Did you know that the cost of milk has risen by 23p in 4 years. Now 23p might not sound a lot, It won’t even buy you a stamp, or a Freddo Frog! But compare that to the fact that prior to 2020, it took 30 years for the cost of milk to rise by 17p, it begins to paint a clearer picture of the cost of living crisis, and why people are needing to save money on food shopping.
The Cost of Living
Money Plus have conducted a survey to see how the cost of living crisis is effecting people’s day to day lives in comparison to 10 years ago. Some of it may shock you.
The average annual salary in the UK has risen by 35%. However the cost of groceries has risen by 46%. As the young people say, ‘the math aint mathing’. That’s without taking into account household bills and the cost of petrol.
In 2014 the average house price for a first time buyer was £192,000. In 2024 it rose to £235,831. So it makes sense that in the same time the average age of a first time buyer has risen from 29.5, to 34. At this rate I’m going to be moving into a nursing home before my kids can afford to move out!
The survey found that over 90% of those asked were feeling the pinch. And most of that pinch is coming from household bills and the cost of food. With that in mind here are my top 5 money saving tips for the food shop:
How to save money on food shopping
1 Plan
Meal planning may sound mundane, but it is the easiest way to save money on your grocery shop and reduce food waste. As well as writing your meal plan for the week, ensure you write a sopping list. A list stops you from buying what you don’t need and ensuring you don’t forget what you do need.
2 Shop Online
Doing your grocery shop online makes so much more sense when you are budgeting:
- You don’t put unnecessary items in your trolley.
- The offers are clear and easy to see.
- It’s easy to keep track of your spending every time you add something to your basket.
- Editing your shopping is much easier online than in a store.
3 Review Your Basket
I always recommend doing your online shop 3 or 4 days before you have it delivered. It gives you a cooling off period! The day before your delivery is due, log in and amend your shop. You can add anything you ran out of since you did it, saving you and extra trips to the shops. You can also go through your basket standing in front of your cupboards and fridge to ensure that you genuinely need everything you have added. I always reduce my bill by between £10 and £20 by editing my basket.
4 Loyalty Schemes
Most of us are signed up to our preferred supermarkets loyalty scheme. But are you getting the most from yours? Ensure you have the app on your phone as you can earn extra points each time you spend. Look out for double point offers, and consider other stores where you can earn points with the same loyalty scheme.
5 Vouchers
Look for cashback sites such as vouchercloud or coupnet, and see what offers they do for your preferred supermarket. You may find you can earn cashback on your weekly shops.
Bonus
Check out delivery pass prices when you do shop online. Many supermarkets offer a delivery pass for a small yearly, or monthly fee, which works out much cheaper than paying for your deliveries weekly, and make you a priority customer, which comes in really handy for the Christmas shop!
Do you have any tips to save money on food shopping?
This post is in collaboration with Money Plus
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