How-to Guides » OLD GUIDE Cut your food bills

When it comes to food shopping, we all know that buying in bulk and choosing own-brand goods help save the pennies.

But there are plenty of other ways to squeeze your costs. Here, I'm going to look at food swapping - how slightly altering the goods in your trolley can dramatically slash your food bill.

1. Swap 'snacks' for 'cooking ingredients'

Many of the dried fruits and nuts in the 'healthy snacks' aisle can be found costing a lot less in the 'baking ingredients' section. Don't be taken in by the pretty packaging!

2. Swap bought desserts for homemade crumbles

We're big fans of homemade crumble. It's easy to make, you can rustle up a huge one for well under £2, and you'll even be getting one of your 'five a day'.

3. Swap fresh juice for longlife

When was the last time you tried longlife juice? It's actually very nice as long as it's properly chilled. 

4. Swap fizzy drinks for sparkling water + juice

This switch should boost your health as well as your bank balance, as you'll really be cutting back on your sugar intake.

5. Swap white for wholegrain

Many wholegrain products cost no more than their white equivalents. And they'll work out cheaper in the long run, as they'll fill you up for longer and you won't be as likely to buy pricy snacks between meals.

6. Swap minced beef for minced turkey

This is another switch that's good for your health as well as your wallet - turkey is one of the leanest meats around.

7. Swap fresh vegetables for frozen

These days, vegetables are frozen in ways that mean the nutrients are properly retained. Fresh veggies are lovely, but if money is tight, try substituting them with cheaper frozen alternatives once or twice a week.

8. Swap fresh fruit for tinned

Again, you won't want to do this all the time - but it will shave a few pounds off your bill and there are now plenty of tinned fruits that don't come in syrup.

9. Swap tidy slices for off-cuts

Keep an eye out for meat and fish off-cuts. The bits cut off to neaten up slices are often packaged up themselves and sold at a really low price. If you're going to cut it all up anyway, what's the difference?

10. Swap meat for pulses

Pulses are generally much cheaper than meat and provide lots of low-fat fibre and protein. If you don't want to skip the meat altogether, use half as much, add pulses to bulk out your dish and freeze the rest of the meat for another day.

11. Swap bought pizzas for build-your-own

Creating your own pizza will save you a couple of quid - and you'll also be able to choose the exact toppings you like.

12. Swap your usual online supermarket for Mysupermarket.

Whatever your shopping list looks like, you should be able to save money by using MySupermarket.

This website compares the price of items at Sainsbury's, Asda, Tesco and Ocado - so you can track down the cheapest chocolate bars or the best-value baguettes.

Happy swapping!