WITH inflation driving prices up and the cost of living constantly on the rise, we are all looking for ways to save on the essentials.
For many people, a major source of spending is the weekly trip to get our groceries.
Food prices are always going up, and it's becoming increasingly harder to get more bang for your buck.
Whether you’re shopping for one or whether you have to feed your entire family, we have put together some ways to help you save on your grocery shop.
Meal-planning and meal-prepping
One of the best steps to cutting down on grocery spending is cutting down on food waste.
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One step you can take to minimise your food waste is to plan your meals before you go shopping.
By doing this, you go into your shop with an idea of exactly what you need and a rough idea of what you will have to spend.
Meal-prepping is also a great way to cut down on wasting food, and it can also save you time, too!
Planning your meals ahead is great, but we all know how life can get in the way.
Whether you sleep through your alarm or you’re too tired after work, there is a whole host of reasons why you might not be able to make one of the meals you planned.
Meal-prep will save you having to grab breakfast on the go or spending unnecessary money on delivery.
You can prepare easy breakfasts like overnight oats or breakfast bagels, as well as big batch dinners like pasta or curry.
Prepping your meals in big batches can ensure that your ingredients get used so that you aren’t wasting money on food you don’t use. Stuck for ideas? Check out The Sun recipes for some ideas.
Make a shopping list
We all know the feeling of coming home from doing our groceries and realising that you have forgotten to buy an ingredient you needed.
We also know the feeling of buying something you didn’t need.
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Although it seems simple, a shopping list can cure both of these issues.
When you go to your local grocer, it can be hard to ignore new and interesting products.
Bring a shopping list can help minimise how much you spend on these items.
When you plan your meals, you can create a list of all the items you need for the meals you’ve planned this week.
A shopping list will also help you to budget before you go shopping, giving you an idea of how much money you will spend.
This means you can also decide if you have some leftover budget which you can put towards non-essentials as a part of your grocery store.
A shopping list will also cut down on the time you spend shopping for food.
Buying generic brands
A lot of us like to stick with what we know. This often means we will gravitate towards the recognisable brands.
However, these items are often higher priced than generic, store brand alternatives.
A generic brand product is simply an alternative to popular products that don’t have a widely recognised name or logo.
In many cases, these items have very few nutritional and taste differences.
Although classic brands can be a comfort, a great way to minimise spending is to try home brand alternatives to see if this can become a permanent swap for your favourite branded products.
Almost all the UK’s favourite grocery stores have their own store brand alternatives to your favourite products at lower prices.
You can find some great own-brand options in ASDA, Tesco and Iceland.
You may not want to swap out all of your favourite branded items out for whatever reason; maybe your children prefer a brand name ketchup, or you need your favourite coffee brand to start the morning right.
If this is the case, try buying store brand items for ingredients in your meal plan like tomato paste, beans, or frozen vegetables!
Comparing prices
While this tip can be a little time-consuming, it can be a great way to maximise savings when doing your groceries.
This also works alongside your shopping list and meal-planning.
Once you’ve created a shopping list and know exactly what you need to buy, you can check in your local food shops.
Then, you can compare prices and make sure you’re getting the best price for everything on your list.
While this may seem like a daunting task, it’s easier than ever to do nowadays.
Most of your favourite shops including Tesco and ASDA have all of their products and prices available online or on their app.
Just head to your grocery shop’s website and search for what you’re looking for, then compare the prices between each store and see how much you can save.
If you don’t have time to go to multiple supermarkets, a lot of the major UK grocers now offer delivery or click and collect.
This can save you time and even save you money, as many supermarkets also offer exclusive discounts on products when you order online!
Join Supermarket Loyalty Cards
Although this may seem obvious, a lot of people in the UK are not a member of their local supermarket’s loyalty schemes.
Almost all major UK supermarkets offer a rewards scheme or a loyalty card.
You can find loyalty cards for Tesco, ASDA, Waitrose, Morrisons and more.
The benefits of each loyalty cards vary from supermarket to supermarket.
Some of the main benefits include new exclusive weekly deals on different products and rewards including freebies or money-off vouchers.
Loyalty card members at some supermarkets can also access lower prices for cupboard essentials.
For example, Tesco Clubcard members can get major savings on essential products and on exciting new items.
Sun Vouchers is your one-stop shop for every deal and discount code currently available from your favourite online retailers. Don’t click ‘buy’ until you’ve checked Sun Vouchers for a discount code to apply to your basket.
