Save money on your food shopping

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There are a vast array of ways that you can save money on food shopping, I’m sharing my absolutely top tips for you today in the hope that you can reduce your grocery bill.

Keep a well stocked store cupboard

This has to be one of my favourite ways to save money on grocery shopping.  I have a number of staple items that I try to always keep in stock.

I keep well stocked on ingredients for cake making, bread baking and cooking fast meals and fakeaways.

Pasta is a staple in our house, and pasta flour, so I can make a quick pasta meal from scratch if I want to. I’ve got a *pasta maker which allows me to make fresh pasta almost as fast as it takes to cook dry pasta, and you really can’t beat the freshness.

I keep herbs, tins and even a few jars on hand. I’m also a big lover of growing my own fresh herbs and then freeze fresh herbs. I’m a fan of making my own sauces and mixes from scratch, whenever possible.

This is partly because of the cost savings but partly because of the health benefits. I do keep pasta bake sauce on hand though for a lazy meal that keeps us away from the takeaway apps a little!

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Pay attention to the contents of your fridge

Be aware of use by dates. Best before dates are just that, quality control dates. Use by dates are there for your safety.

By checking your fridge regularly you can avoid waste and also work any food that needs to be used into a meal plan.

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*Fridge Storage

I make sure that I store items correctly, and store similar items together. These fridge storage containers are absolutely fantastic, and a great way to organise my fridge. I have baskets for dairy, treats, drinks and more.

Control your portion sizes

Looking at your portion sizes can be a fantastic way to cut back on waste and save money on your food shopping. Start by weighing out ingredients when cooking, rather than eyeballing recipes.

Take a look at serving suggestions on packaging too.

I try to weigh ingredients and look at serving suggestions on packaging. I also use a *spaghetti measurer to keep spaghetti portions under control. This helps me avoid cooking excessive amounts of food if we’re not going to have time to eat leftovers.

Meal planning with mince is a great way to save money on groceries. Meal planning always helps me with my money saving challenges as groceries are one area you can cut back and save quite a few pounds every week! I then freeze these using freezer bags or *storage containers to allow for easy defrosting of just the right amount.

Consider changing your supermarket

Last year I kept a track of my food spending for an entire year. I then used this to work out my average weekly food budget and worked on reducing that by 20%. I switched from Tesco to Aldi, although I do shop between the two quite often, as I love the convenience of Tesco deliveries and click & collect.

Utilise those kitchen gadgets

I LOVE kitchen gadgets and these are my favourites:

By using the above gadgets I have been able to cook more foods from scratching and save LOTS of money in the process. Some of my favourite recipes are:

Airfryer: Air fryer chips, air fryer roast potatoes, air fryer wedges, air fryer chicken wings

Multi-cooker: Slow cooker recipes plus slow cooker roast beef and slow cooker tikka masala

Breadmaker: Soft white rolls, chocolate chip brioche rolls, garlic bread and pizza dough!

I have been able to take my savings even further by visiting Aldi once or twice per month. I don’t buy all of my food there but I have tried a vast amount of their different items.

Lots of their ‘branded’ products look and taste the same, of similar, but are significantly cheaper. Some items can save me 50% and last just as long. I find their own brand products good quality – but I always take a shopping list with me as that middle aisle is distracting!

Save money on your food shopping by using shopping apps

There are lots of great shopping apps now that can help you earn a little extra cashback on your shopping. For example, if you sign up to Shopmium you can receive free and discounted items. You purchase the items and then you submit a photograph of your receipt.

Within a day or so you receive reimbursement to your Paypal account. Download Shopmium from the app store and use code *KMHMUEAV to get yourself a nice free treat, or even ice cream, depending on what offer they have running.

Shop local

Buy your fresh fruit at local markets if you can. I’ve found this a GREAT way to save money, although you’re sacrificing a little of your time of course. We have a local fruit & vegetable seller and some of the deals are unbelievable. Fresh produce like strawberries for just £1.

The quality is a little less than the supermarkets, I assume because they buy up what the supermarkets won’t, but if I’m organised I can wash, prep and freeze what needs it as soon as we arrive home and then we’ve saved £5-10 off the weeks shopping budget.

As we have a local flower seller too I’m able to get some lovely blooms for just a couple of £s each week which cheers up my home!

I hope that you have found these tips on the best way to save money on your food shopping useful. I’ve been able to cut our grocery spend considerably and we have lost weight and eaten better in the process.

I enjoy filling our home with healthy and nutritious food, plus a few treats along the way.

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