Top Five Tips -Food Shop

Diane_239

if you live near a farm then buy potatoes in bulk,
shop has late as possible to get bread,fresh meat and fish etc reduced only buy if you will use it,
buy from local market late in the day,
invest in a slow cooker,
always make more than you need and freeze ,
don't just stick to one shop look at the cheaper shops to see how much you can save.
shop with a friend and go halves on bogof offers.

bellaquidsin

You have some excellent advice on here which should stand you in good stead.

I would just add:-

From your initial savings try to put some money in the back of your purse to be used when you see a really good offer on something then you can stock up and perhaps freeze.

Look out for the bumper packs of toilet rolls with 3 extra rolls. It's not always possible to squeeze one of these out of the weekly budget but if you have that money put by you can take advantage and save more money in the long run.

Look in Poundland as often as you can, you never know what you will find in there. I had huge packets of McVities digestives @ 2 for a £ at the beginning of the year. I bought about 6 and we are still munching our way through them. But only ever buy something that you know you usually use.

Have a really cheap meal one day a week. Something with a tin of tuna fish (bought when on offer) is economical. I do a rissotto.

Never ever throw anything away. Scraps of veg will go in soup as will any left over veg which can be frozen until needed.

I have managed to save £20 a week on my household budget in the last six months by applying these rules and quite a lot of the ones already mentioned above.

All the best with your venture.

Bella.

rosh12

My local charity shop often has loads of cook books- even newish ones linked to tv shows!

Buffy_the_Vampire_Bat

My top 5 tips are:

1) Meal plan.
2) Shop with a list (and check this list against your cupboards, fridge and freezer before you go - more than once in the old days I've gone and bought something I already had in my cupboard )
3) Batch cook, especially things like bolognese sauce or chilli con carne that can be used and served in quite a number of ways)
4) If you can and have the time, visit more than one supermarket to take advantage of offers - I generally do this instore, but I guess it could work well with on-line shopping if you keep an eye out for special codes for free delivery, money off your shopping etc.
5) Take advantage of special offers e.g. BOGOF and 3 for 2 if you can afford to do so.

sillyvixen

rosh12 wrote: »

My local charity shop often has loads of cook books- even newish ones linked to tv shows!

i have found quite a lot of cook books this way.

maypole

I try to bulk buy basics, things that will keep and cleaning items as much as possible so I don't have to keep nipping to the shops if I run out of them. Buy as much fruit and veg as is practical to keep.
You have to shop for perishables in between the main shopping, but try to only buy what you went out for in the first place instead of filling your basket with stuff you THINK you might need. It is surprising what you can make to eat without having to shop, if you have a good store cupboard.

youngbutwise

I don't know if you have an Aldi near you but they've started a brilliant offer on fresh fruit and veg. Last month for just 59 pence each you could get a bag of 3 sweet peppers (red, green and yellow), a 2.5kg potato sack, a pineapple, a bag of vine tomatoes, 500g of white grapes. This month (I went this morning) for 49 pence each you can get 500g of red grapes, a bag of 6 oranges, a bag of salad potatoes (1 kilo), a bag of runner beans. It really is a life-saver for me at the moment as I can watch our pennies but still have lots of fruit and veg.

gunsandbanjos

Not seen it mentioned above, but i only scanned the posts so apologies if this has been covered:

www.mysupermarket.co.uk is the best site i have found(apart from this one obviously:o ) for saving money. Write your list for the week, put it through one of the major supermarkets online and it tells you which one of the big 4 are cheapest. Its really simple to use, once you go to checkout(you dont actually have to buy) it tells you what products you can switch to to save money. I use this as a guide for how much my shopping will cost, and where i can save extra.

newlywed

My tips:-

Leave the kids and OH behind
Don't shop when you're hungry
Don't get a trolley, use a basket (if you're fit and able to)
Leave the car behind and only buy what you can carry

Leave the car behind does mean I have to do a couple of shops a week but also means I can use different supermarkets and compare prices and buy the better deals

redballoon_2

can anyone tell me what fresh veggies i can freeze? and do you have to blanch them first? I have never thought of doing this!