It sounds like an old cliché, but going grocery shopping hungry really can change what ends up in your cart. When you're hungry, snacks, ready-to-eat foods and treats tend to look a lot more tempting, and they are often among the pricier items per serving.

Try to schedule your shopping trip after a meal, or have a small snack before you leave the house. If you shop on the way home from work, keeping something simple in your bag or car can take the edge off and make it easier to stick to the list. It's a small change, but it can quietly reduce the number of extras you bring home.

Hunger also makes people rush. A quick, distracted trip can mean skipping price comparisons and grabbing the first version of a product you see. Walking in calm and fed gives you the patience to check shelf tags, look for a store brand and leave the impulse buys behind.