It’s a new year, full of opportunities to learn, grow and save.

The past year has been a good reminder of why everyone should have some sort of financial safety and some savings to fall back on when the going gets tough. However, saving money is not an easy task when most of your income goes into rent, bills, and taxes. And that’s not all! There are many other necessities that end up siphoning your bank account such as residential and grocery essentials.

It’s time you learned the art of spending smartly at the grocery store. You can use certain tips and tricks to greatly reduce your grocery bill every month. If the idea of saving the big bucks excites you, keep on reading!

Here are some simple yet effective tips to help.

1. Bulk Buying

You may have often seen packs at the grocery store with the label ‘family size’. These family packs are technically cheaper when compared to the sum of their parts. For example, 5 bags of chips that are for $1 each are going to cost more than a family pack of these five crisps which is priced at $3. So, next time you get a chance, go for the family pack since bulk buying can be less taxing on your pocket and also help you stock up for months ahead.

Pexels | Stock up on essentials in one go

2. Say No to Serving Size Portion

As mentioned before, serving-size portions are prepared to only cater to one person. So, if you are living alone and you think of it as a good deal, you might want to think again. Single-size portions are priced higher than you think and it is cheaper to get a family pack and invest the rest of the money in Tupperware to store the extra food in.

Pexels | Rather than stocking up on small portions, go for the larger alternatives

3. Frozen Foods

Many people believe that frozen fruits aren’t as healthy as fresh fruits and while this is true to some extent, frozen food doesn’t actually lose its nutritional value. They just lose their freshness and despite the fact that they are frozen, these foods are great to stock up on and are relatively cheap too.

Pexels | So, you can store berries for when they are out of season.

These tricks might not sound effective until you put them to the test. Good luck on your next grocery run!