In a tough economic environment, eating well on a budget can be challenging.

Add in a fixed income when taxes and costs are rising, and it can seem impossible -- and that's why low-cost, high-calorie comfort foods that are readily available become tempting.

But you don't necessarily have to sacrifice important nutrients in exchange for convenience.

EAT AT HOME

While they require more planning, home-cooked meals are an excellent way to minimize your grocery bill and they are typically healthier than the alternatives.

"Eating at home is a great way to save money and create nutritious meals; because you control exactly what goes into your food, you are more likely to avoid excess calories as well," Katie Clark, assistant clinical professor of nutrition at the University of California, San Francisco, said in a release.

To save money while cooking at home, try some of these tips:

- Make at least one meal meatless. Choose recipes that utilize eggs or dried beans -- like pinto or northern beans -- as the main protein.

- Double your recipes and freeze leftovers or extra amounts of meat, bread and cooked vegetables. Bring extras to work for lunch or use the excess ingredients as inspiration for future meals.

- Eat dinner as a family or consider having a weekly potluck with neighbours to reduce the cost per person.

- Clip coupons, avoiding "new food" coupon gimmicks that often are lower in nutritional value.

- Peruse recipe books for healthy ideas.

PLAN AHEAD

Plan meals for the week in advance with a meal-planning chart or simple shopping list. Knowing what you already have in the pantry and what you intend to make ahead of time reduces impulse spending and improves the nutritional value of your meal.

Take part of one day a week to plan the upcoming week's menu. Search for meal planning charts on the Internet for a variety of templates and convenient shopping tools.

Read the supermarket flyers or look online for weekly specials that can help guide your meal planning.

Post meal plans on the refrigerator door where the entire family can see them and refer back to them throughout the week. This also helps avoid the dreaded question, "What's for dinner?"

SHOP ONCE A WEEK

In addition to shopping at grocery stores, Clark recommends trying local markets and even dollar stores.

"Deals often abound on seasonal items, and you can find a wide variety of quality produce, meat and fish," she notes. "Butchers offer occasional fresh or specialty items on sale. When you select the exact quantity you want, you save more money than you would with larger value packs that you may not use or that contribute unnecessarily to your daily caloric budget."

Some other suggestions include:

- Only shop once a week. This makes it easier to avoid unnecessary purchases and encourages you to stick to your weekly menu.

- Have a snack before you visit the store. Shopping on an empty stomach can lead to impulse buying.

- Shop the perimeter, remembering that the least healthy and most overpriced packaged foods are concentrated in the middle aisles.

- If fresh fruits and vegetables are cost-prohibitive, try the frozen or canned versions.

- Buy generics, which are often less expensive than name-brand items.

- Choose prepared foods with short ingredient lists and minimal additives or artificial ingredients.

COST IT OUT

Savvy shoppers know that using unit pricing can maximize their purchasing power. Commonly listed in small print below or to the side of the total price and as dollars or cents per unit of weight -- such as pounds, ounces, or grams -- unit pricing can be a valuable tool that helps you make an informed choice about your purchases.

Grocery stores don't always post the costs on sale items; bring a calculator with you to the supermarket or use the calculator on your cellphone.

Buying "family size" containers is sometimes a better buy, providing you use all the food.