Clever and commonsense ways to save money on groceries

A practical tip from NPR reader Lisa Gluskin: check your receipt before you leave the parking lot of the grocery store. If you spot an error at home, you will be less likely to go back to the store to right the wrong. urbazon/Getty Images hide caption

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Food prices are still high, but your grocery bill doesn't have to be.

Last month, we shared tips on how to save money at the supermarket from Beth Moncel, founder of the cooking blog Budget Bytes. She advised shoppers to look up weekly deals, be wary of bulk buying and stick to the grocery list.

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We asked our audience members to share their own advice too. We received over 50 clever tips on the matter, ranging from the practical (check your receipt for errors) to the creative (use artificial intelligence to create recipes with ingredients you have at home).

Here's a selection of their responses. They have been edited for length and clarity.

Stay close to home

If you must visit multiple stores, make sure they are close to your home or else the gas expense will eat away at the money saved at the store. — Manuel Ramos

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Check your receipt

Check the receipt before you leave the parking lot. If you find an error, which mostly happens on sale items, you can get a refund right away. If you don't check until you get home, you're more likely to let it go. —Lisa Gluskin

Ask about senior discounts

I'm a senior, so I try to shop on senior discount days and save 5%. The stores don't advertise this, but if you Google it or ask about it at the customer service desk, you can find out what day of the week they do this. It varies by store. —Elyce O'Malley

Cook with whole turkey and chicken

When I buy meat, I buy whole turkey and chicken. Both are cheaper by the pound, and the latter is so easy to make in a slow or pressure cooker. I'll also buy special meats after the holidays. You can buy spiral hams and whole turkeys for cheap after Easter and Thanksgiving. —Vanessa Reed

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Buy inexpensive cuts of meat

If your dish is going to cook for a long time, the exact cut of beef may be unimportant. So I use the least expensive roast in the store. At the usual one-hour cooking time, it may be a little tough, but add an extra 40 minutes and it will turn out great. —Joseph Bean

Process your own food