At the grocery store, you often end up spending more than you planned to and head home with a lot more stuff in your bag than you needed. It might be the colorful packaging of the product or its advertisement that grabbed your attention and urge you to buy things that you did not need. If you are looking to save money on food on your next grocery shopping trip, here are some handy tips:

1. Prepare a list before shopping
When scanning through busy grocery aisles, it is easy to simply pick almost anything that looks attractive, thinking that you need it. This can lead to your grocery bill doubling up from a $150 bill to a $300 one, but you can prevent this from happening if you stick to your list. Remember that just because you are getting four packets of something for $12 does not mean you need them. If you can make do with just two packets for $7, it will prevent you from overshooting your entire grocery bill and also ensure that you are not left with excess food items that might expire soon.

2. Shop online with coupons
Many grocery apps let you earn a cashback while you shop. Additionally, you also get your common edibles on these apps for a much lesser price. These include breakfast cereal, baby food, tinned and canned food, and even fresh produce. Some common apps to consider include Ibotta, Coupons.com, Checkout 51, and BerryCart. Make the most of these apps to save money on food while shopping. Additionally, using these apps saves you the effort and the cost of gas you will have to undertake while going to the grocery.

3. Never shop for groceries when hungry
Research shows that when hungry, you are more likely to pick up edibles that you do not require, which would include a lot of junk food. So, the next time you are hungry and need to go grocery shopping, quickly fix yourself a sandwich or a smoothie and then head out. Shopping for groceries when you are full will help you make more practical decisions when filling your shopping cart and will help you to save money on food.

4. Leave the kids at home (or at the neighbor’s)
An important trick when shopping is to leave the kids at home to avoid overspending. If your kids keep asking you for sugary cereal or candy around every shopping aisle, you will surely end up spending much more than you should. Simply head out on your own so that you can make an informed decision on what you need to buy as per the budget you have set.

5. Try out gardening
Finally, growing your own vegetables in a tiny kitchen garden is a great way to save money on food and eat organic. You can grow tomatoes, cilantro, lettuce, spinach, berries, basil, and pepper. This might seem like a huge effort, but it is worth it in the long run.