11 Appetising Food Shopping Saving Tips

Image by Benjamin Krause, Berlin

With Money Dashboard budget planner you can view all of your income and spending in one place, and see how much of your income is spent on different purchases. One of the most common transactions is supermarket and grocery shopping. After all, everybody has to eat. Although the following money saving tips won't save you too much money on any one shop, all those little savings add up throughout the year, and by buying a little bit thriftier every week, you'll quickly see the benefits stacking up.

1. Try your supermarket's “economy” range. Often it is the same product with simpler packaging at a much cheaper cost.
2. If you do your shopping at a supermarket, the best time to go is late at night. Not only is it quieter, but supermarkets will reduce the prices of items that they haven't managed to sell or are approaching expiry, including staples like milk, bread, and baked goods.
3. Make a list of what you need before you go shopping, and try not to deviate from it. Impulse purchases can drive up your total spend.
4. Eat before you shop, or snack as you go. Hungry shoppers tend to put more in their cart.
5. Ignore the coffee shop. If you need that caffeine boost to get you through, make coffee at home and bring it in a flask.
6. Get up a little earlier and make yourself a packed lunch before you go into work. Packaged sandwiches and ready meals are a good deal more expensive than homemade sandwiches or a box of microwavable leftovers.
7. It might mean spending a little more time in the kitchen, but a home cooked dinner is usually cheaper than a ready meal. If you're serious about saving money, you'll make the effort.
8. Check the expiration dates of food you buy, and check if it is freezable. You can take advantage of multi-buy offers if there's room in your freezer, but don't overbuy or you'll end up throwing food out when it goes bad.
9. Don't throw away leftovers. Save them for another meal, or for your packed lunch tomorrow.
10. Items like toothpaste, washing up liquid, soap and shampoo don't have expiry dates, so take advantage of economies of scale, and buy multi-packs or large quantities when deals are offered. It's more expensive in the short term, but will save you money overall.
11. Join cash-back websites and discount voucher websites, and search them for your supermarket before you go shopping. You might be able to get cash-back on your purchases, or get money off with a discount voucher.

By following these simple tips, you'll find a little bit more money left in your pocket after every shop, and overtime you'll see the difference in your bank account.