Ways to reduce your food bill

We are currently existing within a cost of living crisis. Energy price caps have increased, fuel costs are ever rising, the inflation rate has reached a 30 year high and this is having a knock on effect on the cost of basic foodstuffs. There is little that we can do to control some of the price increases, however one area that we can try to control is what goes in our shopping baskets. We have come up with some ways that you can reduce your food bill and help to be a little kinder on your pocket. 

It has been reported that a typical shopping basket increased during 2021 by up to 9.2% however that’s not taking into account the recent price hikes, therefore we are looking at a much bigger percentage in real terms. 

The ideas below aim to help you reduce that food bill and avoid any unwanted shocks at the till. 

Make a list

Take the time to plan out your meals for the week. Do a stock check of your cupboards (there is a brilliant thread from Jack Monroe on Twitter here about checking what you have in) so that you are not doubling up on any items or buying things that you do not need.

List the items that you do need and stick to that list when going round the shop. Supermarkets are fantastic at marketing their products – their premium brands are at eye level, they pump out delicious freshly baked smells – but do not fall for it!

Do not shop when you’re hungry

If you want to reduce your food bill then choose a good time to go food shopping. Avoid just before meal times! One of the worst mistakes that you can do is to go shopping when you are hungry. Your stomach takes over your mind and bad decisions are made (usually down the sweet aisle!) – which ultimately mean that your total food bill goes up!

Love the colour yellow!

Start shopping savvy in order to reduce those food bills. Go towards the end of the week or at the end of the day. These are prime yellow sticker times! “What are the yellow stickers?” I hear you say… Get acquainted with them – those yellow stickers are placed on products that are nearing the end of their sell by date. Nothing is wrong with the food item at all, the supermarket just has to get rid by that date and there are some heavy reductions applied. 

Get Appy

It is a sign of the times, but there are now apps on the market that help to reduce your food bills. 

Trolley.co.uk – Download the app and compare grocery items across over 16 different supermarkets. Apparently you can save up to 30% on your usual shop by using the app to its best ability.

Zipzero – You use this app for all your shopping to earn money towards your monthly bills. It works by using the data that supermarkets store about your habits and giving the user a percentage of the funds generated towards your monthly bills. You upload your receipts in exchange for personalised premium offers tailored towards you. 

Quidquo – Use the app to search brands, shop with them and then earn cashback on your purchases. The average member earns £300 per year from using the app. 

Latestdeals.co.uk – Not an app but a website and Facebook community of over 2 million people. Free to join, deals, vouchers, competitions and freebies are regularly posted. 

Supermarket compare – Another website and present on social media. It posts price history of items, price alerts, comparisons amongst the supermarkets. Just be careful when hitting the Buy Now button because we had instances of invalid API keys and if you don’t mind numerous ads popping up, then this could be a good tool.

Food sharing

Ever wondered what happens to all the food on the supermarket shelves that does not get sold if it’s nearing/past its sell by date? Some supermarkets donate a lot of the food but there are also apps where food is shared to avoid waste.

Too good to go – Their mission is to “rescue” magic bags of unwanted food to stop food waste. The premise is that you do not know what is in the magic bag – it’s all a surprise and so far, 11 million magic bags have been rescued. Download the app to use it, pay for it (rock bottom prices) and collect!

Olio – Another company set up to avoid food waste. Download the app, open it, snap a picture of what you want to give away and get connecting with people in your community! It not only aims to avoid food waste, there are also opportunities to give away non food items too. 

Loyalty schemes

Schemes such as Tesco Clubcard has existed for years, however now others have got involved too.

Tesco – Speaking of Tesco, they have now changed their loyalty scheme from the Clubcard to the app. Download the app to show at the till. You’ll have noticed going around the store, that there are two prices on most items – the normal price and a special price for those who hold a virtual clubcard. Tesco says that a third can be knocked off the cost of a shop with the new loyalty scheme. Make sure that you are checking the loyalty area of their website too – lots of deals are advertised there to pick up in store.

Lidl – Their loyalty scheme is known as Lidl Plus. Food deals, shopping vouchers and rewards are all on the app. Use the card each time you shop to accrue the rewards. 

We hope that the above helps and go towards you reducing your shopping bill. If there is anything that we have missed, please do not hesitate to comment below! 

If you are finding it difficult to manage your debts, please contact us today where a member of our team may be able to provide you with some advice.