Has the rising cost of food eaten a chunk of your grocery budget? Do you find yourself paring down your list in an effort to compensate for the latest food price increase?

If you do, you’re not alone! According to the USDA’s Cost of Food at Home analysis, the average monthly cost for a family of four on their “moderate-cost plan” has risen by more than $174 in the past five years.  $174 per month to feed your family the same types of food you’ve been purchasing all along. Take into consideration that this figure is for a family that includes a couple who are 19-50 years old and two children between the ages of 6 and 11. We all know that teenagers can eat a family out of house and home, so imagine the increase for families with children who are between 12 and 18!!

But there is hope! With a few simple changes, you CAN save money on food and once again reclaim control of your grocery budget. Here are some of my favorite ways to make easy changes that cut your grocery bill. The best part of this list? You can put these steps into action immediately!

• Eat a snack before you shop. Studies show that people who grocery shop on an empty stomach make more impulse purchases and buy more convenience foods. Unfortunately, convenience = more money at the grocery store, so don’t leave home without a full stomach.
• Make–and use–a list. It may be difficult at first, but meal planning will save you time, energy, and money in the long-run. Plan a week of meals at a time and base your grocery list on what is needed for these meals. If it’s not on the list, it’s not in your cart!
• Buy the store brand. “Generic” food has come a long way. Gone are the days of the plain, black and white labels clustered in their own row in the grocery store. Today’s store brands are of top quality and taste. Plus, your grocery dollar goes much, much further. One caveat to this would be if you can purchase the national brand at a better price using coupons….
• Use coupons! No, I’m not advocating any Extreme Couponing madness here. If you have access to the Sunday paper or the Internet, savings are just a snip or click away.
• Buy what’s on sale. Matching coupons to weekly sales is a surefire way to slash your grocery bill. Unfortunately, not all of us have the time or patience to do so. Instead, figure out your list and then buy the sale version of whatever you actually need. Need flour for those cookies? If you’re a die-hard Gold Medal fan but Pillsbury is on sale this week, buy the Pillsbury (even better if you have a coupon for it, too)!
• Buy your meat on sale. This deserves its own bullet point because meat is often the most expensive food item you’re throwing into your cart. When you see a great sale, that is the time to stock up on chicken and the like. Just follow my tips below for food storage so you’re not throwing it out in 6 months without using/eating it.
• Buy in-season. There’s a reason why those blueberries are 50-60% less in the summer than winter–they are in-season! Sustainable Table has a great search function where you can find what’s currently in-season in your state.
• If you don’t need it and won’t use it, don’t buy it! Don’t get suckered into spending more money on random products because they are on sale or part of a store’s “amazing deals.” Even if it’s a BOGO deal, think long and hard before throwing it in your cart. If you don’t usually use it and don’t need it for your meal plan, you’ll most likely just end up throwing it–and the $$ you spent on it–away when it expires.
• Skip the individual serving-sized products. Sure, those individual packets of Goldfish are cute and convenient, but as I’ve already covered, convenience = money when it comes to your grocery dollar. You are far better off purchasing a large container of Goldfish and making your own smaller servings using sandwich bags. This also applies to fruits and veggies–peel & chop your own and revel in your savings!

• Store your food correctly. If you store your food correctly, you save money and can virtually eliminate the need to throw things out because they are expired or rotten. Rotate your stock of canned goods and non-perishables in your pantry, fridge, and freezer. Clearly label all packages that you put in the freezer–include 2 dates: the day you put it in the freezer and the day it will expire. 
• Eat or freeze your food BEFORE it spoils. If you open your crisper and find produce that is just about to turn to the dark side, cut it up and pop it in the freezer. I do this with pretty much all of the produce I purchase–it can become the base for homemade soups, stocks, smoothies, etc. If you find yourself consistently putting food in the freezer in an effort to not let it spoil, take a close look at what you are buying and cut back.
• Shop your pantry before the store. Challenge yourself to use what’s already in your pantry BEFORE deciding it’s time to grocery shop. Sites like MyRecipes.com have features where you can simply enter what you have and recipes that use those items will be generated. 
• Become a 2-Batch cook. Double your frugal recipes and freeze the other half. You’ll certainly enjoy having dinner prepped when it’s been a long, hard day, and you’ll reap a greater financial benefit if you follow the steps above when shopping for said ingredients!
• Brown bag it. Leftovers make an excellent lunch, so make sure to remember them in the morning! You can also save leftovers for weekend brunch or omelet fixings, so the leftover phenomenon extends far greater than work-day lunches.
• Go meat-free. You don’t have to become a vegetarian to cut your grocery bills, but going meat-free a few times per week will save both money and your waistline. Find creative recipes to make healthy, periodic, meat-free eating a way of life in your home.
• Try new proteins. Decided to go meat-free? Great! Now open your recipe box up to the possibilities of legumes, tofu, beans, and eggs. These items cost far less than meat and have an immense impact on your health (think lower weight, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure).
• Use frozen, dried, or canned. Have a love of black beans? Buy them dried and save yourself about 40%. Love smoothies but hate the cost of fresh fruit? Buy frozen fruit and save at least 25% most of the time. Love to spice up your recipes? Dried spices command a far lower price, but can replicate most flavors of the fresh versions.
• Sow some seeds. That’s right, start (and maintain) your own garden! If I can have a thriving, urban potted garden on my back porch, anyone can because I used to be a self-proclaimed Black Thumb of all things living. A few quick Google searches and Home Depot brochures have helped me amass the skills to grow my own herbs, tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, and squash. The up-front investment for seeds and soil pales in comparison to the amount I’ve saved by growing my own.

• Make your own (external links to recipe sources):
• Salad dressing
• Peanut butter cups
• Soup stock
• Fruit roll-ups
• Croutons
• Tortillas
• Nutella
• Pita bread
• Bread crumbs
• Jams & Jellies
• Granola
• And many more!