity itself - and save you asurprising amount of money on your grocery shopping.

Eat Less Meat

One of the most expensive elements of a grocery shop is meat. The reason is simple; it takes farmore effort and investment for a farmer to rear a cow or a chicken than to raise crops. But thismeans that buying meat can make a serious dent in your weekly grocery shopping budget.

If we're honest, most people would balk at the idea of going totally vegetarian, even if it wouldmean saving plenty of money. However there really is no need to give up on the idea altogether;instead why not consider at least cutting down on the volume of meat you eat each week and lookinto some tasty meat-free alternatives?

I must admit that the idea of a meat-free diet never really appealed to me. Until I went to stay witha vegetarian friend who really impressed me with their cooking. While I'm not here to convert youto vegetarianism, if you believe that a meat free diet is boring then you really need to appreciatesome decent vegetarian recipes and you'll soon change your mind.

There are of course other options to save money on meat. You could buy larger joints of meat andcut them up into smaller portions. You could speak to any local hunters you may know to see ifthey sell any of the animals they shoot. This source of meat is often incredibly flavoured after theanimal has led such a natural life, and nobody could claim any problems with the animalhusbandry techniques used!

Another great idea is to investigate different cuts of meat. You may love your sirloin steak, but whynot investigate rump instead. It still tastes great but it's typically considerably cheaper. Byexperimenting with cheaper cuts of meat, in conjunction with different cooking techniques, it'soften possible to get that same delicious, satisfying, meaty flavour for a fraction of what you wouldotherwise pay in the supermarket.

Shop After Dinner

Weight loss gurus will tell you how dangerous it is to go shopping on an empty stomach. Hungryshoppers don't just buy far more food than they would if they were suitably satiated butfurthermore they tend to buy far more unhealthy food. While I hope your list will help to protect

your diet to a degree, those impulse buys will look even more tempting than normal if you'reprowling around with a rumbling tummy.

The message here is simple; don't go grocery shopping when you're hungry or you may be in for anasty surprise at the checkout (and the bathroom scales!). Personally, this is why I tend to avoidgoing food shopping on my way home from work; I'm normally hungry and tired and the result isnever quite what I'd hoped.

Instead, try going shopping either after breakfast (my preference) or after you've got home fromwork and ha your evening meal.

If you've just eaten, food will significantly lose its appeal for you, making sticking to your meal planand your shopping list a whole lot easier.

Leave The Kids At Home

Speaking of avoiding impulse purchases and sticking methodically to a shopping list, taking youngchildren with you to the supermarket is a recipe for disaster. With over-priced junk food,magazines and toys all placed at a perfect child-friendly height they know that sooner or later mostparents will cave in or be faced with a screaming child.

If you really want to learn how to save money on groceries a very powerful yet effective strategy istherefore to simply go shopping without the kids. Doing so will not only cut down on impulse buysbut will also make your shopping trip a lot less stressful for you!

Shop In The Evening

As someone who spent several years running a supermarket I can tell you that 90% of ourcustomers chose to visit in "peak hours" - roughly between 10am and 4pm - even on the weekendswhen they could have gone shopping at any time.

The fact though is that most supermarket managers start to worry about the amount of perishablefood they have still have to sell as the day wears on. From freshly baked bread to food off the delicounter, food that goes out of date and has to be thrown away is worth nothing.

On the other hand, supermarkets hardly want to give it away either, or you'll be less likely to payfor other items while you're in the store. This creates something of a problem for the supermarket;basically they want to get as much money as possible for their short-dated products, withoutdiscounting them too much too early.

In light of this, towards the end of the day many supermarkets start to mark down short datedproducts. They'll change the price from what you would have paid, and it's often possible to save aton of money on these products as a result. You'll often find everything from fresh meat to breadand even milk discounted if you visit the store at the right time.

The real question is when “the right time” really is. Each retailer is of course different, but most ofthem have started to discount goods from late afternoon onwards. The larger stores may evenmark down products even further, later on in the day. So, while the range on offer may be smaller,the discounts will be even greater.

The real secret here is getting to know your own local stores. Try visiting at different times – frommid afternoon onwards, right through the evening. For the next few weeks, keep a record of whenyou visit the supermarket and whether they'd done their discounts.

What you'll normally find is that the discounting gets done at a specific time – either because it'sthe responsibility of a certain member of staff who works that shift, or because it;s company policyto do reductions at, for example, 5pm. When you get to know what these times are for your localgrocery stores you'll be in the perfect position to “sweep” at exactly the right time.

