Mom-of-eight shares 10 things to stop buying to 'cut your food bill in half'

We all know that the cost of even grocery shopping has skyrocketed lately, but that doesn't mean you can't save money.

Mom of eight and budget expert Jordan Page shared 10 things to skip putting in your cart so you don't get a nasty surprise when you get to the checkout.

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Jordan said on her YouTube that a few simple changes can cut your grocery bill by as much as half.

Ready-made meals

There's a time and a place for prepared foods, Jordan said, but if you make a habit of buying prepared meals instead of cooking at home, you're probably wasting a lot more money than you think.

Instead of buying microwave pasta for your kids, take the extra 10 minutes to make it yourself, the mom said.

'If it's something from the frozen section, you can also freeze it at home. You can make a tray of macaroni and cheese and freeze it, you can make a quiche and freeze it, and then you have your own ready-made meals that you can pull out at a moment's notice,” Jordan said.

Prepackaged snacks

They're great for on-the-go, school lunches or even on-the-go, but if your favorite snack comes in a package at home, you're wasting money, Jordan said.

She suggested still buying the snacks you love, but in bulk.

You can then divide them into small portions and 'avoid paying extra for the packaging'.

“Buy the largest size you can afford, keep it and separate it yourself, you will save so much money,” she continued.

Individual protein drinks

If you're someone who likes a protein drink, don't bother looking for the individual drinks.

Instead, the mother recommended buying protein powder and making it at home.

And you can't just do this for protein drinks; Milkshakes for your children are also cheaper to make yourself.

Bottled drinks

Whether it's your favorite soft drink or a bottle of fresh juice: according to the mother, all on-the-go drinks increase the price of your weekly groceries.

“Buy your own drink mixes, put it in a water bottle and you're done,” she said.

Small packages of basic food

If you use something regularly, buying small packages is probably much more expensive.

Jordan explained: “Cheese is expensive, we use a lot of it our house. If you buy small packets of cheese, maybe just enough for one recipe, and then another packet for another recipe, you are doing it in the most expensive way, I promise.”

Instead, buy things like cheese for the best price per pound, she added.

Pre-cut vegetables

While they are convenient, the amount you save is probably not worth the extra money you have to pay.

Jordan showed off a pumpkin she bought for less than £2 and a pack of carved pumpkin of the same amount for more than double the price to make her point.

“I'd rather save my money than save five minutes on this package,” she said.

Small parcels of meat

“Proteins often take up a large portion of your grocery budget,” says Jordan, but buying larger packs of meat and portioning them out to freeze later can work out much cheaper.

You can pre-cook it to make meal prep easier, or freeze it right away, she added.

Salad dressing

It may taste good, but the returns on most salad dressings are enormous, the mother explained.

“It's so easy and so cheap to make yourself,” she said.

And chances are you already have a few of the ingredients in your cupboards that you need to make one.

Everything immediately

Whether it's instant mashed potatoes, instant rice or instant oats: that's it the driving increase your grocery bill.

Instant rice may save you a few minutes, but cooking regular rice is just as easy and will probably taste better, Jordan noted.

Beans in a can

Instead of buying cans of beans, Jordan suggested buying the beans dry and making your own sauce for them at home.

You get much more value for your moneyas long as you can say goodbye to the convenience of cans.