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Top Tips to Help You to Save Money on Your Weekly Food Shop
Saving money can be difficult, particularly when you have a household of people to take care of. It’s not just about daily living, but weekly and monthly living. On a monthly basis, you have to consider things like mortgage or rent payments, utility bills, council tax and more. On a more regular weekly basis, you have to think about the food shop – and this is where a lot of people struggle to save money. The thing is, if you shop carefully, you could find yourself actually saving a LOT of money on your weekly food shop, it’s just knowing how. If this is something you struggle with, then these top tips could help you to save money on your food expenses.
Do Your Research
If you wanted to sell your house quickly and save money, what would you do? You’d look online, do some extensive research, and find companies such as Ready Steady Sell who could help you to achieve that goal. Although that’s a fairly extensive example, the point still stands – do your research, and you will make your own life a lot easier.
It could be that you’ve been going to the same supermarket for years – but have you considered you could actually be paying a lot less elsewhere? Price comparison websites are a great way of looking to see where you could save money, so make the most of them. They’re free, easy to use, and could help you save a lot of cash.
Likewise, have you ever searched for supermarket coupons? Whether you look in magazines, the local newspaper, or even on the internet you’re likely to find a variety of coupons that can be used at various shops. The more you look, the more you could save – so do your research! You won’t regret it.
Plan Your Meals
Simply planning your meals ahead of time can save you a lot of money when it comes down to the crunch. A lot of people associate meal planning with strict diets and rigidity, but it really doesn’t have to be like that.
Say you do your food shop on a Monday. Try this: sit down with the family on Sunday night and plan your meals for the week. Think about the amount of time you waste on a weekday trying to think about what to make for tea, and how to keep everyone happy – especially if you have kids. Planning the meals as a family ahead of time will ensure that everybody gets a say in what you’ll get to eat through the week. It also means you can plan your shop in accordance to what meals you all decide on.
Make a Shopping List – and Stick to it!
If you don’t have a shopping list, you’re a lot more likely to buy into the two for one deals strategically plastered all over the supermarket aisles. Unless it’s something you use regularly and can preserve, chances are it’s going to be a waste of a purchase. You’re also more likely to pick things up willy nilly and end up wasting them in the long run. It’s surprisingly true.
Once you’ve completed your family meal planning for the week, make a list of all of the things you need in order to make those meals, and follow it accordingly. Not only will making a list ensure you have a quick and stress-free shopping trip, but it will also definitely contribute to money-saving too.
However, it can be easy to be swayed by the deals supermarkets have on – but remember they put them there for a reason. A lot of the time it’s just commercialised deals aimed at consumers in order to draw them in – and you don’t even end up saving that much money. Be mindful of that, and you’ll think twice!
Don’t Waste Leftover Food
Did you know that the average family wastes around £60.00 worth of food each month? When you think about food wastage in terms of money, it’s crazy how much goes in the bin.
If fresh items and produce have a use-by date and you’re unsure whether or not you’ll use them in time, you can always freeze them. Likewise, if you have leftover meals – freeze them and use them the following week! This way you’re not only preventing food waste, but you’re also sorted for an extra meal next week too. Sometimes, simply being mindful about these things is enough to help you get more for your money.
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