<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nMake a plan of what you\u2019re going to eat every night of the week. That way you only need to buy the ingredients needed for those meals. You may find you\u2019ve already got some store cupboard items that can be used which will save you money. And if you know exactly what you\u2019re going to eat each day you waste less food too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Planning your meals helps you with your shopping list<\/strong>. You know that you\u2019re buying exactly what you need for your planned meals. But then you have to stick to it. You must be disciplined and try not to be tempted to buy what\u2019s on offer. Stay focussed on your list and you\u2019ll do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>4. <\/strong>Try shopping online<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIf you can\u2019t help being enticed by special offers, don\u2019t go to the shops! Do your food shopping online instead. Within store prices going up these days, you\u2019re better off shopping from home so you\u2019re less tempted to spend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most supermarkets will deliver your online shopping to your door, or you can click and collect. And it doesn\u2019t have to cost too much extra when you choose this option. For example, a click and collect food shop can cost as little as 50p with Tesco if you don\u2019t mind collecting it at lunchtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>5. <\/strong>Save money on home delivery<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nYou can save even more money by choosing a home delivery when shopping online.<\/strong> You can get home delivery slots from as little as \u00a33 with major supermarkets like Tesco. This\u2019ll not only stop you from overspending, but it\u2019ll save you money on the fuel you\u2019d use to get to the shops. And it\u2019ll free up your time too.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJust be mindful that there\u2019s a minimum spend for home delivery and for click and collect. If your food shop online falls below this amount the supermarket may charge you an additional fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>6. <\/strong>Visit your local markets<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWe\u2019ve got so used to doing all our shopping in one big supermarket that we don\u2019t bother with local fresh food stores and market stalls. But the local retailers sell fresh local produce and they can be competitively priced too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The good thing about doing your food shop locally is that you\u2019re supporting independent businesses. You’re helping people and businesses in your local community while saving money at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>7. <\/strong>Know your prices<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhat this means is find out how much each individual item costs. Dishwashing tablets are a good example. One pack of dishwashing tablets may be cheaper to buy compared to another, but the unit cost of each tablet might be more expensive. The table below shows how you work out the cost per tablet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/td> A<\/strong><\/td>B<\/strong><\/td>C<\/strong><\/td><\/tr> <\/td> Cost per packet<\/strong><\/td>Number of tablets in packet<\/strong><\/td>Cost per tablet<\/strong> (A <\/strong>\u00f7 B = C)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>Finish Quantum Dishwasher Tablets<\/td> \u00a39<\/td> 44<\/td> 20p<\/td><\/tr> Fairy Platinum Dishwasher Tablets<\/td> \u00a310<\/td> 59<\/td> 17p<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>(These prices are as of date: 2nd<\/sup> March 2023)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAt first, you may be tempted to buy the Finish dishwashing tablets because they\u2019re \u00a31 cheaper. But because they have fewer tablets in the pack compared to Fairy Platinum, each tablet works out as being more expensive. As the table shows, the Fairy Platinum tablets are the cheaper option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>8. <\/strong>Leave your kids at home<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nDoing your supermarket shop with kids in tow can be a challenge. They spot all the things they like to eat and either beg for it to go into the trolley or they put it in themselves. It not only adds time to your shopping trip, but it adds items you wouldn\u2019t otherwise buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can, get your food shopping done while your kids are with your partner or childminder. You\u2019ll be able to whizz round in half the time and avoid unnecessary spending on tempting treats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>9. <\/strong>Compare prices at different grocery stores for the best deal<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAccording to Which, Aldi was the cheapest supermarket in the UK in 2023. It compared around 48 items of popular shopping items with all the main supermarkets each month throughout the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve got staples to buy, such as toilet roll or washing powder, look online to see which supermarket has the best offers. Their offers change but you can save quite a few pounds by finding out who\u2019s offering the best deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>10. <\/strong>Buy in bulk whenever possible<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBulk buying can save you money, so long as you do it right. If you\u2019re going to buy a supersize packet of something, or multiple items in a pack, make sure it\u2019s worth it. Here\u2019s what you need to think about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nAre you really saving money buying in bulk?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019re buying multi-packs of toilet roll or paper kitchen towels, work out what you\u2019re paying for each one. Sometimes there may be an offer on smaller packs which work out cheaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nWill you use all the items in the bulk buy while they\u2019re in date?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nA supersize packet of rice may be cheaper, but will you use it all up within the use by date? There\u2019s no point trying to save money buying large quantities of something if you end up throwing half of it away. That won\u2019t save you anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nDon\u2019t be tempted to eat more of your bulk buy<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nLet\u2019s say you\u2019ve got membership with a wholesaler like Costco. You go shopping and see an offer on some Jaffa cakes for example. You\u2019d normally only buy one pack of 30 now and again. But because these are on offer, you buy them. You find that each pack of 30 works out cheaper if you bulk buy the 6 packs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is fine if you don\u2019t eat the Jaffa cakes more frequently than you would otherwise. If you find you\u2019re eating Jaffa cakes everyday instead of now and again, it\u2019s not a good idea. It\u2019s easy to overindulge on something when you know you\u2019ve got a lot of it. If this happens, it won\u2019t be worth the saving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>11. <\/strong>Batch cook<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBatch cooking can not only save you money, but it can save you time too. If you bulk buy a pack of mincemeat, you may not want to use it all straight away. But if you\u2019re going to cook some of it, you may as well cook all of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you\u2019ve prepared it, split it up into portions and freeze the spare ones. Mincemeat can be used in a variety of recipes, from spaghetti Bolognese, meatballs or lasagne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can do this with sauces, rice or pasta too. Make extra and keep it for another day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>12. <\/strong>Buy loose rather than prepacked<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nYou\u2019ll often find that fruit and vegetables are cheaper when they\u2019re lose than if they\u2019re prepacked for you. Especially if they\u2019re \u2018wonky\u2019. Fruit and veg that\u2019s wonky have nothing wrong with it, it\u2019s just grown into a funny shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All supermarkets provide the option for you to choose your own selection of fresh foods. Loose potatoes, carrots, apples and oranges are just some of the things you can pick. There are benefits of buying loose food items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nYou get to choose the exact amount you need so there\u2019s nothing left over to go to waste.<\/li>\n\n\n\n You can buy what you need and what suits your budget. For example, 4 loose bananas will cost less than a prepacked bag of 7 bananas. The difference will leave you with more to spend on other things.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\nLoose food costs less per item than prepacked food<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\nYou help save the planet by reducing the packaging that\u2019s being used<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/span>13. <\/strong>Beat supermarket psychology tricks<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nSupermarkets are very good at getting us to part with our money. They want us to spend more and do what they can to achieve it. Here are some of their tricks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n