6 tips to cut the cost of your weekly food shop

 

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I’ve always been quite good at living on a budget – when my girls were little, money was very tight and every penny counted. these days, my budget isn’t quite so tight BUT I still like to keep tabs on it. Recently I’ve been having a good look at my grocery budget, it had slowly been creeping up lately, and I wanted to try and cut it back down a little bit. As a family of five, as well as our two cats, it’s easy to end up spending a lot of money on food. The average family of four spend a little over £100 a week on just food apparently, my bill usually comes in around £100 for groceries, pet food, laundry supplies, toiletries, etc.

It’s not just about cutting costs on our weekly shop, I’ve also been conscious about how much food we have been wasting. If you have a large and hungry family like me and want to save money and cut waste, here are my top tips to help.

MEAL PLAN

For me, this is the most important step. I meal plan weekly {you can see some of my meal plans here}. Meal planning is so great in many ways – it takes the stress out of meal times each day, as you already know what you’re going to make as well as helping you save money and waste less. I usually take a look through my pantry/fridge before I meal plan, having a look at anything that might want using up, or what I have a lot of before I start. Then I plan out a week’s worth of meals. I only tend to plan dinner – breakfast is usually cereal, fruit and toast, lunch is either leftovers from the night before, or wraps.

MAKE A LIST

Once my meal plan is made, I can write a list of what we need. Again – I’ll check trhough my pantry, the fridge and freezer, and check what we already have in – that way I do’nt end up with 10 cans of chickpeas {not that I’ve every done that…..!}. I add what I need for the meals I’ve planned, check if we need to replenish any cereals, toiletries, etc Add on fruit and veg, as well as bread and wraps. I keep some items in all the time – pasta, rice, lentils, chia seeds, nut butters, pesto, passata, a good selection of herbs, some frozen veg and fruit {great for smoothies}, flour, beans etc

USE LEFTOVERS

Using up dinner leftovers, not only prevents food waste but will also save you money. I tend to put dinner on the table in serving dishes, the kiddos help themselves to how much they want – this means any leftovers are fine to be saved fro another meal! Often dinner leftovers form the basis of our lunch the next day – the half portion of homemade soup that is left becomes a sauce for some pasta, leftover veg can be added to an omelet or added to couscous for a quick meal.

USE MONEY SAVING SITES

If you take five minutes to browse online, you can often find some great coupon codes that will save you pounds off your shopping. I look around various discount sites, and often save quite a lot off my weekly shop! It only takes a few minute to look – and it’s a great way to save a few more pounds each week.

WHAT YOU’RE BUYING

Think about what you’re buying – ready meals and pre-shopped veggies cost more than cooking from scratch. I cook from scratch pretty much every day – my idea of a ‘ready meal’ is pasta, pesto and a tin of sweetcorn – only takes 10 minutes from start to finish! Big bags of pasta and rice cost less than small ones and will last in your pantry. Buy a bag of potatoes, and you can make your own wedges/chips. Chop your own veg – buying carrot batons is far more costly than a bag of carrots!

ORDER ONLINE

I very rarely go to the supermarket, preferring to do my weekly shop online.  I find it far easier to stay within my budget, as well as not be tempted by things that I don’t need, if I order online. With four kids – shopping online is also far less stressful!!

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What are your top tips for cutting your food bill?

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