Keep a record of these times and, when possible, visit your local stores at the optimum time to getthe best discounts.

I should say that such promotions are always difficult to predict. You'll likely find different productson offer each time you visit. This is one area of food shopping where a meal plan or a list reallywon't help. If the products are discounted highly enough I'd advise you to consider buying itanyway. Sometimes I've come away with a complete dinner for less than the price of a candy bar.

Use Your Freezer

Here's the thing about all this short dated produce An awful lot of people I speak to won't buymuch of it simply because it may all go out of date within hours. I mean, if you're buying a loaf ofbread at 8pm that, according to the label, goes out of date at midnight, then you've got a lot ofsandwiches or toast to get through that evening!

Except, of course, you haven't. It should come as no surprise, bearing in mind the subtitle of thissection, that in these cases your freezer can be your friend. Short dated bread and meat, forexample, can be frozen to prolong their life by days if not weeks. Generally speaking I'd eatproducts from the delicatessen the same day, but if you find a lot of meat or bread significantlydiscounted, don't pass up the opportunity.

Buy whatever you can and freeze it for later use. Just make sure you check how much space youhave in your freezer before you leave home for your shopping trip. The last thing you want to do isarrive home with an entire bag of discounted goodies only to realize there's no space in yourfreezer!

Learn To Cook

When you look at the special offers that most supermarkets push, it's normal to discover that thevast majority are on pre-made foods. From frozen ready meals to bags of crisps and sweets,supermarkets offer not just low prices but also ease. However unsurprisingly you'll often find thatyou're paying extra for this convenience fee.

In general it can work out far cheaper to learn to cook your own meals and to buy just raw, baseingredients than a pre-packaged alternative. Consider the price of a single lasagne ready-meal, andcompare it to how many lasagne's you could make by buying a box of pasta sheets, some sauce etcand baking it at home. Almost without exception, the less “convenient” a food is, the cheaper itwill actually be overall.

Purchase In Season Fresh Produce

If I want to buy fresh strawberries at Christmas it's entirely possible. They'll probably be importedfrom abroad and they won't taste very special but it's still technically possible. However I'll paythrough the nose for this luxury.

Contrast that to buying strawberries when they're in season here in the UK and their price virtuallyhalves. For the same thing.

The reason, of course, is supply and demand. When the strawberries are in season at home theyonly have a very short shelf life. The farmers are suddenly over-run with them and want to sellthem as quickly as possible so prices tumble.

In other words, buying foods when they're in season can save you a load of money on yourgroceries. To make the most of this strategy try to learn when foods are in season (don't be thatperson asking for parsnips in July!) and learn how to preserve those food gluts.

Corn, for example, can be easily frozen when in season. My local supermarkets virtually give itaway in the summer. Just boil it up for a few minutes, cut it off the corn and pop the baggedkernels into the freezer. There they'll keep for months, preventing you from having to buy morelater in the season when the price starts to creep back up again.

Grow Your Own Salad

Salad leaves like the various lettuces on offer, not to mention cress and scallions (spring onions)have a nasty habit of turning to mush within days of getting them home. Keeping them in thefridge might keep them fresh for a little longer, but salad leaves never really last, especially in thesummer.

The fact is though that they're super, super simple to grow yourself and you don't even need agarden. My girlfriend and I keep a long, thin “window box” style plant pot on our kitchenwindowsill. We fill it with compost (soil out of the garden works too) and then scatter the surfacewith low-cost salad seeds.

Soon enough the salad starts growing and we have our own personal “salad garden” on tap. Noneed to go down to the shops, no need to spend money on lettuce only for it to go bad. We justsnip off leaves as we need them with kitchen scissors and keep it watered as necessary.

It really is the easiest thing I the world, even if you're most definitely not green-fingered. Somesupermarkets themselves have started to offer “living salads” recently so you might want toconsider investing in such a thing if you're forever throwing away rotten lettuce.

Grow Your Own

Growing your own salad is simple enough for anyone to do. It's also a fun little project to get thekids involved in. But you'd starve trying to live on salad alone.

So while growing your own salad is certainly better than nothing, if you're truly serious aboutsaving as much money as possible on your groceries, you might want to consider growing a

broader range of fruits and vegetables.

You don't need to commit to growing everything that you eat; after all, many fresh vegetables likecarrots of cabbage are so cheap to buy and so difficult to grow that they're hardly worth thehassle.

