Cost Of Living Helper || Buying food

Food Tip 1:

Don't shop on an empty stomach(you are more likely to buy food you don't need).

Food Tip 2:

If possible shop online, you will be less tempted to buy things not on your
list, it also enables you to look for money off vouchers

Food Tip 3:

Supermarkets sometimes have special discounts for certain groups such as icelands 10% off for pensioners when shopping on Tuesday's. Many retailers offer discounts for emergency/nhs workers, students and pensioners.

Food Tip 4:

Don't just go for well known brands, trade secret a lot of the big brand items are made by the same factories that
produce the supermarket own brands. So why not try out the supermarket value range.

Food Tip 5:

Meal planning and batch cooking may take some extra time but it can save you
money in the long-run. Take a
look at our making food section for some great meal ideas.

Food Tip 6:

If you find meal planning too difficult or end up spending on extras when shopping perhaps a meal delivery company would enable you to budget better.
Recommended companies like gousto and hello fresh can save you time on planning/shopping and you know exactly how much your food will cost each month.

Did you know?...

You can price-check your shop with all of the major supermarkets? Always check to see if your shop would be cheaper elsewhere, there are many price checkers but this one is particularly great;

Trolley price checker

Sell by/best before dates...

Food that has almost gone out of date or is just past it's sell by date is still perfectly fine to eat!Remember best before/sell by does not mean you cannot eat it after that date. There are many sites that sell discounted foods with a short shelf life but one of the highest rates is approved foods;

Approved foods

There are also apps to find reduced food locally

Olio

Olio is an app for local people to give away things, people often have extra food they want to give away so it's always worth checking

Find out more

Too good to go

Too good to go will show you local shops and restaurants reducing their food at the end of the day, you can usually get an amazing bargain.

Find out more