Have you seen the price of cheese these days? Who wants to spend all their money on groceries?

Always the first to bring you the savviest of information, we chatted to Destitute Gourmet legend Sophie Gray and persuaded her to share her ten tips for saving money at the supermarket - so you can enjoy your hard-earned money elsewhere.

1. One size does not fit all
We were really impressed with Sophie's approach to savvy supermarket spending - there's not a one-stop formula that can be applied to everyone. No set meal plans, no cost per serve ratios, no simple fix. Rather, the secret to savvy shopping lies in figuring out what works for you and your situation.

To eliminate the expensive habit items that you don't need, try making yourself a list of what your absolute essentials are that you can't survive without and some special items that you need to stay sane.

2. Make a plan - and stick to it!
One of Sophie's biggest tips is to make up a meal plan for your week and plot out each of your meals, then purchase your groceries according to the ingredient list. This is great for two reasons - you get a handle on your spending because you only buy what you need and by planning your meals across the day you can ensure that you get a balanced meal and your 5+ a day serving of fruit and veges.

3. Experiment!
What if your girlfriend offered you a gorgeous smoothie, full of delicious berries and bananas and honey? Would you believe her if she told you she'd made it using powdered milk? That's exactly what Sophie does in her regular demonstration classes to try and get consumers to challenge their perception of some money saving products.

Maybe it's not powdered milk, but what else is out there that you could try a cheaper alternative for? Throw the alternative in your trolley next time and give it a whirl - we dare you!

4. Homebrand Tomatoes are a winner!
To start with, tinned italian tomatoes are a pantry staple that make a myriad of easy, tasty and healthy dinner dishes - tomato pasta, spaghetti, lasagne, soup, casserole. They're also ridiculously cheap - a tin of homebrand tomatoes sets you back about 65c! Sophie told us she buys at least eight tins a shop!

5. Little changes make a big difference
When you're cruising through the supermarket, it's easy to rationalise 20c here and 10c there to get the 'better branded' item, but over the course of one shop, then a week, a month and a year, that small change quickly adds up. Rein in that spending and you'll soon free up cash to spend or save elsewhere.

6. Cheap eats doesn't mean two minute noodles!
Eating cheaply doesn't mean resorting to a nutritiously challenged packet of two-minute noodles! In a world of pre-prepared items, Sophie's a big proponent of making your own food - you can check out any of her recipe books to find evidence of this.

We weren't suprised to hear that it's cheaper to make your own pasta sauces and pesto, but we were suprised to hear that you can make your own fresh pasta, using just egg and flour, simply and easily! Check out Sophie's video tutorial here. Combined with homemade pesto, this makes a fantastically impressive meal when you need to turn it on for guests or that someone special.

7. Mix it up!
You'd think with the price of petrol these days that it would work out cheaper to get all of your grocery requirements from the one place. Not so, says Sophie.

 When we asked her to share her favourite shopping destinations, Sophie reeled off the local Asian supermarket, the Indian supermarket, the fruit shop, the butcher and the supermarket - all have their own specialty areas that mean as a consumer you get the best quality at the best price. Shop around on your next grocery excursion and see if you notice the difference!

8. It's still cheaper to bake your own!
We've got some resident bakers in our office and they grilled Sophie on whether it was still economical to bake given the rising cost of grains, butter and milk. Absolutely said Sophie, it's still cheaper to bake your own cakes, muffins, biscuits and bread - and chances are they'll be even more delicious - and make your house smell amazing!

9. The average nzgirl doesn't need added vitamins if you've got a balanced diet
You can save money by not buying vitamin and mineral enriched products, or excessive vitamin supplements by simpy ensuring you get the vitamins you need straight from the source - from fresh fruit and vegetables. Sophie advocates eating a rainbow on your plate from the red, green, yellow/orange, purple and brown/white food colour groups. 

10. Food is still affordable in New Zealand
While we were all bemoaning the rising price of dairy and grains, Sophie reminded us of the bigger global picture - the imminent global food crisis being faced by many third world countries.

While we've felt the price rise here in NZ, there are families in Africa and Bangladesh who have seen the cost of their meagre grain rations double! It's good to bear that in mind, that yes we are paying more, but food is still achievable in our country.

Sophie left us all feeling very inspired in our approach to grocery shopping. A wealth of knowledge - she knows the cost per unit of just about anything you could imagine - Sophie willingly shared her pearls of wisdom with us in a generous and enthusiastic way.

We whole-heartedly give her the nzgirl salute and encourage you to check out her cookbooks and her website, www.destitutegourmet.com for more inspiration!

Tee