As we all know, food is now very expensive and generally speaking food costs are on the rise. This is why we have put this blog together for you so you can save money on your food shop. Adopting these best practices as outlined below can also help you to get into good habits regarding food buying, which we hope will hold you in good stead for the future.
Even with the children’s summer holidays upon us, it’s never too early to start thinking about saving money and still giving your kids a healthy school lunch.
We do not think that you should compromise on food quality and by following some of these tips and tricks we are sure that you will be able to continue to enjoy the food that you love at a reduced cost! So, let us dive into the LoanPig guide to saving money on your shop.
Aldi And Lidl Are Excellent Low Cost Options
Aldi and Lidl have been unfairly stigmatised in the past and are now starting to dominate the supermarket industry (offering up a very true sense of competition to the main players). They are able to offer customers the same quality of food and household options at a fraction of the price that is offered by the big 3 supermarkets.
They also have a diverse range of different items and the own brand products that are offered (these being direct copies of the branded item) are nine times out of ten just as good (if not better) than the more expensive counterpart. Furthermore, the special buys at Aldi and the weekly/special offers at Lidl can offer tremendous value for money – with unique options (such as hot tubs!) being sold at very low prices.
Frozen Food Is Your Friend
Frozen food has for a long time been considered sub-par or worse in quality than fresh food. This is not the case however, and often frozen meats and vegetables are higher in quality and actually contain more nutrients – this is because the meats and vegetables are frozen as soon as possible which locks in these nutrients. You can now get a wide range of different meat, fish and vegetables frozen, and these will almost always be cheaper.
Shopping Online – Use Vouchers
Almost all of the supermarkets who offer their services online will, at one point or another, also be offering a “money off first shop” voucher for new customers.
These vouchers will offer you a set amount off of a set amount spend. £18 off of £60 for example. You can only use these once per supermarket, so we would recommend that you use these vouchers for all of the supermarkets to save yourself the maximum amount!
Extra Tips: Not limited to online use you can still use vouchers and coupons in store to save money, to get free items on top of purchases and more besides. If you frequent Tesco or Sainsburys more often than any other supermarkets then we would recommend that you get yourself a Clubcard or a Nectar card as you are rewarded in many different ways for your continued use of the store in question.
Make Use Of A Shopping List (And Never Shop Hungry!)
If you make a complete shopping list before you do your weekly/monthly shop, then you are much more likely to stick to this shopping list whilst avoiding over-spending on your shopping or buying things that you do not really need. Additionally, we would suggest that you never shop hungry as we have all most likely done this before, with the result being a basket full of the frivolous purchases.
Plan Your Meals, Eat Healthy And Buy In Bulk
This is a tip that consists of three points but pertains generally to food preparation and consumption. We will break it down as listed.
- Planning your meals in advance will mean that you know exactly what you need to buy (which will help with your budgeting) and will help you to eat healthy, and to buy in bulk, which leads us nicely into points 2 and 3.
- Eating healthy will mean that you stop spending money on crisps, chocolate, sweets, biscuits etc. These are mostly cheap but when you start to buy the above listed things in excess, then it can quickly become an extremely expensive aspect of your diet. Eating healthy will also mean that you can eat more loose vegetables, tinned pulses, or lean meat which are much healthier for you than the fattier, unhealthier alternatives.
- Buying in bulk means that you, instead of buying a single pack of 250g pack of pasta for £1, buy a 1kg pack of pasta for £3. It is a generally excepted rule that the more you buy, or the bigger the pack size for example then the more you save per kg or per item. If you have planned your meals in advance, then you can work out how long something will last you and you can avoid this particular item from spoiling (regarding fresh things).
Look To LoanPig For Financial Assistance
If you ever find yourself in need of financial assistance, then LoanPig are here to offer you that much needed helping hand. We can offer payday loans and loan products to those who require it, and to those who pass our credit and eligibility checks.
The loan that you secure with us can be used on anything that you need, including food shopping – we do not impose any limitations or restrictions on what you can use your loan for, however, we would recommend that you only ever use your loan in an emergency situation.
If you have any questions about this or any of our interesting articles, please contact us