A few tips to reduce the cost of your weekly shop

I don’t often go in to supermarkets, but when I do I notice how much most things have increased in price.  The cost of many items has nearly doubled, and yet our incomes have hardly increased. I know that many of my older friends are struggling to put nice food on the table, especially if they can not grow a garden or forage. I therefore thought that I would do a post about how to reduce the weekly shop.  There are so many things that we do to save money on our shopping, but here are a few that I can think of off the top of my head.  You probably know most of them but it is good to be reminded some times as we can all get into bad habits.

1.  As discussed in a recent blog, buy a few main items but use them for various dishes during the week.  For example, I made a meal plan for a friend and put a pack of wraps on her shopping list.  She lives on her own and told me that she often wastes half of them.   I advised her that she could freeze some of them, or alternatively use them in different dishes.  In the meal plan I made for her  she used one to make a pizza, one for a fish finger and salad wrap, one as the base for a quiche, and the last 3 as layers in a lasagne instead of pasta (this meal gave her a main and two lunches).  All these things she was able to make in her air fryer as she doesn’t put her oven on any more.
2. Avoid ultra processed food as much as you can (I do 80/20).  Not only are they full of additives but they have been shown to make you crave food and eat more.  Cooking from scratch may cost a little bit more eg. if you are making a pizza, but you will only probably need to eat half of it to feel as full, whereas you would eat the whole UPF one.  I try to make simple meals using ingredients that my Gran would have used but don’t beat myself up if have have the odd bit of UPV food.
3. Take a set amount of cash for a shop and go with a list.  This will help you be more intentional about what you are buying.  It doesn’t mean that you can not change your list if you see a bargain that you want to buy, it just means that you will have to choose something else to take out of your basket that you can manage without.  Taking  cash also helps you track your spending.
4. Pay attention at the till and check your receipt.  There have been so many times that the price has been different from the one advertised on the shelf, or an item has been put on twice or at full price when it is reduced.  Lots of shops do not automatically give you a receipt now to save paper but I always ask for one as I can’t prove I have been charged wrong later if I do not have one.
5. Avoid things at eye level  in the middle of the shelves.  These are usually the most expensive.  Look for things at the bottom of the shelves or high up.
6. Only buy end of aisle offers or yellow stickers if they are something that you would normally buy or are a good substitute.  I used to buy all of my meat on discounted yellow stickers but I no longer do now.  I find it cheaper to buy meat on a seasonal half price offer and freeze it.  This way it lasts longer when defrosted and so is more flexible when making meals.  An example is that I bought some joints of meat that were half price on a Christmas offer.  I cut the joints up and minced some, and they provided lots of meals.  I am still using them now in August.  I have put the meat in casseroles, on skewers, have used it on the BBQ, made burgers, shish kebabs…the list is endless.  I have also bought whole salmon fish on offer and have filleted it myself.
7. Buy none branded items.  They are often as good.  This includes medication.  Just check the back of the box to make sure that the ingredients are the same.
8. Don’t shop when you have children with you or are feeling hungry.  Children always see things that they want or are attracted to a picture on a fancy box of cereal. You will also buy snacks or an extra item that can be eaten straight away if you are hungry.
9. Meal plan and make sure that you put any potential left overs into your plan for lunches and other meals , or even something to freeze for a meal another week eg when making a big lasagne.  Shop from your fridge, cupboard and freezer before you think of buying anything.  Try not to just buy the same things every week without checking if you have any left.  I looked in my friend’s cupboard and she had 7 tins of soup as she bought 2 a week whether she used them or not as that had become a habit and she picked them up automatically.
10. Try to delay going to the shops by a day or two by using up what you have. Don’t just go shopping because it is Friday or pay day.  If you can do this a couple of times a month you will save on nearly a month’s worth of shopping a year.  There are apps like Super cook that let you type in the ingredients that you have and they suggest meals that you can make with what you have.
11. Make use of free or cheap food in your area.  Olio, community fridges, The Company shop, or food banks (if entitled) all provide food at very discounted prices, or even at no cost. Don’t let pride or embarrassment stop you using these places.  Our local community fridge reduces waste.  The food would be binned if not collected.  There are people in BMWs that use it knowing that they are saving it from landfill.
12. Try to learn the prices of things so that you know when you see a real bargain.  If your memory is not good you could google other supermarkets.  I have seen things offered as a good buy at the end of aisles when I could find them a lot cheaper somewhere else.
13. Check out other places to buy food rather than supermarkets if you have time.  Butchers and markets can be cheaper and have better produce.  It might be worth you bulk buying something on the internet if you use a lot of it, and places like Home Bargains or B & M (discount stores) are often cheaper for things like sugar or tins.  You might even want to share an order with some one else to get a discount or free delivery.  I do this from an organic company that I would not be able to afford to shop from on my own.
14. Make your own sauces and spice blends.  We bought some big bags of spices from the world food aisle in a supermarket and make things like fajita seasoning and meat rubs and marinades, and we make things like sweet chilli sauce, pasta sauce, and sweet and sour sauce.  Most of these things are full of additives bought from the store, and we save money by making them ourselves.  The spice mixes only take a couple of minutes.
15. Shop seasonally and be prepared to adapt the kinds of meals that you make as the seasons vary.  This not only saves you money but stops boredom from eating the same meals each week.  Meals can always be stretched by adding more vegetables, pulses, putting a pie crust or potato on top, or even serving with a slice of bread and butter to fill you up, just as my gran used to do.

There are so many other tips that I could give you, but these are the ones that come to mind if you can not grow or forage.  They also do not take too much effort or require big changes in your shopping habits.  What are your best tips for making savings on shopping?