As the UK sees almost a £40 rise in monthly food shops, households struggling to afford their shopping bills are being offered clever ways to manage their meal costs.
The penny-pinching pros at NetVoucherCodes.co.uk have revealed nine simple methods to help slash the costs of a weekly shop.
With the costs of food prices rising, finding meals to feed the family can be a difficult task without overspending on the weekly budget.
Using savvy shopping tricks such as signing up for reward schemes and shopping around to get the lowest prices available can help take £20 off a weekly shop.
Rebecca Bebbington, online consumer expert at NetVoucherCodes.co.uk said: “With food prices soaring across the country, we wanted to provide people with helpful tips to cut the costs at the checkout.
“Prices of food items such as cucumbers have doubled over the last few months, along with many popular household ingredients – making it even tougher for people to find affordable meals to cook up in the week.
“Making simple changes such as replacing takeaways with ‘fakeaways’ and going on a late night supermarket run for last minute meals can help take 20% off a monthly food budget.”
Here are nine savvy shopping tips from NetVoucherCodes.co.uk to cut down on food costs:
- Late night supermarket trips
If you’re wanting to cook up a last-minute meal, go to the supermarket in the evening or late in the afternoon on a Sunday to get the best reduction deals to help save a few quid off making family meals.
- Batch cooking
Spend an evening creating a ‘meal of the week’ to use throughout the week, whether it’s a classic spaghetti bolognese or a chilli dish. The meals can be freezed and used the next day as a tasty lunch or dinner.
- Replace takeaways with fakeaways
Don’t put off having a takeaway treat completely, but try and limit the number of takeaways in a month to only one or two, otherwise the bill can add up quite quickly. An example could be to create your own family pizzas from scratch and turn it into a friendly competition of who has made the most delicious version.
- Bulk buy cupboard foods
Instead of buying a single item every week, buy in bulk to prevent excessive food waste and spare the extra pennies. Any leftovers can either be left in the cupboard if it’s dry food and any fresh items can be freezed for later in the week.
- Sign up for an online shop
Many supermarkets are offering special discounts if you sign up for an online shop for the first time. Sign up for an online shop per week at different retailers to make the most of the exclusive discounts if you’re on a tight budget for the month.
- Buy what you need
While it can be tempting putting everything in the trolley and worrying about it later, go into the shop with a buy what you need mindset. Creating a digital budget planner beforehand with a strict food list can visually help to prevent overspending.
- Don’t be afraid of freezing
Make the most of your freezer space, meat can be freezed for up to three months, with vegetables being able to freeze for around eight months. Cut up the meats and defrost accordingly to prevent splashing the cash on fresh products every week.
- Shop around
Don’t just stick to the same supermarket with the prices rising, have a look online for retailers offering better deals and seasonal offers. The same products could be 10% cheaper from a different retailer, so make sure to compare the prices before going to the shop.
- Sign up for reward schemes
Find out if your local supermarket is offering a reward scheme where you can earn points and money from buying their products. Don’t just stick to one shop, but sign up for multiple schemes to get the most potential freebies as possible.
