Ahora gasto menos en la tienda.

Gasto is the first-person singular present tense form of the verb gastar.

• gastar = the infinitive, to spend
• gasto = I spend

So in this sentence, the subject is understood as I:

• Ahora gasto menos en la tienda = Now I spend less in/at the shop

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Because Spanish usually omits subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The ending -o in gasto already tells you the subject is yo (I), so yo is unnecessary here.

You could say:

• Ahora yo gasto menos en la tienda

but that usually adds emphasis, as if you were contrasting yourself with someone else.

It is the present simple tense.

Here it means something like:

• I spend less now
• Now I’m spending less

In Spanish, the present tense often covers both:

• habitual actions: I spend less these days
• current situations: I’m spending less now

The exact nuance depends on context.

Ahora means now.

It sets the time frame and often suggests a contrast with before:

• before, I spent more
• now, I spend less

It can also be placed in different positions:

• Ahora gasto menos en la tienda
• Gasto menos en la tienda ahora

The first version sounds the most natural and neutral here.

Menos means less.

It is used to compare the amount spent now with another amount, usually an earlier one or a general previous situation.

Examples:

• Gasto menos = I spend less
• Gasto más = I spend more

You do not need to say exactly less than what if the context already makes it clear.

Because en is used here to mean in or at the shop, referring to the place where the spending happens.

• en la tienda = in/at the shop

By contrast, a la tienda usually expresses movement toward the shop:

• Voy a la tienda = I’m going to the shop

So:

• Gasto menos en la tienda = spending happens there
• Voy a la tienda = movement to that place

Spanish often uses the definite article more than English does.

So la tienda can mean:

• the shop
• or sometimes simply the shop/store in a general, familiar sense

In English, you might sometimes say at the shop or just shopping, but Spanish commonly keeps the article:

• en la tienda
• en el supermercado
• en el banco

It sounds natural in Spanish even when English might be less explicit.

In Spain, tienda is a general word for shop/store.

It can refer to many types of retail places, depending on context. If you want to be more specific, Spanish often uses other words:

• supermercado = supermarket
• panadería = bakery
• librería = bookshop
• ropa would need a fuller phrase like tienda de ropa = clothes shop

So la tienda here is fairly general unless the context tells you what kind of shop it is.

Most directly, it means I spend less at the shop now.

It focuses on money spent, because gastar means to spend. It does not literally mean I shop less often.

If you wanted to say I go shopping less or I shop less often, Spanish would usually use a different expression, such as:

• Ahora voy menos a la tienda = Now I go to the shop less
• Ahora compro menos = Now I buy less

So this sentence is specifically about spending.

Yes, Spanish word order is somewhat flexible, though some versions sound more natural than others.

Possible versions include:

• Ahora gasto menos en la tienda
• Gasto menos en la tienda ahora
• En la tienda gasto menos ahora

The original sentence is the most neutral and natural for everyday use.

Changing the order can shift emphasis:

• Ahora at the beginning highlights the time contrast
• En la tienda at the beginning highlights the location

You would change the verb form of gastar.

Present tense:

• yo gasto = I spend
• tú gastas = you spend
• él/ella gasta = he/she spends
• nosotros gastamos = we spend
• vosotros gastáis = you all spend
• ellos/ellas gastan = they spend

Examples based on the sentence:

• Ahora gastas menos en la tienda = Now you spend less at the shop
• Ahora gastamos menos en la tienda = Now we spend less at the shop
• Ahora gastan menos en la tienda = Now they spend less at the shop

Since this is Spanish from Spain, vosotros gastáis is the normal informal plural you form.