How to cut the cost of your food bill

The cost of living may be easing but food prices are still up almost 10% compared to last year. Here we outline ways to cut the cost of your weekly shop.

The latest official figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows that food and non-alcoholic drink inflation was 12.2% in the year to September. While the figures have been coming down over the last 6 months, that is still a lot more than we have been paying.

The price of many staples continues to rise and supermarkets and producers are being accused of deploying tactics such as shrinkflation but there are ways to reduce the cost of your weekly shop.

In this article, we cover:

• 17 ways to reduce the cost of your food shopping
• Why are food prices rising?
• How are alcohol prices changing?
• How can I save on my food shop each month?
• Are supermarket loyalty schemes worth it?

Read more: Healthy recipes on a budget: How to make 15 meals for £20

This article may contain affiliate links that can earn us revenue*

17 ways to reduce the cost of your food shopping

Here are our top tips on how to cut the cost of your food bill.

1. Bulk buying

If you have the cupboard space, bulk-buying can be really cost-effective. Check the label of the product you are buying for the price per kilogram or per 100ml to compare. Big bags and bottles almost always work out much cheaper. For example, buying plain flour from Sainsburys:

• 1.5kg at 79p = 53p per kilo
• 500g at 45p = 90p per kilo

The deals can be even better if you can buy from a wholesaler or bulk-buying specialist such as Costco. However, you should bear in mind these firms come with annual membership fees that you need to factor in.

Start with items such as pasta, rice, squash and tea bags with long shelf lives. Dried goods are also great for meal planning when money is tight.

Household essentials and toiletries such as shampoo are also ideal to buy in bulk – and it means less packaging waste too. For example, if you are buying Faith in Nature coconut shampoo at Ocado:

• 5l at £57 = £1.14p per 100ml
• 2.5l at £30 = £1.20 per 100ml
• 400ml at £6.70 = £1.68 per 100ml

Watch out though as sometimes the smaller packs can work out cheaper, especially if they are on offer, so always check.

2. Avoid pre-prepared fruit and vegetables

Convenience sells, whether that be ready-sliced fruit, boil-in-the-bag rice or pre-cooked chicken – but it often comes at a premium.

Don’t fall into this consumer trap. Ready-chopped fresh fruits and vegetables are much more expensive. That’s because not only are you paying for the item, but you are also paying for someone to prepare them. 

For example, a 60g packet of Sainsbury’s pre-diced onions costs 65p (£3.25 per kilo). Buying loose, whole onions would set you back just 89p per kilo.

If you need to buy pre-prepared, aim for frozen; these prices tend to be more competitive and the product itself will last longer.

3. Meal planning

One good tip for saving money on food costs is meal planning. Try and decide what you will eat each day well in advance. Then stock up on ingredients accordingly and aim to use them all.

This can save you from having to do expensive top-up shops. It can also make all the difference when time is tight.

Meal planning also allows you to balance your diet as you forward-plan. It can help you eradicate the stress of last-minute cooking and reduce the amount of food waste you create.

Plus, cook it in advance and pop it in the freezer, and you can enjoy no-cooking days.

4. Get freezing

It’s a common assumption that frozen food isn’t as nutritious, but this is not necessarily the case.

Frozen food is picked for freezing straightaway, whereas fresh food can be in transit for days before it gets to its destination.

For example, frozen fish is just as fresh, if not fresher than fish on the counter, some of which has been frozen previously. It is also often much cheaper.

You can also freeze many of the items you buy on yellow sticker discounts – allowing you to save them for another day.

In addition, frozen products like garlic, ginger and herbs are often much cheaper than the fresh variety and can be kept for as and when you need them.

Frozen vegetables are also a great alternative to canned ones, which are often packed with salt to preserve them.

5. Don’t shop when hungry – and make a list

Shopping for food when hungry can be dangerous as you may be tempted to throw things into the trolley that you don’t need.

Aim to shop on a full stomach and you will find yourself being much more sensible with what you grab from the shelves.

Always write a shopping list of what you need and make it a rule to stick to it.

6. Watch out what you chuck in the bin

Figures from campaign group WRAP show that in the UK, we throw away 6.6 million tonnes of household food waste a year, almost three quarters of which could have been eaten.

The average family of four could save just over £60 a month by reducing their food waste.

Fruit and veg make up most of what we chuck out, and these are some of the easiest products to utilise for all sorts of recipes: you could freeze them for future smoothies, soups or cakes, or use them to bulk out other dishes and freeze them in batches.

It’s also a good idea to arrange your fridge in order of freshness so you have all the items approaching expiry at the front. That way, you will know where to start when you are deciding what to cook for your next meal.

Food waste apps such as Kitche can help you with this. Kitche alerts you when items in your fridge are about to go off.

You can also use special sites that suggest recipes for the items left over in your fridge or cupboard, such as SuperCook or BigOven.