In contrast some other vegetables cost far more yet are simplicity itself to grow. Purple sproutingbroccoli is a perfect example, as is baby sweet corn. Even the least green fingered of people shouldbe able to grow these crops with minimal space, yet they will save you vast amounts of moneyeach year in vegetable costs. Take into account just how full of nutrients and flavour vegetables arestraight off the plant and you'd be well advised to at least consider growing some of your ownveggies.

Learn To Forage

Each fall the countryside becomes a veritable larder of free food for anyone with the motivation togo and collect it.

Perhaps living on roots and leaves from your local woodland is a little too hardcore for the averageconsumer but surely picking wild blackberries, plums, hazelnuts and the like is within your comfortzone? Not only can this abundance of free food cut down on your living expenses but it's also agreat way to entertain your kids for free.

So grab yourself a foraging book to help you identify the edible foods all around you and goforaging. Its an experience that many of us have grown to love, not just because we save so muchmoney doing it!

Join A Loyalty Scheme

Food retailers are obsessed with your loyalty. They know it's a cut-throat industry and that it's veryeasy for competitors of theirs to lure you away with offers. So they try to do whatever they can tokeep you coming back for more. And one key weapon is the supermarket loyalty scheme.

At it's simplest, you do your shopping, swipe your loyalty card and get points. You can then turnthese points into “prizes” later on – mainly in the form of money off your shopping.

In addition to the points awarded, some loyalty schemes also send out coupons and vouchers thatare carefully matched to your spending patterns and so hope to keep you coming back to thatspecific retailer.

Here's the great thing though; not only are there loads of different loyalty schemes now, but someof the loyalty cards can even be used at other retailers. In this way, my girlfriend and I clock up allmanner of free points throughout the year while doing our normal shopping – both on groceriesand on other items.

Then at Christmas we cash them in, receiving a juicy discount off our big Christmas shop. Bearingin mind most people spend more at Christmas than at any other time, this discount is greatlyappreciated!

The long and short of it is that loyalty schemes are a simple and free way to get discountedshopping. Make sure you've signed up to the various schemes offered by your local stores, andthen all you need to do is make sure you have your card to scan whenever you visit.

Lastly, try getting into the habit of keeping your eyes peeled when doing other shopping. Look forloyalty card logos to see if you can clock up points elsewhere besides your local supermarket.

Use Gift Cards

Supermarkets love to give out promotional coupons and vouchers to try and encourage you toshop with them again soon. Frequently these discounts are time-sensitive and require you to crossa specific payment threshold before you actually get your discount.

They might, for example, offer you $10 off when you spend $50 or more.

Speaking from personal experience I receive my fair share of these discounts but the requirementsare so high that the voucher almost invariably expires before I have a chance to use it. Which gotme wondering - if this happens to me, it must happen to others, right?

As it turns out the answer is “yes”. People get these vouchers – which are basically “free money” -but are unable to use them in time. Rather than just throwing them away though they offer themup for sale.

If you know where to look, you can therefore buy these discount coupons for pennies on thedollar. That is to say, that $10 off coupon we mentioned above may well be for sale for $5 or less.The difference between the face value of the gift card or coupon, and what we paid for it, isbasically “free money”. If we bought a $20 gift card for $5, the end result is that we'd get $15 offree shopping.

The key is really finding these coupons and gift cards in the first place. Luckily there's an easyanswer, in the form of Gift Card Granny. This site basically scours Ebay, looking for such offers. Itthen displays them in one nice, neat place where you can filter through the offers and find theones that offer you the best deal.

You will of course have to plan ahead; it will take a few days for your gift card to turn up. Thiscertainly isn't a “spur of the moment” way to save money on groceries, but if you're willing to planahead you'll be surprised at the potential discounts on offer.

Use A Cashback Credit Card

Cashback credit cards offer you money back every time you use them. It goes without saying thatit's an attempt by the bank to encourage you to use your credit card more - and end up payinginterest on your spending.

However for the smart consumer (you?!) who pays off their credit card in full at the end of everymonth - and hence pays no interest on their credit card balance - can earn money back every timethey go grocery shopping.

It's easy. Just sign up for one of the many cashback credit cards and use it to pay for your grocery

shopping. You'll want to pay off the card balance in full at the end of each month, so some peopleopt to “ring fence” money for this purpose – every time they spend money on the card, theytransfer the same some of money into a special savings account. The total value of this savingsaccount will therefore always equal the debt on your cash back credit card.

