20 easy ways to cut your food bill by a third

With food costs rising and many of us feeling the pinch, a good place to look to save money is the weekly food bill.

Although many families are cutting back on things, nutritious, healthy food needn’t be a sacrifice you have to make.

Here are my top tips for grocery shopping on a budget and cutting the costs on this big expense from your monthly budget.

Use apps to tackle food waste

Around 7 million tonnes of food and drinks are wasted each year. That’s good quality food unnecessarily wasted – not great for our wallets or the planet.

There are some fantastic apps these days that can help you find some delicious food at for free or much reduced.

Olio connects you with millions of people who are giving away food and household items – help your neighbours and stop food waste.

Too Good To Go tells you when restaurants and shops are ditching food for a fraction of the cost, just because it has not been sold on time. Grab a bag of goodies from Costa for just £3 or a selection pack from a convenience shop for £4.
Lidl also has a fantastic box of food for just £1.50. Pick this up each week and save a fortune on your grocery bill without sacrificing fresh food.

Bulk out meals

Use cheaper ingredients such as pulses, chorizo, and chickpeas to add nutrition to your meals and make them go further without spending a load of money.

This will stretch them to more people or further nights at minimal cost.

Do one big shop a month

Rather than nipping to the shops every time you need something, try to do one big shop a month and then a weekly top up for fresh veg and milk/bread.

This takes away the temptation of over-spending.

Adopt a zero-waste kitchen

Almost 40% of household waste is fruit and veg – and that’s money you’re chucking straight in the bin.

Give fruit and vegetables a sniff and a squeeze rather than just throwing them out the moment their best before date hits.

Plan your meals and batch cook

Meal planning is key to avoid waste and overspending on bits you won’t actually use. I’ve put together a bunch of weekly meal plans in this playlist.

Try batch cooking your meals, too, to use all ingredients in one sitting. Freeze portions to have the week ahead or when fresh food runs out.

A whole chicken can serve up multiple meals: roast chicken with lots of veg, Thai massaman curry with potatoes, chicken pesto pasta or gnocchi, chicken and pea risotto, chicken and noodle soup with bread on the side, and then make a broth from the carcass for stock for your gravy next week.

Look at how you store foods

Another important step in reducing food waste: have a check of how you’re storing your ingredients.

Ensuring items are stored properly will stop them going off before their time.

Potatoes and onions do well in dark storage, and salads are better wrapped in paper, not plastic. Storing herbs with their stalks in water will prolong their life – or freeze them if you aren’t going to need them before they wilt.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

There are many Facebook groups for food donations, so don’t be afraid to ask for help if you’re struggling to put food on the table. Many people won’t want food to go to waste so you’re helping them as well as yourselves.

Use frozen

Use frozen fish, meat and vegetables to reduce the cost of meals. You’ll be amazed at how much you can save just by making this swap.

Look out for wonky veg

Supermarkets sell off wonky veg, which is just as tasty but for a lower cost, as it doesn’t look as attractive.

Look out for deals on seasonal vegetables

Keep an eye on ‘Super 6’ deals in places such as Aldi, where they will reduce the costs of seasonal veg saving lots of money on healthy foods.

Cook from scratch

Don’t buy pre-made/packaged foods. Cooking from scratch costs a lot less and you will be able to stretch the ingredients to more meals that pre-made foods.

Check community food banks

Community food banks sometimes offer more than you’d find at a local food bank, where you may be restricted according to income/wrong dates in the month.

Claim school meals

Not only does this help you if you’re struggling, but each free school meal given earns the school a ‘Pupil Premium, and the money is often used for resources to benefit the school and pupils – so it can benefit the school as well as your child.

Keep a stocked cupboard of dry goods

Load up a cupboard with dry and canned goods that can be used on those days when it feels like there’s nothing to eat.

Many meals can be made out of store cupboard ingredients, stopping the urge to go to the supermarket and overspend.

Schedule your big shop for the evening

Shop in the evenings and stock up on yellow sticker items which you can freeze to eat at a later time.

Lots of foods can be frozen – even milk and bread, so grab these when they’re discounted or if they aren’t going to be used up before they go bad.

Buy supermarkets’ own brands

Stop going for the familiar label and make a rule to stick to supermarkets’ own brands, especially the ‘basics’ ranges.

Consider a different cut

Cheaper cuts of meat such as chicken thighs, rather than breasts, can cut prices in half.

Head to the world foods aisle

Buy from the world foods section when it comes to herbs, spices, noodles etc. Often items such as coconut milk, fermented foods and sauces will be much cheaper from here than the other aisles.

Watch out for the ‘gluten-free’ price hike

Be wary that some “gluten free” options will be hiked in price when actually the original products don’t contain gluten anyway.

Read the ingredients list carefully before buying.

Understand supermarket tricks

Get to know the secret psychology techniques shops use to get you to spend more money – so you can ignore them.

Lovely bright colours of the fruit and veg greeting you and raising your endorphins, no clocks or windows there reminding you how long you’ve been shopping, or that gorgeous smell of baked goods wafting through the store – all tricks to help us spend more each time we shop.

Don’t forget to head over to my blog, my YouTube channel and Instagram for daily money saving advice, tips and hacks for living your best life on a budget.

For more money-saving advice as well as chat about cash and alerts on deals and discounts, join Metro.co.uk’s Facebook group, Money Pot.

Source: Read Full Article