7. Look up and down

Supermarkets often place the most expensive items at eye level – but this product placement is merely a marketing gimmick.

You can often get similar items for much less if you look at the shelves above and below you.

Similarly, some items can be found at cheaper prices in different aisles. For example, wet wipes can be found in the baby or beauty sections at different prices, so compare them to find the cheapest offer.

8. Meat-free Monday

Meat is expensive and our consumption is contributing heavily to greenhouse gas emissions – so there are multiple benefits to be reaped from cutting back.

Having a meat-free day each week can save you money. You can make perfectly filling and nutritious vegetarian meals to feed the family for a fraction of the cost of a meat dish.

9. Buy store brands

Try dropping one brand level on your groceries – and if you or your kids can’t tell the difference, then stick with the cheaper option.

Downshifting on all the bands you buy typically cuts the cost of your supermarket shop by 30% according to a MoneySavingExpert comparison. Even if you swapped half the items, that’s still a 15% saving.

A 630g of Nutella is £4.39 at Aldi* (70p/100g), for example, while Nutoka – the Aldi own version – is £1.45 for 400g (36p/100g).

The same applies for products such as washing-up liquid and toilet roll.

10. Yellow-sticker aisles

We know that most supermarkets reduce the price of fresh items at the end of each working day – but at exactly what times should you be heading into a store for the biggest discounts?

The first yellow stickers may appear mid-morning, but between 6pm and 9pm, the discounts can be as high as 75% off.

In Asda, the final reductions tend to start at about 7pm. With the Co-op’s “75% off” discounts, 8pm is generally the prime time.

Reductions in Morrisons may begin late morning or at lunchtime, while Sainsbury’s discounts kick in at about 7pm.

Tesco and Lidl reduce food prices as early as 8am, while big discounts materialise in the early evening.

Half-price stickers start appearing from 8pm in Aldi*, while “final reduction” stickers can be seen 30 minutes to an hour before closing in M&S* stores. Aldi discounts are usually marked with a red sticker.

Waitrose told us discounts vary between store to store, and day to day.

11. Shop around

It’s always worth comparing branded products across supermarkets, but you may find some are cheaper in other shops.

Often, local markets, butchers and greengrocers can be cheaper than the supermarkets. If you have the time, it is worth shopping around.

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.

12. Storing food correctly to prolong lifespan

You can prolong the shelf-life of your food by storing what you buy correctly.

Eggs last longer when kept in their box, while oranges, and some fruit and vegetables, should be stored in the fridge.

Items such as potatoes, bananas, pineapples, onions and bread should be preserved in a cool, dry place and kept in their original packaging to prolong their lifespan.

13. Apps offering free or cheap food

People have started signing up to apps such as Olio for free produce.

With the aim of eliminating waste and “sharing” food, big supermarkets such as Tesco* and retailers such as Pret A Manger offer unsold fresh products to Olio at the end of each day. Volunteers sign up, collect the food, and then list them on the app for locals to collect.

Too Good To Go is another free app that allows you to purchase unsold food at a discounted rate to prevent it from being thrown away. Businesses place these items in “surprise bags” and price them up at about a third of the original value.

You pay in advance and have to pick up your food during a certain timeframe.

14. Sniff test

Avoid throwing away best-before-date items; these are just the manufacturer’s view of when they’re at optimum quality – and often, the products are still perfectly edible after that date.

Sometimes, you may find the item has lost its flavour or texture – it’s then up to you to decide what you want to do with it.

However, use-by dates mean you should chuck food away after this point, as otherwise it’s a health risk. Typical foods to watch include dairy – milk, fish and eggs.

15. Grab free fast food through apps and clubs

Fast-food chains may offer discounts and freebies to new and existing customers via their apps and membership “clubs”. Often, the motive is that they are trying to drive up their mailing lists or app downloads.

For example, sign up to Krispy Kreme’s newsletter and enter your details to get a free original glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut.

If you download the McDonald’s app, you will get 50% off certain items the first time you use it to order. Greggs offers a free hot drink when you register.

Most will also give you an extra reward on your birthday, so remember to add that at the log-in page.

16. Take advantage of offers for online grocery shopping

If you are doing an online food shop, you may be eligible for a discount – especially if you are a new customer. Check mailing lists and deals sites for voucher codes and coupons to cut food costs.

Shoppers may also be eligible for cashback through sites such as TopCashback and Quidco. In essence, these pay you to shop through them, but bear in mind that often you won’t be able to combine the two discounts.

17. Are supermarket loyalty schemes worth it when it comes to cutting food costs?

The consumer group Which? estimates you could save between 50p and £10 for each £100 spent at a supermarket using loyalty schemes. According to consumer insights group IGD, 79% of shoppers are signed up to Clubcard, and 67% have a Nectar card.

Make sure you don’t fall into the trap of only spending because you’re a cardholder – always go for the most competitively priced retailer if you’re looking to make savings.

