Food can be expensive and with prices of everyday goods rocketing, being a smarter shopper will help save you money. This doesn’t mean meals have to be boring: with a little bit of planning you’ll still be able to have tasty and filling meals that don’t cost the earth!
Smarter Shopping Top Ten Tips!
1) BOGOF!
Look for promotions/special offers in store, but make sure you can carry home and store the extra food you buy!
2) Own label
Choose own label or budget varieties for cheaper options, such as canned tomatoes or soup.
3) Cook it!
Prepare and cook a meal yourself as it is generally cheaper than ready made meals and eating out. If you can, cook in bulk, then label and freeze left over portions for another day.
4) Make your food go further
Bulk out meals such as soups, sauces and stews with vegetables, lentils, rice or pasta to make them go further. These ingredients are often cheaper than meat and fish.
5) Go local
Check out seasonal, local or market produce as it may be cheaper than non-seasonal or supermarket produce.
6) Grow it!
Try growing your own food such as fruit, vegetables and herbs. Herbs and spices can add different flavours to your food, and also reduce the need to add salt.
7) Love your leftovers!
Use leftovers for future snacks and meals e.g. leftover vegetables in a stir fry or salad, but store them correctly and make sure you use them within 2 days.
8) Sign up
Register for supermarket loyalty cards to gain reward points and discounts on your shopping bills.
9) Frozen is as good as fresh!
Frozen items may be cheaper than fresh e.g. meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, so check out the freezer aisles! Frozen foods also allow you to use what you need and then store the rest, plus frozen fruit and vegetables still count towards your 5 a day!
10) Hungry?
And lastly, don’t go shopping when you’re hungry. You’ll be tempted to buy food that you don’t need. Write a list and stick to it!
Along with the top tips above to help you be a savvy shopper why not try out one of the recipes on these pages? They’re low in cost, tasty and nutritious, so have a go at creating something new! The more recipes you have up your sleeve the better. Soups, stews, pizzas, stir-fries, curries and pasta dishes can all use ingredients left in the fridge!