If you want to save money at home, you don’t have to make big changes in your life to make a difference. Just do a few things a little differently and you’ll soon see the savings add up! Here are some of the best tips on how to save money every month on groceries.

• Don’t waste leftover food stored in the fridge. Use fridge magnets to hold a large sheet of paper to your fridge door. List the item, the date you put it there, and (in red) the date you need to use it.
• Grow your own herbs for free. When you buy a basil or mint plant at the grocery store, cut off the largest stems (you need them to be about 3″ long) – put them in a glass of water until they take root. Place the rooted stems in a small pot of compost and watch them grow.
• Don’t throw away stale bread – use it to make a delicious bread pudding with: 8oz (225g) bread, cut into pieces, 1/2pt (275ml) milk, 6oz (175g) dried fruit, 3 oz (75 g) margarine, 1 oz (25 g) Demerara sugar, 1 level teaspoon of mixed spices, a little grated nutmeg, 1 egg, a tablespoon of brandy (optional!), a few drops of juice lemon or orange. For the milk on the bread and soak for 30 minutes, add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Spread the mixture evenly on a flat plate, about 7 inches (18 cm) in diameter. Cook at 350F (gas mark 4/180C/fan oven 155C) for 100-120 minutes.
• Revive a soft lettuce by putting it in a bowl of cold water with half a lemon and putting it in the fridge for an hour.
• Take the bones, Parsons nose, and unwanted leftovers from a chicken, add half an onion and half a pint of water, and create a great homemade broth.
• Make your own breakfast bars instead of buying the ones you buy at the store. Mix together 2 cups of old fashioned oats, 3/4 cup of brown sugar, one cup of flour, and a half cup of olives and one egg. Add vanilla extract, raisins, whatever you like, press into a shallow 13″ by 9″ tin, then bake at 180 for about 20-30 minutes until golden brown. That makes about 20 bars for a fraction of the cost of store-bought bars and you can adjust the recipe to your own tastes or make a lower calorie version.
• Add oatmeal to your ground beef to make your meat last longer. The oatmeal soaks up all the juices and flavorings, so it’s tasty, too.
• If you have overripe bananas, store them in the freezer. You can thaw them later and use them in banana gingerbread, banana bread, or Fiji cake. (Place a layer of plantains in the bottom of a pre-baked puff pastry pan, top with fresh stale breadcrumbs and sprinkle well with golden syrup. Bake at 180 degrees C for 20-25 minutes.) Another way to use them is Peel the bananas and wrap them in cling film before putting them in the freezer. You can eat them straight from the freezer like a banana sundae. A great way to get kids to eat fruit!
• If you’ve cooked too many vegetables, put them in a plastic bag in the freezer instead of throwing them away. Keep adding until there is enough for bubbles and squeaks. Before you make a trip to the stores, think carefully about whether you could wait another day or if you could leave it until tomorrow. You may find that you can make food last longer than you expected. This is one of the great tips on how to save money every month on groceries.

If you follow these simple money-saving ideas, you’ll soon notice the difference in your pocket!