Then, when your bill becomes due, simply transfer the funds straight across, taking both balancesback to zero. Appreciate that if you properly manage your card, so as to avoid any interest, you'llautomatically save 1%, 2% or even more off your grocery shopping bill. For the average person thiscould amount to hundreds of dollars each year.

Write To Them

Retailers and food manufacturers love to hear feedback from real people like you and me. It's howthey keep their existing customers happy and how they improve their offering to attract newcustomers.

You've probably got all manner of suggestions, opinions and feedback (both good and bad) on avariety of food products you've bought and retailers you've visited if only you stop to think aboutit. For example, what foods have you bought recently that you've been impressed with forwhatever reason? What has disappointed you? What went off sooner than expected? How wasyour last shopping experience at your local supermarket?

These are exactly the kinds of things that retailers and manufacturers love to hear – so why not tellthem?

The fact is that many such companies have entire customer service departments dedicated toreceiving, collating and responding to such communication. They report back to the seniormanagers with any notable discoveries, and are not immune to sending out coupons, vouchers andfree gifts to those who take the time to contact them.

In other words, while this is hardly a sustainable, long term strategy for saving money on yourgroceries, a handy one-off hit can simply be to write to the various retailers and manufacturers youhave had dealing with lately, and give them your honest experiences of their products andservices.

You might be surprised by what you receive in the mail as a result of such communications.

Check The Receipt

Supermarkets stock so many products, and have prices that change literally daily, that mistakes arefrequently made by their tills.

Maybe the cashier accidentally scanned your cereal twice, maybe that discount didn't come off.Whatever the case, before leaving the supermarket spend a few minutes checking through yourreceipt to make sure you're not being over charged.

It may seem unnecessary but you'd be surprised how many times I've come across cases of humanerror. One perfect example was when my local supermarket forgot to take down a promotion thathad ended. I deliberately “went large” and bought in bulk to get the saving, yet discovered on

checking my receipt that I hadn't received the promotional price.

This was hardly surprising; unbeknownst to me, the promotion had ended, but the staff had left upthe promotional pricing. When I pointed out the problem, the customer service desk wereperfectly happy to refund me the difference on what I should have saved.

Take Your Time

There's a saying in retail that "eye height is buy height". What this means is that most only look atthe products up high in the shelf and ignore those lower down. As a result it's normal forsupermarkets to put their highest profit items at head height where they will sell best. Lower downyou'll often find equivalent products that cost less and don't make the retailer as much profit.

However if you want to learn how to save money on grocery shopping then it's important to takeyour time when selecting products. Don't just grab the first item off the shelf that you see. Insteadtake a few moments to consider all the options. Step back away from the shelving, so you can seeall the products, paying particular attention to those merchandised on the lower shelves. In manycases you'll find something just as good that costs considerably less.

Part II: How To Waste Less Food

It's a sad fact of modern life that we all waste vast amounts of food each year. This isn't just bad forthe environment (all those wasted resources) but its also bad for your pocket. After all, it kind ofdefeats the object of saving money when you buy your food only to end up throwing much of itaway. Talk about a waste of time!

Fortunately there are all manner of ways in which to save money by not wasting your food. Now,as you might expect, some of this involves ways to stop your food going off so that it has to bethrown away. However there are also a number of surprising other ways to waste less food.

Start A Food Calendar or Diary

Have you ever bought something, popped it in your fridge or a cupboard and then found it sometime later, long after it went out of date? I think if we're honest, we've all done that one at somepoint in our lives. Some of us more than others!

There is a simple solution though, in the form of a food diary (or calendar) depending on yourpreference. The process is simple. When you get home with your grocery shopping you simplyenter the “use by” dates of any perishable foods onto a calendar.

This calendar will therefore enable you to see at a glance exactly when various items are going outof date – and hence when they need to be used up. Eliminating wastage is therefore as simple askeeping an eye on your calendar while cooking, ensuring you're looking ahead a few days (orweeks) and using everything up in time. Just cross things off and they get used up and you'll alwaysknow what your highest priority food stuffs are to use up.

I should say that I know this may sound like more trouble than its worth. However weimplemented a food calendar ourselves a few years ago and have never looked back. The smallamount of time that it takes to maintain, in exchange for never having food go out of date, seemslike a worthwhile investment to us.

