Prices that we are paying in the shops have skyrocketed over the recent months. Where you would once spend £1 you're spending £1.50. That's a huge 50% increase. The price of staple goods has shot up and budget ranges are now edging closer to the price that we once tried to avoid by purchasing from the budget range. There are a few ways to fight back against these rising costs. Let's look at how to do your food shopping on a budget.
Stick to a list
A list is your most powerful asset when you go to the shops. Making a list isn't good enough, you need to stick to it as well. There are clever marketing ploys at work when you visit supermarkets, trying to get you to pay more, buy more, and part with more of your cash. If you religiously stick to the items on your list and don't get swayed by the smell of freshly baked bread or the delightful displays, you can keep the reigns on your purse strings.
Shop the reduced section
A great way to keep your food shopping on a budget is by checking out the reduced section. Most shops have a reduced section and a specific time of day when they start to discount goods that are about to pass the sell by date. If you have room in your freezer, shopping in the reduced section can be a great way to save money. You might be able to get cut-priced meat, or goods that you would usually buy but at a discount. You could batch-cook some fresh ingredients and stock up your freezer with homemade ready meals. The reduced section can be an absolute treasure trove.
Download cashback apps
Have you downloaded any cashback apps? These are fantastic assets to have on your device as they can save you hundreds of pounds every year. Simply scroll through them before you leave the house and you might discover some items with 50%, 75% or even 100% cashback available. You need to buy the right product, keep the receipt and scan it into the app in order for your cashback to be paid. Some of the best include Shopmium and Checkout Smart. There are brands that appear on these apps that you might ordinarily buy, but it is also a great way to try new products that you haven't bought before. Download some of these apps to your phone today and see how they can keep your food shopping on a budget.
Use new customer offers
Have you shopped with any of the big supermarkets online? Many of them offer great discounts to new customers on their first home delivery. This could be 25% off your first order or perhaps a £12 discount on a £60 shop. This can be a great way to stick up your pantry whilst saving some cash. Even better if it's heavy stuff that you would rather not have to load into a trolley, out of the trolley, onto the converter belt, back into the trolley, out of the trolley again, into the car, out of the car and eventually into the house, by yourself. See what new customer offers you can get by checking out the supermarket websites.
Keeping our food shopping on a budget is more important now than perhaps ever before. We can only stretch our budgets so far, so figuring out ways to claw money back and buy discounted goods is fantastic.
