Money for Life work in partnership with the Money Advice Service, an independent organisation set up by government. Money AdviceService provides free, unbiased money guidance across the UK to help people make the most of their money. If you have a question or need help, you can chat to them here.
By Rebecca Hastings
Ever got to the checkout at the supermarket to find you’d racked up a much bigger bill than you’d expected? It can be frustrating to spend so much on the bare necessities that you’re hardly left with enough money for anything fun – so, here are a few tips to help you cut those grocery-shopping costs…
It’s often tempting to shop at the supermarket closest to you for convenience’s sake, but it’s worth checking to see if there are cheaper options. Try a little experiment – do a similar grocery shop at each supermarket near you, keep your receipts and see which works out cheapest.
In general, larger supermarkets stock a wider range of brands – and therefore greater choice price-wise – than smaller, local stores. Lidl and Aldi are generally thought to be among the cheapest supermarket chains that operate in the UK, but the likes of Asda offer great value for money, too.
If you live near a grocery shop, you might have developed the habit of popping in and grabbing things as and when you need them, but it often works out cheaper to plan ahead and do a big shop once a week. Write down all the meals you want to make for the next week – breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks – and the ingredients you’ll need for each. If possible, plan your meals around what you already have in your fridge and cupboards. This will save you money, as well as helping to eliminate food waste.
Once you have your meal plan, write a list of all the ingredients you’ll need, breaking it down into sections, such as dairy, fruit and veg and canned goods. This will help you navigate the supermarket with purpose. You’ll find it easier to stay focused on what you actually want to buy, rather than wasting money on things that take your fancy.
Lots of us don’t know the difference between a sell-by date, a use-by date and a best-before date, and that’s exactly what those sneaky supermarkets want. They like to keep us coming back to buy more products, even though the food we already have is still totally edible.
Want to beat the system? Here’s a quick primer:
| Use-by date: |
If you still have the product past this date, it’s time to bin it, as it’s no longer safe to eat. |
| Best-before date: |
This date usually has nothing to do with safety, but it indicates when the food is at its peak quality and tastes best. |
| Display-until or sell-by date: |
This tells the shop staff when to take a product off the shelves – it doesn’t indicate how the food will taste or how safe it is, so you can ignore it. |
This one can be tricky, as sometimes, buying in bulk can save you money, but sometimes it can end up costing you more. For example, if packets of tomatoes are buy-one-get-one-half-price, and the tomatoes in the second packet end up going off before you get around to eating them, you’ve wasted money. However, if tins of beans are also buy-one-get-one-half-price, and you eat a lot of beans, it makes sense to take advantage of the offer.
And it’s not just special offers that allow for savvy bulk-buying. Take a look at different packet sizes, too. If a kilo of pasta is cheaper by the gram than a 500g pack, for example, it makes sense to buy the kilo – you can never have too much pasta, after all.
Ah, the Hungry Shop. We’ve all been there. You walk in with your shopping list, but then your stomach starts rumbling, and the bakery aisle smells so good. Why not just throw in a four-pack of those freshly baked cookies? Maybe hit the crisp aisle afterwards? Before you know it, you’ve filled your trolley with things you want to eat right now, and you’re set to spend much more money than you would on your normal weekly shop.
The solution? Eat a meal, or at least a snack, before you head to the supermarket. The same goes for when you’re in a bad mood. If you’re inclined to buy food to make yourself feel better – leave your shop for when you’re feeling a little brighter, and you’ll avoid spending money with abandon. Happy shopping!
Article by: @rebz_hastings
Click here for more ideas on ways to save money!
Money for Life work in partnership with the Money Advice Service, an independent organisation set up by government. Money AdviceService provides free, unbiased money guidance across the UK to help people make the most of their money. If you have a question or need help, you can chat to them here.
