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Combine a little planning with some flexibility, leftover recipes, and new technology, and you could save hundreds on your monthly food bill — without compromising quality. This article discusses many budgeting tips, meal planning ideas, leftover recipes, and frugal shopping to maximize your savings. With the state of the economy today, we need to save everywhere we can!
Plan weekly menus with leftovers in mind
Plan at least four to five dinners for the week, based on what’s on sale in your store circular (most are available online). If possible, double those recipes and freeze the second for a complete leftover meal. If not, maybe plan some 2-meals-in-one dinners, doubling up on the key meal ingredient only. Use that leftover chicken, beef, turkey, or whatever it may be to follow up the next day with a meal using some of our leftover chicken recipes, leftover beef recipes, leftover turkey recipes, or other leftover recipes that you already have. This “planning” for leftovers can go a long way when trying to save money and time.
Be brand flexible
Use your store’s loyalty card religiously, and be willing to buy different brands in order to maximize the money saved.
Track prices and save
While your store circular obviously tells you what’s on sale, it doesn’t reveal whether the price is a true bargain. Use a price-tracking website to assist you with this one. The two largest are http://www.thecouponmom.com, which is free but requires registration; and http://www.thegrocerygame.com, which charges a fee of $10 every eight weeks for a list of deals from one store ($5 for each additional store).
These sites track thousands of items for months at a time, and publish weekly lists by state and store showing the best deals. They also let you know if a coupon is available for a particular item by listing the circular name — such as “Smart Source” — and its date.
Coupons equal money
To maximize your discount, subscribe to the your local Sunday paper, pull out the coupon circulars each week, write the date on them and save them in a drawer or a flexible file. 
Throughout the week keep track of the items you need to add to your grocery list. When you’re ready to shop, go to the grocery website, click next to the items you want, print the list, grab your dated circular from your file, clip the relevant coupon and go.
For those coupon-resistant types, the only time you have to cut out a coupon is when you actually save a bunch of money with it. Quite often your loyalty card will account for the coupon anyway.
If you’re a coupon queen or king and you really want those savings to add up, definitely visit coupon sites such as http://www.thecouponclippers.com, http://www.coolsavings.com or http://www.coupons.com.
More ideas to save money
The key to saving money is buy big items first, on sale (kind of an extension to “Plan weekly meals with leftovers in mind” from above). Once or twice a month stock up on meat or poultry on sale and freeze it. Then plan four or five days worth of meals from seasonal recipes or “2-meals-in-one” leftover recipes, using vegetables and fruits from nearby farmers’ markets. 
(You can search for a farmers’ market in your area on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website.) Better yet, grow your own produce.
There is a dramatic price difference between the farmers’ market and the grocery store, where people buy stuff in packages. For example, a bag of chopped lettuce might cost $3 to $4 a package at the grocery store, as opposed to 50 cents a head at farmer’s market.
Instead of buying deli meat at $6.99 a pound, cook a whole chicken for less than a quarter of the price, and use it for sandwiches or other “leftover” meals throughout the week.
Also stock up on grains and beans in the bulk bins for as little as 99 cents a pound. To save money, stay away from processed foods and go for the rice and beans.
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