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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.

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Plan ahead

How-to Guide Tips 29 tips on this task | Tweet

1) Plan a weekly menu

Sit down and work out exactly what you're going to cook for the next week so that you know what ingredients you will need.

2) Write a shopping list

Write up a shopping list based around your weekly menu and when you get to the supermarket, stick to it - don't be tempted to impulse buy and end up with a cupboard full of food you don't need.

3) Shop when you're full!

Never shop on an empty stomach - you'll be far more tempted to buy things you don't need if you do.

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Tips on this task (29)

14

dcmorris said

Buy your food shopping online - you can then review your "basket" and take stuff out of it before committing to buy. No impulse buys because you're hungry or fancy indulging yourself!

Report on 13 October 2009 | Love 0 love
3

philip birch kom said

when doing the shopping look for things that you can make more than one meal with like mince ore chicken

Report on 23 October 2009 | Love 0 love
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lewho said

Be strong! Go with your list and never deviate from it - except possibly to delete items if not neded on this shopping trip

Report on 12 November 2009 | Love 0 love
2

jangie said

Shop late, as items are reduced but still edible

Report on 05 December 2009 | Love 0 love
2

Mommavic said

Have a 'cooking' day once a week, and make large pans of vegetable soup, casserole using cheap cuts of chicken and pork etc and tub up ready for lunch and dinners throughout the week. Ive fed 2 adults and a child like this for a whole week spending less than £15.

Report on 08 January 2010 | Love 0 love
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lulabelle said

Check out when your local supermarket discounts most of its stuff - mine has a major clear out on SUnday and if you shop then, you can often buy meat which is really reduced. Perfect if you take it home and cook it up straight away - you can also freeze your ready made meals if you have too much!

Report on 10 January 2010 | Love 0 love
78

bellini said

A very organised friend of mine uses the recipe suggestions on Occado (http://www.ocado.com/webshop/getIdeas.do?tags=|17119) and buys the relevant ingredients so that their meals are planned for the week.

Report on 11 January 2010 | Love 0 love
1

WINEMAN said

For Firefox browser users
Get the Shopping list generator Add-on it's excellent
Personalize your list with your usual items, add prices if you wish and even receipes (it will generate the ingredients you'll need) Takes a while to add all your items to the database but well worth the effort. Add the quantity for each item on a day to day basis or when you're running low and print out your list prior to shopping. Try not to impulse buy!
good luck

Report on 25 January 2010 | Love 0 love
2

robert110464 said

try not to take the kids with you :-))

Report on 03 February 2010 | Love 0 love
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Tabathatass6108 said

Make a list of what you need and just buy the necessary and avoid using the Credit or Debit Card, buy on cash instead and look for the offers like buy one and get one free etc...

Report on 23 February 2010 | Love 0 love
0

chingoos said

Asda and Lidl have offers start every Tuesday so go early on that day. These items are not shown on the comparison sites.
Some of the offers are 'till stocks last' and that items do not stay on shelf more tahn few hours.
But otherwise I check comparison site for some specific items like detergents, toilet rolls which by buying bulk saves upto 30-40%. That becomes like earning interest.

Report on 24 February 2010 | Love 0 love
1

angelina said

try asking your butcher for beef bones,stew them down,soup for lunch or supper,some in the freezer and of course don`t forget your dog likes them.my butcher gave me a big bag of bones for free,it only cost me `£2 tomake 5 days worth of soup that included things like pulses,vegetables and pasta.it keeps 3 months in the freezer

Report on 02 March 2010 | Love 0 love
1

KatieArmstrong said

I make a list of what I have in the freezer, mark off things I use or add items on the list which I have bought. That way I don't end up with so many of the same things, I use up the older stuff and don't keep going to the supermarket as often. I've slashed my food bill drastically just by taking some time up making a list! Mince, chicken, can be used for so many meals, I'm still stuck as to what I will do with a brace of pheasants I have from Christmas though!!

Report on 02 March 2010 | Love 0 love
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AISHY said

Stock up on BOGOF'S save money in the long run. Freeze all leftover meals rather than throwing out,comes in handy when you can't be bothered to cook. Likes of farmfoods great for cheap top branded frozen foods and household products (ie) toilet rolls and kitchen towels. Look closely at offer labels for when the offer is finishing so you have x number of weeks to stock up on that offer.
good luck!!!!!

Report on 07 March 2010 | Love 0 love
0

Vixen said

Wineman, can you please post the url for the firefox add-on as I can't find it!
Thank you.

Report on 15 April 2010 | Love 0 love
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KiyoTatsu said

Do your shopping online. But take a little time away from the computer before you actually order. Then come back a little later and look at the list again. Then remove any items you may have added that you don't really need before finally submitting the order.
And don't forget to do a search for supermarket own brands and see if you can save some money there to :)
?Use a card rather than cash when paying for food. It's so easy to forget what you are actually spending and too easy to spend the rest of the cash. If you pay by card you can look back on your statements and see exactly how much you are spending and whether it is going down or up. It also helps you see if you are impulsively buying things that you don't really need and plan for where you can save or cut back in the future.

Report on 19 April 2010 | Love 0 love
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dannyw1uk said

We found that shopping for fruit and veg at a grocers rather than a supermarket really saved a few quid, as did going to the butchers for the meat.
We buy in bulk at the butchers and on a week by week basis at the grocers & only buy what we know we'll cook. Good tip on the cooking day too thanks, making loads of soups, stews, lasagne & bolognase etc & banging them in the freezer can set you up with meals for a week or 2.

