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 different and you’ll soon see the savings add up! Here are some of the best tips on how to save money each month on groceries.

• Do not waste leftover food that is stored in the fridge. Use fridge magnets to hold a large sheet of paper to your fridge door. List the item, the date you placed 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 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: 8 oz (225 g) bread, cut into pieces, 1/2 pt (275 ml) milk, 6 oz (175 g) dried fruit, 3 oz (75 g) margarine, 1 oz (25 g) Demerara sugar, 1 level teaspoon mixed spice, a little grated nutmeg, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon 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. Distribute the mixture evenly on a flat plate, approximately 7 inches (18 cm) in diameter. Cook at 350F (gas mark 4/180C/155C fan oven) for 100-120 minutes.
• Revive limp 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 the unwanted remains of a chicken, add half an onion and half a pint of water and create a great homemade stock.
• Make your own breakfast bars instead of buying the ones you buy at the store. Mix 2 cups of old fashioned oats, 3/4 cup of brown sugar, one cup of flour, and half a cup of olive 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 oats to your ground meat to make your meat last longer. The oats absorb all the juices and flavorings, so they are also tasty.
• If you have overripe bananas, store them in the freezer. You can thaw them later and use them in banana gingerbread, banana bread, or Fijian pie. (Place a layer of bananas in the bottom of a pre-baked puff pastry tin, top with fresh stale breadcrumbs and drizzle 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 banana ice cream. 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 take a trip to the stores, think carefully about whether you could wait another day or 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 each month on groceries.

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