We all want to save money where we can and a great place to start is with your food shop, so get thrifty and start saving with these easy-to-follow tips
Data from the Office for National Statistics has found the average annual food bill in 2018 for a typical UK household was £4,753.00. We can all get thrifty with our food shop and hope that our quick 9 tips will give you some inspiration to save money.
Try a cheaper brand
Can you really taste the difference between your beloved branded goods and the cheaper alternative? Slowly swap out your branded products and see if you can tell, and if you can’t, make the swap permanent. Your brand loyalties are benefiting the brand, not your pocket!
Check those sell-by dates
Make sure you’ve got your reading glasses on and check every single sell-by date. Use-by dates are required for health and safety reasons and are often used for perishable foods such as meat and dairy. You should avoid eating food that has expired its use-by date. However, you can still eat food past its best-before date, but it may not be as tasty. Always look at the back of the shelf to see if you can get an item with a longer date.
Freeze everything that can be frozen
Check if an item can be frozen and if it can, freeze it! You will save so much money and produce less food waste. Bread, fresh pasta and certain fruits can all be frozen. If you’ve made too much of a meal, don’t throw it away, put it in some Tupperware, pop a label on it and put it in the freezer for another day.
Invest in Tupperware
Invest in good Tupperware and you can freeze anything you need to. Not only can you freeze more of your meals and perishables, but you can take lunch and leftovers to work. You will be saving money and reducing food waste.
Try your local farmers’ market
Do some research and find out where your local market is and when it’s open. You can often get cheaper, fresher and more seasonal fruit and vegetables from your local market. A win for you and the planet.
Swap your supermarket
Try a budget supermarket in your local area like Aldi or Lidl. You can often find everything you need and won’t be scrimping on quality or taste.
Meal plan
Plan all your meals in advance of your food shop and stick to it. That way, you will waste less food and save money by buying only what you need. It may seem hard at first, but the more you do it, the easier it gets.
Don’t shop while hungry
When you’re hungry, you will go off plan and be tempted by all the sweet treats that you haven’t budgeted for.
Grow your own!
It may seem daunting at first, but you could save a ton of money by growing your own food and gain a new hobby in the meantime. Country Life expects the cost of fruit and vegetables to rise by 8% with Brexit, so there’s no better time to grow your own.
