The Ultimate list of tips to keep your grocery spend down
Over the last month, we have had to stretch our money as far as possible to feed a family of 3 on no income. As a result it has meant we have got super crafty with our grocery shop. In this blog post, I share with you a number of different tips to consider.
1.Basic Meals
Forget all the extras and keep meals super simple with the core ingredients.
Usually, I would buy a side salad or maybe lots of different seasoning but during the current situation, my priority is ensuring we are eating filling and healthy meals throughout the week.
Task: Draft a list of basic meals, listing their core ingredients.
2.Inventory
Check to see what you have at home.
When I first fell on hardship, one of the first things we did was inventory. I wanted to ensure we made use of all the items we currently had such as chopped tomatoes and red kidney beans. To our surprise, we were able to half the grocery shop to a spend of £14 to £19 for the first two weeks.
Task: Write a list of all the items you currently have at home
3.Food swaps
What items are you buying which costs a fair bit?
I have been banging on about food swaps as this hack alone has saved an absolute fortune. Usually, we would buy chicken breast at £5.50 a week however we have swapped to chicken drumsticks which is £1.50 a week. This change alone has saved over £16 a month! Maybe you could swap other items such as the type of oil or sugar you are buying?
Task: Look at your groceries and consider which items you can swap for a cheaper alternative.
4.Meal planning
The is the life and saviour of my budget. Without meal planning, we would have a lot of food going to waste, unsatisfying and boring meals and I would no doubt run out of money. Each week, I choose ‘Basic Meals’ from my list. This way, I know we have enough meals to keep us going and furthermore, I can check what items we currently have and ensure I only buy items we need.
Task: Create a meal plan for the next 7 days before you head to the shop.
5.Using the same ingredients
There are so many recipes out there, it can be overwhelming thinking where to start. However for the first time, I didn't look, instead I focused on having very similar if not the same meals I currently have and spent time ensuring that they used very similar ingredients and not as much extras. As a result, for the first few weeks, we only had one type of meat rather than two, it also meant we used the same types of veg so it could be used across different dishes and we were spending less in the shops.
Task: When creating your meal plan, check that they are using similar ingredients.
1.Basic Meals
Forget all the extras and keep meals super simple with the core ingredients.
Usually, I would buy a side salad or maybe lots of different seasoning but during the current situation, my priority is ensuring we are eating filling and healthy meals throughout the week.
Task: Draft a list of basic meals, listing their core ingredients.
2.Inventory
Check to see what you have at home.
When I first fell on hardship, one of the first things we did was inventory. I wanted to ensure we made use of all the items we currently had such as chopped tomatoes and red kidney beans. To our surprise, we were able to half the grocery shop to a spend of £14 to £19 for the first two weeks.
Task: Write a list of all the items you currently have at home
3.Food swaps
What items are you buying which costs a fair bit?
I have been banging on about food swaps as this hack alone has saved an absolute fortune. Usually, we would buy chicken breast at £5.50 a week however we have swapped to chicken drumsticks which is £1.50 a week. This change alone has saved over £16 a month! Maybe you could swap other items such as the type of oil or sugar you are buying?
Task: Look at your groceries and consider which items you can swap for a cheaper alternative.
4.Meal planning
The is the life and saviour of my budget. Without meal planning, we would have a lot of food going to waste, unsatisfying and boring meals and I would no doubt run out of money. Each week, I choose ‘Basic Meals’ from my list. This way, I know we have enough meals to keep us going and furthermore, I can check what items we currently have and ensure I only buy items we need.
Task: Create a meal plan for the next 7 days before you head to the shop.
5.Using the same ingredients
There are so many recipes out there, it can be overwhelming thinking where to start. However for the first time, I didn't look, instead I focused on having very similar if not the same meals I currently have and spent time ensuring that they used very similar ingredients and not as much extras. As a result, for the first few weeks, we only had one type of meat rather than two, it also meant we used the same types of veg so it could be used across different dishes and we were spending less in the shops.
Task: When creating your meal plan, check that they are using similar ingredients.
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6.Shopping in Aldi or Lidl
Usually, I would buy a monthly shop in Aldi and top up in Asda throughout the month. However, this proved just too expensive, therefore we have decided to shop in Aldi only and all those 10ps and 20ps savings per an item sure does adds up to huge amounts.
Task: Try shopping in a cheaper supermarket such as Aldi or Lidl
7.Swapping meat for Veg
We are eating much less meat and bulking up our meals with veg. As a result, we are still eating our 5 a day and filling our bellies. Often, most bags of veg are under a pound and can help save a fortune by eating less meat.
Task: Choose one meal and reduce the meat portion and increase the veg portion.
8.Buy supermarket branded
I have always tried to buy supermarket branded products however I was very much guilty of buying branded bread and beans. Making these swaps, meant I was spending roughly half the amount on these items.
Task: Try and swap one branded item at a time.
9. Don't buy prepared items
I used to buy grated cheese and washed and pepped salad bags but this actually cost more and I wasn't getting as much for my money. Buy choosing an unprepared one, it may take more time to prep but it sure will save money over time.
Task: Chose one item to swap from prepared to unprepared.
Should I discover any more, ill be sure to add to this list.
Thanks for reading x
Usually, I would buy a monthly shop in Aldi and top up in Asda throughout the month. However, this proved just too expensive, therefore we have decided to shop in Aldi only and all those 10ps and 20ps savings per an item sure does adds up to huge amounts.
Task: Try shopping in a cheaper supermarket such as Aldi or Lidl
7.Swapping meat for Veg
We are eating much less meat and bulking up our meals with veg. As a result, we are still eating our 5 a day and filling our bellies. Often, most bags of veg are under a pound and can help save a fortune by eating less meat.
Task: Choose one meal and reduce the meat portion and increase the veg portion.
8.Buy supermarket branded
I have always tried to buy supermarket branded products however I was very much guilty of buying branded bread and beans. Making these swaps, meant I was spending roughly half the amount on these items.
Task: Try and swap one branded item at a time.
9. Don't buy prepared items
I used to buy grated cheese and washed and pepped salad bags but this actually cost more and I wasn't getting as much for my money. Buy choosing an unprepared one, it may take more time to prep but it sure will save money over time.
Task: Chose one item to swap from prepared to unprepared.
Should I discover any more, ill be sure to add to this list.
Thanks for reading x