Food is normally the area in which my coaching clients struggle with overspending, and I think it is something that a majority of the population struggle with. We all love food, that’s a given. And as technology advances, we become more and more tempted by the convenience of receiving yummy treats. Just think about how easy it is to order McDonald’s on your phone…
Saving money on your food consumption will not only aid your waistline, but your purse, AND money mindset too. Let’s delve deep into my top tips for doing food shopping on a budget.
Step One – Shop Your Kitchen!
Write a list of everything in your fridge, freezer, and cupboards. This is now your starting point. You’ll get better at this and soon remember what’s in there, but a great place to start is just to write out everything already have in your house, then you can build around it. It’s likely that you already have some meals you can make already, or maybe you’re just missing one ingredient!
This is known as an inventory check. I know you’ve got a tin of chopped tomatoes in the back of the cupboard, so why not build a recipe around that instead of starting from scratch. Unless you’ve just moved into your brand, spanking new home, I bet you have food already available to you!
Step Two – Keep Meals Simple
One of our favourite books is “5 Ingredients” by Jamie Oliver, and believe me, there are tonnes of recipes with even fewer ingredients. Don’t be afraid to cycle the meals you like, you don’t always have to be trying something new because you saw a nice-looking dish on Instagram. Keep it simple!
Can you batch cook? Since writing this post, we have made even further cuts and now have a weekly food shop of £25! How? Batch cooking! This is where you make a huge amount of food in one go that lasts for a few days to a week. We like to do 3/2. One of us will make a meal that lasts three days (usually a curry of some kind) and the other will make a meal lasting two days. Because you’re only buying ingredients for one meal (just a bigger version of the meal) your shopping will come out cheaper than buying lots of different ingredients. This helps when spending on meat and/or fish!
My new favourite foody Instagram account: Pinch of Nom! I DARE you to not find something simple and delicious on their page!
Step Three – Keep Lunch Even Simpler
I have three-ingredient lunches, so does my partner. We tend to have the same lunches for a month and then cycle to the next lunch idea. Currently, I’m on jacket potato, beans & cheese. A classic. My partner is on salami and sauerkraut sandwiches (yes, he is a bit odd), but last month I had taco salads… I bought huge bags of frozen mince, onion & mixed peppers and made my own seasoning out of herbs and spices we already had.
Step Four – Love Yellow Stickers
Our favourite section is the reduced section. Who’s isn’t! But learn the tips and tricks. If there is any kind of fish or meat, buy it and stick it in the freezer, it might not be on your shopping list this week but you can add it to your inventory list for next week and next week shop gets even cheaper!
Fresh fruit and veg are also good to stick in the freezer, some react better than others at being defrosted, but once you stick some other ingredients and sauce/seasoning in, you’ll never know!
Bread is forever in the reduced section, and it very rarely goes off within the week.
Learn the difference between Best Before or Use By! Something has a yellow sticker on it and says Best Before? Snap it up, good chance is it won’t go off for a while! Yellow Stickers have to be the best way of doing food shopping on a budget!
Step Five – Make a List, and Check it Twice
Now you have your inventory together, you’ve picked out some yummy meals and reaped the rewards of last week, or last fortnight’s yellow sticker haul, write your list. We like to write out which means we’re doing on which day and then write a list underneath.
Take your list with you to the shop, have it out while you’re walking around, and take a pen to cross off as you go! This will help you stay on track as you have a destination in the store rather than wandering around. There’s less chance to see their tempting offers on desserts!
Step Six – Change Where You Shop
A big part of our grocery bill was so high was that we were shopping at Waitrose due to convenience. It’s the closest supermarket to us, and during the lockdown period, it was the only one we could get to as we didn’t drive. The minute we were able to go on public transport again, we started shopping in Tesco and our food bill went down to £60. After a bit of refining via the methods above we got it down to £40. We’ve tried Sainsbury’s and it went back up to £60! Unfortunately, we’re unable to visit an Aldi or Lidl but we all know we could go food shopping on a budget just by changing where we shop!
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