Spending Smart: Frugal tips for singles

Single people have different spending and saving concerns from their married contemporaries.

Besides the obvious - having only one income earner - singles, unless they have a dependent, probably don't need life insurance. But, disability insurance might be crucial.

Of the extra expenses they face, food and drink probably tops the list. There's an effective "singles penalty" for buying small amounts - and buying a jumbo jar at the cash and carry to save money isn't always such a good idea when you're buying for one: it likely will go off before you have chance to finish it.

And food is no small expense. For instance, in the US, singles living alone in 2013 on average spent $US3,654 ($A3,953) on food, more than 40 per cent of which was dining out, according to the federal government's Consumer Expenditure Survey. By contrast, a family of four spent about $US2,400 per person.

So, here's some tips for if you're single and find you're spending too much on food.

Cook. Eating out almost always costs more than cooking at home. Dine out on special occasions and when you really want to, not because you're a poor meal planner. Ditto for beverages, including morning coffee and evening alcohol.

Take stock. Don't shop for what you need, shop for what's on sale and stock up. Buy multiples when an item's cheap or on offer and few or none when it's full price. The extent to which singles can do that may be limited - say, by storage space and it might not work with perishables.

Bulk buying. Singles don't need to stock up the way families do but they can buy one or two extra of something during a good sale. Buy larger sizes of nonperishable items that you know you will use. Compare the cost per 100 grams: if the larger size of detergent is half the unit cost of the small size, save by getting the larger size.

Andrea Woroch, a savings expert with a site at andreaworoch.com, suggests splitting a cash and carry membership with a friend or family member.

"There are certain items that you can save money on and make it convenient to stock up on so you don't have to regularly replace them, like batteries, toilet paper and toiletries," she said.

But avoid buying too much perishable food in bulk. It could end up being thrown away, which will increase the unit cost of the food you actually eat.

Consider the freezer your friend. Some large quantities of perishables can be divided into individual portions and frozen.

The same goes when cooking. Buy ingredients for your favourite meals when they're on sale, cook up a large batch, divide into individual portions and freeze.

That serves a dual purpose. You can buy in larger quantities for a lower unit price, and you have ready-made meals that are only microwave minutes away the next time you arrive home late and hungry.

That also may reduce the urge to order pricier takeout food.

It also means you can vary your meals, rather than cooking a big batch and eating the same leftovers three nights in a row.

Lunch. Take lunch to work to cut food costs. If you find it hard to do daily, take a bag of groceries to work every Monday and make lunches on the spot.