It’s no secret that the UK is a pricey country for buying food. But, there are ways to beat the system and save money on your groceries every week/month. As long as you are organised, meal plan, buy in season and find deals on your shopping, you can eat well and save money in the process.
I created a post for mySupermarket on how to save money on your food bill by buying in season. I talk about the effective three-step process of:
- Printing out a seasonal calendar and sticking it to your fridge
- Meal planning your recipes using the seasonal calendar as your guide
- Using mySupermarket’s online comparison site to get the most out of your shopping at the cheapest price
You find the post below:
How to save money on your food bill by buying in season
But, let’s talk in a little bit more detail about each of the above points here.
Recipes, Freebies and Tips every Sunday!
Print out a seasonal calendar and stick it to your fridge
Seasonal calendars are great because you can stick them on your fridge, so you always know which foods are in season right now. I’ve created a Seasonal Calendar for you (I also talk about buying in season in more detail here) so here it is below:
Buying seasonal food not only saves you money (because they are grown naturally in their best environment), but they are also healthier because they don’t need artificial aids to help them grow. For example, we pay around £2.99 for a punnet of blackberries, but in August, you can see them grow in abundance for free! If you pot and plant your own fruit and veg in your back garden you are saving even more pennies. You can even step up your growing game and purchase a Polytunnel from First Tunnels, which is specially designed to create the ideal environment for growing your own produce. But, whatever you decide to choose, growing your own fruit and veg is the cheapest way to enjoy great fruit and veg all year around.
Meal plan your recipes using the seasonal calendar as your guide
It seems like a lot of work to meal plan before you buy, but it really isn’t. Don’t make the meal plan too fancy (psst… if you subscribe, I send you my very own interactive meal planner). All you need is a to-do list or an excel spreadsheet which is categorised by the times of the day, when the family eats together, and the days of the week that you want to plan your meals. That’s it! But, before you start, make sure to check what’s in your fridge/pantry, so you can use them first. Then head over to Google and type in the key ingredients that you have to hand. Google will churn up a number of recipes and, whatever takes your fancy, pop that into your meal plan!
Don’t forget to think about portion sizes too. If you’re going to make in bulk, account for days when you’ll be eating leftovers, which means you shouldn’t meal plan for every day. Things inevitably pop up and plans will change. My recipes are only 5-ingredients and cost only £5 to make, so you’ll be making a huge saving every time you cook one of my lovely recipes. My one-pot spaghetti is a huge hit!
Use a comparison site like mySupermarket to get the most of your shopping at the cheapest price
Of course, as mentioned you can save a lot of money by growing your own fruit and veg. You can also buy in bulk or use comparison sites like mySupermarket to find you the best deals from all the major stores in the UK. mySupermarket can make you an average saving of around 30% on each shop.
By gaining back control of your finances, you will start to save money every day. And, you don’t even have to skimp on your favourite meals! Just use your common sense. Buy in season, meal plan your recipes, and use a comparison site to find the cheapest ingredients or grow your own fruit and veg. Making your meals from scratch will also ensure you make even more savings. If you need a little confidence in the kitchen, I’ve written an article all about how to get confident in your own kitchen. So start small and slow then grow!
Good luck!
Recipes, freebies and tips every Sunday!
Sign up and receive the following every Sunday: * Email tips on how to get confident in the kitchen * Free printables, checklists and calendars that you can stick on your fridge! * An automated and interactive meal planner of all Five for a Fiver’s recipes (updated weekly) * Fun quizzes, games and interesting food facts*Collaborative feature post*
