Do you want to know how you can spend less on your supermarket shop? Here are 7 top tips to help you do just that. 

Households across the country have been grappling with the continued high cost of living for a long time now.

The cost of everyday items like tea, olive oil, chocolate, fruit and more have seen significant price jumps in recent years.

As a result, money-savvy Brits have been forced to look for creative ways to cut costs including dropping some supermarket staples from the shopping list.

To help ease the strain of the weekly shop, saving expert Richard Price from Britsuperstore has issued some key advice including seven top tips to adopt.

“As inflation rates rise and the cost of living crisis continues to take its toll, it is easy to spend more of our money on essentials than we should," according to Richard.

The expert continued: "But these essential steps could save you hundreds of pounds a year and are very easy to incorporate into your weekly or daily routine.”

How to save on your grocery bill

Plan your supermarket budget

“Create a budget by reviewing your food expenses over the past three months and using your past transactions and bank statements to make them accurate. When you receive your paycheck, allocate a realistic amount of money to shop for food. As of 2024, the average weekly food cost for a family of two adults and one child is £132.”

Create a detailed meal plan

“Plan your meals each week by listing all the ingredients you will need for each dish. Check what ingredients you already have at home only add what’s missing to your shopping list, and make sure you use up any food you already have, especially perishables to avoid unnecessary waste.”

Be smart when making your meals

“It is important to be smart while cooking and opt for making cost-effective meals, like those that can be batch-cooked to cover multiple dinners. The key is to make sure every grocery you buy is used in one way or another, knowing when and how you’ll use it, even if it's just for a snack. This approach will help you prevent overbuying.”

Store food carefully, especially perishables

“Check the use-by dates on each product you buy and keep track of the dates. Store the food properly and if you don’t plan to eat something before it expires, consider freezing it. Freezing and batch cooking can save money and reduce waste. Batch cooking also provides you with convenient, home-cooked meals when you’re short on time, just remember to defrost them first!”

Keep an eye on BOGOF deals

“Deals like ‘buy one, get one free’ can be either helpful or tempting, depending on the item, so it is important to be smart while shopping. It is a good idea to only take advantage of these deals with non-perishable items that you are likely to buy anyway, like toothpaste, toilet paper or batteries.”

Be strategic with yellow sticker deals

Yellow sticker discounts are reductions on items close to their sell-by date. They usually begin appearing mid-morning with prices increasingly dropping into the early evening.

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However, these times can vary by store and depending on opening hours. Also, keep an eye out for damaged or soon-to-expire items as these can be reduced in price, although they will need to be consumed quickly.

Shop less for ‘use-by’ products

Remember the difference between ‘best before’ and ‘use-by’ dates.

Food that has a ‘best before’ date can often be safe to eat although the quality may decline, but the ‘use-by’ date strongly suggests that food is no longer safe to consume.