Buy Less Fresh Veg

While fresh vegetables are good for us, the fact of the matter is that they only have a very limitedshelf life. Go overboard - as many people do - and you'll quickly find your formerly beautiful freshfruits and vegetables slowly rotting in your kitchen. As soon as that product hits the bin or thecompost heap you've wasted money.

I'm not suggesting for a moment that you stop eating fruits and vegetables. What I am suggestingare two alternative solutions that will enable you to enjoy your vegetables without the risk ofhaving to throw a portion of them away.

Firstly, by learning how to assess the shelf life of fresh produce and combining this with your mealplan you can ensure you don't buy more produce than you really need and will realistically getthrough.

Secondly, and even more importantly, frozen vegetables are pretty much as nutritious as freshvegetables, are easer to prepare, have a long shelf life and generally are even cheaper. From frozensweet corn to peas, carrots to broccoli, dedicating a drawer or two in your freezer to frozen vegmeans zero wastage and - as a result - money saved on your grocery shopping bill.

And if you really want to save a ton of money, don't even buy frozen vegetables, but instead learnhow to freeze your own home grown produce. By the end of the summer, my girlfriend and Itypically have an entire freezer filled to bursting point with our own home grown beans, sweetcorn, spinach, butternut squash and more.

Not only does it keep us going through the winter, if you take care to avoid freezer burn, you'll notonly save money on growing your own veg but will then throw away far less too. That sounds like awin-win situation to me.

9 Surprisingly Edible Things We Throw Away

We humans can be pretty weird. We spend all this money on buying food, and then we go aroundthrowing perfectly acceptable food in the trash. Don't believe me? There are actually all sorts ofvegetables that we throw away; some of which you might not even realize are edible.

For example, while many of us love to sink our teeth into a juicy broccoli head, what you might notknow is that the stems and the leaves – both of which we typically throw away – are not onlyedible but actually surprisingly tasty. Cauliflowers suffer from a similar fate; we typically eat thecreamy-colored head and throw the rest of the vegetable away. The outer leaves however aredelicious and taste like a cross between cabbage and cauliflower.

There's more. Did you know that you could also eat the tops off carrots, the leaves of beets, celeryand radish leaves, as well as entire sections of pea plant. Now, I grant you, if you buy radishes, forexample, from the supermarket, they often don't come with their leaves attached. However if youbuy them from a farmers market or you grow them yourself then you'd have to be crazy to throwaway these surprisingly tasty and nutritious food stuffs.

One final point here; while most of us are aware that potato skins contain most of the goodnessand the flavour, we still regularly remove them before cooking our potatoes. That's fine; Iunderstand that sometimes its necessary. However in those cases don't go and throw the peelingsaway. Instead, pop them in the oven, nice and warm, and let the skins crisp up. Season them with alittle salt and oil and enjoy them instead of crisps while watching a movie with the family.

Save Your Seeds

Some of the fruits and vegetables that we buy come packed with seeds. Perfect examples of theseare pumpkins and squashes. Typically, we throw these seeds away when preparing our dinner butthat's not always the most efficient use of them.

For one, some of these seeds can be planted to grow additional free food in coming years. My

girlfriend and I now spend virtually nothing on seeds each year. Instead we collect our own seeds –which is a simple and enjoyable way to spend a few minutes each weekend – and store our seedsover winter ready to resow the following spring. We normally have so many that we can evenafford to distribute free seeds to friends and family members who are also interested in growingtheir own food.

However there's an even bigger secret here; many squash seeds and pumpkin seeds can make adelicious and nutritious snack in their own right. Simply roast them up at a hot temperature untilthey're dry and crisp. A good starter is popping them in at 200'C for half an hour. Keep an eye onthem and when they're dry and crispy simply season to taste and enjoy.

They're also perfectly safe to eat later when they've cooled down – so keeping a stash of lightlysalted pumpkin seeds in your car or desk at work can not only help to keep you healthier but alsoreduce the chances of impulse food buys due to hunger during the day.

Swap Your Seeds

Saving seeds is all well and good, and over time you'll find you're spending less and less each yearon getting your vegetable garden going. However there is an obvious weakness here; what aboutthose plants that you haven't grown before, but would like to try next year? Clearly you can't saveseeds of a plant you've never grown.

There is, however, a solution. I essence if you find that you end up with a lot of certain seeds, youcan try swapping these for other seeds that you'd prefer.

