7 ways to save on your weekly shop

A little bit of prep can go a long way – especially when it comes to budgeting! Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves…

1. Eat more vegetables

   Meat is a great source of protein. However, there are many alternative versions of recipes that use vegetables instead that are just as filling and cost half the price!

2. Limit alcohol intake

   Do you really need that glass of wine or beer with your meal? It’s easy to enjoy an alcoholic drink after a stressful day but our body doesn’t thank us for it down the line – neither does our bank account! Try different juice drinks or just a humble glass of water.

3. Make your own

   If you use a lot of a pre-made products it may be worth seeing if you can make it yourself for less. This requires a bit more effort, but the satisfaction of eating home-made food, added to the cost saving, is great.

4. Plan your shopping

   Plan your breakfasts, lunches and dinners in advance (using our meal planner!) then stick to your shopping list. It’s easy to forget what you have at home when you are in the supermarket, so make sure you check your cupboards before you shop, this way you won’t buy any excess products. Also, don’t shop when you are hungry! We always buy things we don’t need with empty bellies…

5. Meal preparation

   If you can set aside a bit of time one evening a week, it’s beneficial to spend a bit of extra time batch cooking for future meals. This way we aren’t tempted to order takeaways when we can’t be bothered to spend time cooking after a long day! By prepping in advance, you’ll simply have to heat up a frozen/refrigerated food as required.

6. Keep a list of what’s in the freezer

   It can be easy to forget what you have in the freezer as it gets jostled about and falls to the back. Keeping a list on the door or elsewhere in the kitchen will ensure that you use up all your products, and aren’t buying extras on supermarket trips.

7. Keep comfort food ready to go

   It’s hard to eat healthy all the time and everyone deserves a treat once in a while. But instead of ordering in, why not try your hand at making your own comfort food?! 9 times out of 10 this will be a lot healthier and cheaper than picking up the phone to your nearest takeaway!