Hide tasks (7)

How-to Guides » OLD GUIDE Cut your food bills

As food prices continue to rise, here's some handy ways to keep your food bills under control.

Tasks

Ditch the supermarket!

How-to Guide Tips 8 tips on this task | Tweet

1) Grow your own

Growing your own fruit and veg, as well as herbs, could knock a large chunk off your grocery bill!

Check out these cheap gardening tips for beginners. And if you don’t have a garden, don't panic! Call your local council to see if they have an allotment free. Alternatively, help to grow a local community garden. Check out the Federation of City Farms & Community Gardens for more information.

2) Go local

Local farmers' markets can be a great place to buy fruit and veg for less. By cutting out the middle man, they can offer good quality food at supermarket-beating prices. Find a local farmers’ market online.

Alternatively, check out your local greengrocers and butchers to see how prices compare.

Local greengrocers and markets can work out far cheaper for fruit and veg than supermarkets.

Next task: Shop sensibly

Register now to adopt this goal and offer tips!

Enjoyed this? Show it some love

Retweet

Comments (8)

Facebook

Twitter

General

Tips on this task (8)

2

Mommavic said

Don't forget your local Butcher's. Most people don't realise just how many are out there, and will walk past them never going in. Most butchers will be more keen to negotiate with the prices, and will also give you better advice on meats, cooking and storage etc.

Report on 08 January 2010 | Love 0 love
2

gransu said

can grow salad in plant pot on windowsill also sprout beans and grow herba, kitchen smells nice and fresh too.

Report on 09 March 2010 | Love 0 love
0

wendyt1 said

Don't throw away fruit which is starting to go past it's best, small animals such as guinea pigs love apples and pears and if you have children very ripe bananas and soft fruit make fantastic shakes, just add a big spoon of ice cream and top up with milk and put it through the blender!

Report on 12 March 2010 | Love 0 love
1

dreadlocklover said

Overuse of uppercase will be tamed (you can edit your comment to prevent this):

use shops like lidls, netto and aldi for bulk buys and pet food and litter and there are wonderful web places for things like kitchen cleaning equipment and cheap tins of food - try www.approvedfood and wilkinsons.
bananas will freeze. if they are going brown or not as you like them put them into the freezer - they are fine in banana bread and cakes when defrosted (bit sloppy but no matter you can still use them)!!
make your own stock from chicken carcasses and tops and tails from old vegetables - put in small plastic containers and keep in freezer.
use old egg cartons to grow seeds
keep a plastic bird box in the kitchen for old bits of food -birds love a variety especially dried fruit and crushed nuts.
also hedgehogs like crushed nuts and kitten biscuits (never fish, always meat tho)
and water. never give hedgehogs milk or bread it can kill them!!!!
if you have a garden make your own compost.
tesco give you 1 point for every two aluminium cans you take back (prefer empty and crushed!!).

And now here are some pictures to help lighten the mood

Report on 23 April 2010 | Love 0 love
1

alisonkf said

Thus is an old one. if you live near a good street market go just as the stalls are packing up for amazing bargains in fruitand vegetables - some to eat and some to freeze e.g.I bought three large bundles of English asparagus for £2.00 yesterday and a huge bowlful of plum tomatoes. If you don't mind scavenging, you can pick up perfect onions and harder fruits from the street before the sweepers come round.

Report on 13 June 2010 | Love 0 love
1

creditmunch said

im going to grow my own herbs

Report on 14 September 2010 | Love 0 love
0

joefus82 said

you can find some really nice veggies in the skips behind resturants, and in field at night, but the farmer might shoot at you, better wear a bulletproof vest

Report on 22 October 2010 | Love 0 love
0

anji22 said

Overuse of uppercase will be tamed (you can edit your comment to prevent this):

i buy multi packs of mixed peppers and red onions when they are on special offer, use what i need in salads etc then slice and freeze the remainder so when you need to make a chilli or similar meal they are already sliced for you and you can cook them from frozen. this is a really cost effective way of having ready prepared veg. i also do the same with mushrooms.
And now here are some pictures to help lighten the mood

Report on 23 October 2010 | Love 0 love

Post a tip

Most popular tipsters

W3C Thank you for using Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels