In this day and age we’re all looking for ways to save money where we can! With the cost of living rising year on year it’s not uncommon for people to cut back on things.
So, How do you save money on your food shop?
We’ve put together some ways in which you can save money on your weekly or monthly food shop to help keep the cost down
Apart from the obvious swapping your Waitrose for Aldi or your Marks & Spencer’s for Lidl there are way to keep the cost of shopping down
1. Buy Meat Online
You heard it right! If you want to save money on your meat then the best places to go are online butchers
Personally a favorite of mine is MUSCLE FOOD they sell everything from chicken to pork, beef to turkey, fish & ready meals
You can pick up a pack of 5kg chicken breast for £28 as opposed to £28.85p in Tesco! Now that may not sound like a lot but if you consider all the meat you buy throughout the year it can add up to a big saving!
Plus let me tell you the chicken breasts from muscle food are brilliant! You won’t be disappointed believe me.
Or why not go for the pick and mix boxes where you pick the products you want included. These come in a £30 | £50 | £75 | £100 options and can be set up on repeat orders
Great for trying out different meats to see what you like the most and to keep the variety in you life.
An alternative to muscle food would be Hello Fresh if you wanted meals that are fresh in ingredients and already weighed out for you to save time.
2. Join the loyalty schemes
As you know a lot of supermarkets have a loyalty schemes. The more you shop the more you save and all that.
With Tesco if you get a club card you can save on a whole host of products each week and the best thing it’s free to sign up
Not only is this perfect for saving money on offers but you can also get club card points on your phone bill if you’re with Tesco Mobile
All your points convert to vouchers and the best thing is when the vouchers come through you can actually exchange those vouchers for up to 3x the value at some of their selected partner such as Pizza Express, Hotels.com & Virgin Atlantic Fly Club
3. Shop the reduced section
You may think of the reduced aisle and automatically think it’s food going out of date on todays date
Which in theory would be correct however a lot of the food that goes into the reduced section can be frozen & consumed at a later date
With prices being reduced by up to 75% and sometimes even more it’s worth taking a look to see what’s on offer on your next visit
You may even find things with a slightly longer date as usually a store will reduce products that it has a large quantity of if the dates all clash
4. Buy Frozen items
You may be like us and have a small 3 drawers freezer which isn’t ideal for this point but if you have the room then get yourself to the frozen aisle and grab your fruit, veg and other items
A lot of the time the frozen items are considerably cheaper than the fresh items and as long as you don’t mind the extra cooking time on some items they taste just as good especially when you know you saved some money
5. Make a list before you go shopping
Be clear with what your going into the shop for. Have a list prepared and stick to it.
If you’ve been to the shop before then look to make it in aisle order and stick to those sections! Keep clear of the special buys if your in Aldi or Lidl! We’ve all been in for milk and come out with £50 worth of random items.
6. Plan your meals for the week
Tying in nicely with making your list is to plan out your meals.
Before you head to the shop get your menu for the week ready and work out the ingredients and amount you need for those meals this way you can buy the packet sizes you need and not go overboard buying extra
Think about meals you can cook in bulk, freeze and eat at a later date. Curries, pasta, cottage pie etc.
7. Swap big brands for own brands
Why not Swap out your Tesco shop and head to Aldi. Alternatively change your choices to your supermarkets own brand products
Instead of Heinz Ketchup get the cheaper supermarket alternative. A lot of the time you won’t even taste the difference but your bank balance will feel it.
8. Grow your own at home
If you have a bit of space in the house, garden or the room to get a green house why not think about starting to grow your own fruit, veg or even herbs
A small space on the windowsill in the kitchen is perfect for growing your own herbs or a plot in the garden could be a great area for a small vegetable patch
A brilliant way to save money, teach the kids about how food is grown and give them a project to get stuck into that helps the household too
9. Check your eligibility for Free School Meals
If you have young children then check if they are eligible for free school meals
It will save money on packed lunch while giving them a hearty lunch time meal whilst at school
It benefits the school too as they receive a pupil premium which can often be used for school resources
10. Stock up when a products on offer
If your going into a supermarket with your list and one of the longer life items or something that can be frozen is on offer think about how often you buy this item
If it’s constantly popping up on your shopping list make the most of the offer and buy more in order to save money long term on these items
Yeah you made need a bit more cupboard or freezer space for it but if you have the space then use it
One final bonus tip and personally I think this is maybe on of the most important ones and can save you you an arm and a leg when heading shopping
DON‘T GO SHOPPING ON AN EMPTY STOMACH!
This is easily one of the biggest downfalls when doing your food shop.
Going into the shop hungry can be deadly and the difference between getting what’s on your list and coming out with an extra pack of Pringles, 2 packs of digestives and a 24 pack of cokes!
We’ve all been there, you go into the supermarket hungry and all you can think about is what you fancy eating or what on the shelf you could devour in seconds.
Keep your eye on the prize, get what you came in for and get out.
Hopefully this has inspired you to save some money on your monthly or weekly shop.
For us we budget a set amount per month and do 2-3 shops where we collect the essentials while stocking up on bits in between
We always go in with a list and try to stock up on the longer life items at a reduced price when possible. It may also be worth checking to see if where you shop is on a cashback site as this can save money over a longer period of time too
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