Food means something different to us all. While we can agree everyone has different tastes, requirements and budgets to work around, in our current climate, we all find ourselves needing to think strategically to combat the rise in costs and help stretch those pennies further. So, let’s talk tips! Below we’re taking you back to basics with ways you can slash those bills and feel more confident in tackling the weekly shop.
1. Meal Plan
Before you yawn and say, ‘heard this one before’ give me a chance to convince you to take this idea on board. If you’re anything like me, you’re always looking for something different to make asides from the usual go to. Meal planning is a great chance for you to get creative with your food choices and make use of those dusty cookbooks you’ve been keeping since before time. Knowing what you’re having each day saves on the headache of deciding what to have in the first place. It doesn’t mean you have to stick meals to set days but helps you manage meals more effectively. So have a look through food magazines and if you see a recipe, you’d like to try don’t hesitate to rip the page out! Why might you ask? Well, for one the ingredients tend to be listed already – more time saving- and you might even discover a new favourite meal in the process. What’s more with a collection of recipes you can create what would be your own scrapbook, who said meal planning had to be boring?
2. Write a list
As simple as it may sound, writing a list of all the ingredients you plan to buy is one of the most effective ways to keep track of what you have at home. Lists can help you decide between whether you need something or want it (which links to a tip I’ve learnt myself -try not to go on the food shop hungry). Without saying your eyes are bigger than your stomach, the impulse to pick things up when you’re hungry happens a lot. Though you’ll satisfy the cravings, letting your eyes drift can push your budget without you even registering. Once you’ve shopped, you can keep the list on the fridge and refer to it when the cupboards start to feel bare. You probably won’t have to buy everything again but take notes of what needs replacing and start the list fresh.
3. Place your order online
Online ordering is great way to keep track of what’s in your basket and make easy price comparisons across all grocery items. With the list (as mentioned above) in place, you can have your food shop at the checkout in no time and if you scour the web, you can even find discount codes! To all the students out there, it’s always worth having a look on Unidays or voucher cloud. If you prefer to shop in store, a good alternative to this would be using the scan as you shop system. Found in most supermarkets, you can watch your spending as you sweep the aisles. I can’t say you’ll be able to avoid queues at the checkout every time, but I find shopping this way helps save time and effort. Plus, by packing as you go, you can avoid the panic rush at the end where we all know the cashier loves to give us a run for our money.
4. Use frozen alternatives
This isn’t a ploy to move you away from fresh produce but freezing will maximise your shop and make spending feel more worthwhile. Of course, you need to bear in mind how much room you can spare in your freezer but saving leftovers or cooking in bulk to freeze are effective ways to shred the extra spending. You’ll find yourself eating for days at no extra cost and reducing the overall food wastage on a weekly if not monthly basis! I’ll take a quick moment to debunk any myths around freezing food and loosing nutrients. This isn’t the case! If anything, frozen food tends to be picked fresh beforehand so you won’t miss out on anything!
5. Keep those receipts!
It’s likely your weekly shop will change depending on what you need, and grocery shops don’t just include food. They’ll be the occasional time where you might need to grab some toothpaste or washing detergent and who knows what else so naturally the end cost will be more than your original figure. In these cases, keep your receipts! This way you’ll have the prices of each item to hand so you know what your moneys going to. It may be helpful to transfer the figures into a separate cost book or take it one step further and create a spreadsheet to really narrow down the areas where cuts can be made. If you find yourself with a mound of receipts, you should consider the number of trips you’re making and whether your shop can be done in one go instead of a few per week. Either way have a calculator on standby!
If you'd like to read up on how food prices have changed over the years, follow this link or if more money saving tips is what you're after click here.
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