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Buying groceries is one of those grey areas of budgeting – it can either be very cheap or very expensive, depending on how you approach it.

The first thing you should do is create a food budget that is realistic; one that fits well within your means and complements your lifestyle. 

Once you’ve got that figured out, it’s time for the actual grocery run. Before you head out, here are a few extra money-saving suggestions that may come in handy when you’re perusing the food aisles.

Be strategic

First and foremost, only buy the amount of food that you plan to eat. Planning inexpensive meals and preparing a grocery list each week is a great way to ensure that you stay within your budget.

Alternatively, some people also choose to shop every one or two days, buying only what they need for the next few meals.

Secondly, avoid going to the grocery store when you’re hungry. When you’re starving, an impulse buy of imported chocolate suddenly seems like a great idea – until you realize that you blew an entire week’s food budget on six small squares of chocolate!

Finally, if you find that you still can’t avoid picking up unnecessary items, shop only on the perimeter of the store. Have you ever noticed that 90% of essential foods are situated around the four walls of the supermarket?

Clip those coupons

Yes, coupons are annoying. They clutter your mailbox and you actually have to remember to bring them with you, but they can lead to great savings. If you somehow missed your store’s flyer in the mail, check out the front entrance – most grocery stores will have extra copies available for customers to use.

Go no-name

For some people – myself included – going no-name or store brand can be a weirdly difficult transition.

I grew up in a house which favoured brand name products, right down to the cans of beans. But when I was in school, I quickly discovered that no-name products tasted exactly the same as branded items, and they saved me a whole lot of money.

Not everything has to be no-name. For example, if you have a particular brand of cookies or juice that you like, go for it. However, try to go with the store brand on less-important items like toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products, dried goods, etc.

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