But with a little bit of thought and consideration you can cut your bill right down without compromising on quality, health or taste.
Plan your meals
At the start or end of every week, write down what meals you plan on making for the next seven days. In your plan, include leftovers that you can use so you don’t buy extra food that might go to waste.
Use your coupons
Collect any coupons that you get and use them - they are a really great way to save money Why not download a money-saving app so that your coupons aren’t pushed to the bottom of your bag.
Check out the discount aisle
You never know what might be on offer that day so always check out the discount aisle. Dairy, meats and baked goods are often marked down as they approach their sell-by date but are perfectly good to buy. Pop them in the freezer if you won’t be using them immediately.
Don’t buy just because it’s on sale
It’s easy to get caught in the 'must-buy because it’s on sale' frenzy but only buy something you know you need! If you are only making your purchase based on it's sale price, you can end up wasting money not saving it.
Go shopping on your own
Kids have a knack of using their Bambi eyes or strops to get you to put items in the trolley that you’d never dreamed of buying. If possible, leave them at home or do your shopping online!
Buy generic brands
Compare the ingredients at the back of a branded and an own-branded product and you’ll see that they are very similar. With this in mind, check the generic brand before you pay an extra few Euros for your item.
Go frozen
Vegetables only seem to have a shelf life of a few days to a week – so go frozen if you know you won’t be able to use them before they go off. Don’t worry, you aren’t compromising on health benefits as frozen vegetables have the same, if not more, nutritional value.
Grow your own
Whether you have a garden or just a window sill there are plenty of foods you can grow yourself to help you save a few bob. Get older kids involved and give them their own veg. to look after – you never know, it might encourage them to eat it!