Report on 28 April 2010 | Love 0 love
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samcleeve said

Vixen - the shopping list add-on is at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/search?q=shopping+list+generator&cat=all

Report on 23 May 2010 | Love 0 love
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sadsacksally said

Have you tried Fixture Ferret - it costs £5.20 for the year, but gives you all the supermarket deals and offers. If you choose not to subscribe then you can see all the savings of upto £1.00 on items. YOu can also search by supermarket too. Give it a try.

Report on 25 May 2010 | Love 0 love
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ped2ro said

when you go shopping leave the wife at home,especially when she goes for all the sweets

Report on 03 June 2010 | Love 0 love
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Amandamthomas said

My best tip was something we have tried for the last few weeks and has been great fun! We plan our meals, write our list and set a budget for each item... for example £3.00 for cheese. When I hit the supermarket my challenge is to meet, or better still, beat the budget! I have great fun, it makes shopping more interesting, and I get a sense of achievement at the end.

Report on 23 June 2010 | Love 0 love
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elesha said

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

only shop for the main things at the supermarkets, you should try shopping for tins at a cheaper shop like netto, lidl, or even better have a wander around for supermarkets own brands, and also buy all of your toiletries and detergents at shops like the 99p store really do help, always buy fruit and veg from the market, it is quite good stuff and value for money.
And now here are some pictures to help lighten the mood

Report on 23 June 2010 | Love 0 love
2

claralou2602 said

I have a set budget, for myself and my daughter, of £40 for a main shop, and £20 for top up shopping. I plan my meals each week and I buy the main shop online, then use the top up money for fresh fuit and veg, and whatever meat I am using that week. I bulk cook recipes, make most everything from scratch and freeze loads. When I buy cheese, I grate it, then freeze it. I make and freeze bread and tray-bake cakes, so we just use what we need for the day. You can freeze so much stuff and save wasting it. My daughter likes toad-in-the-hole, but I don't, so I just make up some batter, pour it over some sausages and freeze them uncooked - then they are ready to use when I need them. It is a bit time consuming, and sometimes she moans because whatever I have planned for that day, she might not fancy, but you can tweak it and do a weekly meal plan, so you do not have to stick to certain meals on specific days - I just find that easier. Hopefully, she will learn from me so that she can do this for herself - even my mum and friends are following suit now, lol!

Report on 30 July 2010 | Love 0 love
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Report on 20 August 2010 | Love 0 love
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heidi69 said

CLARALOU2602, sorry chick i love ur idea 4 toad in the hole, but wondered how long u cook it for from frozen or defrosted? thnx so much x

Report on 22 August 2010 | Love 0 love
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purplemum70 said

i have lots of cook books so i look at the recipies. i also try to shop in season therefor eliminating any more expensive items, i find spending a few more minutes cooking from fresh is worth it as lots of prepacked foods make me feel bloated and my body sluggish.
i was surprised at just how interested my boys are to help me cook,it gives them valuable lessons for later life.

Report on 11 September 2010 | Love 0 love
3

michaelpatricksimons said

In the 'depression' of the 1980's, and we know who was in power when interest rates rose to 15%, a lady advisor was interviewed on the radio and she said " look for deals in the areas where people are least well off. Never do all of your shopping in one shop".
I did. I started looking in Asian owned shops and was pleasantly surprised at the savings that could be made on milk, sugar, bisuits, cakes and household goods. Their veg. and fruit was fresh and up to the standards of good supermarkets. In the areas of Small Health, Sheldon, Acocks Green supermarkets, the price of milk is as high as £1.54. On the Coventry Road in Small Health Birmingham, the top price in Asian Supermarkets is £1.09 and B & M it is 99p Recently one Asian store sold sugar, 2 bags for £1 and most Asian stores charge less than 75p
B & M have opened a store just of Haybarnes Island Small Heath and many brand names items are up to 60% cheaper than most super markets. Dog and cat food is about 60% cheaper.
99p shop Ltd have taken over the old Woolworths store in Sheldon Birmingham. There is an early morning race by mainly penshioners to this stop to buy up packs of sliced chicken, ham, bacon, gammon at 99p a pack. The quality is very good. A while ago I had a flu type virus and wanted some Beechams powder and Strepsils. Our local chemist Lloyds priced these goods at £5+.  99p store charged £1.98. A very large tin of fruit cocktale is 99p compared with £2.56 in a local supermarket and there are numerous other discounted items of branded named goods.
I visit Birmingham Bull Ring regularlly for veg. and fruit. Nearly all stall holders sell good quality products at considerably reduced prices. About 2 years ago, some stallholders started to use plastic containers of fruit and veg selling for £1 and some 2 bowls for £1.50.I recently purchased 10lbs of new potatoes for £1. My local shop charge 39p a lb. There are good savings on all items. Last week I filled a shopping trolley and carried 3 plastic bags for £11.
Credit Cards
Years ago 2 companies started the Goldfish Credit Card and initially paid £1% on all purchases. I reclaimed vouchers to spend in recognised stores. One company sold out and then the rot started by reducing the number of points credited per pound spent. A while ago it was sold to Barclays and they hae slashed the discount so you have to spend about £5 for a return of 1p. I had notice this week that the savings are to be slashed again.
I changed to Asda Credit Card and in November each year my purchases earm me an Asda voucher for £30.  I get a discount of £1% on all purchases from its store including petrol. Asdas price for petrol is the lowest in my area by up to 6p a ltr.

Report on 21 September 2010 | Love  0 love
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lillytilly said

alway have a bag of jellies sweets you like in your hand bag if you have a sweet tooth when shopping around so you don't get tempted to buy cakes.

Report on 28 September 2010 | Love 0 love
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brian77 said

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

don't fall for all bogof deals ,half the time they will be out of date before you get the chance to use them.
And now here are some pictures to help lighten the mood

Report on 28 September 2010 | Love 0 love

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