Not by buying cheaper food. By buying less food you never eat.
Start by finding out where the money actually goes. For one month, keep every receipt and note the total per shop. Most people are surprised by two things: how many small top-up trips they make, and how much of the bill is snacks and drinks rather than meals.
Then four changes that work.
- Shop once a week, not four times. Every extra trip adds items you did not plan. Top-up trips are where budgets quietly die.
- Write the list from what you already have. Look in the freezer and pantry first, then plan meals around what needs using, then write the list. Doing it in the other order is how you end up with four jars of the same thing.
- Set a number before you go, not after. A budget you check at the till is not a budget. Decide the figure, then shop to it.
- Track unit price, not shelf price. The bigger pack is usually cheaper per kilo, but not always, and stores rely on you assuming it is.
None of this requires eating worse. It mostly requires eating what you already bought.