Some areas have regular seed swapping events or alternatively there are a number of seedswapping websites that serve a similar purpose. Two great examples to get you started are SeedSwappers and Garden Swap Shop though a few simple searches in Google will turn up all mannerof options for swapping seeds.

Don't Always Buy In Bulk

Generally speaking, we all know that buying food in bulk will save you money. A sack of rice orpasta the size of a pillow will generally work out much cheaper than buying the same weight insmaller bags.

However there are two unique situation where this isn't always the case. Firstly, somesupermarkets know that we're buying larger pack sizes under the assumption that they're cheaper.I've found a couple of examples recently where a larger pack size was actually more expensive;presumably another way in which the supermarkets benefit from consumers who aren't in theknow.

Secondly, appreciate that lots of foods still have a best before date. Dried goods like pasta, pulsesand lentils may have a nice long shelf life but don't be fooled by items with shorter dates. If indoubt, check the date and try to guestimate whether you'll realistically use it up by then. After all,you'll lose all the benefits of buying in bulk if you end up throwing half of it away a few monthslater because it went out of date.

I'm certainly not telling you to avoid buying in bulk. All I am saying is to do so consciously so that

you check you're getting the best deal possible rather than just assuming you are.

Conserve What You Have

Learning how to preserve food has a number of benefits. Firstly it significantly reduces the chancesof fresh food going off and having to be thrown away. Secondly as mentioned earlier on its a greatway to buy in-season fresh produce and make it last for months afterwards.

Lastly if you grow your own food you'll likely experience peaks and troughs in production andpreserving your harvest will help to prolong the benefits of your work. All three of these benefitswill save you money.

So while the topic is outside the realm of this book, if you're serious about saving money on yourgroceries it makes sense to grab yourself some books and learn how to pickle, freeze, dehydrateand can your way to a seemingly endless supply of delicious foods.

3 Food Storage Tips Your Mother Never Told You

It's not just “preserving” food that will prevent it going off. Even fresh foods will last longer ifthey're stored properly. The sad fact, of course, is that many of us don't know how best to storeour produce to make it last. As a result it becomes unusable much sooner than it needs to.

For example, keep your potatoes in a cool, dry and dark place such as in a breathable sack in yourgarage and they can last right through the winter. A single harvest may still be edible months later.Contrast that to how most people store their potatoes in their warm kitchen, quite probably in thelight. Under such circumstances you might be lucky if your potatoes are still edible just a week ortwo later. Same product; just better stored. Which means less wastage and, obviously, better valuefor money for you.

It's not just potatoes though. There is a whole world of tips out there for keeping your freshproduce in tip-top condition for longer.

For example, cutting the green tops off your carrots will stop them “transpiring”. This naturalprocess basically draws water up into the leaves, where it evaporates away. Except that your freshcarrots of course aren't getting any more water. This very same process will therefore dry out yourcarrots, making them wrinkly, rubbery and rather unappealing. Removing the leaves thereforeprevents all the moisture from leaving your carrots, helping to keep them firm and crisp for longer.

Speaking of keeping things crisp, one of my personal bugbears is just how quickly salad items likelettuce and scallions can turn into a mushy mess. The solution is to give up on your salad crisperand instead keep your salad leaves and herbs more like cut flowers. Suspend their bases in a glassof water and they'll stay fit and healthy for far longer than when left to rot in the bottom of yourfridge.

But what about our favourite fruit of all; the humble banana. You know yourself that bananas canturn rapidly; the odds of buying a bunch of bananas on the weekend and your prized fruitsuccessfully making it to the end of the next week are slim. There is a handy trick though.

Grab some of your favourite food wrap and wrap it tightly around the stems of the bananas. This

prevents ethylene gas from being released, which actually causes your bananas to ripen quicker. Inessence this cuts off the gas that causes your bananas to ripen and keeps them better for longer.

As a handy sidebar, if you're still beaten by an over-ripe banana despite this technique, rather thanthrowing it away, pop it into the freezer. This will preserve it and stop it from ripening any more.Then simply remove it, skin it and pop it in your blender for a delicious iced smoothie.

Regrow Your Food

Here's a surprising tip; did you know that some common vegetables will actually grow, givennothing but water? For example, if you're a celery lover like I am, you'll know how wasteful it feelsto throw away that last little bit of the heart. But if you pop that celery heart into a small saucer ofwater, it'll actually start growing and soon enough you'll have new celery you can cut off and eat!

