How to save money on groceries without eating worse: a practical guide

TUREFF• •0

Food is one of the few big household costs you decide on every week, which makes it one of the easiest to bring down. You do not need to live on rice and beans. Most of the savings come from planning, shopping deliberately and wasting less.

Plan your meals

Planning is the habit that makes everything else work.

Check what you already have in the fridge, freezer and cupboards.
Plan meals for the week around those ingredients, then around what is on offer.
Pick recipes that share ingredients, so a bunch of herbs or a bag of spinach is used up rather than half thrown away.
Plan one "use it up" meal, such as fried rice, soup or an omelette, to clear leftovers.

You do not need a rigid plan for every meal. Even planning dinners for five nights cuts impulse buys and takeaways.

Shop with a list, and stick to it

Write the list from your meal plan, grouped by section of the shop.
Do not shop hungry. It sounds obvious; it works.
Shop less often. Every extra trip is another chance for things that were not on the list.
Online ordering can help if you find yourself picking up extras in the aisles, because you see the running total.

Compare unit prices

The price on the label is not the best guide. Look for the unit price, the price per kilogram, litre or 100 g, usually printed small on the shelf label. It shows that:

the bigger pack is not always cheaper per unit
offers and multi-buys are sometimes worse value than the normal price
the same product can differ in price between brands and pack sizes

Only buy bulk if you will use it before it goes off.

Try store brands

Supermarkets' own-label products are often made to similar standards and cost noticeably less. Try the own-label version of the things you buy most: tinned tomatoes, pasta, rice, flour, cereals, cleaning products. Keep the branded version only where you can genuinely taste the difference.

Buy seasonal, and look beyond the fresh aisle

Fruit and vegetables in season are usually cheaper and taste better.
Frozen vegetables and fruit are picked and frozen quickly, cost less, and do not go off in the fridge drawer.
Tinned beans, lentils and fish are cheap sources of protein.
Look at the reduced section near closing time, but only for things you will eat or freeze that day.

Use your freezer

Your freezer is the best money-saving tool in the kitchen.

Freeze bread, cooked rice, grated cheese, ripe bananas, and meat you will not cook before its date.
Freeze leftovers in single portions with a label and a date.
Keep a short list on the freezer door of what is inside, so nothing is forgotten.

Waste less

Keep older food at the front of the fridge and newer behind it.
Understand the labels: use by is about safety and should be respected; best before is about quality, and food is often fine after it.
Use vegetable scraps and bones for stock.
Cook the right quantity. Measuring rice and pasta for the number of people eating prevents a lot of waste.

Batch cooking

Cook a big pot of something on a quiet day: chilli, curry, stew, pasta sauce, soup. Eat some, freeze the rest in portions. You have ready meals for the busy evenings when you would otherwise order food, at a fraction of the cost.

Loyalty schemes and cashback apps

Supermarket loyalty cards, digital coupons and cashback apps can add up, especially on things you already buy. Two cautions: a deal on something you did not need is not a saving, and these schemes collect data about your shopping, so read what you are agreeing to. Choose one or two that fit where you already shop rather than chasing every offer.

Track it

Keep your receipts for a month, or note the total of each shop. Seeing the number is often the push that makes the other habits stick. What saves you the most at the supermarket? Share your tips, or ask a question, in the comments below.