Food Shopping Tips

Generally it is cheaper to shop in supermarkets rather than small shops. However exceptions to this can often be butchers, greengrocers and markets, so it can pay to shop around.

Buy with a friend or a group of friends; it’s much cheaper to buy food in bulk than to buy for one

Buy own label products or economy ranges, e.g. Tesco Value, Sainsbury’s Basics, Asda Smartprice

Cook!!! Don’t buy ready meals – these are very expensive

Plan meals for a week and shop accordingly, don’t buy on a day to day basis

Work out how much you can spend on food a week and stick to it – take a calculator with you if necessary

Take a shopping list and stick to it

Don’t go shopping when you are hungry!

Take advantage of special offers - buy one get one free offers are well worth it if it is something you would be buying anyway.

Take advantage of promotional money-off coupons.

At the supermarket, look the reduced item shelves to see if there are any items that you could use – visiting supermarkets at the end of the day is the best time for this!

Beans and pulses! Nourishing, filling, versatile and very cheap. You don’t have to live on baked beans, look for things like lentils, butter beans, black eyed beans which can be used in casseroles, soups, pasta sauces, curries, chilli, pasties, salads - you name it!

Soya mince is a lot cheaper than meat minces and very healthy.

Buy the fruit and vegetables which are in season, they will always be cheaper. Fresh fruit and vegetables that need washing and cutting will be much cheaper than prepared items.

Bring your own lunch to college, packed lunches work out much cheaper than bought sandwiches or eating out.