The exact same process works for leeks too, and the firm heart of lettuces. Scallions are evenbetter; people in the know often store them in a glass of water to keep them fresh, simply snippingoff the tops as they're needed. The scallions will keep on growing for some weeks afterwards,allowing you to get far more food than you actually paid for to begin with.

Rejuvenate Your Bread

Bread can be a touchy one; it tends not to last too well yet is getting more and more expensive allthe time. As its such a staple of the western kitchen, what can we do to waste less of it? Wellfirstly, store it correctly. In most cases, the best way to store bread is at room temperature. Puttingit in the fridge normally causes it to go mouldy even quicker.

Assuming it's not mouldy, bread that has started to go a little dry still has all sorts of uses. For one,popping a stale loaf in the microwave for a few seconds will normally bring the oils to the surfaceand render your bread usable again. This doesn't work for crusty bread though, as the microwavesimply softens bread. Instead, wrap crusty bread in tin foil and pop it in the oven at 250'C for a fewminutes.

Even if these tips haven't saved your loaf there's no need to put it in the bin just yet. Stale breadcan be crushed to use as breadcrumbs; breadcrumbs will even freeze well until you have a chanceto use them in the future. Just add them to your meal plan the next week to ensure you get theother ingredients necessary to turn them into a delicious meal.

Speaking of freezing bread, to prevent wastage we normally buy a loaf and then separate it intotwo or three chunks. Wrap each of these sections separately and pop them into the freezer. It'sthen possible to thaw just as much bread as you need and you'll never have so much out on theside that it goes off.

How To Preserve Your Eggs

Nobody wants to eat an egg that's gone off; it's virtually guaranteed to make you ill. Yet in manycases the date on the egg box is a long way off the real best before date. For example, eggs willoften keep for a month or more in the fridge; a lot longer than most people realize.

Even better, it's easy to tell if an egg is still safe to eat. Simply fill a bowl with fresh water to a depth

twice that of your eggs. Then gently pop them in to see if they float. An egg that floats has goneoff. One that sinks to the bottom is still fine to eat, while one that sinks at an angle – and ends upwith one end floating upwards – needs to be used soon. Easy!

However if you want to save your eggs for months and still know for certain they're OK, were youaware that eggs can be frozen? The process is easy; simply crack your eggs open, whisk them upand pop the resultant mixture into the freezer. Here they can last 6 months or more, meaningyou'll never need to throw away an egg again.

Freeze Herbs

Just as eggs can be easily frozen, so too can herbs. This is beneficial because herbs have a nastyhabit of rapidly going bad of they're cut. In addition, many of the herbs we enjoy – such as basil –struggle to survive the winter.

Preservation is simple enough though. Simply chop up your fresh herbs finely, fill an ice cube traywith the chopped herbs and then top up the container with olive oil. Frozen, your herbs will staygood for months, and adding them to your recipes becomes simplicity itself. Simply pop out one ormore of your “herb cubes” and pop them into your recipe as-is.

How To Avoid Freezer Burn

I've mentioned freezing all manner of fresh produce over the last few pages, but there's onepotential weakness of this strategy; namely that of freezer burn which can quickly spoil yourcarefully preserved food.

The main cause of freezer burn is actually cold air. This chilled air comes into direct contact withyour food and causes damage to its structure. The solution is therefore to omit as much air aspossible when you're freezing food.

I therefore freeze food in smaller, “portion-sized” bags and containers. In this way I don't need tobe constantly opening up a large bag of, say, green beans, and taking out just a handful. No, Icarefully wrap up my veggies as tightly as possible before freezing them in order to get as much airout of the bags as possible. Then I use them up, one portion-sized bag at a time.

In cases where this isn't possible, such as when you buy a large bag of frozen veg, try to roll downthe top of the bag and expel as much air as possible each time you access it. Doing so will keep asmuch air out as possible, and ensure your frozen foods stay good for longer.

Part III: Miscellaneous Tips For Saving Money In The Kitchen

By now we've covered all manner of money-saving tips for your weekly grocery shop. This is ofcourse where we spend the most money in the kitchen and so presents the greatest opportunitiesfor saving money.

The greatest perhaps, but not necessarily the only way to save money in the kitchen. You see, thekitchen is one area of the house where we typically use a lot of utilities. Plenty of water is usedcleaning clothes, dishes, even food. Both water and some form of power are used when cooking.And a fair amount of electricity goes into keeping your fridge, freezer, washing machine and morerunning.

