9 Ways to Save on Your Grocery Shop
It’s easier than you think
Whether you’re a budding student, trying to save an extra penny towards your social events, or a motivated individual trying every which way to save for your future, I think we can all agree that the food shop, can sometimes be a little expensive.
Take it from someone who has experimented with different ways of saving. I can effectively do a food shop for a family of 3 for just £15 a week. As opposed to the £77.50 spent on average in the UK.
It’s so frustrating when I hear families on the bread line who claim they are unable to feed a family of 4 for less than £100 a week. If you need to buy a food shop and you’re on a budget there are always ways of saving money.
It’s about time I share some of my shopping secrets that have allowed me to save so much in the past.
In 2018 I scrimped and saved in so many aspects of my life that I was able to save £15k towards my house deposit. Food shopping used to be my downfall, now it’s a walk in the park.
1. Buy store’s own brand instead of named brands.
There are some people on this earth that stick their noses up at own brands. This gets me scratching my head because a lot of the times the named brands are the exact same product, made in the exact same factory.
Flour for example is a natural product, you cannot effectively improve on a natural product, yet so many people grab higher up the shelves to avoid the store brand because they are conditioned into thinking that named brands are better quality.
Homepride plain flour(1kg): £1.50 Asda Smart Price plain flour (1.5kg): 0.45p
Not all store brands are made in the same place as named brands, sometimes you have to do your part and experiment to see what you like. If you do this, you’ll soon see that a lot of the times, the inexpensive foods are actually a lot nicer.
I used to be a massive fan of Bachelors Super noodles, not that expensive at 70p a packet but as I was trying to find cheaper alternatives, I still tried out ASDA’s own brand and found that their 14p packets of noodles were much nicer.
same goes for jams, yogurts, crisps, tinned tomatoes, tuna, penne pasta, garlic bread, fish fingers, fruit juice, tinned peas, kidney beans, peanut butter, ice cream, rice, cheese, dried fruit and even household essentials like disinfectant, bleach, dusters and marigolds.
2. Make a list and stick to it
If you’re shopping for more than just yourself it can be difficult to try and plan meals while at the supermarket.
If you don’t have a shopping list, it can be so easy to just chuck things in the shopping trolley because your daughter might like this, your son will like that, and your spouse would appreciate this.
For best results, first you will need to decide on 7 meals, 7 lunches and 1 type of breakfast that the entire family enjoys. Once this is done, make a list of all the foods you will need to make each dish. The most important step and a step that I think a lot of people may forget, stock taking. Check you cupboards and cross off the things you already have.
How many of us have gone shopping, not checked what we had in the cupboards and then played it safe by buying the item anyway, just in case.
I appreciate that most families have fussy eaters but planning meals that you can all enjoy, saves you ( or whoever’s cooking) some precious time.
3. Tinned and frozen food stays fresher for longer.
If you’re having a diet kick start, it can be so expensive buying punnets of fruit. Instead buy frozen berries. Not ideal when you just want to pick at something but amazing at making frozen fruit drinks when the weather is warm.
Frozen vegetables like, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower are also ideal for families who may have vegetables that they usually forget to use before there sell by date.
How many of you have bought vegetables, thinking ‘I’ll make something with that’, then completely forget and then have had to throw it away. Well if you buy frozen, it doesn’t matter if you forget because the vegetables in your freezer can last months instead of days.
Also, frozen food usually gives you much more for your money. Not always the case but it’s still worth pointing out.
Personally, I like to look out for vegetable medleys in supermarkets, like Asda’s frozen Stir fry mix for £1.11 much better than paying the same price for something that will go off in a matter of days, and tastes the same.
Same goes for tinned foods. Beans are usually cheap and cheerful, a family favourite and are also healthy. Tinned tomatoes, peas and tuna are all staples in my cupboard, as they can all be used to make tasty family meals.
4. Look to buy food containers that keep food fresher
Kilner jars — we’ve all heard of them. Hopefully. Well there's a kilner jar for pretty much everything.
If you need to store your baking basics in good nick then buying kilner jars could be your answer. Alternatively if you’re not into using glassware then a quick search online will find you some great plastic food dispensers.
Don’t forget to use labels to identify between plain, bread and self raising flour.
Keep beans and pulses dry and easy to find and keep your pastas and spaghetti all neatly placed away.
Not only aesthetically pleasing on the eye to have things perfectly organised in your food cupboard and not only does it keep pesky unwanted food flies out, but it also helps reduce the price of home cooking.
When you build up a cupboard full of staples that last months, like pulses, flours, yeast, sugars, pastas and seasonings, you can pretty much make anything your heart desires.
5. Bulk buy if you can
Not ideal if your low on budget but if you have the means, to buy in bulk this can reduce the cost of your groceries by such a large margin. Keep an eager eye on deals that promote valuable offers. Buy one get one free are good deals to look out for.
Although I should point out, just because you might be getting a good deal only commit to buy if you actually need the product. There's no point buying bulk for something that's just going to sit in the cupboard collecting dust.
Look out for quality items at large supermarkets or wholesalers like Costco if they have them in your area. If you’re really looking to save and buy large quantities, it might be worth checking to see if there are any catering supplies that deliver to non-businesses.
A UK website, www.thomasridley.co.uk states:
Can’t find what you’re looking for in supermarkets?
Our fully e-Commerce website is the first of its kind in the foodservice industry. Specialist software allows customers to buy WITHOUT an account. Anyone can place an order using their credit/debit card or PayPal. Working with selected couriers enables us to deliver any sized ambient, chilled or frozen order, anywhere in mainland UK 24/7. Through heavy investment in digital technologies over the last 3 years, we have developed industry leading capabilities to sell and fulfil orders of bulk wholesale food and drinks.
