How to save money on your food shop: 15 tips that work

Before you go

1. Know what you spend each month. Without that number you cannot tell if you are saving. Keep your receipts for a whole month (or scan them with Scanio) and add them up by supermarket and category.
2. Plan the week’s meals. Deciding what you will eat avoids last-minute buys and food that ends up in the bin. There is a template in our cheap shopping list.
3. Write a fixed list and stick to it. If it is not on the list, it does not go in the trolley.
4. Check the fridge and cupboards before you leave. You avoid buying what you already have.
5. Compare prices before choosing where to shop. No supermarket is cheapest for everything. Look at where your usual shop costs less. More in which is the cheapest supermarket.

In the supermarket

6. Compare by unit price. It is on the shelf label, usually in small print. A cheaper pack can be dearer per kg. If you cannot see it, use our price per kg calculator.
7. Try own-label products for basics (milk, rice, tinned goods, cleaning). If you cannot tell the difference, stick with them.
8. Look high and low on the shelf. What sits at eye level is usually what the shop most wants to sell, not the cheapest.
9. Be careful with multibuys if you did not need several. Work out the price per item of the offer and compare it with the normal price.
10. Use loyalty prices only if they are really lower. Member prices help, but a member deal is not always the cheapest option on the shelf.
11. Watch out for shrinkflation: same pack and price, less product. The unit price gives it away. More in what is shrinkflation.

After you shop

12. Check your receipt. Sometimes the price at the till is not the shelf price, or an offer was not applied.
13. Keep the receipt (or a photo). It helps with returns and tells you what you buy and what you pay each time. More in why keep your receipt.
14. Freeze and use leftovers. What you throw away is also money spent.
15. Review your spending every month and compare it with the month before. If it goes up, look at which category and which supermarket.