Five ways you can cut your supermarket bill as grocery inflation hits 16.7%
Millions have been feeling the pinch of high prices this year, and unfortunately, the cost of food is no exception.
The recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation figure for the UK is 10.1% and despite January being the third monthly fall in inflation, the price of food is continuing to rise strongly.
Grocery prices are still up a massive 16.7% with the price of food a huge contributor to why inflation is so high.
These ever-increasing prices at the till are stressful and millions are looking for ways to cut the cost of their food bill.
It's very easy for food to become an afterthought, but by taking steps to think about your meals, you can help make your budget stretch just a little bit further.
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Meal planning
Deciding what you will eat each day well in advance, stocking up on ingredients accordingly in a big shop and aiming to use them all can go a long way.
If you know what you are going to eat, then it helps stop doing those expensive "top-up" shops.
Sometimes, you can batch-cook your meals which can also take away the stress of having to decide what you qNR RO cook an evening meal and
Meal planning also allows you to balance your diet as you forward-plan, while eradicating the stress of last-minute cooking and simultaneously reducing the amount of food waste.
Plus, cook it in advance and pop it in the freezer, and you can enjoy no-cooking days.
Shopping lists
If you have made a meal plan for the week, then when you go shopping you know exactly what you need to buy.
Writing a simple shopping list can go a long way towards preventing unnecessary impulse buys as you will clearly see what you need to buy and if it's not on the list, you don't need to buy it.
You will need to be strict with yourself and stick with the list to make the savings.
If you continue to throw any old thing into your trolley alongside the items on your shopping list then you will, albeit obviously, continue to overspend.
A good idea alongside this is to keep a track of what you have in your cupboard for long-life items such as jars of sauce or gravy.
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You can make a note when they run out and add them to your list when you need to pick them up, this will save you from buying extra because you couldn't remember if you'd run out or not.
Supermarket yellow stickers
Supermarkets often reduce the price of items when they are close to their use by or best-before date to avoid them going in the bin at the end of the day.
There is a difference between these labels and knowing the difference can also help you cut the cost of your food shop.
The discounts on these items can sometimes be monumental and bargain hunters have often taken to social media to show off their yellow sticker finds.
Yellow sticker items can usually be found throughout the day in specific areas of the supermarket but the best offers are usually found towards the end of the day.
However, you will need to find the sweet spot as many shoppers are aware of the yellow sticker and are on the lookout, so you may find all the reduced items are gone if you get there too late.
It is a skill but once you find your local supermarket's "golden hour" for yellow stickers you may be able to cut the cost of your food shop or just bag yourself a much cheaper staple item.
This is a particularly useful tactic if you have enough space in your freezer to stock up on the discounted items.
Shop and swap around
Although decisions about where to do your weekly shop are influenced by convenience as well as price, consider whether it’s worth travelling a bit further to a more affordable supermarket.
The consumer champion Which? carries out a monthly price comparison of UK supermarkets which usually looks at a staple food shopping list.
Aldi and Lidl often take the top spot, with Aldi taking the crown for 2022's cheapest supermarket, but swapping between the middle-tier chains can help you save some cash.
It may feel like it would be more expensive but independent stores, like greengrocers or butchers can sometimes offer you the best price so if you have the time it is worth taking a look.
Swapping well-known brands such as Heinz or Bisto to a supermarket's version of the product can also make the shop a little cheaper.
You can also sometimes save by buying non-food items such as bin-liners and cleaning products in a discount store, rather than in the supermarket.
Loyalty schemes
All supermarkets offer some kind of reward scheme and it is usually always worth signing up for, even if you don't shop there often.
According to Which? research, you will save between 50p and £10 for every £100 you spend with the loyalty scheme on offer today.
This is on its own a decent saving and is also before you take into account any exclusive price discounts or personalised offers for loyalty scheme members.
Tesco has its famous Clubcard price which can be claimed by scanning your Clubcard at the till and is usually much cheaper than the price offered to non-Clubcard customers.
Nectar points, which is the rewards scheme for Sainburys can be claimed at shops other than Sainsbury's which can help build up points to spend on your food shop.
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