No matter if you are a housewife, a single guy, or someone with a hectic job, grocery shopping is an ordeal everyone has to deal with multiple times a month. Just recount the number of times you have reached the cash counter with a trolley packed with groceries and were surprised at the bill.

Isn't it high time that you get out of the habit of taking grocery shopping for granted?

Large stores, impulse shopping and shrewd marketers are all out there to get the most out of your wallet while at the store. Here's what you can do to make sure you get value for money.

1. Get a meal plan in place

Keep a tab on how much grocery your family consumes in a week. Make an accurate note of these items in their respective quantities, and multiply the same by four. Add 10 per cent to the overall value of the items, and you have a monthly meal plan ready!

Anything bought in addition to that should be easy to single out in a shopping list.

2. Have a shopping list ready

Shopping lists make it convenient to buy monthly items without leaving out any important ones in a single go. Have a post-it in the kitchen and keep marking items on it as and when they get exhausted. Before heading out for the store, make a last minute check in your pantry and cupboard for items that you may have run out of.

3. Prolong the shopping cycle

Fewer shopping trips mean lesser impulse buying, which means lesser extravagant spending.

Around 20-25 per cent of your shopping bill comes from items that weren't on your shopping list when you entered the shop. And about 5-10 per cent are items that you simply did not need.

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So cut down on the number of trips, and start planning your monthly shopping to get into the habit of bulk buying non-perishable goods.

4. Watch out for supermarkets

If you enter a supermarket without a shopping list to stick to, you are a marketer's delight. Most supermarkets drive consumer footfalls with a few items on a fantastic discount. But they more than make up on the lost margins with the unplanned shopping that you end up indulging in at the large stores.

So a carton of orange juice might cost you 60 per cent of the MRP. Well, you buy a few and save a fair deal of money there.

But where you end up losing a lot is in the hour it takes for you to exit the supermarket, where the marketer induces impulse purchases that make these supermarkets very expensive. Resist the temptation to stroll around or 'checking out' stuff unless you still have to tick off something on the shopping list.

5. Buy in bulk

This is really a cheap alternative as long as you bear in mind a few things:

~ Get a list ready of the items that you consume most often. Some good examples are toilet paper or cartons of juice. These are ideal items for bulk buying.

~ Stick to non-perishable goods only. These can be stored in the attic without worrying about them getting spoilt. Unless you are having a house party, or have to feed a family of 20, do not buy non-vegetarian food in bulk. You will end up spending more due to wastage.

~ If you don't mind shopping with family friends, relatives or neighbours, the benefits of bulk shopping can really kick in. You can also alternate for shopping trips, thereby making it cheaper and more convenient.

6. Shop at leisure

Take the Sunday morning off from the routine chores, and head out for shopping alone.

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Shopping, even for groceries, can be a relaxing experience. Besides, your budget update at the end of the month will look better. Visit supermarkets armed with a shopping list, and browse through the different sections at leisure. You will have time to compare between brands and prices to get the best deal available.

While at it, look through the aisles for the 'offer of the week' that is too good to miss.

7. Put the freezer to good use (Cook once, eat twice or thrice)

Remember that large uppermost compartment in your refrigerator? Don't let it go empty all the time. Food gets stale only if kept in the fridge, not in the freezer. Don't cram your fridge with yesterday's food in the hope that you will eat it tomorrow. Get realistic if you aren't sure and store it in the freezer.

Even after a couple of weeks, it will taste just as good. Cook for a couple of meals or more, and then store the excess food in the freezer. This will help you save on time as well as money and effort that daily cooking demands.

8. Cut down on prepared foods

Prepared foods? You do the math.

Quite clearly, since the manufacturers aren't mostly generous, they will charge you for preparing the food. Something as simple as salad dressing or a pineapple tin will cost a lot more than throwing in some mayonnaise and vinegar, or getting a fresh pineapple. Your daily breakfast of honey-cornflakes and milk can taste the same with regular cornflakes with a dash of honey.

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But certain prepared foods are worth the price for the effort they save you. A pasta sauce or a condensed milk can is worth it, as the many ingredients and the preparation time involved are not worth the savings. Chart out which prepared foods do you stock up on most, and explore other brands for cheaper options. Remember, in-store brands are great on the price front, but might be a bit dicey on taste.

9. Go vegetarian, it's cheaper!

If you are non-vegetarian, almost surely, the most expensive item on your list is meat or seafood.

Introduce a few more vegetarian dishes a week at home for dinner. Choose between lasagna and pasta to experiment with.

While cooking Chinese, serve vegetarian rice with non-vegetarian gravy. Your family will not even notice the difference, but your pockets will. Also, try substitutes like soya chunks with meals. Not only are they cheaper, but are also rich in protein, and taste almost like meat.