The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted just how many UK families are living in food poverty, and as prices continue to soar during this cost of living crisis, unfortunately more and more families across the country are finding themselves living in food poverty.
As the cold weather really starts to bite, heating and electricity bills are only going one way which adds an additional strain on household budgets as we attempt to heat our homes and prepare our meals.
Below, we have tried to compile some useful shopping tips to help you reduce the amount of money you are spending on food:
- Plan your menu in advance – this may sound ridiculously simple, but it really does help. Try to make the most of special offers (buy one get one free etc) and batch cook and freeze future meals if you can.
- Don’t shopping on an empty stomach! You’ll be much more tempted by treats that will make a dent in your budget than if you go shopping just after you’ve eaten.
- Avoid branded goods where possible, supermarket’s own ‘value’ or ‘wonky’ ranges offer excellent value for money
- Regularly compare supermarket prices with an online tool such as mysupermarketcompare.co.uk, which allows you to search by item and compare across the major retailers. You may end up splitting your weekly shop across two or even three supermarkets to get the most for your money.
- Go shopping within an hour of closing time – you’ll often find a number of significantly reduced items with great savings that need to be cleared before the end of the day.
- Compare unit costs on the label – don’t assume that larger packs always represent better value for money.
- Make the most of online shopping if you can – it’s often easier to compare unit prices and you can search specifically for items that are on offer. You’ll usually pay more for a last minute delivery slot, so booking in advance is key to getting the cheaper slots. Plus there won’t be any cost surprises when you get to the till!
Of course it’s not just buying your food, but cooking it that costs money too, so we’ve compiled a few tips on how to make the most of the items that you’ve purchased:
- Try frozen vegetables – they’re often cheaper and contain just as many nutrients, plus they last a lot longer than fresh helping to reduce waste.
- Try some ‘meat free meals’. It’s relatively easy to swap your meat (or fish) for an alternative protein such as beans or lentils, and they are usually considerably cheaper. You might not fancy the idea of going totally vegetarian, but you might surprise yourself how much you enjoy a vegetarian chilli which costs a fraction of a meat version to make!
- Make the most of your microwave and air fryer if you have them – both use considerably less electricity than a conventional oven and often cook things quicker too. A recent study by Iceland and Utilita, found that an air fryer would cost just £52.74 per year to power, versus £316 for an electric cooker.
Finally, there are some fantastic recipes, budget meal planners and tips to shopping on a budget online, so before your next food shop, why not take a look for some inspiration?
References:
https://utilita.co.uk/campaigns/iceland