These are hard times for us all economically due to the global stock market recession. In such situations running a household can be tough as one needs to set priorities on various expenses that are bound to come up every month. Did you know that spending money on food and grocery is the second largest expenditure after housing?

You can save money on your food and grocery expenses by some very simple tips. If you observe your way of shopping and how many times you land up at the grocery store, you will probably know the answer. The first thing to do would be to plan out your whole month or take it week by week in advance. Take stock of your kitchen inventory and other food items that you need for the week and prepare a list realistically. Be firm, and put only the things that you really require on the list and that would last for the whole week.

After you have the list ready, go to the store and don't hesitate to look for bargains or discounts. Check the MRP on each and every item along with the expiry date and buy only fresh items as they will last longer. There are some stores or supermarkets that boast of offering the lowest prices, like for eg. the Subhiksha store in India and Big Bazaar. You may also get good discounts on bulk purchases, so you can consider buying some items in bulk and split it with your neighbor or friend. For eg. buying Rice, cooking oil etc in bulk may get you a better price at such stores. So don't hesitate in checking them out.

Whenever you plan to go out to the store, try leaving your kids at home or ask your husband or anybody else that you trust to look after them while you shop. This serves two purposes, one; your mind can now be free to concentrate fully on your shopping and thereby you may get a better price or discount. You can also take your time in selecting the most economic brand of an item. Its not necessary to buy the most expensive one. And the second benefit is that the kids don't make you spend extra money on useless demands like chocolates or candy etc that they may find very attractive and want then and there. Refusing a kid at the store in front of other people can many a times turn very embarrassing. Trust me, I know.

The best way to save money is to buy fresh foods more than preserved or precooked food. These days the markets are swamped by such products. What more, buying fresh food and cooking it from scratch turns out to be not only cheaper but also more enjoyable and healthy in the long run. Buy more vegetables and fruits than meats in the week. Restrict your meat diet to say once in the week. Adding more vegetables to your diet will make you healthier and save more money. Plan to cook a special meat, chicken or fish dish once every week.

Similarly you can also save money by making homemade fresh fruit juices which are definitely more healthier than a packaged or canned one which may contain preservatives. However, at times the prices of vegetables go up so high that its better to buy a readymade stuff and store in the fridge, for eg. Tomatoes are now being sold at 30 Rupees a kilo, so you can consider keeping tomato puree at home and use it for your cooking. Similarly even ginger/garlic paste. Homemade soups would be much more healthier and tastier than readymade packaged soups.

There are some non perishable items that you may be able to buy in bulk from a discounts store at a very good price. Good examples of these are baby diapers, toilet paper, soaps and detergents etc. Consider going out with your friends and splitting the items that you can buy in bulk. You will be surprised at how much money you will save.

There are many discount stores online where you can shop for anything from grocery to clothes, jewelry, gifts, electronic items, computers etc. Its always a good idea to check out these stores. It may save you a lot of time, money and effort. Here are some links to such stores online, take a look:

http://www.idmonlineshopping.com/
http://www.maxxmall-elite.com/
http://www.discount-pet-superstore.com/

The last link offers great products for your pets at discount prices.

There are also many online grocery stores for Indian shoppers where you get good discounts:

http://www.indiaplaza.com/grocery/
http://www.pluggd.in/indian-startups/storrz-bangalores-local-online-grocery-shopping-store-pay-at-home-or-by-sodexho-737/

Try out these tips and see if it saved you any money. Try to reduce the number of trips that you make to the grocery store. Go out and buy something only if you really can't do without it. Last but not the least, reduce the number of times that you eat out or get food home from a take-out joint.