9 ways to make your grocery shopping cheaper

From cash back apps, to making lists, here are some tips to making your grocery shopping cheaper.

Plan ahead and write a list

This is such a common sense piece of advice, but it works. Planning meals for the week ahead, checking what you already have and writing a list of what you need will increase your chances of only buying what you need and preventing overspending.

Use a supermarket comparison site

Mysupermarket.com is an independent site that allows users to shop across 9 stores to optimise their grocery shop. It does a lot of number crunching and analysis of information that it gathers, and that raw data is turned into digestible information that customers can use each time they shop.

Use cashback sites to redeem cash on everyday shopping

The UK’s two major cashback company’s TopCashBack and Quidco both offer supermarket cashback services. Quidco’s supermarket cashback service app – ‘ClickSnap’ allows users to scan their receipts and redeem cashback on grocery shopping purchases, and you can also claim cashback by accessing supermarket websites via the Clicksnap site. The following supermarkets offer cashback via Quidco’s Clicksnap: Online & in-store:Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, while online only: Ocado, and in-store only: Morrisons, Aldi and Lidl.

TopCashback’s Snap & Save feature also offers shoppers discounts on everyday groceries in-store. Users simply browse through the Snap & Save offers which are updated every week, purchase an item, ‘snap’ a picture of their receipt and then upload it. Cashback then tracks in members accounts within 30 days. A bonus with cashback discounts is that they apply even when the products are already discounted or on offer, so shoppers can double up on savings.

Swap your current market leading brand for lower cost brands

So, as an example, you could swap your oven and cookware cleaner, stain remover, floor cleaner and anti-bacterial cleaner for Astonish. The brand has found that because most of its products have an RRP of £1, some people challenge the quality however I would suggest that you try them out and then make a decision. I use them. In some instances consumers are paying double what they need to for cleaning products!

Buy frozen fruit and veg

You’ve probably seen the TV ads for Sainsbury’s Love Your Freezer campaign which aims to help families save money and time during the week with their range of frozen foods. There are a range of frozen food currently on offer at the supermarket which shows just how much cheaper frozen can be compared to some fresh items. For example did you know you can buy frozen herbs? Not to mention, frozen chopped onions to save on time and tears and to reduce waste.

Get cashback on your credit card

We have a Utility Warehouse credit card and get cash back when shopping at Sainsburys for groceries. Other firms, such as American Express offer a range of rewards and cashback credit cards where consumers can earn money back when they spend. By using a cashback credit card on supermarket shopping throughout the year, shoppers could accrue savings that could go towards the Christmas food shop at the end of the year or a treat etc.

Become a late-night shopper

You can pick up some real bargains after 7 or 8pm when most supermarkets reduce food that’s nearing its sell by date, so it’s a great opportunity to stock up on food which you can freeze and use at a later date.

Think ‘price per portion’ when buying food

What may seem like a great deal could end up costing you more, if you need more of the food to make a meal. My kids love the branded cereals so I look at how many portions I can get from a box before I buy. For example, Nestlé Cereals are a great option for breakfast or even snacks in between meals at a cost of just 24p per bowl – including the milk.

Have a plan to deal with the multibuy offers that waste food

Tempting as they may be, if you don’t need the extra and it doesn’t have a long shelf life, or can’t be frozen….don’t buy it. We throw away 7 million tonnes of food and drink from our homes every year, the majority of which could have been eaten. It you really want that extra lettuce, think about investing in the BerryBreeze…. a device that oxygenates, cleans and reinvigorates the fruits, vegetables, and food that we cram into our fridge, extending both their life and their freshness while preserving their nutritional benefits saving us all a small fortune in the process. This product promises to change the the way we shop, save on food waste take the guilt from trying to be good but avoid the individual costs from over shopping.