With jobs being lost here, there and everywhere and the cost of living going up. Saving money is more important than ever! Especially when most of us are guilty of overspending on our weekly food shop. These billion pound supermarkets are experts at making us spend money on unnecessary items, without even realising. However, with a few simple techniques you could save yourself £1,000’s! In this article we will share with you a few of our tips on how you can save money…
Don’t Shop Hungry
Many people will make the mistake of food shopping while hungry which is a big mistake! Firstly, it’ll be your stomach shopping, not your brain or your wallet so you’ll make bad choices. Which normally means more expensive, unnecessary items like chocolates, sweets or quick microwave meals.
Make A List
Whether you’re going out to do your food shop, or you’re doing it online, make sure you have a list prepared before you begin and STICK TO THE LIST! You are sure to save money by planning ahead and making a list.
Look Out For Deals & Prices
You can do this either in-store or online. For example, if you’re in the store and see your usual cereal at the same price but something similar being discounted, try the discounted product. However, beware to make sure it actually is less than you would normally be paying. Look at the sticker next to it where it generally says the cost per KG or per 100grams and compare the two items.
Don’t Let Anything Go To Waste
By creating a list of what you need before you go, this should reduce the amount of food and money you waste by buying things you don’t need. However, there are many ways you can go about reducing your food wastage. Save your money by buying your vegetables already frozen as this is normally much cheaper than buying fresh. Also, this way nothing goes off and you can use it as and when you like.
Cook In Large Batches
When i’m planning our meals each week, i try to make one meal go across at least two nights if possible. For example, i will cook up a large batch of bolognase sauce. One evening i will use it in a cottage pie, then on night two i would use it in a lasagne or spaghetti bolognase. This way, the mince might be costing you £5.99 for a large tub, however it actually works out much less as you stretch it out over more meals.
Another thing i like to do to save money is to buy a large chicken for our roast dinner on a Sunday, then use the leftover bits of chicken and make it into a curry or something on the Monday evening. The second day chicken tastes amazing, especially if you fry it up a little with a few spices. Perfect for a homemade curry!
Shop Online
Many think shopping in the actual store is better, however, if you’re in the store, you’re more likely to see something you like and make an impulse buy. Whereas, if you shop online and have your list ready to go, you only see what you search for.
Buy In Bulk
If you have the room to store items in bulk, try to do this as much as you can with the non perishable items – tinned goods, pasta…etc. The larger you can buy, normally the cheaper it will be, just make sure you check on the cost per grams before purchasing!
Plan Your Meals
Every Sunday, i will sit down and plan out the next weeks meals before i do the food shop. With a note pad and pen, i start by writing out the days of the week (along with dates), and think of what we might like to have that week. Make sure you take in to consideration any meals where others in your family might not be there – seeing friends, work commitments…etc. Once you know what you’ll be having for each meal, you can go ahead and buy exactly what you need. You are also less likely to forget something doing it this way.
Cook From Scratch
I used to HATE cooking meals but if you get organised and plan ahead, it really isn’t that bad. If you batch cook your meals in advance, it makes it even easier as then all you have to do is re-heat it and maybe add a few veggies and you’re good to go! It’s so much cheaper to create meals from scratch and so easy too, you just have to get a bit creative. For example, you can buy a large potato for about £0.20 pence. You can turn this one potato into some amazing homemade potato wedges. SO much cheaper than buying wedges or chips from the store and much healthier for you as well!
Don’t Buy Branded Products
Many of the larger supermarkets now have filters in their online stores to only search for their supermarket own brands, which are MUCH cheaper than buying the branded alternatives. Even in the store, you can see the price difference between the branded and unbranded products. Many of us will see the branded products and think they are better for us, or that they taste better because they’re more expensive. When actually, if you read the ingredients, many will be exactly the same. You’re paying for the brand’s name, rather than better ingredients. This isn’t always the case though so make sure you read the back!
Don’t forget to keep your receipts if you do go shopping as you can also make money from your shopping receipts!
What are your everyday tips on how you can save money when it comes to your weekly food shop?
Leave a Reply