I'm a money saving pro – 5 ways to cut your food bill in half & the best time of the day to bag yellow sticker bargains
THE dreaded grocery shop can be awful when you've got a strict budget to stick to.
Browsing the aisles trying to add up your trolley total so you don't spend too much is no ones idea of fun.
With the rising cost of living most of us are looking for any ways to save some extra cash, no matter how little.
Luckily, Lara Joanna Jarvis has shared some helpful tricks to keep your shopping bill as low as possible.
Her shopping tricks and tips might seem obvious, but if you don't utilise them you'll never reap the benefits.
Grab yellow sticker bargains
Read more money saving tips
I feed my family for £35 per week using bargains from Aldi – here’s how
How I stuck to a £1.5k wedding budget using bargains from Primark & Morrisons
Lara said: "At the end of the day and sometimes at the end of the week supermarkets will do yellow stickers."
She explained that sometimes people will go in at the same time every evening to grab the best bargains, but she advised against this, since if you're going in everyday you might be tempted to spend more.
The best way to shop yellow stickers is to grab things like meat when you see it and freezing it until you want to use it.
Go back to basics
Most read in Fabulous
Water hack 
Mum shares clever hack to warm up paddling pools quickly this summer
Queen caught in mid-air drama as lightning forces jet to abort landing
I’m renaming my 5-month-old child after her mom died, it’s a split opinion
I feed my family for £35 per week using bargains from Aldi – here's how
"The basics are key," according to savvy saver Lara.
Keep things like potatoes, lentils, chickpeas, and rice in your cupboards.
They're usually pretty cheap and great to bulk out a meal to make it more filling.
For example adding chickpeas to a vegetable curry can make stretch it further and make for a more satisfying meal.
Stick to buying whole chickens
Meat can be one of the more pricey things on your shopping list, instead of ditching it all together be more pragmatic with the meat you buy.
Lara explained: "You're going to get four or five meals out of that one bird, whereas with a chicken breast you might only get one or two."
She suggested buying a whole bird and making a roast dinner the first day, then chicken pasta, chicken salad, chicken soup, or even bone broth.
She said: "You can do so much with a whole chicken!"
Stock up on freezer goods
There are loads of shops that do really cheap freezer food.
Lara recommended doing a big freezer shop on payday so save you having to always nip back into the supermarket to buy fresh produce.
Buy 'ugly' veg
Some supermarkets like Lidl do a 'waste not' box, which contains veg that is still perfectly good to use but might be a bit wonky and would've otherwise not been sold.
The 'ugly' veg is much cheaper than the usual, prettier options but will taste just as delicious.
Know your prices
"This is really key," Lara said.
"If you're buying a deal and it's not actually a deal – you're not saving money.
Doing your research and getting to know the best places to buy certain products is a great way to shop savvy.
Cleaning products might be cheap in one supermarket but cereal could be cheaper in another.
Go vegetarian
Read More on The Sun
Summer holiday plans for Brits uncertain as flights may NOT take off in July
I’m an appliance pro – the setting you should never use on your washing machine
Even if it's just for a couple of days each week, you'll probably notice a difference when you do your weekly shop.
"Meat can be so expensive," Lara says so trying to do meat-free Mondays, or just eating mean with one meal everyday can help.
Source: Read Full Article