At some point or the other, we’ve all deviated a little from the original shopping list of required grocery items, and ended up purchasing a whole lot of other products. This often results in shelling out big bucks on things you don’t need. What you initially thought of as harmless ended up being something that can be avoided. Such practices will lead to a weekly deficit.

Such behavior can be avoided if you adopt new strategies to effectively save money.

Experts have noted that one of the most important things one can do is to create a detailed shopping list in advance, before heading out to the super market. It is important to only stick to the items that would be required for the week. This creates discipline in your spending, by only allowing you to spend on only what is required, thus reducing the risk of making any costly mistakes.

Sometimes, just eating healthy can end up being cheap. This is true as indicated by the Journal of the American Diabetes Association, which said that when a person decides to eat healthy, the portion sizes of their meals tends to reduce, and their focus shifts. As now they start focusing more on a nutrient-rich diet instead of a calorie-rich diet. Contrary to many people thin, a caloric deficit food can work out a lot cheaper than caloric rich food.

Here are some other means by which you can save few bucks or more every week.

Buying products that are in season. Everyone knows that during peak season, certain food items will be produced in abundance, and as a result their prices will tend to drop. This is an ideal time to buy in bulk and stock up. You can just put them in a freezer. Once they have been frozen, you can continue to use them for a prolong period of time as and when they’re required. If you don’t want the hassle of buying and freezing food, you can opt to buy frozen or canned food items.

Frozen and canned food will also work out a lot cheaper. More importantly, they retain their nutritional value equally compared to freshly bought products. Canned and frozen foods stand out because they do not lead to wastage and have a long shelf life.

The above list is not exhaustive, but it is ideal for beginners. You can follow the list and see how your savings increase at the end of every month.