Food and Drink
Everyone has bills to pay. Utility bills in particular can be hefty, particularly with the cost of living crisis.
Thrifters
Saving Money On Your Food and Drink
Foraging
There is free food out there if you know what to look for. This week I found a few blackberries and some field mushrooms. So far we have had a blackberry and apple crumble, mushroom Stroganoff, chicken, ham and mushroom pasta and Korean BBQ pork with mushrooms!
Everyone knows blackberries, but just a note of caution – never eat anything foraged unless you are 100% certain of its identity 
Thank you to @Julie Upson for suggesting this top tip
Be Aware of Supermarket Tactics
Supermarkets are extremely good at encouraging you to spend more money than you need to when you do your grocery shopping – when was the last time you went into a supermarket and came out only with what you went in for?
Some of the tactics they use include:
- instore bakeries giving out the aroma of freshly baked bread to make you feel hungry
- impulse items near tills
- layout – making us walk every isle to find what we want
- putting more profitable items at eye level
- misleading sales signage
Keep these things in mind while you shop!
Consider own brand products
As suggested by Christine Smylie , own brand products are usually far cheaper than their branded equivalent. They may even be made in the same factory by the same people!
Why not try a blind taste test – if you can’t tell the difference then why buy the more expensive brand?
This is particularly relevent to cleaning products. There are a ton of savings to be made just by changing brands. It is even possible to clean the whole house with a few basic products – eg. White vinegar and lemon juice!
Never shop while hungry
As suggested by Kelly Vincent’
Common sense maybe, but we all know that we buy more food when we are hungry.
Use Your Coupons Wisely
Make sure you use your coupons, but only if it is something you actually need – there is no point buying something if it is just going to sit in a cupboards somewhere, or be thrown away uneaten.
Shop Around
We all like the convenience of buying everything in one place, but not all shops and supermarkets are equal – the prices of what you need vary from place to place so shop around to find the best prices.
Beware of BOGOF deals
Buy One Get One Free (BOGOF) deals may seem attractive, but non branded prodcucts may still be cheaper. Only go for BOGOF deals if it’s something you actually need and are going to use. Always compare the prices per Kg, ensuring that you are comparing like for like!
Loyalty Schemes
You should always shop around and buy based on best price or value, but make sure you do collect your loyalty points where you do spend!
Take Advantage Of Price Reductions
Supermarkets often reduce short dated products, with the amount they are reduced increasing the later in the day it gets. Try timing your visit to the period of greatest reductions, which will vary between stores. It is possible to bag some real bargains, but once again there is no point buying something just because it is cheap, unless you are actually going to use it
Try eating less meat
Meat is expensive. How about cutting down the amount you eat and bulking meals with more vegetables? Or maybe have one or two meat free days each week?
Best Before Vs Use By Dates
Use by means just that. Products that have passed their use-by date may no longer be safe to consume and should be discarded.
The best-before date, however, is a date assigned by the manufacturer based on their assessment of how long it will remain at an acceptable quality. It is legal to sell products after their best before date. However, taste and/or texture may be affected.
Make a meal plan
If you plan your meals in advance it is much easier to determine what you actually need to purchase at the store. Not only the ingredients, but the quantities too.
Some recipes may use expensive ingredients – could these be substituted for a cheaper alternative maybe?
Repurpose Leftovers
Don’t discard leftovers. Often they can be used to make something else – eg. Leftover potatoes and vegetable can make a delicious bubble and squeak. Again, there are resources available with ideas for using up leftovers.
Avoid Ready Meals & Processed Foods
Not only are ready meals and processed foods not as good for you as meals prepared by yourself using fresh ingredients, they tend to be more expensive too.
Check your store cupboards
When making your meal plan don’t forget to check what you already have in your cupboards. Plan to use stock up that has been sitting around for a while and incorporate lesser used items as well. There is no point in buying more of what you already have! There are resources available to give recipe ideas for ingredients lurking at the back of your cupboards.
Write a list
Once you have your meal plan, writing your shopping list is easy. But writing a list isn’t the whole story – you also need to stick to it!
Remember that supermarkets place their most profitable lines at eye level, so make sure you look around to ensure you get the best value items.
Batch cooking
Why not make bigger batches of meals and freeze the excess for use at a later date. Reheating a homemade meal is way better for your health as well as your wallet than grabbing a take away or ready meal.
Grow your own
Nothing beats the taste of fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs grown in your own garden – or the satisfaction and enjoyment you can get from doing it.
It gets you outside, the exercise is good for you, they are healthy and nutritious and it saves you money – a win all round!
I appreciate that not everyone has a garden or allotment but even growing some herbs or chilli plants on the kitchen sill would be something.
Energy-saving cooking techniques
Care with cooking techniques can also save you money.
For example:
Using the right size pan for your portions
Putting on the pan lid
Lowering the heat from a rolling boil to a simmer
Batch cooking
Switching the oven off 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time – be sure not to open the door and let the heat out.
Buy produce that is in season
Fresh seasonal produce is better in so many ways than something that has been shipped halfway round the world. It’s fresher, supports the local farmer and economy, and is usually cheaper.
I don’t agree with the way that the French do everything, but I do like that in the majority of French supermarkets they only have local seasonal produce.
Make your own treats from scratch
Why not have a go at making your own sweet treats. It’s better for you. They don’t contain any additional chemicals or preservatives. You know what ingredients have gone into them.
You can make whichever flavour you like, and have loads of fun doing it as well, especially if you have a young family. Cookies in particular are very quick and easy to make.
As an added bonus, of course, generally speaking they’ll be cheaper than the shop bought alternatives.
Portion Control
We all want the best of everything at Christmas. But you can, however, keep costs under control by avoiding buying far too much for the big Christmas dinner.
Here is a useful portion calculator to help you manage your portion sizes. https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/…/food-portion…
Veg Boxes
Some supermarkets sell veg boxes with random fruit and vegetables in that may have a shorter shelf life or, often, from a broken container.
Lidl, for example, has a section by the till…£1.50 a box. You need to check it would be things you will use but can be very good value.
Online Shopping
Consider doing your grocery shopping online and get them delivered to your home if you can. This means you won’t have to spend time driving, bagging, scouring the aisles and packing up your shopping…or getting those impulse buys.
There may be a delivery charge, but once you factor in fuel, your time and not spending extra on impulse buys, it may well work out cheaper for you.
Utility Warehouse
One of the ways of controlling bills is to shop around for your utility supplier. Utility Warehouse offers an all-in-one solution for all your household utility bills.
To find out more and get a free no obligation quote click the link below.
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