Supermarket shopping can be a stressful experience if you don’t have the right strategy in place before you get there. If you don’t have a plan of attack, you may be tempted to throw any old thing in your trolley.
Our tips
- Plan your meals and make a list before you go shopping. Remember what you’ve already got in which needs using up, and stick to your list
- Go shopping with a friend so you can split bulk-buy discounts between you – you’ll save the money but won’t end up wasting anything
- Don’t shop for food when you are hungry
- Check sell-by dates. Supermarkets reduce prices on products that are close to their sell by date and this can be a great way of picking up bargains. But before you fill your trolley, be sure you’ll use everything you buy before it goes off
- Loose fruit and vegetables can be as little as half the price of pre-packaged items
- Frozen and dried products are often cheaper than fresh varieties – and just as good for us
- Stock up when there’s a good deal on store cupboard ingredients that last – like cans of pulses and tomatoes or packets of pasta, rice and cereals.