Do you shop online, at different shops or at one shop?

maddeningly

I'm quite new to money saving, we are looking to move next year so trying to build up a good deposit. I've made quite a few changes over the last few weeks which are:

Heating on only for 1 hour morning whilst children are getting washed,dressed and eating breakfast and 1 hour evening for bath and bedtime. I currently pay approx £20 more than I use, but am thinking this will get absorbed eventually when my tariff ends next jan (was capped in 2009 on much lower prices than are avail now) and as I will be used to paying the difference. Also my supplier gives you!£1 for every £33 you are in credit at the time of your annual reassessment.

No food gets wasted anymore.

Cancelled my virgin package, last months bill was over £100!! Still have their landline.

Only filling my car up at Tesco to get vouchers for days out in the summer. My monthly petrol cost is approx £130 but my partner works for the ambulance service and gets to fill up a lot of ambulances so we get the vouchers for these too.

My next thing I am tackling is my shopping. I don't know how much I s

maddeningly

Spend is yet but judging by my bank statements it's a lot. I've been to @sda tonight I cannot believe how much things have gone up since last time I went, loads of things I buy have gone up by 20-30p since last week. I'm not a fan of online shopping as I don't like the substitutes they give you and I like to make sure I buy stuff with the best dates on. I tend to buy 1 months worth of supples from home bargains and then do a weekly shop for food. Is there a cheaper way of doing this in your opinions? I sho at asda as the Aldi where I live is rubbish for fruit and veg, you can tell its only got a day or 2 before it goes off. And if anyone can think of any more saving tips for me, that would be great! Thank you

paulineb_2

I shop at approved foods, online, its a low cost online shop that sells food close to or past its best before date, but still safe to eat.

Occasionally Tesco but more so Aldi. Approved foods has saved me a ton of money over the last year.

Steve059

I ROBOshop (Research Online, Buy Offline). I then buy what I need from whoever sells it cheapest at the time. Being retired, I have both the time and the financial incentive to do this. I also have an ASDA, Tesco and Sainsbury's near me and in a fuel-efficient loop.

nuttyp

Have you tried to use things that are not branded, and in some cases the basic range. I often use the basic range as its cheaper.

joedenise

Not about shopping as such but going back to getting your petrol in Tesco for the points do you use a credit card to pay? If so and as an extra way of getting more points get both yourself and your OH a Tesco credit card. You'll get points on everything you buy on it - means you can get your petrol elsewhere if it's loads cheaper as it is in my area - a difference of 3p a litre!

Denise

bekkikay

I tend to shop around. There is no brand loyalty in this house.
I do most of my shopping in Aldi but before I go I check Tesco online for their prices. Sometimes Tesco works out cheaper so I'll get those particular items the next day. I would shop at Asda as my second supermarket but there isn't one nearby. Home Bargains is one of the cheapest bargain shops around. I buy Nicky toilet roll, toiletries, sweets, crisps, stock cubes and drinks there usually. Farmfoods is good for treats too as well as milk, frozen fish and bread. The market is usually the cheapest for fruit and veg but they will alter their prices throughout the day. Don't forget about checking online. I buy my bread flour from Amazon in bulk which is cheaper on subscription and my Twinnings tea. Pet food is very cheap on zooplus if that's relevant to you.
The thing that made the biggest difference for us was meal planning and buying only what was needed for that week or a fortnight of meals.

good_advice

Good morning Maddie and all
Shopping a subject often talked about on MSE.
Food shopping, I go to the shops once a week. I always go and look in the freezer/cupboards and write a list of what is getting low or what I have decided to cook.

At the moment I am flitting between Iceland and Asda.
At Iceland I like there frozen veg, pizza and fish. I also buy cooked meat for sandwiches, milk and bread. I avoid all the ready meals.

Asda I like for whoopsie's. also do the usual weekly shop if there.

Online shopping I use for house hold things. I rairly buy in the shops.
I go through Quidco and also look for voucher codes. All the better if offering free postage.
A few shops that are local, I will use click and collect = Argos or Tesco house hold items. It saves on p&p.

System

I try to stick to the one supermarket as self control whilst shopping has never been my strongest point.

Occasionally i have to pop into A$da or Tesc0 but not often.

Clothes for my son apart from his converse trainers i can get pretty well all he needs from Pr!mark. My basics i can get there too but i do favour Wallis clothes from Debenhams for my dressier stuff (which i can now get on eB*y). Hubby gets his work jeans from A$da and he tends to live in them most of the time anyway. T shirts i get from Pr!mark. Our daughter buys his jumpers from Debenhams for Fathers day/birthdays/Christmas and apart from wearing his boots (he cant wear shoes or trainers as his ankle needs more support) he's pretty cheap too (thats if you dont include the £300 coat he bought himself just before Xmas and has only wore a couple of times since).

I buy mine and our sons clothes and hubby pays for his own.

Household stuff, sheets and stuff i rarely have to buy but when i do, i tend to buy them as hubby doesnt see things as i do. The house is the last thing on his priority list.

sonastin

I do my mine shop at Ald!. However OH prefers A$da biscuits and Te$co soya milk so I also visit those 2 as and when needed and/or I'm passing. Some things Ald! don't stock (coke zero, wet wipes - again, both OH's preference too!) so I get them in the main SMs when I'm in. We don't have any supermarkets nearby but I pass a fair few on my way home from work or on the way to my mum's and nearest Ald! to home is next door to sainsbugs so I try to time my grocery shopping to when I'm passing anyway, and get what I can from the ones I pass without going too far out of my way.

booter

I ROBOshop too (never heard it called that, but I like it - cheers Steve059!)

If I've been good/organised (meal plans and shopping list - sadly not very often ) my list will be divided into different stores (I'm lucky in that I'm close to a few "satellite" towns, each of which has a good selection of stores and at least 1 supermarket.) So, for example, I'll list stuff for B&M, Mr T, Wilko, Aldi etc and get what I need from each, sticking rigidly to my list (well, most of the time ) If I'm not organised, I can't do this - I just end up spending wayyy too much money, so then, I'll stick to one supermarket only, usually using MySupermarket to gauge which one has the best deals on what I need that particular week.

Oh, and I try to go to whichever supermarket I use that week at a time when experience tells me they'll have reduced stuff/whoopsies - you can get some real bargains that way! (Although you do have to be slightly flexible with your meal plans!)

I wish I was more organised - if I meal plan and make a shopping list I really do save money!