The biggest potential benefit of these clubs is that you can often collect points on petrol, which means you can get something back, albeit slowly, as fuel prices rocket.

• Asda. The Asda Rewards app allows shoppers to earn cashback on selected branded and own-label products. Once shoppers build up enough cash, they can create a voucher in the app, which can be used on their next shop or saved up to pay for a full shop in the future. The app is still at trial stage, so not available UK-wide.
  
• Lidl. The Lidl Plus app promises “personalised” discounts that customers can activate at the till. It will also enter you into a £20 scratchcard competition every time you scan it.
  
• M&S*. At M&S – every week, in every store – one shopper who swipes their Sparks card at the till will get their shopping for free. So if you are making a purchase, remember to scan your card.
  
• Morrisons. My Morrisons (previously known as Morrisons More) also offers “personalised” discounts based on your shopping habits. You can also get offers to use online, but you need to use a discount code at the checkout, and paper vouchers can be provided to shoppers without internet access.
  
• Sainsbury’s. Sainsbury’s is part of the Nectar club, which allows you to pick up one point per £1 spent in-store and online, as well as one point for every litre of fuel purchased at Sainsbury’s fuel stations. Five hundred Nectar points are worth £2.50.
  
  With Sainsburys’ Nectar Credit Card you can collect 8,000 bonus points when you use your card to spend a total of £400 or more at Sainsbury’s, Argos, Habitat or Tu Clothing during the 2 months after your account is opened.
  
  The card also allows you to earn up to three points for per £2 spent in Sainsbury’s, Argos, Habitat & Tu clothing when you pay with a Sainsbury’s Bank Credit Card & scan your Nectar card or app. And you’ll collect 1 point per £5 elsewhere. But make sure the account is right for you first. Find out what Sainsbury’s Nectar card changes mean for you.

• Tesco*. Tesco Clubcard lets you collect one point per £1 spent in-store and online. When purchasing Tesco fuel, you will get one point for every £2 spent.
  
  You will also unlock Clubcard Prices, which offers special discounts to loyalty-card holders.
  
  There are lots of opportunities to earn points through other Tesco products such as Tesco Mobile and Tesco credit cards.
  
  The Tesco Bank Purchase card, for example, allows you to earn five Clubcard points for every £4 spent in the supermarket and on Tesco fuel, and one point for every £8 spent elsewhere. Each point is worth 1p, and for every 150 points, you get £1.50 in Clubcard vouchers.
  
  You can also boost the value of your points with selected partners such as theme parks and cinemas.
  
  It should not be mistaken for Tesco Clubcard Plus, which is a monthly subscription service that costs £7.99 and offers 10% off two in-store food shops a month (maximum value per shop: £200).
  
  If you do a couple of big shops in-store each month, this scheme could be worthwhile. For example, two £150 shops a month will save you £30, or £22 once you subtract the monthly charge.
  
  But if you do numerous small weekly shops or mainly shop online, the savings are likely to be minimal.
  
  Remember: the monthly fee adds up to almost £100 a year, so you need to be making good use of it. As a general rule, aim to spend at least £80 on a qualifying food shop to cover your costs. Read more: How Tesco Clubcard changes will affect you

• Co-op. The Co-op loyalty scheme allows you to earn 2% cashback when you buy selected Co-op own-brand items or services – and 2% goes to a cause in your area.
  
  Any money you earn will be paid into your membership account. The account costs a one-off £1 to open.

• Waitrose. Waitrose offers free hot drinks to myWaitrose customers with a loyalty card. It also recently scrapped its free-newspaper promise, which was one of its biggest perks.

How are alcohol prices changing?

Taxes levied on alcohol rose by up to 20% from 1 August. As a general rule, the higher the alcohol content, the greater the tax increase. This means wines and spirits will be most significantly affected by the changes.

Below are some examples of the price rises that have kicked in:

• Wine duty will increase by 44p a bottle. With VAT factored in, you’ll now pay 53p more for a bottle of wine.
• Duty and VAT on spirits including vodka and gin rose by 90p per bottle.
• The cost of packaged beer rose by 10.1%, in line with last September’s inflation rate. For example, a four-pack of Corona beer costing £5.50 will cost up to £6.05 under the changes.

However, it’s not all bad news. Taxes charged on draught beer in 38,000 pubs and bars has fallen by 11p as part of the new “Brexit Pubs Guarantee”.

Why are UK food prices so high?

Food costs have been going up for several reasons, most notably:

• Extreme weather affecting harvests around the world
• Soaring energy prices exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine
• The war is pushing up the costs of animal feed and fertiliser
• An increase in demand post lockdown
• Brexit regulations
• Supply chain issues

Essential items have gone up in price by as much as 65% over the year. That’s according to separate findings from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Right now, the two areas where prices are rising the most are for food and energy.

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