Bangalore: With the food prices increasing at an alarming rate, you must be experiencing real high bills while shopping food items. These days it is a daunting task to manage your monthly expense with growing inflation. Unfortunately you can't down on bill payments, nor cut on fueling your vehicle nor crib on the rising oil prices and poor crop yields. But one thing you could focus on is reducing the expenses that are not fixed, such as food shopping. You can look for ways to save money while food shopping without sacrificing nutrition. Here are tips for saving money while food shopping while still eating healthy Use coupons and shop during sales One easy way to save money on groceries is to use coupons. Coupons are easily available in Cooking and women's magazine. You can avail these coupons online. You can purchase coupons for the items you actually buy rather than taking a chance at getting something good in the paper. Buy one get one free is common at every grocery store. Best option to shop is during sales. Don't throw away the flyers issued by the grocery store. The flyer often contains many good deals sales. You can find the best and attractive deals on the front page. Shop from 3 or 4 grocery stores by buying only the sale items and doing the majority of your shopping. Save on protein food If possible try and replace expensive meat, fish or poultry with least expensive vegetarian items like be eggs, beans and legumes. By consuming vegetarian food once in a week you not only consuming healthy plant food but also saving money. Try and have eggs for breakfast or dinner it will be a good protein rich diet. Don't waste food Before buying any perishable food think how you'll use it. You could use leftover vegetables, poultry, or meat in soups, stews, salads, and casseroles that will minimize the cost. Try topping fresh greens with vegetables, fruits, and slices of leftover chicken. Add a loaf of whole-grain bread. Go generic When you purchase store brands instead of pricier national brands you saving money. Many grocery companies buy national-brand products made to their specifications and simply put their own label on the products. Look at the ingredient list on the label to be sure you're getting the most for your money. Buy produce in season and buy in bulk The newspapers provide you with a list of best buys based on the fresh produce in season. Check for the items and buy the product if needed. Because the food in one particular season can cost lesser while in other season it might hike. For example in the month of April and June is special for mangoes. So during these seasons the price is less compared to what is sold off season. Bulk purchases can be a great way to save money provided you use them. You can cook in bulk and can save both money and time. For example, making a big batch of tomato sauce will less expensive (and probably tastier) than buying some.