We’ve all been stung by the rise in food prices over recent years. But the good news is your grocery bill could be one of the more straightforward ones to tackle. With a little forward-planning and creativity, it’s possible to take a big slice out of your weekly food shop.
Consider planning your meals at the start of each week
Search ‘meal planning’ on the internet and you’ll find a whole world of info on this subject. The NHS website hosts over 60 flexible recipe ideas. There are also many useful apps and online tools that help you make shopping lists, get recipe ideas and create meal plans – and even share them with the rest of your household. The big supermarkets have their own meal planning tools too. Or you can go old-school and just use pen and paper.
Campaign group WRAP says the average household throws away £60 of food per month. If you plan your meals so you only buy what you need, that could be a big saving over time.
Set yourself a monthly grocery budget
It’s worth considering doing some homework to look at how much you’re spending on groceries each week or month. Then set yourself a budget with a target amount for your grocery spend. Don’t make it too hard – you still want it to be achievable. Just having a figure to aim for could make you more mindful of what you’re spending on meals.
Choose the right time for your food shop
When you shop can be as important as where you shop. Pay attention to the time of day your regular supermarket starts reducing what’s on their shelves. If you can hit the store when the ‘reduced to clear’ stickers come out, you can pick up bargains on all sorts of things you might like.
Try swapping big brands for own-brand items
This is worth experimenting with. If you usually buy the well-known brands, try the supermarket own-brand items or even the ‘value’ range. And if you normally go for the premium option for certain things, consider trying the less expensive version. If you don’t notice much difference in taste, it may not be worth the difference in price.
Make the most of coupons and vouchers
Keep an eye out for discounts and deals on the things you normally buy. It’s worth regularly checking for money-off coupons, browsing supermarket websites for their latest deals and seeing what discounts you get through the supermarket’s loyalty scheme. If you can get money off something you were going to buy anyway, it’s a no-brainer. Most supermarkets have offers on your first online shop with them – consider taking advantage of these.