Although we all need food and we shop for groceries, the food budget is the easiest place to save a few bucks. Even the cheapest restaurants add up fast too. Next time you are thinking about eating out or spending money at the grocery store on items you don’t need, think about these simple tips:

• Eat at home. While it’s a nice treat to go out to eat once a week, it can get very expensive if you do it much more than that.

• Buy store brands. It’s sometimes very difficult to tell the difference between store and name brands. Why pay a premium for the name brand when the store products are so similar.

• Shop with a plan. You are less likely to buy things you don’t need if you’ve made a shopping list ahead of time.

• Clip coupons. They’re basically free money. Stores and companies are paying you to try their products. Take them up on their offer.

• Skip the fancy latte in the morning and brew at home.

• Buy produce in season. Prices tend to be lower when there is a large supply of something.

• Brown bag it! It’s much cheaper to prepare your lunch at home and take it with you than it is to buy it every day.

Obviously, we need to eat to live. But, depending on where and when you buy it, food can take a big bite out of your budget. These are some easy tips you can do to keep your spending down without making big sacrifices.

As they say “time is money”. If you take some time to follow some of these tips, you may save some money!!!