THE summer has arrived and so has the alphonso.

But before you take the first juicy mango byte, there comes the rude shock. The prices of mangoes have more than doubled, compared to same month last year!

That's just a preview. A trip to the local supermarket will clear the complete picture instantly.

"I couldn't believe I had to think twice before buying any vegetable. My monthly budget is already up by thousands of rupees. Even papaya, the fruit for the masses, is sounding expensive!" says Radhika Borkar, a homemaker from Goregaon, Mumbai.

The soaring foodgrain prices across the world have hit India hard.

The rising inflation and a typically Indian tendancy to hoard isn't helping either.

"I thought, it's time that we cut back our petrol consumption and try to take public transport more often. As I discovered, just sending the kids to school in a schoolbus instead of dropping them in my car, has helped. I can save Rs 3000 this way," Radhika reveals.

We gathered more such budget-saving solutions and tips from homemakers and working women. Take a look!