Like most things these days, food shopping is becoming more and more expensive – but knowing how to spot a good deal could help you cut your weekly grocery bills.
Food shopping has become a source of money stress for many families all over the UK, with weekly grocery bills climbing higher and higher.
However, knowing some nifty little tricks to carry out when you’re walking around the supermarket can really help. And now, one savvy shopper has revealed how small savings weekly save her an incredible £1,000 a year.
Dominique Dyer, 38, a home ownership officer and mum of one from London, relies on a series of easy-to-copy tricks in order to keep her food bills down.
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Dominique regularly shops for yellow sticker discounts, meticulously plans her meals in advance and subscribes to loyalty programmes for the best discounts.
She told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: “I decided to start yellow sticker shopping to save money and for ethical reasons such as preventing food wastage that would most likely end up being discarded by supermarkets even though it is perfectly fine.
“Over the course of the year I have managed to save on average at least £1,000 by buying reduced produce.
“So far in my hauls I have managed to buy things such as a boneless lamb shoulder joint for £2.84, beef ranch steaks for 2 for £1.49, seabass fillets for £1.49, a large gammon joint for £3.24, lamb mince for £0.79p, eight chicken fillets for £2.74, organic king prawns for £0.99p, crayfish for £0.99 and oxtails for £1.49.
“These items were all good quality. It’s worth every penny that is saved as I can feed my household on average for £15 to £20 per week without having to say no to snacks or personal indulgences.”
One of the things that Dominique always does before buying anything is thinking about what meals it can make. When doing this, she also considers which things are likely to go off quickly and cooks them first.
She added: “When doing yellow sticker hauls, I freeze a majority of the food, so this saves me having to visit supermarkets daily, works out more cost effective than shopping monthly and some of the items are already pre-made or pre-seasoned so on lazier days or if I’m working late I can pop the meals into the oven without having to cook for a couple of hours.”
And she’s named her ‘top tip’ for saving money too – always portion out any meats enough for one meal at a time, and put the rest into bags in the freezer.
Planning ahead is also crucial so that you’re making sure to eat any food that can’t be frozen first. Not only does this help you save money, it also reduces waste too.
Most supermarkets now offer a loyalty program too, and signing up for your favourite one could help you to boost your savings even more.
Dominique said: “My favourite is Nectar who are in partnership with many other businesses.
“Each time I shop in Sainsbury’s or fill up at their petrol station I earn Nectar points. They also use algorithms based on your shopping habits to offer further discounts or additional bonus points on products you purchase regularly as well other products you may be interested in.
“They also set shopping challenges in which you can claim additional bonus points and have Nectar prices on products in general.
This way the more you collect, the more eligible you are for further discounts or money off with other organisations.”
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