One thing's for sure, you do pay for convenience. If your biggest problem is lack of cash, you can make up for it with a little more time and effort:

• Avoid ready meals and takeaway foods, as well as being expensive they are often unhealthy and full of additives
• Learn to cook a few quick and simple dishes such as pasta, stews, or filled baked potatoes
• If you buy your lunch, make your own sandwiches
• Don't buy everything at an expensive supermarket; use local shops and budget supermarkets wherever possible
• The larger supermarket chains often have useful basic ranges, including tinned tomatoes, baked beans, and bread
• A little bit of a good thing goes a long way. It's occasionally alright to buy decent olive oil, some fresh parmesan etc.

Following these suggestions you can save around 50% on your weekly grocery bill, and still eat really well.

Other top tips:

• Aim for a balanced diet: plenty of fruit and veg, starchy foods, enough protein, not too many saturated fats, and not too much sugar or salt
• Never go food shopping when you're hungry, you'll end up buying snacks and junk that you don't need
• Work out what you need before you go to the shops, and take a shopping list
• Stick to your shopping list most of the time, but be flexible if a real bargain turns up
• Club together with friends and buy in bulk. Good for rice, pasta, potatoes, beans, coffee, tea, sugar etc
• Buy your fruit and vegetables from your local market, and get what's in season
• Make friends with your local baker, greengrocer, fishmonger, or butcher. Ask them about which ingredients are good value for someone on a tight budget
• Try to get some variety into what you eat. Look at the number of people who can't eat baked beans after they've graduated from university. Scary.

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Updated: 17/10/2011