The ultimate money-saving shopping guide!

Trying to stick to a tight household budget? This bumper money-saving guide could cut your shopping bills by half!

Before buying an item new, it’s always a good idea to stop and think. Is there any way you could get the same item, or a decent equivalent, for less?

Here, I’ve focused on four common areas of spending around the house. Follow some of these tips, and you could cut your shopping bills by as much as 50%.

Food

Food is one of the biggest regular expenses many households face, and it’s one of the few things you can’t really buy secondhand. However, there are still plenty of ways you can cut your grocery budget:

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MySupermarket: If you shop at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA or Ocado (Waitrose), MySupermarket could help to slash your bills. This specialist price comparison site shows you how much items cost at each of the ‘big four’ supermarkets, so you can find the cheapest basket of goods.

Vouchers: Keep an eye out for supermarket and restaurant vouchers. Community-led forum HotUKDeals is a good place to start; and to stop you having to trawl through dozens of voucher sites, we round up all the best deals in our weekly Frugal food blog.

Other options: Don’t assume the supermarket giants have the cheapest goods. Check out smaller ‘deep discounting’ rivals such as LIDL, ALDI and NETTO, and pay your local fruit and veg market a visit too.

Swap brands: Try getting own-brand groceries instead of the big names; they often contain exactly the same ingredients. Read The easiest way to slash your food bill! to find out more.

Eat the seasons: Fruit and veg that are in season are likely to be both cheaper and fresher. To find out what’s in season when, visit the Eat The Seasons website.

Outdated bargains: Always check your supermarket’s ‘reduced to clear’ shelf for bargains that you can freeze until you need them. And check out ‘short-dated’ retailers such as Approved Food and Food Bargains, who specialise in selling clearance food items at bargain prices.

Grow your own or pick theirs! If you’re green-fingered, have a go at growing your own fruit and veg. Alternatively - if you’re not feeling quite that adventurous - stock up on good value produce at a pick-your-own farm. You can use this website to find your local one.

Clothing

Charity shops are an excellent place to find cheap clothes - but they’re certainly not your only option…

Make and mend your own: Learning how to repair your own clothes could save you a packet in the long run - there are plenty of free online guides to lend beginners a helping hand.

Simple steps like dyeing or embellishing old clothes can give them a new lease of life. Read Seven cheap ways to make your own clothes to find out more.

Swap: Before you dash down to your local high street, see if you can get new clothes for nothing by getting involved in a swap. There are now several websites dedicated to clothes swapping - where you can exchange something you don’t want for something you do.

WhatsMineIsYours and BigWardrobe are both good places to start. Alternatively, invite some friends round to yours and hold a clothes swapping party!

Electrical goods

Essential white goods like washing machines and fridges can cost an arm and leg; and ‘cheap and cheerful’ brands will prove a false economy if they break down after five minutes. We all know about Amazon and eBay - but here are some other ways to spend less on electrical goods:

Reconditioned: There are now several websites that sell reconditioned electrical goods, complete with limited warranties. For example, the Comet Clearance auction website specialises in kitchen appliances, whilst MPB Photographic sells high-end digital camera equipment. Just remember to ‘Google’ such companies first, to pick up any bad reviews.

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Avoid warranty rip-offs: The extended warranties sold with electrical appliances are typically over-priced and full of exclusions. Some only offer protection that you are already entitled to by law! And some expensive appliances are protected under your home insurance policy anyway. So carefully consider whether you really need to buy an extended warranty.

If you do, you’ll probably find that a ‘stand-alone’ deal offers much better value than one sold at the same time as the original item.

To find out more about extended warranties, read Watch out for this Christmas shopping rip-off.

Save energy: You need to consider the price you’re paying to power your goods, as well as the price of the goods themselves. If you do decide to buy new, look for appliances that carry the Energy Saving recommended logo. In the long term, these will help you slash your energy bills.

Furniture

When you’ve moved into a new place, furniture can be a pretty high priority. Here’s how to get your home kitted out for less:

Freebie hunting: Use community freebie sites like Freegle and SnaffleUp to pick up free items of furniture people no longer want. You can even post ‘wanted’ notices asking for specific items. Just make sure you give something back to the community when you can.

Auctions: When looking for bulky furniture, online auctions can be a bit impractical. Find out where regular house clearance auctions are held in your local area, and bag some bargains that way. Alternatively, find a house clearance shop near you and have a browse.

Shop seconds: Furniture retailers - particularly factory outlets - often sell ex-display goods at knockdown prices. If the odd scratch doesn’t bother you, this is a good way to get money off ‘nearly new’ items.

Friends and family: Don’t forget to ask around friends and family before you shell out. You might be surprised by how many people have stored bulky beds, sofas and dining sets that they’re dying to get rid off!

When you do decide to buy new

There are always going to be certain items you’d prefer to buy new. Before you flash the cash, follow the following steps to ensure you get the very best deal:

• Watch our video: Cash in on cashback websites

Compare prices: It’s always a good idea to use a price comparison website. Sites such as Kelkoo, Pricerunner, PriceGrabber and Shopzilla will compare the price of your chosen item at a range of retailers, so you know where to go to get the best possible deal.

Get cashback: Finally, use cashback sites such as Quidco, TopCashback or GreasyPalm to earn a bit back every time you spend.

You can use a cashback site in conjunction with a cashback credit card to earn even more money back. To find out about the best cashback cards around at the moment, read Top credit cards for spending. Happy shopping!

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