Grocery costs are on the rise. With inflation on the rise, the cost of the average food shop in the UK is around £40 per person in just one week. Supply chain disruptions have further exacerbated this, causing some food like cooking oil, to skyrocket in price. Being able to balance eating well, with controlling food expenses is essential, especially if you want to maintain good nutrition and quality for a healthy lifestyle.
Practical Tips for Saving Money on Groceries
Luckily, there are some practical tips out there that can help you save money on your food shop. For one, it’s always better to create a weekly meal plan. Making this and a matching shopping list, will help you stick to the items you need. It also gives you time earlier in the week to check where the items can be found cheapest.
Additionally, you can buy in bulk for some items if you’re organised. Choose and prep dishes that have similar ingredients for the week. This way you can save by buying larger amounts of each item. If you’ve already got food items in the pantry, make dinner plans around these items too. You’ll avoid food waste from previous shops. Of course, you can always do this with non-perishables. Rice and pasta are always cheaper per kilo when bought in bulk.
Finally, alongside avoiding impulse purchases (remember that shopping list), you should avoid processed or prepared foods. These are always more expensive than making food from scratch. And, too much processed food is more unhealthy for you. Instead, you can focus on a vegetable-centric set of meals. And, cut out the more expensive costs of regularly purchasing meat.
Meal Prep as a Cost-Saving Strategy
Prepping meals means you’ll avoid unnecessary purchases and waste. Better still, it can help you shop faster too, as you know all the items you want to buy. If you’re really good with your meal prep, you’ll find that you will have some wiggle room, and you may be able to buy the pricier item or grab an impulse buy. Alternatively, the money you save can be put in a kitty for some other expense you’re working toward.
Restaurant Food and Pre-Cooked Options for Meal Prep
A current trend for saving money on food is actually using restaurant food. Now, as we all know, restaurants tend to be more expensive, but there are ways around it. The trick is to shop at restaurants that offer large portion sizes and platters. These large platters can be portioned down to make multiple smaller meals. Better still, this helps portion control and minimises overeating.
There are additional tips too, because not all pre-cooked or restaurant items make the best home meal prep. Rice, chicken and veggies can be easily stored and reheated over the next few days. Better still, more basic ingredients can be utilized in other ways making it a multi-purpose dish. Products such as creamy or fried foods do not reheat well and should be avoided.
Discount Codes and Online Supermarkets
Supermarkets are becoming increasingly good at offering saving options for shoppers. Many supermarkets offer loyalty or club cards which, if scanned every time you shop, can earn you points. These points are translated into vouchers and money off if you’re smart about it. Additionally, supermarkets all have online platforms. If you’re trying to save, you can set up an automatic shopping list. It also gives you the freedom to take the time to compare products (go for basic rather than branded ingredients to save), and shopping online means you’re less likely to be tempted by impulse purchases too.
As well as supermarkets offering discounts, you can often find them online via sites like Discoup UK that list all discount codes for each shop, and check they all work. Using these codes before heading to the checkout online can really help reduce the cost of pantry staples or bulk-buy items. Let’s also not forget the online grocery shopping also lends itself to first-time customer discounts and even free delivery.
Meal prep, smart shopping and discounts can all combine to save on your groceries. Check out budget-friendly food shopping strategies to save money where it matters.
