Seven ways to...save money on your grocery bill

In the last 12 months we have seen record increases in prices for staple foods across the globe. Economy starts at home, so here are a few tips to keep those necessary food bills at a reasonable minimum.

1. Compare the price of food from a variety of different sources

Some people will tell you to go to one bargain supermarket to get your shopping, but this won’t guarantee cheap prices on everything you buy. What you need to do is compare prices on the full range of foods you buy regularly and shop at a variety of supermarkets. www.mysupermarket.co.uk allows you to compare prices from up to four supermarkets on individual
products, or alternatively search for product prices at www.tesco.com/price_check_search. Obviously, if this means you have to factor in transport costs, it may not be such a cost-effective option!

2. Try to plan your meals ahead

One of the best ways to save money when you go shopping is to plan what you really need before you get there, so you don’t end up buying expensive stuff that will eventually get wasted. To compile a sensible list, try using the Planner gadget for your Windows Sidebar at gallery.live.com or download a template to use with Microsoft Office 2007 at office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/default.aspx.

3. Go shopping at the quietest times

When there are a lot of people in the supermarket, chances are that when you get to the checkout with your shopping, you’ll be stuck in a queue for ages. The longer you’re waiting in that queue, the more tempting it is to grab those sweets or magazines that you’ve been staring at for the last 10 minutes. So get there when it’s not busy, and you’ll whizz through and save money.

4. Don’t go shopping at all: be creative

It’s all too tempting to think you’ve absolutely nothing decent in the cupboard to cook a nice meal with, but chances are there are enough ingredients in there to delay having to shop just for another day or two. www.cookingbynumbers.com has a great way of showing you what you can make from what you’ve got left. Just select the ingredients from the list, click on Find Recipes and it will give you a list of all the different meals you can cook and what you need to do to prepare them.

5. Eat before you go shopping…

OK, so this one might seem obvious, but we’ve all done it – shopping on an empty stomach is a guaranteed way of buying more food than you need. And more of those ‘empty’, snack type foods,
too – like crisps and biscuits. So before you head out, make sure you fill up.

6. Get your shopping delivered

You can get your shopping brought straight to your front door without having to move from your
PC. Some supermarkets offer home delivery and each carries a delivery charge, but this varies depending on the shop and when you place your order. Some require a minimum spend, too – check at each web site exactly what the charges are. So how does this option save you money? You get what you order, not what you’re tempted to buy while in the shop…

7. Buy more when something’s on offer

If you’re planning to feed a big family, then you’ll probably be stocking up on a lot of food, so you should take advantage of special offers, such as ‘BOGOF’ (Buy One Get One Free) and ‘3 for 2’ items. www.fixtureferrets.co.uk has a long list of all special offers currently on in each supermarket and you can search for food items by supermarket, special offer type or product category. As this site also lists straightforward price reductions, it’s a great resource for saving money.

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