I live by myself and sometimes find it hard to find recipes that work for only one meal. I avoid buying unnecessary items such as chips, sodas, cookies and other snack-like foods. They are quick fixes for a hungry appetite and can add bulk to a budget. If you are a big snack-food person, maybe buy them as treats every once in a while, instead of making them a regular staple in your diet. I drink a lot of water which definitely cuts back on buying juices and other types of drinks. Any meat I buy, I purchase in bulk and repackaged it into individual portions so there are no wasted leftovers. Where and when possible I hit up a local farmers market for fresh fruits and vegetables; or purchase vegetables and fruits that are on sale each week. For example, don't buy apples just to have apples; if oranges are cheaper that week then try those. This is also a good way to broaden your palate and get you to try things that you normally may not have tried before.

Great article with some great tips, I try to shop wisely, however, get's carried away sometimes and buy on sale and then don't use so it expires so go bad.

I also try to plan meals on items that are on sale, example if the cheese and vegetables that I use for vegetarian lasagna is on sale I'll make lasagna that week.

Is there Brown Basmati Rice? Could someone please tell me where i can purchase this. I've only seen white and I'm trying to eat more healthy. Does it say right on the package?

Overall a good article with some helpful tips. One comment would be on the tip about shopping bulk. While I agree that in many, if not most instances that shopping bulk is a money saver, it pays to do your research.

I recently went to my local bulk food store in search of brown basmati rice, and at first glance thought I was getting a deal at 89 cents/100 gms. Right behind it, I saw organic brown basmati rice for the same price, which I thought was odd, but what was even more surprising was the organic rice came pre-packaged in 1kg bags, and that bag gave me a visual reference of what I was REALLY paying. All of a sudden, $9/kg wasn't such a great deal anymore considering I had bought a 5kg bag at Costco 3 months prior for $13!

For a "teaspoon of this", and a "tablespoon of that", I'd go bulk all the way, but bulk doesn't always mean cheaper in the end - they have to make a profit too! For me it's helpful to convert the price/100gms to price/kg, and then compare that price to other items that you buy normally. In my case, the rice at the bulk store was going to cost me more than prime cuts of beef, and boneless/skinless chicken breasts!! We would consider rice a staple in our home, but at $9/kg, I'd rather eat meat!

I'm also not a big fan of the lack of hygiene and cross-contamination at many bulk stores, and unless you're in a very reputable, high-traffic bulk store, there's usually no way to tell how long items have been sitting in bins.

As with anything else - buyer beware!

We get our produce delivered every week>it's a mixed box of organic seasonal fruits and veg. We also bought the variety pack of meat from the local butcher and it will last us two or three months at least. We cut our grocery bill in half by doing this. Plus it saves time.
we all need that!

At our house 85$ to 95$ per week for three people is about average. Dosn't anyone realize that if you only eat fresh fruit, vegtables, lentils, beans and some meats, you save a bunch of money and you would be healthy as well. If it isn't in a bag there is no tax. To save on your food bill make your own food.
PS if you only have 100$ why would you buy a bucket of ice-cream?

many items that are comparable have significant tax differences in the grocery stores. In Ontario for example a litre of ice cream is not taxable but those ice cream sandwiches are. Tv dinners are not taxable in ontario but prepared meals at the deli counter are taxable because the government considers them a restaurant meal which you would pay tax on. In years gone by when the grocery stores put actual price tags on products there would always be a little tax added symbol so consumers realized what was taxable, now the little product info card on the shelf under these products only has a little tx mark. a single muffin is taxable in ontario because it is considered a treat but a package of 6 or more is tax free. For a family with a limited budget of say 100 bucks you could be paying about 10 bucks more in taxes without realizing it. Read the labels under the products look for the tax symbol or just check your grocery receipt when you get home. The closer to unprepared your food is the less likely it is to be taxed.