Regardless of how many people you have to buy groceries for each month, the grocery bill is always a consistently huge household expense. If you plan well before going to the store and apply the following seven suggestions, you will be able to successfully spend less on groceries on a regular basis.

* The first thing you can do is set a budget for your groceries. Realistically, it should be the average of what you spent over the last several months. As you develop your talents in discount shopping, you will be able to reduce the amounts (or else put the savings in a fund for other needs).

* Discuss and establish a menu that lasts two weeks with the entire family. This will help you to use the same menu items more than once will maintaining a variety in meals. At the same time you will be wasting less time and still keeping everyone in the family satisfied.

* Based off of the ingredients you will need for your family's menu items, make a grocery list. Before buying food, check to make sure that there isn't anything on the grocery list that is already hiding in the cabinets or pantry at home. Arrange your grocery list by grocery store department and estimate the cost of each item so that you have a general idea of how much is to be spent before even leaving the house.

* Get and use coupons on the Internet, in the newspaper, and from friends. Then figure out how you are going to use them in conjunction with the items you already know you are going to be purchasing that appear on your grocery list. Make sure to make a mark on your list next to items that have corresponding coupons so that you don't forget to use them when you're in the check out line.

* Make a coupon club with friends and family. Have everyone involved bring coupons that they are not going to use and share. You can also form a club on the Internet.

* Search the papers and flyers for any special discounts that are coming up at the grocery stores. The smaller your community, the more limited you may be, but there are still some great buys out there (especially when you can combine them with coupons).

* When it saves you money and is possible, buy in bulk. Make sure to compare prices before buying, since bulk purchases do not always work out to be cheaper. Non-perishable items are the best choices, like paper products and cleaning supplies that you can use any time. If you opt to buy meat in bulk quantities, make sure you repackage it individually before you store them.

These seven tips will help you reduce the money you spend on groceries, letting you put it to good use in some other way.