Fed up with paying through the nose just to keep your family fed? Then follow these seven easy tips....
A trip to the supermarket can often leave you feeling like you've just been robbed. So if you're sick of paying a fortune for your food, here are eight tips to help you slash your food bills.
Plan ahead
It's always a good idea to draw up a list of meals you're going to cook for the next week. Plan your shopping list around that and stick to it! Don't be tempted to impulse buy and end up with a cupboard full of stuff you don't actually need.
Shop online
Shopping online not only means you can avoid crowded supermarket aisles and trolley injuries, it can also work out to be cheaper.
By using a clever website called mySupermarket.co.uk you can track how much your shopping would cost at each of the UK's four major supermarkets (Sainsbury's, Tesco, ASDA and Ocado/Waitrose). You can then select the basket of goods from the one you choose. It will also tell you when you can 'swap and save' by substituting one bag of grapes for another bag of grapes (perhaps because it's on special offer, for example). And if you're on a diet, you can also find out which products allow you to swap and save calories!
Although you will have to pay a delivery charge for online shopping - and this is usually more expensive at the weekend - you will often find fabulous voucher codes online which can chop several pounds off your weekly shop. For example, if you have a look on websites such as HotUKDeals, vouchercodes.co.uk and myvouchercodes.co.uk, you're bound to come across vouchers for free delivery or discounts on your groceries!
Monitor your spending
Sign up for lovemoney.com’s Tracker tool and you’ll be able to see how much you spend at the supermarket week-after-week. You’ll also be able to set budget targets for all your spending and see if you’re hitting them.
Look out for reduced items
Usually if you do your supermarket shop towards the end of the day, the discounts will be greater. Most supermarkets have a 'reduced to clear' shelf so this is always worth a browse. Just be careful as these items will probably have a short 'use by' date on them, so either eat them quickly, or freeze them if you can.
Go local
Local greengrocers and markets can work out far cheaper for fruit and veg than supermarkets. Similarly, you'll also save the pennies by eating the seasons. And of course, you could always try a spot of pick your own, or even grow your own fruit and veg in your back garden.
Deep discounters
Deep discounters such as Aldi, Lidl and Netto have rapidly grown in popularity over the past couple of years. Because they keep their shop overheads low, they can offer lower food prices than the major supermarkets. So they are definitely worth a look if you haven't already become a fan.
So there you have it, seven easy ways to slash your food bills. And don’t forget to check out our Frugal Food blog for more inspiration.
This is an updated version of a classic lovemoney.com article that was first published in 2010.