A Guide to Saving Money on Your Food Shop
Shopping for food is a major expense. Finding ways to save money on your food can help you stay within your budget. These tips and tricks may help improve your situation.
With grocery prices soaring, it’s the perfect time to look at what you are spending on food!
With a little creativity and planning, you can be saving money on your food shopping. Try these practical tips to cut the cost at the supermarket checkout.
01. Switch up your shopping routine
For the sake of convenience, many of us shop at the same place, at the same time, every week. However, breaking away from this routine could save you money.
Sometimes it is handy to know if you can save money by purchasing your regular food choices elsewhere. To make this easier, there are many price comparison websites you can use to research before you shop. For example, My Supermarket Price Comparison, allows you to compare product prices at Aldi, Tesco, Lidl, Waitrose, Asda, and Sainsburys.
Additionally, shopping at times when products start to be discounted can also save you a lot of money in the long run.
02. Eat before you shop
One rule to live by – avoid food shopping on an empty stomach!
If you’re hungry, you’re more likely to end up overspending on food shopping. So, what’s the solution? Eat a healthy and filling meal before you shop to limit the temptation to splurge on groceries.
03. Buy some things in bulk
You can save a significant sum of money by buying foods you regularly eat in bulk.
For example:
- If your family eats a lot of meat, you could try buying larger packs of meat and freezing some. Larger packs of meat usually cost less per gram. So, in the long run, this could benefit your financial situation.
- If you eat a lot of vegetables, you could consider buying more tinned veg. You can often buy tins in multipacks that again cost less than buying multiple individual tins.
Making little changes like this is a great way to limit the number of times you need to go food shopping, whilst also saving some money here and there.
04. Use vouchers
Keeping an eye out for supermarket vouchers is a great way to make some extra savings with little effort.
A good place to hunt for supermarket vouchers is in the supermarket’s magazines. If you live close to a supermarket you might get these posted through your door, you can also usually find them near the checkout and supermarket entrance.
You may also receive supermarket vouchers by signing up for the supermarket mailing list and checking your junk mail.
05. Make the most out of Loyalty Schemes
Joining supermarket loyalty programmes can save you a lot of money! Most supermarkets have something to offer to their repeat customers. Here are some loyalty schemes we think you might like:
Lidl Plus – This is an app available on both iPhone and Android. Once the app is set up each shopper will be presented with a variety of vouchers for both LIDL and their associated retailers which are refreshed every Thursday. Additionally, each time the app barcode is scanned at a LIDL checkout the shopper is given a chance to play the “Spin of Surprises” which is given each person a chance to win some cash back or extra coupons!
Tesco Clubcard – The free Tesco Clubcard scheme offers some amazing offers across the supermarket. It also lets you collect points for each £1 you spend in-store and online. You can use these points to spend in-store or with associated retailers.
Marks and Spencer SPARKS card – Joining the SPARKS card gives you a chance to get your weekly shop for free, and it doesn’t stop there. You’ll also get special offers and treats based on your shopping history and be entered into regular giveaways of money to spend at M&S whether in-store or online.
Are you struggling financially?
If you are struggling financially, we highly recommend you look at your budget and see where changes in your spending can be made. Making smarter food shop choices is just one of many ways you can start to make improvements to your financial situation.
If one of the reasons you are having financial difficulty is because you have a significant amount of debt, we may be able to help you. Here at Consolidation Express, we offer UK debt consolidation loans to support people in managing their debts effectively.
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By: Leah Cusick.
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Unsecured Loan Representative 69.9% APR
Borrowing £7,500 over 36 months, repaying £502 per month, total repayable £18,083. Total cost of credit £10,583. Interest rate 69.9% (variable). The lenders on our panel offer loans for 12-60 months, with rates from 5.8% APR to 89.9% APR. The Representative Example is based on all loans paid out by lenders between 19th Apr 2022 and 23rd Dec 2022.
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If you choose to add fees to the loan: Assumed borrowing of £25,000 over 120 months, plus a broker fee of £2,500 and a lender fee of £250 would result in monthly repayments of £345.55, the borrowing rate is 8.6% (variable), the APRC is 11.7% (variable), total charge for credit £16,466.00 and the total amount payable £41,466.00. You can opt to pay the lender and/or broker fees upfront, your adviser will discuss these options with you.
Think carefully before securing other debts against your home. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a mortgage or any debt secured on it. All rates vary subject to loan amount, loan type and status. Repaying your debt over a longer period of time may increase the amount you pay.
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