No minimum order, no account needed, nationwide delivery — online ordering as it should be!
On this website, you can buy much larger quantities for much less. Again, I cannot stress enough, that you should only be buying foods that you know that your family will indeed eat, otherwise, there is no point.
6. Keep your eyes peeled for coupons and cashback
There are some foods we can’t live without. If there’s a food in your life that lights up your fires then why not try emailing the brand. Jordan Cox, over at www.moneysavingexpert.com shows us how it’s done.
Sure, you might get coupons online or in local papers but how much of the things they offer, do you really need or even want? Instead, hit up the brands you love and see if anything comes of it. Head on over to Jordon cox’ article posted back in 2018, that gives you the template that gave him so many successful returns.
Keep an eye out online for your countries coupon finder. In the UK we have a dedicated website, (www.extremecouponing.co.uk) that’s devoted to all things coupons, deals and even freebies. If you don’t want to do all the hard work of finding good deals, then let someone else do it for you.
Whilst where talking coupons it might be worth mentioning cashback apps and websites. There are some websites that will give you cash back on your purchases, all you need as proof is your receipt. It’s worth having a scan at these first just to see if there is anything that you would be buying anyway.
7. Never shop on an empty stomach
I learned this one the hard way, going shopping on an empty stomach usually had me buying anything that appealed to me. I was wasting my money like there was no tomorrow.
A research team led by Alison Jing Xu of the University of Minnesota reports that hunger “is likely to activate general concepts and behavioural knowledge associated with acquisition,” making one more likely to purchase even non-food products — www.huffpost.com
Just like those arguments women have with their significant others when hunger strikes, the same hunger can make us spend, spend, spend.
8. Buy reduced
Supermarkets like to sell their products quickly when they are about to reach either there sell by date or expiration date and there's a big difference between the two.
If something is due to reach its sell by date, it cannot be consumed. If something is due to reach its best before, it just means that the quality won’t be as good but the food will still be good to eat.
Sometimes you might find that large supermarkets will attempt to pass on its best before foods to retailers specifically selling these kind of products. Another UK example here, but websites such as Approved food will allow you to pay pennies for foods you wouldn't possibly find cheaper anywhere else.
Whilst where on the subject of reduced foods, it’s worth knowing that any meats that might have a reduced sticker can be kept frozen on day of purchase for up to 30 days.
I tend to keep my eyes peeled for anything that can be frozen and anything that can be incorporated into those family meal plans.
9. Set a budget
First think about how much money you want to spend, then keep to it. For best results, only take your planned amount of cash to the shops. That way, you have no choice but to stick to your list.
This one doesn't really need much explaining, but if you’re looking to save or if you need more money for other things in your life, then its worth trying to work out how much extra you need and then remove this figure from your weekly shop.
It might surprise you, how wasteful with foods we can be when we feel like we have a larger budget.
To show you how I manage to save so much money with my weekly shop here’s a rough guide for you all, which includes 7 dinner meals , choice of breakfast and 2 choices of drinks.
Meal one: Sausage dinner 1. ASDA Smart Price 20 sausages (£1.27): 7p each sausage x 6 2.ASDA smart Price Instant Mashed Potatoes: 28p 3. ASDA Smart price peas (1kg): 68p/ 23p per serving 4. ASDA Gravy Granules: 25p
Meal Two: BBQ chicken 5.Asda Smart price chicken fillets (1kg): £3.50/ £1.75 per serving 6. Hunters chicken cooking sauce: 84p 7. ASDA Grower’s selection baby potatoes: 90p/ 45p per serving 3 ASDA Smart price peas (1kg): 68p/ 23p per serving
Meal Three: Pizza chicken Asda Smart price chicken fillets (1kg): £3.50/ £1.75 per serving ASDA Grower’s selection baby potatoes: 90p ASDA Smart price peas (1kg): 68p/ 23p per serving 8. ASDA Tomato Puree: 34p
Meal Four: Hot dogs 9. Asda White finger rolls 6pk: 53p ASDA Smart Price 20 sausages: 7p each sausage 10. ASDA Growers selection loose onion: 11p
Meal Five: Sausage and Tomato Pasta Bake 10. ASDA Creamy Tomato Pasta Bake: 75p 11. ASDA Smart price Pasta Shapes: 29p / 15p per serving ASDA Smart Price 20 sausages: 7p each sausage
Meal Six: Cheese and Bacon Pasta Bake 12. ASDA Cheese & Bacon Pasta Bake: 75p 13. ASDA Smart price Pasta Shapes: 29p / 15p per serving
Meal 7: Tuna pasta 14. ASDA Smart Price Tuna Chunks in Brine: 59p ASDA Smart price Pasta Shapes: 29p / 15p per serving 15. ASDA Mayonnaise: 41p
Breakfasts: 16. ASDA Oat bran & Wheat bran Porridge Oats: 59p 17. ASDA Whole Milk 6 pints: £1.59
Drinks: 18. ASDA Smart Price Squash: 43p 19. ASDA Smart Price Lemonade: 17p Total Shopping list: £14.60
I’ve added numbers to the list so you can see how many items should be in your basket. A lot of things in my list will be used more than once, that way I can effectively stretch out my money.
As you can see, this list is only possible if you switch to the cheaper brands, I can only comment on supermarkets that are from my home country, hence why I’ve excessively used products from WWW.ASDA.COM
I hope this list might come in handy for students in the UK, who might need a bit of help right now.
Before I let you go, another quick tip, don’t forget your shopping bags. I’m not sure what the policies are everywhere else in the world but in Wales, plastic bags are anything from 20p plus, with good reason of course so don’t forget to bring your own bags.
Good luck saving!