Ten ways to save on food bills

By Holly Clegg, author of Meals on the Move frugal food

Five great supermarket savers

Keep your kitchen bills to a minimum with these simple ideas.

1. Look out for bargains. When shopping at the supermarket, keep your eyes peeled for specials and bargains. Buy extra of whatever is on sale. Canned goods are especially good to stock up on because they have a long shelf life. Cereals, dried fruits, pasta, rice and dried beans can also be great buys.

2. Freeze it! Buy mince, chicken breasts and other frequently used meats in bulk and separate into individual portions. Wrap well and freeze for quick dinners.

3. Grate your own cheese. Instead of buying pre-grated cheese, purchase in bulk and grate the whole lot in one go to store in the refrigerator for whenever you need.

4. Make your own drinks. Instead of buying expensive fizzy and bottled drinks, buy canisters of powdered mixes to make your own lemonade, or fizzy pop.

5. Make homemade "fast food". Kids love McDonald's, KFC and the like, but they're unhealthy and very costly. Learn to make the kid's favourites from scratch and you will save loads of cash. Homemade pizza, for example, is much healthier easy to make at home and much more economical.

Five tips to downsize dinner

1. Turn leftovers into another meal. Baked chicken one night might be fajitas the next night, or a chicken salad, or chicken topped pizza.

2. Use less meat in your meals. Meat is an expensive way to get your protein. Get your kids used to not having meat as the centrepiece of a meal. Use less by mixing it with beans or grains. Great examples are chilli burritos and stir-fries. Have meatless meals once or twice a week.

3. Breakfast is a great dinner. For a light dinner, omelettes or a bowl of cereal with fruit can be quick, nutritious and filling.

4. Bin the junk! Commercial snack foods are costly and usually unhealthy. Most kids love to dip. Make a spinach dip and serve with fresh veggies or a fruit dip with fresh fruit. The dip will last two to three days in the fridge and you can keep cut up fruit and veggies available in the fridge for after-school snack attacks.

5. Make more now, save later. When making soups, stews and chilies, freeze the extra in ziplock bags to pull out for meals as needed.