So while we have covered 90% of the ways to save money in the kitchen, I think it would makesense if we round off this book by talking about a few more choice ways to save money in yourkitchen.

One Pot Meals

I have an admission to make; when I'm cooking a big meal I have a nasty habit of using pretty muchevery pan and tray in the house. Heating all these obviously uses an awful lot of power, andwashing them all afterwards also uses a lot of water (and effort!).

One smart way to save money when cooking is to use as few pans as possible. For example, planahead and work out which vegetables you can boil together in the same pan. They don't, ofcourse, all have to go in at the same time. But cooking as many of your veggies together aspossible means only one pan to heat, just one pan to watch and also minimizes your washing up.

And, in case you're looking for some inspiration, there are whole cookery books that focus on onepan recipes.

Batch Cook Meals

Another way to save both time and money in the kitchen is to consider batch cooking meals. Inother words, cook more than you really need so that you can freeze the bit you don't need or eat itas leftovers the next day. For example whenever I'm cooking us a pasta dish in the evening I'lldeliberately overdo it so that the remainder can be taken into work the next day. This thereforesaves on the money and effort of preparing a brown bag lunch the next morning.

Buy A Pressure Cooker

Pressure cookers can be a very energy-efficient way to cook. The pressure that builds up insidemeans that the food cooks quicker, and at a lower temperature. While you'll need to invest in apressure cooker to begin with, meaning that it may be some time until you see a return on your

investment, long term most people will find they use considerably less energy cooking – and sosave money as a result.

Keep The Lid On

If buying a pressure cooker and learning how to use it seems a stretch too far then a secondaryoption is simply to keep lids on pans when you're boiling food. In doing so, the lid will trap heatinside the pan. You'll be able to turn down your hob as a result and get results that are just as goodyet use less energy as a result of the lower temperature.

Eat More Raw Foodstuffs

You know what the most obvious way to save energy is, when it comes to cooking? Quite simplystop cooking where possible. From time to time consider sitting down to a fresh salad or try yourcarrots raw. It won't work all the time, but when an opportunity to leave the cooker turned offpresents itself why not take it?

Limit Your Dishwasher Use

Firstly, let's get one thing straight; I'm not here to tell you that you have to give up yourdishwasher. I mean, we all have limits, right?! ;-)

What I am saying is that your dishwasher will normally use the same amount of water no matterhow full it is. It is therefore most energy efficient to wait until your dishwasher is nice and fullbefore turning it on. Try to get away from cleaning all your pots and pans every time they're used,no matter how much washing up you have to do in total. Instead wait until you have plenty towash and you'll save money on the lower water bills, not to mention the savings on electricity.

Vacuum Behind Your Fridge And Freezer

Here's an odd tip that's recommended by ecologically minded individuals. The method throughwhich a fridge or freezer stays cool is through dissipating heat through a condenser coil. This coilsits at the back of your fridge or freezer, letting warmth move away from your chilled food.

The problem is that over time, it all gets pretty dusty in the back of a fridge or freezer. All this dustsettling on the coils makes them less efficient, and forces the unit to work ever harder in order tokeep your food cool.

A simple remedy is to pull out your freezer and fridge and to carefully vacuum the coils you find.Removing this dust will allow the heat to transfer more effectively and so your unit should use lesselectricity than before, while still doing the same job.

Conclusion

Who would ever have thought it was possible for one person to write over 13,000 words aboutsaving money on groceries? I certainly didn't when I first sat down at my computer to start whatwas going to be just another post on my blog.

When I was still writing it a few weeks later, I realized that this probably was going to be a bit muchas a blog post. Goodness knows how long this would take to load on a website if it was made into asingle giant page!

And yet here we are, at the end. I do hope that you feel my time and effort was worthwhile. It has,after all, been a labor of love. I've invested all my weekends and many early mornings before workto its completion.

And even if you only save yourself a couple of dollars here and there, I hope you'll agree that thecontents of this book really will help you to save money in the kitchen. In other words, I hopeyou've learned a thing or two and consider it to be a worthy investment; after all, it shouldn't betoo difficult to make a return on the money you paid for this book.

Lastly I'd like to thank for reading this far and if you'd like more money-saving tips I'd love towelcome you to my blog.

Stop by at www.FrugalityMagazine.com and come join in the money-saving fun.

Appendix 1: How To Shop For Food On A Budget