Keeping a big family fed is a full-time job. From planning meals to shopping, cooking and cleaning up afterward, feeding a large family can seem daunting – and that’s not even taking food costs into consideration. Feeding a large family is expensive. In fact, Americans spend more on food than on any other expense besides home and car payments, according to CNN Money. Fortunately, we’ll help you navigate the aisles and learn how to save money on groceries. Follow these tips to get started:

The perfect time to get your financial house in order

It’s easy to get inspired to pick up a dust mop, tuck away sweaters and snow boots, and air out the last of Winter with windows thrown wide to the Springtime sun. Polishing up your financial window may be a little more daunting. But Spring—and the kickoff of tax season—is the perfect time to clean more than cobwebs by getting your financial house in order, too.

The recent recession accelerated an already growing debt crisis for many Americans. Parents can easily become overwhelmed by their debt levels and the typically high interest rates that come with unsecured loans and credit cards. However, if you can maintain control and stay somewhat objective, you can systematically reduce your debt, while saving money on credit card interest and fees. Here are tips to create a successful plan to reduce your debt.

Steve and Annette Economides and their seven children have been – self-proclaimed – “America’s Cheapest Family” since 1982. They garnered a great deal of media attention in the free-spending 1980′s for their eccentricities: grocery shopping once per month, buying nothing on credit but their homes, paying one home off entirely in nine years and generally eschewing consumerism as a lifestyle. In the midst of the recent economic recession, their budgeting and financial skills no longer seemed eccentric, but essential. In 2010, they published Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half with America’s Cheapest Family. An MSNBC program on the book shows video footage of their savings in action and provides budgeting tips demonstrating how the Economides feed their family for about $350 per month.

Wasting Money is Never in Season

Although summer is a time of freedom, fun and adventure, our pursuit of a “good time” can sometimes cause us to spend money in ways we normally wouldn’t consider logical – such as dishing out $10 for a few two-scoop ice cream cones when we can buy a few gallons of ice cream for less money at the grocery store.

This doesn’t mean never going out for ice cream, but rather spending smarter. Instead of a second trip to the local ice cream shop, make the shorter trek to your own freezer to dish out the frozen delights from your own scoop. And consider these other summer savings ideas, too!